The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, November 3, 1944, Page 1

“ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE VOL. LXIV., NO. 9799 JUNEAU, ALASKA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1944 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS MACARTHUR ESCAPES JAPANESE BULLET ROOSEVELT (ONTROVERSY STRIKES AT RAGING OVER WILD RUMORS DeclaresE(fP Threatens | Non - cooperation in | Peace Unless Elected WASHINGTON, Nov. 3—Presi- dent Roosevelt, accusing the oppo- sition camp of threatening ‘to build a party spite fence between the United States and peace” also struck out at what he called wicked whisperings. The President said the threat consisted of statements that unless | the Republican Presidential can- | didate is elected, Congress will not | be cooperative in the peace. “I know who empowers these men to| speak for Congress in uttering such | threats. Certainly, the United States Senate and House of Rep-/ resentatives showed no reluctance; in agreeing on the foreign policy} of this administration when, almost | unanimously, last year, they passed | the Connally-Fulbright resoluuon} that pledged this nation to co-!| operate in a world organization for/ peace.” “Whisperings” Rumors Roosevelt, speaking of “whisper-| ings and rumorings” did not go into details, asserting that he did not “propose to answer in kind,” and declared the American people pay little attention to the whispering campaigns, nor are they panicked, he said, by “hysterical last-minute accusations or sensa- tional revelations.” The President devoted much of his speech to a discussion of mili- Siatemenis—M;de on All Sides About Issue In- volved in Recall CHUNGKING, Nov. 3—Foreign Minister Soong today denied re- ports of American pressure for a Isolution of China’s Communist problem and predicted that New Deal relations between the coun- tries will be opened. The interview, in a written state- ment, stressed the recall of Gen. |Joseph Stilwell as “entirely a ques- tion of personality.” In the dis- cussion he said that Chiang Kai- shek and the former Commander- in-Chief of U. S. forces in the China, Burma and India theatre, disliked each other and could not |work together. He said this dated from the first year of Stilwell's stay in China. STORY UP TO STILWELL WASHINGTON, Nov. 3—It is up to Stilwell to decide when and if |he wants to make his story public, |the War Department said today in ‘response to inqueries as to whether a news conference will be called {on his return. There is no reason !why it shouldn’t be if he wants it. | PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT | WASHINGTON, . Nov. 3—Presi- |dent Roosevelt replied with a ref- erence to a campaign of “whisper- {ings and rumorings,” which he criticized last night, when gues- |tioned about published reports con- tary successes abroad, mentioning the tremendous productive achieve- ments of the home front.” Post War Affairs Of post war affairs he declared that by carrying out plans already | made the nation can, “provided | (Continued on Page Thiree) The Washington cerning Stilwell and Secretary of State Cordell Hull. | At the news conference he was asked about the statement by Rep. |Walter H. Judd, Republican, of Minnesota, that the recall was be- cause Chiang refused to accept the White House ultimatum that Stil- | well be made Commander-in-Chief {of all Chiang’s armies. He replied |that that may have been one of Ithe things that he was talking about last night, and gave the same reply when asked about the o i, |report that Hull was planning ti Merry Go Roundhesign Hecatiss ot 0 aalth ahd By DREW PEARSON Lt. Col. Robert 8. Allen now on active service with the Army.) 7 WASHINGTON—Real inside on the recall of Gen. “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell is long involved and goes | to the root of the complicated | Chinese political situation. Briefly put, it boils down to the| fact that Gen. Stilwell served an| ultimatum on Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek to ocoperate with other Chinese Armies ' in waging war against Japan, and you can't serve| ultimatums on_the head of an- other government. U. S. Ambassador Clarence Gauss also called on the Generalissimo 1egarding the same question of co- operation, but being a diplomat he merely “suggested.” He served no| ultimatum. Actually, the controversy revolves around a question discussed by this writer last summer, in a column vigorously criticized by the Chinese, reporting that most of the real fighting against the Japs had been done by the Northern Chinese so- called Communist Army. Chiang Kai-shek’s war lords, on the other hand, have fought the so-called Communists, thus indirectly aiding the Japs. Vice President Wallace, irftident- ally, had an indirect hand in the Stilwell controversy and, strangely enough,: he and acid - tongued “Vinegar Joe” found themselves in basic agreement. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED Here is the rather complicated story of what happened: Two years ago, a party of Am- ericans, fleeing from the Japs after Pearl Harbor, travelled through northern China with the assistance of Chinese Communist guerrillas, got a detailed picture of guerrilla effectiveness, later made a report to Roosevelt, who was impressed with their findings. Later, when Madame Kai-shek came here on her first visit, FDR questioned her at length | regarding the guerrilla army. She dismissed the whole idea as Com- (Continued on Page Four) Chiang | |that Wallace would succeed him. | CLOTHING DRIVE IS EXTENDED ONE WEEK BY SONS OF NORWAY destitute Norwegians is to be con- tinued until the end of next week, November 11, Mrs, Chris Wyller |announced today. Mrs. Wyller said, so far, the re- sponse has been excellent. People are asked ‘to get out their old clothing they intend to give and leave it at the Lutheran Church or call Mrs. Wyller at Green 275, or Swanson Brothers Store, 217, or Olaf Bodding. |GREY NUNS TO LEAVE | FOR KODIAK BY PLANE; TAKE OVER HOSPITAL The Griffin Memorial Hospital at Kodiak will have a welcome |addition to their staff today with the arrival of five Grey Nuns, who have been in Juneau for the past several weeks, pending approval of their contract for the hospital su- pervision. The contract, which was sent to | Philadelphia for verification, has |been accepted and the nuns will this afterncon. Of three-year duration, the lease is subject to approval or cancella- tion by the Legislature when i !meets in January. The hospital is a territorial institution. - — JACK WILSON WRITES Jack Wilson, oldtimer of Juneau, now with the West Construction Company and APO 729, writes he may be back in Juneau, his home- town, by Christmas. Jack also says there are many Juneau men-on the job and all ‘will be back in Ju- neau when work is completed here.” GEN. STILWELL The clothing drive being con-| ducted by the Sons of Norway for| leave for their new station by plane ! STILWELL IS RECALLED | | | | MYSTERY VEILS RECALL—Gen- eral Joseph (“Vinegar Joe") Stil- well (above), recently elevated to the |rank of full general, who has been mysteriously relieved of his three- way command in the China-India- Burma theatre of war, presumably because of a disagreement with Gen- | eralissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, but | possibly- to_lead a mighty invasion | of the Asiatic mainland to drive out |the Japs. Military and diplomatic | circles are astir and a-buzz over the |sudden and dramatic recall from | Commander-in-Chief Franklin D. | Roosevelt. A Chinese - language | scholar, which he mastered at the | University of California while a | brigadier general, Stilwell is also re- ‘garded as a military strategist of | the highest order. An important but | undisclosed post awaits him upon his | return to ‘Washington, D. C., it was | officially announced. e ULTIMATUM ASKED STILWELL BE MADE . LEADER OF ARMY | MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 3—Repre- | sentative Walter Judd, Minnesota | Republican, declared in a state- |ment that Gen, Joseph Stilwell was relieved as American Commander |in the Far East because Generalis- simo Chiang Kai-shek refused to |accept the White House ultimatum delivered by Stilwell demanding that Stilwell be made commander of all China’s Armies. Judd said the ultimatum threat- ened withdrawal of United States |military support in China. \EIGHT PASSENGERS ARRIVE ON WOODLEY AIRWAYS AIRLINER A Woodley Airways plane brought the following passengers to Juneau from Anchorage this afternoon: |Mrs. Ken Ogden and baby, Mr. and |Mrs. G. T. Haberkorn, Carl Ander- son, Miss G. A. Perry, James Shaw {and Mary Vicey. Anchorage- to Gustavus—John Goetz and Mr. Gallichio. Leaving for Anchorage were Rev. J. E. Gallant, five grey nuns, Mrs. Art Hall and Miss Stall. PATRICIA BRINGS FIVE PASSENGERS ON SOUTHBOUND TRIP The Patricia arrived in Juneau last night with the following passen- gers. Skagway to Juneau—Francis Novak, Mary Parke, Harry Ward, Opal Ward. Haines to Juneau—Tom B. John- son. \ On the northbound trip the fol- lowing went to Skagway, Harry Honius. Juneau to Haines—A. Stegink and Eddie Jackson. | | SOVIETS NOW IN OUTSKIRTS - OFBUDAPEST BULLETIN—LONDON, Nov. 3 —The Russians are tonight with- in 14 miles of Budapest, accord- ing to a BerLn radio, and the Moscow radio broadcast to Russian Army says the “mo- men: has come to strike the death blow against Germany.” BULLETIN—LONDON, Nov. 3 —A Bucharest ra said tonight a “revolution is in full swing in Budapest.” MOSCOW, Nov. 3—Russian tanks, |guns and men rumbled today to- ward the outskirts of Budapest, where front dispatches said panic prevailed as the noise of battle swelled 23 miles away. The Red Army is already smashing into the outer defenses of the ancient city on the Danube. | At Domsod, the Russians are within 100 miles of the Austrian frontier and 140 of Vienna. JAPAN IS NOW FIFTH RATE NAVAL POWER ‘SAYS ADM. MITSCHER SAN DIEGO, Nov. 3—Japan has been reduced to a fifth rate naval |power in the recent battles off Formosa and the Philippines, Vice | Admiral Mitscher, Commander of | Task Force 58, said on his return {to the mainland today. 5 | He said that Jap naval aviation |is practically eliminated, but told Ithe press conference that despite land, sea and air victories, there will be a slow down instead of a speeding up, because of the supply | program. Statistics, released for the first itime, credited the force with de- stroying 4,425 Jap planes and sink- {ing or damaging 795 naval and ‘merc);ant ships from January 29 to | October 27 MECHANICS OUT ON STRIKE IN DETROIT PLANTS approximately 18,000 members of |the Mechanics Educational Society of America in more than a score of war plants in this area began at 10 a. m. The strike was called, according to Matthew Smith, National Secre- Itary, in sympathy with the juris- dictional dispute between MESA and the CIO United Automobile | Workers in the Toledo plant of the Electric Auto Lite Co. First to leave their jobs were ap- proximately 2,000 Kelvinator Cor- poration plant workers. In 24 other | Detroit factories workers left their posts. —— TO SEATTLE BY PAA | Three passengers left via PAA today for Seattle. They were Jack Crement, Sylvia Kerr, and Ray E. tAnderson. ——————— DARRELL NAISH FIREMAN Darrell Naish became a member |of the Juneau Fire Department Department last night at the monthly meeting held upstairs in quarters in the City Hall. Following a routine business meeting the fire laddies enjoyed a turkey dinner with all the trim- mings. ————— MORNING FIRE ALARM An overheated stove called the Juneau Fire Department out at 12:15 a. m. today. The alarm was turned in from Box 5-1 on Ever- green Avenue. — AT HOTEL JUNEAU Registered at the Hotel Juneau today are Harry Ward and wife, from Portland, Oregon; Mary F. Parke, Seattle; Paul Chidzk and Don McGee, from .Whitehorse. ——r— IN FROM ANCHORAGE Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Shranks and son, Robert D. Baird, and R. E. Anderson are here from Anchorage and are staying at the Baranof. the | DETROIT, Nov. 3. — A strike of|- U.S. PLANES - BLASTNAZIS - OUT OF SKY Luftwaffe §fi_fers Worst Loss of War in Battle Over Merseburg LONDON, Nov. 3—A thousand British heavy bombers laid 4,480 tons of explosives and fire bombs on Germany’s greatest arsenal of Dusseldorff, after a day in which U. S. fighters of the Eighth Air- force won “the greatest victory of the war over the Luftwaffe.” i A special communique from the {U. S. Strategic Air Force Head- quarters told of the destruction of 208 German aircraft over the syn- |thetic oil center of Merseburg and scaled down American losses t 140 heavy bombers and 19 fighters. — e (. E. LARRANCE TAKES OVER PORTRAIT SHOP The Hamersley Portrait Studio is |now under the new management of C. E. Larrance, who arrived here last week from Fairbanks. Mrs. Larrance, the former Pa- tricia Hamersley, remained in the northern city, where she is in charge of the Northern Commercial | Company studio. She will join her | husband here next month, at which |1,ime they will leave for the States 'rm a short vacation trip. Upon their return they will resume operation of the Juneau studio. AIR BATTLE RAGES OVER JAP CONVOY Seven Eneliy— Planes Shot Out of Sky-No Am- ericans Lost LEYTE AIRBASE, Nov. 3.—Am- erican and Japanese fighter planes clashed in an eight hour sky battle yesterday over a Japanese convoy off Ormoc on the West Coast. | Seven Japanese planes were shot! down. No Yankee pilots were lost. A group of P-38 Lightnings flush-| ed the fleet of enemy merchant| ships, convoyed by destroyers and corvettes, and a strong flight of planes. All available American fighters were thrown into the battle. The Americans said some of the Em- peror’s best air fighters were with| the coavoy. DALE AND BUTLER ON OFFICIAL TRIP| Dr. George Dale, Acting Di- rector of Education with the Of- fice of Indian Affairs, and Dr. Evelyn Butler, Supervisor of Social Welfare, also with the Office of Indian Affairs, left on the North Sea for Seattle. They are going on official business, and plan to be gone approximately two weeks. 16 FLY ON COASTAL AIRLINES YESTERDAY Alaska Coastal Airlines carried| 16 passengers yesterday, flying the following to Ketchikan: Frank Ausmus, J. H. Granger, Raymond C. Hayden and Frank | Heintzleman. Ketchikan to Juneau—Mrs. Ruth O’Laughlin, Mildred Keaton. Petersburg to Juneau—Mike Mc- Callick. ‘ Juneau to Sitka — Dr. E. H. Graves, Ernie Dorum. Sitka to Juneau—Mrs. Art Hall, |Frank Marshall, Kelly Warfleld. Juneau to Hoonah—Harry Marvin and John De Champlain: Hoonah to Juneau—H. Antrim and Oliver Winchester. — ., - ) NEW YORK, Nov. 3—The Presi- dential polls indicate that it may be a photo finish between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Thomas E. Dewey in next Tuesday’s election. Three nation wide polls report that Franklin D. Roosevelt is lead- ing in 20 states with a combined electoral vote of 198. Gov. Dewey is leading in 13 states with a total of 143 electoral votes. And all three of the polls fail to agree on Polls Indicate Photo Finish in Next Week's | Presidentfial Eleclion who is ahead, in the 15 remain-| ing states. The pollsters declined to fore- cast which candidate would be| likely to get the 266 electoral votes needed to win the election. A poll conducted in Fortune| Magazine by Elmo Roper finds Roosevelt is favored by 53.05 cent of the civilian voters. The other polls are Gallup's Am- erican Institute of Public Opinion, Newsweek Magazine and the Cross- ley Poll. per Record Bomb Load Dumped On Ringoon Superfo rts Hit Railroad Yards of Jap-held Burma Port WASHINGTON, Nov. 3—Carrying record bomb loads, Superfortresses today attacked the railroad mar- shalling yards at Rangoon, Jap- held Burma port. The Twentieth Airforce com- munique said the daylight attack was made “in- substantial force” and that “preliminary estimates of damage inflicted are good.” The giant aircraft took off from bases in India with “the largest bomb loads per aircraft so far known to be listed in aerial war- fare.” o eee BITTER CHARGES HURLED IN LAST CAMPAIGN TALKS NEW YORK, Nov. 3.— Governor i Thomas E. Dewey was accused last night by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes of “desperate and contemptible fanning of the flames of religious hatred.” He was speaking at an “Every- body for Roosevelt Rally in:Madi- son Square Garden, where he de- clared, “This Dewey smear cam- paign of hate and prejudice follows the pattern contrived by Hitler and that unspeakable Goebbels.” BRICKER CAMPAIGNER WILMINGTON, Del, Nov. 3. Gov. John W. Bricker, who will have made 173 campaign. speeches when he winds up in Ohio tomorrow night, asserted the New Deal is attempt- ing to collect campaign funds and is “resorting to downright political corruption of the most obvious sort.” He stopped here on a one-day trip through Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. TRUMAN ON HOME TRAIL PITTSBURGH, Nov. 3.—Senator ‘Harry S, Truman hit the trail home ‘after a campaign tour carrying him more than 8,000 miles and into 23 states. He told reporters he was not only confident of a Democratic victory for the nation, but by a majority of at least a 100,000 in his own state. He headed for Kansas City and then will go to his home town of final appeal to voters tomorrow. PUBLISHER TALKS OUT LYNCHBURG, Va, Nov. 3.— ator Carter Glass, said he had “every reason to doubt the truth” of a White House statement regard- ing his father’s support for the fourth term. ——l s MARTHA SOCIETY MEETS The monthly business meeting of the Martha Society was held this afternoon in the Northern Light Presbyterian Churcr Parlors. Mrs. Hugh Antrim and Mr4 Ralph Jane Catherine Smith is here from Nome and is registered at the Baranof Hotel, Wright were hostesses for the des- sert luncheon, while Mrs. Birdie Blomgren led the devotionals, Independence, Missouri, to make a, Powell Glass, publisher son of Sen-| BATILE FOR ANTWERP 1S NEARINGEND Vlissingen Is Scene of Bit- ter Fighting as Month- long Campaign Closes LONDON, Nov. 3—British Com-| mandos and infantrymen overran“ the ancient Dutch port of Vlis- singen (Flushing) in a bitter fight through blazing streets today, as the month-long battle to open Ant- {werp appeared to be just about aver, The few German guns remaining on flooded Walcheren Island on the [north side of the Schelde mouth :aner the capture of Vlissingen, are rapidly running out of ammuni- tion. Americans and British, smashing against the hard circle of German defenders holding south of Maas, jon the road to Rotterdam, restored {the bridgehead to the left of the | British and dug in, awaiting rein- | forcements. Southwest of Aachen, the U. S. |First Army continued to advance |against Increasing resistance. 'MRS. MAXWELL RESIGNS 'FROM EMPIRE STAFF; LEAVES FOR ANCHORAGE | Mis, Sybil Maxwell, - who has| |been on theé reportorial staff of! | the Daily Alaska Empire since May 3, 1943, has resigned and ac- cepted a position in the Armed Forces. She is scheduled to leave Juneau this afternoon by Army transport for Anchorage, wherel |she will be employed in the ATS, |Air Force Division. [ENLISTED MEN ARE | ' PLANNING TO HAVE - THEIR OWN CLUB| Tentative plans have been made to establish a Servicemen's Club in downtown Juneau. At the present | time, a soldier committee is looking over available sites for the pro- posed recreation center. | One building being considered is the former Civilian Travel Control | |Office at 115 Second Street. Yes- |terday afternoon, Capt. “Tex” Day| and a group of soldiers inspected | the building. A Servicemen’s Club is a non- |profit organization for enlisted {men only, operated on the same | basis as an Officer's Club. - , STOCK QUOTATIONS | NEW YORK, Nov. 3 — Closing| quotation of Alaska-Juneau M.mc]‘ ,stock today is 6%, American Cun; 86%, Anaconda 27, Beech Aircraft| 10%, Bethlehem Steel 63, Curnss-i | Wright 62, International Harvester 77%, Kennecott 35%, North Am- {erican 11, Néw York Central 18%, {Northern Pacific 16, U. S. Steel| 587. : Dow, Jones averages today are as follows: Industrials, 147.16; rails, 41.98; utllities, 25.82. BULLETIN — Mac- ARTHUR’'S HEADQUART- ERS ON LEYTE ISLAND, Nov. 3.—A .50 calibre bul- let, fired by a strafing Japa- nese plane, missed Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s head by a scant foot. The General, who has had numerous close brushes with death, looked at the bullet hele in the wall of his h;adquarters and comment- ed: “Well, not yet.” A s YANKS NOW IN CONTROL OFARIGARA End of Leyte Campaign in Sight as Trap Closes on Frantic Japs GEN. MacARTHUR'S HEAD- QUARTERS IN THE PHILIP- PINES, Nov. 3—'The end of the Leyte and Samar campaign is in sight,” Gen. Douglas MacArthur announced today. American forces have completed the juncture at Carigara and key towns on the northwest coast of Leyte, while another column thrust across the central Philippines is- land to the south to tighten the gigantic clamp on Ormoc, last Japanese escape port. ‘The Japanese appearsd to be attempting a hasty, bomb-shattered withdrawal from Ormoc. Nipponese battle casualties ex- ceeded 30,000, including 12,000 counted dead on Leyte. Disorganized Japanese remnants are being driven toward Ormoc from the north, where American control of Carigara Bay is as- sured, and from the east, where Yank infantrymen pursued enemy groups. Elements of the 24th Division and the 34th Regiment marched unopposed into Carigara Thursday, joining forces with the First dis- mounted Cavalry Division. The Japanese had made a surprising withdrawal from Carigara, the last maneuverable area in the strategic Leyte Valley, giving one of several indications that they were aban- doning their defense of Leyte. Powerful American forces imme- diately struck out in pursuit of the retreating Japanese, evidently at- tempting to reach the escape high- way to Ormoc, Ormoc is surrounded on all three sides by determined American forces, and the shipping bay is being hammered ceaselessly by tighters and bombers. ENGINEERS BACK FROM INSPECTION TRIP, FUNTER BAY United States Bureau of Mines Engineers, Robert S. Sanford and 8. P. Holt, returned to Juneau last night from Funter Bay and Bear Creek on the Donjac. The two men left last Friday and after five days at Funter Bay inspect- ing the work, they hiked over the island to Bear Creek to inspect the asbestos claims now being worked there, Sanford said there were no re- sults as yet from the samples sent to the states for assay. There is an {eight-man crew working at Funter Bay and a three-man crew at Bear Creek. Sanford said Bear Creek was well named. Although they saw no bears there they found plenty of tracks and trails made by the bruins, Aner W. Erickson, Bureau Pro- ject Engineer on the Hyder tung- sten claims, returned to Juneau vesterday to make up his report on the summer’s work. He was accom- panied by his wife. ———————— J. W. FLYNN HERE J. W. Flynn, oldtimer with the White Pass and Yuken Route at Skagway, is visiting his sister, Mrs, J. K. McAlister, He will return to his home Monday, g