Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) - Quotes

Taglines: The most spectacular film ever made.

Taglines: The incredible attack on Pearl Harbor as told from both the American and Japanese sides.

Taglines: From 20th Century Fox. The most spectacle film ever made.

Taglines: The incredible attack on Pearl Harbor.

Cordell Hull: In all my 50 years of public service, I have never seen a document so crowded with infamous falsehoods and distortions, on a scale so huge that I never imagined until today that any government on this planet was capable of uttering them.

Amb. Kichisaburo Nomura: [pleading] Mr. Hull...

Hull: [wearily] Go.

Lt. Harold Kaminski: [reads Ward's message] Have dropped depth charges on a sub operating in our security zone".

Capt. John Earle: [Sighs] We've had so many of these false sightings, Kaminsky.

Kaminski: But this is the real one, sir. Closer than anything we've had before, just off the harbor entrance.

Earle: [[w:William_W._Outerbridge|skipper] Yeah, but you know as well as I, the ] of that destroyer's a green kid. I'll pass word on to Admiral Bloch.

Kaminski: Will all due respect, sir, I think we should alert all commanders.

Earle: Confirmation, Kaminski. I WANT CONFIRMATION.

Kaminski: [gestures to the burning harbor] You wanted confirmation, Captain? Take a look! THERE'S YOUR CONFIRMATION!

Pvt. George Elliot: Sir, this is Private Elliot at Opana Point. There's a large formation of planes coming in from the north - 140 miles, three degrees east.

Lt. Kermit Tyler: [Hangs up; to fellow officer] Yeah? Well... Don't worry about it. The boys at Opana Point must have picked up the B-17s coming in from the mainland.

Elliot: [replaces phone; to colleague] He said not to worry about it.

Pvt. Joseph Lockard: Come on, let's go eat.

IJN Pilots: [Officer shows flashcard of battleship; [w:USS Pennsylvania (battleship)|Pennsylvania!; second card of battleship; [w:USS Oklahoma (battleship)|Oklahoma!; a flashcard of an aircraft carrier is displayed] ] ]

Single IJN Pilot: [[w:USS Enterprise (CV-6)|Enterprise!!] ]

IJN Officer: [in Japanese; Other pilots tease the quick-answering pilot] No, you idiot! It's the Akagi, your own flagship!

IJN Officer: [Nagumo turns around] Sir, a message!

Admiral Nagumo: Proceed.

IJN Officer: [reads message sheet] From Commander-in-Chief, Combined Fleet to Commander, Third Fleet...climb Mount Niitaka, 1208.

Nagumo: Hostilities will begin on December 7th, exactly as scheduled.

Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto: [[w:Emperor Showa|Emperor] It's hard to believe that the ] agreed to a date by which the final decision must be made between war and peace.

Prince Konoe Fumimaro: His Majesty's signature is a mere formality. The Cabinet is responsible for all matters of national policy. The Emperor recently read a poem to his ministers to show how he feels. "If all people are brethren, then why are the winds and waves so restless?

Yamamoto: [repeats poem and realizes its logic] This clearly shows how much the Emperor wants to avoid a war.

Konoe: Yes, he has urged us to solve our differences with Washington.

Yamamoto: But sir, the deadline is October. Can't a solution be found by then?

Konoe: Perhaps, but if we fail and war does come... tell me frankly, from the Navy's viewpoint, what are our chances against the Americans?

Yamamoto: If we must, we can raise havoc with them for a year, after that I can guarantee nothing. Mr Prime Minister, I hope you will continue the negotiations. Please remember that there is no last word in diplomacy.

2nd Lt Ken Taylor: You know why we're being transferred.

2d Lt George Welch: Them poker games. Been winning too often.

Taylor: Yeah. Some sucker loses his shirt, so he bitches to the general.

Welch: That's it.

Lt Cdr Mitsuo Fuchida: I hope our new commander-in-chief isn't the coward they say he is.

Officer #1: Whatever they say, Yamamoto is the kind of leader they need. He believes in the value of the airplane.

Officer #2: But why a vice-Navy minister for such an important position?

Officer #3: [[w:Imperial Japanese Army|Army] Maybe the climate in Tokyo was detrimental to Yamamoto's health. The ] is against him for opposing their policies.

Fuchida: [[w:Combined Fleet|entire fleet; officers laugh] So he runs away. Now he has the ] to guard him.

Admiral Chuichi Nagumo: [addressing the fleet; [w:International maritime signal flags|Z Flag; [w:Heihachiro Togo|Togo; [w:Battle of Tsushima|historic battle against the Russians] The Commander-in-Chief has sent us a message wishing us good luck. That, plus the Imperial Proclamation, has undoubtedly stirred your loyalty to the Empire. The success of this mission depends on surprise. If we achieve it, the code words "Tora, Tora, Tora" will be sent out. Now that the battle draws near, I will not burden you with the usual pep talk. Instead I shall hoist the famous "]," beneath which, Commander-in-Chief ] led his fleet to victory in the ].

Capt. Kameto Kuroshima AKA Gandhi: [fumes at being invited to a luncheon meeting with Yamamoto and other officers; slaps hand on Operation Z ops plan; goes into trance as officer slips away] Please don't bother me! This is important matter for the Combined Fleet, so I'm not going! Genda's plan for attacking Pearl Harbor is foolproof. It's brilliant! He stresses the importance of combat aircraft. Just think of it, we use six aircraft carriers...torpedo planes, high-level bombers, dive bombers...Zero fighters for cover. Go the northern route, use the new torpedoes...we attack on a weekend. Genda has thought of everything... refueling, the weather.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto: [after Japanese officers in the Nagato wardroom applaud him over news of the Pearl Harbor attack announced on Japanese radio] I had intended to deal a fatal blow to the American fleet by attacking Pearl Harbor immediately after Japan's official declaration of war. But according to the American radio, Pearl Harbor was attacked 55 minutes before our ultimatum was delivered in Washington. I cannot imagine anything that will infuriate the Americans more. I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.