152 NOME NUGGET
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
V )i... L-i. No. 2 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1950 Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, (#») —
The temperature skidded to 60 de
grees below zero yesterday, press
reports- said, in the village of Al
vros in central Sweden.
WASHINGTON (£>)—'The comp
troller of the currency yesterday
issued a call for a statement of
the condition of all national banks
at the close of business Saturday,
Dec. 31.
The federal reserve board is
sued a similar call for state bank
members of its system. The feder
al deposit insurance corporation
did the same for insured banks
not covered by the other two calls.
FAIRBANKS. i/P)—Nick Knud
sen, about 70, well known Alaskan
oldtimer, died at Central Friday
night.
The cause of his death was not
learned here.
Knudsen came to Alaska in the
early part of the century over the
White Pass-Yukon route. He
mined and prospected on Switch
Creek and Deadwood Creek. For
the last few’ years he wintered in
Seattle, returning to spend the
summers in Alaska.
In his prime Knudsen was
known as one of Alaska’s largest
men, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall
and weighing 250 pounds.
ST. LOUIS, UP)—Officials fear
that St. Louis, the nation’s eighth
largest city will run out of coal
unless production is stepped up.
An appeal was sent to President
Truman Wednesday by Roscow
C. Hobbs and Scott R. Dekins,
members of the citizens fuel com
mittee.
“The fuel supply for household
ers here in St. Louis is critically
low,” the telegram read. “Within
a few' days great hardship will oc
cur. Temperature now is 11 de
grees above zero, with continued
cold predicted.
HONG KONG, (/P) — The Is
brandtsen Line ship Flying Arrow
will said for Red Shanghai tomor- .
row without nine members of her
43 man crew.
A. P. Pattison company, Hong
Kong agents for the line, said nine
seamen signed off the vessel to,
avoid the trip through the Chinese |
Nationalist blockade to the com
munist port Approaches to the
port have been mined by Nation
alists.
The seamen’s action followed a
U. S. state department notive that
they could sign off the ship if they
did not wish to risk the trip.
MOSCOW, UP)—Moscow, with
temperatures dropping under 30 1
degrees below zero, was gripped j
yesterday in its sharpest cold
wave since the grim winter of
1941-42 when the Germans were1
driven back from the Soviet cap
ital.
The oldtime Russian winter has
been building up since Christmas
when the mercury plunged below
zero. Even since it’s been getting
progressively colder. Yesterday
morning the thermometer regis- >
(Continued on Page Seven’
Truman, ()n His
Own, Says “Hands
Off’ In Formosa
(By John M. Hightower)
WASHINGTON, (/Pi—President
Truman yesterday declared an
American hands off policy toward
the Chinese Island of Formosa.
In a news conference statement,
he said the United States has no
| desire to use its armed forces there
; or become involved “in the civil
: conflict in China.”
He made clear the only help
Chiang Kai Shek’s government in
Formosa can expect from the
United States is continuing econo
mic aid.
Mr. Truman said:
“The United States has no pred
atory designs on Formosa or on
i any other Chinese territory.
“The United States has no de
| sire to obtain special rights or
: privileges or to establish military
, bases on Formosa at this time_
J Nor does it have any intention of
( utilizing its armed forces to inter
, fere in the present situation.
“The United States government
, will not pursue a course which
i will lead to involvement in the
civil conflict in China.
• “The United .States government
will not provide military aid or
advice to Chinese forces on For
mosa. In the view of the United
States government, the resources
; on Formosa are adequate to en
able them to obtain the items
which they might consider neces
sary for the defense of the island.
“The United States government
proposes to continue under exist
I ing legislative authority the pres
! ent ECA program of economic as
sistance.”
Mr. Truman’s declaration fol
lowed weeks of growing contro
versy at the Capitol over policy
toward Formosa. Some Republi
cans—among them former Presi
dent Herbert Hoover and Senator
Taft of Ohio—have urged that the
United States use its navy, if ne- j
cessarv, to keep the Chinese com- j
munists from gaining Formosa.
The big island, lying about 100
miles off the Chinese mainland, is
the last stronghold of the Chinese
Nationalists.
Before—and during— the war
it was held by Japan. Under the
Cairo agreement of 1343 — made
by President Roosevelt, Prime
Minister Churchill of Britain and
Chiang Kai-Shek, it was to be j
handed back to the Republic of
China.”
In speaking of Formosa as “Chi
nese territory.” Mr. Truman re
ferred to the Cairo agreement.
Mr. Truman said this declara
tion was reaffirmed at Potsdam in
July, 1945, and was carried out
when Japan surrendered by turn
ing over Formosa to Chiang
Mr. Truman’s statement made
emphatically clear that under
present conditions in the Far East
the United States Government
would not lift a finger to prevent
Formosa from falling to the Chi
nese communists if Chiang Kai
Shek is unable to hold it.
His declaration followed a meet -
(Continued on Page Five)
HELL. Norway. (/P)—The tem- 1
perature drepped to 40 degrees
below zero in Hell yesterday.
Britain Recognizes
Communist China
I
LONDON, (/P) — Britain recog- '
nized Communist China today. 1
breaking relations with her war- |
time partner, Chiang Kai-Shek.
The move was an effort to sale
guard heavy British investments
in China and to protect the British
colony of Honk Kong. It was a
majod split with the foreign pol
icy of the United States and
France, which are going to take
their time about recognizing Mao
Tze-Tung. Secretary of State
Acheson said yesterday the United
• States considers such recognition
I premature.
j The action ranged Britain with
] Soviet Russia against continuation
! of Chiang’s Nationalist regime as
| the repreesntative of China in the
! United Nations Security Council.
There the Big Five—The United
States, Britain, France Soviet Rus
sia and China—have the right to
veto.
The undersecretary of foreign
affairs, Christopher P. Mayhew.
‘Continued on Page Five)
In response to the plea of the
Northwestern Alaska Chamber
of Commerce's appeal combined
with other civic organizations,
to slop the rumored closing of
Marks Air Force Base here, a
message was received from
Washington through the Asso
ciated Press that the Air Force
"has no plans now to close
Marks Field."
Col. D. C. Jamison, command
er of Marks Air Force Base
stated this afternoon to the press
that he had no comment to make
at this time but as soon as infor
mation could be released he
would be glad to let the com
munity know the status of this
base.
Predict Rossi;*
W ill Explode
Another Bomh
LONDON. (A*)—The moil who
predicted Russia’s first atomic ex
plos!on caid yesterday there will
be another at midnight, Greenwich
mean time 11 p.m. Nome time*,
Saturday.
Magazine editor Kenneth de
Course also said there are indica
tions that the Russians now' are
ahead of the U. S. “in some re
spects” in atomic development.
De Course told reporters he
based his statement on private re
ports reaching him from behind
the iron curtain. His forecast w'as
made in a written statement to the
press.
He predicted lad January that
the Russians would attempt an
atom explosion during 1949. Pres
ident Truman announced in Sep
tember that they had succeeded.
The 40-year-old editor publishes
a monthly called “Intelligence Di
gest,” devoted to international af
j fairs. He claims to have highly
| placed informants in several East
ern European nations.
The explosion Saturday, he said,
1 “will be of an unusual kind be
cause it will be connected with a
I blasting operation in connection
j with an irrigation project.”
“This is rather a disquieting
I statement because it suggests that
the Russians are in some respects
ahead of the United States of
America,” the statement said.
Cold and Snow Do
Much Damage
(By The Associated Press)
Flood perils appeared mounting
in Indiana and Illinois and a se
vere ice storm struck damaging
blows in Memphis today.
Bitter cold weather which had
chilled most of the midwest this
week moderated but more freez
ing weather threatened additional
(Continued on Page Eight*
THE NEW SPRING LINE
'•J. •
I
-
News of the World
At A Glance - - -
(Thursday, January 5, 1950)
British and Western European
newspapers today expressed plea
sure at President Truman’s prom
ise of continued U. S. aid but some
papers asked: What is America
going to do about China?
Britain is expected to recognize
communist China this weekend.
Already Pakistan, India and Bur
ma has officially recognized the
regime of Mao Tze-Tung.
The Greek coalition govern
ment which successfully led
Greece in overthrowing commun
ist guerrillas collapsed today in a
pre-election row between Popu
lists and Liberals that made up
the coalition.
The political crisis was precipi
tated by the walkout of deputy
premier Sophocles Venizelos and
in Liberal party members.
Premier Alexander Diomedes
sent his resignation to King Paul.
At the same time he announced
1 that Alexander Papagos, Greece’s
outstanding military hero, has re
j signed as commander of the na
I tion’s armed forces.
There have been persistent re
1 ports that Generalissimo Papagos,
who led the Greek army against
, the communists, was about to seek
| political office and had his eye on
the Premiership.
Venizelos said in resigning he
had urged the general elections,
now scheduled for April, be speed
' ed up. He said early voting would
I prevent “the terrible consequences
i the country would be exposed to
1 from an unduly long pre-electoral
! campaign period.”
Friday, January 6, 1950
King Paul today called ol John
Theotokis, speaker of the Greek
parliament, to form a new cabinet
with authority to dissolve parlia
ment and proclaim a general elec
tion.
His selection as Premier fol
lowed the resignation of Premier
Alexander Diomedes’ coalition
cabinet yesterday in a dispute be
tween Populist (Royalist) and Lib
eral party members ove rtiming of
the 1950 parliamentary election.
The general elections had been
planned for April but Liberal cab
inet members wanted them held
earlier.
Rep. Price (D.-Ill.) said today in
Washington he has been advised
that Russia is training an army of
500,000 in the East Zone of Ger
many.
He said his information came
from a German newspaper man
who must remain ananymous be
cause of fear of reprisals.
Price, on his return from a
month’s tour of Europe as a mem
ber of the House armed services
committee, said there is an army
of 50,000 so-called police in the
East Zone of Germany and that it
is rapidly increasing to 100,000.
WASHINGTON. (/PI—President
Truman today nominated Everett
W. Hepp of Alaska to be U. S. at
torney for Division No. 4, District
of Alaska.
If confirmed by the Senate, he
will succeed Harry O. Arend, re
signed.