THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday. Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER Editors
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Friday, November 14, 1947
A Not-So-(»rim Tale
(Denver Post)
LESS THAN TWO MONTHS after the liberalization
of the Greek government, reports from Athens indicate
that a new spirit has been born and that the Greek peo
ple are looking with hope to the future.
Premier Themistocles Sophoulis said this flatly in an
interview with Post Correspondent M. W. Fodor, but
even had he not said it, the facts speak for them
selves.
Since Sophoulis took office there has been great
change in attitude and morale in Greece. He has cut the
number of Aegean exiles in half, and demanded and got
ten investigation and trial of political prisoners. His
government has gone far toward removing control of the
army from the political sphere. And while that govern
ment closed down the Communist and EAM newspa
pers, he has said that freedom of the press shall not be
abrogated, and that the left is free to publish newspa
pers—if they do not advocate rebellion.
While Sophoulis’ amnesty to the guerrillas did not
bring the majority of them down from the mountains, it
is argued that non-Communists do not surrender only
because the Communist leaders will not permit it. This
argument is given strength by the slow-down of guer
rilla activities in recent weeks.
Since he came to power, the aged Liberal party pre
mier has drastically cut the number of civil servants,
and American aid administrators are now working to
balance the Greek budget. These are the hopeful signs
which have given new life to the Greek people.
Further, the international situation has improved.
The U. N. has decided that there will be a Greek border
commission, to watch for and prevent interference by
the Slav states.
This does not mean that Greece’s problems have been
solved. But it does shape the„ brightest picture painted
there since the end of the war. Final solution can come
only when the budget is balanced, when guerrilla activ
ity is finished, and when the Greeks can be sure that
their personal liberty and their freedom of government
is not in the balance.
The problem is not yet solved, but in* two months it
has come closer to solution than at any time since the
German invasion in 1940. The next few months will tell
the tale, but now it looks as though the Greek story will
have a happy ending.
Here Is World Hope
(By Jack Foster)
IS THE MIDST pf international gloom, the new Ge
neva trade pacts are a bright hope for a better world.
President Truman and Chairman Suetens of the trade
conference hail these agreements as a “landmark in his
tory.” If they work out as intended, that will not be an
exaggeration. For they represent a reversal of the dis
astrous trend of economic nationalism, and point toward
the freer trade essential to healthy international rela
tions.
The scope of this series of pacts is of amazing propor
tions. After nearly seven months of continuous negotia
tions among 23 nations, in which nearly 1000 formal
meetings were held, 123 separate country-to-country
agreements have been reached involving more than
43,000 tariff concessions.
The major document alone weighs nearly 40 pounds
—2040 18-inch pages. The participating nations account
for almost three-quarters of total world trade.
Nothing faintly resembling this was ever undertaken
DOOR JAM
before. Though there is credit enough for all, success is
chiefly due to the United States and the British Com
monwealth..
It was an American idea to begin with, and we appar
ently made the most concessions for the three-year pe
riod. But the United Kingdom and Dominions also made
sweeping concessions in reducing and restricting their
imperial preference system.
These pacts are not a cur£-all. Several important na
tions are not participating, including Russia and most
of her satellites—though Czechoslovakia and Poland
may sign. The second limiting factor is that at the mo
ment low foreign production is a worse trade barrier
than tariffs. So the full effect of this reform will be de
layed.
Nevertheless the basic Geneva agreement and vari
ous subsidiary pacts are designated for emergency re
lief. Six countries, including the United States, United
Kingdom and Canada, have agreed to put the lower
tariff schedules into effect Jan. 1.
A warning is necessary. When the still-secret sched
ules are made public on Nov. 18 there probably will be
much squawking from highly protected industries in all
countries.
There has been legitimate worry in this country as to
where the continuous drain of American relief to Eu
rope is going to leave us—how long we can stand so
much going out and so little coming in.
Obviously, the quicker European production can be
revived and the more products Europe can send us. in
payment, the sooner the one-way dole system can be
scrapped.
Red 5th Column Declared War Weapon
A
. — — ..II s
LEADERS ENGENDERING
RUSSIAN HATRED FOR
EVERYTHING FOREIGN
It has been a common line of the
Kremlin to deny there is Moscow
control of the Communist move
ment in other countries. Stalin, for
instance, went to some length re
cently to disclaim that the newly
created Communist information
center in Belgrade was a revival
of the old Communist Internation
al. Stalin declared that “Commun
ist parties . . . are deeply rooted 1
in their own countries ...” It is i
asserted, thus, that Communists
are no less than native patriots. In ,
judging the truth of this, it is in
teresting to read the following1
words by a former member of the 1
Russian diplomatic service, Igor
Gouzenko. The writer is the Rus- j
sian who exposed the Communistj
plot In Canada to steal defense se-j
crets and send them to the Soviet;
Union. His words are taken from!
the official Canadian report on the
spy investigation.
(By IGOR GOUZENKO)
(Formerly of th# Russian Diplo
matic Service)
Having imposed its Communist
regime on the people, the govern
ment of the Soviet Union asserts
that the Russian people have, as it
were, their own particular under
standing of freedom and democ
racy, different from that which
prevails among the peoples of the
western democracies. This is a lie.
The Russian people have the same
uhderstanding of freedom as all
the peoples of the world. However,
the Russian people cannot realize
their dream of freedom and a
democratic government on account
of cruel terror and persecution.
Holding forth at international
conferences with voluble state
ments about peace and security,
the Soviet government is simul
taneously preparing secretly for
World War III. To meet this war
the Soviet government is creat rig
in democratic countries, including
Canada, a fifth column, in the or
ganization of which even dipl >
matic representatives of the Sov.ct
| government take part.
The announceemnt of the d sso
I lution of the Commintern was.
1 probably, the greatest farce of the
Communists in recent years. Only
the name was liquidated, with the
object of reassuring public opinion
in the democratic countries. Aetu
I ally the Comintern exists an 1 con
i tinues its work, because the S >viet
leaders have never relinquished
the idea of establishing a Com
| munist dictatorship throughout
the world.
Taking into account least of all
! that this adventurous idea will
cost millions of Russian lives, the
Communists are engendering hat
red in the Russians toward every
thing foreign.
To many Soviet people here
and abroad it is clear that the
Communist party in democratic
countries has changed long ago
from a political party into a fifth
colomn in these countries to meet
a war. into an instrument in the
hands of the Soviet government
for creating artificial unrest, prov
ocation, etc., etc.
During my residence in Canada
I have seen how the Canadian peo
ple and their government, sincere
ly wishing to help the Soviet peo
ple, sent supplies to the Soviet
Union, collected money for the
welfare of the Russian people, sac
rificing the lives of their sons in
the delivery of these supplies
across the ocean—and instead of
gratitude for the help rendered,
the Soviet government is develop
ing espionage activity in Canada,
preparing to deliver a stab in the
back of Canada—all this without
the knowledge of the Russian peo
ple.
%
One Man's Opinion
(By Walter Kiernan)
There are repercussions to Bra
zil’s break with Russia because of
harsh things said of President
Dutra.—I hear Mr. Truman is torn
between breaking with Izvestia or
the Republican party. . . . But we
were a natural to handle Brazil's
interests in Moscow, having a long
and unsuccessful record of hand
ling our own. . . . Still, we are the
best informed people in the woili
—thanks to Jimmie Byrnes’ new
book we are now clear up to Jal
ta. . . . Princess Elizabeth has
agreed to “obey” her future hus
band—That, with the long skiit,
completes the return of the old
fashioned girl. ... In a -:iv’l cert
mony the bride was asked, “Do
you promise to love, honor and
obey?” She says, “Are you read
ing from the marriage law or the
Taft-Hartley law?” . . . The judge
says, “It’s in the marriage con
tract,” and she says, “It must have
been drawn by a company law
yer. ... As I say, it was a civil
ceremony—In fact, friends of the
Contracting parties said they never
had seen them so civil. . . . Harold
Stassen say he is not running for
vice president—It was enough for
one man to make that mist ike. . . .
He also says there is no thought of
a Taft-Stassen deal. — Nothing
should be read into the f.ict that
Harold was seen speaking civilly
to Robert in nublic. ... It wou’d
seem almost monotonous for
Dewey to try it again.—Sthi some
of the babies he kissed the first
time are old enough n~.w to be in
teresting. . . . The Democrats are
not talking about the Presidential
race yet.—They’re attempt5ng to
keep the emphasis on the human