Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. '"I he News of the Da\ In Pietures" Member of 1 he Vssoeiated Press
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 126. NOME, ALASKA, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1942 Per Copy :y
U.S. Soon Hold Balance of Power
Japanese Incendiary Bomb Found In Oregon Forest
Declares U. S. Forces Presently Will
Hold Balance Striking Power Pacific
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (/P) — Rear Admral W. H.
Blandy, just back from a 26,000-mile inspection trip,
declared that U. S. forces presently will hold the bal
ance of striking power in the western Pacific.
Blandy, Navy ordnance chief, talked with Secretary
Knox at a press conference, and declared he is not
“bold enough” to make any forecasts on the future
Pacific situation, but that “for the time being, most
certainly” the U. S. held the balance of military and
naval striking power there and over Japan.
He was asked, “Are we in a position to hold the
Japs against anything they might throw?” He replied
“Yes, I think we are, but we can’t do it by merely
holding. The best defense is a strong offeree.”
Press Demands For Early Move
To Recapture Alaskan Islands
Japanese forces occupying the
Aleutian Islands must be dislodg |
ed immediately, a majority of the
commenting newspapers assert. '
though a few editors argue that
an all-out attack can be safely
postponed until later in the sum
6 mer.
It is agreed that Japanese
stronghold^ in. the islands of
Attu, f.isiui and Agattu menace ,
, our communications with Russia, ]
threaten our Western Coast, an*
may seriously interefere with ef
fective attacks on Japan.
Many newspapers contend that
military censorship makes it im
possible for the public to form a
picture of the seriousness of the
situation.
“For purposes of both offense
and defense, it is highly desir
able to boot the Japanese off
these islands as soon as possible,” |
maintains the Rochester (N. Y.) I
Times-Union (Ind.). “If frequent
fog hampers our bombers it may
be necessary for the Navy to
send a task force to do the job
before the Japanese improve
their positions.”
“At Kiska,” observes the Chic- \
ago Daily Tribune (Ind ), they
are half way across the Pacific,
and in that sense they are about
:is far along as if they had taken
Midway.” The newspaper says
further, “the way to stop the pro
cess of gradual approach to our
shores is to drive them out now
before their foothold is secure.”
“Now is the time to finish the
job,” says the Troy (N. Y.)
Record (Ind.), “to purge the Al
eutians of our wily enemies.
Give the Japs no rest until they
rue the day they though they
could take a single spot of Am
erican territory and get away
with it.”
However, the Worcester
(Mass.) Eveneing Gazette (Ind.
Rep.) recalls the effective timing
and action of the Navy in the
South Pacific and contends: “Ouir
naval leaders know that this
string of islands is both a po
tential asset and a potential
strength. Their strategy, as well
as their power, will accomplish a
liquidaion of the enemy forces i
that have had the temerity to j
go there.” The Gazette suggests
that submarine action will soft
en the enemy up for the strong
er attacks our forces will make
on them when August and Sep
tember bring clearer weather.”
And the Billings (Mont.) Gaz
ette (Ind.) declares: “So long as
the Japs retain only a tenuous
hold on the islands, all is well.
We can repeat submarine attacks
and nibble off more of the foe’s
naval resources.”
The Indianapolis (Ind.) News
argues ‘hat “we must do more
than play for a stalemate in the
Aleutians.” and asks for the op- |
ening of an “Aleutian front.” The
News adds: “Any sizble estblish
ment of Japanese bases in the
Aleutians would pos:lively men
ace no tonly Alaska, but Canada
and tu~ U. S. mainland."
Though the Japanese may not
plan to use the Aleutian base as
springboards for attacks against
the United States or Alaska, the
Buffalo ,N. Y ) Eveneing News
(Ind. Rep.) says they consider
them most valuable, as “indicat
ed by the high cost they have
been paying for them." What
ever their purpose may be. the
News continues, “if they are use
flu-1 for the enemy, they are use- 1
fu1 for us.”
“It would be rankest folly to
gamble on their presence being
harmless, as some say.” assert
the Philadelphia Record (Ind
“Let’s not treat this thrust as a
minor matter. The Japs are on
our doorstep. And if they think
that’s important. we dare not
think otherwise.”
“The Western Aleutians are
vital American territory,” warns
the New York Times (Ind. Dem.)
“It would be follow to allow the
Japanese to hoi dthern. There is
widespread dismay that they
have been permitted to stay so
long.”
“Basically.” says the Christian
Science Monitor (Ind.), “the
most disturbing feature of the
Aleutians picture is the apparent
casualness with which Ameri
can officialdom regards it.” As
serting that t-he Aleutians are the
“shortest road from America to
Japan" and form a vital link
with Russia, the Monitor adds:
"No variety of fog can hide the
fact that parts of them are in
enemy hands.”
Several editors commend on
the scarcity of the news from
that theater of war, and the diffi
culties oif the public in following
developments. The Idaho States
man (Rep.) declares: “Its a misty j
muddle,” and refers to the is- \
Hands as “the Illusion Islands." j
And the Richmond (Va.) Times
Dispatch (Ind. Dem.) adds: “The
question remains whether fogs
and gales in the Aleutians are
really -as severe as is claimed,
and whether the Jap foothold
isn’t more serious than is official
ly admitted.”
—- Old Papers For Sale —
At The Nugget Office
New Tax Bill
Would Affect
23 Million
Washington, Sept. 15 (/P)
— The record shattering
revenue bill, which would
add about 23 million per
sons who previously paid
no income faxes to the 20
million old taxpayers went
to the technical draftsmen,
amid mixed approval and
criticism >f the members
of the Senate Finance Com
mittee. after approval last
night. With taxes on cor
poral to. the bill would
raise 25 and one-half bil
lion dollars annually.
(Jiurcliill Hints
At Offensive
LONDON, S ot. — The British I
Army is rupidly being strength- j
ened in I: .v. and Iraq and “may i
eventually give support’’ to Rus- |
sia’s imperilled left flank. Church t
ill disc’ -ed. indicating that Brit1'
ish preparation to enter direct
ly in the battle for Russia if nec
essary is under way.
Confidence was reflected by
the British Prune Minister in the
Allied situation generally in th
air and at sea specifically and
also in the vital western desert
in Egypt
LOLNDON, Sept. —• Winston
Churchill told the House of Com
rnons that storming Hitler’s Eu
ropte at Dieppe was an “indus
pen sable preliminary” to bigger
undertakings.
He said that Britain’s army in
Egypt is “now stronger actually
and relatively than it has ever
been.”
Britain, he reported in a war
summary as Parliament recon
vened. \may be confident of our
ability to maintain a successful ,
defense of Egypt not for days
and weeks but for several
tr nths ahead.”
Continued Trend
These specific details fitted into
what ChurchiLl termed the con
tinuing trend in the Allies’ favor
since the last report, with com
plete accord between Britain and
the U. S. on waging of the global i
war.
The accord, he said, has exist
ed since the end of July At sea j
he also gave a cheering news re- [
port, saying that though losses
are still heavy', they have drop
ped so sharply that they are now 1
slower in rate than the replace
ments through new building.
Still he acknwledged that the
Nazis are building subs faster
than the Allies are able to sink
them. Nevertheless, he said,
bombings of German shipbuild
ing yards “have had an increas
ing effect on the output and as
sembly of U-boats.”
CJ. S. Air Might
With a direct reference to Am
erican air cooperation in the Eu- j
ropean theater, he commented
that “United States daylight!
bombing is a new and increasing j
iy important factor no doubt ,
both in the accuracy from high
level aim and an mutual defens
ive power.
“New possibility of air war
fare are being opened by our
American comrades in their Fly
ing Fortresses.”
Stalingrad’s
c
Railw ay Station
In Nazi Hands
Berlin, Sept. 15 (/P) —
Stalingrad’s main railroad
station has fallen into Ger
man hands, Trans-ocean
n e \v s agency declared,
quoting dispatches receiv
ed from competent mili
tarv quarters. A high com
mand communique made:
no mention of it and said!
merely “the victorious ad
vance on Stalingrad is gain
ing ground.”
I
Republicans
Score V ictories
In Balloting
*
—
Undated, Sept. 15 (TP) —
Primary day balloting of
the two major parties in 5
stales, a Democratic state
nominating convention in
Connecticut, and the pri
mary runoff in Mississippi
virtualv completed today’s
selection of contestants for
the November general elec
tion, a couple of jumps
ahead of the rest of the na
tion. The Republicans scor
ed a political grand slam in
all the major offices, captur
ng the governorship and 3
seats in the House of Rep
resentatives and Senate.
Republican
Vlay Get Bid,
Washington
r
SEATTLE, Sept. — The possib
ility that Washington dight send
Republican to Congress for the
first time in 10 years attracted
attention as unofficial results of
the recent primary showed the
Fourth District Republican cand,
date had polled an aggregate of
nearly double that east for Dem
acratic candidates.
Four of Washington’s five in
cumbent Democratic Representa
tives, including the Fourth Dis
trict’s Knute Hill were assured
if renomination. Rep. Martin
Smith of the Third District faced
a serious threat in Cecil Callison.
•19, C'hehalis businessman and
former sitate legislator, but
Smith pulled ahead after trailing
in the early returns.
Another feature of the Ever
green State’s clecion showed for
mer Senator C. C. Dill in an ap
parent lyi sudeetdsful political
comeback in his bid for the Fifth
District nomination to succeed
Charles Leavy, now a Federal
judge.
In the Fourth District, unoffic
ial recapitulations gave Knute
Hill 16,700 votes over his adver
sary, former Fisheries Commis
sioner Bell who received 3,100.
An aggregate of from 9,800 to
18,000' was Compiled Iby four
Republican candidates for nom
ination.
>uy Defense Bonds and'Stamps
/
Report What May Have Been Jap
Attempt vSet Forest Fires in Oregon
SAX FRANCISCO. Sept. 14 (.TV — Delayed — The
Western Defense Command reported the finding of evi
dence that a Japanese seaplane, possibly operating
from a submarine, may have attempted to set southern
Oregon forests afire on September 9th, in the first air
bombing of continental United States.
General DeWitt, in a communique, said a submarine
was later sighted and bombed about 30 miles' off the
same shore by an Army patrol plane, but with unob
served results. Japanese markings were found on what
apepared to be fragments of an incendiary bomb. A
forset patrol discovered a foot-deep crater and about
40 pounds of metal fragments and small pellets bear
ing Japanese ideographs.
Fighter Planes Strafe Japs On
kiska First Time Since Occupied
By William Worden
An Alaska Army Base, Sept. 7. (/P) — Delayed—Am
rican fighter planes strafed Jap shipping and men at
Kiska for the first time .since the island was occupied.
Spectacularly, two fighters were said to have followed
a bomber trip by Brig.-Gen. William Butler, command
er of the Alaska air force, who led a low-level attack
three days previousy.
Butler’s three ships stradle several cargo vessels n
the harbor with near misses and escaped into the
clouds before the Jap gunners recovered from the
surprise of seeing planes at almost eye level. The raid
ers also strafed a column of troops ashore and hit in
stallations.
The fighters which took part in the subsequent raid
had such small cockpits that smaller men were chosen
to fly them. It is reported they arrived over Kiska un
der a low cloud ceiling and machine-gunned a four
motored flying boat on the water and set afire and
demolished a fighter on the beach and “mowed down
like straws’’ what appeared to be a line of soldiers out
side a mess hall. They also put out of action an enemy
machine gun crew which began firing at them.
Their second dive raked a converted yacht, which
was thought might have been a floating command post.
They observed a number of seamen to fall under the
concentrated machine-gun fire as the planes swept
over.
In the third dive, most of the enemy manpower
seemed to be under cover, so they concentrated on the
largest warehouse in sight, then headed homeward.
General Butler who is in charge of the Alaska air
force this summer is 46 years old. His home is in Mar
shall, Virginia.
Victory Tax
Is Approved
By Committee
•>
WASHINGTON, Sept. — The
Senate Finance Committee re
affirmed the adoption of a five j
percent victory tax on individ- j
uals earning over $624 a year j
and also approved a proposal for I
a joint congressional study that
would enforce compulsory sav
ings to aid in financing the war.
Chairman George said that a
committee of five Senators and
five Representatives is contem
plated to study the latter propos
al and this also would include
Secretary of the Treasury Henry
Morgenthau. The committee will
report back to Congess by Jan
uary 11.
In again approving he five per
cent victory levy, the committee !
rejected three substitute propos- ,
als. These proposals would have!
raised about two and a half j
biLiion dollars yearly by broad- |
ening the base of the income tax
and increasing rates.
Spy Taken
In Custody
By Cubans
w
HAVANA, Cuba, Sept. — The
Cuban police have announced the
arrest of "one of the most im
portant spies vet captured in
America.” but indicated he
would escape the firing squad by
becoming a Government witness.
Major General Manual Senitez
Chief of the Cuban National Po
lice, announced the arrest, say
ing he was an unnamed German,
who, he said, had confessed to
widespread espionage aetivties.
Fade-out Between
Nome and /Ynchorage
Due to a fade-out today be
tween Nome and Anchorage, the
Signal Corps has been unable to
receive and mesages, and it is for
that reason that no today's tele
graph news appears in this issue.
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