THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE
_|_ “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME”
VOL. LXXVI., NO. l1.,674_
JUNEAU, ALASKA, MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1950
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICE TEN CENTS
■■■—..
UN Defense Line in Korea Battered by Reds
ATTLEE IS
HERE FOR
CONFERENCE
British Prime Minister and
Truman Will Discuss
Present World Crisis
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4— UPI —
British Prime Minister Attlee ar
rived here today for talks with
President Truman aimed at finding
a common policy in the world crisis
and averting the threat of a global
war.
Attlee’s big four-engined British
airliner “Cathay” rolled up on the
National Airport apron where Pre
sident Truman, Secretary of State
Acheson, Defense Secretary Mar
shall and other officials wrere wait
ing at about 9:45 a m.
After the greetings, Attlee made
a statement for the newsmen there.
He said his Aim in the talks with
Mr. Truman—which are to get
underway tomorrow—“is to align
our policies in the new and troubled
situation in the world and to find
the means of upholding what we
both know to be right.”
Communist Bloc
He accused the Communist bloc
of trying to “drive a wedge between
our two peoples.”
A harsh, cold wind, driving low
wet clouds, swept over the port as
the British and American leaders
talked for a minute or so before
the President returned to his wait
ing automobile.
In the meantime the British lead
er had greeted all the American
officials he knew, such as Ache
son, Marshall and W. Averill Har
riman, the President’s foreign af
fair adviser, and also ambassador
Sir Oliver Franks and other diplo
mats from the British Common
wealth countries.
Greets Truman
Attlee looked jaunty, carrying his
black Homburg in his left hand
and with a spray of white heather
in the buttonhole of his black j
over-coat, when he stepped briskly 1
down the stairs from the plane
with hand outstretched to Mr. Tru
man.
From the airport, President Tru
man returned to his office where
he had an engagement to see Sen
ate Democratic Leader Lucas of Ill
inois and other party leaders.
Mr. Truman's schedule for the
day also included an early after
noon conference with Secretary ;
Acheson They customarily meet on !
Mondays to review week end dev- I
elopments.
Attlee and his party of advisers
went to the British Embassy.
J. Sidney Rood, with the District
Engineers office, U.S. Army, left to- !
day for his headquarters in An
chorage. He has been in this area
to check army properties at Sitka,
Ketchikan, Haines, Skagway and
Juneau.
The Washington
Merry - Go - Round
Copyright. WSO, by BeU eradicate, Ine.l
By DREW PEARSON
^ASHJNGTON—In a highly se
cret conference with the Senate
and House Foreign Relations com
mittees, Secretary of State Dean
Acheson warned that a third
world war is “imminent,” if not
already in progress.
The Korean conflict might spread j
to Yugoslavia and possibly other j
points in Europe and Asia “at any !
moment,” Acheson declared.
Asked if there were still time to J
avoid another world-wide conflict, i
the Secretary of State replied that j
it could be avoided only by prompt j
and concerted action against the |
Russian-Chinese Communists ent- j
ente by our friends in the United !
Nations.
He mentioned trade sanctions
against the Chinese Communists as
one possible solution.
But Acheson added that we must
also get economic aid to Yugo- !
slavia as quicly as possible to stiff
en the back of that drought-hit
nation against Russia.
“All I can say now is that the
situation is dangerous—very dang
erous," Acheson asserted.
Under questioning by the House j
Committee, Acheson bluntly charg- ;
ed that the Korean crisis is due in
(Continued on Page Four)
MRS. ROOSEVELT
IS THREATENED;
POLICE ON GUARD
NEW YORK, Dec. 4—HR—Mrs,
Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke at the
Waldorf-Astoria hotel last night—
apparently unaware she had been
threatened with death if she ap
peared.
Shortly before her scheduled ap
pearance at the annual dinner of
the Beth-el hospital, police said
they received an anonymous tele
phone message.
“A man with a gun is going to
shoot Mrs. Roosevelt if she appears
tonight,” the caller said.
Uniformed police and plain
clothesmen were mobilized at
nearby stations and sent to the
scene.
There was no untoward incident.
90 CARRIED ON
ALASKA COASTAL
WEEKEND TRIPS
Alaska Coastal Airlines flights
over the weekend carried a total of
90 passengers with 12 on interport,
53 arriving and 25 departing.
Departing for Gustavus were:
Alice White, R. Brown; for Ket
chikan: R. Wilkenson, Merlin Pow
ers, F. L. Fountain, Mr. and Mrs.
R. Smith, Leo V. Osterman; for
Petersburg: Don Magee.
For Haines: Stephen Bell; for
Skagway: James Shotridge; for
Sitka: Ray Beach. Rev. Nevue,
Ruth Barlowe, Bishop Gleason,
Emitt Solding, Miss Milbary, Carol
Davis. R. Stevenson, Doris Warberg.
Mrs. E. Soldin, Mrs. B. Wyers, E.
G. Peterson; for Tenakee: Mrs.
Ole Taug, Herluff Taug.
Arriving from Sitka were: F.
Brown. Mrs. E. Wamberg, F. M.
Wamberg, E. Gregory, Mike Gabriel,
Major and Mrs. Eric Newbould,
.Janet Deubel, Helen John, Mr. and
Mrs. Whittock and child; Jack
Molyneaux, A. Dalytresh, R. Stev
enson, Rev. Sweeny, Mr. and Mrs.
L. Workman, Kenneth S. Clem, E.
Peterson, Mrs. Evenson, Frank Price,
Harold Bell. Louis Kost, N. Whit
taker, Mr. and Mrs. H. Schaffer,
Credo Ramos.
From Tenakee: Sakri Salmia, Mrs.
Maria Osterback; from Fich Cove:
Lowell Colby; from Pelican: Arvo
Wahto: from Hoonah: Jessie Hous
ton; from Shelter Island: Mrs, Ross
Peterson.
From Skagway: Stan Whitely,
Robert Fuller, Matt Gormley, Bob
Martin, H. Brouillette, J. Sidney
Rood; from Haines: Mrs. George
McCoy, Anthony Bernhardt, W. S.
Schoonover; from Wrangell: D. D.
Marquardt, M. Morrison, D. Morri
son.
From Petersburg: Mr. and Mrs.
W. N. Biart, Marguerite Bidwell,
Richard Harris; from Gustavus: R.
Brown, Roy Downing; from Cha
tham: John Davies.
CG STORIS BREAKS ICE
IN HOOD BAY TUESDAY
The Coast Guard cutter Storis,
enroute from Ketchikan to Juneau
from a supply run to light stations
in the Aleutians, will cut a channel
in the ice at Hood Bay for the pas
senger and freight boat Forester.
The Storis arrives at Hood Bay to
morrow morning. The Forester
was scheduled to leave this after
noon with a load of oil and winter
supplies for the Pacific Timber
logging camp operated by the Owens
Brothers in Hood Bay. The Owens
Brothers are logging for the Co
lumbia Lumber Company mills at
Sitka and Whittier.
HARRY AASE HERE
Harry Aase, well-known young
man of Juneau returned by Pan
American clipper over the weekend
from Seattle. He has been in the
Puget Sound area the past several
months associated with his brother
Olaf on his fishing boat.
AT TnE BARANOF HOTEL
Samuel C. Little of the Juneau
CAA office, is living at the Baranof
Hotel.
NELSONS HERE
Mr. and Mrs. Carl O. Nelson of
Mt. Edgecumbe are at the Baranof
Hotel.
FROM PETERSBURG
Marguerite Bidwere of Peters
burg is stopping at the Baranof
Hotel. i
FRANK NOEL
CAPTURED
BY COMMIES
Ace Associated Press Pho
tographer Taken Pris
oner by Chinese Reds
(Editor’s Note: Stan Swinton
teamed up with AP Photographer
Frank Noel in covering the war
in northeast Korea from the
Wonsan landing in late October
until six days ago when Swin
ton was sent to Tokyo for a rest.)
By STAN SWINTON
TOKYO, Dec. 4—(/Pt—The Chi
nese Communists have captured Pu
litzer Prize winner Frank Noel,
the laughing man with the PFC
'Private First Class) stripe pasted
on his battered Speed Graphic.
Thfey captured Frank because his
heart was too big.
The ace Associated Press photog
rapher and I were to have flown
back to Tokyo together for a rest.
The night before, Frank said: ,
“Old Pappy is going to stay here.
I feel better up with the kids at
the front.”
Frank did not say so, but he
knew the kids up front felt better
when he was around.
It happened Friday night near
Koto, which is six miles south of the
Changjin Reservoir in northeast
Korea. Marine Capt. Michael Cap
raro, a public information officer,
saw Noel captured.
A convoy was trying to break
through to a cut-off American Ma
rine Regiment. The convoy, carry
ing supplies and reinforcements, was
ambushed several miles south of
Koto.
Capraro was with Noel when tne
column was attacked. Later Capraro
told newsmen he saw Noel dragged
away by Chinese Reds.
Noel, 45-year-old veteran of many
Korean campaigns, volunteered to
take a jeep down the road after it
became apparent that the Reds
were coming at the convoy from all
sides. He was going after assistance.
That’s when the Reds got him.
Frank had se'en many wars —
the big ones and the nasty little
ones. Somewhere along the line,
maybe in Burma or Germany or
Palestine or Greece, Frank forgot
how to be afraid.
—
LAND MANAGEMENT
FIELD WORK IS
ENDED FOR SEASON
The Bureau of Land Manage- j
ment’s field work for the past |
season was concluded last weeki
with the return of Harold Radcliffe, '
cadastral engineer and his crew!
from Wrangell, where they surveyed :
homesites and lands in that area, i
Leonard Berlin, Chief of the Bur- !
eau in Alaska said today.
With Radcliffe were Duane Haff- !
ner and Maurice Nelson who will!
work in the Juneau office this win- j
ter.
The Bureau cadastral engineers i
came in from the field through i
last month and have been assigned i
to the Juneau and the Billings,
Montana offices for the winter’s
work of preparing plats and field
notes on the season's operations. !
WEATHER REPORT • ;
Temperatures for 24-Hour Period • ]
ending 6:20 o’clock this morning • |
In Juneau—Maximum, 22; •
minimum, 14. • I
At Airport—Maximum, 19; • j
minimum, -2. •
• i
FORECAST •
(Juneau and Vicinity) • i
Partly cloudy tonight. Low- •
est temperature near 20 in •
town, and as low as 10 in •
outlying areas. Mostly cloudy •
Tuesday with a risk of occas- •
sionally light snow. High •
temperature around 26 Tues- •
day. • ;
PRECIPITATION •
(Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a m. today • !
City of Juneau — None; •
since, July 1—33.24 inches. • |
At Airport — 0.01 inches; •
since Dec. 1 — 0.01 inches; •
since July 1—23.13 inches. • j
FLORIDA SENATOR
ASKS STATEHOOD
FOR TERRITORIES
By WILBUR JENNINGS
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 — tfl*) —
Senator Holland (D-Fla) said to
; day if the Alaskan statehood bill
I is not acted upon now it should
! get “as speedy attention as pos
sible” at the next session of Con
gress.
He told a reporter that the press
of legislation because of the Ko
rean war probably would cause a
sidetracking of the Alaskan as well
as the Hawaiian statehood bills for
this session.
New bills would have to be in
troduced at the next session if the
Senate does not act before Jan. 3.
Since returning, the Senate has
had under discussion a motion to
take up the Alaskan bill which
would be followed by the Hawaiian
bill. Both bills passed the House
during the spring.
Holland said he is in favor of
statehood for both Alaska and Ha
waii.
"The only question which has con
cerned statehood for Hawaii,” he
said, “is its heterogenous popula
tion, and these people have cer
tainly proved their loyalty both in
World War II and the present Ko
rean conflict.”
Impressed by Alaskans
Holland said he was “tremen
dously impressed” by a group of
Alaskan Territorial officers, mayors
and business leaders who appeared
before the Senate lublic Works
Committee two years ago.
“Their aggressiveness and their
many other fine qualities sold me
on Alaska.” he said. "These men
were of a hard-hitting type, like
our early American pioneers. We
need more of that g-oup.”
He said that there were “so many
arguments” in favor of Alaskan
statehood that it would be impos
sible to enumerate them all.
Alaska's Resources
“Alaska has unbounded re
sources," he said, “and they need
statehood to have a chance to de
velop them so that they can attract
investors, new citizens and others
who will help them open up the
land.”
Holland said one objection to the
bill had been Alaska’s isolated ex
panses of land. But, he said, Cali
fornia had perhaps as vast unde
veloped areas when it was admitted
to the union.
He said that Florida under Span
ish and British rule and later under
a territorial government didn’t be
gin to grow until it became a state
in 1845.
“Today,” he said, “Florida has
a population of 2,733,000 persons
and ranks 20th among the states
in population.”
Compares to Scandinavia
Holland also stressed the point
that much of Alaska is between the
55th and 65th parallels—the same
parallels which cross the Scandina
vian countries with the highly
developed centers of Copenhagen,
Stockholm and Oslo.
Rep. Peterson (D-Fla), Chairman
of the Public Lands Committeej
which reported favorably on both
statehood bills, echoed Holland's i
remarks.
Peterson said that “I am con
vinced that both Alaska and Ha
waii should have statehood and the
quicker the better. We promised |
them statehood a long time ago." j
Florida for Statehood
All Florida House members who |
were present voted in favor of the j
Alaskan bill when it was passed I
186-146 last March 3.
When the Hawaiian bill came up I
four days later. Reps. Bennett, Her- j
long, and Peterson, all Democrats, j
voted in favor of it, while Reps.
Sikes and Rogers, Democrats, op
posed the bill.
The Senator sponsors of the
Alaskan bill included three South
ern Democrats, Pepper of Florida,
Sparkman of Alabama and Ke
fauver of Tennessee.
PETERSBURG GUEST
Quentin L. DeBoer of Petersburg
is staying at the Baranof Hotel.
J. S. Rood of Anchorage is back
in Juneau at the Baranof Hotel.
STEAMER MOVEMENTS
Baranof from Seattle is sched
uled to arrive 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Princess Louise from Vancouver
scheduled to arrive tomorrow after
noon or evening.
Denali scheduled to sail from Se
attle Friday.
STATEHOOD IS
SIDE-TRACKED BY
RENKOXTROL
Lucas Withdraws State
hood Motion, Prob
ably Killing Bill
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 — UPI —
Democratic Leader Lucas of Illi
nois side-tracked the Alaskan
statehood bill in the Senate today,
probably killing it for the session.
Lucas withdrew his motion —
which the Senate has been debat
ing for the past week—to take up
the controversial measure.
His move probably also dooms a
companion bill to grant statehood
to Hawaii. Both measures had been
approved by the House.
Lucas acted to pave the way for
Senate debate on a resolution to ex
tend tlie present rent control law
for two months beyond Dec. 31.
Southern Democrats, aided by
some Republicans, had been fight
ing the move to bring up the
Alaskan bill for Senate debate. But
administration supporters, led by
Senator O’Mahoney (D-Wyo), had
refused to concede defeat and had
intended to make a 'big push to get
a vote today.
Unanimous Consent Fails
Lucas first tried to get unanimous
consent to set the statehood bill
aside while the Senate proceeded
to talk about rent controls. This
would have left the statehood mo
tion in a favorable position once a
decision was reached on rents.
But Senator Stennis (D-Miss),
one of the southern foes of state
hood objected, forcing Lucas to
withdraw his motion entirely. It’s
doubtful now whether he ever will
be given an opportunity to re-offer
it.
Bartlett and Greuning Hopeful
Delegate Bartlett of Alaska, who
introduced the Alaska statehood
bill, and Gov. Ernest Gruening of
the territory told a reporter they
will try to find some way to get the
Senate to consider the measure be
fore this session of Congress ends
on Jan. 3, at the latest.
They plan to confer tomorrow
with Senator O’Mahoney (D-Wyo),
Chairman of the Senate Insular
Committee who has led the state
hood supporters in the Senate.
Conference With O’Mahoney
“I shall ask Senator O'Mahoney
if there is not some way in which
the Alaska statehood bill can be
brought up in the Senate,” Bart
lett said. “While I am extremely
disappointed, if a way cannot be
found I shall reintroduce the mea
sure in the next session of Con
gress and push for its immediate
consideration.”
Gruening said he approves of
Bartlett’s plan and while he is dis- !
appointed he is confident if the!
measure is brought to the floor next j
session “it will be passed quickly.” ;
“The majority of the Senate'
favors enactment of the Alaska |
statehood measure.” Gruening told j
a reporter. "The critical events now 1
before Congress and the opposition ;
of a small group of Senators has j
blocked action on the measure thus |
far.”
- I
FROM PETERSBURG
Richard Harris of Petersburg is
stopping at the Baranof Hotel.
FROM BARGE
A. E. Owen from Barge is regis
tered at the Baranof Hotel.
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, Dec. 4 *- Closing
quotation of Alaska Juneau mine
.lock today is 2%, American Can
94’!:. American Tel. and Tel. 150%,
Anaconda 34%, Douglas Aircraft
84, General Electric 45%, General
Motors 44^1, Goodyear 57%, Kenne
cott 67%, Libby McNeill and Libby
8’*, Northern Pacific 26%, Stan
dard Oil of California 78%, Twen
tieth Century Fox 19%, U.S. Steel
37%, Pound $2.80, Canadian Ex
change 96.50.
Sales today were 2,510,000 shares.
Averages today are as follows: in
dustrials 222.33, rails 66.92, utilities
39.21.
BREAK IN MARKET
NEW YORK, Dec. 4—OP)—United
Nations reverses in Korea brought
on a break today in the stock mar
ket.
Prices were off by $1 to $3 a
share and in some cases.to around
S4 The down-trend was universal
throughout the list.
STATEHOOD
FIGHT WILL
BE KEPT UP
Administration Forces Ad-1
mit Case Hopeless But
Will Try for Vote
By G. MILTON KELLY
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 — UP) —
Stung by Republican taunts, ad
ministration forces in the Senate
planned a last big push today to
get a vote on statehood for Alaska.
Mostly they conceded the fight
was hopeless, and to many observers
the Alaskan bill—along with a sim
ilar one for Hawaii—looked like a
lost cause.
But Senator O’Mahoney (D-Wyo),
who has led the fight, stuck to a
declaration that he will not con
cede defeat, and that he hasn’t
abandoned hope.
The House has passed both mea
sures, and Senate approval would
send them to the White House for
signature. President Truman has
urged that they be passed.
Senator Cordon (R-Ore) told the
Senate Friday before its weekend
recess that with the exception of
O’Mahoney, its Democratic leader
ship has fought only feebly for the
statehood bills.
Bloc Criticized
Cordon and Senator Morse, also
an Oregon Republican, criticized a
Southern Democratic bloc which so
far has kept the issue from coming
to a vote. They did not mention
some Republican support the Dixie
group has received.
They spoke after Senator Lucas
t D-Ill>,_ the majority floor leader,
had ordered the statehood bills set
aside today to make room for a
rent control bill, unless there is
some hope they can be passed.
Lucas was reported planning a
final appeal to the southern group
to “let this bill come to a vote.”
He has denounced their tactics as
a filibuster.
Issue Ensnarled
The issue has become ensnarled
in parliamentary procedures under
which objection by even one Sena
tor can prevent it from coming up
for a vote, and the southern group
keeps an objector constantly avail
able.
O'Mahoney told a reporter he has
had a map of Alaska prepared, with
maps of the Scandinavian penin
sula, Finland and Denmark super
imposed.
“I’m going to bring this map into
the Senate and show how 13,000,000
persons in those countries live in
the same latitudes as Alaska, and
have developed prosperous coun
tries.”
His object, he said, is to answer
opponents who in four days of de
bate have argued that Alaska’s cli
mate has prevented its development,
and will prevent its development in
the future.
STILL HAVE HOPES
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 — <A>) —
Delegates to Congress from Alaska
and Hawaii said Saturday they are
more than ever convinced that the
Senate would pass the two pending
statehood bills if they were permit
ted to come to a vote.
Delegate rarrmgton m-tiawaiu
j estimated that less than 20 Senators
are involved in “filibuster tactics”
blocking a Senate vote on the mo
tion to consider the Alaska state
hood bill on its merits.
He blamed "One Republican —
Senator Butler (Neb) — and the
Dixiecrats.”
Delegate Bartlett (D-Alaska) said
the chance of passing the bills at
the current session does not look
good.
"But," he said, “it seems to me
that the Senate debate this week
makes it clear that the opposition
is numerically much smaller than
the advocates of statehood ever an
ticipated. If the bill comes to a vote
it will be passed by a bigger ma
jority than we expected.”
Farrington said he is asking Sen
ators favoring statehood to make
speeches in the Senate “to demon- j
strate the overwhelming support
existing for the two statehood
bills.”
DILG TO SEATTLE
Howard Dilg left yesterday on
the Pan American plane for Seattle, j
There he will enter the Virginia
Mason Clinic for a medical check
up.
MASS RETREAT
CLOGS ROADS,
KOREAN SECTOR
By DON WHITEHEAD
WITH THE US. 8TH ARMY IN
KOREA, Dec. 4—(/PI—The great Al
lied retreat Is one week old to
night and the roads south from
Pyongyang are clogged with the
mass movement of a defeated army.
Down the dusty brown roads are
pouring streams of men, trucks,
guns and heavy equipment. They
are moving back to escape the Chi
nese Red troops who follow them
slowly but relentlessly,
It was seven days ago tonight
that the Chinese smashed into the
United Nations forces with their
third straight night attack. They
came out of the hills and valleys
in masses. They overwelmcd U.N.
frontline defenses by sheer weight
of manpower.
It was this third attack which
turned the tide of battle decisively
and swept the Eighth Army back
from the big offensive intended 'to
end the war.”
But the Reds failed to achieve a
complete victory. They failed be
cause the Eighth Army pulled back
on wheels faster than the Chinese
could advance on foot.
This mobility was the one thing
that saved most of the Eighth Army
from encirclement and destruction
north of the Chongchon river. This
ability to move quickly has saved
the Eighth Army more than once in
this campaign.
Where the U.N. defense line will
be drawn in this retreat is not yet
clear. Right now the army is in a
position only to fight a rearguard
action against the Red tide creep
ing southward.
TWO SPEAKERS FEATURE
JUNEAU LIONS TODAY
Two speakers were featured at
a regular meeting of the Juneau
Lions Club this noon at the Legion
Dugout with the Juneau Woman's
Club serving. Gordon Smith, Seat
tle, special international represen
tative, spoke on Lionism and Joseph
Morgan, head of the Bureau oi
Reclamation Investigations Division
here, talked on water power poten
tials in Alaska.
Smith announced three new Al
aska Clubs at Spenard, Homer and
another one at Anchorage, he said
that he hoped to attend the Alaska
Lions convention at Sitka March
15, 16 and 17. "No project is toe
big for Lions,” he stated and then
outlined accomplishments of various
clubs that had at fljst seemed too
big.
Morgan pointed out that the av
ailability of low cost power was a
vital factor in the future develop
ment of Alaska and said that this
morning he learned the Bureau of
the Budget had approved $5,700,000
for the continuation of the Eklutna
power project near Anchorage. He
briefly described the Eklutna pro
ject and told of Investigations at
Lake Dorothy near Juneau, Swan
Lake near Ketchikan and Susilna
in the Anchorage area.
George Tapley was in charge
of the program. There was some
discussion of a Christmas party
which will be taken up at a board
meeting Thursday night in the
Oitice of the Alaska Coastal Air
lines
The Rev. Walter S'oboleff an
nounced that 50 Alaska Natives
would present authentic Indian
dances in the High School gym
at 8 o’clock December 16. The event
is being sponsired by the Juneau
Rotary Club.
Carl Rusher presided in the ab
sence of President Jerry Williams
and thanked the Juneau Woman's
Club for the fine luncheon they
had prepared.
New members will be installed :
next Monday when the club meets
as usual at the Baranoi Hotel.
TO VISIT IN SEATTLE
Mr.s. Robert LaJoie and her two
young sons, Gary and Rickie, have
left via Pan American plane for
Seattle. They will spend the Christ
mas holidays wiih Mrs. LaJoie's
sister and brother-in-law and may
decide to remain outside until
spring.
<By the Associated Press)
An intense storm gave the weath
er-harried east another drubbing
today and 5,000 Californians were
driven from their homes by flood
waters.
By early morning, snow had
piled up to a depth of four inches j
in western Maryland
HORDES OF
REDS MAKE
BIG DRIVE
Hundreds of Thousands of
Commies Thrown Into
Korean Front
(By the Associated Press)
United Nations troops, battered
by an ever-growing Chinese Com
munist army, faced a worsening
crisis today in their headlong re
treat southward in Korea.
The Allies were withdrawing from
Pyongyang, the North Korean capi
tal they captured Oct. 20. Field
dispatches said the U.S. 8th Army
might set up a defense perimeter
around Seoul, South Korean capital
There did not appear to be
enough U.N. troops in Korea to
set up a new defense line across the
Korean peninsula.
Caught in Trap
The whole U.S. 10th Corps was
endangered in the frozen northeast.
Five U.N. divisions were driving to
wards the escape port of Hungnam.
But they were heavily outnumbered.
Marines and Doughboys were
caught in deep enemy traps.
General MacArthur estimated the
Chinese Communists have an 818.000
man army in North Korea and
along the Manchurian boundary
either in action or ready for it
against the United Nations. An
other 200.000 Chinese are moving to
the area from central China. Thus
China appears to have committed
one-fourth Of her 4,000.000-man
total military strength.
The U.S. Chief of Staff—Gen. J.
Lawton Collins — conferred with
MacArthur in the military crisis
and then flew on to talk with
commanders in the field.
“New War” Threat
The appearance of more and more
Chinese Communists in the "new
war” threatened the entire U.N.
position on the Korean peninsula.
U.S. Marines made a bloody 12
mile retreat on the west side of the
Changjin reservoir. The Fifth and
Seventh Regiments reached Hagaru,
joining elements of the U.S. Seventh
Infantry Division which escaped a
Red trap on the east side of the
reservoir. Casualties were heavy.
To the southeast an estimated
45,000 Chinese were reported
massing for a drive on Hamhung
and its port city of Hungnam. Ad
vance Chinese units were reported
15 miles from Hamhung.
There were no reports from the
South Korean Capital and Third
Divisions which had been pushing
up the northeast coast toward the
Soviet border when last heard from.
15 Divisions of Keds
Five Chinese armies pushed on
Pyongyang. The Red forces included
15 divisions 120,000 to 150,000 troops.
In Pyongyang, AP Corespondent
Tom Lambert reported: “Tense and
quiet, this one-time Communist
capital awaits the return o£ its
former Red masters.”
AP Correspondent Leif Erickson,
at Eighth Army headquarters, re
ported Lt. Gen. Walter H. Walker
was directing an apparently skillful
escape of the Allied forces.
Negotiations Difficult
Amid the deepening gloom of the
military situation, diplomats at
Lake Success held to one ray of
hope—that secret weekend confer
ences between India’s Sir Benegal
N. Rau and Communist China’3
Wu Hsiu-Chuan might provide a
peace formula.
The two met for several hours last
night in what Sir Benegal said was
an attempt to find a way out of
crisis brought on by Red Chinese
intervention in Korea. He said ’ne
gotiations have entered an ex
tremely difficult stage.”
f —SHOPPING DAYS
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