Pages past - Dec. 7

On this date ...

1941: The Sunday morning front page of the Clovis News-Journal led with the headline "FDR seeks further answer on Japan's aims."

An Associated Press story reported President Roosevelt had dispatched a personal message to Emperor Hirohito.

The message was characterized as "possibly a step of last resort to avert an open break with Japan."

The Clovis newspaper published a special edition early that afternoon. That lead headline read: "Jap bombers blast Hawaii."

The story reported attacks on Pearl Harbor had occurred at 12:30 p.m. New Mexico time, about 7:30 a.m. in Honolulu.

"There was a report from persons who came past Pearl Harbor that one ship there was lying on its side in the water and four others were on fire," it read.

Honolulu residents were being cleared from the streets by the military. "I'll bet the mainland papers are going to exaggerate this," one man was heard to say.

Another story reported the Japanese had declared war with the United States and Britain "as from dawn today."

Naval Secretary Frank Knox had told President Roosevelt that the U.S. Navy was the finest in the world, but its numbers had to be increased for it to be a match for any combination of powers.

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