December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 Nellie Sutherland wanted to celebrate her first great-granddaughter’s first birthday with something special. She decided there could be no better way than to contribute a gift in the baby’s name …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 1. Pearl Harbor survivors Clark Simmons, left, and Joe Medure pause Sunday before the Manhattan skyline after a memorial in which a wreath sprinkled with water from the USS Arizona …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 1. Fighting for a beachhead. Jean Thomas, 78, still works part-time to cover property taxes on her lakefront home near Rockford Bay, striving to keep it in the family. Photo …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Nearly a ton of black bricks poured off the side of a 40-story midtown Manhattan office building on Sunday afternoon, raining debris on a street filled with shoppers and slightly …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Clearly relishing the controversy his Nobel Prize has provoked, Dario Fo, the Italian comic actor-playwright, delivered an off-the-cuff performance Sunday before the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, trumpeting the virtues of …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Somewhere in Washington, there’s a little boy in love with first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton - and bold enough to confess his ardor to her husband. President Clinton learned of …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 In 1854: Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. In 1941: Congress declared war on Japan, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1980: John …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Senate staff members from racial minorities are paid less than their white counterparts, according to a congressional study released Sunday. The average pay for black staff members dropped in 1997. …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 An Israeli man stands at a Jerusalem bus stop Sunday while waiting for one of the few buses in service. A deal was reached Sunday to end a nationwide strike …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Sunday’s Washington Triple Choice: 183. Sunday Keno: 3-4-9-10-24-25-30-31-34-35-40-42-46-47-49-53-54-58-66-78.

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Confident no terrorist caused the explosion that tore apart TWA flight 800 17 months ago, the National Transportation Safety Board opens a week of hearings Monday to answer the twin …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 In a speech intended to spur progress at the fractious 10-day United Nations summit on global warming, Vice President Al Gore today softened United States rhetoric that has swirled around …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Thailand will liquidate 56 of 58 insolvent finance companies shut down by the Central Bank earlier this year, the government announced today, beginning the biggest-ever overhaul of the country’s financial …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Political opposites Bob Dylan and Charlton Heston shared the spotlight Sunday as the Kennedy Center honored them for lifetime achievement. The rebel rocker and Republican actor-activist sat with centrist President …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 (photo of part of the collection)

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 Russian leaders are debating whether to increase reliance on nuclear weapons to deter attacks from neighboring nations, enabling Russia to make further cuts in its large and costly standing army, …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 Republicans threatened Attorney General Janet Reno with contempt of Congress on Sunday over her decision to forgo an independent counsel’s investigation of White House campaign fund raising. One GOP senator, …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 Turning U.S. nuclear policy toward an emerging threat, President Clinton has decided the United States will consider using nuclear weapons against attackers who hit American forces with chemical or biological …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 President Clinton sings a hymn wiht the Rev. Ivan Hicks during a church service Sunday at the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington. Photo by Associated Press

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 Sensing an imminent White House decision, a key senator is urging President Clinton not to circumvent Congress and appoint Bill Lann Lee as the nation’s chief civil rights enforcer. Sen. …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A6 A retired spymaster who taught the craft of lying to a generation of agents has confessed to making up reports on Syria’s readiness for war, a reeling blow to the …

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A6 A child casts his grandfather’s ballot during Serbian presidential election in Belgrade on Sunday. Photo by Associated Press

December 8, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A6 The late ambassador M. Larry Lawrence, whose claim that he served in the Merchant Marine during World War II is being questioned, probably would have qualified for burial at Arlington …