Public Reaction

WAR CAME SUDDENLY and unexpectedly in the Pacific. Pearl Harbor was an attack without warning launched even before war had been declared. The first public reaction was utter outrage. All the leaders and politicians called for unity. In its December 15, 1941, issue, Time magazine tried to capture the public mood. What was happening in America? Behind the initial outburst of emotion, there seemed to be evidence of an underlying calmness and determination:

At the docks in San Diego, as the afternoon wore on, a crowd slowly grew. There were a few people, then more, then a throng, looking intently west across the harbor, beyond Point Loma, out to the Pacific where the enemy was. There was no visible excitement, no hysteria, and no release in words for the emotions behind the grim, determined faces.

In every part of the U.S. the terse, inadequate words gave outward and visible signs of the unfinished emotions within. Many just said, “Well, it’s here.” Sometimes they had nothing at all to say.

Thus the U.S. met the first days of war. It met them with incredulity and outrage, with a quick, harsh, nationwide outburst that swelled like the catalogue of some profane Whitman. It met them with a deepening sense of gravity and a slow, mounting anger. But there were still no words to express emotions pent up in silent people listening to radios, reading papers, and taking trains. But the U.S. knew that its first words were not enough.

Quiet determination reveals a depth of character and commitment not usually revealed by outward displays of emotion. Americans have always identified with the phrase, “Actions speak louder than words.” In December 1941, this trait began to show itself among the American people. This national characteristic has specific biblical roots. Scripture enjoins us to pay more attention to what we do than what we say.