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OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LIV No. 41 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1952 Per Copy— 15<r
Alt. Gen. McGrath Fires Clean-Up
Man Newbold Morris And Then
President Truman Fires McGrath
By ED CREAGH «
WASHINGTON, (^)—The Tru
man administration’s we - can
clean-up - the - government - our
selves program—as organized two
s months ago—has blown sky high.
And a federal judge from Phila
delphia, friendly, 56 - year - old
James P. McGranery, was called
in Friday to serve as the nation’s
attorney general and try to pick
up the pieces of the anti-corrup
tion drive.
McGranery — if confirmed by
the Senate, and it looks as if he
will be—must come to Washing
ton in the slippery aftermath of
the biggest governmental explo
sion to rock the capital since
President Truman’s middle-of-the
night dismissal of Gen. MacAr
thur.
The known casualties:
J. Howard McGrath, attorney S
general. McGrath plummeted out
of the cabinet of his old friend
Harry Truman Thursday with a
few tears, a statement that he was
paying “the penalty” for doing
his duty as he saw it, and a tip
to his successor: bring asbestos
pants with you.
Newbold Morris, Republican
“cleanup chief” for the admin
istration. McGrath fired Morris
with rare abruptness just before
going onto the greased skids him
self. Morris fed pigeons from a
park bench for a while, then aver
red he was fired because he
wouldn’t turn his corruption-in
government investigation into a
whitewash.
The man at top, Harry Truman,
announced the “resignation” of his
1948 campaign manager, McGrath
(Continued on Page Two)
I
I
Russia Breaks
Off Relations
With Cuba j
HAVANA, Cuba, (JP) — Russia
broke diplomatic relations with
Cuba Thursday night because —
she said—the island’s revolution
ary government turned back two
Soviet diplomatic couriers carry
ing secret bags of documents from
Mexico City.
A sharp note from Moscow said
refusal to admit the two couriers
deprived the Soviet legation of
normal diplomatic link with the
Kremlin.
Cuban sources have charged
the Russian legation in Havana
was a center for Communist spy
ing and intrigue stretching all
through Latin America.
The English - language Havana
Post said in an editorial Cuba
herself may have been on the
verge of breaking relations with
Moscow because of these activi
ties.
ACS Opens Seattle Office
To Alaska Patrons For
Duration of W.U. Strike
“Until the present Western
Union strike is culminated, the
Alaska Communication System
will again accept messages and
telegraphic money orders destined
to Alaska, at its counter in the
Federal Office Building, Seattle.
The ACS will also deliver Seattle
messages originating in Alaska,
Col. Fred P. Andrews, command
ing officer erf the system, announ
ced today. The ACS counter will
be open between the hours of
5 am. until midnight on week
days and 8 am. until midnight
on Sundays and holidays.
Patrons having charge accounts
with the ACS may file messages
by telephone. All other patrons
must file their messages over the
ACS counter. Col. Andrews em
phasized that this announcement
6hould in no way be interpreted
as a solicitation of business, but
that this temporary service is of
fered an interim measure dur
ing the present situation.”
Weather B-29
Crash Lands At
Moses Point
FAIRBANKS, (JP) — A B-29
from the 58th Weather Recon
naissance Squadron at Eielson Air
Force Rase crash landed with its
wheels retracted at Moses Point,
450 miles west of here, at noon
Wednesday. None of the nine
crewmen suffered more than
minor bruises.
Propellors of two engines were
stopped and a third was giving
only partial power when the plane
was forced to land two and one
half hours after it left Eielson cm
its normal “Loon Dog” mission
over Bering Sea to the island
of Attu. The trip normally is a
15-hour flight.
The accident spoiled the 58th’s
safety record of no mishaps in
more than a thousand missions
since 1947. The squadron has
flown 412 “Loon Dog” missions
and nearly 600 “Ptarmigan” mis
sions over the North Pole with
out a crash.
The plane was piloted by Capt.
James B. Allen and Capt. Fred V.
Masterson was the craft’s com
mander. A plane was sent to
Moses Point Wednesday night to
bring back the crew from their
“extensively” damaged four-en
gine aircraft.
House Recommends Four
Billion Cut In Funds For
Defense Department
WASHINGTON, (fl5)—A $4,240,
638,500 cut in the Defense De
partment’s $50,921,022,770 budget
for the fiscal year starting July 1
was recommended by the House
Appropriations Committee Thurs
day.
The $46,680,384,270 the commit
tee approved won’t be enough if
actual war starts, and will be
far too much if peace somes sud
denly, Rep. Mahon (D-Tex), chair
man of the group that prepared
the .budget, told newsmen.
Demands for stiffer cuts are
expected to be made in the House
when the bill is debated next
week.
s *
Wien Prepares
For Increased
Summer Activity
Wien Airlines has announced
that Paul Spurlock is the new
traffic manager for the Nome
area. Spurlock is well known here
having been with Alaska Airlines.
Manager Jack Whaley also an
nounced increased activity for the
summer in this area with Nome
based bush planes operating on
-the Nome, Kotzebue, Candle and
Deering run. They plan also to
give more service to towns on
the west coast of the Peninsula,
including Teller, Lost fftver,
Wales, Tin City and Diomede.
Scheduled to arrive today on its
first flights is one of the com
panies’ newly finished DC - 3
planes which has been completely
overhauled and redecorated, and
having all the comforts and con
veniences for the accommodation
of 28 passengers. Over $35,000
was spent on the plane. Two other
DC-3s will take care of the daily
flights to Nome and daily flights
to Kotzebue this summer.
It was also anounced that there
would be two shuttle flights a
week between Kotzebue and
Nome as well as two freight
flights a week between Fairbanks
and Nome. The freight flights
will handle 10,000 pounds in a
C-46 cargo plane.
Other personnel of interest ta
Nome include Hank Miller who
will be operations manager at
Nome and Jim Freericks will be
bush pilot. He has been based
at Kotzebue this winter.
Arriving this month at Kotze
bue will be Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Whaley who will be in charge of
the Wien operations there. They
will be assisted by Emma Bellows
as cook. Mrs. Bellows is a well
known Nomeite, having operated
the North Pole Bakery for many
years.
Chamber Committee To
Plan Publication Of
1952 Tourist Info Booklet
One of the most important com
mittees of the Chamber of Com
merce right now is the Tourist
Committee, which has many prob
lems to meet for the season about
to begin.
Following the initial meeting
held at the Wallace Hotel, a sec
ond meeting was held at the Nome
Drug Store with all members re
porting on their various assign
ments.
The committee has announced
that plans are underway for the
publication of the 1952 N W A
Tourist Booklet to meet ithe de
mand of booking agencies, tour
ists, etc. The following booklet
committee has been named to
handle the campaign:
Boyd Harwood, Mrs. Joe Wal
lace, Paul Spurlock, James Walsh,
Russell Arnett, Keith Hedreen,
Dewey Goodrich, Mayor Charles
Jones, Carrie McLain, Enid Duf
field, Harry Ludbrook, Harry Ga
brielson, Carl Glavinovich, Don
ald Lyle, Les Bronson, Jack Dil
lon, and Oliver Boe.
Others interested will be wel
comed to the meeting next Tues
day at 7:30 p.m. at the City Hall.
Anchorage Democrats
Invite Sen. Kefauver
To Speak At Dinner
ANCHORAGE. <>P)—Sen. Estes
Kefauver, Tennessee Democrat
who seeks his party’s presidential
nomination, has been invited to
be main speaker at the Anchorage
Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner.
Stanley McCutcheon, territorial
Democratic National committee
man, said Kefauver’s response to
the invitation—tendered by tele
phone—“gave every indication he
would accept if at all possible.”
Kefauver is one of three South
ern Senators who gave complete
support to statehood for Alaska,
McCutcheon pointed out. A defin
ite reply is expected within a few
days.
Taft and Ike Appear
Neck and Neck In Iowa
And Michigan Conventions
(By the Associated Press)
Supporters of Sen. Taft and
General Eisenhower maneuvered
busily Friday for delegates in the
important mid - West Republican
state conventions — Iowa and
Michigan.
The odds appeared about evenly
divided for both presidential as
pirants in each state. Backers of
other candidates were not so
active.
Iowa Republicans meet in Des
Moines Friday to select 26 dele
gates to the Chicago national con
vention. Informal caucuses by
counties and congressional dis
tricts left the outlook muddled.
But it appeared from prelim
inary committments that Taft and
Eisenhower were running neck
and neck, backers of each claim
ing four of .the eight districts.
In Michigan Republicans ap
peared agreed to compromise on
dividing the state’s 46-vote dele
gation rather than risk a show
down fight.
Leaders of both Taft and Eisen
hower forces issued statements
claiming an edge, but each said
they would oppose a resolution
favoring agreement that Michigan
favoring convention endorsement
of any candidate. They said there
was general agreement that Mich
igan would have an uninstructed
delegation.
The General’s backers pushed
their campaign in Illinois for a
write-in victory over Taft in next
Tuesday’s preference primary. The
Ohio senator is on the ballot.
Respiratory Infection
Hits Small Community
ANCHORAGE, (/P)—An “upper
respiratory infection” has claimed
the life of a small child at Non
dalton some 200 miles southwest
of here, the Alaska Health De
partment reported Thursday.
Two Air Force doctors were
being flown to the area to help
treat 15 other children and two
adults, also reported stricken.
Three children, all under five
months, flown to Providence Hos
pital here by the Tenth Rescue
Squadron, were out of danger
after treatment, hospital officials
said.
Mrs. Forest Jones, Nondalton
schoolteacher who helped care for
the stricken children, and her hus
band, were reported hit.
Walt Leslie Suing
Alaska Airlines
For $11,500
ANCHORAGE, (JP) — A Nome
man is suing Alaska Airlines for
$11,150, claiming he lost a meat
market and gold mine after an
airliner hit his persopal plane and
left* him without means of trans
portation.
The suit was filed Wednesday
in federal corurt by Walter Leslie,
former owner of a Nome meat
market.
Leslie’s complaint said his mar
ket sold reindeer meat, Arctic
trout, dry fish, seal liver and
blubber that he picked up on
plane flights to native villages.
The complaint said he lost the
market after an Alaska Airlines
plane crashed into his light plane
when it was tied up at the Nome
airport. He contended the airline
did not keep a promise to have
the plane repaired within two or
three weeks or to furnish him
with alternative transportation.
Leslie also complained that he
lost a gold mine in the Endicott
range because damage to his plane
made it impossible for him to get
to the placer location to perform
necessary assessment work.
He asked $5,000 for loss of the
mining claim, $4,250 for loss of
meat market business and $1,900
for damage to the plane.
Air Force Continuing
To Check All “Flying
Saucer” Reports
WASHINGTON, ({?) — The Air
Force says it is continuing to
check all “flying saucer” reports
and welcomes them. But checking
is done now through “normal
staff channels” rather than as a
special project.
“In most cases,” an Air Force
spokesman said, “the findings
have proved to be weather bal
loons and natural phenomena.
“There remains, however, a
number of reported sightings that
cannot be thus explained, and as
long as this is true, the Air Force
will continue to study the prob
lem.”
All reports are turned over to
the air technical intelligence cen
ter at Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base.
The statement was in answer to
queries concerning a Life maga
zine report that the Air Force is
taking new, serious interest in
“flying saucers.”
%
Congress Will be Asked to
Expand Atom Production
By Five Billion Dollars
NEW YORK, <jP)—The chief of
the Atomic Energy Commission
says Congress is going to be asked
to expand atomic production to
the tune of five billion dollars.
Commission chairman Gordon
Dean said Thursday night that
Congress would be asked to au
thorize possibly “the largest con
struction task that industry has
been asked to perform.”
Dean said the United States is
engaged “in a life-and-death race
with the Soviet Union in the man
ufacture of atomic weapons.”