President Franklin D. Roosevelt's request to a joint session of the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war against Japan is the basis for this stamp design, based on a photograph taken December 8, 1941. A painting was made from that photo, and the stamp design was taken from the painting. Thus, even though at the time the stamp was issued at least six persons in that audience were alive, it would be difficult to pick them out of the crowd with any degree of accuracy. Among those in attendance were two future presidents: Harry Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson.