Evening star., 1941-12-08


Field, in the Philippines. and an
other 40 over Iba, 80 miles north Of
Manila. Only two Japanese planes
were acknowledged lost.
The japanese also announced an
agreement between Japan and Thai
land for transit of Japanese troops
through Thailand-presumably for
an attack on British Malaga, site Of
Singapore, or British Burma. Both
adjoin Thailand.
japanese troops were reported to
have landed at two points on the
Gulf of Siam. far down the Thai
coast near Malaya. a dispatch from
Bangkok said Thailand las ceased
fighting and was negotiating with
the japanese.
Dispatches from Hong Kong. Brit
ish crown colony in the Far East, said
between 300 and 400 japanese troops
were poised on the Japanese-h held
side Of the frontier, evidently ready
to attack British troops manned
their battle posts.
Casualties from japanese air raids
on Singapore Island outside the
great naval base were estimated at
90 to 100.
Meanwhile, the japanese master
plan was slowly emerging from the
pattern Of attacks, and al first glance
it appeared that the japanese were
attempting to immobilize the main
bases of the Anglo-American fleets
until the Thailand-Malay peninsula
drive had gathered momentum.
, Blood was spilled heavily IN a
war which Toxic did not declare
until three hours after japanese
raiders struck soon after dawn
yesterday
Hawaii. Wake. Guam, the Philip
pines, MISUNDERSTANDING the British
naval base at Singapore-and Hong
Kong were all attacked in swift sue
cession with high explosives and
machine guns
The United States Island Of Wake,
a dot of square mile 2.200 miles
west of Hawaii, occupied only by
air line and communications per-
sonnel, was said TO have been cap
tured BY a japanese landing party.
The Japanese however. did not
escaped unscathed Two raiders
were reported shot down in the at
tack on Hawaii, blasted by anti
aircraft gunners, when 1t was at
tackled by squadrons of carrier
4 LN o.
range four -motored planes. presum-
ably from japanese fields in the
Caroline Islands, 1000 miles to the
southwest
There is a report also that jap
anese aircraft carrier had been sunk
in a naval engagement of Hawaii.
/ A tight censorship swiftly i'm
posed on outgoing messages from
the Pacific territories prevented i'm
mediate confirmation of this and a
dozen other accounts OF the fighting
! Some of the japanese landing
parties seeking a foothold for attack
on Singapore, British naval bastlon
of the Far East, we're evidently cut
10 pieces within the surf Of British
Malaga or in the jungle-frlnged
sWamps and rice fields not far from
the sea.
An Official report from the North
ern Malaya front said all japanese
surface craft fed at high speed
under British fire after leaving q
few troops on the beaches and these
survivors were heavily machine
gunned.
Earlier dispatches had said the
japanese landed about 300 men at
Sabak, a short distance from the
border of Thailand, and that they
were attempting to fight their way
toward Kota Bahru. the site OF q
British airdrome and northern ter
minus of a 300-mile railway leading
to Singapore.
The raiders presumably were from
Japanese occupied French 1ndo-
China, striking across the Gulf o.
Siam.
From official and unofficial sourc'
es. some from the japanese anc
their Axis allies, grew a picture o.
the toll:
Broadcast rumors that the United
States battleship West Virginia hac
been sunk, the Oklahoma set aflrt
and the carrier Langley damaged,
The United States transport Gen
Hugh Scott sunk $500 miles from
Manila.
A lumber laden transport torpe'
doed 1900 miles west of San Fran
cisco.
The liner President Harrison, nov
a transport, seized or sunk in thu
Yangtze River near Shanghai.
Shanghai's International Settle
ment seized by the Japanese, the
United States gunboat Wake cap
tured and the British gunboa'
Peterel destroyed.
, British colony of Hong Kong anc
the United States island of Guam
! bombed Guam was reported to be
surrounded with an oil reservoir
and hotel set ablaze.
, Fifty persons were estimated in &
! Manila radio broadcast to have beer
killed in the Philippines in attack.
, on the Mindanao Island town o.
Davau. Camp Ord and Clark Field
: the largest United States Army ali
; base of the Philippines. There wa!
|. a report also that Japanese para
chute troops had landed on tn.
islands.
All these made up Japan's explo
/ sive answer to personal appea
S Saturday from President Roosevelt
t to Emperor Hirohito for help il
!. restoring traditional Japanese-Amer
T lean relations and preventing fur
! ther death and destruction in tn,
, world"