December 7: ON THIS DAY in 1944, Brooklyn Eagle presents plaque to troops on Pearl Harbor day

December 7, 2018 Shlomo Sprung

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ON THIS DAY IN 1944, it was reported, “The Brooklyn Eagle late today will present a plaque to the officers and men of the cruiser U.S.S. Brooklyn, ‘in recognition of their high courage and brilliant performance in battle and their further patriotic devotion in the purchase of war bonds.’ The presentation will be made at 4 p.m. at the Brooklyn Navy Yard by Borough President [John] Cashmore and Edwin B. Wilson, editor of the Brooklyn Eagle … Capt. Frank R. Dodge will accept the plaque for his crew which, since last July, has purchased $144,000 in war bonds … The cruiser Brooklyn returned Saturday to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where her keel was laid in 1936, after 15 months of battle duty without losing a man and without suffering any damage.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1941, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Tokio, Dec. 7 (Sunday) (U.P.) — Japan indicated early today that she stands on the verge of abandoning efforts to achieve settlement of the Pacific crisis by diplomatic negotiation at Washington. At the same time warnings circulated that Soviet Russia — with an estimated Far Eastern army of 840,000 — has swung in with America, Britain, China, Holland and the British Dominions in a united front against Japan. The press, bellwether of Japanese opinion, thundered that the moment of supreme sacrifice was at hand. A government spokesman said Japan’s ‘patience’ may be tried only a little longer.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1942, the Eagle reported, “A year’s fighting since Pearl Harbor found American troops, planes and warships around the world carrying the fight to the enemy today and the initiative steadily passing from the hands of the Axis to those of the Allies. On four major fronts the battle raged with American, British, Russian and Allied forces pressing forward with the momentum of full confidence in a complete victory.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1943, the Eagle reported, “Frank Sinatra, who has been besieged by adoring teenage girls on his tour of the country, will hustle from his stage appearance in Pittsburgh directly to the U.S. Army induction center in Newark on Saturday. As a result, girls who had planned to get ‘a last glimpse’ of him at the office of Local Board 19 in Jersey City will have to make other arrangements. He got permission from Ira Caldwell, chairman of the local board, to make a direct entry just to prevent a demonstration by girl fans at the draft board office. He could have continued his tour for some weeks, but he insisted on being inducted with the December quota of 27 men and will be the only married man.”

ON THIS DAY IN 1945, the Eagle reported, “Manila, Dec. 7 (U.P.) — Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, first top flight Japanese war criminal to be tried, was convicted by a five-man U.S. military commission today and sentenced to death by hanging. Maj. Gen. R.B. Reynolds, president of the commission, announced the verdict after a 12-minute statement reviewing outstanding points of the case, including uncontested evidence that troops under Yamashita’s command wantonly murdered 60,000 civilians and war prisoners. ‘The atrocity acts seemed planned and Yamashita failed to take precaution against them,’ Gen. Reynolds said. The sentence, pronounced on the fourth anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, dazed Yamashita. When ordered back to his prison cell under heavy guard, he started walking in the wrong direction. Military police had to turn him around.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1946, the Eagle reported, “Honolulu, Dec. 7 (U.P.) — Simple ceremonies at Pearl Harbor today marked the fifth anniversary of the Japanese ‘sneak’ attack on this naval base, which Americans will never forget. The Navy, whose harbor still holds the battered hulks of the battleships Oklahoma and Arizona as grim reminders of Japanese treachery, observed the anniversary as another work day. At nearby Hickam Field, the tattered American flag which flew that fateful morning and was slashed by Japanese bombs was raised by the Army Air Forces at 7:55 a.m., the moment the Japanese first struck the field.”