A frightened nation reacted to Pearl Harbor attack
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The nation entered World War II 83 years ago today when Japan attacked our forces at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The nation quickly reacted and the whole country was soon doing its part for the war effort.
Marietta was no exception, with businesses quickly doing what they could to help win the war.
In the weeks that followed, The Marietta Times printed several pages that when viewed decades later help to underscore how serious the country was taking the threat.
A week after the attacks, on Dec. 13, The Times published a full-page map of the Pacific. The page, printed sideways, outlined the number of miles to Japan from various Untied States strongholds. The headline on the page was "United States meets Japanese challenges in the Battle of the Pacific." The lines on the map had tiny planes, all pointing westward toward Japan. The reality is we had not yet met the challenges. In fact, Americans were still working on recovery and salvage efforts in the badly battered base on Oahu. The page was likely saved by families all over Marietta to keep track of the actions of troops as they made their way across the Pacific.
The following Tuesday, Dec. 16, the Times published another full page titled "What to do in an air raid."
An air raid in Marietta would have been unlikely in 1941. We were at that point fighting two enemies, but we had the advantage of oceans between us and them. Marietta is of course far inland from those oceans. I would also suspect that in 1941 Marietta was far down any list of potential targets.
Regardless, The Times ran the full page that had been provided by the U.S. Office of Civil Defense. It offered a ton of advice, most of it scary and chilling. Here are some examples:
* If incendiary bombs fall, spray them with a garden hose, a jet splash, stream, or bucket of water will make them explode. Make one home member the air raid warden. Mother makes the best.
* The safest place to be during a raid is under a good stout table. Add a mattress for comfort.
* Put out the lights - remember a candlelight can be seen for miles from the air.
The page frequently reminds people to stay calm, stay home, and go about their daily lives. The illustrations on this page are from the 1941 page.
On Dec. 16, the Times ran an ad advising readers that they could purchase Defense Savings Stamps directly from newspaper carriers. "Buy a share in America!!!" By Dec. 20, residents had done exactly that, buying $694 of the stamp-bonds from the youths delivering their newspapers.
Businesses used the newspaper to communicate their efforts to the public. For Instance, on Dec. 24, Ohio Bell ran an ad with the headline WAR JAMS LONG DISTANCE LINES encouraging callers to stay off the phone so that Uncle Sam could make important military calls around the country to "keep a steady flow of guns, tanks shells and airplanes rolling off the assembly lines." The company warned customers that Christmas calls may not go through and those that did should be kept brief.
An ad from Firestone to drivers that the new "Victory Tire" made from recycled tires would give them "reasonably satisfactory results when driven at moderate speeds." Not exactly the most optimistic sales pitch ever.
The Times would continue to provide the area with needed news and information throughout the war. Three years later the newspaper joined in with the community to celebrate the end of the war.
Marietta Wildly celebrates peace announcement
THREE YEARS OF WAR ENDS
Japan surrenders to demands of allies
– Headline of the Aug. 14, 1945, Marietta Times
Art Smith is online manager of The Times. He can be reached at asmith@mariettatimes.com.