Dec. 13, 1942: Housewives are searching for butter, meat and canned goods as wartime food rationing depletes grocery shelves, The Times says. Farmers report that agents for restaurants and hotels are approaching them “with instructions to get eggs no matter what they have to pay” in violation of Office of Price Administration ceilings.

A fire at Union Station destroys 35 tons of mail, much of it Christmas presents, stored under a canvas tent because the indoor storage was full. The 7,000 bags of mail included incoming and outgoing packages, which suffered fire and water damage. The fire is blamed on a carelessly discarded cigarette.

Hedda Hopper says that Hollywood is once again pushing the boundaries “as the familiar old war between glamour and morals is going full tilt again.” Hopper adds: “We’re already going farther in scenes than anybody had ventured five years ago.” Then after raising the alarm, says: “I’m not the judge nor the jury. I’m only an onlooker reporting what I see.”

The Navy issues a list of 11 Southland men killed in action, nine wounded and 14 missing. Among them is Lt. Cmdr. Edgar Griffith Chase, a 1932 Annapolis graduate, who was executive officer of the Meredith (DD-434), which was sunk by Japanese planes off Guadalcanal. A destroyer escort (DE-16) was named for him.

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