PEARL HARBOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25302, 12 August 1943, Page 3

PEARL HARBOUR

STORY OF THE ATTACK "Although many Americans suggest that the slogan ' Remember Pearl Harbour' should be changed to ‘ Forget Pearl Harbour,’ we are fully aware that on December 7, 1941, the Japanese, by their treacherous act, achieved the greatest victory yet for the United Nations," said Mr lan Matheson in an address to the Wellington Rotary Club. Mr Matheson, who is vice-president of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation, has been abroad recently as a textile supply mission, and Pearl Harbour was one of his ports of call. He was there when the people were retelling the tales and recalling the experiences of the year previously. He had mentioned in an interview that a girl in Hawaii had told him how, when about to go for a swim, she had turned on the wireless and had heard a warning over the air that planes were bombing Pearl Harbour. “And no fooling,” the warning message added. Memories of a broadcast incident which fooled the people of America, Mr Matheson explained, have led to the expression “ This is no fooling ” being recognised as having some real meaning. The girl said she rushed with the news to a neighbour,. only to be advised in reply to pay heed to the warning against spreading false rumours and to calm herself and to go for her swim. She went to another neighbour, again to be admonished with the remark that " it was Sunday morning and that good Christians did not go running around like that on Sunday mornings.” “It did happen,” said Mr Matheson, ” and I anticipate a question you might wish answered. Although the plane on which we arrived there landed right in Pearl Harbour, where so devastating an attack had been made, there was little of the damage to be seen.” A large rounded rusty bulge was perhaps the upturned bottom of a battleship, and he would not be surprised if a smaller one was a destroyer. But further salvaging had taken place since December, and an almost miraculous job of salavage had been done.