Chapter 105 Volume 3 Chapter 32 Pearl Harbor

Sunday, December 7th, at the prime minister's villa My American guest radio The nine o'clock news Japan is attacking the United States I speak to the President My telegram to de Valera I rejoice at the inevitability of victory I decide to go to Washington for the King's Letter President Concerns for Return Britain Declares War on Japan My Letter to Japanese Ambassador Congress Unanimously Approves Declaration of War Mr. Duff Cooper's Appointment Disaster in America Great Philippine Islands Attacked Hitler's Dismay We Discuss Use of Prince of Wales and Repulse The problem with Admiral Phillips' adventure plans was the lack of air support Admiral Phillips retreated trying to re-enter the deadly Japanese attack and everything sank beneath the waves. The morning brought dire news and I was preparing to leave the country on December 10th. Statement to the House of Commons on the 2nd Mr. Eden was ordered to leave for Moscow and I gave him some news.

It was Sunday night, December 7, 1941.Only Winant and Al Harriman dined with me at the Prime Minister's villa.I unscrewed my little radio shortly after the nine o'clock news program started.There are many entries concerning fighting on the Russian front and the British front in Libya, and after this there are a few words about Japanese attacks on American ships in Hawaii, and British ships in the Dutch East Indies.Then there's an announcement that after the news show there will be a commentary by Mr. So-and-so, and then there will be a listener Q&A show, or something like that.I personally didn't feel any immediate impressions, but Al said the Japanese attack on the Americans was of some importance, so we sat up in spite of fatigue and rest.At this time, Sawyers, who heard the news, walked into the room and said: It is very true.We're out there hearing it for ourselves.The Japanese have attacked the Americans.Everyone is silent.At a luncheon at the Lord Mayor's House in London on November 11, I had said that if the Japanese attacked America, Britain would then declare war within an hour.I got up from my desk and walked across the living room to the office where I was always working.I asked to be put through to the President.The ambassador came out with me, and he guessed that I was going to do something irrevocable, so he said: Don't you think it's better to confirm first?

Two or three minutes later, Mr. Roosevelt's phone was connected.Mr. President, what's the matter with Japan?Quite sure.he replied. They've attacked us at Pearl Harbor.Now, we are all in the same boat through thick and thin.I asked Winant to answer the phone, and they spoke to each other, and the ambassador initially said: OK, OK, then obviously became more serious, and called out!I'll go on: this certainly simplifies things.God bless you.Or some words to that effect.Then we went back to the drawing room and tried to get our minds in order for this world event which had taken place, which was of such a monstrous nature that even those close to the Center were stupefied with astonishment.My two American friends endured the shock with admirable fortitude.We do not yet know what serious damage the US Navy has suffered.They did not lament that their country was at war.In fact, one could almost think they were being rescued from a chronic pain.

Congress did not meet until Tuesday, and members of parliament were scattered in various places in the island country, and there were various difficulties in transportation at that time.I ordered the office to try to call Mr. Speaker of the House of Commons, the leaders of all parties in Congress and other relevant people to convene a joint meeting of the two houses on the next day.I called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and asked them to prepare for the declaration of war against Japan without delay (there are some formalities in this regard), so as to catch up with the meeting of Congress in time, and must call and notify all members of the war cabinet , and the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Services and the Ministers of the Army, Navy and Air Force who I rightly believe have been informed.

As soon as I got this done, my thoughts turned at once to the things that had been haunting me.I am sending the following telegram to Mr. de Valera[1]: [1] Chief Executive of the Irish Free State.translator December 8, 1941 Now, your chance has come.Now or never!Be a nation again!I would like to meet you wherever you wish. I also thought of China in struggle, so I called Chiang Kai-shek and said: December 8, 1941 The British Empire and the United States had already been attacked by Japan.We have always been friends, and now we face a common enemy. We have also sent the following telegrams:

Prime Minister to Mr Harry Hopkins December 8, 1941 You are sorely missed during this historic time. Winston, Al. No American will think that I am wrong, and it would be the happiest thing for me to declare that we have America on our side.I cannot predict how events will develop.I do not presume to have accurately measured Japanese force, but now, at this very moment, I know that the United States is fully and desperately committed to this war.So, we have finally won! Yes, through Dunkirk; through the collapse of France; through that terrible episode at Oran; through the threat of invasion, when we were a barely armed country except for the air force and navy; through the submarine warfare The first battle of the Atlantic which I nearly lost; after seventeen months of solitary struggle and nineteen months of terrible misery which I had borne.We have overcome.England will survive; Britain will survive; the Commonwealth and the British Empire will survive.How long the war will last, or how it will end, no one can predict, and at the moment such questions do not concern me.No matter how wounded and devastated we have been in our long island history, we will emerge again safe and victorious.We will not be wiped out.Our history will not end.We don't even die when we are alone.Hitler's fate was already decided.Mussolini's fate was sealed.As for the Japanese, they will be smashed to pieces.All the rest is nothing but the proper use of overwhelming force.As far as I can see, the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and now the United States, all united and united, have twice or even three times the strength of their enemies.Undoubtedly, this will take a long time.I expect terrible losses in the East, but all this is only a temporary situation.Together we can beat everyone else in the world.Many disasters and immeasurable losses and hardships lie ahead of us, but there is no longer any doubt as to the outcome.

There are many stupid people, and not only enemy countries, who may underestimate the power of the United States.Some say America is weak, some say they will never be united.They will be hanging out in the distance.They will never hang out with people.They can never stand bloodshed.Their democracy, with its regular election system, will paralyze their war effort.They will all be but a blurred speck on the horizon in the eyes of friend and foe.We should now be able to see the weakness of this numerous, but distant, wealthy and talkative people.But I have studied the American Civil War, which was fought to the last inch of ground.

American blood used to flow in my veins.I think of a sentence that Edward Gray [1] said to me more than thirty years ago. The United States seems to be a huge boiler.Once a fire is lit under it, it can generate infinite power.When I went to sleep my heart was full and overflowing with feelings and impressions, so I slept the sleep of a saved and grateful person. 【1】Edward Gray (1862｜1933), a British bourgeois politician who served as British Foreign Secretary and British ambassador to the United States.translator As soon as I woke up I decided to go see Roosevelt right away.We referred the matter to the War Cabinet when we met at noon.After I got their consent, I wrote to the king.

December 8, 1941 His Majesty, A conviction had formed in my mind that it was my duty to visit Washington without delay, provided that the matter was approved by President Roosevelt, as I am sure he would be.All plans for Anglo-American defense and offensive had to be agreed upon in light of actual conditions.We must also take care that we do not suffer more than what I fear may be unavoidable losses in arms and other assistance we receive from the United States.While I am in Washington, Mr. Eden will be in Moscow, so that some of the big problems between the three major allies should be more easily resolved.

These reasons have been unanimously accepted today by my colleagues in the Cabinet, and I therefore ask Your Majesty to allow me to leave the country.It is my intention to set off soon in a warship, and my absence will amount to about three weeks.I will be traveling with as many people as I am going to the Atlantic Conference. During my absence, the Keeper of the Seal will act in my place, assisted by the Privy Council, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and other members of the War Cabinet.I intend to ask the three ministers of the army, navy and air force to temporarily sit in the war cabinet during this period.During my absence, the Foreign Office will report to the Privy Councilor, and the Defense Council will report to the Keeper of the Seal.Of course, I will be in constant radio contact with all ongoing matters and can make decisions as necessary.I intend to take the First Sea Lord and the Chief of the Air Staff with me, because it is the most important thing to negotiate with the Americans at a high level.

I hope to obtain His Majesty's sanction on this matter.My intentions should be kept a secret. Your Majesty's most sincere and faithful servant Winston S. Churchill Again: I expect both Germany and Italy to declare war on the United States in accordance with their treaty obligations.I will hold off on recommending a visit to the President until the situation becomes clearer. The king agreed. former navy personnel to president roosevelt December 9, 1941 Received your December 8th call, thank you.Now that we are in the same boat as you said, wouldn't it be wise for us to hold another meeting?We can examine the whole war plan, as well as the problems of production and distribution, against real and new facts.It seems to me that all these matters, some of which are drawing my attention, are best dealt with at the highest level of administration.It is also a great joy for me to meet you again, and the sooner the better. 2. If you like, I can sail from here in a day or two, and go to Baltimore or Annapolis by warship.The voyage will take about eight days, and I will arrange for a week's stay, that every matter of importance may be settled between us.I'm coming with Pound, Potter, Dill, and Beaverbrook, with the necessary personnel. 3. What is your opinion, please show it as soon as possible. The President feared danger on my return trip.I called to reassure him. former navy personnel to president roosevelt December 10, 1941 We did not think that there was any serious danger in the return voyage, but the great danger was that we did not discuss at the highest level the extreme seriousness of the naval situation, with all the problems of production and distribution involved.I am ready to meet with you in Bermuda, or fly from Bermuda to Washington.I think it would do a lot of damage to wait another month to decide on our joint actions in the face of new adverse situations, especially in the Pacific.I had hoped to set sail tomorrow night, but will postpone my voyage pending information of your nominated meeting place.Never before have I felt so confident of final victory, which can only be achieved by concerted action.Kindest regards. The next day, I received another call from the President.He said he was pleased to learn that I would be in the White House for some time.He felt that he himself could not leave the United States.Mobilization is ongoing, and the naval situation in the Pacific remains uncertain.He is sure that we can solve all difficulties concerning production and supply.He again emphasized my own danger on the journey, which he thought should be carefully considered. The wartime cabinet authorized the immediate declaration of war on Japan, and all the formalities had been arranged. Since Eden has left for Moscow and I am in charge of the Foreign Office, I am sending the following letter to the Japanese Ambassador: foreign ministry December 8, 1941 Sir, His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom learned on the night of December 7th that the Japanese armed forces, without prior warning, either by declaration of war or by an ultimatum conditional on the declaration of war, attempted to land on the coast of Malaya and bomb Singapore and Hong Kong . In view of the flagrant violation of international law by such gross acts of unprovoked aggression, and in particular the provisions of paragraph 1 of the Third Hague Treaty relating to the commencement of hostilities to which Japan and the United Kingdom are parties, His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom has sent the Ambassador to Tokyo The Imperial Government of Japan has been ordered to be notified in the name of His Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom that a state of war exists between the two countries. With great respect. Winston S. Churchill Some people don't like this formality.But when you have to kill someone, be polite, it doesn't cost anything after all. Congress met at three o'clock in the afternoon, and despite the short notice given, the Congress Hall was packed.Under the British Constitution, the king declared war on the advice of his ministers, thus confronting Parliament with a fait accompli.We were thus able to advance our promise to the United States and effectively declare war on Japan before the United States Congress could act.The Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands also declared war.In my speech I said: Above all, the seriousness of the emerging dangers we have to meet here, or in America, should not be underestimated.The enemy has attacked boldly, perhaps from recklessness, but also from confidence in his strength.The test that the English-speaking world and our heroic Russian allies are being subjected to will surely be hard, especially at the beginning, and possibly in the long run, but as we look around at the gloomy picture of the world, we There is no reason to doubt the justice of our cause, or whether our strength and willpower will be sufficient to support it. Our side has at least four-fifths of the population on the planet.We are responsible for their safety and their future.In the past we had a flickering light; in the present we have a flaming light; in the future there will be a light that will illuminate all land and sea. Both chambers voted unanimously in favor of the decision. I think it is imperative at this time to appoint Mr. Duff Cooper, who has returned to Singapore, as Permanent Secretary for Far Eastern Affairs. Prime Minister to Mr Duff Cooper December 9, 1941 You have been appointed Cabinet Minister for Far Eastern Affairs in Singapore.You will serve under the War Cabinet through the War Cabinet Secretary and report directly to the War Cabinet.You are authorized to form a military senate, and you should first report its composition and the geographical scope covered.This would roughly correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the Commander-in-Chief on the military side.Your main task will be to assist in the successful conduct of military operations in the Far East by (1) relieving the Commanders-in-Chief of as many of the additional responsibilities hitherto as possible; and (2) giving them clear political direction. 2. Your functions will also include solving urgent matters on the spot where time does not allow to consult the country for instructions.You could set up a local problem-solving agency to quickly settle minor routine matters that would otherwise require referrals to the various ministries here.As for all matters that you need special instructions, you can ask the country for instructions as long as you have time.In any case, you should always report to His Majesty's government. 3. When Captain Oliver Littleton was appointed Secretary of State in Cairo, it was stipulated that this would not affect the existing responsibilities of the representatives of His Majesty's Government to the Middle East, or affect their official relations with the various departments of the country .The same rules will apply to the Far East.The success of building this institution depends largely on how well you handle it at this early juncture. 4. Since you are familiar with the procedures of various public departments and the cabinet, you should be able to exert a powerful and immediate influence on Far East affairs.Please call me at once with your specific proposals and your wishes regarding the manner in which the appointment and its scope will be delineated and announced.Good luck to you and kindest regards.We must carry this battle to the end everywhere. Duff Cooper took up these new tasks with vigor and clarity of mind, but I regret that the arrangements we have agreed with the United States in Washington for the post of Supreme Commander in the Far East have made his post redundant, and I am After a little over two weeks, he was ordered to return to China.Unfortunately he was not allowed to continue fighting. For some time we did not hear details of what happened at Pearl Harbor, but it is now well documented. Until early 1941, the Japanese plan for naval operations against the United States was to have their capital fleet at the time of the Americans' predictable opening of a passage across the Pacific to relieve their defenders at this outpost. Operations at sea off the Philippines.The idea of ​​raiding Pearl Harbor was conceived by Admiral Yamamoto, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Navy.Preparations for this treacherous attack were carried out in the utmost secrecy before any declaration of war.On November 22, a strike force of six aircraft carriers, together with a support force of battleships and cruisers, gathered at an inaccessible anchorage in the Kuril Islands, just north of the Japanese headquarters.The date of attack had been set for Sunday, December 7, and on November 26 (E date), the fleet set sail under the command of Admiral Nagumo.Remaining far north of Hawaii, in the foggy winds of this northern latitude, Nagumo sailed close to his objective without being noticed.On that ill-fated day, before sunrise, the attack was launched from a position some two hundred and seventy-five miles north of Pearl Harbor.Three hundred and sixty aircraft took part, including various bombers under cover of fighters.At 7:55 in the morning, the first bomb fell.There are ninety-four US Navy ships in the port.Among these ships, the eight battleships of the Pacific Fleet were the main targets.Fortunately, the aircraft carrier, together with the powerful cruiser fleet, was not in the port due to other missions. The events of the attack are often vividly recounted.It will suffice here to state the salient facts, and to note the brutal effectiveness of the Japanese pilots.By 8:25 am, the first torpedo and dive bombers had completed their attack.By ten o'clock in the morning the fighting was over and the enemy had withdrawn.Behind them left a fleet bombed to pieces in a haze of fire and smoke and America's vengeance.The battleship Arizona had been blown up, the Oklahoma had capsized, the West Virginia and California had sunk at anchor, and every battleship except the Pennsylvania, which was in dry dock, was badly damaged.More than 2,000 Americans were killed and nearly 2,000 were injured.The superiority in the Pacific has been transferred to the hands of the Japanese, and the strategic balance of power in the world has temporarily undergone a fundamental change. Our American allies have another series of unfortunate events. On the side of the Philippine Islands, where General MacArthur was in command, a warning had been received on November 20 of a serious change in diplomatic relations. Admiral Hart, in command of the limited American Asiatic Fleet, had consulted with the neighboring Anglo-Dutch naval authorities, and in accordance with his plan of operation, began to spread his ships southwards in order to unite in the Dutch seas. His would-be allies assemble a strike fleet.Apart from twelve old-style destroyers and various auxiliary ships, the ships he can dispatch are only one heavy cruiser and two light cruisers.His strength lay almost entirely in his submarines, twenty-eight of them.At three o'clock in the morning on December 8, Admiral Hart intercepted a telegram with the startling news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.Without waiting for confirmation from Washington, he immediately warned all concerned that hostilities had begun.At dawn, Japanese dive bombers came in, and the raids continued on an ever-increasing scale for the next few days.On the 10th, the naval base at Kawit was completely burned, and on the same day the Japanese made their first landings in northern Luzon.Disasters are multiplying rapidly.Most of the US Air Force was destroyed in battle or on the ground, and by December 20 the remnants of the US Air Force had retreated to the Australian port of Darwin.Admiral Hart's ships had begun to disperse southward a few days earlier, leaving only the submarines to engage the enemy at sea.On December 21, the main force of the Japanese invasion force landed in Lingayen Bay, directly threatening Manila.Since then, the development of the situation is the same as that already carried out in Malaya, but it has been held for a longer time. In this way, Japan's long-planned plan broke out in a flame of victory, but this was not the end. A telegram from the Japanese ambassador to Berlin tells of his visit to Ribbentrop. At one o'clock the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor I visited Foreign Minister Ribbentrop and explained to him that our hope was for an immediate formal declaration of war on the United States by Germany and Italy.According to Ribbentrop's answer, Hitler was in a meeting at the (East Prussian) headquarters at that time discussing how to make the declaration of war formalities go through in a good impression on the German people, and he will immediately convey your wishes to Hitler and Do your best to make this wish properly realized. Hitler and his staff were taken aback.Jodl told at his trial how Hitler came to my map room late at night in order to convey the news to Field Marshal Keitel and myself.This matter was completely beyond his expectation.Yet on the morning of December 8 he ordered the German Navy to attack American ships wherever they were found.This was three days before Germany officially declared war on the United States. At ten o'clock on the evening of the 9th I called a meeting, mostly of the Admiralty, in the War Room of the Cabinet to review the naval situation.There were about twelve of us.We tried to measure the consequences of this fundamental change in the situation of our war against Japan.We have lost control of every ocean except the Atlantic.Australia and New Zealand and all important islands within their range are vulnerable.We have only one key weapon in our hands. HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Enemy have arrived in Singapore.They were sent into these waters to exert that elusive menacing power that the missing capital ships of the highest performance could impose on all the enemy's naval calculations.How should we use them at this time?Obviously, they must go out to sea and disappear among countless islands.The general opinion is in favor of that. My own opinion is that they should sail across the Pacific to join the remnants of the American fleet.This will show a heroic gesture here, and unite the English-speaking world.We have sincerely agreed with the United States Navy to withdraw their capital ships from the Atlantic.Thus, within a few months there might be a fleet on the west coast of the United States capable of engaging in a decisive naval engagement if necessary.Such a fleet, and such a factual existence, will be the best possible cover for our countrymen in Oceania.We were all very interested in this idea.But as it was getting late, we decided to leave the matter for the night and think about what to do with the Prince of Wales and the Enemy the next morning. Within two hours, they had all sunk to the bottom of the ocean. In the tragic events of these ships accidental factors played such a fateful part that they must now be described. Prince of Wales and Defiant arrived in Singapore on 2 December.On December 5, Admiral Tom Phillips flew to Manila to discuss possible joint operations with General MacArthur and Admiral Hart.Admiral Hart agreed to allow four American destroyers to join Phillips' fleet.Both admirals felt that neither Singapore nor Manila at this time were suitable bases for a combined fleet.The next day, news came that a large Japanese seaborne expeditionary force had entered the Gulf of Siam.Clearly, the decisive event was near. Phillips returned to Singapore on the morning of the 7th.Shortly after midnight on the 8th, it was reported that enemy troops were actually landing in Kota Bharu, and later, near Songkhla and Pattani, it was also reported that enemy troops were making landings (see map).A massive Japanese invasion of Malaya had begun. 【１】 [1] The Japanese attack on Malaya and the Far East occurred within hours of the attack on Pearl Harbor.This is not easy to see because of the different times used in different regions.The table below shows the sequence of events relative to GMT. (The former is local time, the latter is Greenwich Mean Time) First Landing in Malaya December 8 noon 12.25 pm 4.55 pm on December 7 Attack on Pearl Harbor December 7th at 8‧2 December 7th at 6‧30pm The first air raid on the Philippine Islands at dawn on December 8 at 9 pm on December 7‧ The first air raid on Hong Kong, December 8, 8 am, December 7, 11 pm, 30 pm Admiral Phillips considered it his duty to attack the enemy as they disembarked and landed.At a meeting of his senior officers it was agreed that it was impossible for the Navy to stay out of the war at this critical stage.He informed the Admiralty of his intentions. He asked the Singapore Air Force Command to transfer fighter jets to our northern airfields, and asked our weak air force to give the maximum assistance, that is, to carry out reconnaissance in the area 100 miles north of his fleet on December 9, and at 10 On February 10, reconnaissance was carried out on the Songkhla sea, and on the morning of December 10, it was covered by fighter jets around Songkhla.This last and most important assistance was impossible, firstly because Singapore was expected to be attacked, and secondly because the airfields in the north were no longer defendable.When this signal was conveyed to him, Admiral Phillips had already led the Prince of Wales and the Enemy at 5:30 pm on the 8th, as well as the destroyers Electra, Express, Vampire and Tenney The Doss sailed out of port.Signals had again warned of the presence of a large Japanese bomber fleet at air bases in southern Indochina.As stormy weather and low cloud cover were not conducive to air force operations, Phillips decided to pursue it.On the evening of the 9th, the weather cleared, and he soon had reason to believe that he was being followed by enemy aircraft.The hope of a surprise attack vanished, and heavy air raids had to be expected the next morning near Songkhla.Accordingly, Admiral Phillips had to abandon his daring attempt, and turned back to base after dusk.He had indeed done his part, and all would have been all right.But about midnight, due to a great misfortune, another enemy force was reported to have landed at Kuantan, some 150 miles south of Kota Bharu.Admiral Phillips thought that since his fleet had been last seen sailing north, it could not have been expected to sail so far south during the day of the 10th.He could finally complete the mission of the raid.He took the risk and turned his warships towards Kuantan. Japanese records do not say that the British fleet was ever seen from the air on the 9th, but a submarine reported that the fleet was heading north at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.The Japanese 22nd Air Force, based near Saigon, was loading bombs for an attack on Singapore.They immediately replaced the bombs with torpedoes and decided to attack the British warships at night.Finding nothing, they returned to base at midnight.On the 10th, before dawn, another Japanese submarine reported that the British warship was heading south, and at six o'clock in the morning a search party of nine Japanese planes set out, followed an hour later by eighty Four bombers and torpedo bombers set off in batches of about nine in a formidable raiding party. The news of the enemy's landing at Kuantan turned out to be incorrect, but as there was no corrective telegram from Singapore, the admiral was still hoping until shortly after dawn when the destroyer Express arrived at that port and found that there was no until the trace of the enemy.The fleet spent some time searching for a previously spotted tugboat and other small craft before continuing southward. But by this time the crisis had come, and fate was hard.The Japanese Air Force patrolled as far south as Singapore without seeing any ships.They stumbled across their quest on their way back north. At 10:20 AM the Prince of Wales sighted a following aircraft, and shortly after 11:00 AM the first bombers appeared.The enemy attacked in batches one after another.When the first planes attacked, the Enemy hit a bomb and caught fire, but this was soon brought under control and the ship's speed was not reduced.During the second attack, the Prince of Wales was hit simultaneously by two torpedoes which appeared to be close together, which caused very serious damage and sea water began to enter the cabin.Two thrusters on the port side failed, and the ship was never fully under control again.During this attack, the enemy was not hit. A few minutes later, another group of aircraft approached the enemy, and she again avoided the attack without injury.By this time the two ships were at some distance, and Captain Tennant, after sending an urgent signal to Singapore to report the bombing by enemy planes, steered the Chance towards the Admiral's flagship. At 12:22 p.m., the enemy carried out another fatal attack on the two capital ships.After successfully dodging many torpedoes, the enemy was hit amidships.Shortly thereafter, in another attack, a torpedo knocked out its steering gear, and three more hit the target in quick succession.Captain Tennant realizes his ship's fate is sealed.He promptly ordered all officers and men to come on deck, and no doubt this timely action saved many lives.At 12:33 p.m., the enemy capsized and sank.The Prince of Wales was hit by two more torpedoes at about 12:23 p.m., followed by another shortly thereafter.Its speed was reduced to eight knots, and it was soon sinking.After another bombardment and another hit, it capsized and sank at 1:20pm.Several destroyers rescued two thousand out of nearly three thousand officers and men.Commander-in-Chief Admiral Sir Tom Phillips and his flagship Captain John Leahy both drowned. In response to some questions from the Chiefs of Staff as to why no fighter jets had been sent from Singapore to aid the fleet, it was confirmed that Admiral Phillips had not signaled his change of plan on the 9th because of his radio silence .Therefore, Singapore did not know his location on the morning of the 10th, and did not receive an emergency signal from Captain Tennant until noon.Fighters were immediately dispatched.The fighter jets arrived only in time to witness the sinking of the Prince of Wales. In judging the actions of Admiral Phillips on this calamity day, it should be emphatically pointed out that there were good reasons for him to believe that his attempted attack on Kuantan would be outside the coast-based enemy which he most feared. He was within effective range of the square torpedo bombers, so he only had to deal with a hastily formed attack by ordinary long-range bombers during his retreat.The distance from Saigon Airfield to Kuantan was 400 miles, and at that time no torpedo bomber had ever attempted to strike a target within that range.The efficiency of the Japanese in air combat was greatly underestimated by ourselves and the Americans at this time. While I was unpacking the box on the tenth, the phone rang by the bedside.It was a call from the First Sea Lord.His voice is peculiar.He made a coughing and swallowing sound so I couldn't hear it well at first.Prime Minister, I have to report to you that both the Prince of Wales and the Revenant were sunk by the Japanese, we believe by aircraft.Tom Phillips has drowned.Are you sure this is true?There is no doubt at all.So I put the microphone down. Fortunately I was alone.Never in all the course of the war did I receive a more immediate shock.The reader of this account will realize how much effort, hope, and planning went down with these two battleships.As I tossed and turned in bed, the utterly dreadful feeling of the news crept deep into me. There were no British or American capital ships in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, except for what remained of the American capital ships at Pearl Harbor, which was hurrying back to California.在這廣漠的一大片海洋之上，日本獨霸，而我們則到處都是脆弱和沒有防禦的。 當下院在那天上午十一點鐘剛開會時，我就去親自告訴他們所發生的事。 我給下院帶來壞消息，我想這是我應該及早傳達給你們的。新加坡方面已經發來報告，英國軍艦威爾士親王號和卻敵號已經在對進攻馬來亞的日本人作戰時被擊沉。除日本官方公報所載以外，還沒有獲悉詳細情形，那項公報聲稱兩艘船艦都是在空襲中被擊沉的。 我可以附帶說，在下院下次開會時，我將乘機就戰爭的全面局勢作一簡短的說明，這個局勢從有利的和不利的許多觀點來看，在過去幾天內已經有了重要的變化。 這時，我於十四日啟程赴美的一切計劃在秘密進行中。在其間的九十六個小時是事務紛繁的。十一日，我必須對下院就新局勢作詳盡的說明。對於在利比亞拖延很久、顯然勝負未決的戰役，人們的憂慮很多，而且不滿情緒也不小。我絲毫不曾隱瞞這種前景，即在日本的手下有很嚴重的懲罰在等著我們。在另一方面，俄國的歷次勝利已經揭露了希特勒的東方戰役所造成的致命的錯誤，並且冬季仍然要顯示其威力的。 潛艇戰暫時已在控制中，我們的損失大大減少了。最後，世界人口的五分之四這時正在我們這一邊作戰。最後的勝利是確定可以獲得的。在這個意義上我發了言。 我用了最冷靜的敘述事實的方式而避免作出早期成功的一切諾言。我結束時這樣說： 自然，我不應當準備來討論遠東和太平洋上所產生的局勢，或者為了恢復局勢而必須採取的措施。很可能我們將不得不受到巨大的懲罰，但是我們將在同美國和荷蘭密切合作下盡最大的力量來保衛自己。大不列顛和眾國的海軍力量曾經大大優於而且現在仍然大大優於三個軸心國聯合在一起的艦隊。但是我們必不可低估在馬來亞和夏威夷所受到的損失的嚴重性，或者低估已經襲擊了我們的這個新敵人的力量，或者低估為了要在遠東產生、整頓和調派取得絕對勝利所必需的那支龐大軍隊而需要的時限。 我們要經過一個十分艱苦的時期，這就需要人人很快作出一次新的奮發。如我曾經說過的那樣，我們必須在供應方面對俄國信守諾言，而同時我們又必須預料到至少在以後幾個月內抵達不列顛的美國供應物資的數量和美國海軍所給援助的程度將減少。這個缺額必須加以補足，而且只有我們自己努力才可以把它補足。但我現在深信不疑，美國的一億三千萬人民已經決心打這場戰爭，並且他們一經定下心來專心致志地把這件事他們一定會當作他們在生活中的主要目的去進行，那麼，軍火產量和各種援助將要大大超過一直保持到現在的平時基礎上所可能期望的標準。現在，不但英親國，而且美國也在為生存而戰鬥；俄國在為生存而戰鬥，中國在為生存而戰鬥。歐洲的降伏於敵人殘暴統治下的所有被征服國家的一切精神和希望都寄託在這四個偉大的作戰團體的身上。我以前曾說過，人類的五分之四站在我們這一邊。 這可能是說少了。曾經能夠給人類帶來這些可怕禍害的，只不過是這些結幫成伙的惡人和他們的軍事或黨派組織而已。 假如我們不能給他們一個在一千年的史冊上不致被遺忘的教訓，那的確會給我們這一個世代帶來恥辱哩。 下院非常沉默，似乎暫時不加判斷。我並不希求或盼望他們會作出更多的表示。 在十二月七日到八日的夜間，正當珍珠港的消息真實地向我們透露時，艾登先生已經從斯卡帕灣啟航赴莫斯科。時間上是來得及叫他轉回來的，但是我考慮到由於這個新事件的爆發使他的任務顯得更為重要了。俄國與日本之間的關係和所有美國對俄國和英國的軍火供應的不可避免的調整，引起了很大的而且也是微妙的問題。內閣堅決採取這種看法。艾登繼續他的航程，而我則使他及時獲知消息。要告訴他的話是很多的。 首相致艾登先生（在海上） 一九四一年十二月十日 自從你離開以後，已經發生了很多的事。美國已經在夏威夷遭受一次大災難，目前只有兩艘現役戰列艦在太平洋中對付日本的十艘戰列艦。他們正從大西洋召回所有的戰列艦。 第二，根據美國的消息，我們行將在馬來亞和整個遠東地區受到享有制海權的日本軍隊的猛攻。第三，據我看來，意大利和德國必然將對美國宣戰。第四，俄國軍隊在列寧格勒、在莫斯科全線、在庫爾斯克以及在南方都取得輝煌的成功。德國軍隊在可怕的冬季條件裡和俄國日益增強的反攻之下，大部分採取守勢，或在撤退中。第五，據奧金萊克報告，利比亞的形勢已經轉變，但是在我們的這個第二戰場上，前面仍有很多劇烈的戰鬥。第六，有從中東派遣空軍去增援馬來亞的迫切需要。 二‧鑒於以上情況，你不應在目前提出十個中隊的建議。 每一件事都以美國的供應為轉移，所以在我到達那裡以前，我說不出我們所處的地位如何。 三‧希望你的健康有進步。我們在這裡的日子真好過（原文如此）。 當我登船時，續電說： 首相致艾登先生（在海上） 一九四一年十二月十二日 威爾士親王號和卻敵號的喪失，連同美國在珍珠港的損失，使日本的戰列艦隊得到了太平洋的全部控制權。他們可以用任何一支在海外的艦隊在任何地點進攻。幸而地區是如此廣大，以致他們的力量的使用只能是部分和有限的。我們認為他們將要向菲律賓、新加坡和滇緬公路進攻。在英美兩國的新戰列艦建造完成，從而恢復實際優勢以前，還要經過好多個月。美國在太平洋災難和宣戰的震動下，已經在目前禁運一切物資。我希望能使這點放鬆一下，但是在目前情況下，俄國既然打了勝仗，而我們又有新危險，我們不能作出任何超出約定的供應額的許諾。你應當指出，就我們來說，既然在東方有對於戰鬥機的這一切需要，飛機是怎樣嚴重缺少。在另一方面，美國參戰就補償了一切，所以假以時日並耐心期待，將獲致必然的勝利。 我剛啟行。