OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
64th Year No. 32
NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1963
Per Copy 15C
Officials Feel
Overflight a Probe
Of Radar Defenses
WASHINGTON W — Officials
feel that two Soviet planes that
overflew a remote corner of
Southwestern Alaska Friday were
probing U.S. radar and defenses.
In discussing the incident today,
however, they cautioned it would
be a mistake to over-emphasize
its importance or interpret it as. a
systematic attempt to carry out
reconnaissance over U.S. territory.
The two planes penetrated about
30 miles into U.S. air space about
2 a.m. EST Friday. They were
packed up on radar and U.S.
F-102 jets were launched but no
visual contact was made or shots
fired
The officials said they do not
expect an immediate replyv to the
American protest presented to
First Deputy Foreign Minister
Vasily Kuznetsov Friday by U.S.
Ambassador Foy Kohler.
The Soviet official said the docu
ment will be studied and the pro
test investigated, indicating a
lapse of time before Moscow’s
reply.
This was the first clearly estab
lished incident of a Soviet over
flight of the United States.
There is a possibility the twc
planes strayed off their course
because of a navigational error
The officials said, and emphasizec
they don’t expect a repitition.
A check on radar defenses car
be made from a distance, withou
actual overflight.
Resolution Calls for
Fighter-Interceptor
Squadrons in NW Alaska
JUNEAU UP> — A resolution
urging President Kennedy to take
immediate steps to assign two or
three fighter-interceptor and re
connaissance squadrons in North
west Alaska was approved by the
Senate today.
Approval of the resolution came
within minutes of its introduction
and two days after the U.S. State
Department announced that two
Russian reconnaissance planes had
overflown Alaska near Nunivak
Island last Thursday night.
When the resolution, SR40, was
introduced, one of its sponsors,
Sen. Lester Bronson moved that it
be considered immediately. Sen.
Vance Phillips of Anchorage ob
jected.
“There is no need for further
air defenses in Alaska,” Phillips
said. “We have several hundred
million of dollars in defense bases
in Alaska already.”
The Senate went along with
Bronson’s motion, however, and
passed the resolution after the
Nome Democrat said Russian fight
er planes could be seen exercising
frequently over the Chukotski
Peninsula, 40 miles northwest oi
Gambell.
“I sincerely believe,” Bron said
“that the Russians are building
one of their largest fighter bases
within 40 miles of Alaska territory
“This is something we shoulc
be concerned about, instead of e
few Russians soldiers in Cuba, 9(
miles from U.S. territory.
“The whole area of Westerr
Alaska is blank defensively.”
WEATHER OUTLOOK
Continued fair. Low tonight (
to -5, high tomorrow 25. In th<
last 24 hours: High of 27, low o:
-7. Max. wind 15 mph from NNE
Sunrise at 6:11 am., sunset a
6:10 pm.
Rep. Rivers Lists
Reasons for Basing
Missiles In Alaska
WASHINGTON UFt — Rep. Ralph
Rivers, mindful of the recent flight
of Russian planes over Alaska,
listed several reasons today for
basing missiles in Alaska:
1. Alaska is strategically located
between Asia and North America
and missiles there are closer to
potential enemy targets than those
based in other states.
2. Alaska is more than 1,000
miles closer to Russia and Red
China than the other states and
this factor would make Alaska
based missiles more accurate and
effective.
3. Land is available in Alaska
without cost to allow “construc
tion upon the bedrock of American
soil ... as distinguished from
the political quicksand of bases
and sites on foreign soil.”
“So as the great deterrent is in
the power to strike back and de
stroy an aggressor,” Rivers said
in a statement, ltthe military im
portance of Alaska must not be
overlooked, a point which the Rus
sians apparently compre hend,
judging from the flight last week
of two of their planes over
Alaska.”
Crimson Bears Slide By
Ravens 52-50 to Take
i State Championship
L EIELSON — The Juneau
. Douglas Crimson Bears are one
again state high school basketbal
champions following a close 52-51
victory over the Eielson Higl
School Ravens here Saturday
night.
The Bears took the “rubber’
game of the best of three series
after building up a nine poinl
lead in the first period before
the Ravens could score a field
goal.
Eielson tied up the ball game
13-13 in the first minute of the
second period. At the half Eielson
had a 25-22 lead. Score at the
third quarter mark was 40-38.
The Bears won the first game
Thursday night 55-52, then Eielson
romping to a 64-44 win Friday.
Pope John Holds
Audience Despite Fall
VATICAN CITY UR — Pope
John XXIII tripped and fell to
day as he was mounting his
throne for a series of audiences. He
was unhurt.
The 81-year-old Roman Catholic
Pontiff slipped on the seventh
step of the eight-step throne. He
fell somewhat to one side.
As the Pope landed on the top
step of the throne, he rolled over
on his back. Aides helped him to
his feet as priests in the audience
applauded. The Pope proceeded
with the audience as if nothing
had happened.
Officials said the fall was an ac
cident and had nothing to do with
his physical condition.
The first audience was for
members of the Pontifical Insti
tute of Foreign Missionaries. Later
i he held an audience for a group of
American nuns from the Sisters of
Charity of St. Joseph, founded by
Blessed Elizabeth Ann Bayley Se
ton, who was beatified Sunday.
The audience for the nuns was
I attended by Francis Cardinal
s Spellman, Archbishop of New
■ York; Joseph Elmer Cardinal Rit
. ter, Archbishop of St. Lous, Mo.;
t and Archbishop Lawrence She
han of Baltimore, Md.
Kennedy Gets a
Roaring Welcome
In Costa Rica
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica UP —
President Kennedy arrived today
for a conference of Central- Amer
ican presidents and was given a
rip-roaring welcome unequaled in
Costa Rica’s history.
Crowds estimated by security
officials to total 250,000 lined the
capital streets, broke through po
lice lines, crowded around the
visiting President’s black limou
sine, and at times halted the caval
cade.
Welcomed by President Fran
cisco Orlich of Costa Rica as a
man who carries “the responsi
bility of the free world” on his
shoulders, Kennedy got a fore
taste of the welcome to come when
he stepped from a helicopter at
La Sabena Airport.
To the cheers of several thou
sand there, Kennedy declared the
three-day conference with six
middle-American presidents is de
signed “to strengthen our defensei
against the forces of foreign im
perialism.”
Then, with the President ol
Costa Rica at his side, Kennedy
set out on the two-mile ride t<
downtown San Joes.
His hair covered with fallinj
confetti, Kennedy waved an<
smiled broadly to the cheering
ap^xautuiig V/Uow luvaua.
There were signs saying “you
’ are in your home, Kennedy.”
' In his arrival speech, Kennedy
: put the emphasis on economic de
velopment as the main targets oi
1 the talks that brought him to Cen
tral America. He said the meeting
, would strengthen the Common
Market plan for the region.
Four Russ Planes
Overfly Carrier
Constellation
WASHINGTON UP — Four Rus
sian aircraft flew over the U.S.
aircraft carrier Constellation in
the western Pacific two days ago,
the Defense Department announced
today.
U.S. Navy reconnassiance and
fighter planes intercepted the four
Russian craft about 100 miles from
the ship and escorted them “during
a total of nine individual passes
over the carrier,” the Pentagon
said.
The Soviet planes were of a type
known as Bears, normally classed
as bombers but used also for re
connaissance. They were detected
by radar more than 200 miles from
the carrier.
At the time the Constellation
was about 600 miles southwest of
Midway enroute from Pearl Har
bor to Subic Bay in the Philippines.
The overflight was on Saturday
—the same day the United States
was protesting the penetration by
two Soviet reconnaissance planes
over Southwestern Alaska on
Thursday.
Petit Jury Postpones
Meeting Until Thursday
Petit or trial jurors, who were
to have reported tomorrow morn
ing for duty, have been notified
that they are to report on Thurs
day morning instead due to illness
of members of court as well as
among the jurors.
The first case to be tried will
be that of the State vs. Vernon
Kugzruk on a charge of attempted
burglary in a dwelling.
Woman Prisoner Reports
Soviets Test-Firing
Missiles In Cuba
MIAMI, Fla. GP) — Two Ameri
can women, the first of more than
20 American prisoners expected
to be freed from Cuban jails with
in six weeks, claim that while in
prison they heard Russians test
firing missiles.
“I don’t think they could be
small ones,” one woman said. “They
shook the prison bars in our
hands.”
The women were released un
expectedly Sunday, “with no
strings attached,” according to
James Donovan, the New York
lawyer who negotiated their free
dom.
Donovan said the other native
born Americans will be released
when delivery of the $53-million
Bay of Pigs prisoner ransom was
completed. That should take about
six weeks, he said.
One of the women, who spent
more than two years in Cuban
jails, said the Soviets are testing
missiles at an underground rock
quarry six miles from Guanajay
prison, 15 miles from Havana. That
is one of the sites where the So
viets installed intermediate range
missiles before last October’s
Cuban crisis.
Geraldine Shamma, a native of
Boston, said the tests were con
ducted every three or four days
and were powerful enough to
shake the bars of the prison. Mrs.
Shamma said prison guards, who
became friends during 29 months
confinement, told her the missiles
are being test-fired in a horizontal
shaft leading from the quarry.
The stocky, gray-haired Mrs.
Shamma said she was instructed
not to divulge any information be
cause it might prejudice the Cuban
regime against the remaining
Cuban prisoners.
But she said: “I hope they don’t
think I’m going to sugar coat all
this treatment we’ve had. It was
awful. We were freed for nothing.
If I thought they had paid any
ransom for me I wouldn’t have
come back.”
will have the opportunity to take
a look at the cash aspects.”
Sen. W. O. Smith said he didn’t
think the measure had to go be
fore the House Finance Committee
because, “if you’ll check the lang
uage, the bill doesn’t appropriate
any money, it only authorizes an
appropriation.”
“Neither House can unilaterally
I ignore the Joint Rules,” Sen. A1
Owen commented. “If we author
ize an appropriation, some day
we’re going to have to make good
our promise.”
Bradshaw, taking the floor again,
said:
“All of the information on this
bill was not available to the
House. Had it been, had the bill
been coasted out by the House
Finance Committee, the vote in
the House might have been differ
ent.”
The vote on returning the bill
to the House came on a voice vote.
The bill, passed by the House
Saturday, would authorize cash
grants to boroughs of $10 for each
voter who cast a ballot in the
last general election, but in no
instance less than $25,000.
Teller and Shismaref
Combined Team Will
Enter Fairbanks Races
Teller and Shismaref have com
bined their best dogs for a team
to compete in the Fairbanks races.
Passing through Nome today
were Walter Nayokpuk, business
man of Shishmaref with Chester
Topkok of Teller and Herbert
Nayokpuk of Shishmaref with a
team of 14 fast dogs, who are leav
ing today with Wien Airlines to
try their luck for the first time.
The team will also run in the
Nome Derby if time permits,
stated Walter Nayokpuk. They hope
to return here in time to try out
the local course by Wednesday,
March 27.
Nayokpuk also stated that this
has been a good season for seal
hunting at Shismaref with many
fine skins being taken as well as
furnishing a good food supply.
Barkentine Bear Is
Towed to Philadelphia
DARTMOUTH, N.S. OR — The
Bear, a 90-year-old auxiliary bar
quentine that took Adm. Richard
Byrd to the Antarctic in 1933, left
here yesterday by tow for Phila
delphia.
The 198-foot ship, moored here
since she was purchased by the
Shaw Steamship Co. of Halifax
in 1952, will be made into a com
bination musem and restaurant in
Philadelphia.
Alfred Johnson, who bought the
ship late last year for an undis
closed sum, has spent $175,000 in
conversion and restoration work.
Built in Dundee, Scotland, in
1873 for St. John’s, Nfld., busi
nessman Walter Grieve, the Bear
was used for seal hunting at first.
In 1884 she was purchased by
the U.S. Navy and sent to rescue
the Greely Expedition in the
Arctic. She found seven survivors
of the original party of 25 US.
Marines.
For the next 42 years she pa
trolled the Bering Sea and the
• Coast of Alaska, then was convert
ed to a maritime museum at Oak
land, Calif.
In 1932 Adm. Byrd bought hei
r and made two trips to the Ant
> arctic, From 1941-44 she flew the
U.S. flag on Greenland patrol. Ir
l 1944 she was bought by Shaw fo:
1 $5,199.
P
,, ..
Senate Returns
Mandatory
Borough Bill
JUNEAU UF> — The Senate re
fused to accept and sent back to
the House today a bill which would
require major population areas of
the state to incorporate as first
or second class boroughs by Octo
ber.
The measure was returned to the
House after Sen. Howard Brad
shaw told the Senate the bill had
not been referred to the House
Finance Committee while in the
lower chamber.
Because the measure provides
for cash grants to boroughs, Brad
shaw said, it should have been
referred to the House Finance
Committee.
“The measure was not handled
properly,” Bradshaw said. “The
procedure used was in violation
of our Joint Rules.”
The bill was considered only by
the House Local Government Com
mittee.
Sen. Brad Phillips objected to
returning the bill to the lower
chamber.
“If this is done,” Phillips said,
: “it will kill the bill.
i “Why can’t it be considered in
a Joint Finance Committee meet
ing? At least then the members
of the House Finance Committee