THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
f 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.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, September 15, 1948
SEPTEMBER 18—AIR FORCE DAY
The United States Air Force, which will celebrate
Air Force Day on Saturday, September 18, marking the
end of one year as an independent military service, has
introduced eleven new models of aircraft during the
year and continued with the testing and modification of
models built in previous years.
The year just ending has seen the development of the
Air Force’s first parasite jet-fighter, flight of the world’s
largest transport plane, and the addition of several
types of high-speed fightaers and jet bombers.
Numerous modifications have been made on existing
aircraft and aircraft engines as a result of the Air Force’s
research and development program, and a USAF flying
laboratory has penetrated the sonic barrier, marking the j
first time that man has flown faster than the speed of
sound. j
»
I
TOO MANY CANDIDATES
(By Lawrence Martin)
Unless it was a sop thrown to one section of the Span
ish monarchist movement to quiet contemporary un-!
rest, there can be no meaning to the recent meeting be
tween Generalissimo Francisco Franco and Don Juan,1
pretender to the Spanish throne.
Don Juan's son will not return to Spain for his formal
education, and on the surface it looks as though he might
succeed the Caudillo as ruler. However, if he does, it
will be because the Spanish monarchists have triumph
ed over the Falange party and all other powerseeking
factions in Spain.
The Falange actually started the Spanish civil war
against the republic, led by Don Jose Antonio Primo de
Rivera. Franco, an army general, led a rebellion in Mor
occo, and when the Falange saw his strength, it adopted
him immediately.
But after the war, and increasingly in recent years,
Franco has turfted away from the Falange. He now tries
to maintain the party, the church and the army at equi
distnat angles. All are fighting for power, and the pres
ence of this strong dictator, to whom they are all com
mitted, seems to be about all that saves Spain from civil
war today.
Perhaps Franco really believes that he can hand
along the succession to power. He passed a law which
provided that he would be succeeded only by a Spaniard ‘
of royal blood, or failing this, by a regent. Yet if the lit
tle Spanish dictator really believes this, he is wrong.
Historically, no dictator has even successfully handed
his power to another. Too many intimates want that
power for themselves, and wait only for the death or in
capacity of the dictator to seize it. Just as the death of
Stalin will produce some kind of revolution in Moscow,
whether it be a national storm or a teapot tempest, so
will the death of Franco cause revolution in Spain. Too
many people want to get into the act.
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
(The Denver Post)
For the past five weeks the Marshall plan has been in
jeopardy as one French government after another came
unstuck at the seams. The European co-operation plan
is still in jeopardy almost as much as French democracy,
and will continue to be until the French attain stability.
* Ever since the war’s end the French have been wist
fully hoping that prewar conditions would return.. They
have been living in a world of the past, discussing the
things they used to have, but not looking squarely at the
future. While their English neighbors across the chan
nel have settled down to the most unremittingly hard
AND NO ROOK OF INSTRUCTIONS
living program in their history, the French government
has met black markets and frustrations wherever it has
tried to ration or control.
In this recent series of crises, the Socialist party has
played the part of the pivot. It is the pivot. It is the bal
ance in the Third Force, and it has forced resignation of
two cabinets. The Socialists, who favor the Marshall
plan, still do not want to make the secrifices necessary
to its success.
Outwardly, they cannot be blamed for this. They must
compete for votes with the Communists, for both groups
appeal to urban workers rather than businessmen and
peasants. The Communists have opposed the Marshall
plan. In fact, they have opposed everything the govern
ment has done. So if conditions do not get better, the
Communists will make political capital, while the So
cialists feel they will have no reply.
Yet under this electioneering surface, the Socialists
have been wrong in their vacillation, their refusal to go
along with the stringent measures necessary for revival
of France. They seem unable to relaize that if France is
to rebuild, it calls for some sacrifice; that all will not be
milk and honey for some years yet.
The balance of France hangs now in the hands of the
Socialists. If they are courageous and determined, they
will co-operate with the other parties of the Third Force,
to stave off dictatorship of the right or left—of de Gaulle
or the Communists. If they are not courageous enough,
they must be held for a great share of the responsibility
if that dictatorship comes.
NO, NO, NOT TUGWELL
Henry Wallaces Presidential campaign was stalled
on dead center—or should it read “Red Center?”—when
an old buddy like Dr. Rexford Guy Tugwell threatens to
take a walk.
The last of the braintrusters hasn’t made a formal
break witji the Wallaceites. But his friends say he has
become uneasy about his political bedfellows and is on
the point of ending a beautiful friendship.
When the good doctor was chairmaning a platform
committee at Philadelphia so stacked with Reds and
Pinkos that it suggested a rump session of the Comin
tern, he didn’t seem particular about his political com
pany. But whether he’s bolting or being purged, the re
port he may throw his one vote to President Truman
should chill the Democrats.
After all that’s happened to them, they should be
spared that.
“Turkey Faces ruination because of arms budgets,”
reads a headline in the Communist Daily Worker. And
why must Turkey spend so much for armament? Only
because her giant neighbor, the Soviet Union, wants a
slice of her territory and control of the Dardanelles.
If the Soviets would hang up their sword and disband
their fifth columns, the whole world could turn to peace
ful pursuits.
Program To Locate All
Military And Civilian s
Aircraft Crash Sites
The Alaskan Air Command is
launching a program to determine
the exact location of military and
civilian aircraft crash sites where
wreckage is still visible, and will
attempt to record every site.
Often military and civilian per
sonnel report the sighting of air
craft wreckage. Reports must al
ways be investigated, and more
often than not, are found to be air
craft wreckage which had been
previously investigated but not
charged as an “old crash.” Investi
gations of this type unnecessarily
utilize both military and civilian
aircraft and result in untold time
and expense. Also, much investi
gation flights are usually conduct
ed at minimum altitudes and mini
mum airspeeds, thus placing air
craft and personnel in precarious
flight positions.
A study of existing military air
craft accident files of the Alaskan
Air Command has been made, as
well as queries of other military
and civilian agencies in Alaska,
producing a listing of all aircraft
crashes and information pertinent
to each crash which is now avail
able. This list, though recognized
by Headquarters, Alaskan Air
Command, as incomplete, due to *
lack of information is receiving
wide military and civilian distri
bution throughout Alaska and the
Aleutian Chain. The Alaskan Air
Command will also greatly appre
ciate any available information of
visible aircraft wreckage to imple
ment additions. Such information
should be addressed to the Com
manding General, Alaskan Air
Command, Attention: Deputy
Chief of Staff, Operations, Fort
Richardson, Alaska, and should in
clude, when possible, type aircraft
serial number, date of incident, lo
cation (longitude and latitude' and
any other information that will
pin-point the location of the wreck
age or further add to its descrip
tion.
Second listings will be distribut
ed throughout Alaska and the
Aleutian Chain on or about De
cember 1, 1948, which will include
all corrections and additional in
formation received during the in
tervening period. Following this
publication, corrected and up-to
date listing will be sent out every
six months, or more frequently if
necessary.
Civilian agencies or individuals
desiring receipt of such publica
tions should contact Headquarters,
Alaskan Air Command, giving
name of agency or individual,
mailing address and number of
copies desired.
It should be emphasized that the
purpose of the program to deter
mine the geographic location of
crashed aircraft is not to discour- ™
age the reporting of aircraft
wreckage. Quite the contrary; but
it is intended to limit such investi
gation flights to aircraft crashes
not previously reported or known
to exist..
CROWD NOT ILLEGAL
OKLAHOMA CITY (/P)—When
a group of men gathered outside
her door, it looked mighty sus
picious to Mrs. Ben Bennington,
54.
She thought they were going to
molest here, and called police for
help.
Prowler car officers W. B.
Gates and O. E. Higginbotham
raced to the scene.
But the men turned out to be
the most solid of citizens—all
waiting to vote in Oklahoma’s 4
primary at the polling place next
door.