The Item from Sumter, South Carolina • 1

mm rw Vj ki FINAt Item Tunsldcmlilr cloudiness lllU lunge In teiniierature Full Associated Press Leased Wire And Watchman and Southron Fwii NFA Feature Service SUMTER MONDAY AFTERNOON DECEMBER 8 1941 VOICE OF THE GAMECOCK CITY FIRST WITH THE NEWS THE DAILY ITEM ESTABLISHED IN 1894 WATCHMAN AND SOUTHRON IN 1850 FIVE CENTS A COPY FORTY-EIGHTH YEAR IM I kv Herself With Britain Declares War Fleet Hunting Jap Ships Heavy Damage To Hawaiian Forces Congressional Comment Parliament Is Given News By Churchill or ondbn Doc UP) Great Forces Lose Two Ships And 3000 Dead And Wounded Congress Takes Swift Action After Hearing FDR Call Jap Attack Unprovoked And Dastardly By The Associated Press The White House acknowledged today a bloody toll of 3000 killed and wounded in the Japanese attack on Honolulu about half of them fatalities as the battle of Hawaii continued and imperial Tokyo headquarters claimed smashing naval and air victories over the United States Great Britain formally war bn Japan as mighty forces of Britain declared war on Japan today allying herself with the United States The prime minister beginning a statement aB soon us he entered commons summoned In a special session to hear his declaration iatjl: "A (8 soon as I heard last night that Japan had attacked the United States I felt it necessary that parliament should be Immediately The house of lords also had been called to sit simultaneously to hear the British prime minister's historic pronouncement Chairman Reynolds (t-NC) tA the senate military affairs committee "I am 100 per cent against war want to know all about what has happened before shy anything about declaring war" Senator McNary (U-Ore) senate minority lender Repubi Heims will all go along With what is done in my opinion" (referring to the question of whether the president would ask for a war declaration Representative Martin (R-Mass) house minority leader ls a serious moment Wo were not talking about politics Of course there will be (After a meeting of cabinet members congressional leaders and President Roosevelt) Senator Thomas (6-Utah) member of the foreign relations committee Is an act of desperate men and will result as such acts generally do In those men's own destruction The Japanese government has plainly gone Senator Ouffey (D-Pa) member of the foreign relations committee "I am disappointed but not surprised and I favor an Immediate declaration of Representative Eberharte (D-Pa) member of the foreign affairs "there Is only one thing for us to do and that ls to go all out and try to destroy Japan's navy completely ns quickly as Chairman Bloom (D-NY) lt the-house foreign affairs committee Washington Deq attack upon the United States virtually obliterated the lines between congressional supporters and opponents of the administration's foreign policy Republicans nnd Democrats alike called for defeat of the aggressors Lawmakers such as Senator Wheeler (D-Mont) and Representative Fish (R-NY) who had been outspoken critics of the administration foreign policy asserted that the situation called for unified action by the nation Wheeler said at Blllthgs Mont: only thing now la to do our best to lick hell out of Fish declared that the American people should a united front in support of the president of the United States the commander In chief of the armed congressional comment: Chairman May (D-Ky) of the house military affairs committee "The most treacherous act of any government I know since we were in the midst of negotiations for peace" Benator George (D-Ga) member of the foreign relations committee may take two or three years of war in the Pacific -to fight this war to the a Representative McCormack (D-Mnss) the house majority leader calm but determined add follow the leadership of President Roosevelt" Thailand Ends Resistance To Japanese Churchill told commons that the tar declaration against Japan was the IT fleet were reported combing the waters of the Pacific to seek battle with Japanese warships A White House statement acknowledged serious damage to American forces In Hawaii but considerably less than the naval losses which the Japanese claimed they had Inflicted The White House said Japanese attacks had resulted In the capsizing of an old battleship whereas the Japanese claimed two battleships had been sunk and reported the loss of a destroyer damage to other vessels and the destruction of a relatively large authorized at a noan session of his cabinet "I spoke to President Roosevelt on the Atlantic telephone last night with It view to arranging the time of our respective Churchill disclosed "Instructions were sent to our ambassador at Tokyo aqd communication was dispatched to the Japanese charge at 1 today (7 a E9T) stating tWtt lrvvlfew of Japan's wanton acta Washington Dec 8 Congress voted a formal declaration of war against Japan today after President Roosevelt requested immediate action as an answer to and dastardly attack on A united congress acted swiftly after the president had revealed that American forces lost two warships and 3000 dead and wounded in the surprise dawn attack yesterday The senate vote was 82 to 0 The house vote was 388 to 1 The single adverse house vote was that of Miss Jeanette Rankin Democratic congresswoman from Montana who was among the few who voted against the 1917 declaration of war on Germany The senate and house had assembled together to hear the president ask the declaration They cheered him enthusiastically and then pushed the resolution through with not a waste of time The president said that yesterday was date which will live in Standing at the rostrum of the house chamber the chief executive in a scene such as had not been enacted since 1917 disclosed that Japanese bombers had caused severe damage to American naval and military forces and that American lives have been I But the president asserted while congress again filled the chamber with deafening cheers: matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion the American people will in their righteous might win through to absolute number of planes The White House said several Of- unprovoked aggression the the army and navy will take over British government informed them mat a state of war existed between Bangkok Thailand Decl OP) Thailand after brief resistance to Japanese Invasion from the sea and across the French Indochina border ceased firing today and opened negotiations with the invaders Japanese forces poured Thailand from three cqastal points Slngora and Patanl which are on the southernmost part of Thailand's Gulf of Siam cpast close tp British Malaya and across the land frontier from their southern Inio-Chlna base at Siemreap (Domel broadcast from Tokyo that the Japanese embassy In Bangkok reported that British forces had crossed from Malaya into ThailandU shortly after dawn this morning and were being swept back by the Japanese Japan It said was acting to save Independence and peace) Jap Forces Put To Flight In Malaya Two German Divisions Are Wiped Out Japanese submarines and planes had been accounted for and that active resistance was continuing" against the Japanese attacking force In the vicinity of Hawaii Reinforcements of planes are being rushed to the islands the White House Baid Meanwhile Tokyo newspapers carrying unofficial identification of the two battleships purportedly sunk said they were the 29000-ton Oklahoma built In 1914 and the 31800-ton West Virginia A Domel broadcast asserted that 60 per cent of the United States entire naval power was stationed in Hawaiian waters prior to tne attack and that the surviving units "would be regarded as utterly inadequate to accomplish any successful outcome in an encounter with the thils far intact Japanese fleet" The White House said an old American battleship turned over Tokyo Dec 8 UP) The Japanese board of information announced today over the Tokyo radio an agreement between Japan and Thailand for passage of Japanese troops through Thailand All tKe preliminary reports from the Pacific were the reports of fierce all-out war the two countries" Churchill went on He recalled that "with the full approval of the nation and the empire I pledged the word of Great Britain about a month ago that should the United States be involved In war with Japan a British declaration Would follow witfiin the Church said the Japanese began landll In British territory in northern Vw-ya at 6 a yester-dya (6 Saturday EST) and were engaged immediately by British forces "whcih were He said home office measures against Japanese nationals were begun at 10:45 (4:45 EST) Sunday and told the house it could see therefore no time has been lost and we are actually ahead of our Britain the prime minister said has assured that an attack on her will be regarded as an attack on us" (Thailand already has been attacked and according to the Japanese already has submitted to negotiations) Besides his message to Thailand Churchill added he sent Chinese) General Chiang Kai-Shek assun ances that "henceforth we would face the common foe together" Churchill charged that Japanese envoys were ordi -red to prolong their mission in the United States BULLETINS Text Of Message Waters Safe In Honolulu CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHT They were not calculated to make cheerful reading for Americans President Roosevelt informed his cabinet of leers and the con-gressional leaders of both parties last night doubtless heavy losses sustained by the navy and also large losses sustained by the in Hawaii New York Dec 8 045) An NBC reporter broadcasting In the midst of an early Tuesday morning air attack on Manila said that "terrific had been left by the Japanese attackers including the apparent destruction of the gasoline supply at Nichols air field London Dec 8 (TP) Soviet troops attacking In sub-zero cold were reported today to have crushed German positions at two joints above Moscow-' and wiped out two divisions of the invaders (30000 men) during the process (Reports received by The Associated Press from Europe Sunday night said that Adolf troops in a move linked with the outbreak of war In the Pacific were girding for offensives intended to take- both Moscow and Leningrad and recapture Rostov "at any within two weeks) The Moscow radio said the Germans were beaten bloodily north Of the capital (perhaps in the Kiln or Dmitrov areas) and in the Kalinin sector 95 miles to the northwest on the ice-bound upper Volga A village was reported recaptured 111 the Kalinin combat Russians acknowledged the continuance of heavy German pressure In the Tula zone south of Moscow German war dispatches Implied hat the innee cold had virtually paralyzed both armies on the cen-tr 1 front Local successes were claimed In the Donets basin Kuibyshev dispatches declared the Russians had advanced from Aroused Nation Busy Preparing: For Total War Oakland Calif Dec 8 041 All schools In metropolitan Oakland were ordered closed today as an air raid precaution on reports that a Japanese airplane carrier may be off the Pacific coast CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHT Cristobal Dec 8 UP) Canal Zone police began rounding up Germans and Italians in the Canal Zone today In a drive coordinated with the roundup at Colon where Panama police have taken 11 Germans Into custody and are combing the city for more Axis nationals THE WAR TODAY Singapore Dec 8 (t Japanese air raiders killed 63 persons and injured 133 today In a fierce assault on Singapore but Japanese units were being in an attempted land invasion of Malaya from the north a British communique declared Japanese warcraft whlcl)jhad landed troops at two places In northern Malaya near the Thailand border were put to flight and forces remaining on the beaches were heavily machine-gunned the British annouced A Ia(er commuique tonight said that there also had been two Japanese landings in southern Thailand but that mopping up operations were continuing near Kota Bahru the Gulf of Slam just inside northern Malaya front the Thailand border Three British airplanes were acknowledged to be missing British fliers reported that Japanese troopS also had been landed from transports and destroyers at Patanl on the Thai section of the' Malay peninsula 60 miles from the border of British Malaya Announcement of the flight of the Japanese naval units followed by some hours a communique acknowledging Japanese landings at Sabak and Kemassln a few miles farther north The first communique said the troops whcih had landed at Kemas-sin were filtering through toward Kota Bahru which is the site of an airdrome and is near the northern terminus of a railway leading to Singapore 300 miles to the south Sabak where British aircraft were reported to have given the Japanese landing forces a heavy pounding as they disembarked is about 13 miles south of Kota liahru The British said one attacking Hudson bomber had scored a direct hit on a barge laden with Japanese troops (It was not immediately clear from the second British communique whether the Japanese force which was pushing toward Kota Bahru had been driven back to the shore or whether It referred only to the action at Sabak) Three hours before the landings in the north which took place about 1 a (1 EST Sunday) two waves of Japanese bombers attacked this great naval stronghold Casualties on Singapore Island outside the naval base were esti- CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO Washington Dec 8 (P) An aroused United States attacked without warning by Japan grimly prepared today for total war Swift moves were afoot to take the wraps off American forces to wage full economic warfare to prevent activities by en emy agents and to guard the Industries against sabotage Chairman May (D-Ky) of the house military committee predicted it would take an hour or for his group to recommend deletion of a clause In the selective service act which forbids use of draftees and national guardsmen outside the western hemisphere No congressional action was needed to make available for selective service men In the 28 to 85 year old age bracket The act as originally drawn fixed the ceiling as 85 but congress subsequently deferred those 28 or older The amended act however specified thi ueferment would be wiped out automatically If the United States went to war OK" Those nice words were ln a cable received this morning by Mrs Brice Waters from her husband who i3 In Honolulu on a government mission Mr Waters a brother of Mrs Parker of Sumter left last month for the Hawaiian city was scheduled to begin his return trip December 15 He is one of at least eleven persons in the war zone who have close relatives in Sumter They are besides Mr Waters Commander Alva Solomons Mrs SolomonB and two children Honolulu Lt Commander Crombe Mrs Crombe and daughter Honolulu Sharpton Honolulu First Lt Pope Brown Army air corps Honolulu Ensign Vernon Wilson Manila 3 Commander Solomons is the son of Mrs Nina Phelps Lieutenant Commander Crombe is the Son of Crombe assistant Silmter county clerk of court Mr Slarp-ton Is a brother of Miss Bea Sharp-ton: Lieutenant Brown is the brother of Frank Brown and Ensign Wilson is the son of Mrs John Wilson Also reported to be in the war zone is Lt Robert Germany U8N former room-mate of Lt Hugh Haynsworth Jr at Annapolis Lieutenant permany whose home is Monroe La often has visited in Sumter Manila Dec UP) The Japanese radio at Taihoku Formosa reported in a broadcast today that Japanese warships have surrounded Guam and said all big buildings on the island were ablaze Washington Dec The text of President war message to congress follows: To the hongrees or the United States: Yesterday December 7 1941 a date which will live in Infamy the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the empire of Japan The United States was at peace with that nation and at the solicitation ofJagwas still In conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace In the Pacific Indeed one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to the secretary of state a formal reply to a recent American message While this reply stated that It seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations It contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago During the intervening time the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces Very many American lives have been lost In addition American ships havie been reported torpedoed on thfe high seas beween San Francisco and Honolulu Yesterday the Japanese govern- Philippine Cities Bombed By Japanese The careful White House phraseology hinted at blacken tidings From the other official announcements and from the fragmentary and partially unconfirmed private reports this blurred picture emerged from the fog ef war which obscured the Pacific: Hawaii particularly the Pearl Harbor base was heavily blitzed by carrier-borne Japanese warplanes and heavier bombers proably from the nearest Japanese-mandated islands to the westward The Philippines alBo were bombed but the White House reported far no essential damage has been Attacks on Guam and Wake also were announced with Japan claiming that supply stores on Guam weye burning There were also unconfirmed reports that the island of Wake had been captured The torpedoing of three American transports figured in dispatches There was an official announcement that a lumberladen army transport had been torpedoed between California and Hawaii but the statement did not say whether the vessel went to the bottom The second report originating with NBC at Manila had the transport Gen Hugh Scott sunk about 1600 -miles from Manila Another transport the President Harirson was reported seized or sunk in the Yangtze river south of Shanghai Besides its hammerblows at the far-flung American bases Japan was striking at British bastions In the south Pacific Bombs fell on Singapore and on Burma and Japanese troops launched inva- New York Dec 8 (IP) The Rome radio said today in a broadcast that the Japanese declaration of war "involves in accordance with the three-power pact the existence of a state of war between the two Axis powers and the United CBS heard the broadcast BY DEWITT MACKENZIE Wide World War Analyist As I was making my way to the office in the early morning hours today my friend the mild-mannered young policeman on point duty Informed me In no uncertain tones that he was damned-well going to join-up to fight the Japs and so I take it speaks the spirit of all America We no longer have to hunt a name for the conflict which was whelped in eastern Europe just over two years ago the second world war at last All (he great power now are officially involved and moet of the smaller nations It may be that the Nipponese have done this thing on their own initiative but ipso facto they come under the overlordship of the German fuehrer as part of his fighting machine The lines are clearly drawn a world-wide battle to a finish between the Axis and the Allies and the United States is one of the Allies The Japanese adventure looks Manila Dec 8 UP) Japanese bombers ranging from Luzon to Mindanao struck at least twice at the Phillippines today and Manila which so far has escaped bombing was blacked out tonight beneath overcast skies The army headquarters announced that Davao center of concentrated Japanese population on the southernmost of the large Islands and Baguio summertime mountain capital of the Philippines north of Manila had been bombed by daylight Up to 7:20 (6:20 a EST) Manila Itself still was free from attack but as night drew near anxiety Increased that Japanese air raiders would break New York Dec 8 (IP) The stock market took the war news in its stride today prices dipping a few cents to more than $3 a share in the initial dealings then recovering about a third of their losses by the end of the first half hour SHOPPING DAYS to Christmas Also GIVE US Defense Savings BONDS and STAMPS 4 St STORES BANKS POST OFFICES Approximately 77 per cent of hospital care is in state local and federal government-controlled hospitals 20 per cent in non-profit institutions and 3 per cent In proprietary institutions The large proportion of care financed by taxes is due to government tuberculosis sanatoriums and government hospitals for mental patients Census reports show Chungking Dec 3 (J) China has decided to declare war on Japan Germany and Italy Foreign Minister Quo Tai-Chi announced.