Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “The News of The Day In Pictures” Member Of The Associated Press
THE NUGGET
VOL. 43. No. 57. NOME, ALASKA, Wednesday, July 16, 1941. Copy is*
Reds Say Nazis Hurled Back 19 Mi.
—. .— 1-= - ' ■ ■■ • — .
Japanese Attitude Vague-Entire Cabinet Resigns
Gov. Gruening Asks Nome Organize Civil Defense
I
Russians Declare Panzer Columns
Approaching Leningrad W iped Out
Cut Off From Support In Ukraine
UNDATED. Ju’y 16 (TP)— Ger
man panzer columns, knifing
deep into the Stalin Line toward
Leningrad, were reported to have
wiped out Soviet army forces at!
Bjelaja, 37 miles east of Pskov,)
but the Russians said the Red
armies smashed the new salient;
and hurled the invaders back to
the west.
Soviet dispatches from the
front said a fierce Russian coun
ter offensive is continuing on
the central front west of the
Dneper river and the Germans
have been driven back even fur
ther than the 19 miles ciaimed
yesterday. Violent fighting raged
all night, a Moscow war bulletin
said.
Hitler's field headquarters
again reported briefly that the op
eration of the invasion is pro-!
ceeding favorably and “in sev
eral places desperate Soviet coun j
ter attacks were repulsed with
bloody losses to the enemy.”
German mechanized spear
heads deep in the Ukraine were
described by the Russians as “in
a difficult situation” apparently
cut off from infantry forces and
unable to break through to their
support.
Invasion Forces
Hurled Back
19 Miles
UNDATED. July 15 — Hit
ler's invasion forces were dechr
ed hurled back 19 miles as the
Russian troops launched a ma
jor offensive along the strategic
Dneper River. The Soviet com
mand spoke confidently' of the
“bloodthirsty. Fascist hordes
whom we will now smash.” A
Russian military dispatch said
Red troops, striking back on the
general front guarding Smolensk
and Moscow, crossed the Dneper
River at several points in the
south too.
A Soviet war bulletin declared
that Russian troops won a vic
tory and annihilating two Ger
man and Rumanian artillery regi
■ men driving toward Kiev, cap
ital of Ukraine.
Berlin reports said a German
tanks corps was menacing the
city of Novgorod. 100 miles south
of Leningrad, as a steel ring is
drawing closer around Lenin
grad itself. Novgorod is 50 mil
es from the main Leningrad-Mos
cow rail line.
The German command^ again
using a single sentence to de
scribe the mammoth conflict, de
clared that “operations in the
East are steadily progressing.”
A dispatch from the front, tim
ed at 5 a.m. today, and publish
ed in the Soviet newspaper Iz
vestia, said the Russian drive
westward is continuing. The dis
patch reported that Soviet troops
recaptured the town of Rogachev
on the west bank, of the Dneper
River, liJO miles southeast of
Minsk, which has been the scene
of some of the bitterest fighting
of the struggle.
DNB asserted that Soviet at
tempts to maintain a defense
front in the Dvina and Dneper
river sectors were smashed by
Nazi attacks.
S'alin's command in a laconic
communique said merely that vio
lent fight.ng raged all night on
the centra1 and northern fronts.;
Fascist Expeditionary Force
Dispatches from Rome said an
Italian expeditionary force of 14
long trair.lcads of infantry, ar
tillery and tanks have been mov
ing to support Hitler’s invasion}
armies since Friday.
Authoritative quarters in Mos
cow declared emphatically that'
there is no truth to the diplo
matic reports from Ankara that
the Soviet government is prepar
ing to flee to a provisional cap
ital to the east.
Leningrad iVnd
Moscow Not Vital
Defense Russia
LONDON, July 16 i(/P) — Rus
sian Ambassador Maisky said,
even if Moscow should fall to the
advancing Germans, the Soviet's
widely dispersed industries will;
be able to keep the Red Army in
the field and “fully supplied.”
Maisky explained that “for years
we have planned the dispersal of
heavy and light industries, vital
to a war effort, guarded against
air attacks. Should Moscow fall,
a catastrophe which I don’t be
lieve will occur, we will fight on
supplied by those factories and
growing industries hidden in the
Urals.” Although the Leningrad
industrial region is threatened
by German forces striking thru
Narva and Pskov the Ambassa
dor declared the area is not vital
to Soviet war production.
OPM Reccommend
Aluminum Plant
For Tacoma
WASHINGTON. July 15 (/P) —
An aluminum plant previously
planned for North Carolina will
be built instead at Tacoma, if
the War Department accepts the
recommendtions of the Office of!
Prodtjction Management for ex
panding the nation’s auminum
capacity, with seven new plants
by six hundred million pounds a
a year. Recommending the shift,
the OPM cited the power strin
gency in the southeast and an
nounced that power authorities
in the Grand Coulee and Bonne
ville area had recently made
available an additional bloc of
electricity for aluminum produc
tion.
A pedestrian is a fellow who
has missed a few payments on
his car.
Gov. Gruelling and Ryan. Assistant
Director Civil Defense, Here To
Get People Organize Defense Corps
To honor Governor of Alaska
Gruening, the City Council and
the Northwestern Alaska Cham
ber of Commerce gave a lunch
eon today at the Nevada Grill
with about fifty guests present.
Behind the guest of honor who
sat next Mayor Edward Ander
son at the head of the table were
unfurled the Alaska Flag and the
Stars and Stripes.
Mayor Anderson made a few
opening remarks and introduced
Governor Gruening. The Chief
Executive of the Territory stat
ed that his particular reason for
coming here at this time is to
get the people here to get or
ganized in the matter of civil
ian defense which is a new as
pect of modern warfare, he said.
He outlined the character of the
work and suggested that while
he and Mr. Ryan, who is Assist
ant Director of Civilian Defense,
are here that the Mayor and City
Council appoint a director of Civ
ilian Defense for Nome and or
ganize a committee to meet with
them before their departure.,
“Nome is a particularly vulner
able spot ” the Governor said,
“and closest to the firing line. It
is an important town in the life
of Alaska and it is an important
factor in the life of the nation.
It is much better to be prepared
than unprepared. It would be
folly not to take all steps neces
sary. We must be prepared for
any eventualities.”
The- Governor remarked that
it is very likely that a company
of National Guard for Nome will
be authorized by the War De
partment which is at present con
sidering such application. He
said that this matter of civilian
defense is “a community prob
lem and it is as broad as the en
tire community.” Gov. Gruell
ing stated that while he is here
he would be .glad to hear about
any other problems of the com
munity.
Mr. J. J. Ryan, Assistant Dir
ector of Civilian Defense, express
ed his appreciation of the fine
reception given him here.
Mr. H. C. Moffet of the U. S.
Engineers, who is in charge of
the advanced detail of the de
fense project in Nome, at pres
ent, was introduced and explain
ed that he is working somewhat
under restricted orders. He said
that there is a lot that he him
self will never know and a lot
that the general public will nev
er know, but that they are go
ing to see that this part of the
country is taken care of.
Mr. R. J. Sommers expressed
himself as being very happy to
be back in Nome after so many
years. He came to Nome in 1904,
and left in 1913, and has been
back only once for a short period.
Mr. Sommers is the contractor
who was awarded construction
of the new airport. He now
makes his home in Juneau.
J. H. S. Morison, U. S. District
Judge of the Second Division,
stated that we should all know
what to do when we have the
opportunity to act, and conse
quently is in agreement with pre
paredness. 4
Premier Prince Konoye And Entire
Japanese Cabinet Suddenly Resign
Leave In Doubt Japanese Course
May Mean Withdrawal from European Commitments
UNDATED. July 16 l/P) — Pre
mier Prince Fumumary Konoye
ar.d the entire Japanese cabinet
resigned suddenly, leading to
speculation that Japan might be
planning a more pro-German pol
icy. despite her pact with Mos
cow, or possibly a withdrawal
from European commitments. It
was pointed out that foreign min
ister Matsuoka, who fostered Jap
an's adherence to the Rome-Ber
lin Axis personally negotiated
the Japanese-Russian neutrality
accord of April 13, but was re
cently reported on his way out.
Reports reaching Shanghai from
Japan, not long ago, said Mat
suoka might replace Mamora
Shigmitsu as ambassador to Lon
don, and might mean that Tokyo
is even turning against the Axis.
—
Konoye’s government and year
old regime carried out a viigor
our policy of expansion in south
east Asia at the risk, of mounting
displeasure to both London and
Washington.
Cabinet Resigns
To Strengthen
Govt. Policy
TOKYO. July 16- bP) — A pal
ace announcement said the Kon
oye cabinet resigned to strength
en tlie government’s policies in
facing the situation at home and
the confused problems abroad.
Gov. Proclaims
15th of July
Discovery Day
Two hundred years ago Vitus
Bering in command of the St.
Peter and flying the Russian flag
on July 16th sighted Mt. St.
Elias in southeastern Alaska,
which is about 18,000 feet high,
and anchored off the western
coast of Kayak Island, which he
named St. Elias.
Alexei Chirikof who was lieut
enant with Bering’s expedition
was in command of the St. Peter
and on July 15th 1741 discover
ed the coast of Alaska just north
of its southern boundary, the
day before Bering sighted Mt.
St. Elias.
An effort was made at the last
Territorial Legislature to com
memorate Discovery Day as a
holiday but without success.
However, Governor of Alaska Er
nest Gruening issued a proclam
ation declaring July 15th as Dts
covery Day.
Mr. Roy Arnold, Director of
Forestry and Grazing, Mr. John
Cooper, who is interested in the
livestock business; Mr. A. C.
Cooley Director of Extension of
the Office of Indian. Affairs; and
Mr. Frank Lenzie Regional For
ester for Oregon, Washington,
Idaho, and Northern California;
all expressed themselves as pleas
ed to hear that steps are being
taken in the defense program
and that Nome and this part of
the country will be defended.
These four gentlemen have been
making a survey of this section
for the Department of the Inter
ior.
Rev. Wilbur P. Wood. Presi
dent of the Northwestern Alaska
Chamber of Commerce, express
ed his appreciation to the Gov.
ernor and Mr. Ryan for coming
here to help us organize defense.
Mayor Anderson thanked the
group for their attendance and
adjourned the luncheon.
Russia Declares
Water Facing Sea
Dangerous
TOKYO, July 15 (/P) — Jap
an’s ambassador to Moscow, Yosh
Itsugu Tat Ekawa, informed the
Japanese foreign office that the
Soviet navy has declared the
main water zones facing the Sea
of Japan and Kamchatka as dan
:,gerous to navigation and desi^
[hated the free routes for ship3
I bound for Vladivostok.
Ilchi Kishi> acting spokesman
for the cabinet board of informa
tion said “the reason seems to be
to prepare against the presence
of German warcraft in the Sea
of Japan.” The later, however,
he asserted doesn’t appear to be
a present possibility. He said the
Soviet Union was not informed
of Japan’s attitude toward the
Russian Navy's action, but added
that he didn’t expect to protest
at this time.
Canada Restricts
Sale Gasoline,
Oil to Motorists
OTTAWA, July 15 l(/P) — Can
ada announced the prohibiting of
the sale, delivery and distribu
tion of gasoline and oil to motor
ists from 7 :p. m. to 7 a.m. on
weekdays and all day Sunday,
effective tomorrow. Also an ap
peal was issued to citizens to co
operate against the prospect of a
serious shortage and cutting the
use of cars 50 percent. Authoriz
ation for an increase of one cent
a gallon on gasoline was also an
nounced. U. S. credit cards were
prohibited _ gasoline and oil to
be sold on a cash and carry basis.
iPenmslyvania’s warning to
motorists, “Curves are beautiful
but dangerous,” was evidently
not written by a woman hater.