I like to welcome you to todays program and as you know today is pearl harbor day and i would like to take just a moment to recognize those who have served and if there is any veterans or active Duty Service Member please rise and we can acknowledge your service. Thank you very much. [applause] today is a day that marked the transition of america from an isolationist nation to a global superpower and there are a few days in World History like december 7 because of what it meant for the world we live in i today in so many ways. Were very fortunate to be able to honor today with a Wonderful Program on a new book that has just come out and how many of you are members . If you are a member, raise your hand great while, look at that rate thats great. Thank you for your support. It makes these programs possible and because of members and trustees like you that we can do these programs and last year cliff who is a Program Manager put on 58 programs here at the library and i would was very impressed and began because of these supports we can have these programs for free and his way of us to get back to the community because they feel so strongly that fdr love this area and wanted to be used in this way we are honoring his wishes. Our speaker today is a journalist and taught, at harvat and taught at georgetown but also written a number of very interesting books and he is the author of perfect which is don larsons book about don larsons world series but anyone remember that . Perfect pitch world series. Raise your hand. Then he wrote a book called promise and performance about john f. Kennedy and then interestingly and i think this i want to hear about this event wrote a novel about john f. Kennedy, right . Deadly risk about his assassination so he wrote both nonfiction andio fiction book ad i bet they are a good combination. A book called empire on [inaudible] and of those of you who dont know William Taylor was a man that essentially built cbs and his rise to power parallels fdrs time of radio into television and probably one of most fascinating and certainly most powerful media moguls in modern world. Another lou book on Louis Brandeis so he is a deep grounding in 20th century American History which brings a fresh perspective to the book easier to talk about today which is called, in the cauldron. This is the very, gated time and story about how president roosevelt was trying to navigate this transition from america being an isolationist group of country and wanted to get into this war but he wanted to get into the war with germany, not japan, but of courset, american policy was forcing a decision one way or the other. You will hear a fantastic story in the book is in the cauldron and there will be a book signing after words and please welcome lew paper. [applause] thank you all for coming. When paul said he was going to introduce me i had only one request, i said i dont care if it is true or not but just make me look good. [laughter] i think he did a great job. But, i do want to thank paul and cliff for the invitation to be here. Its a great honor and im very privileged and very flattered to have received the invitation. Being here has a special meaning for me. As when i was a little boy my father talk to me all the time about president roosevelt and the reason my father talked to me about president roosevelt was because i had been stricken with polio as a little boy. From being a success in life. And he had no better example of scores than president roosevelt. I was very fortunate. My polio was not as severe as president roosevelts. And later when got a little older my father brought me here to the library and museum. It was a very special trip. I was awestruck by the place. And i can only say i wish my father could be here with me today. I think he would really enjoy enough about these personal matters all seen that film, president roosevelt standing in the United States a representative number eight, 1941. Saying december 7, 1941 is a date that will live in infamy because of japans surprise attack on the u. S. Naval base at pearl harbor. Theres noth evidence that president roosevelt or his cabinet new and advanced specifically that japan what attack pearl harbor. They would not be surprised japan what attack United States. November 1941, only a few weeks before pearl harbor, joseph sent to telegrams from the secretary of state. Warning him that japan was prepared to launch a suicidal more against United States and that conflict would come, dangerous and dramatic settlement. How did he know that . In november, 1941, joseph was 61 years old. Tall, lean, bushy eyebrows, full mustache. He had been an american diplomat for almost 40 years. He had been americas ambassador to japan, can you hear me better now . Joseph had been an american diplomat for almost 40 years. He had been americas ambassador to japan almost ten years. There were four factors that led him to send those to telegrams, secretary of state cordell hull and november 1941. The first factor was a japanese economy. United states had imposed economic sanctions on japan and in an effort to curb military aggression in china and Southeast Asia. Those economic sanctions have crippled the japanese economy. There was no gasoline for cars, tokyos streets had to be fitted with charcoal engines. Coffee important was also unavailable. It had been a place by another group, about which the New York Times correspondent, said it was better not to ask too many questions. There was a second factor. That led him to send those telegrams the secretary of sta States November 1941. A japanese mindset. He knew a crippled economy would lead to a sense of desperation among the japanese. A sense of desperation would lead to war. It was all part of that samurai do or die spirit that still prevailed in japan. He knew that for japanese leaders, annihilation or suicidal war with the u. S. Was better than to the accumulation of succumbing to american pressure. There was a a story which ella part illustrates that japanese mindset. In 1941, he received word from the American Embassy in china about a japanese soldier captured by chinese troops there. The japanese soldier came from a well to do family. He wanted his family back in japan to know that he was alive and well could he password onto the japanese government and he soon received a reply. The japanese government said neither it nor this mans family were interested, as far as they were concerned, that japanese soldier was dead. Because, said thed. Government, any japanese soldier who had allowed himself to be captured dishonored his family and his government. There was a third factor that led to send those telegrams to cordell hall 1941. Their concern for japanese leaders ability to control the japanese. If i was writing a book about germany, would not have to tell you about the fatality of the government. Japan was also a very Oppressive Society secret police were everywhere. Surveillance wasnt present in discrete word, ordered to a friend, i and finding himself arrested and jailed and subjected to horrific torture. He understood the upshot of all of this. If japanese leaders issued a command to launch a suicidal war against the United States, the japanese people would obey that command and they would fight to the death. Theres a fourth factor. Led him to send the telegrams and november 1941. That revolved around discussions which japanese representatives were having at washington d. C. Secretary of state cordell hall about a possible agreement between japan and the United States to resolve the differences between the two countries. Notwithstanding that do or die spirit, japanese leaders recognized the risk of war with the unitedes states. So they supported anis initiatie in the spring of 1941 to have discussions held in washington to see if the two countries could reach an agreement. Heres the part secretary of state cordell hall knew there ss virtually no chance of japan and the United States reaching an agreement. He regarded japan as one of the Worst International desperados in the history of mankind. He subscribed that no promises on paper would be worth anything. He could not tell that directly to the japanese representatives who came to washington d. C. Why . s in the spring of 1941, americas military capabilities were woefully inadequate. So president roosevelt in the military chiefs urged him to drive the conversations out with japanese as long as possible. To give the United States time to bolster its military capabilities and defer or delay any conflict in the pacific by which the United States was not prepared. So thats what he did. Spring through the summer into the fall of 1941, he spent untold hours talking with japanese representatives about an agreement that he knew probably would never come to fruition. By the fall of 1941, he reported from tokyo that japanese leaders were very frustrated about the lack of progress and the discussions in fact that japanese leaders were beginning to sense that the United States was not really interested in an agreement that the United States was merely playing the time. For japan, time was running out. In those months before pearl harbor, he made many recommendations president roosevelt and secretary of state cordell hall. P about things they could do that might avoid the war that he saw coming. Very few recommendations were acknowledged, none except of. Why . Back in the United States and especially in washington, people could not believe japan would directly attack the United States. The United States was so much more in terms of population and resources, people in washington announced it would be utterly stupid for japan to directly attack United States. So he made it right that american policy and those months before pearl harbor was completely inflexible. His reporting to the government from tokyo was like throwing pebbles into a lake at night. When pearl harbor occurred, as you might o imagine, joseph was rary frustrated and bitter. He felt the administration squandered a chance to possibly avoid work. Pearl harbor did occur, he and the other members were immediately arrested and taken as prisoners of war. They were all played American Embassy in tokyo for about six months while japan andnd the Uniteded States worked out a Diplomatic Exchange agreement so that american diplomats in japan could return to the United States and japanese diplomats in the United States could return to japan. During the six months thatt he was held as a prisoner of war, joseph wrote a 60 page report, detailed his criticism of american policy in the months before pearl harbor. He planned to give that report the president roosevelt and secretary of state cordell hall and he returned to the United States. But it never happened. When he returned to the United States in august, 1842, he showed the report, the secretary of state cordell hall. He glanced at the report, he immediately saw the report criticized decisions which paul made in the months before pearl harbor. He immediately demanded that he destroy that report. In theat state department, he ft he had no choice but to agree to his demand. So he destroyed that report. I should add theres no evidence that president roosevelt knew about the report or its destruction. He never publicly acknowledged the destruction of the report. Even when he was asked in a postwar congressional hearing, whether he had prepared in our report upon his return to the United States. Thank you for that indulgence. How did i come to write this book . About joseph and pearl harbor . About six years ago, i was going to write a book about america in 1941. It was a pivotal year for the country. Franklin d roosevelt had been inaugurated for an unprecedented third term as president. The uaw signed its first contract for the car manufacturer. The new york yankees, safely 56 consecutive games, record which still stands. Of course, japan attacked pearl harbor. In the course of my research, i came across the name of joseph group and his efforts orchestrate an agreement between japan and the United States to avoid the war he saw coming. I was intrigued and the more i researched, the more i realized his story had never been told. So i switched gears to tell that story. Writing this book, i wanted to bring the characters alive for the reader. Take president roosevelt. Hes a central figure in this drama. When you see roosevelt standing in the well of the United States house of representatives on december 8, 1941, sank december 7, 1941 was a date that will live in infamy, he looked so strong, he sounds so vibrant and yet, as we discussed, heres a man who had been stricken by polio and could not walk. I was thinking about it when i was writing the book. You and i get up in the morning and go to the bathroom, we do our business and come back and get dressed, we go about our day. Roosevelt could not do all that without assistance. Assistance was not going to be provided by his wife, eleanor. She had her own bedroom down the hall in the white house and more than that, she was almost always traveling. Instead, roosevelt lied on a valet. Roosevelt had two valets during his 12 years in the white house. I thought, wouldnt it be great if i could find some commentary from those valleys about what roosevelt was like those private moments would valet . I was able to find that commentary. I learned most private moments with his ballet, he almost always displayed a sweet amiable disposition. Roosevelts ballet in december 1941 was arthur, big black man who was a chief petty officer in the United States navy. He was also a very good looking guy. Although he was married, roosevelt liked to tease him about being a ladies man. Every time roosevelt would tease him, he would respond, one does not refute the chief executive. I wanted to provide that same intimacy talking about joseph group. To do that, i talked to him many members of his family. His grand children, his cousin, greatgrandchildren, they told me many stories that were very useful. One story stood out because it displayed demonic skills and his stature. It was january 1949, he was asked to provide remarks at a dinner in honor of general george c marchal who was retiring as secretary of state. General marshall had been chief of the army during world war ii. After the war, truman appointed him as secretary of state. Now in january 1949, general marshall was going to retire in virginia with his wife. In the audience, general eisenhower and his wife, im sure you allr know generalized now is the one who led the allied invasion of normandy. In closing remarks, in honor of general marshall, he said all he wants to do is retire to his farm in virginia, with missus eisenhower. As soon as he said that, people began to laugh. He immediately recognized his mistake and quickly said, my apologies to the general. At that time, general eisenhower blurted out, which general . I did not rely solely on discussions with members of groups family. I also had access to a lot of documents. No document was more important than his diary. This guy was incredibly disciplined. Long diplomatic career, almost every evening during the week and on weekends, he would sit at his desk, his pipe clenched between his teeth, and he would write out whatf happened, what they said and what he thought the previous day. I had access to thousands of patients pages of his diary. I knew almost everything he did, everything he did and thought in those months before pearl harbor. I knew what time he got up in the morning, i knew his favorite scotch whiskey was Johnny Walker red. And i knew, too, about his very deep feelings for his wife, alice. In fact, in many respects, this book is a love story. When joseph grew married alice perry in 1904, she was a tall, vivacious beautifulhe woman with long dark hair. Alice came from a prominent family in boston. She had little formal education because the family was always traveling. Alice was very smart and she had a lot of opinions and alice wanted to share those opinions with her husband. E he is willing to listen. Group told his daughters that he really rarely send out an Important Message of kim occasion, really of anything of consequence without consulting alice. C alice was a force in her own life. A story told by grew secretary. The concerns in tokyo, shortly before pearl harbor, they invited over for dinner robert, British Ambassador to japan and his wife. They liked them, they did not like the lady, they thought she was a nasty woman. In any event, these social occasions in tokyo, they would often show up after dinner. The problem was that the projector they used to show the movie was often breaking down. In this particular occasion, as they were watching a movie, the projector again broke down. When it did, she turned to alice and said, isnt unfortunate, my dear . That that machine of yours is always breaking down . Without skipping a beat, alice turned to her and said yes, but isnt it great we have no important guests tonight . [laughter] i tried to provide that same intimacy and describing the other characters in this drama, both american and japanese. If you read the book, you will see the attack at pearl harbor was not merely a clash of governments, it was the product, personalities, the perspectives and prejudices of people like you and me. If you read this book, it will change the way you look at pearl harbor. I want to thank you for coming and people have a question, id be happy to answer any questions anyone might have. Just keep it clean. I think there is a microphone. I hav