U T
ni.nrST MFWSPAPfcR TIM ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LIV No. 64 , ' Per Copy—15«
Churchill Asserts
Reds Have Doubled
Strength In Korea
LONDON, (/P) j- The British
parliament was told Wednesday
that Communist forces in North
Korea had almost doubled their
strength during the cease - fire
talks and Prime Minister Church
ill called the situation “very
grave.”
Lord Alexander, Britain’s de
fense minister, said Communist
forces are not far short of a
million men, compared with just
over 500,000 last July. He spoke
to the House of Lords and a sim
ilar statement was read in the
House of Commons by Churchill.
Churchill declared: “The United
Nations commanders, American
generals on the spot, believe they
are capable of holding a violent
offensive which may be made
against them on the breakdown
of the peace negotiations.
“They are responsible for taking
the necessary measures, but what
• those measures would be I can
not presume to forecast at all.
Churchill added that in the past
10 months “We have been en
gaged in truce making in extra
ordinary conditions, in which I
do not think there has ever been
any will to peace on the side of
enemy, who was suffering so
heavily when the truce was begun
and who have certainly improved
their position in the meanwhile.”
Commander Pusan Army
Base Relieved Because
Of The “Dodd Affair”
KOJE ISLAND, Korea, (/P)—A
high military source said Wednes
day Brig. Gen. Paul F. Yount was
being relieved of command a
month earlier than scheduled be
cause of his part in the now
famous “Dodd Affair.”
Yount, commander of the Pusan
Army Base, was the immediate
superior of Brig. Gen. Francis T.
Dodd when Dodd was kidnaped
and held hostage by Communist
prisoners of war on Koje Island
May 7.
Yount already had been repri
manded and Dodd has been re
duced to his permanent rank of
colonel.
In reprimanding Yount, the De
partment of the Army said he
“overlooked the erroneous impli
cations” of promises made to se
cure Dodd’s release.
House Tentatively
Approves $78,000,000
Alaska Air Projects
WASHINGTON, (TP) — The
House Armed Services Committee
has tentatively approved Alaska
Air Force projects totaling more
than $78,000,000.
The approval, subject to a later
congressional vote, was given dur
ing consideration Tuesday of a
three billion dollar military pub
lic works bill.
The House group was to con
sider Wednesday a request for
one billion dollars for military
fields abroad, including sc/me to
be used by North Atlantic Treaty
Organization forces.
Congressmen Propose
Probe Into Softpedaling
Of Lindbergh Services
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Two
Illinois congressmen want the
House to investigate why Charles
A. Lindbergh’s services 'to the gov
ernment have not been more
widely publicized.
Reps. Hoffman and Vail—both
Republicans—said a conspiracy to
silence hides the famous flyers
deeds. In a joint statement they
said the Roosevelt administration
“tarnished” Lindbergh’s reputa
tion because the flyer opposed the
late President’s attitude toward
World W-ar II.
In separate resolutions, Hoff
man and Vail proposed creation of
a special House committee to in
quire into:
(1) Confidential reports Lind
bergh made to the government
before World War II on the Ger
man air force; (2) his activities in
the Pacific and elsewhere during
World WTar II; and (3) his con
fidential surveys of air bases and
other activities in the interest of
national defense after World War
II.
I
Communists Hint Armies
Will March Because Of
Allied Treatment of POWs
MUNSAN, (/P)—For the second
straight day Communist truce ne
gotiators hinted Wednesday that
Red armies in Korea would march
because of Allied handling of cap
tured Reds. The U.N. Command
delegation dismissed the threat as
propaganda.
North Korean Gen. Nam II re
peated Red charges that captured
Reds had been mistreated. Then
he added:
“The Korean people’s army and
the Chinese people’s volunteers
absolutely shall not sit idle while
their fellow combatants are being
wantonly murdered by your side.”
He said almost identically the
same thing yesterday.
Maj. Gen. William K. Harrison,
Jr., senior Allied delegate, told
Nam II his statement “is indica
tive of your obvious intentions not
to use these conferences to arrive
at an agreement, but merely to
generate your propaganda.’’
U.N. Proposal Would
Limit Big Three Armies
To Million and Half Men
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., (JP)—
The Western Big Three powers
have agreed upon a proposal to
set -a ceiling of 1M> million men
each for the armed forces of the
Soviet Union, the United States
and China — provided that all
three and the United Nations con
cur.
This proposal is scheduled to be
presented late Wednesday to the
U.N. Disarmament Commission.
It is the West’s answer to Russia’s
demand for a flat one-third re
duction of all armed forces of the
big powers.
The paper makes it clear that
the ceiling will not become ef
fective until and unless agreed
by the powers concerned and by
the United Nations. It also calls
for strict safeguards to see that
no one violates the limits.
Soviet Subs Stick
Close to Bases In
China and Russia
TOKYO, (/P) — Soviet subma
rines in the Pacific are sticking
close to their bases in Russia and
Red China and aren’t likely to
do anything else, the new com
mander of U.S. Naval Forces in
the Far East said Wednesday.
The Russian subs are the .main
potential threat to the forces of
Vice Adm. Robert P. Briscoe. He
is optimistic about handling them,
or anything else that might op
pose his fleet.
He said it is quite likely the
Reds are utilizing the Chinese
coast to build submarine pens but
he pointed out that waters all
along this coast generally are
shallow and favor the hunter ra
ther than the hunted in sub
marine warfare.
Briscoe said it is possible the
Communists are constructing con
crete reinforced submarine shel
ters at Port Arthur, Dairen, Tsing
tao, and even on the island of
Sakhalin, which would give them
quick access to Allied shipping
routes.
Briscoe said U.S. ships steer
well clear of Red waters to avoid
any possible incident.
Truman Rakes Kremlin
For Spreading Lies About
Germ Warfare In Korea
WASHINGTON, OP)—President
Truman raked the Kremlin Wed
nesday for “passing out the lies”
that the United Nations have used
germ warfare in Korea.
The President told a White
House delegation:
“The Kremlin cries that we
have used germ warfare.
“There isn’t a word of truth in
that. We have never broken the
Geneva Convention in our opera
tions in Korea.
“And they know that. They
know it well. But they keep on
passing out the lies that have no
foundation in fact whatever.”
A delegation from the American
Action Committee against mass
deportations in Romania heard
the President assert:
“The Kremlin bombards the
world with cries of peace—peace.
And the Kremlin brings on war
—war, at every point that she
%
possibly can.”
Mrs. Ellis Arnall Gives
Head of OPS Bad Time
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Price
Stabilizer Ellis Arnall found he
didn’t know much about the price
of milk when his wife sent him
shopping.
“When I handed the man a
dime, I found out the price was
about 28 cents,” he toid the House
Banking Committee during a
hearing on price controls Tues
day. He said he got the shock of
his life. *
Arnall also confided to the con
gressmen that his wife “com
plains all the time about prices.”
He quoted her as saying that she
thought he was going to Washing
ton to do something about prices,
but that “since you’ve been there
they’ve gone up week after week.”
West Coast Strikebound;
Owners-Grant Pay Raise,
Demand No-Strike Pledge
SEATTLE, (P) — West coast
shipping was strikebound Mon
day. The AFL Sailors* Union of
the Pacific turned its stop-work
meetings into a strike. Harry
Lundeberg. union president, an
nounced at San Francisco the vote
authorizing the strike was about
3,510 to 68.
The sailors already had tied up
20 vessels four days in a stop
work movement to discuss a new
contract. Nine vessels were tied
up at Seattle, including ithe Alas
ka freighters Victoria and Coastal
Monarch. .
Harry Lundeberg, SUP secre
tary-treasurer, said his organiza
tion is well-prepared for a long
strike. He said the SUP*s treasury
totaled $1,700,000.
The owners* group said it had
agreed to the union’s demand for
Saturday overtime pay at sea and
“most” of the 5 percent pay boost
demand. But the owners deman
ded at least a year’s contract with
a no-strike" pledge.
The union his holding out for
an agreement which can be can
celled on 60 days’ notice.
GENERAL RIDGWAY
TAKES OVER NATO
PARIS, (4P)—Gen. Matthew B.
Ridgway returned to Europe yes
terday to take command of NATO
fighting forces and declared his
experience in Korea convinced
him a sound defense against Com
munism here could be built from
a combination of many nations.
Then, accompanied by General
Eisenhower, whom he is to suc
ceed three days hence, he drove
through the streets of Paris in
contempt of Communist threats
to stage hostile demonstrations
against “Le General Microbe” as
they call him. The Communists
have applied the tag as part of
their propaganda, repeatedly de
nied by the west, that the United
Nations used germ warfare in
Korea.
Asked if he expected any mili
tary action from the Russians, he
replied, “Anything which is a ca
pability is always a possibility.
There is great capability there. I
would not want to go any
farther.”
Three Airmen Killed
On B-45 Training Flight
FRANKLIN, Va., (/P)— Three
airmen awaiting transfer over
seas were killed when their B-45
Tornado jet bomber blew up Mon
day and crashed near here while
on a routine training flight.
The plane was based at Lang
ley Air Force Base and was at
tached to the 47th Bombardment
Wing of the 49th Air Division.
Most of the division already has
left this country for a new assign
ment in England and the three
flyers were part of the division’s
rear echelon.
4
Air Force officials reported in
vestigators had found no evidence
that the bomber collided with an
other plane, as one eye-witness
had said soon after the crash.
Baruch Blames *
Administration for
Needless Inflation
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Bernard
Baruch told senators Wednesday
that more than 20 million dollars
is being wasted on the defense
program because of what he called
needless inflation.
Baruch, 81-year-old financier
and ex-edviser to Presidents, testi
fied at an open hearing of the
Senate Preparedness subcommit
tee. Through a series of questions,
Baruch took pot shots at Presi
dent Truman, the State Depart
ment and others on diplomatic,
defense and domestic issues.
He opposed bringing Western
Germany into the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization until Western
Europe is armed and able “to
forestall any Soviet coup.”
He questioned the administra
tion decision to build up produc
tive capacity of aircraft, gun, am
munition and other defense plants
rather than speed production of
the actual weapons.
“No decisive victory in the cold
war is possible as long as the
Soviets hold as terrifying an edge
in military readiness over the
West as they do today,” he said.
Baruch said the waste of de
fense billions resulted from fail
ure to put into Operation the vast
system of anti-inflation controls
that Congress voted after the
Korean oubreak.
Canada and U. S. To
Hold Joint Air Defense
“Exercise Signpost”
WASHINGTON, W—'The first
continent-wide air defense exer
cise for Canada and the U.S. will
be held during the week of July
19, the Air Force announced Wed
nesday.
The exercise, designed to test
all military and civilian agencies
involved in air defense, will be
carried out by about 250,000 per
sons, the Air Force said. In addi
tion to regular units of the Air
Defense Commands of Canada
and the U.S., the exercise will
involve civilian ground observers
and the radar net which stretches
across the northern perimeters of
the two countries.
The training maneuver — called
“Exercise Signpost”—was planned
and will be directed by Gen. Ben
jamin W. Chidlaw and Air Vice
Marshal A. L. James, respective
commanders of the U.S. and Can
adian defense commands.
Aniak Residents Flown to
Bethel to Escape FI:: JiS
ANCHORAGE, (JP) — Evacua
tion of residents of the village of
Aniak because of a flood threat
from the annual ice breakup in
ithe Kuskokwim River was started
Monday.
The villagers were being flown
by float plane to Bethel.
Bethel, too, is expecting flood
conditions, but there is high
ground there on which residents
can take refuge.
Pilot Orville Tosch of Nome
was flying the Aniak residents 90
miles downstream to Bethel.