THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE
“ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” ^ ^
VOL, LXXV., NO. 11,574
JUNEAU, ALASKA, MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 1950
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICE TEN CENTS
New Korean Offensive Launched By U. S.
SUPERFORT
IN CRASH,
EXPLODES
Seventeen Men Are Killed
-Gasoline, Demolition
Bombs Blow Up
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, Calif., Aug.
7—(if)—Less than 60 seconds spelled
death for 17 Air Force men as a
crippled B-29 crashed and exploded.
Both inboard engines failed as
the bomb-laden superfort took off
for a long training flight Saturday
midnight. The pilot tried desper
ately to return to the runway. But
a wing scraped.
The bomber belly-landed. Min
utes later its gasoline and demol
ition bombs exploded.
A witness said the pilot could
have landed safely in less than one
minute more. ,
The 17 known dead included 10
of the 20 men aboard.
Two others were missing and 60
or more persons were injured, some
seriously. Many of the injured
were Air Force personnel and their
families, living in a trailer camp
only 150 feet from the scene.
Trailer Camp Leveled
Bombs leveled the trailer area
“like a giant had stepped on them,”
a witness related.
Among the dead was Brig. Gen.
Robert F. Travis, 45, much-decor
ated commander of the base, leader
of the Ninth Heavy Bomber Wing
here and hero of World War II.
He was riding behind the pilot.
Both the plane commander and
the pilot were among eight of the
2 men aboard who escaped alive.
They had made an emergency belly
landing. The fire and explosion
came several minutes later.
The two missing men were crew
members.
The other dead included thr»\
members of the base fire depart
ment and a volunteer fire fighter.
Three other dead were unidentified.
Base headquarters said Capt. E.
Q. Steffes, 28, of East Chicago, Ind.,
the plane commander, was at the
controls. His injuries were listed
as not serious.
Gasoline Spills, Fires
(Continued on Page Six)
Hie Washington
Merry-Go-Round
Bv DREW PEARSON
ICopjTlsbt, l*&n. py Ball Syndicate. Isa.)
Washington — The American
people have always known how to
take the bad news along with the
good, but despite this the Army is
holding back the true casualty list
in Korea.
Actually the public has shown
itself more alert to the menace of
Communism than most officials;
but the Army has been nervously
shielding us from the grim truth—
namely, that battle casualties are
75 per cent higher than announced.
This column has now seen the
secret casualty list kept by the
Army surgeon-general’s office. An
Army spokesman insisted that all
casualties have been announced to
the press, but admitted that the
complete list had never been tab
ulated. Believing that the folks at
home are entitled to know how
many of their men are being lost
or wounded in Korea, this column
has now made a careful tabulation.
This shows that whereas the Army
had announced 96 killed in action
and 15 died of wounds up to Aug
ust 1, the secret list of Army dead
for the same period is 660. Whereas
the Army reported only 587 wound
ed, the secret list shows 2,975. The
Army also claimed 815 missing in
action, of whom 11 got back. How
ever, the secret list shows 3,000
actually missing in action.
The above figures are only Army
casualties and do not include 14
Air Force men killed, 33 missing
and six wounded. The Navy had
also lost two men in action and
the Marines none, as of August 1.
It’s about time the Army came
clean with the American people
and told the true story of American
losses in Korea.
Franco Defeat
Allied diplomats who watched the
legislative blitzkrieg that rushed the
$100,000,000 loan to dictator Franco
(Continued on Page Four)
CASUALTIES IN
KOREAN WAR,
MADE PUBLIC
Army Announcement Is
Made Following Report
Written by D. Pearson
WASHINGTON, Aug. 7—i!fl—The
Army announced today that its Ko
rean war casualties reported to
families and released for publication
through August 6 totaled 2,616.
There are additional casualty
lists, awaiting release after notifica
tion of families.
Today’s total covered only Army
personnel. Losses with other services
have been relatively light.
The breakdown of those casual
ties released for use shows 153 killed,
1,590 wounded and 873 missing,
spokesmen said.
The Army said it was not "try
ing to hide anything. We are try
ing to handle casualty notifications
in a dignified and considerate way.”
The subject of casualty count
came up at the briefing because of
a report by columnist Drew Pearson
that the casualty total up to August
1 was 660 killed, 2,975 wounded and
3,000 “actually missing in action.”
Pearson wrote that he had seen
“the secret casualty list kept by the
Army Surgeon General’s office."
The Army spokesman said in an
swer to questions, that the totals
given by Pearson “do not agree with
casualty lists I have seen.”
Replying to a specific question
about a “secret list,” the spokesman
added that it is the Army’s Adju
tant General that handles casualty
reports.
DOROTHY DISNEY AFTER
FACTS FOR NEWCOMERS
As an occasional balance of fact
against fiction, and because she
likes to get around the country,
Dorothy Cameron Disney is glad of
her arrangement with The Ladies'
iiome Journal.
This provides for writing two
articles a year in the "How Am
erica Lives” series. Her last one
was on the Phillips family in In
diana, and appeared several months
ago.
Now, on her first trip to Alaska
Miss Disney is on assignment lo
write about a family selected by
the Journal as one which came
from the East "to grow up w/.fc
the country.”
In describing the life of Mr. and
Mrs. William Krasilovsky of Juneau
Miss Disney hopes to tell, not only
their experiences, but of the oppor
tunities for newcomers in Alaska.
Moreover, she is bent on warn
ing them to bring enough money
to carry them until they find their
places in the life of the Northland.
The writer wants to be armed
with accurate living costs, both
here and in Seattle, which, she
feels is the most logical place for
comparison.
Miss Disney, primarily a fiction
writer, is the author of many mag
azine serials as well as novels. A
new book, “Come to Judgment”
will be published soon.
In private life, Miss Disney is
the wife of Milton Mackaye, an
author most frequently associated
with his articles in The Saturday
Evening Post. Their home is in
Washington, D. C.
Miss Disney arrived Saturday by
Pan American and is a guest at
the Baranof Hotel. She is doing
concentrated work on her assign
ment, hoping to return to Washing
ton early next week.
ELECTRIC STORM
STRIKES WINNIPEG
WINNIPEG, Aug. 7—<iW—An elec
tric storm accompanied by high
winds and rain ripped through
Greater Winnipeg early today and
caused property damage estimated
at thousands of dollars. One man
died of a heart attack blamed on
the storm and at least four others
were hurt.
Lightning started fires and split
trees like matchwood.
FROM HOONAH
Bob Welsh and Bob Mills of Icy
Straits Salmon Company, Hoonah,
are registered at the Baranof Hotel.
U. S. Combat Engineers Eire on Snipers
' i-:%l r&F*- * . *;•.* -mn. >»■ i- ■■—»■■•
Helmeted U. S. combat engineers and a heavy machine gun fire on snipers in hills near Yapgdong as an
an ammuntion convoy (not shown) heads for U. S troops on the Korean front. </P) Wirephoto.
Marine Corps
Is Mobilizing
Its Manpower
WASHINGTON, Aug. 7—’The
Marine Corps is mobilizing nearly
all its available manpower.
An announcement today that it
will put its 80,000 volunteer re
serves in uniform tapped the last
big reservoir. This will boost the
strength of the fighting Marines to
around 200,000.
A Marine spokesman said the
initial call is going out to approxi
mately 50,000 officers and men who
will report for active duty between
Aug. 15 and Oct. 31.
The Marine Corps said that it
also is calling up additional or
ganized units of its air reserve.
Some air reserve units were sum
moned to active duty about three
weeks ago.
The corps already has called to
active duty all its organized ground
reserve units.
A Marine spokesaman said no
date has been set for the call to
approximately 30,000 volunteer re
serves who will not be included in
.he first summons.
IDAHO CROONING
SENATOR UP FOR
REELECTION TUES.
(By Associated Press)
Senator Glen Taylor, the guitar
picking former actor who ran for
the Vice Presidency on Henry A.
Wallace’s Progressive ticket in 1948,
will find out tomorrow whether
Idaho Democrats want to keep him
in the Senate.
Nebraska and Arkansas voters
will elect twb senators this year.
The others are Connecticut and
North Carolina. Republican strat
egists hope to pick up a Senate
seat in Idaho this November—Tay
lor's.
The Republican candidates and
one of Taylor’s Democratic oppon
ents, former Senator D. Worth
Clark, have accused the senator of
associating with Communist-front
rrganlzations.
Since his return to the Demo
cratic fold after the Progressive
slate failed to win a single elec
toral vote in 1948, Taylor has been
a strong supporter of the Truman
administration on nearly all domes
tic Issues.
GENERAL MOTORS
ANNOUNCES TWO
DIVIDENDS NOW
NEW YORK, Aug. 7—(Jt—Direc
tors of General Motors Corp. todaj
declared a dividend of $1.50 a share
and a special dividend of $2.50 e
share, both payable Sept. 9 to stock
holders of record Aug. 14.
Dividends of $1.50 each were paic
In preceding quarters this year.
Herbert Bremner of Yakutat If
a guest at the Baranof Hotel.
Jensen Demands Grand Jury
Investigation of Territory,
Palmer Airport Transaction
ASSEMBLY READY
TO MEET, CASE OF
NEW A6GRESS0N
LAKE SUCCESS. Aug. T — Of) —
Trygve Lie said today the U.N. Gen
eral Assembly could meet on 24
hours notice in case of an emer- '
gency such as a new aggression. !
The Secretary General told a
weekly news conference he would!
not hesitate to call the 59-nation
assembly at such a time.
He said the present rules provide
for a 14-day period of notice to the
assembly members, but that he be
lieved he had the authority to set j
aside the rules in an emergency. |
Some delegates have suggested
the assembly meet in special ses
sion of the Soviet Union ties up the
Security Council by using its veto
powers.
Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister
Jakob A. Malik, president of the
council this month, threatened last
week to use the veto if the council
refused to invite the Communist
North Koreans to take part in de
bate on the Korean war. He can
not use the veto, however, to halt
U.N. military decisions already
taken.
Lie was asked about demands in
some quarters that the U.N. de- j
clare the Soviet Union the aggressor
in the Korean war.
"I really think still that the So
viet Union wants peace,” Lie re
plied.
GAMETONIGHT
The regularly-scheduled Gasti
neau Channel Baseball game tonight
finds- the Moose playing host to
the Coast Guard at 6:30 o’clock.
This is the final meeting of the two
teams for the season.
• ••••••••••
• * •
• WEATHER REPORT •
• •
• In Juneau—Maximum, 66; •
• minimum, 46. •
• At Airport—Maximum, 70; •
• minimum, 46. » •
• •
• FORECAST •
• (Juneau and Vicinity) * •
• Partly cloudy with lowest •
• temperature near 46 degrees •
• tonight becoming fair and •
• highest temperature about 69 •
• Tuesday. •
• •
• PRECIPITATION •
• (Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a m. today •
• City of Juneu — None; •
I • since August 1—1.14 inches; •
• since July 1—11.07 inches. •
• At Airport — None; •
• since August 1—0.82 inches; •
• since July-1—7.86 inches. •
• ••••••••••
Charles Rice of Ketchikan is
jstaylng at the Baranof Hotel.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Aug. 7—Kid
—A grand jury investigation to de
cide legality of a $150,000 land tran
saction between the Territory and
the Palmer Airport Assn., was de
manded Saturday by Marcus Jen
sen.
Jensen,-from Douglas, is an in
vestigating committee member of
the Alaska House of Representa
tives. »
He said the transaction involved
payment of $150,000 by the Terri
tory to the airport association for
127.94 acres of land at Palmer for
a new Palmer airport, and repay
ment of $145,000 to the Territory
by the association.
The price per acre paid by the
Territory for the land was $1,172.
Official records of the Civil Aero
nautics Administration show the
land last year was valued at $42
per acre.
Jensen said his demand for grand
jury action was based on reports
that the inflated value of the land
was paid by the Territory to obtain
federal matching funds under the
Federal Airport Aid Act, in order to
offset territorial expenditures made
on the Palmer airport prior to the
effective date of the act.
Meanwhile, Alaska’s Auditor
Frank A. Boyle has asked Terri
torial Atty. Gen. J. Gerald Williams
for an opinion as to the legality of
the entire Palmer transaction.
Boyle cited what he said were six
specific points of question.
Palmer is in the Matanuska val
ley farming area.
LOCAL ANGLE
When questioned regarding Jen
in’s request for a grand jury ifi
.estigation of the Palmer Airport
controversy, District Attorney P. J.
Gilmore said "If a grand jury in
vestigation is indicated, it should
be in the Third Division situs of
the transaction. An investigation
in this division is procedurely in
correct.”
Mr. Jensen stated that the reason
he requested the grand jury en
paneiled in this Division is that the
territorial vouchers involved in the
j transaction were paid in this div
ision, this is a Territorial matter
and Juneau, in the First Division,
is the capital of the Territory.
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, Aug. 7 — Closing
quotation of Alaska Juneau mine
stock today is 2%. American Can 95,
Anaconda 33%, Curtiss-Wright 11
International Harvester 29%, Ken
uecott 60%, New York Central 14%,
Northern Pacific 18, U.S. Steel 36v».
Pound $2.80.
Sales today were 1,850.000 shares.
Averages today are as follows: in
dustrials 215.82, rails 62.85, utilities
38.30.
FROM ANCHORAGE
George Metter of Taylor Alaska
Sales Company, Anchorage, is at
the Baranof Hotel,
i i
BRIDGES IS
JAILED BY
FED. JUDGE
Bail of $25,000 Revoked
Aftorneys Make Appeal
to Circuit Court
SAN FRANCISCO. Aug. 7—(AV
Harry Bridges’ attorneys today
asked the U.S. Circuit Court of Ap
peals here to free the jailed presi
dent of the CIO Longshoremen’s
Union.
They filed a writ asking that bail
be set. The court agreed to hear
arguments at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Bridges was jailed Saturday after
Federal District Judge George Har
ris revoked his $25,000 bail. He up
held the government contention that
the longshore leader is a threat to
national security and -hould be in
custody pending appeal of his per
jury conviction.
Norman Leonard, the attorney
who signed the circuit court appeal,
said the government has made no
claim that Bridges is not a good risk
nor that there is no grounds for
appeal.
The writ said that to deny bail
"because in meetings of his own
labor union Bridges said things
which not only every citizen but
every person in our nation has the
Constitutional right to say” would
violate B r i d g e s’ Constitutional
rights.
Meanwhile, the attorneys also
presented to Federal District Judge
Dal M. Lemmon a writ of habeas
corpus asking that the government
show cause why Bridges should not
go free on bail.
In revoking bail, District Judge
Harris termed Bridges “probably one
of the most cogent figures in the
Communist party in America to
day.”
MARTIN VICTOR
PARKA IS WORN
BY DERBY TAYLOR
Sporting the latest Martin Victor
parka, soap box derby winner Jerry
Taylor left via PAA plane yester
day afternoon enroute to Akron,
Ohio, for the classic event, He
was accompanied by Milt Daniel.
Jerry will wear the parka at all
=pecial events including his ar
rival at Akron. The parka was
made especially by Martin Victor
| for Jerry to wear from Juneau to
; Akron.
1700 TO 1,000
ATTEND PICNIC
HELD BY ELKS
Seven hundreds to 1,000 Elks, their
| families and Invited friends turned
j out yesterday for a grand and gala
I Elks annual picnic held at Auk
j recreation center. Even the weath
erman cooperated by donating a
' cloudless, warrn and sunny day.
Young and oTd had a wonderful
i time with the afternoon given over
to various contests and Sherwood’s
ponies traveled miles giving the
youngsters free rides.
The only worry in the crowd was
borne by the food committee. First
they ran out of beans—sent an SOS
brigade to town for more beans;
then they ran out of ham—and re
1 plenished that; then the salad bowls
I were empty, so they served hot dogs
] which were on hand in endless
| strings. Pop, ice cream and cocoa
, made the day perfect for the kids.
All in all. said the committee, it
1 was one of the finest and most suc
i cessful Elks picnics ever enjoyed
I by the Juneau lodge.
——
| •
• TIDE TABLE
! • AUGUST 8
! • Low tide 4:08 a.m., 3.2 ft.
• High tide 10:54 a.m., 10.6 ft.
• Low tide 16:00 pm., 7.0 ft.
1 • High tide 22:08 p.m.. 13.1 ft.
I. ...
OREGONIAN HERE
Richard Paschlll of Hammond,
Ore., Is at the Oastineau Hotel.
Marines and
Doughboys in
Quick Action
Inflict Heavy Losses on
| Reds-Air Boys Hit Tar
gets Effectively
U.S. 8TH ARMY HEADQUAR
I TERS IN KOREA, Aug. 7 — (A*) —
j American Marines and doughboys
[ drove nearly two miles on "a broad
front” east of Chinju in the first
Allied offensive of the Korean war.
Reports to field headquarters said
the Reds suffered probably their
heaviest casualties of the war ih
the attack on the 6th North Korean
Division.
“The air boys had more and better
targets today than they have had
in a long time,” one staff officer
said.
But the Communists made their
own kind of trouble for the Ameri
can offensive with accurate and
effective artillery fire on a bottle
neck road west of Chindgon.
Artillery Fire
One American tank was stopped
and several vehicles were knocked
out on this road. The artillery fire
stopped the advance of American
tanks trying to support the Infantry
attack.
Communist artillery directed by
obviously close and direct observa
tion also hit into American artillery
positions.
uut. American miantry pusnea
ahead without armor support.
Both planes and ground patrols
concentrated on finding and knock
ing out Red field guns.
Attack Broad One
The American attack was a broad
one manned by three regiments—
the 5th Marine Regiment (rein
forced), the 5th Regimental Combat
Team from Hawaii and the 35th
Regiment of the 25th Division.
Maj. Gen. William B. Kean, Com
manding General of the 25th Divi
sion, commands the operation witn
a task force bearing his name.
Three Pronged Action
While the three-pronged attack
was made toward Chinju by the
"Kean Task Force," 20 miles to the
west 25th Division elements were
doing a step-up job between Chungl
and the Naktong river to the north.
While the deep South offensive
was launched, there was concern
among observers that the Com
munists may have renewed the Nak
tong river crossing attempts Mon
day night in the 24th Division area.
Some of the 800-man force that
crossed early Sunday still occupied
elements of two regiments trying
to clear out 150 Red survivors scat
tered in hills east of the river.
HAWAII SUGAR
WORKERS QUIT AS
BRIDGES JAILED
HONOLULU, Aug. 7—<VPI— Mem
bers of the International Long
shoremen’s and Warehousemen’s
Union (CIO) walked off nearly all
sugar plantations on Hawaii Island
today.
Some union men described the
walkout as a rank-and-file protest
against the jailing of their union
leader, Harry Bridges, in San Fran
cisco Saturday.
Union officials in Honolulu said
11 of' 13 plantations on the island
were struck. But company spokes
men reported only 10 were down
so far.
The walkout began simultaneously
throughout the plantations.
STEAMER MOVEMENTS
Baranof from Seattle scheduled
to arrive sometime tomorrow night.
Princess Kathleen scheduled to
arrive 3 p.m. tomorrow.
Prince George scheduled to sail
from Vancouver Tuesday.
Princess Norah scheduled to sail
from Vancouver Wednesday.
Aleutian scheduled to sail from
Seattle Saturday.
Princess Louise due in port at 8
; a.m. tomorrow and sails south one
hour later at 9 a.m.
Alaska scheduled southbound on
Saturday.
Mrs. J. M. Steear of Wrangell is
a guest at the Baranof Hotel.
TWO MILES
ARE GAINED
NEW MOVE
Marines and Infantrymen
Smash on Behind Fe
rocious Air Attack
(By the Associated Press)
U.S. Marines and Infantrymen
smashed almost two miles ahead in
their new Korean offensive behind .
a ferocious air attack today, in
flicting possibly the heaviest casual
ties of the war on stiffly resisting
Communist forces.
The brunt of an attack by about
9.000 men, including leathernecks,
doughboys and some South Korean
Commando units, was hurled against
the 6th North Korean Division,
who were forced to expose their po
sition to Fifth Air Force Fighters
and bombers. A staff officer said
“the air boys had more and better
targets today than they have had
in a long time.”
The attack roared out Sunday
after U.S. artillery laid down a cur
tain of steel and U.S. planes spat
bombs, rockets and machinegun fire
at the enemy. The Reds replied with
heavy artillery fire directed against
American big gun positions.
While the new U.N. offensive
got underway in the southernmost
part of Korea, B-29 Superfortresses
made their biggest strike of the
war against Communist supplies.
The Superforts dropped 540 tons of
bombs on railyards at Pyongyang,
the Red capital, and on an oil re
finery at Wonsan.
All the bombers returned to their
bases.
The American attack was launched
Sunday even as the Communists
were preparing an attack of their
own. The Reds struck on the U.S.
right flank. The primary Com
munist threat still lay some 14 miles
north of the new American thrust.
In the area of the big bend in the
Naktong river, the U.S. 24th Divi
sion holds defensive positions
against strong probing thrusts by
die Red^,
"The attack launched this morn
ing by the 26th Division and the
Marine Brigade advanced about
3.000 yards today on a broad front,”
said a communique of U.S. Eighth
Army headquarters. "Strong resist
ance was met with U.S. forces in
flicting heavy casualties on the
enemy.”
The first Marine Brigade went
into action on the Eighth anniver
sary of the landing of the First
Marine Division at Guadalcanal in
World War II.
U.8. ADVANCE GAINS
TOKYO. Aug. 7—tB—Headquar
ters late today announced that
American leathernecks and dough
boys blasted out a four-mile ad
vance with strong plane and tank
support today on the Southern Ko
rean battlefront, in their first of
fensive action of the Korean war.
Stabbing out along a 20- mile
front, the three-pronged American
attack edged ahead in the face of
a heavy artillery and mortar bar
rage from the North Korean Com
munists, who were knocked off bal
ance by the strong American coun
ter-thrust.
The Red artillery for a time bot
tled up a column of American Per
shing tanks by knocking one of
them out of action, but this seemed
to have been broken and appar
C Continued on Page Six)
FORMER ALASKA
PASTOR IS DEAD
IN BELLINGHAM
BELLINGHAM, Aug. 7—OB—The
minister who built the first Luth
eran church in Ketchikan, Alaska,
died in his sleep at his Anacortes,
Skagit County, home early Satur
day.
He was the Rev. Oluv Fosso. 66.
pastor of the Anacortes Lutheran
church for the pait 11 years. As well
as working for 11 years in Ketchi
kan, the Rev. Fosso answered his
first call at Teller, Alaska, 32 years
ago.
Services will be conducted Wed
nesday in Anacortes, with grave
side services at the Pacific Lutheran
cemetery, Seattle.