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I did, but to all the lest of us he hadn't said a word. He turned around and said, “I'm thankful you all got here.” There was no smile, just a recognition that he had sent out word that everybody was to be called. Then he said, “Of course, you all know what's happened.” Then he plunged into the present, not into the story. He said, “We've been able to get the Navy twice on the telephone. They're making efforts to get another connection. We were very alarmed because for several hours we weren't able to get a telephonic connection, but we've gotten through. We only had four minutes of conversation and then it died away. What caused it to die away we don't know. All we got was the information that the destruction is much worse than it was reported at first.”

Then somebody said, “When did you hear of it, Mr. President?”

He said, “About one o'clock.” If I'm not mistaken he said he had gotten the news from the Navy. During the afternoon he and Stimson, he and Knox, and he and Hull had conferred and communicated with each other. Stimson and Knox had called all their aides and assistants in in an effort to get in touch and to keep in touch with Army and Navy personnel in the battle area. Relief ships had been sent out from San Francisco. Planes had been sent from here. Then he said, “And Frank Knox declares he's going himself tomorrow morning to Hawaii, that he's flying.”

“Yes indeed I am. I've got to go myself.”