THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME. ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher.Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
«t Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, September 27, 1950
NOME NEEDS MILITARY RECREATION CENTER
Nome was challenged by an air force spokesman at
the Public Meeting on Civilian Defense Monday evening
for its lack of interest in the young soldiers at Marks
Air Force Base. Although Nome has a reputation for its
warm hospitality, the rebuke is justified, as since World
War II ceased we have not been as generous with our
time to these visitors.
Inasmuch as the Base has had better facilities for
sports than we do, more recent films than our theater,
more recreational facilities and hobby groups than we
have in town with paid directors, we have not felt we
were needed. If militarv leaders would outline some of
the things they would consider important for civilians >
to do for these men, we believe they will find Nome co
operative with their plans; but not knowing what the;
“de-emphasizing” of Marks Air Force Base includes,;
we cannot make any plans for ourselves or our military
residents. !
DELEGATE BARTLETT'S VISIT VERY TIMELY
_ t
The visit of our Delegate, E. L. Bartlett, which coin
cided with the Public Meeting on Civilian Defense Mon
day, although not part of the meeting as planned,
served to be of real value to the community when he
addressed them. His view on the over-all picture of our
defenses served to strengthen our convictions that a
change must be made in present plans for the military;
strategy as now planned for Alaska. ;
I
- i
FEAR FOR MARSHALL’S HEALTH
(Anchorage Daily Times) j
Friends of Gen. George C. Marshall are privately un-!
happy about his appointment as Secretary of Defense. !
His health, they say, just isn’t up to the grueling physi-1
cal and mental exertion required by that job.
The job broke James Forrestal. It was even having
its effect on the bull frame and personality of Louis
Johnson. Being Secretary of Defense is second only to
the Presidency itself as a position that demands, almost
superphysical stamina. As the position now exists it is!
impossible to break down many of its duties and func-!
tions for assignment to assistants. !
The law demands that the Secretary of Defense perform
certain duties. They’re backbreaking for the youngest
healthiest man.
The story that those persons close to the General tell1
is that he neglected to mention to the President how
frequently he has been to the doctor and how tired he
is. Further, they say, the call to duty and a chance to!
make another big contribution in service to his country
was such a temporary stimulant to him he doesn’t real-1
ize himself quite what he’s getting into.
It is rumored that the deal with the President was!
that the General won’t keep the job more than beyond!
the first of the year. By that time the President will?
have had time to find a suitable successor. The decision j
to relieve Johnson was made in such a short time there
just wasn’t time to find anyone else qualified or willing
to take on such a big chore. Marshall was handy, had
the experience and stature and the President knew his
patriotism wouldn’t permit him to refuse.
What Congress needs, apparently, is a non-partisan
board to conduct investigations and make a report as to
the facts discovered. . . . The cry of socialism has been
raised against practically every effort to persuade the
governments of the world to do something for the aver
age men and women. . . . The public would be surprised;
if it could see a list of the “disabled” veterans of World;
War One, including able-bodied citizens drawing com
pensation from Uncle Sam. ... No person is intolerant
who remains loyal to his, or her, religion, regardless of
whether other people like it or not.
Delegate Bartlett
Addresses Civilian
Defense Meeting
(Continued from Page One1
area who have proven themselves
loyal, patriotic and devorted Ameri
cans, and who are eager to do their
share, must think that it is odd
that the powerful Uncle Sam is
taking away the only military post
in Northwestern Alaska.”
“A pack' of wolves against bari
bou is better than one wolf
I against the herd.”
“Under the impetus of military
economy it was necessary to cut
expenses three years ago, but now
the war in Korea means that a
sizable share of national income
must be spent for defense.”
“I believe,” Delegate Bartlett
stated that the military should re
view the situation carefully.” . . .
“I hope that the people of. Nome
will pick their spokesmen careful-1
ly to explain to the Congressional i
committee the problem as it exists
today. It is important that the sit
uation be briefed in advance to
Col. J. M. Chambers so that the!
r
plan may be outlined for the com-;
mittee.”
“Pride and prestige of our na
*
tion is directly involved with the
closing of M.A.F.B. Remember it
cost $3,000,000.00 to get the Jap
anese off Attu. It is better at an
annual cost to keep invaders off
of American soil than to push
them off. That’s the American way.
Mr. Bartlett stated that in the|
last six years three quarters of a j
billion dollars had been appropri
ated for Alaska for all purposes, of
which $400,000,000 went directly
to military purposes, but the other
funds have been spent in the pres
ent defense area to* a great extent.
Observation has shown that the i
benefits should be shared in j
Northwestern and Southeastern I
Alaska, he stated, and that it was i
the intention, with the consent of i
the Bureau of the Budgett, that
the Nome-Solomon Road should
be started nex^ year with a half
million to be expended next year,
and $1,360,000 for the completion I
of the road.
He prophesied that roads here
will have to be expanded and im
proved, and before too many
years the Nome-Fairbanks road
will be an actuality which in turn
means people, industry, business.
The developments and strides
made in war-time will mean much
to post-war development.
A discussion in relation to a
PEOPLE LIVE LONGER
WASHINGTON — Length of
life for American wage earners
and their families has been stead
ily increasing fcfr more than 50
years, according to life insurance
company statistics, which point
out that expectation of life at birth
is now 67.7 years for the millions
of industrial policyholders. Aver
age lifetime among this large sec
tion of industrial population has
doubled since 1879-89, tfie earliest
period for which figures are avail
able.
civilian defense program followed,
showing that prepared programs
for other parts of the Territory
and the United States cannot ap
ply in relation to evacuation, as
we are isolated and have no place
to go. Plans were announced in
relation to progress being made to
organize nurses and medical equip
ment under# the direction of the
Territorial Health Nurse Marie
Grant. Mayor Andersen asked the
support of all citizens and their
co-operation when the plan is laid
out in the near future.
Lester Bronson, speaking for
the C. A. P., stated that they
would have a communication sys
tem and were contemplating the
Pilgrim Springs as a possible med
ical evacuation center.
Concern was expressed over the
lack of plans for evacuation and
how families could expect to be
removed in the face of invasion.
Concern was also voiced concern
ing the fact that GCA (radar
ground control approach for
planes) was being removed from
this area, and that it should be
retained as a means of bringing
down our planes should evacua
tion be necessary when there was
poor visibility .
An air force spokesman voiced
the opinion that the civilians had
a duty to the personnel at M.A.F.
B. in that it should provide some
recreation for the young men sta
tioned in the area so that they
would enjoy being in Nome. He
was particularly concerned with
the single men on the Base.
Members of the Chamber of
Commerce committee explained
that the program to be presented
to the Congressional committee
was well under way and that the
Chamber committee would wel
come any suggestions.
Before the meeting the final
showing of “Alaska U.S.A.” film
produced by the Alaska Develop
ment Board was shown to those
who had not seen it previously.
Marines Enter
Smoke-filled Seoul
I
j (Continued from Page One)
i a bonfire of all the bitterness and
i
I hate of war concentrated on one
city.
The Reds chose to defend Seoul.
And the Americans are not spar
ing any building where the Reds
had established defenses. Seoul is
| being scarred and battered terri
I bly but the Allied High Command
! is not sacrificing lives to save the
\ face of Seoul.
And strange things happen in the
battered streets. Such as the Ma
rine racing down a street into bat
tle with two live ducks strapped
to his packs and quacking madly.
. . . Such as the Red platton that
marched out of the flames and
smoke squarly into the muzzles of
American guns. . . . This was a
brief and wild slaughter of com
munists. . . . And such as the Red
attack before dawn which came as
just the Marines were preparing
to attack.
The Marines could not have or
dered an attack by the enemy at
a better time. American guns
blasted four Red tanks, destroyed
an anti-tank gun, and routed the
Red infantry in a three-hour bat
tle.
In that fight before dawn U. S.
artillery poured 1,096 rounds of
explosives into' the Red positions
—one of the most concentrated
artillery barrages of this war. And
the Marine lines held fast.
Lt. Col. Robert W. Rickert of La
Jolla, Calif., said ‘By the grace of
God and a long handled spoon we
were ready for them.”
<(i*P) correspondent Bill Ross,
also in Seoul, said the Marines
firing 3.5-inch bazookas k.o.’d 11
Red tanks in the pre-dawn attack.
He quoted Lt. Col. Raymond Mur
ray of San Diego.
(“We may be able to take just
about all of the city today—if the
Reds shot their main bolt last
night,” Ross said a marine gener
al told him.)
Korean Situation
'Continued from Page One’
are only about 25 miles from a
linkup with the second front. Ae
rial observers spotted United Na
tions troops on the outskirts of
Chonan early Tuesday.
Allied warplanes pounded at the
retreating Reds. Planes made a
mass drop of 2,160,000 leaflets
telling communists of the fall of
Seoul, and calling on them to sur
render. The leaflets said: “The
loss of Seoul cuts the supply
routes from the war material fac
tories and arsenals of North Ko
rea to the communist troops in the
south. It shuts off the flow of re
inforcements to these forces and
severs their paths of retreat. Fur
ther resistance is futile.”
The capture of Seoul came 11
days after Allied troops landed at
Inchon in MacArthur’s daring
gamble to establish a new beach
head and cut the Red forces in
half. The Allied force which par
ticipated in the victory is Ameri
can and South Korean.
MacArthur’s communique said:
“The liberation of the city was
conducted in such a manner as to
cause the least possible damage to
civil installations” in the 500-year
old capital which normally has a
population of 1,000,000.
MacArthur said the Reds crack
ed and began to flee after a three
pronged drive virtually ringed the
city and captured main Red de
fense positions including the 700
foot peak of dominating South
Mountain.