Alvin York ready to sail
World War I hero eager to get snipers
…
World War I hero eager to get snipers
…
By Witt Hancock, Associated Press staff writer
…
American positions on island bombed almost steadily
…
Civil evacuation of city speeded; Chinese reported hitting foe’s flank
By Daniel De Luce, Associated Press staff writer
…
San Francisco, Feb. 18 (AP) –
San Francisco and the Bay Area was blacked out for the eighth time at 9:01 p.m. tonight. It was the first in this area since Jan. 3. The Fourth Interceptor Command gave no reason for the order which followed an alert of approximately 30 minutes.
London, Feb. 19 (AP) –
American Eagle Squadron fighter pilots swooped down to 50 feet to attack factories and a freight train in occupied France during a daylight sweep yesterday, the Air Ministry said last night.
Oslo, Feb. 19 (AP) –
A Quisling government decree said last night that all American credits in Norway and all capital belonging to American subjects in Norway must be declared by March 30. In many Axis-controlled territories, this procedure has been a forerunner of expropriation.
Dublin, Feb. 19 (AP) –
New censorship orders today instructed the press to submit everything except stories on sporting and social events for approval.
Dublin, Feb. 19 (AP) –
Hans Marchner, a German parachutist who landed in County Wexford Mar. 3, 1941, escaped from an Erie prison Sunday and is still at large, the government announced today.
Authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe military areas
Whereas the successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage to national-defense material, national-defense premises, and national-defense utilities as defined in Section 4, Act of April 20, 1918, 40 Stat. 533, as amended by the Act of November 30, 1940, 54 Stat. 1220, and the Act of August 21, 1941, 55 Stat. 655 (U.S.C., Title 50, Sec. 104);
Now, therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War, and the Military Commanders whom he may from time to time designate, whenever he or any designated Commander deems such action necessary or desirable, to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded, and with respect to which, the right of any person to enter, remain in, or leave shall be subject to whatever restrictions the Secretary of War or the appropriate Military Commander may impose in his discretion. The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to provide for residents of any such area who are excluded therefrom, such transportation, food, shelter, and other accommodations as may be necessary, in the judgment of the Secretary of War or the said Military Commander, and until other arrangements are made, to accomplish the purpose of this order. The designation of military areas in any region or locality shall supersede designations of prohibited and restricted areas by the Attorney General under the Proclamations of December 7 and 8, 1941, and shall supersede the responsibility and authority of the Attorney General under the said Proclamations in respect of such prohibited and restricted areas.
I hereby further authorize and direct the Secretary of War and the said Military Commanders to take such other steps as he or the appropriate Military Commander may deem advisable to enforce compliance with the restrictions applicable to each Military area here in above authorized to be designated, including the use of Federal troops and other Federal Agencies, with authority to accept assistance of state and local agencies.
I hereby further authorize and direct all Executive Departments, independent establishments and other Federal Agencies, to assist the Secretary of War or the said Military Commanders in carrying out this Executive Order, including the furnishing of medical aid, hospitalization, food, clothing, transportation, use of land, shelter, and other supplies, equipment, utilities, facilities, and services.
This order shall not be construed as modifying or limiting in any way the authority heretofore granted under Executive Order No. 8972, dated December 12, 1941, nor shall it be construed as limiting or modifying the duty and responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with respect to the investigation of alleged acts of sabotage or the duty and responsibility of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice under the Proclamations of December 7 and 8, 1941, prescribing regulations for the conduct and control of alien enemies, except as such duty and responsibility is superseded by the designation of military areas hereunder.
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
The White House
February 19, 1942
Green-painted, hidden marksman of Mikado nearly gets two majors and one correspondent
By Frank Hewlett, United Press staff writer
…
Van Mook says time is ripe for offensive against Japanese
By Brydon Taves, United Press staff writer
…
Martin calls for curb on non-defense costs
Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 18 (AP) –
Rep. Joseph W. Martin Jr. (R-MA), appealing for economy in government during war as well as peace, said that:
The individual who uses the peril of this nation and the stress of our needs to cover up or to justify waste and inefficiency betrays his country.
The chairman of the Republican National Committee, in an address here tonight, continued:
You are aware that the very necessity for huge expenditures for the war effort makes it imperative we call a halt on non-essential non-defense spending.
He said that 65,000,000 individuals who have life insurance would be adversely affected by inflation or debt repudiation.
Reading Eagle (February 19, 1942)
Declares they should be expected along coasts of nation
…
Non-stop artillery bombardment supports strong enemy forces hammering Bataan; Nipponese regiment wiped out
…
Concern is evidenced in administration on increasing blows
…
Willemstad, Curaçao, Dutch West Indies, Feb. 19 (UP) –
A Panama-registered tanker was torpedoed this morning off the Dutch island of Aruba, the Aneta News Agency said today.
Netherlands fighters acclaim Yankee units
Batavia, Java, Feb. 19 (UP) –
Arrival of American troops, including air units, to aid in the defense of Java, was disclosed officially today as a Japanese bombing of a western airport indicated preparations for an early assault against this vital Allied stronghold of the United Nations.
Only small numbers of American forces have arrived, according to a statement which authorities permitted the Aneta News Agency to circulate, but the presence of the United States and other foreign troops (including Australians) shows that the Netherlands:
…do not fight alone.
The Dutch generally acclaimed the arrival of the new American reinforcements.
American air personnel and naval forces had already been operating in Java for some time and the agency statement indicated that land troops had been on the island for six or seven weeks, preparing for defense of United Nations Supreme Headquarters, the City of Batavia and the big naval base at Soerabaja.
Include Flying Fortresses
The American Air Forces include Flying Fortresses and Curtiss P-40 fighter planes, which have recently struck heavy blows at the Japanese, especially in aiding Dutch land forces which are fighting stubbornly on the island of Sumatra.
The Dutch authorities, according to the official statement distributed by Aneta, are confident that America and Australia will “keep their promises” to send additional reinforcements as soon as possible.
A Dutch Indies communiqué admitted that damage was inflicted in the latest Japanese airfield attack but said full details of the operation have not yet been received.
Japanese planes flew over a number of regions of the East Indies, apparently on reconnaissance missions to test the strength of Dutch defenses, the High Command reported.
Heavily outnumbered
Dutch ground troops, although heavily outnumbered, are still fighting in south Sumatra, the Dutch communiqué said. They are making every effort to prevent the Japanese from crashing through to the Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java.
It was revealed that in addition to five Japanese bombers shot down out of a group of 24 which attacked the big Soerabaja naval base yesterday, four more Japanese planes…
Washington, Feb. 19 (UP) –
Plans for forcible evacuation from strategic Pacific Coast areas of second-generation Japanese who are American citizens will be announced in a few days, officials said today.
Wartime restrictions on aliens have not affected such persons.
The plans, which also would affect any other citizen deemed dangerous to national security, are being discussed in joint Justice-War Department conferences which began when Thomas C. Clark, Justice Department coordinator of alien enemy control on the Pacific Coast, arrived here two days ago.
Under consideration are plans for martial law, the licensing of all persons, citizen or alien, in huge areas from which the unlicensed would be barred, and the asking of legislation which would permit arrest for “protective custody” and removal of unrestricted areas of citizens and aliens alike.
The conferees were said to be wavering between martial law, or a modified form thereof, and the licensing plan.
The objections to martial law were the burden that would be imposed on the armed forces garrisoned on the Pacific Coast and the clamor that would arise from local officials when their powers were taken away.
Possibility of writ
But, it was pointed out, if the Army, without declaring martial law, forced a citizen to move from an area designated as a military zone, the citizen might resort to the courts and demand a habeas corpus writ which would veto the Army’s demand.
The objection to the licensing plan was based on the huge amount of clerical and investigation work it would require.
The licensing plan would also require the removal of all citizens and aliens from strategic areas and then admit them back again one by one after their records had proven them loyal. Such removal again would present the problem of dealing with the habeas corpus provision of the Constitution.
The officials said licensing of the millions of people in Pacific states would take from:
…a few months to nearly a year.
Meanwhile, Senators and Representatives from Pacific states criticized the Justice Department, which they said was unaware of the seriousness of the situation, and the House added $300,000 to the Justice Department budget to provide for “an investigation of Japanese activities” on the Pacific Coast.
Santa Maria, Cal., Feb. 19 (AP) –
More than 250 enemy aliens, chiefly Japanese, were seized by FBI agents in raids in five California counties yesterday.
More than 200 Japanese were arrested near Santa Maria, in San Luis Obispo County. The FBI seized guns, cameras and radios but gave no details.
The Japanese cook of the Santa Maria Club, a favorite of Army officers, was among those taken into custody – in the midst of a luncheon meeting at which civic leaders were discussing formation of a home guard unit.
Measures provide more for soldiers, sailors, family allowance
…
Advised to make sure censors see it
…
By Herman Allen, AP feature service writer
…
Washington, Feb. 19 (AP) –
The Treasury’s gold stock is diminishing sue to war transactions, but don’t worry – it still has $22,735,000,000 worth, or 80% of the world’s monetary supply.
There have been recent sales of gold to undisclosed foreign countries, Treasury officials said. The sales were believed to have been to Latin American nations which have been selling the United States more goods than they have been buying from this nation lately, leaving a balance with which they could buy gold.
The Treasury has not actually shipped any gold out of the country, merely transferring the paper ownership of it.