He sought to re-assure the public that steps were being taken to ensure their safety, noting his own role as "Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy" (the United States Air Force was at this time part of the U.S. Army) and declaring that he had already "directed that all measures be taken for our defense".
Han forsøgte at berolige offentligheden om at skridt blev taget til at sikre deres sikkerhed, og omtalte sin egen rolle som "øverstkommanderende for hær og flåde" (luftvåbenet var på det tidspunkt endnu en del af hæren) og erklærede at han allerede havde "givet ordre til at der skal gøres alt for vi kan forsvare os".