Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. ‘*Tlie News of The Day In Pictures” Member Of The Associated Press
THE NOME NUGGET
\ OL. 43. No.34. NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MAY 23, 1941 Per Copy 154
Hull Recommends Hiway to Alaska
U. S. Ships to Carry War Supplies to Democracies
British In Crete Gain Edge Over Air Invaders
HULL RECOMMENDS
HIGHWAY TO ALASKA
| AS DEFENSE MEASURE
WASHINGTON, May 22 WP) —
The immediate construction of a
$25,000,000 highway from the
United States to Alaska, approxi
mately 1,600 miles long, as a pre
caution against invasion from Si
beria, was recommended by Sec
retary of State Hull.
In the Alaska Highway Report,
made public, Magnuson said Rus
sia, if so disposed, could attack
from existing bases in Siberia.
Accompanied, by maps and des
criptions, the report said supplies
could be transported over the
new road from Prince George to
Fairbanks in 60 hours. S ven to
eight days are now required for
the trip.
The report, intended to aid the
State Department in negotiating
a treaty with Canada to construct
the road, called attention to the
t ntative understanding between
Japan and Russia.
In discussing the possibility of
an invasion from Siberia, the re
port said “Russia has been on
many sides in the past year and
today she has affected a tentative
understanding with Jap^an. With
such an alliance, while it is im
probable, it is possible that Al
aska could b: invaded from Asia,
50 miles away. Troops could in
vade Alaska from half a dozen
existing bases in Siberia or ad
jacent to that territory, or pro
ceeding from the Archangel, by
a newly determined Siberian
Arctic coastal route. The U. S.
Navy, without h.avy ice break
ers, would be powerless to pre
vent such an attack.”
' The report described Alaska as
extremely isolated and depend
ent altogether upon outside re
sources for its existence. The re
port said the commission believed
the road could be built in 18 to
20 months.
“Alaskans feel that once cut off
by sea, th y would be powerless
to resist an enemy and they feel
that such a catastrophe can oc
cur and feel that the full force
of our navy may be deflected in
the defense of the Atlantic
coast, Hawaii, or the Philippines.”
Advocates Use
Of U. S. Forces
To End Strikes
WASHINGTON, May 23 UP) —
Admiral Land, Chairman of the
Maritime Commission advocated,
before the Senate D fense In
vestigation Committee, the use of
United States forces to break up
the strike of union machinists,
which has tied up the work in 11
shipbuildings plants in San Fran
cisco area.
T stifying at the Committee’s
inquiry on the strike on land, he
said he thought the government
ought to use any forces it has at
hand to enforce the right to con
tinue the work on the ships,
which he described as in “most
dire nred by the world today."
m. i iimi MinwiMWai
MEDAL IN MEXICO—President Avila Camacho of
Mexico reads a speech accepting the elaborate Bolitian medal—
Grand Cross of the Condor of the Andes—given hirn by Bolivia as
i tribute to friendship between these American nations. _ I
BRITISH TROOPS IN CRETE
GAIN EDGE OVER INVADERS
FLEET HOLDS OFF LANDINGS
UNDATED, May 23 (/Pi—Fierce ;
ly counter attacking British ;
troops are reported to have gain- i
ed a definite edge over Hitler’s1
aerial invaders in the four-day-!
old battle of Crete, the severest
fighting centering around Malemi
airport, ten miles south cf Canea,
th. capital of Crete. Military
sources in Cairo said British
naval guns are shattering Ger
man attempts to land troops by
sea on Crete. The British said the
Germans gained only a sin.gle di
cent foothold in the Malenn sec
; tor and els where the trend of J
the picture is slowly turning to
the British advantage, despite j
new swarms of Nazi ’chutists and !
other aerial troops dropping from
the clouds. As long as the Brit- i
ish fleet can ward off the sea
borne landings, it is said, there;
is a chanci for the invasion to j
fail.
Virginio Gayda, Fascist editor,
said the British warships engag
ed in the defe nse of Crete, includ
od at least five big battleships,
two aircraft carriers and a power
fill group of cruisers and destroy
I ers.
A London spok sman describ
ed the British position as being
certainly satisfactory” as 24
; hours ago Cairo dispatches said
crowded boatloads of Nazi troops
trying to reach Crete were blast
. d by hits from British naval
guns, amid .a developing battle
between the British fl et and Ger
man Luftwaffe Stuka dive bomb
ers.
Heavy damage was said to
i have been inflicted on a thirty
! boat. Axis convoy. Italian ships
were seen picking up the sur
vivors.
14,000 Nazi Air
Troops Involved
In Battle Crete
UNDATED, May 22 (fl5) — Ger
many’s aerial invaders, striking
' in unabated fury, secured a "sec
; ond temporary foothold” on the
; Isle of Crete, ths British Middle
j East headquarters acknowledged.
The Nazi sky soldiers were said
to have gained a footing in the
Malemi sector, 15 miles south of
Canea, Crete capital, where King
George established his govern
! ment when ithe Nazi military
juggernaut swept Greece.
A British communique said,
however, that the British fleet
had broken up German attempts
to land troops at Crete from the
sea, in the three-day-old con
flict. German convoys were “dis
persed or sunk” the British head
quarters said, adding, the losses
among the Nazi ’chute and air
borne troops were even heavier
than before. The communique
said “By nightfall th situation
was satisfactory in every area
e ecpt Malemi and in that sec
tor operations to deal with the j
Germans are now in progress.”
German reports previously in- ■
dicated that the British fleet |
swung into action to defend!
Crete, and asserting that the Luft
vvafl'e, aided by Fascist torpedo
planes, damaged a British battle
ship, six cruisers and a destroy
er in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The British radio said the Ger
mans might now be drawung on a
second air-borne division, making
14,000 Nazi troops involved in the
momentous struggle. An admit
ted possibility also was that the
Germans might be attempting to
land tanks from boats.
In Berlin, the Nazi spokesman
challenged the British reports of
big German losses in the con
flict, declaring “We will tell the
whole story soon and the world
then, may judge what actually
was accomplished in that region
of the Mediterranean.”
Cairo dispatches said thousands
1 of Nazis were killed or captured
1 in the first days fighting.
British State
Crete Situation
Is In Hand
j
LONDON, May 22 </P) —Chur
chill told the House of Commons
that German parachutists are in
possession of the town of Candia,
Crete, but that British troops
still held the airport there. He
said ‘‘The fighting is continuing
with intensity, the Germans us
ing large numbers of parachut
ists, these being increased daily.
This is a somewhat indeterminate
moment in the battle and I can
give only a very provisional ac
count. Although the situation is
in hand, the Germans have gain
ed some local successes at heavy
cost.”
He said the Germans started
“very much larger att mps” and
naval landings. A convoy of 30
vessels were discerned this morn
ing, which the British forces pre
sumably attacked.
News Tone Re
minds of Greece
LONDON, May 23 (/P)— News
papers are giving grim and ser
ious attention to the battle of
Crete, in an editorial tone, some
reminiscent of just before the
withdrawal from Greece.
Fifty Ships Arrive
Safely at Britain
NEW YORK, May 23 (/P)— The
safe arrival in Britain of a con
voy of fifty ships carrying more
than a hundred million dollars
worth of war supplies, .was an
nounced.
PRESIDENT SERVES NOTICE
AMERICAN SHIPS WILL CARRY
WAR SUPPLIES THRU 7 SEAS
WASHINGTON, May 23 UP) —
President Roosevelt served notice
that American ships manned by
American seamen “will carry thru
' the open waters of the seven s as
j implements that will help de
stroy the menace to free peoples
everywb re.”
The declaration was made in
an open letter to Admiral Em*
mory Land, chairman of the
Maritime Commission.
I
Caribbean French
Prepare For At
tack By America
*
VICHY. May 22 4.P) — Reports
1 given publicity in German-occu
! pied Paris said the defense forc
es on the French Caribbean Is
land of Martinique had r ceived
orders to prepare for an Amert
■an attack. The newspaper Le
Matin published in Paris, said
; the defense of Martinique center
ed around the fortr.ss holding
the gold reserves of the Bank of
France and its defenders will
blow up the stronghold as a last
resort. Martinique d-fense works
are being strengthened, the pa-,
per said.
Advices are said to have reach-1
ed Paris from the “French naval
command” in the Caribbean, de- >
daring the aircraft carried Bearn
and the cruiser Emile Btrtin will
remain at the Antilles.
Japs Threaten
Duteh Indies
BATAVIA, May 23 <JP)-^A new
ly launched Japanese press cam
paign is bristling with threats
and pointed warnings not to
force the Netherlands East In
dies from their firm stand for
commercial negotiations with j
Japan, informed quarters as-:
serted. Furthermore, these in-!
formants said, the Japanese com j
mercial program, as outlined by !
the Tokyo press, in reference to;
the East Indies, is largely unac
ceptable here. The four-month
old commercial negotiations are
declared to hav entered a crit
ical state after the exchange of
final memoranda earlier this
month.
Hess Ship Hit By
British Defiant j
LONDON. May 22 bP> — Hess
bailed out, May 10, after a hot
pursuit by an RAF D-fiant fight
ing plane, Air Secretary Sir Ar
chibald Sinclair told the House
of Commons. The statement thus
obtained a possible explanation
for the bullet holes which the
British found in the tail of Hess’
wrecked MJsserschmitt.
The birthday photographs of
Hitler and his staff show them
from various angles, but none oi
the pictures shows them in Great
Britain.
i
Harlan Asserts
Will Never Hand
Fleet 0\ er Hitler
j VICHY, May 23 f/P) — Vice
i Premier Darlan told the French
people that Hitler has not asked
France for her fleet in the cur
| rent negotiations and declared
; firmly “I will never hand it ov
r.” Nor has Hitler asked for
J colonial concessions, he said.
Vice Premier Darlan asserted
j in a broadcast “The Chancellor
Jdidn'i* ask me to hand over the
j fleet to him and everyone knows,
the English bett r than anyone
j else that I will never hand it
over. The Chancellor didn’t ask
J me to declare war on England,
i Why has he acted so? Germany
| began the war alone and judges
i herself able to end it alone,
against no matter what coalition
or result of negotiation, on which
of course, dir ctly depends the
future of France. It was neces^
sary for her to choose between
life and death and Marshal Pe
tain's government chose life."
Ask Revolt Against
Traitors of Vichy
J
BRAZZAVILLE, French Equa
torial Africa, May 23 (/Pi — Gen
eral Eduard de Larminant, High
| Commissioner of the Free French
| in Africa broadcast a call for all
Frenchmen in Africa to revolt
against the traitors of Vichy.
Egypt Warns Its
Citizens Out Syria
m
CAIRO, May 23 (/P) — War
threatened Egypt warned its citi
zens living in Syria and Lebanon,
to come home without delay, as
r ports persisted that Free
French forces of General De
Gaulle are marching on Syria
from Palestine, taking advantage
to move into the Freneh-controll
ed state while, Germany is con
centrating on Cretin.
-
Says Crete First
Step Toward Suez
ISTANBUL, May 23 </P) — Cit
ing the aerial invasion of Crete
as the first step, German agents
were said by high diplomatic
sources to be predicting the Nazi
occupation of Suez within two
months, in an attempt to support
discontented Arab chieftains.