TII E NO M E N U G G E T
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 p. o. Box 618
VI A. and EMILY BOUCHER ..Editors
SI SO PER MONTH $16.00. A YEAR
Entered as sec « I class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Friday, March 12, 1948
Tragedy—Nome’s Heritage?
FIRE STRUCK NOME TWICE yesterday, bringing
tragedy into a home and destroying Nome’s only hos
pital.
Again Nome must extend its gratitude and thankful
ness to the Armed Forces for stepping in to the aid of
the Citv Fire Department with both equipment and
men and making it possible to control a fire which could
have wiped out the west end of town and endangered
the entire community due to the proximity of the
Standard Oil fuel and gasoline storage tanks.
The residents of Nome can never repay the personnel
of the Army for assistance rendered last night and many
other times in the past few years. Not only the Army
Fire Department but all the other branches of the serv
ice deserve recognition as they patrolled the danger
zone for hours maintaining an alert for sparks igniting.
Nome Volunteers, both members of the organization
and many others, as well as the Bronson and Pioneer
Water companies, deserve praise for their untiring ef
forts in aiding the City Fire Department and keeping
everything in order and under control.
The Maynard Columbus Hospital has been referred,
to many times and for many years as a fire-trap and
“someday there will be a fire.” The hospital which was
built before the construction of fire-proof buildings has
served its usefulness and it is hoped that from its em
bers a modern building more suited to the needs of the
community will be erected next summer.
This is a project which concerns us all and immediate
steps should be taken to start the planning before the
short building season is too far advanced.
Another Way To Skin A Cat
(The Forty-Ninth Star)
THE NOME CHAMBER OF COMMERCE met re
cently to discuss ways and means of getting the Army
airfield near that strategic town enlarged. The present
airbase is too small to accommodate larger planes now
in use.
It must be said for members of the Nome organization
that they are calm and cool—much more so than most of
of their Outside cousins would be if they were living in
the shadow of hungry Russia with a flylpaper airbase
to back them up in case of trouble.
The Nome Chamber isn’t nooking for any trouble, but
being realistic, it admits it is a possibility. During the
discussion, it was pointed out very casually that en
largement of the Nome airbase would make that section
of Alaska a bit stronger in the event of invasion from
the west.
We think Nome and other Alaskan cities are missing
a bet in not employing psychological warfare to gain
adequate defenses. In the case of Nome, the city might
reserve its largest hotel entirely for influential visitors
who would be invited to spend an indefinite period with!
all expenses paid. Any number of things can happen in
an indefinite period.
The Congressmen, cabinet officers and powerful lob
byists would have no duty to perform in Alaska’s Bering
Sea city. They could, just rest and relax and look at the
map. Now and then the chamber of commerce might re
mind the appropriation granters that the breeze which
they find refreshing left mysterious and mighty Siberia
only a few hours ago, rustling its way through the near
by Iron Curtain.
Interesting side trips could be arranged to Wales,
where they could look at the cliffs of East Cape across
the Bering Strait, or to Little Diomede for a view of
Russian-owned Big Diomede, or to St. Lawrence Island
for a glimpse of foreboding Indian Point in Siberia.
If the tense international situation makes them jittery
YOU FILL IN THE ‘BLANKS*
living in the relative security of Washington, D. C., we
wonder how the bigwigs would go for the idea of a nice,
nerve-resting vacation in Nome—a few minutes flight
from Soviet territory.
The final step in our suggestion for Nome would re
quire goqd timing. Just as the high powered officials
were preparing to leave, they would be told to unpack
and returnto their hotel with a view of the Bering Sea.
It would be explained that the large plane which had
come to return them to the States had been unable to
land because the field was too small, and had turned
back. All small planes would be busy on local flights
and unavailable.
Tact would be used in explaining that it was regret
table, but the vacation would necessarily be continued
for an indefinite period because it would be difficult to
find a plane that could land on the small airfield.
As we said before, anything can happen in an indefin
ite period. Nome might even find itself suddenly acquir
ing some staunch, powerful supporters in its plea for
an adequate airfield.
Time For U. N. Action
(By Barnet Nover)
IN ITS FIRST REPORT, the United Nations Pales
tine commission put its finger on the crux of the
problem now confronting the security council. De
claring that it “now finds itself confronted with an
attempt to defeat its purposes and to nullify the reso
lution of the general assembly,” the commission add
ed that in its view “a basic issue of international order
is involved.”
Indeed, it can properly be said that what is now in
volved in the Palestine problem is THE basic issue of
international order. In the melancholy parade of the
years, 1948 may mark the real turning point on the
road away from international anarchy.
The chances are at least even, however, that it may
come to be bracketed by future historians with 193i,
when the Japanese militarists ran amok in Manchuria
and nothing was done about it; with 1935, when Italy
invaded Abyssinia, and with 1938, the year of Munich.
We are again hearing today, with respect to the
Palestine problem, many curious echoes of those
years, years that were milestones on the road to
world catastrophe.
How often we told in 1931 and in the years that fol
lowed that it was unwise to force Japan to live up to
basic principal of order since Japan was bound to
resist such an attempt. In the case of. Abyssinia the
League of Nations (predecessor of the United Nations)
did act finally .‘But it resorted to half measures belated
ly and reluctantly taken when prompt and adequate
action was needed to do the job. And at Munich the
western world reached the very summit of pusillani
mity in dealing with threatened aggression.
The Arab leaders are making no more bones about
what they intend to do in Palestine than Hitler did
regarding his plans of world c n
qucst. They have proclaimed their
conspiracy to all the world. Th?y
have said that regardless of the
fact that the partition plan was
approved by a two-thirds vote of
the general assembly, the "town
meeting of the world," they will
fight to prevent it from being car
ried out.
The fact that no government,
certainly not ours, which has so
frequently proclaimed the U. N.
the cornerstone of our foreign pol
icy, has seen fit to rebuke such
threats, has encouraged the Arab
leaders. They are new convinced
that they have the upper hand,
that their threats have had the c!e
a
sired effect of frightening off the
other members of the United Na
tions, paralyzing the organization
into a state of complete paralysis.
It was revealed the other d y
that President Truman has sent
messages to Arab rulers appeal
1 ing to them for moderation. He
has already had his answer in the
statement issued by the military
committee of the Arab League
which has recommended to the
league’s council that any United
Nations troops sent into Palestine
•be opposed by force. This decision
added Gen. Ismail Safwat, top
field commander of the so-called
Arab People’s Army, must be car
ried out despite the consequences.
Three choices face the scurity
council.
The first is to do nothing, except
nossibly pass empty and meaning
less resolutions asking all con
cerned to keep the peace. This
would be in the League of Nations
tradition and have the same disas
trous effect on the U. N. that the
league’s record of impotence had
on the fate of the league.
Secondly, the council might r
sort to half measures, seeking to
give the impression of acting when
actually unable or unwilling to do
what is necessary.
In the third place, the council
can take the bull by the horns. It
can, for the first time in its brief
and troubled history, really serve
as the arm of the law, the cham
pion of order. If it pursues such a
course it is doubtful whether the
threats voiced by Safwat and
others will be carried out.
In any event, the council must
act as abdicate. It cannot be de
nied, of course, that its problem is
fantastically difficult. But its re
sponsibility is great. So is the re
sponsibility of every nation rep
resented on the council, not least
the United States.
The testing time of world order
has arrived.
People Gain One
Hirohito of Japan continues to
ensnare our interest because he is
an individual in a peculiar transi
tional stage. He is an ex-god try
ing to get a job as a man—experi
ence limited.
Recently we made note of his
reputed ability to hold a fan be
tween his t£es and fan himself
while swimming in the rain with
an open umbrella in one hand. To
do this he may have had to draw
a bit on some of his old-time pow
ers, so the feat is none too con
clusive evidence that he had de
scnded all the way from divinity.
But now comes new testimony
of his progress. In a speech open
ing the Japanese Parliament he
used the significant phrase, “We,
the people.”
Japanese quickly noted that it
was the first time the emperor in
a formal statement had put him
self in the same category as an or
dinary citizen.