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
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Friday, September 24, 1948
I
ALASKA—KEY TO THE WORLD !
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
On his last important public appearance, February 11,
1935, one year before his death, Brig. Gen. William!
Mitchell told the House military affairs committee:
“Alaska is the most central place in the world for air
craft, and that is true either of Europe, Asia or North
America. I
“I believe, in the future, he who holds Alaska will
hold the world, and I think it is the most strategic place
in the world.”
Gen. Billy Mitchell was one of the great military
strategists. He is most noted as the prophet of air power
though an unheeded prophet, finally discredited and
courtmartialed for advocating a concept of military avi
ation which, had it been adopted instead of scorned,
would have saved the blood of many Americans in
World War II.
Honor and rank were restored to him posthumously.
War vindicated him. He was right. His detractors were
wrong.
Will it take another holocaust, with American itself as
the battleground, to prove him right about Alaska?
The question may reasonably be asked in the light of
recent revelations in the Hearst newspapers that Alaska
is weakly defended and vulnerable to attack.
Kodiak Island is a potentially great base, but accord
ing to our navy officers there, a determined enemy
could capture it overnight. One said, “It would take;
8,000 men to post a sentry line around Kodiak. We have
not got 800.”
Once secured, Kodiak could base aerial attacks on'
Seattle and Prince Rupert, Alaska’s main supply ports,
and on our military airfields at Anchorage and Fair-|
banks. Forces at Nome and Point Barrow would be cut
off—“Wake Islands” of the new conflict.
Our pitiful Alaskan defense was strengthened this
summer by an additional 2,000 army troops.
But this winter, because of the lack of permanent'
housing, the army will be forced to withdraw 7,000
troops from the Territory.
Yet, in Siberia, Soviet Russia maintains a network of.
air bases, b uilt up before and during World War II.
They were used, in that conflict, for ferrying U. S.
lend-lease aircraft across Siberia to the Russo-German
front. Russian pilots picked up the planes in Alaska.
American pilots were not permitted to fly these gift-'
planes to Siberia. !
Once we were accustomed to thinking of Alaska as
“far away.”
Alaska is not far from any point in the United States.
It is a bomber-flight from New York, less than 2,800
air miles. Less than 2,300 from Chicago; 870 from Seat
tle; 1,500 from San Francisco; 1,900 from Los Angeles.
But we do not hold Alaska in the sense that General
Mitchell meant.
It is a U. S. possession, purchased from Russia in 1867
for $7,200,000.
It is a Territory, soon perhaps to realize its rightful
claims for Statehood.
It is an empire of great material wealth, the worth of
which is exceeded only by its strategic value.
But its defenses are not as strong as the defenses of
Hawaii were on Pearl Harbor Day, 1941!
The richest prize in the world is unsecured in any real
military sense.
It is a fact of history that for 100 years before this
country acquired Alaska, it was designated on the maps
as “Russian America.”
It is up to Americans to make sure that the degisna
tion does not become a tragic footnote to the history of
the future.
SETTUNO DOWN FOR A CHATTER
f
FARMING FOR THE FUTURE
(New World News Service)
The United States of America is harvesting the big
gest crop in its history—1.2 billion bushels of wheat and
3.5 billion bushels of corn. This means abundance for
all in America and a great surplus to help Europe and
Asia.
Yet which idea will be fed to the hungry millions with
this food? Molotov said: “Those who do not live as we
do will not eat.” The materialists* strategy is to with
hold food until men are so hungry they accept an idea
their hearts and minds reject.
But when men with conviction act on a positive pro
gram they take the initiative out of the materialists*
hands. A French farmer, Jean Cochard, organized a
campaign this year to grow more wheat in France. The
result was two and one-half million more acres of wheat
on French farms.
At a recent Assembly of twenty-five million farmers
at Versailles the communists tried to sabotage this pro
gram of recovery. Cochard appealed to his country
men’s sense of responsibility and love of the land. The
meeting was turned from one of protest to one of con
structive cooperation. A key maneuver in the ideologi
cal war was won.
Realizing food could be a great uniting force between
nations, the Dutch cabinet this summer gave two hun
dred thousand tons of vegetables to Germany without
guarantee of payment. This is the new economy of un
selfishness where if everyone cares enough and every
one shares enough, everyone will have enough.
• “^———
AN ODD HOBBY
(Baltimore Sun—Observed by Geo. W. Olinger)
There is a man whose hobby is climbing rickety stairs,
patience to listen, and cultivating the ability to walk
and talk to old-times about early days. There a hobby
affords unlimited vision and delight.
He discovered this hobby at the head of a dark, nar
row stairway one day on a business errand. There he
met a little old woman whose lagging strength permit
ted her only enjoyment the static rasping of a little old
radio. But the old thing had gone dead, and the little wo
man was walking the floor in distress. The caller knew
of an unemployed young man who understood the mys
teries of a radio and in a short space of time the little old
woman had a mysterious caller who offered to fix her
radio without cost.
In another impoverished room lived a lonely old man,
who talked of the places he used to haunt as a boy, when
he had a free afternoon and a bit of fishing tackle. He
had plenty of free afternoons now, but not the where
with to pick up some tackle. The next morning a mode?!
I package was delivered to his door. And if folks wish to
find this old man these days, they might as well start at
! the favorite fishing holes. Somehow his church folks
were informed what the old man
! wanted and his wishes were
i promptly filled.
i There was a woman nearly sev
enty years old. She was receiving
a pension of five dollars a week,
and she was not very cheerful. She
J said she wished she h*d a new
Bible. All she could read were the
fragments of one which she had
treasured since she was a girl of
eleven. Soon the Bible Society sent
her a fine one, with type easy to
read.
I know not how many there are
on relief in your town or mine, but
i I do know financial relief cannot
I bring these touches of happiness
that counteract loneliness in bleak
quarters. Only the uncanny hobby
of discovering their wishes and
fulfilling them can do this.
_
CHURCHES
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Sunday—
Masses at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
At the Base Chapel at 4:30 p.m.
LAVINIA WALLACE YOUNG
MISSION
Pastors - Rev. H. R. Amundsen
and Rev. Theran McGrew
Sunday:
11:00 a.m. Sunday School.
7:30 p.m. Evening Service.
Wednesday - 3:30 pjn. - Chil
dren’s Miracle Book Club.
Thursday - 7:30 p.m. - Prayer
Meeting.
FEDERATED CHURCH
Sunday
10:00 a.m. Sunday School.
PENTACOSTAL ASSEMBLY OF
GOD
Third Avenue West
Pastor A. E. Capener
Sunday—
Sunday School.10:30 a.m*
Evening service .7:45 p.m.
Wednesday—
Bible Study .7:45 pm.
EVERYONE WELCOME
CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
Corner of Third and Division
Rev. Lewis I. Hudgins. Pasior
He lives most who thinks most,
feels the noblest, acts the best.
—Bailey
10:00 a.m. Singspiration and Sun
day School Classes.
11:00 a.m. Morning message.
6:30 p.m. Young People’s Service
In charge of O. B. Morse and
George Suderman.
7:30 p.m. Singspiration and spe
cial music.
8:00 p.m. Evening message. Evan
gelist Rev. C. Helen MooshiariT
will be guest speaker.
7:30 p.m.—Every evening, Miss
Mooshian will conduct Special
'Evangelist Services — Special
Music.
Come and bring your Bible.
You are ever welcome to attend
0
these services.
NOME GOSPEL MISSION
of
Alaska Evangelisation Society
|
-e*
1
Rev. Vern Rimling, Pastor
I Sunday:
I 2:00 p.m. Sunday School.
^:30 p.m. Gospel Service.
Tuesday:
7:30 p.m. Prayer and Testimony
Thursday:
2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Bible Club for
Boys and Girls. . ^
Friday: •
7:30 p.m. Bible Study.