PEARL HARBOUR LOSSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 February 1942, Page 4

PEARL HARBOUR LOSSES

The consequences of the attack on Pearl Harbour, seihous as they were, had been wildly exaggerated. President Roosevelt said. He regretted, he added, that falsehoods originating with Axis propagandists had been repeated by some Americans in and out of public life. Americans might affirm, with complete confidence that their Government was keeping nothing from them save information that would be of value to the enemy. The number of men of the armed forces killed at Pearl Harbour, Mr Roosevelt stated, was 2340 and the number wounded was 946. Of all the ships in Pearl Harbour at the time of the Japanese attack only three had been put permanently out of commission. Very rpany of the ships of the Pacific Fleet were not even in Pearl Harbour when the attack was made. S<jme of those that were there were hit very slightly. Others/ which were damaged, had either rejoined the fleet by now or were being repaired. RELATIVE AIR LOSSES An assertion that the United States had lost more. than 1000 planes at Pearl Harbour was as false as other weird rumours that had been circulated. He was not going to tell the Japanese how many planes they had destroyed at Pearl Harbour, but to date, and including Pearl Harbour, the United States forces had destroyed more Japanese planes than the Japanese had destroyed American planes. President Roosevelt went on to refer to the necessity for uninterrupted production so as to gain an overwhelming superiority on the sea and in the air. Experts in production were giving royal • service. He set out three higher purposes for everyone to observe: (1) They shall not stop, work for a single day but settle disputes by arbitration. (2) They shall not confer special gains or special provisions or special advantages for any one group of occupations. (3) They shall give up conveniences and modify the routine of their lives if their country asked them to do so. National unity, with no limitations, was imperative.