December 1941

by Craig Shirley

  Churchill went to church in the same car as Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. The prime minister was in “dark blue topcoat” and carried a cane for the 11:00 a.m. service. Security was extremely tight and government agents and police were everywhere; only a few of the onlookers caught a glimpse of the two men. Many regular congregants had to stand outside of their own place of worship, the Foundry Methodist Church, unable to get in. FDR walked in holding a cane in one hand and the arm of his ever-present naval aide, Captain John Beardall on the other. While in church, they were spotted singing out the carols, Churchill wearing his reading glasses and FDR with his trademark pince-nez eyewear.11

  After the service, Churchill and Roosevelt spent much of the day in war planning. The White House let it leak out that Roosevelt was “too busy” to open his Christmas gifts but even the most ardent Rooseveltians had to roll their eyes at this too obvious public relations ploy. “Although a day behind schedule, aides said he expected to find a spot during today’s heavy engagement calendar to call Fala, his Scotty, and open their presents.”12

  The White House looked surreal that evening. Most windows had been shrouded in blackout fabric as seen from the south. No other lights appeared except those on the Christmas tree on the South Lawn and some ground lights that illuminated the South Portico.

  Given the news of the day, Christmas dinner was somber, though the meal itself was sumptuous enough. The menu included oysters on the half shell, soup with sherry, roast turkey with chestnut dressing, giblet gravy, venison sausage, olives and fresh vegetables, sweet potato casserole, grapefruit salad, cheese crescents, plum pudding, cake and ice cream, and even bon bons.13

  Churchill and the Roosevelts were joined by Harry Hopkins and his daughter, Diane, for the dinner, along with 60 guests according to his schedule. It was followed by “movies and carols.” That night, he and Churchill met alone in the Prime Minister’s room for over and hour, past 1:00 a.m.14 Hopkins’ wife, Barbara, had died of cancer in 1937, and he and his daughter now lived in a suite in the private residence of the White House. Hopkins had three older sons, all of whom served, including Stephen, a Marine, who was killed in the Pacific.

  Following dinner the plan was to call friends and family members separated by the war. The Roosevelts were keen to speak with their far-flung sons. Via a transatlantic phone call, the prime minister’s wife, Clementine, and their daughters “sent their greetings” to their father and husband.15 Roosevelt also sent “Mrs. Churchill” a cablegram wishing her a Merry Christmas. “It is a joy to have Winston. He seems very well and I want you to know how grateful I am to you for letting him come. Franklin D. Roosevelt.”16 Clementine Churchill responded two days later, thanking the Roosevelts for their kindnesses, mentioning “how good you both have been” to her husband.17 Roosevelt received a note from Lord Halifax conveying the Christmas wishes of “His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent: ‘My very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year—George.”18

  Even with a world at war, Christmas was celebrated around the globe in some fashion or another, even as in many war zones and battle fields no truces had been called. The Philippines were, it was noted, “the only Christian Nation in [the] Orient.”19 A little girl there asked her mother if the Japanese would allow Santa Claus through. No packages for servicemen had made it through the Japanese blockade. Of course, no lights were allowed on to celebrate the day of enlightenment.20

  “Lack of food and materials, the separation of families, the blackouts, and other restrictions reduced festivities in many lands.”21 Even so, pilgrims streamed into Bethlehem as bells pealed “amid the crags of the Judean Hills” to attend services at the Church of the Nativity, praying for peace on an earth that, as of December 25, had virtually no peace. “Hundreds of pilgrims, among them uniformed Czechs, Polish, Greek, Yugloslav, Free French and British soldiers, stood outside the adjacent church of the Covenant of St. Catherine where the Latin patriarch, Msgr. Louis Barlassina, intoned the pontifical high mass accompanied by a Franciscan choir.”22 Bethlehem was celebrating a Christmas for those who prayed for peace more than anyone else, the soldier.

  The atheistic Soviets saw the propaganda value in Christmas. They distributed cards with the caption “Tannenbaum, Tannenbaum” complete with a “dead German soldier under a lighted, snow-laden Christmas tree.” The newspaper of the Russian Army, the Red Star, “published its own Christmas card. It portrayed Santa Claus giving Hitler a calendar opened at the date December 22. It said ‘Congratulations Herr Führer! Today is just six months since the start of your six-week march on Moscow.”23

  In England, Brits went back to London to attend religious services in many bombed-out places of worship. They were warned that the Germans may attack at any time but returned nonetheless to their “shell-bruised churches.” Worldwide, British subjects were celebrating Christmas Day as best they could. “In Africa the British troops who were pursuing the Axis legions westward in Libya had no time for Christmas celebrations, except for a hasty gulp of plundered Italian and German wines which they found on the way. Hundreds of cases of beer and other luxuries, however, were flown from Egypt to British units in the rear.”24

  Charity and kindness were rampant. Women made blankets for elderly women in nursing homes, gift packages were delivered to orphanages, and the vacant house of Oliver Wendell Holmes, a justice of the Supreme Court, was opened as a home for girls who had come to Washington, desperate for work. “If a girl arrives in town without any place at all to go—as is often the case these days—she can find lodging” at the large house. Holmes had died in 1935, leaving his entire estate to the federal government. The house had been empty since his death, but found a new purpose in giving safety and refuge to hundreds of homeless girls. At one point, the house on I Street NW had almost been a victim of the wrecking ball to make room for a parking lot.25

  The Evening Star, NBC, and Warner Brothers studios gave out hundreds of gifts and meals for poor children but as a matter of fact, all the newspapers across the country engaged in many forms of charity and not just at Christmas but many, such as the “Jimmy Fund” in Boston, were boosted throughout the year.26 CBS, the army, and the navy arranged for some children in America to talk with their fathers who were stationed in England.27 In Baltimore, “65 negro children patients” had a Christmas party with ice cream, cake, presents, and a visit from Santa Claus.28

  At Long Beach, the navy put on a Christmas party for some 2,500 navy children, including some who had lost fathers at Pearl Harbor. It was “heartrending,” according to the Los Angeles Times.29 The climax of the party was the appearance of the omnipresent Santa Claus. Indeed, St. Nick had made so many appearances so quickly and efficiently around the country, one might be forgiven for suspecting that there was more than one jolly fat man.

  The Treasury Secretary, Henry Morganthau and his wife threw a party for the 125 soldiers who had permanently billeted at the Treasury Department since the beginning of the war. “The soldiers were given packs of gum, cigarettes, handkerchiefs, razors, candy and toiletries,” recounted one report. But there were more festivities to come. “This afternoon, Treasury girl employees will dance with the soldiers in the corridors to the music of an orchestra provided by the Red Cross.”30

  In preparation for Christmas Day, the War Department ordered 1,500,000 pounds of turkey for the men who had not been granted a leave for Christmas. The Quartermaster Corps was preparing a lavish spread for the twelve thousand cafeterias and mess halls around the country.31 Crowding their serving of turkey, the men had sage dressing, mashed potatoes and Hubbard squash, buttered peas, soups, fruits, nuts, mince pie, ice cream, mints, and candy.32

  It could be a sad and lonely time for those young men with loved ones and sweethearts far away and the military wanted to do what it could to help keep morale and spirits up. The halls were seasonably decked with holly, poinsettias, crepe paper, ribbons, and decorated Christmas trees. After dinner the boys were treated to “‘an informal entertainment session�
� . . . with army songs and Christmas carols.” To meet the spiritual needs of the men, army chapels featured special Christmas services.33 All told, “[a] long list of dances, church services, carol ‘sings,’ open house programs and musicals are available to service men on Christmas leave. . . .”34

  Christmas in Honolulu took on a serious and sober air of its own. Several days after the 7th, things had loosened a bit but now officials tightened things up, even more. On guard to the point of paranoia about another surprise attack, the strictest possible blackout measures were imposed and martial law was strictly enforced including a prohibition of all hard liquor. “Service men were not allowed to leave their posts and stations. Honolulu remained on the alert, not to be caught off guard again.” Purchases of gas were restricted to 10 gallons per month and stores had to close by 3:30 so workers could be home by 4:00 p.m. Sightseeing was banned. A year before, Christmas in Hawaii had been a rollicking movable feast of fun, but this year, “many men were spending Christmas digging bomb shelters.”35

  The contents of the few Japanese planes shot down on December 7 were released for the first time to the American people. There was the usual propaganda material, as expected, including bad drawings of FDR. Yet also, “the planes were stocked with well-aged whisky, concentrated foodstuffs, cider, soda pop, candy, chocolate paste impregnated with whisky, hardtack, tooth powder and chopsticks.”36

  More importantly, the first causalities from Pearl Harbor who could be moved appeared by ship in San Francisco Bay on Christmas Day. “Ambulances moved away through the barricades while mothers stood in a steady rain, watching with hopeful eyes as the passengers emerged.”37 The name of the ship was not released for security reasons, but from Hawaii to California, it had to pursue a “zig zag” course to avoid possible torpedoes from enemy submarines. The Army Nursing Service put out an all points bulletin asking for volunteer women to step forward and help with the wounded.38 All of the men had stories of bravery and death. They were, the New York Times noted, “Filled with cold anger at the Japanese. . . .”39

  Because of the new restrictions on tin and the limitations on paper, Americans were asked to save their wrapping paper and take them to recycling centers. The Rogers Peet Company of New York, a men’s clothier, suggested as Christmas gifts officers uniforms for the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.40 Sealtest Ice Cream hosted a Christmas special radio show that featured the great actor Lionel Barrymore, reading A Christmas Carol to millions of listeners.41

  The Los Angeles Times held their annual Christmas party for their more than 750 paperboys, complete with entertainment by Bob Hope.42 The new movie, The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor had opened to favorable reviews, and the top box office draw for 1941 was Mickey Rooney, followed by Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and Spencer Tracy.43 Another new movie debuted, You’re in the Army Now, starring Phil Silvers, Jimmy Durante, and an up-and-coming comedic actress, Jane Wyman.44 In 1941, every studio started churning out service comedies. In this offering from Warner Bros., Silvers and Durante play hapless vacuum-cleaner salesmen mistakenly inducted into the army; zany antics predictably and humorously ensue.

  A memo was posted in the navy’s headquarters in New York, warning the men to be careful of women spies. “Women are being employed by the enemy to secure information from navy men, on the theory they are less liable to be suspected than male spies. Beware of inquisitive women as well as prying men. See everything, hear everything, say nothing.”45

  The war dominated everything. Even as children had gone to bed the night before, thinking and hoping for gifts under the tree, “titanic world events cast their shadow over the spirit of the holiday throughout the land.”46

  For the first time, members of Congress were required to carry photo identification for security reasons to enter the U.S. Capitol, because, while the Capitol Police recognized the members, the new soldiers guarding Capitol Hill did not.47 The business of government went on despite the holiday. The Office of Price Administration announced price controls on shoes and many other leather products. The Office of Production Management put out a call for old flashlights, urging Americans find their old ones before purchasing new ones. “Stubbed toes during blackouts can be averted,” a Washington official averred.48

  Yet another commercial freighter, the Dorothy Phillips, was torpedoed close to the California coastline. This time however, American planes responded quickly and it appeared they nailed the enemy submarine. The army said a debris field had been spotted floating in the water.49 The whole country was on a high state of alert, thinking the enemy would enjoy nothing more than to hit America again hard on December 25. “Extra precautions were taken throughout the country in all vital industries and installations lest there be a concerted enemy attempt to sabotage important facilities. On the Pacific Coast, the navy declared a ‘double alert’ against surprise attacks.”50 The army warned the governors of the Western states to be on the alert for “Fifth Columnist” activities.

  The prime minister of Ireland, Eamon De Valera, gave a national radio broadcast in which he announced his decision to stay neutral and keep the Irish out of the war. “It is our duty to Ireland to try to keep out of war. And with God’s help, we hope to succeed.” He offered the Americans his “sympathies,” but nothing more. He offered the British nothing.51

  King George VI made a brilliant and moving Christmas radio broadcast speaking of the sacrifices of the British people and exhorting them on to great efforts. “I am glad to think millions of people in all parts of the world are listening to me now . . . if skies before us are still dark and threatening there are stars to guide us on our way. Never did heroism shine more brightly than it does now, nor fortitude, nor sacrifice, nor sympathy, nor neighborly kindness. And with them, the brightest of all stars is our faith in God. These stars will we follow with his help until light shall shine and darkness shall collapse.”52

  Seventy-seven years earlier, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned, “

  I HEARD the bells on Christmas Day

  Their old, familiar carols play,

  And wild and sweet

  The words repeat

  Of peace on earth, good-will to men!53

  That poem, Christmas Bells, was written as America was hurtling through a war with itself, over what kind of country—or countries—it would be. Three quarters of a century later, many of the old internal debates in America still existed, but a larger debate had taken over: Would the world allow itself to be enslaved by the Axis forces or live free? The factionalism inside America had mostly been set aside. At least for the time being, the story was not a Farewell to Arms but a Call to Arms.

  Eloquence was at its best on this day, and many of the newspapers had superb and moving commentaries on the meaning of Christmas in the context of a world at war.

  The greatest miracle of all time is celebrated today by all Christendom. Two thousand years ago a child was born in a humble crib in the little town of Bethlehem, and the event brought a unity to mankind and an impulse. . . .

  It is sometimes said we are entering upon a new Dark Ages. All the outwards signs, to be sure, point to it. The Dark Ages were ushered in by the scourges which assailed mankind in the early centuries of the Christian era. The scourge was the irruption of the Germanic barbarians, who overran the Roman Empire, under the aegis of which Christian civilization grew up. It was Christian England, and England alone of all the Roman provinces, that escaped being overwhelmed and kept the flame alight . . . No Christian order can be recaptured, no Christian civilization can be saved, till the Christian world rediscovers its integrity. . . . It is easy under the pressure of danger to develop a common front for fighting a common enemy. It is less easy to develop an common front for living together . . . Our main hope that a Christian shape will be given to tomorrow’s life is that the star is shining—the same star that shone on the shepherds as they watched their flocks on the Bethlehem hillside and in the morning led the wise men of their East to the inn in the
town. Thither our wise men must also repair.54

  Yet another concluded, “The American people recognize in Christmas the symbol of the purpose for which they toil and fight. With firm reliance upon a Merciful God, they anticipate the happier Christmases yet to dawn.”55

  The love manifest in the celebration of Christmas threw all of these great global issues into sharp relief. However, regardless of their particular religion—whether it was Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or any of the myriad forms of worship—civilized people the world over knew that the Axis represented unadulterated evil.

  “I don’t see much future for the Americans. It is a decayed country. My feelings against Americanism are feelings of hatred and deep repugnance . . . . Everything about the behavior of American society reveals that it’s half Judanized and the other half Negrified.”56 So proclaimed the Prince of Evil, Adolf Hitler.

  Rarely had all of the races and creeds of humanity faced such a stark choice between civilization and barbarism, between decent society and a thousand years of darkness.

  CHAPTER 26

  THE TWENTY-SIXTH OF DECEMBER

  Manila Declared “Open City”

  Chicago Daily Tribune

  War Tide to Turn by 1943, Churchill Says

  Evening Star

  Enemy Submarine Sunk Off California

  Hartford Courant

  Winston Churchill’s historic address to a joint session of Congress was decided upon only at the last minute and took place in the Senate chamber rather than the House chamber, where nearly all such Capitol Hill addresses occurred, for the simple reason the lower chamber had more seating space than the upper. But Congress was out of session and most members had gone home and, as such, had not received sufficient notice to get back in time for the momentous remarks. Even House Speaker Sam Rayburn was out of town. “Despite the fact that many Senators and Representatives had gone home for Christmas, both houses had unexpectedly large delegations present.”1