The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 8, 1941, Page 1

VOL. LVIIL, NO. 8899. HE DAILY ALASKA EMPI “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” JUNEAU, ALASKA, MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1941 BLACKOUT TONIGHT; PROCLAMATIONS ISSUED HEAVY TOLL Juneau and Douglas will have blackouts tonight and the follow- ing proclamations issued by Mayor | Harry I Lucas of Juneau and E.| Hachmeister, Acting Mayor of Douglas, which rhust be read by citizens, fully explain what is re-| quired: | By virtue of the authority in me| vested as Mayor of the City of Ju-| neau, Alaska, and at the request of the Juneau Civilian Defense | Unit, and in view of the war now | existing, I, Harry I. Lucas, Mayor | of Junheau, do hereby declare: A blackout will be held in Ju- neau, ‘Alaska, on Monday, Decem- ber 8, 1941, at the hour of 7 o- clock p.m., to continue for 15 min- utes. The signal for the commence- ment of the blackout will be 1-2 on the fire alarm, repeated four times. All persons are hereby urged to comply with the following instruc- tions: If you are at home, or in a ho- tel room or apartment: 1. Turn out all external lights. 2. See that no lighting in your house is visible from the outside. 3. If you cannot obscure your windows with dark matetials, turn off your lghts, but do not use the main switch. 4. Managements of hotels and apartment houses are responsible for exterior lighting. If driving your car or motor ve- hicle: 1. Immediately pull over to the MINUTE-MEN (Attack on Unifed Stafes T0 ENFORCE "BLACKOUT" City Ordinance fo Provide | | { | Penalty for Failure | to Obey Orders Juneau residents ' will go on a| wartime program tonight beginn- ing at 7 p. m., when the 1-2 signal of the city fire horn calls all homes and places of business to extinguish | their lights in the city’s first black- out. By mid-evening, the city council will have concluded a special ses-| sion, at which a city ordinance is| slated to be introduced, providing penalities for citizens failing to| heed black-out orders and other| emergency orders to be issued in| the near future regarding civilian | conduct during the war emergency.| When the black-out signal sounded tonight, the city's 250 civic| defense guardsmen will take posts,| on watch for pessible acts of sabo- | tage and instructed to see that the | black-out order is put in -effect throughout the city. Homes or| business houses where lights are| visible from the street will im-| mediately be contacted by the min-| ute-men and warned to put out their lights. | “Actual War Precautions” “This is not a drill, this is an| actual war precaution,” Defense Chief Frank Metcalf stressed . this| morning. “From now on, black-out‘ warnings will be given frequently and penalties will be provided for| persons not heeding such warnings_! The 1-2 signal on the fire horn will be used until a special whisuel signal can be arranged.”’ ‘The plans for wartime civic de- | fense of the city were drafted last 25 civic leaders, held at the city curb or roadside and turn off your lights and motor. 2. Do not try to drive with your lights out. 3. Do not park in front of fire exit, fire plug, hospital entrance, or at a street intersection. 4. Do not block center of street as fire engines and police cars may have to answer emergency calls. Stores, manufacturers, and dustrial plants: 1.- Have some one on duty dur- ing the blackout. 2. Be sure all external lights are out, including Neon signs. 3. See that internal lights are not visible from the outside. 4. Your presence on the prem- ises will aid materially’in protect- ing your property and in making the blackout a success. If unavoidably outdoors: 1. Remain on sidewalk. Do cross street. 2. Do not smoke or expose any light. All street lights will be extin- guished during period of blackout. Important—do not forget your skylight, if you have one. If you must be away from your premises, do not leave any light visible from the outside. All householders are urged toar- range so as to be able to turn out all lights in all rooms except one and to have that so darkened that no light will show through to the outside. The cooperation of ail and residents i in- not citizens absolutely required. Residents of all highways are also requested to cooperate, and the Mayor of Douglas has stated the. Town of Douglas will hold a| blackout at the same time. | All members of the Juneau Civil- | ian Defense Unit must be prepared | to attend their proper stations and to be at their stations when the alarm sounds., They should note and make record of all failures to comply herewith, and report such failures to their respective .ser-i geants, | Be assured this is not a needless gesture but a practical test of your patriotic response to a possible situation of extreme gravity caused by the present war situation Dated, at Juneau, Alaska, cember 7, 1941. HARRY 1. LUCAS, Mayor of Juneau, Alaska. | De- PROCLAMATION To the citizens and residents of Douglas: 1, E. Hachmeister, Acting Mayor | of the Town of Douglas, Alaska, do hereby join in the above proclama- tion" and do hereby declare a blackout will be held in the town of Douglas, Alaska, at 7 o'clock p.m., Monday, December 8, 1941, and thoroughly respond thereto. Dated at Douglas, Alaska, De- cember 7, 1941. E. HACHMEISTER, Acting Mayor of Douglas, Alaska. IsMade by Japan; War s Declared; Early Ads Told The Japanese have launcht‘fi_ uies of striking, ignoring President | The city" |bombing attacks on both Hawaii Roosevelt's personal last minute ap- |and debris laden but all fires were and Manila. This was the bolt out of a clear |sky that struck Juneau during the i{noon hour Sunday and came in a dispatch to the Empire from the Associated Press. peal, made Saturday night, to the Emporor of Japan, for peace, the| Japanese attacked two keystones of | the American defense in the Pacific | at approximately 9:20 o'clock Sun-| day morning, Eastern Standard; Just a few seconds later came the | time, or 12:20 o'clock Sunday aft- | i official word from Washington, D. C., from the War and Navy De- partments, that according to ad- vices, Japanese planes had attacked Pearl Harbor and Honolulu, on OCahu Island, principal island in the Hawaiian group, and a ‘“state of siege” exists on the Pacific Particulars Quickly following the two brief announcements came further par- ticulars, that a Japanese aircraft carrier was off Honolulu and planes is 'had taken to the air and Honolulu,; and Pearl Harbor navy base were being bombed. At that time no mendion was made regarding the positive attack on Manila one dis- patch, dated Manila, saying: “There are no signs of war and Manila is quiet at 1:25 o'clock p. m, Pacific Standard time. Lieutenant Gen- eral Douglas MacArtour, Com- mander of the United States forces in the Far East, has been officially advised of the attack on Pearl Harbor and placed his entire com- mand on the Alert.” Later, during the late afternoon and early evening, dispatches said that parts of the Philippines were attacked. This was announced by President Roosevelt. Attack on Hickman Field At this time the Nationai Broad- cast observer reported that “350 men are believed to have been | night by a meeting of more than | li¢d by a direct bomb hit on| Hickman Field, the : largest United hall. Immediate steps were takenis'ales Navy Field,” and near Hon- to patrol docks, public utilities andj‘.’h‘l"' and then another more clear- other critical points which might! "8, Pulletin reported “The Army invite acts of sabotage. ge |&nd sea under control)’ and added Continued on Page 'i'hree)‘ that “adepting Hitler's surprise tacs and Navy appears to have the air| served notice on the Commander of .age and loss of life in the Japanese ernoon, Pacific Standard time” Presidential Statement | President Roosevelt, shortly be- fore 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon, said that the White House feared | there had been heavy property dam- | attack on Honolulu. | President Roosevelt then indi- cated, at the White House, that he would call an extraordinary session cf the Cabinet at 8:30 o'clock Sun- day night and Congressional leaders of both Houses and both pames‘ would also be summoned to attend. | At this time came unconfirmed | reports that two American de:<troy- ers had been torpedoed and sunk off the Hawaiian coast and that an American war vessel had been attacked about 650 miles off the Coast of California. Neither report | was subsequently officiaily con- firmed, | Japan Declares War As reports came regarding the attack of the Japanese, an official dispatch from Tokyo said: “The Imperial Command an- nounces a state of war exists with the United States and Great Britain,” From Shanghai came the report) that the Japanese had sunk the British gunboat Petrel as it lay off | the International Settlement's waterfront but the United States| gunboat Wake, nearby, was not damaged. Then another dispatch, ‘dated Shanghai, said the Japanese | Army and Navy had surrounded the| | International Settlement and also | | (Continued on Page 8ix) TAKEN BY JAP PLANES Invaders B;é;n Machine- gunning and Bombing Without Preliminaries HONOLULU, Dec. 8—Grim and determined, this island city today girded itself against war which struck suddenly and without warn- ing from the sky yesterday morning. Even as the rain of Japanese bombs took a heavy toll of American lives, cannonading offshore indicat- |ed a naval battle was progressing. Wave after wave of warplanes streamed over this island of Oahu in the attack which the army said started at 8:10 a.m., Honolulu time, and ended at 9:25 a.m, Sunday. 50 Planes in Attack Witnesses counted at least 50 IWHITE HOUSE GIVES FACTS \Damage by Japanese! Raiders on-Hawaii Is | | " ONNEWWAR President Asks For Declaration of War; Historic Appeal Is Made WASHINGTON, Dec. 8—In a stirring, 12-minute historic message which drew round Officially Announced | ACTIVE RESISTANCE IS QUICKLY MADE; {Attackers Came from Air-j craft Carriers-Time to Strike Was Judged WASHINGTON, Dec. 8. — The White House announced this fore- noon that the Japanese atfack on after round of cheers and ap- plause from a joint session of Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, at 9:30 a.m. this morning (Pacific Standard Time) asked for a declaration that a state of war has existed between the United States and the Empire of Japan since the start of hostilities yesterday morning in the attack on Ha- waii which cost the United States two warships and 3,000 dead or wounded. The President declared: “I ask Congress to declare, that since the unprovoked and das- tardly attack by Japan, Sun- Congress /the President said, declared it seemed useless to continue diplo- matic relations between the two! | nations, but still gave no hint of | | war.” | Yesterday's attack had apparent- ly been planned “many days, or! | weeks, ago,” the President said. | “The attack has caused severe |damage to American military and | naval bases, and I regret to say has cost the lives of many Ameri- | can citizens,” President Roosevelt said. He told the congressmen that | Wake Island was attacked by the| Japanese last night and Midway | Island this morning. “No matter how long it may take us,” the President declared, “the| American people, in their nghwous‘ might, will win through to absolute victory. * * * We will not only de- 'UNITED STATES, JAPAN IN FIGHT QUICK ACT MADE BY CONGRESS Vote for Deaa_ralion IsUn- animous in Senafe- 383 fo 1 in House LOSS OF WARSHIPS, LIVES, GETS ACTION Great Britain Also Declares War on Nippon Nation ~Takes 2 Allies BULLETIN—~WASHINGTON, Dec. 8. — The United States, through its Congress, has de- clared war on Japan. The vote in the Senate was and I urge you all to patriotically | planes centered in an attack on | Hawail resulted in the capsizing of Hickman Field, huge army airbase an old battleship, the destruction of three miles northwest of the city. one destroyer and lesser damage to { The planes approached from the 3her vessels along with the de- | southwest and began machine gun- struction of a relatively large num-~ ning and bombing without prelim- |ber of planes. inaries. It was added in the announcement | An oil tank was fired at the edge that several Japanese planes and of Pearl Harbor and unconfirmed submarines were accounted for. reports reported one ship was turn- | This announcement was given out ed on its side in the harbor and four 'as a war resolution was drafted for others set afire. immediate introduction to Congress Jap Planes Downed {and the President addressed the na- The army said two Japanese tion personally at 9:30 am. (PST) planes were downed. The enemy regarding the sudden turn of the Far sky squadrons also attacked the vil- Eastern situation. | 1age of Wahiawa, 20 miles northwest ~ Senator Tom Connally, of Texas, | of the city prepared the war resolution, declar- | Unconfirmed reports said the at- X f tackers came from two aircraft car- iriers. American destroyers immed- |lately steamed from the harbor. |Gun flashes were visible from | ashore. (Continued on Page Two) UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION OFFICE CHANGE Sheldon Is—t(fiiead Office | Machine Gunned i | Bob Tyce, owner of the civilian |airport, who was machine gunned | |while slarting his plane, was be- | lieved the first war casualty here. ' treet were bomb-pocked | reported under control. Outgoing news from this island now is strictly censored. - Here - Sharpe Gels day, December 7, a state of war existed between the United States and the Japanese Em- pire.” The President said yesterday, “the date will live in infamy.” The President reviewed to the Representatives and Senators the! everits of yesterday morning in which naval bases at Pearl Harbor and Manila were “suddenly and de- liberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” At the time, Roosevelt pointed out, this country was “still in con- versation” with representatives of Japan, “looking for a continuation of peace in the Pacific.” He recited that some time after the Japanese attack® started Japanese envoys de- livered to Secretary of State Cor- dell Hull an answer to a note sent Tokyo last week, outlining terms of Oriental peace which would be ac- | ceptible to this country. The note, CITI ES OF fend ourselves to the uttermost, but | we will make certain this form of treachery will pever again endan-! _ The vote in the Héuse ger us. | ARy, | The vote “We will gain inevitable triumph, 50 help us God.” | At the end of the President's re- | marks, he retired from the cham- bers of the House of Representa- tives, where the joint session was held, followed by the members of the U. 8. Supreme Court and mem- | bers of the Senate, who retired to | their own chambers for considera- |tion of a resolution calling for a ! declaration of war. In the House, ‘:a similar resolution was awaiting presentation by John W. McCor- Representa- 82 to 0. was tells its own story of unity to face a common danger. The speed with which the two chambers of Congress granted the President’s request for a declaration of war is unpreced- ented. The single adverse House vote was cast by Miss Jeanette Ran- kin, Democratic Congresswoman from Montana who was among the few who voted against the 1917 declaration of war on Ger- many. It is officially announced that the loss of two warships and 3,- 000 men, dead or wounded, in Japan’s raid on Hawali was fresh in the minds of the Legislators when they voted for the war declaration. mack, Massachuseits tive. ! Prolonged cheers and applause from both the floor and the gallery of the House chainbers followed | the,Presiden 3 | Dimond Says, BRITISH DECLARE WAR LONDON, Dec. 8.—Great Britain, like the United States, now under Japanese attack in the declared war by the Tokyo government, without waiting for Washington to first | formulate the American declaration, has declared war on Japan. Prime Minister Winston Churchill l Subordinate Post E. Sheldon, Fairbanks Democrat, will come here on the |tirst available plane to take over Rcbert 2 BATTLESHIPS NORTHNOW | "Fight, Win" ONDEFENSE, Is Keynot |sunk and two oil tankers sent OF U. . SUNK, JAPAN CLAIMS TOKYO, Imperial Headquarters, Dec. 8.—It was declared here today that two American battleships were sunk, and four heavy cruisers were damaged in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Japanese parachute troops were reported landed in the Philippine Islands. As the two-day-old battle of the Pacific flamed over a vast area, an Italian broadcast quoted the Jap- anese Domei news agency as listing the 33,100-ton battleships Pennsyl- vania and Oklahoma as the Amer- | ican ships sunk. The radio announcement also de- clared two U. S. destroyers were to the bottom. The Japanese claim a U. S air- jcraft carrier was sunk by a sub- marine off Honolulu and many mer- chant ships were claimed captured Domei also claimed there were no Japanese losses in the blows against the United States fleet. Meanwhile, the Japanese Domei also announced an assertion that 50 'American planes were shot down in |executive directorship of the Ter—‘ |ritorial Unemployment Compensa- |tion office, it was announced here yesterday in a public statement and Mrs. Mildred Hermann, Jun- eau attorney, who have been hold-| ing meetings of the Unemployment Compensation Commission since early last week. The appearance of Sheldon will signal complete re-vamping cf the compensation set-up here, the com- missioners revealed. Under the new arrangement, they declared, two directors will head the unem- ployment compensation division of the office and the employment ser- vice division respectfully. Sheldon will act as chief of the office, to coordinate activities of these two divisions. | Sharpe “Valued” i Phillips and Mrs. Hermann seid today that so far as they are con- cerned Walter Sharpe, present di- rector of the office, will remain head of the unemployment compen- sation cffice. They declared they considered him a valuable man for this position. So far as ret2ntion f Joe Flakne as head of the em- ployment service, the commissioners declined to state their intensions, They said they had not as yet con- sidered a petition from CIO mine workers at Fairbanks for the re- moval of Flakne. Cities in Alaska are girding for war defense and Alaska Defense Guards from Harry Phillips, of Fairbanks, were summoned to duty last night, | not only in Juneau but elsewhere. At Kodiak ? At Kodiak, Geh. Charles Corlett called two meetings of civilian lead- ers to plan air raid warnings, guard docks, food supplies, oil storages, help evacuation, traffic control, ar- range blackout and fire problems. The Army and Navy personnel at Kodiak immediately received orders for fulltime alert. Officers said bombing probabilities were remote but alertness would be the keynote, | however. Workers at the Navy Base were immediately started on 10-hour shifts. At Nome At Nome, a 24-hour watch was set for the Signal Corps, United States Ariny, over the wireless station, oil storage, power and light plant. Additional Civilian Defense or- ganization is being planned today to supplement medical units already formed to cqoperate with the Army Commandant. Sitka Blackouts Sitka completely blacked out last night and Mayor J. J. Conway called the Defense Council together and patrols covered the town. A feeling of calm prevails amid a combats over Clark Field in the Philippines, and 40 over Iba, north of Manila. .- BUY DEFENSE BONDS denied that Stuart Morrison, special agent for the Federal Social Secur- ity Board, now in Juneau, had any- V(Corim'nu-e;l o-n l;age Four) Both Phillips and Mrs. Hermann heavy snowfall. Carpenters are busy today prepar- ing business windows for tonight’s blackout which will continue in- 'deflmmy, Delegate N;Jfiurprised a | Attack from Japan- | ’ Statement l WASHINGTON, Dec. BwAlaskas Delegate Anthony J. Dimond sald “I am not greatly surprised” at Japan’s attack and “if we had done |what we should have done years ago in Alaska and estabiished ade- | |quate defense, Japan would not |have dared to attack. There is| |nothing to do now but to fight and' fwin.” | | A SRS AR Strict Travel " Rules Issued | | SEATTLE, Dec. 8.—Alaska travel rules have been tightened by the Immigration and Naturalization | Service requiring passengers sail- {ing for -Alaska and California to pass immigration tests, similar to a foreign passport, and rules to es- vtablish citizenship. | The rule is the most drastic in | the service’s history but so far does not apply to offshore fishermen. e — » BUY DEFENSE STAMPS | |said: “It only remains now for the !two democracies to face their tasks with whatever strength God may give them.” | At the same time as the declara~ ! tion of war was made Great Britain made allies of Thailand and Free | China. Censorship Insfituted by Arm_y, Navy SEATTLE, Dec. 8—Shortly after the Army reserved all commercial telephone links in Alaska for its own use, cutting off commercial service, the Navy Department sent ¢ensors to commercial telegraph, cable and telephone offices to scan incoming and outgoing foreign traffic and quickly instituted a censorship. S. /mpp&u} 2 ayd Lill Chrislmas