Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “The News of The Day In Pictures** Memlier Of I he Associated Pres#
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 45. NOME, ALASKA, Wednesday, Apr. 15, 1942. Per Copy 154
U. S. Smashes Jap Philippine Bases
Pro-Axis Laval In Re-Formed French Government
Petain Forms New Government
With Once-Ousted Pierre Laval
VICHY (AP) — The Petain government which once
ousted Laval, made a place for the return of France’s
leading exponent of collaboration, and at the same
time suspended the Rio trials of France’s Republican
leaders, to which Hitler himself objected. Petain, it j
was announced, decided to form a new government
with Laval and Admiral Darlan, who was vice premier
since Laval was ousted from that position in Decem
ber 13, 1940. The announcement said the three leaders
met today to decide on “a constitution and a govern
ment established on new foundations.”
Their next meeting is set for Thursday when pre-!
sumably the places of Laval and Darlan, allotted on the
day of the Rion trials, were to have been resumed af-:
ter the Easter recess. A special law decreed an inde
finite suspension to permit the broadening of their
scope to include political as well as military “mistakes j
which led to war and the defeat” of the Third Repub
lic. The special law was signed by Petain and based on
a report of chief of state Darlan and justice minister
Bartelemy, which said in part, “the responsibility in- j
curred, from the fact of inadequacies in our national;
policies and military mistakes which led to war and;
defeat, are indivisible because they contributed to the i
same disaster ”
The immediate reaction in London was that the Unit j
ed Nations suffered a diplomatic defeat in in attempt to j
sway France from collaboration with Germany, as j
both the. Vichy government decisions fitted the Nazi!
scheme. Feeling was manifest in high diplomatic quar- i
ters in London that much stronger measures against
Vichy is the only answer, probably including a tighter
blockade and new strength to DeGaulle’s Free French.
Some sources predicted that with both Darlan ana
Laval in the French cabinet, Germany stands a better
chance than ever of getting the French fleet for Axis
operations against Britain.
Iran Severs Relations with Japan
Due To Her Axis Activities In Iran
TEHERAN, Iran, April 14 (AP) — Iran severed dip
lomatic relations with Japan, cutting off the fountain
head for Axis propaganda to the Islam neighbors of
this Allied-occupied Asiatic kingdom, and on the sup
ply route to Russia and the eastern Mediterranean. |
The Iranian government notified Japanese Minister
Ichikawa that he must leave within a week with his
six diplomatic and military attaches.
The rupture followed the removal of six major Axis
agents from a remote section of southwest Iran A
stream of Axis propaganda was traced to the Jap leg- |
ation after Iran broke off relations with Germany and
Italy and became the ally of Britain and Russia in
August.
Committee Reports
On Burning of
The Normandie
—
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
House naval subcommittee blam
ed ‘‘carelessness and lack of pro
per supervision” for the fire
which damaged the liner Nor
mandie at New York, but report
ed that opportunities for sabot
age were "abundant.”
Concluding two months of in
vestigation the subcommittee is
sued a long report sharply crit
ical of the government handling
of the big ship and disclosed that
orders were given for it to sail
on February 14, five days after
it burned and capsized. Asserting
the fire was unquestionably start
ed by sparks from a blow torch
which ignited life prscrvers, the
subcommittee said the investiga
tion failed to d sclose any per
sons with intent or acts of sab
otage. They said the fire was ‘‘not
started with willful and malic
ious intent. There is no escape,
from the conclusion, however,
that the case and consequences
of the fire are directly attribut
able to carelessness and lack of
proper supervision.”
The subcommittee made 23 rv
commendations, one of which
was that the operation of U. S.
merchant vessels should be plac
ed under the jurisdiction of the !
Secretary of the Navy.
Hugh Johnson
Dies, Pneumonia
WASHINGTON OP) — General |
Hugh Johnson, aged 59, hard-!
driving, angry-tongued “iron-j
pants" of the World War recov
ery period, the NRA, and more
recently a caustic newspaper col
umnist.died of pneumonia twelve
hours after writing his last col-'
umn, against his doctor’s orders
that he rest. Death came to the
former soldier at 4:55 a.m. in a
Washington hospital. He was
weakened by several months of
ill health.
Although he rose from a Cap
tain to Brigadier General with
a Distinguished Service Medal in
the World War, Johnson died
technically a private as the Presi
dent, a year ago refused to re-1
appoint him as an army reserve
officer.
JAPS SCORE IN BENGAL BAY AREA
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Enemy planes bombed Trincomalee (1), British naval base on the island of Ceylon.
Japs claimed a sea force had landed on the Burmese coast and that there were re
ports that Japanese submarines were operating (2) in the Ganges estuary. Jap
reinforcements continued moving up in the Prome and Toungoo sector (3).
LI S. Air Force
Smash Jap Bases
In Philippines
—
U. S. Army headuarters1
in Australia (AP) — Mas
Arthur’s headuarters an
nounced that the U. S. air
force made a smashing at
tack on Japanese-occupied
air bases in Manila, Cebu,
and Davao in the Philippin
es. At Nichols Field, Man
ila, hangars were destroy
ed and runways damaged,
the announcement said.
At Davao, on the south
ern part of Mindanao is
land, one bomber was de
stroyed and several damag
ed. One seaplane was shot
down and two others dam
aged. Troop concentrations
were attacked and ware
houses damaged.
At Cebu, in the central
group of islands, where the.
Japanese made their most
recent attempts at occupa
tion, three transports were
sunk and two others hit in
addition to several near
misses on other vessels. 3
planes were shot down and
several damaged on the
ground and considerable
damage also done to docks.
Relations With
France Are
Near Breaking
r
UNDATED (AP) — Relations
between pro-Nazi France and the
United States verged on an open
break as France’s new role in
the war assumed grave import-:
ance on the basis of German
reports that the French army
will be reorganized.
Advices reaching London quot
ed well informed Berlin circles i
as saying that General Dentz
former French commander in j
Syria, will shortly receive one
of the highest posts in the French
army and will reorganize the
army and general staff in line
with the "new policy of France.”
Soviets Through
Bryansk Defenses
Other major developments in
the European war incuded: on
the Russian front, Soviet dis-1
patches said Red troops smashed
through the first line of defenses
guarding Bryansk, key Nazi base
only 60 miles from the borders of
White Russia, and are now bat
tling fiercely at the second lines.
The Moscow news said relative
ly heavy German counter attacks
cost the invaders 22,000 killed
and several times that many
wounded since April 1. The Ger
mans lost 466 planes in the first
seven days of April against 86
Soviet planes missing.
Hitler’s headquarters said Ger
man siege guns touched off big
fires and explosions, shelling
Leningrad itself and “totally
flooded territories” prevented
land fighting, on the southern
front.
Probability that the defenses on Bataan have been
overcome was indicated by the War Dept, in Washing
ton on basis of Gen Wainwright’s report that the Jads
had enveloped the east flank (1) of his American-Fil
ipino armies. Gen. Wainwright was at Fort Mills (2),
on Corregidor, which still commands the entrance to
Manila Bav. It was not immediately known how many
of the defending forces were able to retire to the island
Corregidor s (runners Sink Number
Of Small Jap Boats In Marivales
Communications cut between Cebu and Corregidor
WASHINGTON, (AP) — The War Dept, reported
that Corregidor’s gunners sank a number of small Jap
anese boats and kept enemy air raiders so high that
bombings in a series of new raids caused only minor
damage. A communique said the Japanese boats were
in the harbor of the fishing village of Mariveles at the
tip of abandoned Bataan Peninsula, and that several
were set afire in addition to those sunk.
Meanwhile communication between Corregidor and
Cebu was cut off in the past 48 hours, so that Gen.
Wainwright has been unable to report on the efforts to
beat off the invasion of the central Philippine island,
more than 200 miles south of Corregidor.
The communique belatedly reported the sinkings
by enemy action of two army freight ships, the Liberty
and the Meigs, both sent down in the southwest Pac
ific. The Liberty was torpedoed twice by an enemy
sub on January 11, 12 miles from the Netherland Indies
island of Bali. No lives were lost. The vessel was beach
ed and 53 crewmen and one passenger were rescued by
Dutch planes.
The Meigs was sunk Feb. 19. in a bombing raid on
the harbor of Darwin. Her master Captain Link, was
wounded One of the crew was killed and 8 were wound
ed.
There were ten raids on Corregidor in the past 24
hours, raising the total to 22, for the past 2 days.
Tokyo Claims Capture on Bataan
40,000 Troops, Also 15 Generals
TOKYO (AP) — A communique from headquar
ters declared that Jap forces captured 40,000 prisoners,
including 15 generals, from the beginning of the Bataan
offensive up to Sunday. Of these, it was said, 6,700
were from the United States, as distinguished from the
native Filipino troops.
Among the generals mentioned were Edward P.
King, Jr., identified as the commander of the U. S.
forces on the Peninsula; Albert Jones, designated as
commander of the first army corps; and George Parker,
Jr., second army corps; and Francisco, commander of
the Filipino forces.
Booty was listed as 196 guns, including heavy ar
tillery; 320 machine guns; 500 automatic rifles; 10,000
rifles; 124 tanks and armored cars; 220 cars; and other
arms and munitions.