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It would be discovered in time, and so forth. There were adequate means of defense and of putting out of business any fast cruisers that might be attempting the dropping of a bomb, a bombardment, or anything of that sort.
However, that was certainly in everybody's mind. There was a great sense of having no protection and of knowing that the fleet was so badly damaged that it probably would be regarded as totally crippled, although I don't think anybody said it was totally crippled that night. There was still hope that some part of the fleet might be able to operate.
So the President had looked very calm when we came in, talked quietly with the people who were bringing and sending messages. There was a great deal of relaying of information. The navy apparently had two or three lines of communication out to the West Coast, as well as attempting to keep this one line open to Hawaii on which they had been talking to officers of the fleet. The President was obviously absorbed in that.
He was completely concentrated. He was very pale. I noticed an expression that remained on his face most of the evening. His face was not relaxed, not for a minute, even after he had gotten some news that was satisfactory in that it was an answer to a question they had been asking for three or four hours. They had gotten some answer to that and that would usually give a man some sense of satisfaction, some sense of, “I know now what happened.” But his face remained
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