TTTE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE
"ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME* _
VOL. LXXV., NO. 11,588
JUNEAU, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1950
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICE TEN CENTS
Allied Troops Braced for Enemy Attack
U. N. FORCES THROW IN
EVERYTHING TO SLOW
DOWN 90,000 KO-REDS
> ■
Critical Phase of War as
North Koreans Try'Flank
ing Moves Near Taegu
(By Associated Press)
American troops, big guns and
planes smashed back the North
Korean Communists for four nights
straight in Red attempts to break
through for a lunge at Taegu, but
a vast Communist buildup on the
northern front was renorted today.
About 1,500 Reds sneaxed behind
the lines of the U. S. 21th Infantry
regiment and were posing a menace
on its right flank, Col. John Mich
elis, the regiment’s commander, es
timated. An American-South Kor
ean attack hit flanking infiltrators
Wednesday in the heaviest fighting
of the whole 120-mile battlefront.
A breakthrough here would loose
five enemy divisions—perhaps 50,
000 men—against Taegu, main Am
erican forward base. The Reds were
operating at points from eight to
12 miles from Taegu. A Red general
offensive was believed imminent.
Associated Press correspondent
Don Whitehead reported from the
front that the whole valley was
charged with the tension of combat
far behind the fighting lines.
“Tension still runs through the
whole valley—the tension of mem
alert for combat and prepared for
the enemy,” ‘ Whitehead wrote.
Michaelis said the next 48 hours
or less could bring the decision.
Planes and artillery poured dead
ly fire into a 100-yard-wide no
man’s land after the Reds pushed
a wedge into U..N. defenses north
of Taegu. Enemy dead piled up
before counterattacking U. &. and
South Korean troops who battled
to prevent a breakthrough which
Would allow Communists to descend
upon their prime target, the Taegu
road and rail junctions.
rhe Washington
Merry-Go-Round
By TOM McNAMARA and
FRED BLUMENTHAL
.Copyrlcbt. IBM. bp »«U BpudiMK. Ine.)
(Efl. Note—While Drew Pear
son is oil a brief vacation, his
dciamawiD be written by mem
bers of his staff).
TKshINGTON — It has been
hushed up, but the FBI clapped an
other suspected subversive agent
in Jail last week. He is William
Wolfe Weisband of Arlington, Va„
who was arrested in Los Angeles
after being trailed by government
agents for months.
Weisband was employed for seven
years as an analyst in one of the
government’s top-secret defense
agencies. For security reasons, w?
have been asked not to identify
the agency or the nature of its
highly classified work.
It can be revealed, however, that
Weisband was abruptly suspended,
without pay, last May as a bad
security risk. Shortly after his
suspension, Weisband and his wife
drove to California “to see a friend.”
The FBI had the pair under con
stant surveillance aU the way from
Washington to Los Angeles.
As Weisband was preparing to
return to Washington, he was sub
poenaed by a Los Angeles Federal
grand Jury investigating espionage.
At that time he was asked only a
few perfunctory questions—his
name, age, home address, etc. He
was ordered to come before the
grand Jury one week later, for
further questioning.
This time he failed to show up,
giving the excuse that he had in
sufficient funds to remain in Los
Angeles. So he returned home—
with the FBI agent again trailing
him across the country.
On August 2, Weisband received
a third summons to appear before
the Los Angeles grand Jury. He
(Continued on Page Five)
The Communists added their Sec
ond and 15th Divisions to the First,
Third and 13th on the front north
of Taegu and poised a brigade of
at least 14 tanks, while Americans
and South Koreans braced for
what might soon be the all-out
North Korean general offensive. It
may be started with a heavy lunge
at the American right flank against
the U. S. 27th Infantry Regiment.
The Reds, who lost 11 tanks in
four days in the sector, jabbed and
probed at several places along the
right flank after a regimental at
tack was halted Tuesday by air and
artillery fire.
“This is a critical phase," said
Col. John Michaelis, commanding
the 27th "Wolfhound" Regiment.
“If we stop them we will break
the back of this drive.”
An allied air, artillery and tank
attack early Wednesday (Korean
time) had pushed the forward
Communists back, but one Red
spearhead was within eight miles
of Taegu, threatening U. S. supply
lines. The Reds held higher ground
and poured heavy fire* into the
attacking U. N. forces, while their
infiltrators stabbed at artillery and
infantry positions with mortar,
machinegun and small arms fire.
Allied pilots raked these enemy
forces.
On the southern front along the
coastal approach to Pusan, main
U. N. supply base, the 25th U. S.
Infantry Division has beaten back
two light Red assaults, but the
threat west of Masan. 27 air miles
from Pusan, still was menacing.
This is the shortest route for the
Reds to Pusan.
The front just west of Taegu re
mained quiet and there was little
activity on the central front sector
along he Naktong River.
Two North Korean officers now
prisoners of war have given in
dications that morale among the
North Korean forces is bad. A 27
year-old lieutenant colonel who
commanded a Red artillery regi
ment, walked into South Korean
lines and surrendered, saying that
“I don't want to see all Korea run
the way the Communists now run
it.” He said most of his regiment
would like to surrender “but they
are too closely watched by secret
political agents in the army.” A
captured captain freely admitted
the North Koreans started the war
and that his outfit had a Russian
adviser. Both officers had served
in the Communist Manchurian
army.
The lieutenant colonel willingly
pinpointed positions of his 22 artil
lery pieces hidden in an apple
orchard, and fighter planes hit the
position with jellied gasoline bombs.
Another prisoner said he had fought
for three days without food or
water because of supply difficulties.
These supply difficulties are be
ing aggravated daily for the Reds
by U. S. air attacks. Already man
(Continued on Page Two)
•
• WEATHER REPORT
• Temperatures for 24-Kour Period
• ending 6:20 o'clock this morning
•
• In Juneau—Maximum, 72
• minimum, 54.
• At Airport—Maximum, 77
• minimum, 53.
•
• FORECAST
• lJuneau and Vicinity)
• Variable cloudiness tonight
• and Thursday with light rain
• by Thursday afternoon. Low
• est temperature tonight near
• 52 degrees. Highest Thursday
• near 63.
•
• PRECIPITATION
• (Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a.m. today
• City of Juneau — None;
• since August 1—1.14 inches;
• since July 1—11.07 inches.
• At Airport — None;
• since August 1—0.85 inches;
• since July 1—7.89 Inches.
TWO ALARM
FIRE STRIKES
WATERFRONT
Second Major Blaze in 3
Days Damages South
Franklin St. Bldg.
The second two-alarm fire with
in three days struck the Juneau
waterfront when a building owned
by the Juneau Cold Storage Com
pany was damaged this morning.
The fire, which laid a cloud of
smoke over downtown Juneau, ap
parently started in the upper part
of the structure on South Frank
lin Street, directly south of the
main cold storage plant.
First alarm was sounded at
10:15 a.m. by Wallis George, pres
ident of the cold storage company,
who discovered smoke coming
through the roof while he was
inspecting roofing work. He said
he sent cold storage company
workers with fire extinguishers to
fight the blaze until the fire de
partment arrived. Second alarm
was sounded at 10:29 a.m.
Firefighters were forced back by
the smoke which poured from the
corrugated-iron sheathed buildihg
and donned smoke masks before
fighting the fire from the north
side of the structure.
Fire Chief A. Minard Mill said
the corrugated-iron sheathing on
the building made the fire a diffi
cult one to battle.
The tug Trojan, owned by the
Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Com
pany, tied up at the cold storage
company wharf 15 minutes after
the second alarm was sounded and
immediately w'ent into action pour
ing a stream of water on the
smoking building.
The fire was confined to a loft
between the celling and roof of
the building, but smoke and water
damage was done to the remainder
of the building.
George said: “Electric wiring is
the only thing I can attribute the
lire lo."
Due to water in the building, it
has been impossible to make an
accurate estimate of the damage
done by the blaze, he said.
The blaze, pushed by a light
breeze from the south, threatened
the Juneau Cold Storage Company
plant, one of Juneau's major in
dustrial establishments.
At 10:50 a.m. the fire broke
through the roof of the burning
building, sending clouds of black
smoke aloft, and a short while later
flames licked along the edge of the
roof.
Holes were chopped in the roof
so water could be poured on the
base of the fire, and the blaze was
brought under control at about 11
o'clock.
R. E. Packard, owner of Packard s
Marina, which was gutted in a two
alarm fire Sunday afternoon, was
one of the crowd of at least 700
spectators who were at the scene.
of the blaze today.
The building housed the Victory
Bar, Metcalfe Sheet Metal Works,
the Coca Cola bottling plant, the
Juneau branch office of the Deep
Sea Fishermen’s Union, the offices
of Elton Engstrom and Ed C. John
son, fish buyers, and one apart
ment.
The all clear was sounded at
12:35 p. m.
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, Aug. 23—Closing
quotations of Alaska Juneau mine
stock today is 2%, American Can
97%, Anaconda 35%, Curtiss-Wright
10%, International Harvester 31%,
Kennecott 65%, New York Central
14%, Northern Pacific 17%, U. S.
Steel 39, Pound 2.80%.
Sales today were 1,570,000 shares.
Averages today were: industrials
221.51; rails 63.33; utilities 39.60.
FROM MT. EDGECUMBE
Doctors R. H. Shuler and B. E.
McBrayer of Mt. Edgecumbe are in
' Juneau and staying at the Baranof
| Hotel.
SPORTS RULER -Doris
Kleiner, of Santiago, was chosen
"Miss Winter Sports" by vaca
tionists at Portillo, Chile's new
winter resort 12,000 feet high
<n the Andes.
I
ARMY DOES NOT
NOW NEED MORE
SEATTLE DOCKS
SEATTLE, Aug. 23—i.fl—1The Chief
of the Army Transportation Corps,
Maj. Gen. Frank A. Heilman, re
assured shipping men yesterday that
the Army has no immediate plans to
take over additional space on the
Seattle waterfront.
“How much future expansion is in
store for our Army Transportation
setup depends on what happens in !
the war in Korea and the rest of
the International situation," the
general said during an interview.
“Meanwhile, requirements for the
Far East theater are being met ade
quately.”
General Heileman said the Se
attle port’s primary job is Alaska.
“Under the present Army Trans
portation program,” he said “San
Francisco is set up to handle a large
part of the Far East theater supply.
But, Seattle is geared to take care
of the overload, the same as San
Francisco would do If Alaska be
came the main theatre.”
The general, completing an ins
pection tour of West Coast ports,
was to return to Washington, D. C.,
today .
CONGRESS MOVES TO
BAR SALE OF FISH
BY FOREIGN SHIPS
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23— —
The House passed a bill Monday to
keep foreign fishing vessels from
selling their catches on U. S. shores.
It now goes to the Senate.
The measure would plug a loop
hole in the law by which foreign
fishing boats have been coming to
shore as cargo vessels and unload
ing their catches.
Under the new provision, the mer
chant marine and fisheries commit
tee reported, the use of this device
will be impossible.
STEAMER MOVEMENTS
Princess Norah due to arrive from
Skagway at 8 a.m. Friday leaving
one hour later for Vancouver.
Alaska due to arrive southbound
Friday.
Chena due to leave Seattle Thurs
day.
Aleutian will sail from Seattle
Saturday and Is due to arrive
here Tuesday.
Baranof due southbound Sunday.
Chilcotin scheduled to arrive here
Thursday from Vancouver.
Until further notice there will
be no CPR ships sailing from Van
couver.
BOB DE ARMAND HERE
Bob DeArmand, Sitka newspa
perman, is registered at the Baranof
| Hotel.
MILITARY TO
TRY PRACTICE
'EVACUATION'
Dependents Only to Stage
Practical Withdrawal to
Highway, Airfields
ANCHORAGE, Aug. 23— (/PI —A
practice evacuation to prepare de
pendents of military personnel for
a possible attack on Alaska by an
enemy will be staged here Saturday
morning with a 50-mile “withdrawal"
up the Alaska Highway.
Dependents of Elmendorf Air
Force Base and Fort Richardson
troops will participate in the part
theory, part-practice action. Its pur
pose is to set up a quick, orderly
procedure for evacuation to the
United States without clogging trav
el arteries or snarling military traf
fic.
In theory, it will be territory wide
and include air travel. In fact, as
set up by Lt. Gen. William Kepner,
Commander-in Chief of Alaskan
defense, it will not include civilians
living in Anchorage, Fairbanks and
other cities.
It does not, military officials said,
jjoint to the need for evacuation at
this time. “Gur main concern,” one
officer said, “is to avoid a panicky
populace. We are not going to punch
a panic button.”
As worked out, the dependents
will gather at designated collection 1
points when the signal is given Sat- i
urday morning. They will be picked j
up by buses and driven as far as
Palmer. There they will be processed i
as if they were beginning the long I
drive to the reception station at1
Great Falls, Mont. This would be
via the Glenn and Richardson High
way to Big Delta, on the Alaskan
Highway.
In a genuine evacuation the de
pendens would be taken in convoys
across Canada by the U. S. Army.
In actuality Saturday, however, they
will return here by bus from Palmer.
Aircraft also would be used in
any mass evacuation, but officials
pointed out that such travel means
probably would be in short supply.
Plans have even been worked out
for wives to obtain special travel
funds at Palmer and Great Falls,
non-dependents Joining the ev
acuee caravans would need their
own funds, however.
Sound trucks will move through
the streets of Alaskan cities to advise
persons of their duties in event of
an attack dr practice evacuation.
Radio stations have arranged to
broadcast military information via
a mobile transmitter operating in
dependent of telephone lines and
power sources which might be sab
otaged.
Persons scheduled for air evacua
tion will be instructed on the radio
where to gather to board aircraft.
No actual flying will be done Sat
urday but persons affected must
walk to collection points and report
at airfields, leaving personal ve
hicles behind.
CITY POLICE READY TO
HELP HAZED FRESHMEN
High school freshmen who fear
hazing by upper-classmen may ask
for police protection, Police Chief
Bernard Hulk announced today.
"Juneau's police force stands
ready to protect anyone from
harm,” he said. "This includes
freshmen who don’t like to be
shoved around by gangs of upper
classmen."
Cases of unnecessary hair-clip
ping have already been called to
the attention of the police, show
ing that the perennial hazing prob
lem is starting early, he said.
He pointed out that scissors are
dangerous weapons during scuffles
by high school youths.
"Parents are responsible for the
actions of their children,” he said.
“They should remember that they
may be brought to court if their
children inflict injuries on other
youths."
AHA REJECTS ALL
BIDS ON DOUGLAS
HOUSING PROJECT
The Alaska Housing Authority at
a special Board meeting held here
on Monday, rejected all bids which
had been previously received for
the construction of twenty-five
single family homes at Douglas, it
was announced today by E. Glen
Wilder, Executive Director.
Wilder stated that the action of
the Board in rejecting the bids fol
lowed only after considerable effort
to secure reasonable construction
costs had failed. It was concluded
by the AHA that the lowest offer
obtained, following negotiations
with the low bidders, was at least
twenty percent too high and that
the resulting sales prices would be
beyond the costs limits which home
purchasers could afford.
For over a year the AHA has
periodically advertised for private
sponsor-builders to construct needed
homes for sale !n the Juneau area,
and it was only after this had
failed that bids for direct AHA
construction were called.
“The net result," Wilder said, “is
simply that we will not obtain nec
essary new housing unless the gen
eral theory advanced by builders,
that .raskan building costs are
something out of this world, is ex
ploded, and that theory is reduced
to the realistic. It is true," he
continued, “that in the Territory
we must deal with added freight
costs, higher labor costs, and other
less tangible additions to construc
tion costs, but when all of these
items are actually set out and ad
ded, say to Seattle construction
costs, we cannot conceivably arrive
at some of the astounding figures
that are thrown at us as Alaskan
construction costs."
The Housing Authority plans to
continue its effort to obtain homes
for sale. New bids are to be called
on segments of the project to en
courage all local builders to parti
cipate in the Douglas bidding.
Attending the meeting Monday
were the following AHA Commis
sioners: Jake Cropley, of Juneau;
Louise W. Miller, Ketchikan and
Z. J. Loussac of Anchorage. Father
Paul C. O'Connor of Hooper Bay
and Harold Byrd of Flat, the other
Board members were unable to at
tend.
The Board will hold its regular
quarterly meeting in the middle of
September. It will be held either
at Anchorage or Ketchikan.
LATE RUN IS ONLY HOPE
FOR PINK SALMON PACK
IN SOUTHEAST WATERS
“No fish south, and even fewer
up here," is the way Clarence J.
Rhode is tempted to express the
sorry situation in the matter of
pink salmon supply.
The Alaska director of the U.
S. Fish and Wildlife Service again
said there is reason to hope for a
good run before the seat an closes
at 6 p.m. September 3.
"This is a cycle year of the 1948
season which started even worse,”
he said today on his return from a
survey of Ketchikan waters.
“Two years ago, neither the catch
nor the escapement was as good,
but there was a late run and a
good one. It still could happen this
season.”
As in previous years, the FWS
keeps a day-to-day index of trap
catches as a gauge to intensity of
of the runs. The 1950 season got
of fto such a bad start that, for one
off to such a bad start that, for one
trap catch in Icy Strait reached a
low of 92. That’s not in hundreds,
that is ninety-two fish.
The best showing (near Ketchi
kan) for a single day’s trap catch
averaged 3,000, but Ihere was a
sharp decline there later.
“Even so,” said Rhode, “on the
basis of previous statistics, we ex
pect the total pack from Ketchikan
and south to be fair.”
Returning from the southward,
Rhode reported a very slight im
provement along the west coast and
in the southern part of the south
ern district (Ketchikan and below.)
“However.” he said, “there has
been essentially no change from
Ketchikan north.”
MALIK TELLS U. N. WAR
WILL SPREAD IF KOREA
BATTLE IS CONTINUED
WAR WITH RUSSIA
W L COME, SAYS i
AMERICAN LEGION;
* I
Senate Approves Increased
Allowances for Depend
ents of Servicemen
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23—-(If)—A
representative of the American Leg- |
ion told Congress today that he re
gards war with Russia as Inevitable.,
Earle J. Cocke, Jr., chairman of I
the Legion’s National Security Com
mission, made the statement in urg
ing speedy enactment of universal
military training. ,
“How soon we begin mobilizing
to meet this conflict that is sure to
come will measure our chances of
survival,” Cocke said in a state
ment given to the Senate Armed
Services Committee.
"The lords of the Kremlin have
repeatedly stated that a Communis
tic government Such as that in the
U.S.S.R. cannot exist so long as
there is a capitalistic United States
of America.” |
The Senate group is holding hear
ings on a UMT bill. A majority of (
the committee already has endorsed |
the idea and urged that Congress I
remain In session until it can act
on the measure. j
Backers of UMT, pointing to
swift Senate approval of monthly
payments to families of enlisted
men, contend Congress is in a mood
to enact whatever measures military
leaders say are needed. The Defense
Department has asked for UMT,
but President Truman has said he
will not push for action at this ses
sion of Congress.
The dependents allowance bill
went through the Senate last eve
ning in less than an hour.
The proposed monthly payments
the family allowance bill would pro
vide vary from a minimum of $86
monthly for a dependent wife, child,
or parent to $115 for three or more
dependents of men in the lowest
grades.
Enlisted men in lowest grades
would sign over $40 of their pay to
their dependents. The government
would pay the rest of the benefits.
Allowances would be higher for
I'amilies of men in the upper grades.
Hearings-Elections
Set for Columbia
River fishermen
ASTORIA, Ore,, Aug. 23—(if)—Two
Issues involving Columbia River
cannery workers' unions were head
ed lor decisions today.
A National Labor Relations Board
'rearing has been set for Aug. 30
on the petition of the CIO indus
trial union, Local 1747, for bargain
ing elections at several fish packing
plants.
The local, formed by workers who
rebelled from the Columbia River
Fishermen’s Protective Union over
affilliation with Harry Bridges’ CIO
longshoremen, claims the right to
negotiate for workers now under a
CRFPU contract. The elections were
asked at the plants of the Columbia
River Tuna Packers Association, the
Keystone Packing Cc„ the Seaside
Clam Co., Palace F:ch and Oyster
Co., and State Seafood Co.
Meanwhile, the CRFPU officers
were preparing to count ballots of
members on whether the older Col
umbia River union would remain in
Bridges' ILWU. Members ballotted
Sunday and the votes are to be
counted Friday. Secretary Henry
Niemela reported the voting here|
was heavy.
Niemela said the CRFPU’s affill- -
ion with the ILWU became effective'
yesterday. |
#
(My Associated Kress)
In the UN Security Council, anti
communist delegates today studied
Russia's latest blasts for hints of a
new war threat. Soviet Delegate
Jakob A. Malik told the Council
at Lake Success, N. Y., yesterday
that "continuation of military op
erations in Korea would lead not
to a localization of the conflict, but
would inevitably lead to a broaden
ing of the conflict, fraught with ser
ious consequences.”
In that ninth session of the Coun
cil since Malik assumed its Presi
dency for the month, there was no
progress on the Korean question,
but the U. S. and British represen
tatives lashed Russia with strong
words.
In Washington, State Department
Counsellor Oeorge F. Kennan, who
is stepping aside after several years
as a top foreign policy maker, said
he believes the United States must
maintain a large military establish
ment for many years to come, but
he hopes the U. 8. people will not
come to accept the idea of war
with Russia as Inevitable.
LANDSLIDE CLOSES
TRAFFIC ON ALASKA
R. R. "INDEFINITELY"
ANCHORAOE, Aug. 23— —A
landslide roared over a 200-foot
precipice Monday covering a 165
foot section of the Alaska Railroad
tracks with tons of boulders and
gravel.
The slide, in the Nenana canyon
south of Fairbanks, will close the
line indefinitely, railroad offlcals
said.
The debris swept over the rails and
plunged another 200 feet to the floor
of the canyon. Clearing crews were
unable to approach the site immed
itely because of danger from furth
er slides and surveys will be nec
essary before possible; clearing-. pro
cedures can be decided upon.'
A tropp trairf and the streamliner
“Aurora'1 were held ift a why 'point
and returned to Anchorage yester
day. , i
A survey crew flew to the scene.
DANGER OF FOREST
FIRES HERE NOTED
BY FOREST SERVICE
Fire danger is at its maximum,
states District Forest Ranger Mai
Hardy in a recent report. Combi
nation of clear dry weather and
light to moderate winds has brought
ibout the worst condition in the
woods so far this season from a
.ire danger standpoint along Gas
tlneau Channel.
Since burning and campfire per
mits are not required this year,
forest guards do not know where
to expect fires and forest users
should be especially careful.
Until the present dry spell is
over, slash and debris burning fires
will be prohibited on National For
est land, and no open campfires
will be permitted except In im
proved campgrounds.
Malcolm E. Hardy,
District Forest Ranger.
FISHING VESSEL JUANITA
DISABLED IN GLACIER BAY
The fishing vessel Juanita of Pet
ersburg has asked for Coast Guard
assistance in obtaining repairs. The
50-foot boat is disabled in Glacier
Bay with a broken water pump.
Reports reaching Coast Guard
headquarters here via Sentinel Is
land Light Station said the vessel
had a load of fish aboard.
Repair parts are being rushed
to the disabled vessel, which is own
ed by Leon Hasbrook of Petersburg.
FROM SITKA
Harry J. Brown of Sitka is a
guest at the Baranof Hotel.