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
W. A. Boucher-:.Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943, at the postoffice
•t Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
________
Nome, Alaska, Friday, August 18, 1950
TANKS SEEM GOOD ANYWHERE
We note that an officer, at the headquarters of Gen
eral MacArthur, situated in Tokyo, reports that one of
the casualties of the fighting in Korea has been the the
ory of “tank country.”
There have been theories, held by various officers,
that tanks could not operate in difficult terrain. Never
theless, the Russian-made tanks, being used by the Ko
reans, seem to be able to negotiate muddy rice paddies,
as well as the steep, rugged hills of Korea’s central
spine.
In brief, it might be a good idea for military officers
in general to drop their theories as to what the enemy
can do with particular weapons and concentrate atten
tion on the business of stopping the best that the enemy;
can offer anywhere. It is always a mistake for strate-j
gists to build their defense upon a theory and the best;
evidence along this line is the French idea that the [
Maginot Line would contain the Germany Army.
DISCOUNTS BALKAN RUMORS
The apprehension of top directors of American for
eign policy that trouble will break out in the Bankans
is not shared by Lieutenant-General James A. Van
Fleet, retiring director of the joint United States Mili
tary Advisory and Planning group in Greece.
General Van Fleet, who recently returned to this
country, spent two and a half years in Greece as admin
istrator of military aid in its war with Communist-led
guerrillas. Here is what the veteran officer thinks about
the possibility of trouble in the Balkans:
“On the basis of intelligence reports available when I
left Greece, I think gestures toward Yugoslavia and
Greece on the part of the Cominform satellite countries
are just part of a war of nerves and I discount them.”
It’s about time that somebody saw the flying saucers
again; better still, it might be a good idea, if there are
any such things, to let the Koreans see them. . . . When
the first shot was fired in Korea thousands of business
men in the U. S. looked with glee upon the record of the
profits they made during World War II. . . . It strikes
us as extremely silly that the great industrial plants of
the United States have not been set to work to produce
the largest and best tanks in the world
«
EVERYONE HAS A LICENSE—
r
BARUCH
/--a
TAFT
*00 iUZATION
ffcOG^Al'A
Korean situation
At A Glance —
f Continued from Page One>
north of Pusan.
The British destroyer Concord
and Chinese communist shore bat
teries fought a 30-minute duel on
the approaches to Hong Kong.
This was disclosed to have been
the second such exchange of fire
in the tense Far East. The British
frigate Whitesand Bay shot at
communist gun emplacements in
the same area on Aug. 2, it was of
ficially reported.
The Concord fought with com
munist batteries on three islands
—Taitami, Puntin and Lingtin—in
self-defense, the British said.
There was one minor British cas
ualty.
In the past week nea naileries
on the islands have fired on three
merchant ships — British, Ameri
can and Norwegian.
In Washington, Senator Wiley
(R.-Wis.) said the Russians had
“baited a trap” to involve the U.
S. with the Chinese communists
in a struggle which Would “bleed
us completely dry.” He called for
an all-out effort to keep the Chi
nese communists from being in
volved in the Korean struggle.
In Washington, too, it was be
lieved by many that the Russians
in cooperation with Red China
may re-occupy North Korea. An
Allied offensive beyond the 38th
parallel would thus involve direct
fighting with Russia.
Navy pilots reported the de
struction or damage of 34 tanks in
new sweeps. Fifth Air Force pilots
said they damaged eight tanks in
ground support attacks. U. S. air
men were using a new 6-inch
tank-killed rocket that had been
rushed into production only four
weeks ago.
Reds Bind And
Shoot Thirty-Two
U. S. Prisoners
(Continued from Page One)
ridge recaptured by the Fifth Cav
alry yesterday afternoon. The
American prisoners were killed
only two hours before troopers re
took the ridge.
The Americans seized the ridge
at 6:30 p.m. The hill had been
fought over for three days.
The 37 Americans were mowed
down by bursts of gunfire.
Three North Korean prisoners
were taken after a sharp fire
fight nearby. One of them was
positively identified by an Ameri
can survivor—Cpl. James Melvin
Rudd of Salyersville, Ky.—as a
members of the squad of killers.
This prisoner denied he had
taken any part in the action. Reg
imental officer said he would be
sent back with recommendation
that he be tried as a war criminal.
On the way back from the front
We met the prisoner and Corporal
Rudd on their trip back for joint
questioning. With Rudd was an
other survivor—Corporal Roy L.
Day, Jr., ..J Paso, Tex.
Day looked at the two North
Korean prisoners in the back of
the truck and said:
.“If you ask me, I think they
should be shot just as they shot
our men, rather than be given a
trial. Or else we ought to string
them up right now.”
Friends of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Sei
denverg will regret to hear that
Eileen, their only daughter has
just had polio. She has been in
Harborview hospital in Seattle, it
is reported, and is now home with
a slight limp.
r alr er Airport i
Land Propject
“Not Off-Color”
(Continued from Page One)
port in 1946. At that time the Ter
ritory of Alaska was not included
in the federal aid airport law ap
plying to the States.
The deal, he said, involved sale
of the land to the Territory for
$150,000, with a rebate of $145,000
to the Territory.
ANCHORAGE, U—Four points
raised in Congress Wednesday by
Sen. Butler (R.-Neb.) in connec
tion with the Palmer Airport As
sociation were answered yester
day by George S. Schwamm.
Schwamm, director of the Ter
ritorial Aeronautical Commission,
1 denied there was any scheme or
j “subterfuge” in connection with
I Palmer Airport land negotiaions.
Saying he wa$ speaking for at
torney Stanley McCutcheon, now
| in Seattle, Schwamm said the
' $5,628.42 paid him constituted le
! gitimate attorney’s fees for work |
on seven airports at remote loca- l
tions, including travel. He said i
McCutcheon actually receiv e d
$1,500 for the Palmer transaction.1
He termed Butler’s implication;
of personal profit through Me-!
Cutcheon’s banking connections i
as “horsefeathers.”
Schwamm noted that an investi
, gation sought by Territorial Rep.
'Marcus Jensen had no jurisdiction
at Juneau, and pointed out Jen- i
sen did not extend the “smear” to
Anchorage, wheer the U. S. attor
ney does have jurisdiction to hold:
' an investigation.
The airport program director j
declared Butler was in error in
1 quoting a price of $43 per acre by
j referring to documents purported
j ly showing Schwamm quoted
$1,000 per acre by a Miss Hill late
last April, and $500 for the first,
six acres, plus an additional con
stantly accelerating price of $250
I per acre by Harold Thuma in Au
gust, 1949.
Schwamm produced letters from
Jack E. Maze of the Matanuska
, Valley Bank; M. D. Snodgrass, a
* major landholder, and James Hur
■ ley, manager of the Alaska Rural
j Rehabilitation Corp., all of which
| he said, listed estimates at above j
j the price paid, ranging from $160,-'
j to $171,000 for the entire area.
“It was a good, clean business-;
like deal and there is nothing to(
hide,” Schwamm said. “We made
, shortcuts but did nothing off-col- j
or, and as: a result will be able to
i dedicate the Palmer airport on
Sept. 2.” |
Regarding a Butler charge that
McCutcheon signed a voucher for
Roland Snodgrass, secretary of
the Palmer Airport Association,
Schwamm said McCutcheon ob
tained permission by long distance
telephone and a documented
transcript, properly witnessed,
will prove the act was only one to
gtt the papers in time to secure
funds. *
“Everything was done with fed
eral approval and supervision,
and-the McCutcheon bill is even
now being further itemized to
please the public,” Schwammsaid.
“I repeat it’s political ‘digger-up
pers’ who are fighting the work.
The airport is now 90 per cent
complete, and the CAA is pleased
with our progress.”
Meanwhile it was disclosed that
Walter Plett, CAA administrator
for the Eighth Region, not only
♦
approved the airport program step
by step in his official capacity,
but specifically approved the land
transaction at Palmer in a letter
to Schwamm and Gove r n o r
Employees Benefit
From Will Of Capt.
Austin E. Lathrop
FAIRBANKS, (JP) — Fifty-two
relatives, employees, business as
sociates and hospital and educa
tional organizations were named
residuary beneficiaries in the es
tate of Capt. Austin E. Lathrop,
pioneer businessman killed in an
accident July 26.
Petition for probate said merely
that the estate was valued “in ex
cess of $500,000.” Outside sources
have estimated the estate might
run from three to four million.
The will provided that Lath
rop’s vast interests continue to op- (
erate under a trusteeship known
as “Lathrop Trust” for five years
after the residue of the estate was
distributed to trustees by the ex
ecutors.
Lathrop left two types of be
quests—cash and stock in Lathrop
Company. Bequests of stock, value
as estimated, ranged from five to
200 shares.
Among the larger bequests in
stofck were 200 shares to Mr. and
Mrs. Austin G. Cooley, New York,
nephew; 175 to Zoe Cooley Green,
Kent, Wash., niece; 150 to Mrs.
Cleo Boyce, Seattle, stepdaughter;
233 to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Eugene
Richards, Klamath Falls, Ore.,
nephew; and 150 each to Miss
Miriam Dickey, Fairbanks, secre
tary to the Lathrop Company;
Sydney C. Raynor, Anchorage,
and Harry J. Hill, Anchorage.
The will provided the directors
of the Lathrop Company to make
an annual donation of $100 at
Chritsmas time to the Pioneers*
Home at Sitka. Otherwise all
Alaskan beneficiaries were in An
chorage, Fairbanks and Cordova.
MRS. ANDREW NERLAND
RETURNS FROM STATES VISIT
Mrs. Andrew Nerland, teacher
for the primary department of the
Nome school returned Wednesday
from a visit*in Kansas with her
family. She states that she had the
pleasure of visiting with Emily
Morgan, former head nurse of the
Maynard Columbus Hospital for
many years, and Dorothy Russell,
well-liked deaconess of the La
vinia Wallace Young Mission.
They are both in good health,
Mrs. Nerland reports and send
greeting sto their many friends in
Nome. Miss Russell plans on en
tering a school for special training
as a Christian worker this winter.
Greuning July 18, 1950.
“Such an arrangement is clearly
permissible under the federal air
port act as long as the municipal
ity assumes the existing obliga
tions of the Territory,” Plett’s let
ter stated.
This disclosure was aimed at
Sen. Butler’s “point four” charge
of a “washout transaction” in
connection with the purchase.
In the letter Plett explained the
arrangedements as follows:
On April 11, 1950, the Territory
paid the Palmer Airport Associa
tion, a non-profit, private organ
ization, $150,000, and 13 days later
the Association returned all but
$5,000, which had gone to acquire
land not previously owned by the
Association. The association then
released the land to the Territory,
provided it hold an option to take
back the airport on behalf of Pal
mer if a municipal corporation
ever was formed.
°1ett said the deal is an eligible
project cost, whether construed as
a purchase or a gift, and he in
closed an opinion of Frank R.
Yates, acting comptroller general,
supporting his statement.