9. Churchill’s speech before Congress impressed even the most jaded of the politicians
President Roosevelt remained in the White House when Churchill journeyed to Capitol Hill on January 26, where he addressed Congress in the Senate Chamber. Extra seating in the galleries was all taken before the Prime Minister arrived. He first raised a laugh when he referred to his own American heritage (his mother had been an American) as well as what he called, “…my life which is already long and has not been entirely uneventful”. As it was Christmas, and many of the Congress was out of town for the holiday, the smaller Senate Chamber easily accommodated those in attendance and the speech was filmed by motion picture crews. The Justices of the Supreme Court were in attendance, as were most of the President’s Cabinet, minus the Secretary of War and Secretary of State. The wives of the Congressmen had precedence for gallery seats.
In reference to the Germans, Churchill said, “With proper weapons and proper organization, we can beat the life out of the savage Nazi”. Of the Japanese: “What kind of a people do they think we are? Is it possible that they do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget?”. He predicted many months of travail before the Allies would be able to reverse the tide of the war, and warned that “…many disappointments and unpleasant surprises await us”. Despite being generally well-received by his audience, a smattering of boos were heard when he referred to American pre-war isolationism. As he spoke, Japanese forces continued their drive down the Malay Peninsula toward Singapore. Churchill returned to the White House to read in newspapers praise for his speech from most reporters.