_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS__
VOL. LII. No. 98 NOME, ALASKA. FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 1950 _]_Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
SEATTLE, (>P)—A full comple
ment of stewards signed on the
Steamship Alaska of the Alaska
Steamship company yesterday af
ter delay resulting from a security
check.
Wednesday the Coast Guard, in
its security check, refused to allow
one man to sign ships articles.
By the time union members, in
an informal meeting, satisfied
themselves with the Coast Guard
ruling, 10 men had left the ship.
They signed on this morning, and
the Alaska was listed to sail at 11
a.m.
JUNEAU, (/P) - Two U. S. de
fense department medical officers
advised Territorial Health Com
missioner Earl Albrecht Wednes
day they would be unable to par
ticipate in an Alaska Civil De
fense program because of the Ko
rean War situation.
The officials had been sched
uled to lead discussions during
the medical phase of the Aug. 19
20 program here.
—
FAIRBANKS, (TP)—The Alaska
department of public works have
awarded Reed and Martin a $400,
000 contract for construction of an
elementary school building. Exca
vation work has started, and the
completion date is set for Aug. 23,
1951.
ANCHORAGE, (TP)—City, Ter
ritorial and federal officials will
meet here the last four days in
August to discuss civilian defense
and the Alaska Public Works pro
gram, Mayor Z. J. Loussac said
today.
Mayor Loussac said the repre
sentatives of the six major cities
and other officials will consider
the need for revised Territorial
and federal laws governing muni
cipalities.
ANCHORAGE, (TP)—The body
ofMrs. Zora M. Barnes, 40, was
found Wednesday, 22 hours after
she disappeared from a cabin on
the Glen Allen Highway.
Her husband, Perry, found the
body on a sandbar. Highway pa
trolman Phillip Ames said the wo- j
man apparently fell into the Ga
kona River and was swept into
the Copper River by swift glacial
currents.
ANCHORAGE, (JP)—'The War
rack Construction Co., was low
bidder for a new Y.M.C.A. build
ing for Anchorage.
Warrack bid $275,000, with an
alternate deduction of $10,600.
William C. Huffeisen bid $306,
863 with a $12,000 alternate de
duction, and Morrison-Knudsen
bid $439,000 with a $7,000 alter
nate.
The bids will be sent to the J
New York Y.M.C.A. International j
for evaluation, Manley and Mayer
Anchorage architects, said.
JUNEAU, (^P) — A meeting on
the medical phases of an Alaska
civil defense program will be held
Aug. 19-20 at McKinley Park,
rather than Juneau.
. Two U. S. defense department
(Continued on Page Six)
Reds Bind And
Shoot Thirty-Two
U. S. Prisoners
(By Hal Boyle)
With U. S. First Cavalry, Korea,
(/P)—Thirty-tow American prison
ers with hands tied behind their
backs were shot dead yesterday by
Red Koreans on a hill west of
Weagwan just before a U. S. pa
trol reached the spot.
The Reds tried to kill 37 prison
ers in all. But five lived to tell the
story. They said the communists
also massacred the wounded as
they lay moaning on the ground.
This was in the area that was
bombed Wednesday by 98 B-29’s
in the heaviest air raid of the war.
Killing of prisoners in this fashion
is typical retaliation for such an
assault.
The execution of the prisoners
was on Hill 333, which was cap
tured by the Reds Thursday
morning.
Their bodies were found on a
(Continued on Page Two)
Airport Officials
“Deserve Praise
Not Slander”
JUNEAU, (/P), Governor Gruen
ing said yesterday that officials
who carried through the Palmer,
Alaska airport transaction “de
serve praise rather than slander.”
“The transaction was approved
by the Civil Aeronautics Adminis
tration after being carefully stud
ied by its attorneys,” Gruening
said, “and was approved by all
five members of the Alaska Aero
nautics and Communications Com
mission.
“It is no secret that this is elec
tion year and some people are so
blinded by partisan consideration
that they are less concerned with
the truth than with the oppor
tunity to smear.”
Senator Butler (R.-Neb.) criti
cized the purchase in a Senate
speech Tuesday, charging that
Territorial officials, with approv-,
al of Governor Greuning, had
tried to collect $37,500 from the
federal government to which
Alaska is not entitled.
Govt. ‘Freezes’ Sale
Of Surplus Supplies
WASHINGTON, (/F)—The gov-1
emment today ordered a “freeze”
on the sale of its surplus property.
The reason: All property will be
looked at again to see if it is need
ed for defense.
The freeez order covers war
plants and supplies, equipment
and material, civilian and military
alike—regardless of previous au
thority for disposal.
Jess Larson, who has charge of
the disposal of surplus property,
said in a statement:
“Property declared excess to
the needs of an agency must be
screened with all other federal
agencies before it can be declared
surplus to all needs of the gov
ernment.”
Palmer Airport
Land Propject
“Not Off-Color”
WASHINGTON (/P)—Chairman
Hoey (D.-N. C.- said yesterday his
Senate investigating sub-commit
tee has no present plans to look
into the Palmer, Alaska, airport
transaction.
“It has not been brought to our
attention,” Hoey told a reporter.
Senator Butler (R.-Neb.) said
in a Senate speech Wednesday
that Territorial officials, with the
approval of Gov. Ernest Gruening
| tried to collect from the federal
! government $37,500 to which
| Alaska is not entitled.
The deal, he said, invplved
placing an “inflated value” on
127.94 acres of land for the Pal
mer airport, receiving a kickback
from the seller and billing the fed
eral governemnt for 25 percent of
the inflated price under the fed
eral airport act. I
Butler, a leading opponent of
Statehood for Alaska and Hawaii,
demanded a Senate probe of the
transaction.
Hoye said Butler had not dis
cussed the matter with him.
Butler charged that the purpose
of the “washout transaction” ar
ranged between the Territory and
the Palmer Airport Association
was to recover a part of the $50,
000 spent on the old Palmer air
< Continued on Page Two)
BULLETIN
SEATTLE. (/P)—Federal media
tors today announced agreement
ending strike of plumbers that
threatened $200,000,000 to $400.
000.000 worth of Alaska defense
work was reached at a meeting in
Seattle.
The AFL Plumbers' & Steamfit
ters' Union (Anchorage Local 367)
was involved in the strike, which
began July 26. There are some
225 plumbers in the unit.
Federal mediators did not di
vulge any of the terms contained
in the agreement.
Doughboys And
Marines Give Reds
“Hell Of Licking”
Friday, August 18, 1950
(By The Associated Press)
United Nations troops, tanks
and planes stalled and then coun
terattacked a menacing drive of
30,000 Reds from the northwest
on Taegu today. Southwest of
Taegu, U. S. Doughboys and Ma
rines gave a crack Red division a
“Hell of a licking,” and on two
other fronts U. N. forces rolled
ahead in the best day’s winnings
of the Korean war.
While Allied tanks, air bombs,
artillery and troops lashed back
at the Reds on the sector north
west of Taegu, key U. N. advance
base now being cleared of civil
ians, all American troops on the
Changnyong sector, 23 miles
southwest of Taegu, advanced in a
push against a bridgehead of 12,
000 communists across the Nak
tong River.
Maj. Gen. John H. Church, siz
ing up this triumph, said the Red
Fourth Division “certainly has
taken a hell of a licking. I don’t
think that division will do much
fighting for a while.” 1
The Americans gained up to
three miles on this important
front, chased many Reds back
across the river, and hoped to
reach the river bank by nightfall.
South Korean troops recaptured
Pohang on the east coast, taken
by the Reds in a surprise drive
last week. Recapture of the port,
once the No, 2 supply base for U.
N. forces was an important vic
tory which permitted U. S. planes
once again to use it sairstrip six
miles to the southeast. Kigye, in
land from Pohang, also was re
taken.
On the deep southern front,
west of Pasan Port, U. S. 25th In
fantry Division troops lashed at
the North Korean Sixth Division
and drove it back with losses after
the Reds had launched a two
pronged attack. The Red retreat
(Continued on Page Six)
MANY HAPPY RETURNS Of THE DAY
Korean Situation
At A Glance - - -
Thursday# August 17# 1950
(By The Associated Press)
Between 25,000 and 30,000 North
Koreans—three divisions — drove
to within 15 miles of Taegu, South
Korean provisional capital, with
a surprise show of power today,
front line dispatches reported.
The enemy either had sidestep
ped the massive B-29 “saturation**
raid on this 25-mile concentration
area west of the Naktong River
Wednesday, or had snapped back
from it.
The center of the attack was
between Waegwan and Kunwi,
northeast of the bombed area, and
poured through two South Korean
divisions holding mountain passes.
The Red push began as the
Americans attempted a surprise
of their own—a renewed offen
sive against the bulging Changn
yong bridgehead southwest of
Taegu with the aid of marines
drawn up from the southern front.
The Devil Dogs, beginning their
attack at dawn, stormed and held
part of “Slaughterhouse Hill,” 26
miles southwest of Taegu. It was
their bloodiest battle of the war.
The Marines, with U. S. 24th In
fantry Division on their right
flank, charged to the steep rocky
crest with the support of heavy
artillery, tanks and rocket-firing
planes in a bid for ground com
manding a good part of the six by
seven mile bridgehead held by
12,000 communists.
But the new Red thrust from
the north replaced the Changn
yong bridgehead as the “most se
rious” threat to the United Na
tions in Korea, Eighth Army head
quarters said.
Another barrier stood in the
way of the three divisions bear
ing down, however, there was a
high ridge of mountains.
The Reds lashed out and cap
tured a hill two miles northeast of
Waegwan in the early morning,
but U. S. First Cavalry division
troopers fought halfway back up
the ridge, about 14 miles north
west of Taegu, emergency capital
of South Korea.
U.S. Eighth Army headquarters
in Korea said the communists
were massing anew to the north
and northwest of the bombed area
and might be shifting their main
thrust to between Waegwan and
Kunwi, where they would meet
South Korean divisions. Kunwi is
25 miles north of Taegu.
Swinging the marines into the
renewed offensive against the
Changnyong bridgehead involved
a 27-mile fallback from hard-won
territory east of Chinju on the
south coast. The U. S. 25th infan*
try division, left to hold that sec
tor, set up shop behind a deep
new defense line of barbed wire
and mines and awaited a menac
ing Red concentraiton.
On the east coast the Allies also
shortened their line. The battered
South Korean Third Division was
evacuated by U. S. landing craft
from below Yongdok. The divi
sion had been fighting an almost
isolated battle since the Reds
staged a surprise push behind it
and captured Pohang, 63 miles
(Continued on Page Two)
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