THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME ALASKA
Telephone: Main 126 P- O. Box 61S
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher..-.Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
et Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, August 2, 1950_
RECREATIONAL FACILITIES
When Gov. Ernest Gruening made his first annual re
port to the Secretary of the Interior—he was Harold L.
Ickes then—he urged that “one of the most obvious
methods of increasing the Territorial government’s in
come is in the development of recreational attractions.
In 1940 he said, “the Territory’s economy rests none
too securely” on two props, fishing and mining. Because
of the lack of security as regards fishing and mining, he
urged the development of new activities—and at the top
of the list wps touristfacilities.
Ten years and one world war later, where are the
tourist facilities that were urged in 1940, and what has
been done to develop recreational possibilities in this
land of the “literally unmatched” scepery of which he
wrote in his 1940 report.
In 1941, when the Territory’s economy was resting
none too securely on gold mining and fishing, gold pro
duction was $28,000,000. In 1949 it had dwindled to
something under $8,000,000.
A tourist business—unless another war makes it an
impossibility—would help make up that difference and
build further security for Alaska.
Anv tourist plans of 1940 were probably stopped by
World War II, but in the years since the clase of that
war, those 1940 plans must have been forgotten.
Whereas in 1940 the need and importance of a tour
ist business was stressed in the Governor's report, in
the 1949 report one finds under the heading, “National
Park Service”: “The travel years which ended on Sep
tember 30, 1948, was the heaviest on record at Mount
McKinley National Park . . . Travel would have been
greater but deficiency in hotel acommodations in Alas
ka was a serious deterrent.”
If tourist business was worth courting with addition
recreational facilities ten years ago, it is no less import
ant now.
WHERE HAVE DEFENSE BILLIONS GONE
In the four “peacetime” years from July, 1946, until
the invasion of South Korea, the armed forces of the
United States have spent almost $50,000,000,000.
As Korean fighting reveals deficiencies and shortages
the uestion naturally arises: “What has the money
bought?”
Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson, setting up his
“economy” policy, repeatedly insisted that the program
was providing “a sufficiency of defense for the hour.”
in January he said that there was an adequate of defense
for any possible situation that might develop in the next
two years.
It took nothing but the North Korean invasion of the
Republic of Korea and the President’s decision to send
assistance to the South Koreans to show that the Secre
tary was entirely wrong in his conclusions. Comparison
with enemy weapons reveals that our “hardware” is not
what it should be. By “hardware” is meant the items
that can be used in fighting, like planes, guns, ammuni
tion, ships, tanks, etc.
Military men, generally, went along with the econo
my policy on the ground that a larger military bill
would unbalance the civilian economy. This was the ba
sis of the Johnson administration, supported by the firm
assertion that no real trouble would be expected from
the Soviet Union for at least two years.
It seems to us, with all charity of judgment toward
Sechetary Johnson, that there has been an unjustified
assumption that we would not need to fight and that,
therefore, economy was justified. The experience in Ko
rea reveals how dangerous it is to act upon such a con
clusion and highlights the grave danger of permitting
our entire defense policy to be projected upon the think
ing of one man, or a small group of men.
Korean Situation
At A Glance —
(Continued from Plage One)
the seven-month boycott of U. N.
meetings at least long enough to
preside at the session and renew
demands for the seating of Bed
China.
A New Zealand offer to supply
3,000 ground troops for Korea
was being discussed in Washing
ton with New Zealand air commo
dore J. I. Findlay.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s com
munique said American with
drawals on the north and central
fronts were not “forced” but were
for the purpose of putting the
troops in better positions.
The First Cavalry Division said
it destroyed 16 enemy tanks.
The fighting men of the U. S.
First U. S. Marine Division, arm
ed with npyi 3.5-inch taqk killer
bazookas, flame throwers and
heavier equipment iyjt ypt used in
Korea, were still on the way.
They have been enroute from the
i U. S. Pacific coast for two weeks.
An American intelligence of
ficer said it was believed the en
emy has now committed all his
! available divisions to the battle
line or is moving them into it.
“He is exerting his last ounce
of strength in an attempt to smash
through and drive our forces into
| the sea,” the officer said.
A Mac Arthur spokesman who
previously had estimated Red cas
i ualties at 37,500 said the losses
“are probobly greater than we re
i alize” but would not prevent the
enemy from continuing to attack.
These losses, together with
American reinforcements, mean
that American commanders can
‘ ■* i • f • « * ' f r\ ■ . ■
now “afford to sell ground a little
more cheaply,” he added.
The United Nations navy of
9merica, British, Canadian, New
Zealand, Australian, South Kore
an, Dutch and French warships
patrolled the coasts hunting ene
my supply ships and barges.
About 50 B-29 bombers dropped
400 tons of explosives on the big
chemical and explosives plant at
Hungnam in North Korea, leaving
it a mass of flames and smoke
that billowed to a height of 15,000
feet.
The plant which turned out ex
plosives for the Japanese in the
Second World War, was reported
85 percent effectively damaged
by the strategic bombers on their
first visit two days ago.
Wednesday, August 2, 1950
U. S. 24th Division troops and
Sherman tanks recaptured heights
east of Chinju today in a bloody
counterblow at the North Korean
spearhead thrusting dangerously
close to the south coast base of
Pusan.
But the U. S. First Cayalry gave
up burning Kumchon atthenorth
| west comer of a shrinking Allied
! perimeter and other American
j and South Koreans abandoned
■ four other anchor towns on the
I northern front.
Gen. Douglas Mac Arthur re
j ported that the enemy had launch
ed his “last desperate all-out ef
fort” to drive the Americans out
of Korea as the U. S. First Marine
! Division began disembarking at a
port a little over 40 miles from
the Chinju battlefield.
Sherman tanks, dug in, met
Soviet-made tanks in the battle
A s l » * ,
northeast of Chinju. For a time
! the American counterattackers
were threatened with encircle
ment when the Reds surged
around their flanks. There were
I many American casualties and
! some tank losses.
But the 24th Division troops,
j veterans of the first fighting in
| Korea, regained heights at Sang
! mun, 10 miles east of Chinju, and
reached positions at Wonbung,
five miles southwest of Chungam,
a front line dispatch reported.
This was ground lost Tuesday
j when the communist thrust 15
east of Chinju toward Pusan.
The Red radio at Peiping said
; Chinese communists had offered
military and naval aid to North
Korea but the offer had been re
jected as not needed now. This ap
peared to be a propaganda ges
ture to counter Gen. MacArthur’s
* * i J > «2 .
refusal of Chinese Nationalist
troops from threatened Formosa.
The U. S. government is con
sidering reversing its past policy
of refusing military aid to Gener
alissimo Chiang Kai-Shek.
Washington identified the four
National Guard Divisions that
*
have been called into national
service. They are the 28th from
Pennsylvania, the 40th from Cal
ifornia, the 43rd from Connecti
cut, Vermont and Rhode Island,
and the 45th from Oklahoma, as
well as the 196th xombat team
from South Dakota and the 278th
from Tennessee.
The Marines, bringing flame
■ throwers, bigger tank killing ba
: zookas and M/26 tanks of 45 tons,
| heavier than any yet used in Ko
| rea, were met by a brass band,
playing “From the Halls of Mon
tezuma.”
Teenage newcomers and griz
NOT QUITE BARE
• • «!!■■ II
rtliO
CURRENT
MILITARY i
NEEDS
zled veterans of the outfit declar
ed themselves “feeling fine and
hot to go.”
The fall of Kumchon, about 90
miles to the northwest of the port
of debarkation, had been forecast
when dispatches reported the rail
and highway town was under ar
tillery fire, and that First Cavalry
troops were holding an arc-shap
ed front around it.
Along the twisting northern
front 25th Division and South Ko
rean troops gave up Hamchang,
Sangju, Yechon, and Andong and
withdrew behind the Naktong
River on part of the front. The
North Koreans long had been
stalemated on this front.
But on the east coast, South Ko
reans moved back into Yongdok,
' 25 miles north of Pohang. \
Indications in Washington were
| that the air war in Korea would
| soon be stepped up in scope and
intensity with the sending of
fresh B-29 bombers to Japan.
The air force flew a record 500
day and night sorties in an effort
to check the enemy’s most dan
gerous thrusts. Fighter planes left
Chinju and nearby Sochan in
flames after a five-hour attack.
, Concerted air and naval bom
bardments were levelled at the
small South Korean ports of Mok
po and Yosu where the Reds were
attempting to unload supplies
from small boats,
i American destroyers supported
. the air strikes at Yosu, British de
; stroyers aimed at Mokpo and
: South Korean patrol boats moved
! in later with follow-up attacks,
j The Americans east of Cfcnju
were fighting to keep from being
! driven onto flat country with no
natural barriers.
Authoritative sources in Paris,
reporting on recent Atlantic Pact
j meetings in London, said it has
| been brought home to Europeans
! in a forceful manner that Ameri
f can leaders have no hope of de
; fending Western Europe if a Rus
. sian attack should take place im
mediately.
i In “X” months—the number is
j
a secret — Britain and France
could be strengthened sufficiently
to make a successful stand, how
ever, these sources reported.
Belgians went back to work af
ter week-long strikes and disor
ders that approached revolution-o
ary scope. Socialist Paul-Henri
Spaak said anti-Leopoldists forces
had won a “complete victory”
over the king, who returned from
exile against their opposition but
has now promised to turn his
powers over to Crown Prince Bau
douin.
“The king will cease to reign
and will never reign again,”
Spaak said.
HIGHWAY ENGINEER HERE ^
ON ANNUAL TRIP
* ' I *
Frank Metcalf, Highway En
gineer, arrived this morning on
his annual trip to this area and is
interested in finding out the road
needs of the Second Division. He
stated he was particularly anxious
that during his week’s stay that
he be contacted on the road pro
gram as his department is most
anxious to meet the needs of the
area.
In relation to the dredging of
the boat harbor in Snake River,
he stated that he regretted that
the matter had been delayed as
long as it has and the project will
get underway immediately. He
stated that the Territory wouldg.
pay one third of the expense, the
City of Nome one third and the
Lomen Commercial Co., one third.
A fujl report of the program for
this area will be announced in
Friday’s paper.