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I think Tom Connally was on it. His face appears in my memory picture of that committee. I don't remember who else was on it. There was no banter, no little jokes. Everybody knew we were in for something terrible. It was a terrible spiritual strain upon the people of the United States, as well as a terrible physical strain. I think at that moment it was the spiritual strain that was as clear in people's minds as was the physical. I don't think we doubted our physical capacity, but I think many of us inwardly may have doubted our spiritual capacity to go through this and keep straight and right. That was what always overpowered me when I thought of it. “This is a dreadful business of the people of the United States to be in. How can we come out good and clean and unselfish?” I suppose everybody went through that same kind of a double dread of the near future. However, we had all been so trained to think of the United States as indomitable and invincible, that it was a terrible thing to have to be faced with the fact that our navy had cracked - how badly we were not sure, but that invincible defense was not there. It had been defeated. Not in battle, but by accident. It was a terrible situation.

I remember that we all marched in solemn as owls, took our places. The chaplain prayed a little longer than usual, which was natural, although he was a long winded man anyhow. I think it was the Senate chaplain who prayed that day. But