The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, August 8, 1945, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LXV., NO. 10,034 — JUNEAU, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 1945 RUSSIA DEC Big Guns Hif Honshu HIROSHIMA DISASTROUS of Big Town By Morrie Landsberg (Associated Press War Correspondent) GUAM, Aug. 8—The obliterating blast of a single atomic dropped by a stroyed 60 per cent of the import- ant Japanese city of Hiroshima and today Tokyo admitted that practically nothing escaped death in its scorching path. “Those outdoors burned to death, while those indoors were killed by bomb § lone Superfort de- f indescribable pressure and heat,” | reported Tokyo. It said the city was in ‘“disastrous ruin” and that houses and buildings were “crushed.” ¥ The newspaper Ashai Shimbun appealed to the people to remain ° calm under the “inhuman” bomb- ing and “pledge to fight through until the last.” The editorial de- clared the Japanese mind had been “trained for just such an occasion as this.” Gen. Spaatz warned the enemy that more B-29's are ready to drop more of the world’s most destruct- ive explosives on the island cities if resistance continues. Targets Destroyed The strategic air forces com- mander said that 4.1 square miles of Hiroshima's built-up area of 69 square miles were wiped out. Five military targets were destroyed by the one bomb. Grim details of what happened on the ground came only from ‘Tokyo. The enemy broadcast re- vealed that the blast was so ter- rible that the dead could not be distinguished from' the injured. | The battleship 8. Navy's newest, leaves | fire and destruction in its wake as it withdraws from Kamaishi on the northeast coast of 1 Japanese homeland. Honshu after first bombardments of the main Deslroyér Gun Crew InTrouble Spaatz based his communique on/ photographs from the sky. They| showed the heart of the city devas-| tated with awful thorotighness—as if a giant bulldozer had swept upf buildings and houses and dumped | By Olen Clements them into a river. | (Associated Press War Correspondent) Reconnaissance disclosed that the | ADAK, Aleutians—Blinding, chok- filled the destroyer harbor area of Hiroshima—popula- | D8 fumes tion' of about 343,000—was bm.ely!number four gun turrent. . | touched by the tremendous blast.| Th¢ Bun capain gasped and blink- ed his burnicg eyes. “Keep 'em go- | ing! — keep 'em going!” he shouted. | Five-inch shells were pouring from | the gun at the rate of one every| |few seconds, into the Japanese 1~ ling port and air base of Suribachil on Paramushiro Island. The Washin gton Merry - Go - Round By DBFW PEARSON Lt, Col.* Robert S. Allen now on active Scmething had gone wrong in number four turrent after the first! round. A mechanical failure caused | the powder fumes and smoke to filll BuiKeeps Firing af Jap_lslagd PETAINAID TO ALLIES DISCLOSED French Secr;t_lzgenls Furn- ished Information service with the Army.) WASHINGTON —Ever since Pranklin. Roosevelt died, some of his ‘most ardent Senate followers have talked about organizing to carry on his left-of-center pro- gram. Finally, encouraged by the British elections and worried over what would happen to our do- mestic economy if the war ended overnight, 17 Democratic Senators gathered at a private luncheon last’ week. Practically every Senator present was 4 personal friend and booster of President Truman. Yet behind their luncheon was a veiled threat that if Truman became too much influenced. by the reactionary wing of the Democratic Party, he would have trouble—real trouble from the liberals. ‘The luncheon was called by Sen- ators Pepper of Florida and Kil- gore, of West Virginia. They brought with them a mimeographed fivespage document -labelled “Full Employment — Objective of Do- mestic Policy.” In this carefully written document, to point out that: “American economy has never provided stable full employment under modern conditions of high labor productivity and mass pro- duction. A review of economic con- ditions between World War I and World War II makes this clear. . . In 1930, though we reached the production level of 1929, there were 7,0000000 more unemployed. “There are some of short mem- ory,” the survey continued, “who today urge - on the Federal Gov- ernment a ‘do nothing’ policy to- ward ensuring full employment. . . . (Continued on Page Four) the turrent. they proceeded | The gun’s rate of fire lagged. ! A gunner’s mate, Eugene F. Er- penbeck, of Lakewood, Ohio, at a 40-millimeter gun-post on the open deck, noted the lag. He crawled into the turrent to help. On the bridge, Lt. Comdr. John Francis Duckey, Jr., the destroyer's skipper, also noted the lag. But he was busy keeping his ship tin position. The responsibility there fell on the shoulders of youth- ful Bennie Mack Glover, the gun captain. He wanted, above all else, that his gun should fire its quota of shells, “Keep 'em gcing!” he | shouted. Choking, gasping, wiping their streaming eyes, the men kept feeding the gun. They threw in the shells, closed the breach and fired. Again and again! Fifteen minutes of this strangling, groping effort seemed endless. Glover and John E. Bobel, another | gunner, collapsed into unconscious- ness. They were pushed out of the turrent into helping hands. The gun kept firing, for the full 20 minutes of the bombardment, al- though two more gunner§ were also overcome by the fumes. Out of the smoke-filled turrent, lat the end, stumbled James R. Mil- ler, James W. Robertson, Robert L. Allebaugh and James A. Huey. Last of all came Erpenbeck, the man who had left his non-active 40-millimeter post to help the five- inch crew. | Lt. H. P. Chandler said Erpenbeck had done the work of three men in the closing minutes of the bombard- ment July 22. 14 The destroyer’s 'doctor, reported that all of the men had recovered and would suffer no lasting effects. o British PARIS, Aug. 8—Gen. Jean Ber- geret, former Vichy air jminister, tes- tified toda that French secret agents furnished the RAF with de- tails of German air force activities and were paid from a budget set up by Marshal Petain, now on trial for his life. “Petain gave me the necessary funds in secret,” said the defense witness on this fifteenth day of the marshal's trial on charges of intelligence with the enemy and plotting against’. the security of France. Bergeret said the Germans in 1941 demanded air bases in Syria in the Middle East and asked French fight- ers to defend Pamis, but “Petain re- fused hoth demands and, because of him, they never were carried out.” He said French ganized in secrgt after the armistice to resum> the fight against Ger- many, adding: “Marshal Petain knew and approv- ed all of this.” He saéd Petain personally retired two French air generals who clam- ored for collaboration. The witness said because of his work, financed and sanctioned by Petain, 27 French air groups totalling 19,000 men returned to the war against Germany in its final stages. D e TOM ALLENS HAVE GUESTS Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Shoultes, of Everett, Wash.,, arrived last eve- ning on the Princess Norah to be house guests of Mr. and Mrs. MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS ——————c===1 ARES WAR ON JAP LAWMAKERS IN HEARING INJUNEAU Congressional Party Will: Sit in Elks Hall . Tomorrow House of m-pmcmnuves'» Territories Committee is st‘hedulcd“ to rive in Jurcau on an Army vessel at 6 p. m. today and will hold a public hearing tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock in the Elks Hall. This hearing was originally scheduled for Friday. | A reception is being staged this evening by the Juneau Chamber of Commerce in the Gold Room of tlv Baranof Hotel to which all members are invited. It will start at 9 p. m. Alaska Delegate E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, who is accompanying the party, is scheduled ‘to speak at the Chamber of Commerce meeting to- morrow noon in the Gold Room of the Baranof and tle CangressJ men will be guests. Rep. Hugh Peterson of Georgia is chairman of the committee, and members making the trip include Reps. J. W. Robinson of Utah, A.' B. Kelley of Pennsylvania, John 8. Gibson of Georgia, Eenry Lar- cade, Jr, of Louisiana, James P. Geelan of Connecticut, Homer An- igell of Oregon, Paul Cunningham |of Iowa, Arthur L. Miller of Ne- !bruskn. Merion T. Bennett of Mis- | souri, and Harold Hagen of Min- nesota. The 1 { | BT o A R PRESIDENT TRUMANIS ~ BACKHOME Will Broadeast Report fo . Nation Tomorrow or Friday WASHINGTON, - Aug. 8.—Presi- dent Truman returned to his White House desk today, hopeful the new, atomic bomb will bring Japan to !her knees and nearly ready to re-, port on his Big Three meeting. Home from a 10,000-mile, 32-day, land, sea and air trip that took him to Germany and Englahd, Mr. Tru- iman began applying finishing touch- ;cs to the radio address he expects to (broadcast to the nation tomorrow | night, or Friday. Now shaping up as ;a 30-minute speech, it will be his! longest since he assumed the Pres-! \idency. | | Topping all his tasks, however, is |the personal command Mr. Truman | !is assuming over the atomic bomb ' Jcampalgn against Japan. | While the High Command is hope- (ful the terrifying new device may accomplish unconditional surrender, plans are going forward for a land| invasion of the island empire. As ‘a result the Army is standing firm| |by its estimates that it will need| 17.000,000 men in uniform to complete the job. | | ARSI i ! |hat the methods the United States | ! | | | forces were reor-! - CONTINUING ~ RESISTANCE ,‘ BAGUIO, P. 1, Aug. s.aAmer)mn! ;and Filipino troops fought an 1n~‘ |tensified mop-up battle with the| (strong Japanese garrison defending| the northwestern approach to the| | Agno River valley of northern Luzon| {Island, Monday—and for the third| day, gains were measured in yards. | e e NFELDERS | i # | Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Weschen-| HERE KYUSHUONE ‘TARGET FOR BIG PLANES i 'Fily Other B-29s Drop Ex- plosives on Nakajima War Plant By Muclin Spencer (Assoclated Press War Correspondent) UAM, Aug. 8 — The growing it of Superfortresses struck for third straight day at the heart the Japanese Empire today with ¥ multiple blows landing on ata, the “Pittsburgh of Japan,” fl? once-great Tokyo arsenal and the Nakajima Mushinotama Air- :3" factory just outside the capi- fThey struck as Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet returned to waters for new attacks after having ridden out a typhoon he only effective defense against #8 savage bombardment of the heme islands. A flight of 225 fighter-escorted B-29's assaulted Yawata with 1500 gons of demolition bombs, starting e fires in the great north- stern Kyushu steel center. “PFifty other Superfortresses| smashed for the twelfth time at the great Nakajima Aircraft plant, which once turned out 75 per cent of Nippon's combat engines. When heavy weather closed over the plant another small group turned frgfy that target to plaster the Tokyd arsenal with heavy demo- lition bombs. Returning pilots reported en- countering heavy flak over both the arsenal and the aircraft plant, but of seeing no enemy planes Other B-29's mined the en- trances to the important harbors of Shimonoseki,- Mausuru ' and Saukai on Honshu ‘and Rashin’on northern Korea. Still more of the Superforts moved ' closer to Japan for new strikes as the first of the glahts under the Eighth Air Force com- mand of Lt. Gen. James Doolittle landed at their new Okinawa base, ready ‘to coordinate. their blows with those of the Twentieth Air Force and the Army and Navy. Admiral Nimitz today reported carrier pilots had swept vengefully | over Wake Island Monday and had | hammered shipping off the China days, | coast for . three successive Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Far East Air Forces planes from Okinawa struck heavily at Kyushu again Monday, Gen. MacArthur re- ported today. U.S. Warfare Cruel Says Tokyo Radio Japanese C—(H)are Amer- ican Bombing with Genghis Khan (By The Associated Press) The Tokyo radio quoted a Japa- is employing in the war against Japan have exceeded in “horrible |cruelty” the atrocities perpetrated | by Genghis Kahn in India- and| Afghanistan. “The present form of indiscrimi- nate bombing by the American air force upon, Japanese cities are un- like Japan's careful and thoughtful methods of air raids on Shanghai and Nanking,” said the commen- tator, identified by the broadcast Toyohiko Kagawa, a noted re- gious leader. - The fact that America has adopted such methods shows that she “already is morally defeated,” added the broadcast, which was recorded by the Associated Press. e S. DAY HERE iy MR Mrs. Ray Day, prominent club Thomas Allen for the coming two|felder, of Anchorage, arrived g,.lwumnn from Wrangell, arrived last weeks. Mr. Shoultes is the brother of Mrs. Allen. Juneau a few days ago and are| guests at the Hotel Juneau. l evening on the Princess Norah and is & guest at the Gastineau Hotel. | il | DECLARATION 1S EFFECTIVE 1P. M. TODAY 'Soviet Union Ads Affer| | Nippons Reject Pofs- dam Offer ! LONDON, Aug. 8 — Soviet | Russia declared war on Japan | today effective at midnight, | @ p. m, Juneau Time). The Moscow radio announce- | ment of the entry of power- ful Russia into the Pacific war | said Japan previously had ap- | pealed to the Soviet Union to mediate in the conflict. | Japan rejected the Potsdam ultimatum of July 26 by the United States, Britain and | China demanding unconditional | surrender, however, and thus | Japan's request for mediation | “loses all basis,” the announce- ment said. “ The nnnounch;;n, quoting a statement from Foreign Commissar | Molotov, said the Allles then had | requestizd Russia to join in the wur} | against the Japanese. | The Moscow declaration followed by two days President Truman's | announcement that the first atomic | bomb had been cast upon anmLt ! The midnight deadline is 2 p. m,,' | Pacific War Time. Molotov's statement, as broadcast by Moscow, said: PRESIDENT TRUMAN MAKES DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT THIS MORNING AFTER | RETURN FROM BIG THREE CONFERENCE WASHINGTON, Aug. 8.-Russia has declaréd wai upon Japan. first by President Truman, war. he declared: Talibulh AYTRUMAN MADE DEAL ATPOTSDAM Official Safizroundwork Laid by Roosevelt | | i | “On August 8 the People’s Com- | missar for Foreign Affairs of the a' Ya"a U.S.S.R. Molotov. received the Japa- | i nese Ambassador, Mr. Sato, and| gave him, on behalf of the Soviet! WASHINGTON, Aug. 8—A gov- | Government, the following for €'mment official in a’ position to transmission to thy Japanese Gov- know told newsmen today that ernment: jagreement for Russia’s entry into the “iAfter the defeat and capitula- | Japanese war was concluded at the Ition of Hitletite Germany, Japan Pi§ Three meeting at Potsdam. This official, who declined use of | became the only great power that R ; {still stood for the continuation of Dis name, recalled that the Russians | the war. were said authoritatively to have | WeThe demand of the thre BBreed at the Yaita conference that | powers, the United States, Great they would enter the war in due | Britain and China on July 26 on e the unconditional surrender of the There was no decision at Yalta, ! Japanese armed forces was re- however, it was said, on lhe timing. jected by Japan, and thus tli pro- Some surprise was expressed that i posal of the Japanése Government the Russians had decided b fight |to the Soviet Unfon on mediation the Japanese at such an early date. |in the war in the Far East loses But there have been persistent re- | all basis.” | “Taking intd consideration the Ircfusx\l of Japan ‘to, capitdlate, the | Allies submitted tfe proposal to | the Soviet Govefnment to join the {war against Japanese aggression, 'and thus shofrten the duration of | the war, reduce the number of victims and facilitate the spudy | restoration of uniyersal peace. | “The Soviet Government con-| siders that this policy is the only' means able to bring peace nearer, | fra» the people from further sac- rifice and suffering and' give the Japanese people the possibility of |avoiding the dangers and destruc-' | tion suffered by Germany after | their refusal to capitulate uncondi- | [nese commentator today as saying | tionally. “In view of the above, the Soviet Government deciares that from to- | morrow, that is from Aug. 9, the Soviet Government will consider itself to be at war with Japan.” | STOCK QUOTATIONS NEW YORK, Aug. 8 — Closing | quotation of Alaska-Juneau Mine stock today is 67%, American Can { 6%, International Harvester 82'%, Kennecott 367., New. York Centrall 125%, Northern Pacific 27%, U. S.| [Steel 67%, Pound $4.02%. | | Sales today totaled 700,000 shares. Dow, Jones awrages today are as follows Industrials, 161.83; rails, 56.40; utilities, 32.05. - ->oo - ! L. PHILPOTT ARRIVES i Lon Philpott flew in from W)uh--; horse, yesterday, via Pan Amoerican! World Airways, and is a guest at the Gastineau Hotel, X | American ports, lacking official confirmation, that Russia would enter the Japa- nese war 90 days after the collapse of Germany. The Germans surren- derad May 8. Belief that Russia’s war declara- tion cculd force an unconditional Japanese surrender in a few days, wus expressed by some ranking mili- tary and naval authorities. Piling cne sensational development [ the Soviet'action coming after the atomic bomb attack has supplied the enemy warlords with every excuse they need to quit and save face with the explanation that further fight- ing is useless because the entire world is against them. Should the warlords determine to hold out, then the combination of pressures may be enough to break the will of the Japanese people and pitch the country into panic and revoluticn which would end the present militarist leadership and produce capitulation. Beyond these two possibilities, persons familiar with Japan say that if the Japaness do not give up now, they must be expected to con- tinue until their country is destroy- ed by atomic bombs and thelr islands 96%, Anaconda 32%, Curtiss-Wright are invaded and conquered—some- | thing which would take months to accemplish. | D MRS. SHERARD, SON, HERE Mrs. Francis Sherard and son, Janys, flew to Juneau on a Pan World Airways Clipper from Seattle yesterday, and are guests at the Gastineau Hotel. - - — O'BRIEN ARRIVES James J. O'Brien, of New York,, has arrived in Juneau and is a guest at the Gastineau Hotel. I i another, these officials consiae. The declaration, announced fo the Unifed Stafes and followed by a report on the Moscow radio, was effective at 1 P. M., Juneau The first reaction in Washington, unanimous and unequivocal, was that Russia’s eniry, coupled with the atomic bomb means an early end of the Japanese Mr. Truman made the momenfous announce- ment fo a hurriedly summoned news gathering. He said he had only a simple statement fo make buf it was so imporfant he could not delay if. Then Russia has just declared war on Japan. The disclosure that the Soviet Unicn at last had pitted its enor- mous might alcngside Britain and the United States agalnst the Pa- cific enemy had not been unex- had been a matter of conjecture for months. (Official Washington at onee topk this development, along with the unleashing of atomic bombing against the Pacific enemy, as a sure vign that Japan can not long continue to resist. The President sat behind his desk for a minute until the 30 or s0 correspondents all were gath- ered around him. Then he 'flanked on the right by Admiral of the Fleet William Leahy, his personal Chief of Staff, and on the left by Secretary . of State James F. Byrnes, He explained that he had no in- tention of holding a news con- ference but this matter was so important he felt that it couldn’t wait. ONE SENTENCE Mr. Truman then made the simple one-sentence announcerient of Rusia’s declaration of wur. He added that was all he had to say. The short announcement brought a gasp from reporters who had rushed to the White ilouse in a stream of taxicabs and an exclama- tion of “My God” from some. A number of Naval aides and State Departraent attaches were present when e announcement was made. The President’s usual smile was alsent a: he made the grave dis- closure. . Whether the arrangements [for ussian entry into the war on Japan were fashioned at Potsdam was not disclosed. The Chief Executive may throw light en that tomorrow in a report to be broadeast to the nation af 7 p. m, Pacifie War Time. A communigue signed by him- self, Generalissimo Stalin and Prime Minister Attlee, released when the Potsdam meeting ended, made no speeifio mention of Jupan. But it carried the significant state- ment that Chiefs of Staff had studied military matters “of mu- tual interest.” EARLIER HINTS ‘There had been multiple hints that the Soviets would align them- selves with the Western Allles In crushing the Nipponese. Perhaps the most pointed was Russia’s renunclation months age of its non-aggresion pact with Japan Even as White Russia and 49 other nations were striving to per- fect a plan for ultimate, lasting peace at San Fpancisco, there were signs that Rusgla might strike in the Pacific, Guarded indications pcinted to the fact that the Seoviet delegation would not return to Moscow by way of Siberia, as they came. Mem- bers of the Russian party with |~ (Continuéd on Page Two)