America at war! (1941– ) (Part 1)

[NormanStewart]

American of 1916 worries but little as war rages in Europe

Fourth article of a series.

1914 – Over There: In January, the first wireless message cracked between Germany and the United States. Kaiser Wilhelm sent his felicitations to President Woodrow Wilson… The Vaterland, a German threat to Britain’s mastery of Atlantic sea trade, made her maiden voyage in May. She was destined to make only two trips; interned at the start of the war, she became the Leviathan in 1917, transported thousands of American troops to France… A book appeared from the pen of a European author proving there could be no more war… A Serb student, Gavrilo Princip, shot and killed Archduke Francis of Austria and his wife, at Sarajevo, Bosnia, in June.

Events then moved with stunning swiftness. Austria declared war on Serbia in late July. Germany invaded France. Russians stormed into Germany. The treaty guaranteeing Belgium’s neutrality became a scrap of paper when Germany swept into Liège and Brussels. The British landed an expeditionary force on the continent.

1914 – Over Here: The winter was mild, and spring came early. Mr. Average American went out to the old barn that was now a garage and jacked his auto down from the blocks on which it had reposed during the cold weather (the majority of cars were put away in this manner at the first sign of deep snow). The young bloods tuned up their ukuleles and went a-wooing. They played and whistled “Aloha,” “My Mother’s Rosary,” “I Love You Truly.” The sentimental ballad was having another revival… Shortly after New Year’s, Henry Ford had announced a minimum wage of $5 for eight hours’ work. It caused a sensation in labor circles… But there was widespread unemployment, and “General” Jacob S. Coxey started a march from Massillon, Ohio, to Washington to demand that something be done about it… Booth Tarkington wrote Penrod, the story of a typical American boy. It is still widely sold today.

He’s not disturbed

Mr. Average American was excited but not disturbed by the outbreak of the war. His attitude was, succinctly and in his own language:

If those darn fools want to shoot each other, let ‘em go ahead.

Of course, he took sides, as is his custom whether it is checkers or fighting, and not all the support was on the side of the Allies.

But the invasion of Belgium stuck in his craw. A confirmed champion of the underdog (only a few years before, his own army and navy had battled to free Cuba), he was unable to comprehend to Germany’s ruthless trampling of a smaller and comparatively helpless nation.

It was his first introduction to the theory of right by might.

By the first of August, however, the war had assumed a role secondary to the pennant rush of the Boston Braves. In the last place on July 4, they had started a steady climb which put them on top at the end of the season. Then they defeated Philadelphia, four straight, in the World Series. Mr. Average American forgot everything else as he stood in front of the automatic scoreboard in the public square.

Lusitania sunk

1915 – Over There: The English won a major sea victory off the Dogger Banks… Germany threw up a submarine blockade around the British Isles… In March, at the Second Battle of Ypres, the Germans loosed poison gas for the first time. It caught a large force of Canadians… An American-owned ship, the Gulflight, was hit by a torpedo, killing two members of the crew… On May 7, the Lusitania was sunk by the submarine U-20. There were 124 Americans among the 1,195 victims.

1915 – Over Here: Mr. Average American could hardly wait for the next Charlie Chaplin movie to come to his favorite theater. Frequently, he would stay for two shows… The Birth of a Nation, starring Lillian Gish and Henry B. Walthall, one of the first full-length features, brought back the Reconstruction days of the Civil War and caused riots in Southern and border cities…

The Rev. Billy Sunday was preaching the gospel to the thousands in huge tabernacles… Jesse Willard knocked out Jack Johnson for the world’s heavyweight championship… The Eastland, an excursion steamer, turned over in the Chicago River, drowning 852 passengers.

The damage of the Gulflight had given Mr. Average American his first genuine shock of the war, but when the Lusitania went down, it was as though he had been struck across the face with a blacksnake whip.

Not war; murder

For the first time, he muttered to himself:

This isn’t war, it’s murder!

The great ship, which was termed by its owners, the Cunard Line, “the fastest and largest steamer now in Atlantic service,” was due to sail from New York on May 1. On the morning of her departure, directly beneath the Cunard advertisement, there was another “ad,” signed by the Imperial German Embassy in Washington. It read:

Travellers intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that, in accordance with formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain, or any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and that travellers sailing in the war zone on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.

That was all. If Mr. Average American read it, there is little likelihood that he regarded its appearance beneath the notice of the Lusitania’s sailing as more than a coincidence. But seven days later, with the ship at the bottom of the sea, his anger rose to new heights.

Could have asked war

President Wilson, historians now agree, could have asked for war that very day and been assured of Mr. Average American’s support.

Some ascribed his reticence to Mr. Wilson’s long-lived distaste for the use of force; others placed a purely political stamp on his actions, pointing out that he was nearing the end of his term, was confronted with an election the following year and feared for his future if he led the country into war.

But there was no doubt of one thing: Mr. Average American’s temper in the spring of 1915 was such that he would have approved war with Germany. Instead, he sat back for months and waited while the White House and Germany exchange a series of diplomatic notes, each one serving to increase the tension and widen the breach. The break was inevitable.

1916 – Over There: The Germans opened a great offensive at Verdun… The first major naval engagement was fought at Jutland, the result still being a controversial point 25 years later… Lord Kitchener and his staff, bound for Russia, were lost with the cruiser Hampshire… David Lloyd George became England’s Prime Minister.

Conflict sneaks up

1916 – Over Here: The war was sneaking up on Mr. Average American, who was beset with a thousand spy scares (how familiar this sounds to the present generation) and much actual proof was unearthed that German agents were busily engaged in planting their own propaganda and even in acts of violence designed to sabotage American support for the Allies…

There were mysterious fires, and in July, a terrific explosion at the Black Tom Island docks in New Jersey did damage estimated at $22 million… In October, the submarine U-53 appeared in Newport Harbor. Her captain said he had come to pay his respects. After departing and passing the three-mile limit, she began sinking ships. It had a sobering effect on Mr. Average American, beneath the ocean as well as on the surface. He had not thought of this before.

On the platform “He Kept Us Out of War,” President Wilson was reelected over Charles Evans Hughes in November. The country went to bed on election night believing Hughes had won, discovered over its breakfast coffee that the California vote had kept Mr. Wilson in office.

That was the summer and Mr. Average American sent his boy to the Citizens’ Military Training Camp in Plattsburgh, New York, a controversial project that cost Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood a friendship of the administration and brought Theodore Roosevelt into sharp conflict with the government.

For preparedness

Wood and Roosevelt were outspoken proponents of preparedness, but found little encouragement in Washington. The Plattsburgh camp was their idea; to it went young men in all walks of life, the majority being professionals and businessmen who could afford to pay to learn to be soldiers. The organization was loose and lacking in authority, but out of it came many an officer who distinguished himself in France.

For his relaxation, Mr. Average American found the screen more and more to his liking. He had been a fiend for Miss Pearl White and her super-thriller serial, The Perils of Pauline. He was frankly in love with Mary Pickford. Black-haired Carlyle Blackwell caused his wife’s heart to flutter.

He had an auto, but the rearview mirror, the bumpers and the spare tire were “extras.” He was proud of his peg-top trousers, and when he went out socially, he put on a stiffly-starched collar. Shirts with attached collars were for picnics and the like.

Mrs. Mary Roberts Rhinehart, a Pittsburgher who was already known for her mystery novels, introduced Tish, and Old Judge Priest was created by Irvin Cobb. When a Man’s a Man, by Harold Bell Wright, kept a million lights burning into the night.

Sitting down to his Christmas dinner in 1916, Mr. Average American had to admit:

It had been a better year than some.

But it was only when he remembered there was still an ocean between himself and war that he wasn’t uneasy about the future.

[NormanStewart]

All studios get blackout orders; night work banned

Visitors are barred from sets and operations must cease at 5 p.m. – and all employees may be fingerprinted
By Charles R. Moore

Hollywood, California –
Numerous changes in film production plans were necessary as a result of the start of the war.

The first important change was the ban on night operations. Effective at once, studios will no longer make movies indoors or out at night.

All work will be done between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (PST) to make it possible for employees to arrive at the studio and get home again during daylight, and end possibility they would be caught at the studio by a blackout.

Bans on visitors to the sets, heretofore regularly announced and as regularly ignored, will be enforced rigidly. The only exceptions announced so far are for the working press.

Studios are considering proposals for fingerprinting and otherwise tightening identification procedure for all employees.

Press previews, most of which have been at night, hereafter will be scheduled in the afternoon.

Central Casting Corporation is working out methods of eliminating as many calls as possible to comply with requests of defense officials that lines be kept clear. Central reported:

Lack of complete cooperation by extras may result in suspension of telephone service in and out of Central Casting during blackouts.

Numerous technical experts, especially photographers, are being called into military service. It was expected some 200 cameramen would soon be on active duty.

Theater business was hit heavily during the first week of war, but operators were hopeful it would pick up as the situation settles into something approaching routine.

[NormanStewart]

U.S. War Department (December 18, 1941)

Communiqué No. 15

Philippine Theater.
U.S. forces have the situation well in hand. Small enemy forces in the Aparri, Vigan and Legazpi areas are still under attack. Hostile vessels off the coast were attacked by Army Air Forces.

Hawaii.
No further enemy activity has been reported.

No reports of hostile operations have been received from other areas.

Communiqué No. 16

The War Department regrets to announce that an Army airplane en route from Phoenix, Arizona, to Hamilton AAF, California, with several Army officers, including Maj. Gen. Herbert A. Dargue, USAAC, as passengers, has been missing since 7:55 p.m. PST, December 12, 1941. The plane was last reported near Palmdale, California. It is believed that it may have crashed or been forced down in the vicinity. When the plane failed to arrive at its destination on schedule, a search was instituted.

Philippine Theater.
There was no apparent enemy activity during Wednesday, December 17.

There is nothing to report from other areas.

---

U.S. Navy Department (December 18, 1941)

Communiqué No. 11

The Navy Department issued the following communiqué, on the naval situation as of noon today:

Atlantic Area.
The naval situation has been without incident. Heavy weather continues in the Western Atlantic.

Eastern Pacific.
There are no new developments to report.

Central Pacific.
There are no new developments to report.

Far East.
Submarine actions against enemy forces in the Far East have resulted in the sinking of an enemy transport and the probable loss of one enemy destroyer.

---

EXECUTIVE ORDER 8983
Establishing a Commission to Investigate the Pearl Harbor Attack

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 18, 1941

Pursuant to the authority in me vested by the Constitution of the United States, I hereby appoint as a commission to ascertain and report the facts relating to the attack made by Japanese armed forces upon the Territory of Hawaii on December 7, 1941, the following: Associate Justice Owen J. Roberts, United States Supreme Court, Chairman; Admiral William H. Standley, United States Navy, Retired; Rear Admiral Joseph M. Reeves, United States Navy, Retired; Major General Frank R. McCoy, United States Army, Retired; Brigadier General Joseph T. McNarney, United States Army.

The purposes of the required inquiry and report are to provide bases for sound decisions whether any derelictions of duty or errors of judgment on the part of United States Army or Navy personnel contributed to such successes as were achieved by the enemy on the occasion mentioned, and if so, what these derelictions or errors were, and who were responsible therefor.

The Commission will convene at the call of its Chairman at Washington, DC, will thereafter proceed with its professional and clerical assistants to Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, and any other places it may deem necessary to visit for the completion of its inquiry. It will then return to Washington, DC, and submit its report direct to the President of the United States.

The Commission is empowered to prescribe its own procedure, to employ such professional and clerical assistants as it may deem necessary, to fix the compensation and allowances of such assistants, to incur all necessary expenses for services and supplies, and to direct such travel of members and employees at public expense as it may deem necessary in the accomplishment of its mission. Each of the members of the Commission and each of its professional assistants, including civilian advisers and any Army, Navy, and Marine Corps officers so employed, detailed, or assigned shall receive payment of his actual and necessary expenses for transportation, and in addition and in lieu of all other allowances for expenses while absent from the place of his residence or station in connection with the business of the Commission, a per diem allowance of twenty-five dollars. All of the expenses of the Commission shall be paid by Army disbursing officers from allocations to be made to the War Department for that purpose from the Emergency Fund for the President.

All executive officers and agencies of the United States are directed to furnish the Commission such facilities, services, and cooperation as it may request of them from time to time.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 18, 1941

[NormanStewart]

U.S. War Department (December 19, 1941)

Communiqué No. 17

Philippine Theater.
The Commanding General, Far Eastern Command, reports that enemy air activity during December 18 was confined to mild raiding over Luzon. Ground operations were unimportant patrol actions.

There is nothing to report from other areas.

Communiqué No. 18

Philippine Theater.
There was a marked increase in enemy air and ground activities during the past 24 hours. There was heavy bombing over Manila and over the city of Iloilo on the island of Panay, south of Luzon.

There is nothing to report from other areas.

---

U.S. Navy Department (December 19, 1941)

Navy Communiqué No. 12

Atlantic Theater.
There are no new developments to report.

Eastern Pacific.
There are no new developments to report.

Central Pacific.
There have been two additional air attacks by the enemy on Wake Island. The first occurred on the night of the 17th-18th and was comparatively light. The second was in greater force and occurred in the forenoon of the 19th. Wake Island continues to counter these blows.

Far East.
There are no new developments to report.

[NormanStewart]

The Pittsburgh Press (December 19, 1941)

20-44 Army draft service limit reached

House-Senate conference came to agreement on age bracket

Washington (UP) –
A joint Senate-House conference committee today agreed on a compromise version of the draft expansion act which would place the minimum age limit for military service at 20 years.

The agreement represented a compromise between the Senate version of the bill which placed the age limit at 19 years, and the House bill with a minimum of 21 years.

Chairman Andrew J. May (D-KY) of the House Military Affairs Committee said an effort would be made to obtain House approval of the compromise before the end of the day. Presumably, the Senate might also act today.

Under the conference committee version of the measure, all men between the ages of 18 and 64 would have to register under the Selective Service Act. Those between the ages of 20 and 44 (inclusive) would be liable for military service.

The Senate last night passed, 79–2, a bill fixing the military service ages at 19-44 (inclusive) after rejecting three attempts to exempt youths under the age of 21.

The House passed a bill on Wednesday carrying military service ages of 21-44 (inclusive) despite urgent appeals by President Roosevelt, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall, and other Army officials for inclusion of younger men.

Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson meanwhile disclosed that the Army is suspending further voluntary enlistments “as soon as the present rush of patriotism subsides,” and will get all further manpower, even for the Air Corps, through Selective Service.

Suspension of enlistments for the Army will not affect the Marine Corps or the Navy, where recruiting of new men will continue.

The draft bill is actually an amendment to the present Selective Service Act which originally made all men between 21 and 35 liable for service and last summer was amended to make the age bracket 21-28.

Wants good balance

The War Department wants men younger and older than the present age span to give the Army what it describes as the “proper balance” for the war against the Axis. The Army wants young men particularly for the Air Force, armored divisions and parachute regiments.

The two dissenting votes in the Senate last night came from the same states – California – and were cast by Republican Senator Hiram W. Johnson and Democratic Senator Sheridan Downey.

The final vote followed rejections of three amendments. The first, offered by Senator John A. Danaher (R-CT), would have made the Senate bill the same as that of the House. It was rejected, 49–33. The next, submitted by Senator Tom Connally (D-TX), sought to defer 19- and 20-year-olds until older classes were exhausted. It was defeated, 42–38. A last-minute attempt to make 20 the minimum age service was defeated, 47–34.

Vote insurance

Other changes in the Selective Service Act made by the Senate bill included an insurance amendment designed to pay at least $5,000 to widows, children, or dependent parents of the men killed at Pearl Harbor and on the destroyers USS Kearny and USS Reuben James in the Atlantic.

Sponsored by Senator Bennett C. Clark (D-MO), the amendment provides automatic insurance of that amount for all men killed in the line of duty, under the terms of the National Service Life Insurance Act of 1940.

It would also extend for 120 days from enactment of the pending bill the period in which servicemen may apply for such insurance without medical examination. The act permits applications up to $10,000. After 120 days, applications may still be made, but a medical examination is required.

[NormanStewart]

U.S. subs sink troopship; Axis barred in Martinique

America reaches agreement with French island in Caribbean; Japanese destroyer also believed sent down

Washington (UP) –
The United States today held the initiative on both ocean battlefronts with submarine attacks carrying the war closer to Japan’s island empire and an accord linking the French West Indies to the U.S. chain of Atlantic defenses.

Strategic Martinique, naval base in the Caribbean with its French war vessels and planes, was barricaded against any Axis thrust by an accord secretly negotiated at Fort-de-France by the French High Commissioner, Adm. Georges Robert, and a “sailor diplomat” of the U.S. Navy, RAdm. Frederick J. Horne.

Details were not known here, but it was believed the accord applies only to Martinique at this time. It was pointed out, however, that Martinique is the only island of the French West Indies which has naval base facilities and is, by far, the most important island of the group.

A spokesman in Vichy said today there was no knowledge of the agreement regarding Martinique. He said that some three months ago, the U.S. and the Martinique commander reached an agreement on food supplies for the colony.

In the Pacific, the Navy announced that U.S. submarines had sunk a Japanese transport and probably an enemy destroyer in this country’s first officially-described underseas offensive of the 12-day-old conflict.

Three days ago, Adm. Thomas C. Hart, commander of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, revealed that U.S. submarines had gone into action and the Tokyo radio was heard warning Japanese ships that 20 or more U.S. submarines had “encircled” Japan.

The specific location of the successful underseas operations was not revealed.

The Navy communiqué made no mention of the situation at Wake and Midway Islands, but on the basis that there were “no new developments,” it was presumed the valiant Marine garrisons were still holding at both outposts.

The “good news” was announced shortly after President Roosevelt held a 75-minute strategy conference with his foremost military and naval advisers, including the new Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, who succeeds RAdm. H. E. Kimmel.

The White House huddle followed by less than 24 hours the shakeup that removed two generals and an admiral from command of the Hawaiian defenses which “were not on the alert” when the Japanese unleashed their aerial and submarine attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7.

Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox said after the White House meeting that Adm. Nimitz’s new post is solely that of commander of the Pacific Fleet. A successor to RAdm. Kimmel as Commander-in-Chief of the entire fleet – a titular position except when the Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic squadrons are engaged in joint operations – has not been designated yet.

Announced earlier

The Navy had announced that Adm. Nimitz would also become Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet.

It was thought the choice of Commander-in-Chief lies between Adm. Nimitz, Adm. Ernest J. King (commander of the Atlantic Fleet) and Adm. Hart.

The latest presidential conference brought together the military brains of the nation. Besides Adm. Nimitz, Mr. Knox and Adm. King, those present included Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson; Gen. George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff; Adm. Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations, and Lt. Gen. Henry H. Arnold, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air.

Answers newsmen

As he emerged from the White House, Adm. Nimitz told newsmen in reply to questions about his new duties:

I am very sensible of the fact that I am being entrusted with a very great responsibility which I intend to discharge to the utmost of my ability.

Gen. Arnold’s presence at the conference, while not unusual, appeared to reemphasize the belief that a major shift of American strategy in the battle of the Pacific will lay heavy stress on aerial attack.

The naval accord with the French West Indies was a strategic diplomatic victory on the Atlantic battlefront, regarded by Washington observers as removing a possible menace to American defenses that reach for 5,500 miles from Iceland to Dutch Guiana.

Brought to capital

It is being brought back to Washington today by Adm. Horne to be presented to President Roosevelt, Secretary of State Cordell Hull and naval officials.

It is expected to be a barrier against any German attempt to seize Martinique and the French West Indies as a base for operations against this country and presumably provides for joint defense of the French possessions.

For several months, there has been unofficial speculation that the United States, watching increasing German pressure against the Vichy French government which has authority over Martinique, might be compelled to occupy the French West Indies as a protective measure.

To retain authority

The State Department comment on the new accord indicated, however, that the Vichy government of Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain would retain full authority over the Caribbean Islands in return for formal neutrality pledges given to Adm. Horne by the French High Commissioner.

Adm. Horne carried to Fort-de-France a message from President Roosevelt containing assurances that the sovereignty of the French possessions in the Western Hemisphere will not be imperiled now that the United States is a belligerent.

Mr. Roosevelt pointed out in his message that the United States sought only to maintain friendly relations with France based on a mutual and cordial understanding of each nation’s problems, but that this country must be certain of the security of such a nearby base.

Won’t seize island

In this manner, the President assured Robert – and the Vichy government – that there would be no seizure of Martinique by the U.S. Armed Forces so long as the Axis powers were kept out of the French territories in the West Indies.

The French High Commissioner’s pledge was understood to carry the assurance that French officials will not give any support to the Axis powers and that none of the warships or planes at Martinique will be permitted to fall into Germany’s hands.

In exchange, it was understood the United States promised swift aid in the event of an attack upon the West Indies.

Furthermore, it was said, trade routes will be kept open for supplying the islands which otherwise might be marooned by the spreading war.

Axis won’t get planes

The new naval accord, which appears to be “completely satisfactory” according to State Department officials, will mean that the French aircraft carrier Béarn, a cruiser and a training cruiser and more than 100 military planes which are at Martinique will be kept out of the hands of the Axis.

Also on Martinique is a cache of Bank of France gold, estimated in some quarters at $250 million or more, which the United States is anxious to keep out of the hands of the exchange-hungry Axis powers.

Watch maintained

Since France’s military collapse, U.S. warships have maintained night-and-day “observation patrols” off the port, ready to move in if the ships and planes attempted to escape or the Vichy government capitulated to Nazi pressure for military concessions.

State Department officials declined to discuss what direct role, if any, the Pétain government at Vichy had played in bringing about the accord, but it seemed evident that it bore at least tacit approval of the Pétain regime.

A report had gained circulation that the U.S. Ambassador to Vichy, Adm. William Leahy, would be recalled to the United States because of the steady French shift toward capitulation to Axis demands.

This report was quashed, however, by disclosure that he was doing productive work in Vichy in keeping France out of the Axis ranks in a military role, and will remain there for the time being.

Relations improved

The agreement undoubtedly developed, it was believed by informed observers, from rapidly-improving relations between the Vichy government and the United States since this country’s entry into the war.

The Vichy government, striving to avoid being plunged back into the war again by Nazi demands for the French fleet and African bases, is believed to have been greatly influenced in its course of policy by the United States’ all-out war against the Axis and the German retreat on the Russian front.

Two days ago, the French Ambassador, Gaston Henry-Haye, called at the State Department and submitted an official assurance that Vichy intends to abide by the provisions of the armistice with Germany.

[NormanStewart]

WAR BULLETINS!

Pursue and destroy, BEF in Libya told

Cairo, Egypt –
Gen. Sir Claude J. Auchinleck, British Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East, said in an order of the day today that the Axis position in Libya is “desperate” and that the only order “I have is attack and pursue.” Gen. Auchinleck said the British object in Libya was “utter destruction” of the enemy forces.

Colombia breaks with Axis

Bogota, Colombia –
Colombia broke off diplomatic relations with Germany and Italy today.

Penang evacuees reach Singapore

Singapore –
The first evacuees from Penang, secondary naval base 400 miles northwest of Singapore, arrived here today and reported that the British evacuation of the island was completed yesterday. The evacuation started Wednesday. The refugees arrived here scantily-clad, indicating the hurry in which they left their homes.

Swedes and Nazis sign trade pact

Stockholm, Sweden –
A new Swedish-German trade agreement was signed today. Terms will be announced tonight.

Schoolchildren die in Jap raid

Batavia, NEI –
Scores of persons, including many schoolchildren, were killed and many more injured when Japanese planes raided Pontianak, Dutch West Borneo, a Dutch High Command communiqué said today.

U.S. accused of ‘pressuring’ Russia

Stockholm, Sweden –
A Rome dispatch to the newspaper Tidningen quoted Italians today as charging that the United States was “putting pressure” on Russia to declare war on Japan because “more than 200 Russian submarines in the Far East would restore the naval balance.” The Italians were quoted that the United States was threatening to discontinue arms deliveries unless Russia put its Far Eastern bases at American disposal, but Russia was unwilling to comply with the demands.

‘Earthquake’ may have been U.S. raid

Manila, Philippines –
Manila gossipers speculated today on the possibility that an “earthquake” in Formosa (the big Japanese air and naval base north of the Philippines) reported by the Japanese, might mean that there had been an earthshaking U.S. air raid on the island, and that the casualties might have been largely in planes.

Nazis reported leaving Finland

Stockholm, Sweden –
Foreign reports that Germany was withdrawing her forces from Finland, leaving to the Finns alone the defense of their country, were denied today in Helsinki as completely unfounded.

The British radio, heard by CBS in New York, said that later reports from Helsinki stated:

All German troops have been withdrawn from Finland in a great hurry.

Tōjō ‘greets’ South America

Berlin, Germany – (Official German news agency recorded in London)
German dispatches from Tokyo reported today that Premier Gen. Hideki Tōjō had sent messages to the foreign ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru, assuring them that Japan continues friendly relations with them “and intends to keep this policy completely unaltered.”

War to decentralize capital

Washington –
Removal of non-defense governmental bureaus and agencies to other cities may get underway soon, President Roosevelt predicted today. He said additional space is urgently needed for war work.

Turkey takes new defense measures

London, England –
Russian TASS News Agency reported from Istanbul today that intensified Bulgarian military preparations along the Turkish border had forced Turkey to take defense measures. The agency said active military service was extended to three years.

Nazis prefer Jap war news

New York –
NBC’s listening post reported today that the German radio now broadcasts Japanese war communiqués ahead of the German High Command’s daily communiqué. Previously, German news broadcasts were always started with High Command announcements.

Japs want to change dictionary

Tokyo, Japan – (Japanese Dōmei News Agency recorded in New York)
The Japanese Middle Kingdom Goodwill Society today petitioned the government to eliminate the word “China” from foreign languages and substitute “Middle Kingdom.” China, a term for chinaware, the Society said, is “a disgraceful name for such a great nation.”

Swiss powder press blows up

Interlaken, Switzerland –
Five men and two women were killed and six persons were injured last night in the explosion of a powder press at a fireworks building at Oberried on the shore of Lake Brienz. The cause of the explosion was not known.

Allies discuss tactics in China

London, England –
Chinese sources said today that representatives of the United States, Britain, China and the Netherlands were holding intensive military consultations in Chungking, to harmonize strategy and tactics of the four nations.

[NormanStewart]

Knox stresses Japs’ strength

Three attacks made on Pearl Harbor, he says

Annapolis, Maryland (UP) –
Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox disclosed today that Japan made three separate assaults upon Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, but the third one – two hours after the first one – “never got home” because Army and Navy forces were then ready to meet it.

The Japanese now have “by far the largest naval force in the Western Pacific,” he said, warning that Japan was a strong enemy.

Mr. Knox spoke at graduation exercises for the 1942 class at the U.S. Naval Academy. The class of 547 midshipmen was scheduled for graduation next spring, but the time was advanced because of the war.

A half-hour’s warning before the first attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Knox said, “would have made all the difference in the world.”

In his report earlier this week, he said the Hawaiian defenses were “not on the alert.”

Despite their crippled condition after the first two attacks, the Army and Navy mustered all their remaining resources for the third and laid down such a barrage from land and sea that enemy planes were forced to sheer off, he said.

He said of the third assault:

Not a single torpedo found its mark or did the slightest damage to our ships or to our equipment ashore.

But the United States must not underestimate the combined military and naval power of the enemy, he warned, adding:

Their forces include a huge and highly efficient army which, until very recently, carried all before it on the continent of Europe.

They include a large, well-trained air force.

They include a very considerable fleet – at present, by far the largest naval force in the Western Pacific, where most of the sea fighting will be done.

Mr. Knox did not elaborate on his statement of Japan’s naval superiority in the Western Pacific, but it was assumed he meant in the area west of Hawaii, probably in the vicinity of the Philippines where this country’s Asiatic Fleet is based. The U.S. Fleet is divided into three units – the Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic.

Ultimate victory predicted

While in its immediate effects and nearby results the attack on Pearl Harbor was a successful engagement for the Japanese, nevertheless, Mr. Knox said “in its longtime effects and its ultimate results, it will surely contribute to our certain victory.”

Japan’s treachery united this country completely. He said:

A more damning account of infamous treachery was never recorded in the history of the world.

But we ought to have been on our guard against treachery. If we had studied Japan’s record in the war with Russia when, in a similar manner, they descended upon the Russian fleet at a moment when those two nations were still at peace and destroyed that fleet without warning – if we had studied that and remembered that we would not have been surprised.

He told the midshipmen that millions of young men would like to be in their places.

He said:

There is no possible situation in which a young man of spirit would rather be placed than precisely where you men are placed today.

You are about to enter a world battle not merely of men and ships and airplanes but of ideals, philosophies and economic system.

Our enemies seek to make the whole world subject to a small group of tyrannous powers. We fight to preserve the freedom of all peoples.

Fight for equality

Our enemies proclaim the virtues of so-called superior races with a mystical fight to oppress all the other peoples of the earth. We fight for a world where every race and every nation will have an equal chance to grow and prosper.

They proclaim war as the ultimate function of man. We see war as a horrible necessity, to be resorted to only when all else has failed.

The things which “we are fighting for – and what we are fighting against” are our greatest assets, he said, and “victory – eventually and inevitably – will be ours.” In addition, he continued, we have the nations and peoples who are with us in this world battle. He called that roll:

The British Commonwealth of Nations:

A mighty union of democracies, rich in resources, rich in production facilities, rich in fighting tradition and the will to win.

The Republic of China:

400 million people, united in a determination to control their own destinies.

The Soviet Union:

A great Slav people… fighting a heroic battle to drive the German invaders back.

Others seek opportunity

He said:

There are many, many millions whom only the threat of the firing squad or the gallows keeps from open allegiance to our cause. Brave burghers of Holland. Sturdy fishermen of Norway. Workers of Belgium.

Frenchmen who have not forgotten Valmy – or Verdun. Greek shepherds in their hills. Czech craftsmen. And the Serbs and Albanians whose valor has already created a new front in the heart of conquered Europe.

Today, merciless repression may keep these allies powerless to aid us openly. But many of them are already assisting in underground activity. And all of them but await the first opportunity to break into open revolt against their would-be masters.

The graduates are the first to complete a shorted course initiated under the current emergency program. Commissions as ensigns in the line will go to 495 of the graduates and 24 will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Twenty-six will be honorably discharged, but Academy officials said they would probably receive commissions in the Naval Reserve and be called to active duty soon. Two other commissions are being held up.

Among the graduates was Isaac C. Kidd Jr., son of RAdm. Isaac C. Kidd, who was killed in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

[NormanStewart]

Bomb squads meet barrage over Manila

24 enemy planes strike at Cavite Naval Base, nearby fort
By Frank Hewlett, United Press staff writer

Manila, Philippines –
U.S. anti-aircraft guns threw up a tremendous barrage against Japanese bomber squadrons striking at military bases in the Manila area today.

Eyewitnesses arriving from the west coast of Luzon reported that three Japanese transports had been seen in flames off Vigan.

An official communiqué said that 24 Japanese bombers attacked Cavite about noon. Later they were seen over Corregidor, where they met heavy anti-aircraft fire.

Heavy enemy casualties

U.S. airplanes smashed repeatedly at the Japanese forces, including warships and at least two aircraft carriers, in the Vigan operations, refugees reaching Manila said, but considerable enemy forces were landed despite heavy casualties.

A war communiqué issued in Washington said that U.S. submarines sank a Japanese transport and probably a destroyer, presumably in the Philippines area.

The enemy forces landed at Vigan were engaged later and driven back by U.S. and Filipino forces, which were also fighting a Japanese landing force in the Legazpi sector on the southeastern tip of Luzon.

Third landing contained

The third enemy landing, in the northern Aparri area, was still being held off by defense units.

The Tokyo radio claimed that Japanese forces landed near Legazpi were advancing in the direction of Manila after receiving reinforcements, occupying a large area northwest of Legazpi and driving back the defending forces.

Refugees returning to Manila from Legazpi said Filipino defenders, often using knives, were fighting furiously against the Japanese, usually in hand-to-hand combat.

Enemy air raids were renewed at noon today by 24 black-winged Japanese bombers that flew in from the north and dumped numerous bombs near the Cavite Naval Base, about eight miles across the bay from Manila.

The planes, forced to a high altitude by defense fire from the ground, then turned toward Corregidor, the most strongly fortified point in the Philippines, about 25 miles out from the capital.

The anti-aircraft fire was particularly strong in the Corregidor area and huge white puffs could be seen in the sky over the fortress.

Previously, the Japanese had raided populous Iloilo on Panay Island and had attacked military establishments at Tarlac, 50 miles north of Manila.

Civilian defense preparations were going ahead rapidly in Manila and elsewhere.

A legion of “parashooters” to combat enemy parachute troops has been organized in 23 towns in Batangas Province, according to a dispatch to the Manila Bulletin.

The legion is composed of volunteer guards and residents possessing firearms and is under direction of police officials. Batangas is an important railroad and port town.

Given a tremendous boost by receipt of $10 million from President Roosevelt’s emergency fund, many air-raid shelters are to be built at once.

In view of the shipping shortage, fear was expressed that stocks of American cigarettes would soon be exhausted. The government’s National Tobacco Corporation has offered its services for improvement of locally-made aromatic cigarettes.

United troops hold firm

The Army said that only a small number of Japanese planes were involved in yesterday’s raid on Tarlac and that they attacked military objectives.

All reports indicated that U.S. and Philippine forces, now united, held firm against the Japanese at the three invasion centers in Luzon Island.

Lt. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commanding the combined forces, announced today that the death penalty would be imposed on persons who entered closed Japanese establishments or who took anything from them without permission. Notices were posted at Japanese establishments in Manila, now under military guard, and warned that violators would be tried by courts-martial.

Quezon visits MacArthur

President Manuel L. Quezon, in excellent health and spirits, visited Gen. MacArthur, the communiqué said, to repay a visit Gen. MacArthur paid him yesterday. President Quezon also greeted members of Gen. MacArthur’s staff.

It was announced also that Gen. Basilio Valdés, Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army, and his entire staff, were inducted into the service of U.S. forces in the Far East today under the arrangement by which all U.S. and Philippine forces are coordinated under Gen. MacArthur. Col. Richard J. Marshall of Virginia was the inducting officer.

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Victory at Legazpi claimed by Tokyo

Berlin, Germany –
A Tokyo dispatch today said that Japanese troops in southern Luzon had conquered the entire territory northwest of Legazpi.

The dispatch said that Japanese troops were “pursuing” the enemy and that Japanese air forces had carried out continuous attacks on airdromes near Manila.

The dispatch said:

The enemy’s main forces have already been annihilated so the Japanese experience little resistance.

[NormanStewart]

Army officer’s speech probed

Planes lacking in Hawaii, Air Corps colonel says

Columbus, Ohio (UP) –
Col. H. C. Kress Muhlenberg, former commandant at Hickam Field, Hawaii, was “confined to quarters” at Fort Hayes last night pending outcome of an inquiry concerning a speech he delivered in which he charged that insufficient planes were available to resist the Japanese attack on the Hawaiian Islands Dec. 7.

Col. Muhlenberg, 54, air officer for the Fifth Corps Area, who applied for retirement two months ago and has since been on leave from active duty, said in a speech at a banquet Wednesday night that “it was just plain luck” that Japan did not take Hawaii in the surprise attack.

Navy a ‘gone gosling’

He was in uniform when he addressed the Flying Club, Curtiss Wright Corporation executives, federal and state aeronautics officials and newspaper reporters here.

His retirement was to have become effective at the end of his accrued leave. Col. Muhlenberg was the commanding officer at Hickam Field from 1938 to 1940.

In his talk, he described the Navy as a “gone gosling.” He said the Navy “has its place, but it is a bad, bad second” to the Air Corps.

He said:

Now that the war has come, the American people are going to ask where are all of the planes that we’ve been producing. You can’t send your planes all over the world and have them in Hawaii when they are needed.

Army officer investigates

We almost lost our most vital possession in the Pacific because there weren’t enough planes. But the Japs were too dumb. They spread their attack too much and erred in not taking Hawaii. The American people are going to be hunting for goats to blame. But they are the goats because they wouldn’t let the Air Corps have the planes.

He described the Philippines as a “military liability” but said this country would have to make them a “Gibraltar” or “get out.”

Col. William H. W. Young, Army Inspector General, began an investigation to determine whether Col. Muhlenberg violated War Department regulations. He will report on his investigation to Maj. Gen. Daniel Van Voorhis, commanding the Fifth Corps Area, who will decide what action shall be taken. An Army officer took depositions from several persons who heard Col. Muhlenberg’s talk.

[NormanStewart]

Another ‘R-Day’ soon indicated

Draft registration within 90 days ordered

Washington (UP) –
Quick action on registration of additional men under the draft law was seen today in a memorandum by Brig. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, Selective Service Director.

Chairman Robert R. Reynolds (D-NC) of the Senate Military Affairs Committee read, during Senate debate of the draft law changes, a memorandum from Gen. Hershey to a subordinate, instructing him to make preparations for the immediate registering of men from 19 to 21 and from 36 to 44 (inclusive).

Gen. Hershey’s note said that new registrants were to be added to the lists of present registrants within 90 days, and that men already classified would have their records rechecked for possible changes.

[NormanStewart]

New York may bar Times Square crowd

New York (UP) –
Police Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine considered today whether to forbid hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to hold their traditional New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square.

In former years, as many as a million persons have jammed themselves into the blocks that form the square district to welcome the New Year with shouts, whistling and noisemakers.

Mr. Valentine said he might decide by next week.

[NormanStewart]

Filipinos aid U.S. with bolo attack on Japs

Refugees disclose hope civilians fought with troops to defend Luzon
By Robert Crabb, United Press staff writer

Manila, Philippines –
Refugees, streaming into Manila today, disclosed that hundreds of Filipino civilians, armed only with bolo knives or sharpened bamboo poles, had charged into Japanese rifle and machine-gun fire beside U.S. and Philippine troops to hold off the invaders in southern Luzon.

Using such weapons as they had in their homes and fields, witnesses said, the Filipinos fought furiously, running into the Japanese bayonet lines, to enable their women and children to escape to safety in the interior.

A woman refugee, arriving from the area, said hundreds of women and children fled from Legazpi, the southern invasion center, because Japanese soldiers were shooting all non-combatants who refused to “cooperate.”

Vehicles crowd roads

Many of those arrived here had fled from Manila at the start of the Japanese invasion, only to find themselves in graver danger in the southern area.

Roads were filled with motorcars and buses, all crowded to capacity, bringing evacuees and refugees to the capital. Some carried bundles which contained all their remaining possessions, others brought furniture and bedding.

Twelve Americans, mining men and their families, arrived from north of Manila after hitchhiking for days.

Women, children suffer

L. L. Caldwell, mine chemist, said that the party had started to drive up country but had found railroad service out and started hiking southward through alternate jungle and clearings.

Women and children suffered from exposure.

A dispatch to the newspaper Tribune from Baguio, in the north, gave a vivid description of the Japanese landing at Vigan, on the west coast.

Delfin La Chica, a bus station agent who escaped with his wife, told the story.

Describes Vigan landing

At least seven Japanese transports took part in the landing operations, La Chica said.

Filipino soldiers, heavily outnumbered, attacked the Japanese at once, La Chica said, and fought until they were encircled. Then they fought their way through the Japanese lines and escaped.

La Chica said that one I. Hara, a Japanese businessman of Vigan, betrayed the city. Hara, believed to be a Japanese Army officer in disguise, acted as liaison officer for the Japanese, he said, and was named Japanese “governor” of the Vigan area.

Reopen Jap stores

The Japanese made the provincial capital their headquarters, La Chica said, took over school buildings, closed all Filipino stores and reopened the Japanese stores which had been closed.

Another refugee said that the Japanese found Vigan almost deserted except for its little group of determined Filipino defenders.

He described U.S. planes attacking Japanese transports and said he saw three of the transports in flames.

By the second day, the whole coast was lined with Japanese warships and transports, the witness said, and at least two aircraft carriers lay outside.

Despite attacks by U.S. planes, he said, the Japanese succeeded in landing large numbers of men and consolidating positions.

---

Flag upside down as ‘thumbs-up’ sign

Manila, Philippines (UP) –
President Manuel Quezon ordered the Philippine flag inverted today because of the war.

He said it was traditional in the Philippines to fly the flag upside down in wartime; it denotes “the valor, firmness and fortitude with which the Filipinos aim to prosecute the war to victory.”

---

U.S. launches destroyer

New York –
USS Bailey, a 1,650-ton destroyer, was launched today at the Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, yard of the shipbuilding division of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

[NormanStewart]

Declaration of World War I brings wisecracks and conscription; 1917 gives U.S. new stories, songs

Last article of a series.

Every war places certain indelible marks on the nations engaged. There can be no war without death, suffering, destruction and dislocation of business and finance. There must be rearrangements in the lives of millions that may be either temporary or permanent.

These are the immutable toll of war. They hit the United States in 1917, just as they have in 1941.

So, let’s pass them by as unavoidable penalties that must be paid and see what else World War I did to Mr. Average American.

It introduced him to conscription.

It caused them to realize for the first time that wars are no longer battles between armies and navies, but struggles between whole populations – men, women and children.

New words and songs

It gave him a new vocabulary and new songs to sing.

President Wilson declared a state of conflict with Germany on April 6, 1917. Mr. Average American, always a past master at cloaking a feeling of alarm or uneasiness under his best wisecracks, greeted the announcement with that day’s equivalent of “What’s been holding us back?”

The country had been ready for it since the Lusitania was torpedoed off the Irish coast two years previously, lacking one day of a month.

To the American of ‘17, war was even more inevitable that it was to us as late as two weeks ago. The long succession of notes which had passed between Washington and Berlin had prepared everyone for the worst.

No sly-tongued emissaries were in the country, talking peace behind bland false faces.

Von Bernstorff, the German Ambassador, had been summarily dismissed and sent home. Every strand of friendship had been severed.

Final break a relief

To Mr. Average American, as it was to be with his son in ‘41, the final break was more of a relief than a shock. Now he knew where he stood. For two years, he had been walking down a dark alley; suddenly he found himself standing in bright sunlight with a job of work to perform. It was more to his liking, messy as it was.

Then came conscription.

Mr. Average American was at first thrown back on his heels. It was the first time since the Civil War that there had been other than volunteer enlistment. Mr. Average American remembered the stories his grandfather had told him of the riots caused by the federal “draft,” and wondered if this was democracy or autocracy.

To his everlasting credit, it came to him that nothing could be fairer than conscription, that it represented a fulfillment of a responsibility that belonged to him as well as his neighbor.

His Pop was proud

His own boy registered. He said:

Look, Pop. I drew No. 258.

Secretary Baker, on June 5, 1917, fished out the first capsule. It was opened. It was 258.

Mr. Average American strutted downtown like a peacock and into the corner cigar store.

He said:

That kid of mine’ll kick hell out of th’ Kaiser.

In many respects, the pattern was not far different from today.

There were Liberty Loan and Red Cross drives. Sugar was rationed. You ate no wheat on Monday, no meat on Tuesday, no pork on Thursday. Flags hung from every home. Metal plates were fastened to doors. They read:

This home has given a man to the country’s armed forces.

Mr. Average American learned a new language. His boy came home from camp talking about a pal who had been AWOL. That meant “absent without leave.” There were “cooties” and “brass hats,” who were officers. The commanding officer, whether on land or sea, was the “old man,” and if you “gold-bricked,” you were loafing on the job.

Any German was “Fritz” and “Heinie.” Canned meat became “monkey meat.” A second lieutenant was a “shavetail.”

The French were “frogs,” the Australians became “Aussies” or “Anzacs,” and the Yanks christened themselves “Doughboys.”

Favorite war story

A thousand war stories appeared overnight. Mr. Average American liked the one about the squad that was being drilled in “mopping up” (another new expression) by a French officer. “Mopping up” meant hunting down and cleaning out small nests of the enemy that remained in territory covered by a major drive. The Frenchman explained that his own men had had trouble bagging the Germans who hid in deep dugouts.

The Frenchman said:

Sometimes they hide in greater numbers than we think, and when we send one or two men down to get them, they do not return.

The story went on to relate the Yankee method of solving the problem. An American sergeant stood at the mouth of a dugout and called out:

How many down there?

The reply came back in a guttural voice, “Three.”

The sergeant reported “All right,” pulling the pin out of a hand grenade and hurling it down the steps:

Divide that up among yuh.

No nation ever went to war with so many songs on its lips.

Cohan sets face

George M. Cohan’s “Over There” set the pace and promised the Kaiser what was in store for him. Irving Berlin expressed Mr. Average American’s distaste for early rising with his “Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning.”

Someday I’m going to murder the bugler,
Someday they’re going to find him dead;
I’ll amputate his reveille
and step upon it heavily,
and spend the rest of my life in bed.

Al Jolson, king of the Mammy singers, changed his lyrics:

If you think you’ll sink our new boats
With your damned old U-boats
Tell that to the Marines.

There were “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree)?” “There’s a Long Long Trail A-Winding,” “Good Morning Mr. Zip-Zip-Zip!”

And finally, the soldier’s own: “Hinky Dinky Parlez-vous.”

Mr. Average American had proved that he knew how to go to war. He would go with a grain and he would find a way to bring home the bacon – and everything else he could lay his hands on.

[NormanStewart]

EXECUTIVE ORDER 8985
Establishing the Office of Censorship

All Americans abhor censorship, just as they abhor war. But the experience of this and of all other nations has demonstrated that some degree of censorship is essential in wartime, and we are at war.

The important thing now is that such forms of censorship as are necessary shall be administered effectively and in harmony with the best interests of our free institutions.

It is necessary to the national security that military information which might be of aid to the enemy be scrupulously withheld at the source.

It is necessary that a watch be set upon our borders, so that no such information may reach the enemy, inadvertently or otherwise, through the medium of the mails, radio, or cable transmission, or by any other means.

It is necessary that prohibitions against the domestic publication of some types of information, contained in long-existing statutes, be rigidly enforced.

Finally, the government has called upon a patriotic press and radio to abstain voluntarily from the dissemination of detailed information of certain kinds, such as reports of the movements of vessels and troops. The response has indicated a universal desire to cooperate.

In order that all of these parallel and requisite undertakings may be coordinated and carried forward in accordance with a single uniform policy, I have appointed Byron Price, Executive News Editor of the Associated Press, to be Director of Censorship, responsible directly to the President. He has been granted a leave of absence by the Associated Press and will take over the post assigned him within the coming week, or sooner.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 19, 1941

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the statutes of the United States, and particularly by Section 303, Title III of the Act of December 18, 1941, Public Law 354, 77th Congress, 1st session, and deeming that the public safety demands it, I hereby order as follows:

1. There is hereby established the Office of Censorship, at the head of which shall be a Director of Censorship. The Director of Censorship shall cause to be censored, in his absolute discretion, communications by mail, cable, radio, or other means of transmission passing between the United States and any foreign country or which may be carried by any vessel or other means of transportation touching at any port, place, or Territory of the United States and bound to or from any foreign country, in accordance with such rules and regulations as the President shall from time to time prescribe. The establishment of rules and regulations in addition to the provisions of this Order shall not be a condition to the exercise of the powers herein granted or the censorship by this Order directed. The scope of this Order shall include all foreign countries except such as may hereafter be expressly excluded by regulation.

2. There is hereby created a Censorship Policy Board, which shall consist of the Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of War, the Attorney General, the Postmaster General, the Secretary of the Navy, the Director of the Office of Government Reports, and the Director of the Office of Facts and Figures. The Postmaster General shall act as Chairman of the Board. The Censorship Policy Board shall advise the Director of Censorship with respect to policy and the coordination and integration of the censorship herein directed.

3. The Director of Censorship shall establish a Censorship Operating Board, which shall consist of representatives of such departments and agencies of the Government as the Director shall specify. Each representative shall be designated by the head of the department or agency which he represents. The Censorship Operating Board shall, under the supervision of the Director perform such duties with respect to operations as the Director shall determine.

4. The Director of Censorship is authorized to take all such measures as may be necessary or expedient to administer the powers hereby conferred, and, in addition to the utilization of existing personnel of any department or agency available therefor, to employ, or authorize the employment of, such additional personnel as he may deem requisite.

5. As used in this Order the term “United States” shall be construed to include the Territories and possessions of the United States, including the Philippine Islands.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 19, 1941

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U.S. War Department (December 20, 1941)

Communiqué No. 20

Philippine Theater.
No details are as yet available concerning the reported landing operations of the Japanese at the port of Davao in the island of Mindanao in the southern extremity of the Philippine Archipelago.

Under authority recently granted him by the Secretary of War, the Commanding General, USAFFE, has awarded the Distinguished Service Cross to 13 officers and enlisted men for extraordinary heroism in action.

There is nothing to report concerning enemy operations in other areas.

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U.S. Navy Department (December 20, 1941)

Communiqué No. 13

Atlantic Theater.
There are no new developments to report.

Eastern Pacific.
There are no new developments to report.

Central Pacific.
There are no new developments to report.

Far East.
A U.S. submarine sank an additional enemy transport. Cavite sustained a heavy bombing raid at noon of the 19th. This raid caused some damage to property, but only light casualties to our own forces and civilian personnel.

[NormanStewart]

The Pittsburgh Press (December 20, 1941)

Army likely to continue enlistments

Change in plans seen as draft bars youths of teen age

Washington (UP) –
Congressional legislation exempting teenage youths from compulsory military service but creating a potential army of seven million men between 20 and 44 (inclusive) awaited President Roosevelt’s signature today.

Designed to mobilize the nation’s manpower for the all-out war against the Axis powers, the bill calls for the ultimate registration of all men from 18 through 64. But only those in the 20-44 age bracket will be liable for military service.

Final action came yesterday on approval by both chambers of the Senate-House conference report compromising differences on the draft age limitations.

Final action rushed

The House had insisted on delaying induction of youths until they reached their 21st birthdays despite urgent appeals by Mr. Roosevelt. Gen. George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, and other Army officials for inclusion of younger men. The Senate supported the 19-year “floor” recommended by the administration.

Conferees battled over the issue most of the morning, each side refusing to budge. Administration leaders arranged the compromise 20-year minimum during the noon recess and the legislation was whipped through the House and Senate without a record vote.

Selective Service headquarters was ready to throw the draft registration machinery into high gear as soon as Mr. Roosevelt signs the new bill into law.

40 million reached

Altogether, an estimated 40 million males will be affected. Officials indicated the registration task will be “staggered” by age groups, and will not be completed until April.

Instructions have already gone out to local boards for a recheck of men registered in the original roll call of men from 21 through 35. It was indicated that those in the 36-44 age group would probably be the first to register this time.

Government and Congressional leaders predicted that failure of Congress to lower the minimum age to 19 would force the Army to abandon its plan to halt voluntary enlistments.

Young men sought

Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson recently said recruiting would be stopped after the current “fever” of voluntary enlistments, brought on by Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, subsides.

Chairman Robert R. Reynolds (D-NC) of the Senate Military Affairs Committee said the Army had expected some 600,000 men to be added to the potential draft army from the 19-year age group then added:

These are the type of men the Army wants… They will have to continue the recruiting campaign now.

The Army now accepts men as young as 18 as volunteers if they have the consent of their parents.

Naval increase urged

The new draft bill was approved as Chairman David I. Walsh (D-MA) of the Senate Naval Affairs Committee introduced legislation authorizing an increase in the enlisted strength of the Navy to 500,000 and of the Marine Corps to 104,000 men. This would double the present strength of both services.

Mr. Walsh promoted speedy action on the proposal, advanced by the Navy Department as a step to keep manpower equal to expansion of its construction program.

Acting Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal, in a letter to House Speaker Sam Rayburn, said the legislation was a “matter of special urgency;” that the expansion program would require total enlistment of a million men.

$5,000 for survivors

As finally approved, the draft bill includes a Senate amendment providing for payment of $5,000 to survivors of men who died in action or to men who are totally disabled while on active duty. It would pay a similar sum to widows, children or dependents of the men killed in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and in attacks on the destroyers USS Kearny and USS Reuben James.

Selective Service officials estimate that the 20-44 age group will add seven million men to the manpower pool from which men could be drawn for the nation’s draft army. About 755,000 men have already been drafted. Some of the potential strength have already volunteered.

They said 17,500,000 men between 21 and 35 registered in the first draft. These include three million in the 21-28 class – expected to be the first group tapped under the new law – and some two million in the 28-36 group.

200,000 inducted monthly

It was indicated that induction will continue at the present rate of 200,000 a month for the time being. How long that rate will continue depends on developments in the war theater.

One draft official said he hoped a policy would be established to bring all future enlistments under Selective Service. The original act contained a clause permitting men of draft age to volunteer for duty whenever they desired.

If such a policy were adopted, this official said:

We wouldn’t have to worry about keeping track of the nation’s available manpower.

Officials emphasized that some system will have to be established to protect industry from the possibility of losing valuable defense workers through recruiting.

May refuse some

One official said:

We may have to refuse to accept any man for enlistment who is employed in a defense industry.

The Army also plans to relax some of its regulations concerning the equipment required before a man can become inducted into service. Tent camps will probably be set upon in the South to accommodate the new selectees.

One official said:

We are not going to take men in before we have adequate equipment for their training and health. But we are not going to make it quite as pleasant as it has been up to now. We haven’t the time for that.

[NormanStewart]

Mastermind Allied staff termed near

MacArthur may head all anti-Axis forces in Far East

Washington (UP) –
The anti-Axis powers may be preparing a super-strategy plan that will place America’s newest general – Douglas MacArthur – in supreme command of all Allied powers in the crucial Far Eastern struggle.

This possibility was viewed today as the real power to President Roosevelt’s action in promoting Gen. MacArthur, chief of the U.S. Army of the Philippines, to temporary rank as full general.

Confirms plans

And it seemed to add up because:

• Mr. Roosevelt announced the promotion even as he confirmed that plans for establishing an inter-Allied command to mastermind operations on a worldwide front are being discussed here.

• Swift Senate approval of the promotion came on the admitted basis that Gen. MacArthur probably would have to have the rank of full general to “deal on an equal basis” with military officials of America’s allies.

• London, which broke the first news of the contemplated inter-Allied War Council, suggested earlier in the week that Gen. MacArthur would be the preferred choice to command the Allied armies of the Far East.

• Gen. MacArthur has added tremendously to his prestige as a shrewd tactician with his brilliant direction of the Philippine defenses – the one bright spot in the Far Eastern picture.

To name MacArthur

On the basis of these developments, it was predicted that one of the first strategic strokes of the Supreme Allied War Council, once it is created, will be to give Gen. MacArthur full charge of the big show in the Far Eastern theater of conflict.

And it is no military secret that the center of this big show is Singapore. The big British naval base is the heart of the Allied defenses in that area. Hong Kong may already be lost to the British. But, from a standpoint of military values, Hong Kong is only a sideshow.

The loss of Singapore may mean the difference between a long war and a comparatively short war. Competent observers believed the next 60 days would tell the story, and that sometime within that period Gen. MacArthur may move over from the Philippines to direct the show from there.

Britons to direct action

It was also believed that a British military leader may direct any action in the Near and Middle East because of British experience in colonial warfare. Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin will probably direct the Russian phase of operations, and Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek will presumably play a specified role in his particular sector.

Interrelated diplomatic-military discussions were understood to be envisioned in the plan.

In this connection, some quarters believed that President Roosevelt would soon name Maj. Gen. James H. Burns as Ambassador to Moscow on the strength of Gen. Burns’ military experience and knowledge of industrial and armament production.

These quarters speculated that the strategy of such a move would be to forge a closer link between Russian military forces and American supply lines, and clarification of Russia’s future role in the war against Japan.

Gen. Burns, as executive officer of the Lend-Lease program, is thoroughly schooled in supply problems. He is also familiar with the Moscow situation since he was a member of the recent U.S. mission to the Kremlin. Gen. Burns likewise participated in the historic Roosevelt-Churchill sea parleys last August. He would succeed Laurence E. Steinhardt, who returned recently from Moscow.

It is generally believed that the council, once created, would make its headquarters in Washington.

Identity of the participants in the Washington talks looking forward to formation of the inter-Allied command is a guarded secret, but it is said that “important British personages” and some topflight Russian leaders are here or en route.

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Senators confirm Gen. MacArthur

Washington (UP) –
The Senate, dispensing with customary procedure, yesterday confirmed the nomination of Lt. Gen. Douglas A. MacArthur, who is directing American fighting forces in the Philippines, to be a full general, ranking with the Army Chief of Staff.

Confirmation followed a spirited debate in which Senator Tom Connally (D-TX) expressed grave doubts whether a full general could be nominated except for the position of Chief of Staff. He withdrew his objections at the urging of Chairman Robert R. Reynolds (D-NC) of the Senate Military Affairs Committee.

Hits appointments

Mr. Connally also said he believed that the Army has appointed four lieutenant generals beyond the authorized number. He served notice that he would agree to no more confirmations of military grades until “the matter has been thoroughly studied by the Military Affairs Committee.”

Mr. Connally said:

We have more lieutenant colonels than we have captains. Just think of it. More lieutenant colonels than we have captains.

Senator Harry S. Truman (D-MO) recalled that “four full generals” were appointed during World War I. He said that Gen. MacArthur would probably need the rank of full general to “deal on an equal basis” with military officials of America’s allies in the Far East.

Mr. Connally replied:

Why, the very idea that they can’t fight out there unless they are full generals. The Senator from Missouri said that the Allies have got eight full generals out there. Judging from the reports so far, I would say they haven’t got any more soldiers than that.

Withdraws objection

Mr. Connally at first agreed to let the nomination be confirmed on the understanding that he would make a motion to reconsider later on. Senator Robert M. La Follette (PR-WI) pointed out that because of parliamentary technicalities, this would have the same effect as objecting to the nomination.

The Texan then agreed to withdraw his objection.

Since the nomination did not go through the Senate Military Affairs Committee to be reported out and placed on the calendar, it could only be approved by unanimous consent.

[NormanStewart]

WAR BULLETINS!

Battle in Hong Kong reported

Manila, Philippines –
The United Press listening post today heard a German broadcast from the Shanghai radio report that street fighting in the heart of Hong Kong began last night. The Shanghai radio said that arsenals and military establishments in Hong Kong had been destroyed but that other sections of the city had not been touched.

Chinese answer Hong Kong’s SOS

Chungking, China –
Chinese forces are smashing into Japanese rear lines on the border of Kowloon in an effort to relieve Hong Kong, military dispatches reported today. The attack carried the city of Shamchun on the border of Kowloon, where defense works were destroyed, the Chinese Central News Agency said.

Italians claim sinkings

Rome, Italy (UP) – (Radio Rome recorded in London)
The High Command said today that in a naval engagement in the Central Mediterranean Dec. 17, Italian ships sank one British warship, probably sank another, and possibly got a third. It said that no damage was suffered by Italian warships.

The claim was made soon after the British permitted details to be published of the sinking of two Italian cruisers by Allied destroyers on Dec. 13.

Nazis quiz Vichy in Martinique

German press reports said today Germany had demanded of Vichy an explanation of the agreement Adm. Georges Robert, High Commissioner of the French West Indies, made with the United States. It was not determined whether the note was an ultimatum.

Vichy eyes U.S. consuls in Far East

Vichy, France –
America, British and Dutch consuls in French Indochina are under surveillance in their consulates, a Vichy spokesman said today.

Nazis goad Vichy against U.S.

Vichy, France –
German-controlled Paris newspapers started an anti-American campaign today and urged severance of relations between Vichy and Washington. Grounds for the campaign were U.S. seizure of the French liner Normandie and alleged interference in Vichy affairs by U.S. Ambassador Adm. William D. Leahy.

Nazis pushed back near Tula

Moscow, USSR (UP) – (Official Russian broadcast recorded in London)
A special dispatch to the newspaper Pravda from Tula, 110 miles south of Moscow, said today that in one direction the Germans had been pushed back “several tens of kilometers” beyond Tula (10 kilometers is 6.21 miles).

Air raids on Wake reported

London, England –
The British Exchange Telegraph Agency today heard Radio Vichy broadcast a Tokyo dispatch that two Japanese air raids were made on Wake Island this morning.

Quezon fights Jap propaganda

Manila, Philippines –
President Manuel L. Quezon today urged Filipinos to disregard propaganda, now flooding the islands, by which the Japanese are trying to convince them that she is fighting only the United States and not the Philippines. He said:

Our will to resist the aggression of the enemy is unshakable.

200 casualties in Philippine raid

Manila, Philippines –
More than 200 civilians were killed or wounded in the Japanese bombing of Iloilo Thursday, the Manila Bulletin said today. The casualties included many dead, it added.

[NormanStewart]

Off North Borneo –
Pilots score 5 direct hits

Transports also damaged in air attack

The Philippines-Borneo front

The two spots at which “war action” was produced today in the near Pacific are indicated by the numbers above.

1. Luzon Island, in the Philippines, where U.S. forces fought Jap invaders at three points: Vigan, Aparri and Legazpi.

2. Sarawak, North Borneo, where Dutch, flying American-made bombers, claimed direct hits on three Jap cruisers and two transports.

3. Mindanao Island, in the Philippines, where new invading forces were landed today, and where heavy fighting is in progress. Davao, chief city of Mindanao, is only 900 miles from Manila.

Batavia, NEI –
Direct hits on two Japanese cruisers and two transports, one laden with aircraft, were scored by Dutch pilots flying U.S. Glenn Martin bombers in smashing attacks on Japanese landing forces at Miri, Sarawak, North Borneo, the Dutch High Command said today.

The communiqué said that although one of the transports was heavily laden with aircraft, it was not an aircraft carrier.

The direct hits were scored today in the second Dutch raid in two days on Japanese landing forces at Miri.

Yesterday, Dutch pilots, also flying U.S. Glenn Martin bombers, attacked the Japanese at Miri, scoring a direct hit on a large transport laden with aircraft.

Radio Batavia today broadcast a special Dutch war communiqué heard in London which said that three Japanese cruisers had been put out of action in the course of Dutch air actions today and yesterday off Miri.

The Dutch encountered stiff Japanese opposition in both raids on Miri.

In attacks made yesterday, Dutch Army planes dropped several thousand pounds of bombs on points occupied by the Japanese near one town in Sarawak.

In addition to scoring direct hits, Dutch pilots scored one near miss on the cruiser and two near misses on the transport.

The Japanese took to the air in an effort to drive off the attackers, but two Japanese planes were lost. One crashed in flames. One Glenn Martin bomber was shot down in the operations.

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All American residents in Malaya safe, U.S. says

Washington (UP) –
All American residents of Malaya are safe, the State Department was informed today in a report from its consul general in Singapore.

The cablegram from Singapore was dated Dec. 17 and was signed by Consul General Kenneth S. Patton. He also reported that the American consul in Penang, Robert B. Streeper, had been authorized to leave his post at his own discretion and was understood to be en route to Singapore. Penang is an island base off the Malayan coast.

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Japan claims landing on Mindanao Island

Tokyo, Japan – (official Japanese broadcasts)
Japanese Imperial Headquarters said that Japanese Army and Navy units had landed in Mindanao Island in the Philippines at dawn today after breaking U.S. resistance and that the position had quickly developed to their advantage.

The Dōmei News Agency reported Japanese troops storming British positions on hills scattered over Hong Kong Island under the protection of terrific artillery and airplane bombardments.

[NormanStewart]

13 GET HEROES’ AWARDS IN FAR EAST
Full account of Kelly act cited at rite

Gen. MacArthur says ace knew he sank Jap craft
By Robert Crabb, United Press staff writer

Manila, Philippines –
The captain went down with his ship.

The captain was Capt. Colin P. Kelly Jr. of the Army Air Corps, and the ship he went down in was a flaming bomber that had just dealt a death blow to the Japanese battleship Haruna, off the Philippine coast. Six American men are alive because Capt. Kelly gave his life.

The full story of Capt. Kelly’s heroism became known only today when Gen. Douglas MacArthur, U.S. commander in the Far East, awarded Distinguished Service Crosses to 13 officers and men – three of them posthumously – for gallantry in defense of the Philippines.

It had been assumed, in the absence of information to the contrary, that he died roaring down toward the dreadnaught’s guns to loose his bombs, but Gen. MacArthur’s terse citation revealed there were two chapters instead of one in the story of Capt. Kelly’s heroism.

Second chapter cited

The second chapter was written near Aparri, on the north coast of the Philippine island of Luzon Dec. 9, when Capt. Kelly and the crew of his bomber were winging for their home base after sinking the Haruna. Gen. MacArthur’s citation tells the rest:

With his airplane a focal point of fire from the strong hostile naval forces, Capt. Kelly exhibited a high degree of valor and skill in placing three direct hits upon an enemy battleship, resulting in its destruction. En route to his home airfield upon completion of his mission, his airplane was set afire by the attack of two enemy fighters, but Capt. Kelly, the last to leave the burning plan was killed in the resulting crash.

The next of kin is Mrs. Marion Wick Kelly of Hickam Field, Hawaii.

The Army announced yesterday in Washington that 2nd Lt. George S. Welch of Wilmington, Delaware, and Kenneth M. Taylor of Hominy, Oklahoma, had been decorated with Distinguished Crosses for their “extraordinary heroism in action” during the Japanese attack on Hawaii, Dec. 7. Lt. Welch shot down four enemy planes; Lt. Taylor two.

Others honored posthumously

The other two posthumous decorations went to 1st Lt. Samuel H. Marett of Atlanta, Georgia, and Pfc. Greeley B. Williams, USAAC, of Iowa City, Iowa.

2nd Lt. Carl P. Gies of Salem, Oregon, of the Air Force was cited for “extraordinary action near his field Dec. 10.” Describing his gallantry, the citation said:

Lt. Gies, on Dec. 10, was gaining altitude for patrol over another field, accompanied by one other pilot, when he received a radio report that his own field was being strafed. Although he realized he was greatly outnumbered and with complete disregard for the great personal risk involved, this pilot dove through the overcast into the midst of more than 20 hostile craft and downed one enemy plane. Upon rejoining his companion airplane, they were immediately attacked by three enemy fighters. Gies’ furious attack sent one raider crashing and dispersed the two remaining enemy airplanes. His skill and determination further enabled Gies to fly his badly damaged plane back.

Philippine officer hailed

Capt. Jesús A. Villamor of the Philippine Army’s Air Corps was decorated for “extraordinary heroism” Dec. 10. Of his bravery, the Army said:

In the face of heavy enemy fire from strong air forces, Capt. Villamor led his flight of three pursuit planes into action against attacking Japanese planes. By his conspicuous example of courage and leadership at great personal hazard beyond the call of duty his flight was enabled to rout the attacking planes, thereby preventing appreciable damage at his station.

Another Filipino flier decorated, 3rd Lt. Joseph Gozar, tried to ram enemy planes after his guns had jammed. The citation said:

By his display of courage and leadership and after a series of such maneuvers, he forced the Japanese plane to flee without further attacks on the airdrome.

First Jap plane bagged

2nd Lt. Randall Keator of Campti, Louisiana, was credited with bringing down the first Japanese plane in air combat in the Philippines, and he was cited for “extraordinary heroism in action near his field Dec. 8.” The Army said:

During the Japanese attack on Clark Airfield, Philippine Islands on this date, 2nd Lt. Keator braved falling bombs and strafing runs to become airborne in his P-40 fighter. He attacked three enemy fighters, shooting down two of them, and becoming the first American fighter pilot to claim a victory in the air war in the Philippine Islands.

Citing Pfc. Joseph C. McElroy of Philadelphia for “extraordinary heroism in action at his field Dec. 8,” the Army said:

Instead of seeking shelter from aerial bombardment of his plane, Pvt. McElroy ran to machine gun position in his grounded airplane, and in the face of a devastating dive bomber and aerial machine-gun attack which followed, he courageously and successfully defended his plane. In the line of his fire, one hostile plane was seen to crash in flames and two others withdrew from the attack, emitting dense trails of smoke.

Sergeant also hero

Tech. Sgt. Anthony Holub of Coronado City, California, was cited for similar heroism Dec. 8:

During a heavy aerial bombardment, Sgt. Holub, immediately ran to his plane and returned the machine-gun fire of subsequent attacking planes from the top turret guns of his plane. After exhausting the ammunition supply, Sgt. Holub ran through a heavy strafing fire to a nearby damaged plane from which he removed as many ammunition cans as he could carry and returned to his guns, where he continued to fire on attacking aircraft.

1st Lt. Joseph Moore of Spartanburg, South Carolina, shot down two Japanese planes attacking a comrade who had bailed out and was dangling in his parachute.

In the same engagement, Lt. Moore drive fearlessly into a group of enemy planes which were attacking a fellow pilot in parachute, and by the fury of his attack destroyed two enemy planes and completely routed the rest, thereby saving his comrade’s life.