"Should hostilities once break out between Japan and the United States, it is not enough that we take Guam and the Philippines, nor even Hawaii and San Francisco. To make victory certain, we would have to march into Washington and dictate the terms of peace in the White House. I wonder if our politicians, among whom armchair arguments about war are being glibly bandied about in the name of state politics, have confidence as to the final outcome and are prepared to make the necessary sacrifices."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
As quoted in At Dawn We Slept (1981) by Gordon W. Prange, p. 11; this quote was stated in a letter to Ryoichi Sasakawa prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Minus the last sentence, it was taken out of context and interpreted in the U.S. as a boast that Japan would conquer the entire contiguous United States. The omitted sentence showed Yamamoto's counsel of caution towards a war that would cost Japan dearly.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Isoroku Yamamoto
Isoroku Yamamoto (4 April 1884 – 18 April 1943) was a Japanese Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II until his death.
8 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Isoroku Yamamoto →
Related Quotes
"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass."
"A military man can scarcely pride himself on having "smitten a sleeping enemy"; it is more a matter of shame, simply,…"
"In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory u…"
"The fiercest serpent may be overcome by a swarm of ants."
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."
"In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a single word favored above all others by Americans as best characterizing the Japanese …"
"Yamamoto was an aggressive and inspiring officer, but he made the error of dividing his huge force five ways and of t…"
"While you may have your initial success, due to timing and surprise, the time will come when you too will have your l…"
"I look upon the Guadalcanal and Tulagi Operations as the turning point from offense to defense, and the cause of our …"
"Nowadays, dynamite, TNT, and fuzes, as well as fire bombs, time clocks, knives, pistols, rifles, and tommy guns can t…"