A Summary of today's attack on Pearl Harbor

The Hawaiian island of Oahu was attacked by the Japanese Imperial Navy this morning.  The attack came from the air and began just before 8 o'clock local time.

The first attack was at Ford island, the US Navy's fortress in the sea.  Then the first planes moved to Hickam Field and did considerable damage to planes and installations there.  Wheeler field also sustained considerable damage.  Most of the planes there were destroyed.  Bellows Field on the windward side of the island also reports damage.

The Arizona sinking at Pearl Harbor

At Pearl Harbor, where's based the Pacific Fleet, the ships were attacked.  Many of the battleships were hit.  The USS Oklahoma was set afire.  The Arizona, next to an already torpedoed Nevada, was bombed and torpedoed early in the attack.  It sank in less than nine minutes in the shallow harbor.  An eyewitness claims it jumped 15-20 feet and broke in two.  Many other naval vessels sustained heavy damage such as the California, the West Virginia, the Tennessee and even Admiral Kimmel's own flagship, the USS Pennsylvania.  The training ship USS Utah was also sunk.

A destroyer USS Shaw was severely damaged in drydock.

Lines of communication between Army posts and Navy air drones are down.

The Navy has made no statements.  The Army has issued orders for the civilian population to remain off the streets.

Everyone here on the islands was taken by surprise by the attack.  It is difficult to believe that an air raid on the these beautiful islands has actually happened and that lives have been lost.

It is thought that planes came from the south.  One bomb dropped in front of the Governor's mansion at Washington Place and killed one man.  There was heavy bombing in the Pacific Heights residential districts killed one woman.

Casualty counts are changing every minute.  No estimate has been given.

State of United States Forces

Yesterday, Secretary of War Harry Woodring was able to report encouraging improvements in the military establishment. He declared, however, that there were still deficiencies in organization, equipment, and personnel that required correction. The Chief of Staff of the Army, General Malin Craig, pointed out at the same time that the Regular Army ranked only eighteenth among the standing armies of the world.

A Good Offence is a Good Defence

Congress continues to debate the President's requests for more military funding to rearm the forces and get America's Army and Navy up to scratch. Secretary of State Cordell Hull took it upon himself to address Congress in a letter yesterday.

He stated categorically his opinion that the proposed naval program was needed for the defense of the United States. Referring to the desire of the people and Government of the United States to keep out of war, he said that those who, with a full sense of responsibility, were advocating this program, were doing so in the belief that its adoption would contribute to achieving this desire. Secretary Hull pointed out that the Navy, even with the proposed increases, would not be able to embark upon offensive or aggressive operations overseas.

The Secretary also declared that the proposed program did not contemplate naval cooperation with any other power in the world that the policy of the United States was to avoid both extreme internationalism and extreme isolation; that, while avoiding alliances and entangling commitments, it was advisable to confer and exchange information with other governments having common objectives and, when practicable, to proceed on parallel lines. Finally, the Secretary said that if every peaceful nation insisted on remaining aloof from every other peaceful nation and on pursuing a policy of armament limitation without reference to relative armaments, the inevitable consequences would be to encourage and even to assist nations inclined to play lawless roles.

Roosevelt asks Congress to spend more on Military building

President Roosevelt recommended to Congress, in a special message today, the strengthening of our national defense. The President reported with deep regret that armaments were increasing "at an unprecedented and alarming rate". He called attention to the ominous fact that at least one fourth of the world's population was involved in "merciless devastating conflict" in spite of the fact that most people in most countries wished to live at peace.

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, the President deemed it his constitutional duty to report to the Congress that the national defense of the United States was, in the light of the increasing armaments of other nations, inadequate for purposes of national security and therefore required increase.

The President said that "adequate defense" meant that for the protection not only of our coasts but also of our communities far removed from the coasts, we must keep any potential enemy many hundreds of miles away from our continental limits. We could not assume, he stated, that our defense would be limited to one ocean and one coast and that the others would certainly be safe. "

Specifically and solely because of the piling up of additional land and sea armaments in other countries" the President recommended to Congress that authorizations be granted for substantial increases in military and naval armament. Included were recommendations for increasing by 20 percent the existing naval building program and for appropriations to lay down two additional battleships and two additional cruisers during 1938.

Boening delivers Bombers

Boeing delivered the first operational crafts of its B-17 to the United States Army Air Corps today.

The craft has had a checkered past. Depsite a crash on October 30, 1935 that killed the pilot, Major Hill, and Les Tower, the Army ordered it in January 1936.

House passes Neutrality Extension

Only twenty minutes of debate on each side was allowed in the House. Questions and amendments were prohibited under the specific gag rule. The vote was 353 to 27.

In the Senate, the act has been delayed. Chairman Pittman of the Foreign Relations Committee attempted to obtain consideration of the resolution today, but finally agreed to put it off until 11 AM tomorrow. Senators McNary and Vandenberg asked for postponement due to the absence of Neautrality Act opponents Clark and Nye.

Memebers of both Houses have explained that haste is necessary because of the arms embargo provisions of the existing law expire on February 29th.

During the twenty minutes allotted, seven Representatives shared the time to debate against the resolution. Representative Maas of Minnesota called the measure a "dangerous bill".

Representative Robison of Kentucky "as a sincere advocate of peace" protested against the passage of the resolution. He said that it would delegate the war-making power to the President, and urged that it be kept in the hands of Congress "where it belongs".

After this, the House will allow ten days to consideration of the Navy and Army Appropriation Bills.