Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the Henry Wallace center here at the Franklin Roosevelt president ial library and museum. I would like to welcome you to todays program. As you know it today is pearl harbor day and i would like to take just a moment to recognize those who have served, if theres any veterans are activeduty servicemen, please rise so we can acknowledge your service. Thank you very much. [applause] today is the day that marked the transition of america from an isolationist nation to a global superpower and there are few days in World History like december 7, because of what that meant for the world we live in today, in so many ways. Were very fortunate to be able to honor today with a Wonderful Program on a new book that is just come out. How many of you are members . If you are a member raise your hand. Look at that, thats great. They given much, your support makes these programs possible because of members and atrocities like you that we can do these programs. And last year cliff lobby who is a Program Manager put on 50 programs here at the library, which is very impressive. [applause] and again because of your support we can have these programs for free and it really is a way of us to get back to the community because we feel so strongly that fdr love this area. He wanted it to be used in this way and were honoring his wishes. So our speaker today, lew paper, as as a journalist and he taught at harvard and he was involved with georgetown but hes also written a number of very interesting books. Is author of perfect, which is a book about don larson world series. Does anybody remember that close Perfect Pitch in the world series. Racial him. He wrote a book called promising performance about john f. Kennedy and then interestingly and i think i wanted about this, he then wrote a a novel about n f. Kennedy, right . Deadly risk about he wrote both the nonfiction and fiction book and that they are a good combination. What a book called empire. William penn was a man who built cbs and, of course, his rise to power heraldry much fdrs time of radio in the television and popular one of most fascinating and certain the most powerful media moguls in america. Another book on louis brandeis, Supreme Court justice. He has a deeper ground in 20 century American History which allows them to bring a really fresh perspective to the book easy to talk about today which is called in the cauldron terror, tension, and the american ambassadors struggle to avoid pearl harbor. This is a very complicated. In a very complicated story about how president roosevelt was trying to navigate this transition from america being an isolationist neutral country when he you want to get into ts war but he didnt really want to get into the war with japan because he wanted to get in the war with germany. But, of course, american policy was forcing a decision one way or another. You will hear a fantastic story. The book is in the cauldron. There would be a book signing afterwards. Please welcome lew paper. [applause] thank you all for coming. When paul said hes going to introduce me, i had only one request. I said i dont care if its true or not, just make me look good. And i think you 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. When i was a little boy, my father talked to me all the time about president roosevelt. And the reason my father talked to me about president roosevelt was because id been stricken with polio as as a little boy. And my father wanted me to know that polio would not prevent me 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 it. It. But enough about these personal matters. Pearl harbor. Weve all seen that film of president roosevelt standing in the well of the United States house of representatives on december 8, 1941, saying that 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. There is no evidence that president roosevelt or his cabinet new and advanced specifically that japan would attack pearl harbor. But they should not have been surprised that japan would attack the United States. In november 1941, only a few weeks before pearl harbor, joseph grew sent to telegrams, the secretary of state, warning him that japan was prepared to launch a suicidal war against the United States, and that Armed Conflict could come with a dangerous and dramatic suddenness. So who was joseph grew and how did he know that . In november 1941, joseph grew was 61, tall, lean, which eyebrows, a full mustache. He had been an american diplomat for almost 40 years and yet been americas ambassador to japan should i be using this one . Can you hear me better now . No. Okay, some clad i recognize i was using the wrong microphone. In any event, joseph grew had been an american diplomat for almost 40 years. He had been americas ambassador to japan for almost ten years. There are four factors that led him to send those telegrams to secretary of state cordell hull in november 1941. The first factor was a japanese economy. The United States had imposed economic sanctions on japan in an effort to curb japans military aggression in china and in Southeast Asia. Those economic sanctions had crippled the japanese economy. Rice was being rationed. There was no gasoline for cars. The few cars that the first tokyos streets had to be fitted with charcoal engines. Imported coffee was also unavailable. It had been replaced by another brew, about which the New York Times correspondent said, it was better not to ask too many questions. There was a second factor that lead grew to send those telegrams to secretary of state cordell hull in november 1941. That was a japanese mindset. Grew narrow that a crippled economy would lead to a sense of desperation among the japanese, and a sense of desperation would lead to war. It was all part of that samurai you are die spirit that still prevailed in japan. Grew new that for japanese leaders annihilation through a suicidal war with the United States was better than the humiliation of succumbing to american pressure. Theres a story which illustrates that japanese mindset. In the fall of 1941, grew received word from the American Embassy in china about a japanese soldier who would been captured by chinese troops in the fighting there. The japanese government said that neither it or the family comes far as they were concerned, that japanese soldier was dead. Because, said the government, any japanese soldier who had allowed himself to be captured, had dishonored his family, and dishonored his government. There is a third factor that led him to send those telegrams to cordell hall in november of 1941. In that concerned the japanese ability to control the japanese population. If i was writing a book about nonstate germany, i would not have to tell you about the brutality of the government. Japan was also a very repressive society. Secret police were everywhere surveillance was pervasive, no dissent was allowed. And an indiscreet word uttered to a friend, neighbor or a Family Member and a person could find themselves arrested, thrown in jail, and subjected to horrific torture. The group 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. There is a fourth factor that led group to send those telegrams in 1941. And that revolves around discussions with japanese representatives were having in washington d. C. Was secretary of state cordell hall about a possible agreement between japan and the United States to resolve the differences between the two countries. Not withstanding that samurai do or die spirit, japanese leaders knew the risk of war to United States so they supported an initiative in the spring of 1941 to have discussions with hall in washington to see if the two countries could reach an agreement. For his part, secretary of state cordell hull knew virtually there is no chance of japan and the United States reaching an agreement. He regarded japan as one of the last desperados in the history of mankind. He subscribed to the view that no promises of the jabs, is a call them, would be worth anything. But a whole could not tell that directly to the chinese representatives who came to washington d. C. , why . Because the spring of 1941, americas military capabilities were woefully inadequate. Im president roosevelt and the military chiefs urged hall to drag those conversations out the japanese as long as possible to give the United States time to bolster its military capabilities and to defer or delay any conflict in the specific for which the United States was not prepared. And so, that is what holden. From the spring through the summer into the fall of 1941 he spent untold hours talking to japanese representatives about an agreement that he knew it would probably never come to fruition. By the fall of 1941, lou reported to hall from tokyo, that japanese leaders were very frustrated about the lack of progress in discussions and that the japanese leaders were beginning to sense that the United States was not really interested in an agreement and that the United States was merely playing for time. But for japan, time was running out. In those months before pearl harbor, group made many recommendations to roosevelt and cordell hole about things they could do to avoid the war we saw coming. Very few of grooves recommendations were acknowledged, none were accepted. Why . Because back in the United States and especially in washington, people could not believe that japan would directly attack the United States. The United States was so much larger in population resources that people in washington and elsewhere thought it would be utterly stupid for japan to directly attack the United States. And so, we would later write that american policy in those months before pearl harbor, was completely inflexible and that his reporting to the government from tokyo, was like throwing pebbles into a lake at night. When pearl harbor occurred, as you might imagine, joseph group was very frustrated and very bitter. Because he felt that the Roosevelt Administration had squandered a chance to possibly avoid war. When pearl harbor did occur, grew and the other members of the American Embassy in tokyo were immediately arrested and taken as prisoners of war. They were all placed in the American Embassy in tokyo for about six months, while japan and the United States worked out a Diplomatic Exchange agreement so american diplomats in japan could return to the United States and japanese diplomats the United States could return to japan. During the six months that he was held as a prisoner of war, joseph carew wrote a 60 page report that detailed his criticism of United States in the months before pearl harbor he planned on getting that report to president roosevelt and secretary of state court of hull but that never happened. When grew return to the state in august of 1942, he showed the report to secretary of state cordell hull. He glanced at the report, whole immediately saw that the report criticized decisions which hull had made in the months before pearl harbor whole immediately demanded that grew destroyed that report. As a subordinate official in the state department, grew felt he had no choice but to agree to hold demand. So he destroyed that report. I should add, there is no evidence, and president roosevelt knew about the report or its destruction. For his part, grew never publicly acknowledged the destruction of the report. Even when he was asked, in a postwar congressional hearing whether he had prepared any report to give to hull upon his return to the United States. Thank you for that indulgence. So how did i come to write this book about joseph grew in 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 had signed its first contract with the car manufacturer. The new york yankees, joe dimaggio had safely and 56 games which is a record that still stands. And of course japan attacked pearl harbor. The course of my research, i came across the name of joseph grew, and his effort to 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 realize that grooves story had never been told. Until i switched gears to tell that story. In writing this book, i wanted to bring the characters live for the reader. Take president roosevelt, he is a central figure in this drama when you see roosevelt standing on the well of the United States house of representatives on december 8, 1941, saying that december 7, 1941 is a date that will live in infamy, he looks so strong, sounds so vibrant, but as we discussed, here is a manhood been stricken by polio and could not walk. I was thinking about it when i was writing the book. You and i, we get up in the morning, we go to the bathroom we do our business we come back we get dressed, we go about our day. Roosevelt could not do all of that without assistance. And that assistance was not going to be provided by his wife eleanor. She had her own bedroom down the hall the white house, and more than that she was almost always traveling. Instead, roosevelt relied on a ballet. Roosevelt had two valets during his 12 years in the white house. And i thought, wouldnt it be great if i could find some commentary from those valets about what roosevelt was like in those private moments with his belly. When i was able to find that commentary. I learned that in those private moments with his valet, roosevelt almost always displayed a sweet, amiable, disposition. Roosevelts valet and december 1941, was arthur prettyman, a big black man who was a chief petty officer in the United States navy. Petty men also a very goodlooking guy. And although he was married, roosevelt liked to tease him about being a ladies man. And every time he would tease him about beating a ladies man, he would respond one does not refute the chief executive, mr. President. I wanted to provide that same intimacy in talking about joseph grew. To do that, i talked to many members of his family. His grandchildren, his cousins, his greatgrandchildren, they told me many stories that were very useful one story stood out because it displayed grooves diplomatic skills and his stature. It was january 1949, grew was asked to provide remarks at a dinner in honor of general George C Marshall who is retiring as secretary of state. General marshall had been chief of the army during world war ii after the war treatment appointed him as secretary of state. Now, in january 1949, general marshall was going to retire to his farm in virginia with his wife. In the audience was general Dwight D Eisenhower and his wife. Im sure you all know general eisenhower led the allied invasion of normandy in his Closing Remarks in honor of general marshall, he said all he wants to do is retire to his farm in virginia with missus eisenhower. [laughter] as soon as he said that, people began to laugh. He immediately recognized his mistake and quickly and coolly said my apologies to the general. At that point, general eisenhower blurted out, which general . [laughter] i did not rely solely on discussions with members of grews family. I also had access to a lot of documents. More document was more important than grews diary. This guy was incredibly disciplined. Throughout his long diplomatic career, almost every evening during the week and on weekends, he would sit at his desk, his pipe clenched between his teeth, his smith corona typewriter in front of him, and he would write out what had happened, what had been said, and what he had thought in the previous day. I had access to thousands of pages of grews diary. I knew almost everything he did, everything he said, and everything he thought in those months before pearl harbor. I knew the time he got up in the morning, i knew that his favorite scotch whiskey was Johnny Walker red, and i knew too, about his very deep feelings for his wife, alice. And in fact, in many respects, this book is a love story. When joseph grew married alice perry in 1904, she was a tall, vivacious, beautiful woman with long dark hair. Alice came from a prominent family in boston. She had little formal education because the family was always traveling. But alice was very smart, and she had a lots of opinions. And alice wanted to share those opinions with her husband. And he was willing to listen. Grew told his daughters that he rarely sent out an Important Message or com