Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “The News of The I>av In Pictures" Member Of The Associated Pres*
THE NOMENUGGEf^~~
VOL. 43. No. 110. NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, NOV. 17, 1941 ***-'
. Captures Disguised German Ship
Captive Coal Mine Workers Refuse Agreement
President Signs Bill Arming LJ. S. Merchant Ships
War Nerves Between U. S., Japan
Attain Full Pitch, Coinciding with
Nazi Break Toward The Caucasus
UNDATED, Nov. 17 (/P) — War
nerves between Japan, the Unit
ed States, and her potential allies
attained full crisis pitch, coincid
ing with a break in the German
Russian conflict which apparent
ly gave Germany the Caucasus ap
proaeh she needed to keep her
invasion on the move. Formally
voiced demands by Japan for un
restrained working out of her
program of dominance in east
Asia “co-prosperity sphere,” was
accompanied by extraordinary
British and Chinese military op
erations, the latest of which is
the arrival of Indian troops to
bolster the already bristling de
fenses of Singapore and West
„ Malaya.
Unite d States participation in
this contest of nerves, markedly
like that which preceded the war
in Europe, is still largely bound
up in the opening of a new phase
of negotiations with Japan
through special envoy Kurusu at
Washington. But even before Ku
rusu held his opening conversa
versation with Hull this morning,
govt, leaders at Tokyo added
weight to Kurusur’s handicap by
laying before the critical session
of the Japanese Diet a new call
for the reversal of major U. S.
policies in the Orient, emphasiz
• ing the demand by a declaration
that Japan’s patience is reaching
an end.
The prominent newspaper
Niehi Nichi struck the keynote
of the Japanese press with: “Ev
erything depends on the attitude
of the United States.”
Germany announced at the
same time that her forces with
Rumanian comrades-in-arms cap
lured Kerch, eastern Crimean
stepping stone to the oil-rich
Caucasus.
Alfred Rosenberg, Estonian
born ideological leader of the
Reich was appointed by Hitler as
the Reich’s Minister in Charge
of Civil Administration in east
ern occupied regions.
The seizure of Kerch came af
ter a long, bitter contest and left
the Germans separated from the
side entrance to the mineral-rich
Caucasus only by the narrow
strait. More than ever, the area
loomed as the next big theater
of major action.
President And
Kurusu Confer
I WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 </P) —
| A formal conference brought the
l President and Japan’s special en
voy Kurusu together for more
j than an hour of .talk on “many
things" centering around the ex
: plosive far eastern situation, but
there was no indication immed
iately whether any satisfactory
progress was made toward achiev
I ing a better understanding of the
Pacific problems between this
country and Japan, or whether
any decisions were approached
that might lead to the assurance
of continued peace in the Pac
ific. Kurusu was accompanied to
the White House by Japanese
Ambassador Nomura and Secre
tary Hull.
The two Japanese dodged ques
tions about the conversations al
though the Ambassador reported
j “many things” were said. but
what they were, was something
he didn't care to discuss.
Thanksgiving Proclamation
r r
WHEREAS President Franklin D. Roosevelt in pro
claiming Thursday November 20th, 1941 as Thanksgiving
Day says:
“Our beloved country is free and strong, our moral
and physical defenses against the forces of threatened ag
gression are mounting daily in magnitude and e.Tectiveness.
“In the interest of our own future we are sending
succor at increasing pace to those peoples abroad who are
bravely defending their homes and their precious liberties
against annihilation.
“We have not lost faith in the spiritual dignity
of man, our proud belief in the right of all people to live
out their lives in freedom and with equal treatment. The
love of democracy still bums brightly in our hearts.
“On the day appointed for this purpose let us re
flect at our homes or places of worship on the goodness of
God and in giving thanks let us pray for a speedy end to
strife and the establishment on earth of freedom, brother
hood and justice for enduring time."
Now, Therefore, I, Ernest Gruening, Governor of
Alaska, do hereby name Thursday, November 20th, 1941, as
a day of Thanksgiving and recommend that upon that day
all the people of the Territory unite in returning thanks to
God for his gracious gifts for the ever present opportunities
lor service and for the priceless good fortune of United
States citizenship which we all enjoy.
Estelle Draper, Secretary to Governor
Germany Announces U-Boats Which
Sank Ark Royal Also Severely
Damage 31,000 Ton Ship Malaya
UNDATED, Nov. 15 f.-Pi — Hit
ler's high command proclaimed
“Great new success" of U-boats
which severely crippled the
31,0f>0 ton battleship Malaya, in
the same attack in which the Ark
Royal was sunk off Gibraltar.
Th;= :> the first rfficia! disclosure
that German subs have been sent
to the Mediterranean, presum
ably to counter the smashing
blows by the British navy to the.
Axis supply lines to North Af
rica.
First Lord of the Admiralty
Alexander announced in London
thrt there would be only two or
three men from the Ark Royal
missing. He said: “We shall av
enge her as we avenged the
battlecruiser Hood.”
Hitler's announcement said the
assault occurred on a formation
of British .battleships and “other
British units were hit.”
Mussolini announced that an
Italian torpedo-carrying plane
sank “a large English steamer,”
in the Mediterranean and also
acknowledged new RAF raids on
Brindi-h and Sicily in which 29
were killed.
A shakeup of the Italian high
command was announced, with
the ousting of General Francisco
Procilo as Chief of Staff, replac
ed by Genera] Rino Fougier.
In Crimea, Hitler said his arm
ies are gaining ground in the vie-!
inity of Sevastopol and Kerch
and that heavy' Russian counter
ailacks on the central front were
repulsed.
The Russian spokesman said
the German offensive was blunt-,
ed and begged down to a yard
by-yard struggle on the whole
1200-mile battleline to Rostov,
although the situation is still crit
ical in Crimea.
Military dispatches said the
Germans lost 2(30,COO killed and
wounded, including three gener
als in the four months fighting
on the Leningrad fighting.
• ___
Only On Man
*
Lost Ark Royal
LONDON. Nov. 15 (ff) — The
Admiralty announced tonight
that there was only one death on
the Ark Royal and his next kin
has been informed.
U. S. Navy Captures German Ship
Odcnwald, 5,000 tons, $o% Atlantic
Disguised American Merchantman
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (/P) — j
The Navy announced tonight
that a United States cruiser cap-;
turod an Axis merchant ship on
November 6th, in Atlantic equa
! torial waters, with the United
States flag displayed on either
I side of the hull and on deck. A
I-"-ew from the cruiser, not nam-i
J ed, is bringing the ship into port
within the jurisdiction of a Unit •
* ed States Court.
The ship was severely damaged'
by its own crew and repairs will
be necessary to make her sea
worthy. The u=e of the American
flag in this manner is unlawful un
der the United States neutrality
act.
—.-——
Vessel Is
Escorted To
Puerto Rico
;
_
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Nov.
17 i(/p) — The German motorship
Odenwald, seized in the South
Atlantic by units of the United
States Navy, arrived under Am
Gus Lesnevich Defends
Light Heavy Title_
NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (/P) —His
Left hook hitting like a cannon,
Gus Lesnevich retained the light
heavyweight title before a howl
ing Madison Square Garden
crowd, giving Tami Mauriello an
artistic 15-round trouncing.
erican escort and traveling under
her own power. It is understood
that prompt artion will be brot
in a U. S. court, to forfeit the
ship, a 5,000-tonern, listed as own
ed by the Hamburg-American
line for dsguising herself illegal
lv as a United States merchant
man. She was enroute to Ger
many from Japan when seized.
Much of her cargo it was under
stood was rubber, metals, and
other essential war material.
Rumors Vessel
Attacked by Raid
er In Pacific
BALBOA. Canal Zone, Nov. 17
(Ah — The United Slate's Fifteen
th Naval District ordered its pat
rols on the alert after the reciept
by marine circles of unconfirmed
reports that a British-operated
Yugoslav ship was attacked in
the Pacific apparently by an Axis
raider. The ship reported at
tacked was the 4300 ton Olga
Topic.
2300 Yugoslavs Executed
In Reprisal For 26 Nazis
LONDON, Nov. 15 (Ah _ The
Yugoslav government in exile de
dared that in the past two weeks
2300 Yugoslav civilians, includ
ing school boys, were shot at
Kragujevac, in reprisal for the
killing of 26 German soldiers.
John L. Lewis Informs President
l nited Mine Workers Refuse To
Accept Agreement Captive Mines
WASHINGTON. Nov. f7 UP) —
John I.. Lewis informed the Pres
idenl in a letter that the United
Mine Workers refused to accept
an open shop agreement in the
Captive coal mines because it “in
validates" other agreements for
operation throughout the soft
coal mining industry. He told
the President that officers of the
union have no authority to ex
ecute an open shop agreement,
“thereby destroying the assets
of the membership, represented
by existing collective bargain
ing agreements.” Union shop is
the sole issue of the dispute
which culminated in the work
stoppage in the Captive mines.
Lewis didn't call the White
House as he was requested to do
when the President asked Friday
that negotiations be extended ov
er the week-end, in a 11th hour
attempt to halt the threatened
shutdown of the Captive mines
which supply coal to the steel
mil s.
Blames Bethlem Steel President
Lewis told the UMW Policy
Committee that he blamed the
present strife in the coal pits
squarely on President Grace of
Bethlehem Steel.
Roosevelt Signs
Bill Permit U. S.
Vessels to Arm
WASHINGTON. Nov. 17 —
President Roosevelt signed the
ship arming bill, wiping out most
of the remaining key sections of
the Neutrality Law. The new stat
ute not only permits mounting
guns on American merchant
ships but allows them once more
to sail the seven seas.
Russ. Icebreaker
Arrives Seattle
From Siberia
SEATTLE, Nov. 17 (.•?>> — The
blunt-nosed, bow-sided, big So
viet icebreaker Krashid lay at
a Seattle pier, behind her a 10,000
mile trip through icebound seasi
from north Siberia. The %'essel
came for overhaul and repairs.'
The pilot house was smashed in
a Bering Sea storm, but by so do
ing also demonstrated that the
fantastic roof-of-the-world ocean
route is aculally available for the
movement of U. S. supplies to
the Rusisan armies fighting the
Gormans on the shores of the
White S^a.
Her master. Captain Markov,!
indicated through an interpreter,
that the Krashid will return via
Vladivostok to keep open the nar
iOw lane through the ice to the
beleaguered ports of Murmansk
and Archangel.
Japs Rush Troops
To Indo-Fhina
SHANGHAI, Nov. 17 <&) —The
Japanese are rushing fresh troops
into Indo-China, leading best in
formed observers in the French
colony to believe that some ma-;
ior development, either against
China or Thailand will occur be
fore the end of November. Ac
cording to trustworthy reports,
received here tonight, transport
and supply ships are arriving al
most daily at both Hanoi and
Saigon, chief ports respectively
of North and South China.
Asks Six Billion
Dollars More For
Army and Navy
J J
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 —*
President Roosevelt asked Con
gress for six billion, six hundred
eighty seven million dollars ad
ditional for the Army, more than
half of which is marked for or
dnance. Estimates included: $388,
000.000 for expediting production
of defense equipment; $269,000.
000 for the Army in the Philip
pines. also $380,000 for the Navy.
House To Pass
Strike Legislation
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (VP) *
Speaker Rayburn said flatly that
the House will be given an oppop
tunity to pavss on defense strike
legislation at the “earliest date
consistent w.th proper considera
tion.” He declined to specify
whether the bill, designed to pre
vent strikes in defense industry,
will be ca’led up for action this
we k. vine “It might take some
time because we certainly want
to pass considered legislation.”
U. S. And Russ.
Ambassadors
Arrive at Iran
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 i/P) —
The State Department received
official information that the
plane carrying Laurence Stein
hardt, American ambassador to
Russia, Ambassador Litvinoff,
and ten others landed safely at
Pahlevi Iranian port 200 miles
south of Baku.
Fnroute Five Days
J
TEHRAN, Nov. 17 i/P) — The
plane bearing Litvinoff, Soviet
Ambassador to the United States
and U. S. Ambassador Steinhardt
landed at noon today, five days
after leaving Kubyshiev, Russia,
in a snowstorm.