THE ; Al l A ALASKA EMPIRE
! “ALL TUE NEWS ALL THE TIME"
VOL. LXXVI., NO. 11,705_JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSDAY. JANUARY 11, 1951_MEMLEU ASSOCIATED PRESS_LKU E TEN CENTS
A llies Building Up Holding Line, Korean Fron t
WAGE-PRICE |
POLICY IS
ADVOCATED
' fc
Major Labor Leaders Give
Appraisal for Govern
ment Moulding
“** (By Max Hall)
1 WASHINGTON. Jan. 11— MY — ;
Major labor leaders said today I
the government must mould a I
wage-price policy flexible enough i
to work for a decade.
They gave that appraisal to the
wage stabilization board, ail arm
of the Ecf nomic Stabilization Agen
cy (ESAi which announced last
night that it will not now put j
k into effect a temporary 30-day ]
A freeze on prices and wages. J
)b ("ft. ti.' controls situation •
1 H as indefinite as it was a week or
s.. a .o uciure to'A cegau aiviiij,
serious study to the wisdom ol
applying an immediate interim
freeze in advance of more perm
anent controls.
The appeal for a long-rant,!
policy came from spokesmen for the j
AFL, CIO, Machinists and Railroad j
Unions, joining in testimony as the '
UniUed Labor Policy Committee I
(ULPC). They said the present em- j
ergency may stretch on indefuut
ely, and "we're not planning for a j
1 short term situation.”
The group represented all major
elements of the organized labor
movement except John L. Lewis, j
United Mine Workers t UMW > chief,
who was heard separately by the I
Wage Board yesterday. He advised j
against any kind of wages or price;
controls.
. In dropping for the present the 1
idea of an immediate price-wave I
* freeze, Valentine acceded to the
judgment of those advisers who
• believe general price controls would
be unwise until there is a bigger
staff to administer tmm.
i
OFFICES IN FEDERAL
BUILDING MOVED TO
< GET READY FOR LEG.!
_ i
* * With the transfer of the offices!
of the Territorial Veterans Affairs
* from suite 216 to 105 in the Federal
Building today, the five rooms al
loted to the Alaska Legislature on
the second floor as clerical staff
and committee rooms are now avail
able for that use, it was disclosed
today by Postmaster Crystal Jenne.
* The Fish and Wildlife Service
game license office, which has been
► . quartered in that section, has been
moved to the A.B. Hall building.
Postmaster Jenne said despite the
fact that all office space in the!
Federal Building is occupied, should I
a definite need arise for additional
office space for the Legislature |
every effort will be made toward j
*, that end.
__
t
The Washinglonj
Merry - Go - Round
By DREW PEARSON
(Copyright, 1951, py Bell Syndicate, Inc.) |
H^ASHINGTON—The UN retreat j
• 4 in Korea has now gone through;
r two distinct and separate stages.
Retreat No. 1—Which began when
, ^ we were caught up near the Man
churian border was a genuine,
almost headlong retreat—a distance
r of 120 miles back to around the
38th Parallel. Another phase of this |
rereat was a valiant, mile-by-mile >
battle by the 10th Corps to reach I
the sea at Hungrfam.
Retreat No. 2—Which began at
around the 38th parallel last week
^ has been a carefully planned with
drawal, with supplies loaded up and
( ready to move back even before the
enemy hit. It was hoped to give
the impression that UN forces
were retreating in the face of
heavy odds, but this has not really
be been the case. Our withdrawal
is following a calculated plan to
evacuate most of Korea.
What the American public does
not generally realize, however, is
that both retreats have had an ex
*1 tremely bad reaction in other parts
of the world. Furthermore, war
stories published in Europe are
(Continued on Page Four)
RUSSTROOPS
IN SIBERIA
FOR ATTACK
That Is Statement Alleged
Made by Chinese Nat.
Defense Ministry
TAIPEI, Formosa, Jan. 11—iff>—
The Chinese Nationalist Defense
Ministry said today Russia has
moved an additional 300.000 troops
to Siberia in readiness for an
attack on Alaska.
It said, “Marshal Malinovsky, the
Soviet Unions’ Far Eastern Com
mander,” had more than 15 sea
soned divisions under him before
the reinforcements.
The Ministry said further:
The Moscow-Peiping axis wa
converting China’s Northwester;,
provinces into a vast military base
Tihwa and Hami, the main cltie;
of the far Northwestern Chinese
province of Sinkiang, were being
converted under Soviet technician
into two of the strongest bases in
the Far East.
Moscow has ordered Mao Tze
Tung’s Red Chinese regime to pui
China on a total war footing a
soon as possible.
Unofficial reports from the Chi
nese mainland said 2,000 Russian
technicians were directing the con
version of the Shantung seaport of
Tsingtao into a naval base.
NO CONFIRMATION
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 — 'At —
Officials said today that indica
tions have been received here of s
buildup of Communist military
strength in the interior Chinese
cities of Tihwa and Hnmi and naval
base developments at the port oi
Tsingtao.
(No further details were available
on this wholly unconfirmable re
port.
(Nationalist reports of plans an;
activities of the Red Chinese in the
past have ranged from highly ac
curate to highly imaginative.)
WEST EUROPE
TO BE ARMED
6-10-1 RATIO
Senator Knowland Makes
Proposal-Calls for Unity
in U. S. Foreign Policy
(Bv Oliver W. Dewolf
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11— (AO —
Senator Knowland iR-Calif) pro
posed today a six-to-one ratio
for arming western Europe against
Communist aggression with the Un
ited States ultimately furnishing
10 divisions and the other North i
Atlantic nations bU.
Knowland said it was vital that
western Europe not be allowed
to fall into Communist hands, but
he held that the bulk of the de
fensive land forces should be furn
ished by the Europeans themselves.
“If war comes," he said, we must
then do with our air, sea and land
forces what the strategic neces
sities require in support of our
commitments. We will not let our
allies down nor must they .let us
down.”
In a speech prepared for Senate
delivery Knowland pleaded for unit\
within this country and between
vhe free nations of the world, say
aig history has taught us “we must |
hang together or be hanged separ
ately.”
Knowland, a vigorous critic of
administration Far Eastern policy,
strongly urged a reconciliation of
differences between Congress mem
bers and the administration on all
foreign issues.
The California lawmaker took
a stand with New York's Gov.
1 homas E. Dewey, and John Foster
Dulles, adviser to Secretary of
State Acheson, in opposition to a
foreign policy pronouncement by
former President Herbert Hoover.
All three are Republicans.
YAKUTAT VISITOR
Herbert Bremner of Yakutat is
at the Baranof Hotel.
Palmer Airport Deal to Be
Investigated; 3 Witnesses
Summoned; Hearing Jan. 18
U,S. ACCEPTS
CEASEFIRE
ORDER, U. N.
LAKE SUCCESS, Jan. XI——
The United States today accepted
a U.N. committee plan for an im
mediate cease fire in Korea to be
followed by immediate negotiation
on all Far East problems by the
U.S., Britain, Russia and Red China.
Warren R. Austin, Chief Amen
can Delegate told the Political
Committee of the U. N. General
Assembly that he would vote in
favor of a set of principles laid
down by a three-man cease fire
committee. He said the principles
provide a restatement of the gen
eral policies which the U.N. has fol
lowed and of the requirements that
here must be a cessation of hostiii
i es before any negotiations can be
ndertaken.
He pointed out that the slale
ment said there must a formal cease
lire or a lull in hostilities.
Austin spoke after Britain. France
and Norway had supported the
.atement of principles laid down
by Lester B. Pearson, Canadian
Foreign Minister.
Austin said there must be a time
limit lor the Chinese Communists
[ to give their answer but he did
not set a deadline.
If the last effort fails, he said, he
felt the U.N. will be firmly united
in further steps to resist aggres
sion.
It was understood here that the
proposals laid down by Pearson hau
the backing of the British Common
wealth conference in London.
Ben C. Limb. South Korean For
eign Minister, also accepted the
I principles.
WAIVES PRELIMINARY
HEARING-KARLSON CASE,
BOUND TO GRAND JURY
In the U.S. Commissioner's Court
this morning, Eric Karlson, Juneau
youth who was arraigned before
Judge Gordon Gray, Commissioner,
yesterday on a charge of assault
with a dangerous weapon, waived
a preliminary hearing and his case
was bound over by Judge Gray to
await action of the grand jury.
In a complaint signed by Frank
Cavanaugh, Assistant Chief of
Police of Juneau, Karlson is charged
with striking Anna Martin over
the head and face with a bottle
and then striking her with his fist
early last Tuesday morning in
rooms over the City Cafe. The 17
year-old youth was arrested by
the city police and his case turned
over to the Federal authorities.
JARAS ALAM DIES
Jaras Alam, 87, died last night at
St. Ann’s hospital where he had
been since October 21. Alam was
born in Syria and had been living
in Tenakee for the past several
years. Word is awaited from there
before funeral arrangements are
made.
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, Jan. 11 — Closing
quotation of Alaska Juneau mine
stock is 3%. American Can 98%.
American Tel. and Tel 151%, Ana
conda 42%, Douglas Aircraft 102%,
General Electric 51'2, General Mo
tors 48%, Goodyear 67%. Kennecott
77%, Libby McNeil and Libby 9%.
Northern Pacific 33%, Standard Oil
of California 9314, Twentieth Cen
tury Fox 21%, U.S. Steel 46, Pound
$2.79, Canadian Exchange 95.25.
Sales today were 3,490,000 shares.
Averages today are as follows: in
dustrials 244.72, rails 80.67. utilitie-.
42.09.
STEAMER MOVEMENTS
Baranof scheduled to sail from
Seattle 5 p.m. Friday.
Princess Norah scheduled to sail
from Vancouver January 17.
Denali from west scheduled to ar
rive southbound Sunday morning.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 — —
The Palmer airport deal, which was
a subject of sharp pre-election con
troversy in Alaska, is due for an
airing here next week.
The controversy involves the
maneuvers by which the federal
allocation of funds for the Mata
nuska valley project was increased.
The Senate Investigations sub
committee announced yesterday it
will hold a public hearing a week
from today. A spokesman said sev
eral prominent Alaskans have been
summoned.
In announcing the hearing, the
committee counsel told a reporter it
appeared to the committee the plan
was to get enough money from the
federal government to pay for both
the site and construction of the
airport.
He said t.hnl under Lhe Civil
Aeronautics Admit istratJon regula
tions, the government pays for S’5
percent of the land cost and 75
percent of the improvements cost.
During the controversy in Alaska,
officials involved in the transaction
defended il as one which had the
approval of Civil Aeronautics offi
cials.
The committee counsel said the
Alaska Aeronautics Commission
listed itself as owner of the Palmer
site in applying for a federal air
port grant. That application was
cancelled after territorial officials
rejected It on the ground the com
mission did not own the site. Then,
he said, a new application was filed
saying it would cost $150,000 to buy
the land.
| The counsel said that after the
federal government put up the
S150.000, the land was purchased
and the territory turned back to
the Alaska Commission $145,000.
He said those called as witnesses
for the Jan. 18 hearing are George
Schwamm, Director of the Alaska
Aeronautics Commission; Stanley
McCutcheon of Anchorage, Its coun
sel, and Roland Snodgrass, secre
tary of the Palmer Aeronautics
comro'ltee.
SHELLFISH STRIKE
IN PETERSBURG IS
ENDED; PAY BOOSTS
PETERSBURG, Alaska, Jan. 11
</B—A strike of shellfish worker
which had be£n in effect since Ott.
7 ended yesterday with the signing
of a new contract between three
packing companies and Local 222
of the International Longshore
men’s and Warehousemen’s Union.
Shrimp boats will go out Sunday
and work in the local plants is
scheduled to begin Monday.
The settlement provided for a
slight increase in wages. Harold O.
Neal, Alaska Salmon Industry at
torney, .said. Julius N. Draznin of
Seattle. National Labor Relations
Board field examiner, was hero fur
the negotiations.
Shrimp pickers will get 25 W cents
i per pound and crab shakers 12
cent.-;. Crab packers are to receive
' Si .40 per hour and most other
workers $1.50, with 20 cents per hour
additional for overtime.
Companies involved were Kayler
; Dahl, Ohtner and Shelton.
FROM YAKUTAT
Mrs. C. Wayne Purtilar of Yaku
! tat. is stopping at. the Baranof Hotel.
i • •
• WEATHER REPORT , •
• Temperatures for 24-Hour Period •
• ending 6 20 o’clock this morning «
• In Juneau—Maximum, 32; •
• minimum 20. *
• At Airport—Maximum. 31 •
• minimum, 28. •
• •
• FORECAST •
o <Juucau and Vicinity) t
• Snow tonight. Clearing and •
• colder Friday. High tempera- «
» ture Friday near 20. •
[ • •
l • PRECIPITATION •
• (Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a m. today •
• City of Juneau- -0 04 inches •
• since Jan. 1 — 3.18 inches; •
• since July 1—41.17 inches. •
• At Airport — 0.07 inches: •
• since Jan. 1 — 1.83 inches; •
• since July 1—29.83 inches. •
• ••••»•»??•
DAVIS DODGES
TAIYA ISSUE
AT (( MEET
—
James P. Davis, Director of Ter
ritories, Department of Interior,
Washington, D.C., spoke briefly at
a meeting of the Chamber of Com
merce at the Baranof Hotel this
noon.
He pointed out the objectives of
the Department and the people of
Alaska in the development of the
Territory were the same but that j
there were differences of opinion
in the methods of achieving them. 1
He Said that the national situation
was forwarding Alaskan develop
ment through large expenditure
and it was hoped that the grow th j
launched would continue as the
, military appropriations tapered off. j
When asked by President Herb
S Rowland about the possible Taiya
h' droelectric project at the head
of Lyhn Canal. Davis >aid that if a
dia ision had been made in favor of
the Kittimat location, it had been
made on •stratosphere level- and
; that he was not in position to make
any statements at hi time How
ever, la added that lie would do all
in h;s power i- aid such an Alaskan
! development.
\V. \ Elkins, Regional Director
of Fid) and Wildlife Service, spoke
on the results of a survey made
lw t summer in regard to moving the
FWts fleet from Seattle to Juneau.
Hi pointed out the advantages of
each base stressing the importance
ol a consolidated operation that
would result if the fleet were home
ported here. He also pointed out
that many of the fleet personnel
had homes in Seattle anti an added
30 to 40 persons stationed here
would present a housing problem.
“The move to Juneau would fol
low the announced policy ol the
Department of Interior in building
up Alaska,”- Elkins concluded.
Guests included members of the
Alaska Field Committee here to at
tend a meeting in progres and
Commander Fred Staats of the
USCG cutter Storis. Carl Heinmil
ler of Port Chilkoot was introduced
as a new member.
A thank you letter was received',
from the Teen Age Club thanking j
the Chamber for its contribution of,
$100 toward a new juke box for the
club.
DAVIS. FLAKNE
HERE FOR FIELD
COMMITTEE MEET
The tenth meeting of the Al
aska Field Committee convened this
morning in Hugh Wades office at
the Alaska Native Service and will
run through Saturday If necessary
to dispose of business on hand.
The committee is composed of of
ficials the var.ous
agencies of the Department of In
terior and is headed by Kenneth J.
Kadov.’. chairman. Among the mai
lt is to come up at l h*s session ir
the final draft of a water code
for Alaska that may or may not
be introduced in the coming legts-<
lature.
Those in attendance from Juneau i
were: John Argetsinger and George
Rogers of the Alaska Public Works, j
Marvin Ripke of the Alaska Native
Service; S. H Lorain of the Bu
reau of Mines; Col. John R. Noyes,
and Don H Miller of the Alaska
Road Commission; Joseph Morgan
and R. C. Johnson oi the Bureau
of Reclamation; VV. A. Elkins -ol
the Fish and Wildlife Service; Gov
ernor Ernest Gruening and George
Sundborg of the Governor's office;
and Kadow- and Kathleen M. Kohl
oi the Field Committee.
Those from out-of-town include
James P. Davis, Diiector Office of
Territories and Joe Flakne, Ciiiel
of the Alaska Division. Deparl
n. iit of Interior, from Washing
ton, D C. John Reed from Wash
ington, D. C'„ and William Twen
hofel oi the local oflice wdi re
present the U. S. Geological Sur
vey. George Collins and Allred C.
Kuehl ol' the National Park Ser
vice office in San Fianeisco are
here. Elroy Hinmun is representing
the Alaska Railroad anu Lowell
Puckett, the Bureau of Land Man
agement both oi Anchorage.
SITKA VISITOR
Mrs. Jear. Carter of Sitka is re
gistered at the Baranof Hotel.
BIG DEVELOPMENT IN
SOUTHEAST ALASKA IS
SCUTTLED AT PRESENT
COMMIES
ARE ALSO <
MASSING
It looks like one big project in
Southeast Alaska, the Alcoa project
proposed for Skagway, is all off for
the present at least, as Canada has
beaten the U.S. to the deal.
Last week, on January 3, an Asso
ciated Press dispatch under a Vic
toria, B.C., dateline, said British
Columbia started off 1951 with a
bang — an agreement with the
Aluminum Company of Canada
that should lead eventually to a
>>500,000,000 development in the
northern B.C. wilderness
Lands Minister E. V. Kenney
signed an agreement during the
weekend giving the company water
rights for a vast hydro development
in the Tweedsmuir Park area, about
400 miles north of Vancouver.
No further details were given.
Certain features ol the agreement
require sanction of the B.C. legis
lature, which opens its 1951 session
Feb. 20.
' For that reason we are unable
to say anything more than the fact
that negotiations started with the
company in 1947 have received the
final touches at long last," Mr.
Kenney told u press conference to
day.
The Agreeinenl
The agreement covers water rights
in the Tahtsa-Kemano watersheds
of Tweedsmuir Park, where the
company proposes to develop a
500,(l00-h.p. power plant on the
Memano River as the first stage ol
a 1,500,000-h.p. development.
Construction of the power plant
would follow building of a dam in
the Grand Canyon of the Neehako
River, about 1(50 miles from the
coast. This W'ould back up the
waters in the Tahtsa-Kemano wat
ersheds to permit hydro develop
ment.
The power site is about 50 miles
from the Kltimat, the liny Indian
village at tidewater which in a few
years may become an aluminum
boom town of probably 50.0000
population.
Skagway. Project
This means the Alcoa project at
Skagway ,or Dyea, is olf for the
present. For the past four or five
years Alcoa lias been inspecting the
proposed project and James Grodin.
Alcoa’s chief electrical engineer who
investigated, was impressed.
Last Thursday, at the regular
meeting of the Juneau Chamber of
Commerce. Gov. Ernest Gruenlng
told of the British Columbia action
and subsequent abandonment ot the
Skagway or Dyea project but his
remarks were "off the record” and
The Empire reporter respected this.
At the conclusion of his talk, the
Governor, in effect tossed the ball
to the Chamber and offered the
use of all the material on the sub
ject available in his office.
But details of the abandonment
of the project, and the why, reached
Anchorage and here is the editorial.
In part, appearing in the Anchorage
Times of Tuesday, this week. Janu
ary 9 under the caption ' Develop
ment Project Scuti led: ’
Scuttling is Told
One of the most, staggering blows
to the development of Alaska has
come in the loss of a .i300.000.0tKJ
aluminum plant near Skagway.
Cabinet rank federal officials at
Washington participated in a deal
under which United States funds
will be made available for the
gigantic project to be located in
Canada, just south of the Ala k;t
border.
The deal has all the badges of a
double-cross. It came after some
LEAGUE OF WOMEN
VOTERS GIVEN INFO
ON ALASKA POLITICS
Members and guests attending the
luncheon meeting of the League of
Women Voters meeting, Tuesday.
January if. in the American Legion
Dugout, enjoyed an interesting and
educational program. Mi Anita
Garnick, program leader, spoke on
the formation of the political par
ties In Alaska and the preliminary
preparations in the holding of Ter
ritorial elections, including quali
fications and how to file for can
didacy in the Territory.
Due to the absence of Mrs. Ernest
Grueiiing, President of tlie Juneau
League, Mrs. Leslie B Avrit. vice
president, presided at the meeting
four year> <>t preliminary investiga
tions had been conducted. The
Skagway project had won approval
of engineers, financiers, and opera
tors. It was recognized a one of
the most feasible sources for a huge
hydro-electric power development,
the controlling factor in the estab
lishment of a light metals industry
The aluminum development lit
Alaska would have revolutionized
the economy of the territory. It
would have created a new city of
15,000 to 50,000 population li would
have opened the way for the de
velopment of a long list of new in
dustries as by-products of the main
aluminum development.
The switching of the project to
Kittinmt, B.C., north of Prince Ru
pert and south of the Alaska border,
delays but does not kill the Alaska
development. Unfortunately s.iOO.
000,000 development* ore few and
far between.
It is likely that the reasoning
behind (lie aluminum decision may
never be known in Alaska. Federal
[officials are accountable to no on»
in tile territory. Alaska has no rep
resentation in Washington witli the
prestige and power to thump a fist
on desks of cabinet officers and de
mand answers to their questions.
Bu|t Alaskans can speculate that
big money made the decision. Be ed
on past experiences, it Is reasonable
to conclude that the big money
found it for its own best, intert as
to have the aluminum plant in
.Canada instead of. on soil of the
United States perhaps for tax pur
poses.
One thing is certain: the switch
to British Columbia could noi4 pos
sibly be for defense reasons. There
is nothing to support such a belief.
The Kittimat project will be more
vulnerable to enemy attack than
would tiie Skagway project.
Both the Skagway and Kittimat
sites are at the head of fjords. The
, fact that Kittimat is a few hundred
I miles south and east of Skagway
would make no appreciable differ
ence from the defense angle. An
enemy able to reach one could, just
, as readily, reach the other.
The big difference is in the physi
* cal structure of the two power de
j velopments, and Skagway has deli
mit advantages over Kittimat. The
! project in Alaska would have tun
nels t (trough rugged mountains to
, bring water from Interior lakes to
I the power plants on the shoreline.
! At Kittimat the waters would be
| impounded by an open dam a
[ ready target for enemy bombs.
If the aluminum plant were at
[Skagway or Dyea the enemy could
! j|y many days over the sawtoothed
j peaks of the area and be unsuccess
ful in finding a place to drop a
I bomb that would destroy the power
development. But at Kittimat. a
I lew well-placed bombs could wreck
! the dam and leave the entire fac
i tory without electricity to turn its
wheels.
Too, it must be recognized that
j the defense line in Alaska is the
j defense for Kittimat as well as
for* Skagway. That defense line is
j 600 miles west of Skagway. It is
j equally effective for either site.
I The aluminum deal opens the way
[ for qut Honing the sincerity of the
' federal government in its program
for Alaskan development. By locat
jitig this plant in the territory the
! government would have taken the
greatest step possible in expanding
the economy of Alaska.
Meanwhile. Alaskans see British
Columbia developing new pulp mills
while American interests are suf
fering a series of crippling delays
in similar developments In Alaska.
Alaskans are justified in wonder
ng whether they must wait for the
full development of British Colum
bia before the United States will
take un Interest in her own soil
and people in this great northern
rumpa rt.
History shows that Alaska always
gets the rind when the United
States slices a melon. It has been
that way ever since the purchase
of Alaska from Russia in 18<i7
Has anyone ever heard of the
United States developing a natural
resource in Canada when one of the
48 states had an equal resource
available for development?
There Will be more oti this de
velopment as Skauwuv is up in
arms
Reds Building Up Attack
ing Forces-Battlefront
Uneasily Quiet
vBy the A- ociated i‘re- i
Allied troops maintained a hold
ing operation south of Wonju on
the critical central Korean front
today while the Communists massed
In the west. The Reds were build
ing up a 285,000-man force in an
apparent bid to cut off the uiRin
forces of the U.S Eighth Army on
the road south of abandoned Seoul.
Eighth Army headquarter called
the localized Allied counterattack
four miles south of Wonju a "suc
cessful operation." A patrol of
American, r'rencli and Dutch troops
left 2,100 killed and wounded Red
Koreans on the snow-covered bat
tle Iron I
Gen Mar Arthur's headquarters
said it was a counterattack aimed
at throwing the enemy off balance.
A seven-hour battle developed
after a tank-led U.S Second Divi
sion patrol sneaked into abandoned
Wonju. a vita* communications hub.
end then vi-.: iilillj withdrew
More the i.000 North Koreans
attacked the company size Allied
petrol outside ifoitja on the road to
Chongju. Allied reinforcements
were rolled up and the Reds broke
oil the battle Wednesday nigh!.
Ileils Attempt Vtlack
Am«-uuau...*k*miU/ dtoswlan troop*
!clung stubbornly last night tTlun's
ilayi to a salient one and one-half
miles south of Wonju on the critical
central Korean front, but two Ko
rean Red divisions were attempting
a flanking move from the north and
east.
A spokesman with the Americans,
who were bolstered by French and
Dutch troops, identified the Reds
| as about 20,000 men of the North
Korean Sixth and Tenth divisions.
The censorship withheld further
details of this action, which was
reported by AP Correspondent Wil
liam C. Barnard in a dispatch timed
at 10 pm.. Thursday i5 a m., Thurs
iday. P.ST' and received In Tokyo
early Friday.
Attack Beaten Back
A Second Division spokesman also
-aid a Red force was beaten back
with 200 to 300 casualties when it
taied to encircle a Second Division
unit five miles to the southeast on
the Wonju-Clieclion highway.
Otherwise, Barnard reported, the
front was stabilized Thursday, with
only some small-arms fire south of
rhe wrecked and empty town of
Wonju.
On that front. 55 miles southeast
of Seoul, the Reds lost an estimated
2,100 troops in an earlier fight that
lasted seven hours.
On Diplomatic Front
While the battlefront was uneasily
[quiet, there were signs of important
activity on the diplomatic front.
London sources said the British
Commonwealth notions have pro
posed a high level meeting between
the United- States and Communist
China to discuss a Korean settle
ment. The proposed talks would be
under United Nations sponsorship.
There was no indication whether
the U.S. or China would accept the
suggestion of the Commonwealth
Prime Ministers.
The (SO-nation Political Commit
tee oi the U N. was marking time
awaiting developments of the Cotn
tnonw ealth conference
Premiers Meeting
Earlier, the Commonwealth Pre
miers were presented with a state
ment of principles by Britain’s For
! eign Secretary Ernest Bovin The
principles, supported also by India,
are being reviewed by the other
Commonwealth leaders. They in
clude admission of Red China to
the U.N.. reaffirmation of the 1943
Cairo Declaration that said For
mosa would be returned to China,
it timetable lor the withdrawal of
all foreign troops front Korea and
the seating of Red China on a U N.
group set up to restore Korea po
litically and economically.
Gen. MacArthur’s headquarters
denied a news story b.v Keyes Beech
of the Chicago Daily News that tlie
U N. Commander had recommended
withdrawal of U.N. forces from Ko
rea. Beech said today his informa
tion came from authoritative
sources and despite the denial ha
would •stand on i he storv.