THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
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W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER.Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffW
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, August 13, 1947
Let*s Take A Good Look At The Record
(The Denver Post)
ALL THE CHARGES in the Soviet and Soviet-con
trolled press that the governments of the United States
and Britain are warmongering seem a bit absurd when
we remember the diplomatic and military records of the
past few years.
That great peaceful democracy, the Soviet Union,
went to war against Finland in 1939—when the Rus
sians wanted a piece of Finland and walked in to take it.
They expected the Finnish people to give in immediate
ly, but they were surprised and embarrassed when the
Finns fought—foolishly but stoutly. What the Soviet
had expected to be a quiet putsch, turned out to be a
cause celebre, in which they won territory but lost a
great deal of face.
Next, it was not the Americans or British who signed
a non-agrression pact with Hitler. Nor was it the Amer
icans and the British who marched into Poland in mid
September, just two weeks after the Germans had start
ed the world war. Nor did Uncle Sam nor John Bull
have anything to do or say about the declaration that
Poland was no longer a state—but partly Germany and
partly Russia.
The Soviets annexed the Baltic states, then shrieked
of aggression when Hitler attacked them in 1941. They
were right in shrieking then. But they agreed to self
determination of peoples at the Atlantic conference—
and back in the Kremlin they determined that those
peoples would be governed by Communists .
They dissolved the Comintern in 1943, and at the]
war’s end brought Communists from Russia with the
Red army — Communists who now control Romania,
Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Finland and Poland.
The Russians are peace-loving, yet their government
refused to ratify the satellite peace treaties until they
could be sure that the Communists were secure in those1
countries. Apparently they still are not sure. The peace
treaties still lack ratification by one nation alone—Rus
sia.
They say they are seeking world reconstruction, yet
they refuse to agree to peace for Austria. They say they
are seeking world co-operation, yet they oppose the
right of the eleven nations which fought against Japan,
to have equal voice in the signature of a treaty, for they
would lose their power of veto.
They were eager to found the United Nations, yet in
the security council the Soviet Union has participated
in every single veto—the United States and Britain
none.
The Soviets talk of international brotherhood, yet
they refuse to allow their own people to leave the Sov
iet Union and will not allow visitors to enter. And they
talk of democracy, but maintain slave labor camps and
strict censorship of their press.
These facts do not add up to peaceful intentions. They
do not add up to co-operation, internationalism, democ
racy or even brotherhood of man.
The facts add up to tryanny, to complete suppression
of freedom, and complete disregard of the dignity of
truth or of man.
The Truman and Marshall doctrines have been char
acterized as methods of splitting the world into two
spheres, but this is not true. The world was split by the
Soviets—who now say that there should be one world—
but they want a Soviet world.
The democracies do not set themselves up as perfect.
They have many faults and those faults are discussed
daily in the press, on the floor of Congress and in homes.
PIGEONHOLED _
]
We Still Live Dangerously
(Rocky Mountain News)
ON THE SAME DAY that the waterfront at Brest,
France, was blown to bits, our city of Denver—by the
grace of God and expert fire-fighting—just missed being
both blasted and gassed.
And a day later an explosion in a beauty parlor at
Harrisonburg, Va., killed at least a dozen persons and
injured many more.
The tragedy in Brest occurred when a ship loaded
with ammonium nitrate caught fire and exploded. Only
by the quick thinking of the French naval authorities
in charge of that great harbor was a second Texas City
disaster averted. It was nitrate that devastated Texas
City.
The ship on fire in Brest was towed from the wharf.
But even at a considerable distance from shore, its ex
plosion killed many and was so violent that one dispatch
reports tremors were felt in England and the Isle of
Wight and as far north as 120 miles.
At the edge of Denver is the Rocky Mountain Arsenal,
chief production source of the incendiary bombs that
were dropped on Japan. Mortar shells and mustard gas
also were produced here. A fire broke out in the main
plant area and was extinguished only through desperate
efforts of the local fire department aided by the army.
The big chlorine tanks were already being seared by
the flames. We escaped by an eyelash what undoubtedly
would have been a great disaster.
This explosion business is growing—rapidly, whether
it is accidental or sabotage no one knows precisely.
Probably accidental in most cases. But we wouldn’t
write out sabotage entirely, considering the chaos, com
motion and win-through-misery “idealogists” who in
fest the world today.
But, anyway, in this era of higher and higher power
when almost wherever you look you see a tank of a truck
that could whiff you into the hereafter, it seems about
time for our statesmen, police authorities and safety
councils to pay attention to some of the other ways, be
sides the atom bomb, by which we can be hurled into
that last journey from which no traveler returns.
You’re just as dead when you’re blasted out of this
world by nitrate as when you are run over by an auto
mobile or are given the final heave-ho by the fission
process.
Nowadays we live—if we live—dangerously.
There.are no secret police listening to those discussions,
and there are no slave labor camps for the malcontents
in this country. The continued existence of the Com
munist and Fascist organizations with their scurrilous
press, should be proof enough.
In light of past events, and Russian attitudes which
predict the future, Americans who have believed that
the Truman and Marshall programs seek war should
get a big magnifying glass and look at the Soviet Union.
That’s That
By BRUCE GUSTIN
This is the acid test for the
Un^ed Nations. What it does to
stop the war in Greece will show
whether it is merely a glorified de
bating society or an- effective or
ganization to preserve world
peace. If it cannot or will not de
the peace preservation job it might
just as well go out of business. The
Greek crisis put U. N. on the spot.
From all reports, it is clear that
Counting strife in Greece is not
just the result of internal explo
sion. It is a product of outside ag
gression. Armed forces have
moved into Greece from Albania.
Unquestionably the Greek guer
rillas have been ai;med from out
side sources. The conflict now rag
ing can no longer be classed as a
“civil war.” It is plainly outright
aggression, which is the very thing
U. N. was created to prevent.
It is difficult to see any political
implication in General MacAr
thur’s statement that he would
like to settle down in his boyhood
home town, Milwaukee, when he
retires after conclusion of the Jap
anese peace treaty. Wisconsin Re
publicans are using his statement
to launch a boom for him for the
G. O. P. Presidential nomination
in 1948. But it seems doubtful that
he entertains such aspirations. He
will be 68 next year. That is pretty
old for a Presidential candidate,
even a man of MacArthur’s phy
sique. ability and popularity. If
elected, he would be 72 by the end
of his term, which would mean
that he could hardly expect to be
more than a one-term President.
No party wants a nominee who
wouldn’t be available for re elec
tion. ,
Russian rejection of the United
States proposal for an eleven-na
t'on conference to draft a Japanese
peace treaty was expected. It
seems to be the Soviet polio/ to
turn down anything suggested by
any other country. The Russian
excuse that the United States, in
proposing the treaty conference,
made a “unilateral dec’sion with
out consulting the governments of
the Soviet Union, China and Great
Britin,” is as flimsy a could have
been concocted.
The United S-atcs naturally is
interested in having the world get
back on a peace time basis as soon
as the necessary treaties can be
made for the defeated Avis pow
ers. But the Russians ieem to be in
no hurry to have peace restored
anywhere. The proper course for
the United tSates is to go ahead
with preparations for the treaty
with Japan. If the Russians will
not co-operate, let them stay out.
The United States bore the brunt
of war with Japan and has the
largest interest of any of the great
powers in a formal settlement of
that conflict.
cancellation by the state de
partment of Poland’s share of the
350-million-dollar American for
eign relief program makes one
wonder how much of this foreign
relief is justified. A survey by a
department of agriculture official
of Polish needs disclosed that
“grain and other foods are avail
able to meet the minimum food
needs of the Polish people gener
ally for the balance of this year.”
A pertinent question—Why wasn’t
this investigation of need made be
fore Congress was asked to appro
priate the money for the relief
program?
Theoretically, unification of the
armed forces should make for
more economical national defense.
But whether it will bring any re
duction in the cost of maintaining
the army, navy, and air force