THE NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. 47.—No. 4. NOME. ALASKA. JANUADY 10, 1944. PER COPY—15c
» Congress
To Receive
Message
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.—(AP)
-—-The President, on advice of his
physician, will send his annual
message to congress at noon to
morrow, rather than deliver it in
person. He will broadcast a short
ened version of it to the country
at 3:00 p. m. Nome War Time,
tomorrow afternoon.
Roosevelt has arranged for a
late afternoon conference tomor
row with congressional leaders,
after the formalities of the noon
meeting of the 78th Congress’ sec
ond session.
The President is expected to
discuss with them the business
ahead.
The new session is confronted
with a pair of legislative dead
lines and a number of provoca
tive issues.
Still shaking off the vestiges of
illness, he is keeping all engage
ments in the White House office.
By February 17th, congress
must decide what to do about
food subsidies.
By March a decision must be
reached on Social Security payroll
tax rates to be frozen by emer
gency legislation at the level of
one per cent.
REDS NEAR
• RAIL CITY ON
BUG RIVER
MOSCOW, Jan I}.—(Apt—
Spearheads of Vatutin’s first Uk
ranian army plunged within 15
miles of the Bug river and neared
Vinnitsa, the rail city on the Bug
serving as a main control point
for German communications.
In the Dnieper Bend other Va
tutin units were slashing south
ward. and went deeper into one
jaw which may possibly t-ap
thousands of Germans in the
Smela Gap, Nazi-held zone in the
rear, extending eastward to the
Dnieper river.
^ This drive is pushing to a junc
tion with Gen. Ivan Konev’s sec
ond Ukrainian army, which is ad
vancing westward through Alex
androvka above Kirovo-Grand
Farther north the Soviets are
within five miles of Sarny, 35
miles inside old Poland.
Vatutin’s western advance
guards seized Zhornische, 15 miles
from a bend in the Bug river.
Zhornishche, 30 miles southeast
of Vinnitsa, is 33 miles from the
important Odessa-Warsaw rail
way.
The Bug river is a natural de
fense line on the eastern border
4 of the Transnistria Soviet area,
awarded to Rumania by the Ger
mans.
Other units pushed through
Schastlivaya, 19 miles east of Vin
nitsa itself, threatening to cut the
most important east-west railway
left to the Germans in the Uk
raine.
The German command announc
ed the Soviets had attempted a
landing west of Ochakov in the
Black Sea area, between the
Dnieper’s mouth, and the naval
base at Odessa, but were thrown
back.
No Russian confirmation was 1
reported of the landing which
might be a flanking assault to
bottle up the Germans in the
Dnieper Bend.
Berlin reported local fighting '
west of Sarny in old Poland, and
declared the Russian attacks west
of Berdichev have been frustrat
ed.
SEVEN MEN
DIE IN BLAZE
« _
RICHMOND, Calif., Jan. 10.—
(AP)—At least seven men, all Ne- !
groes, were killed and several in
jured in a fire which destroyed
shipyard workers’ dormitories !
here today.
O V F R EAST PRUSSIA — T\ S. Flying Fortresses bomb the Herman Focke-W'ulf assembly
plant at Marienburg, as rising Aii»cd air might presses the attack on Hitler's “fortress Europe.”
Marshall Islands
Next Pacific Hot Spot
By JOHN L. SPRINGER
AP Features Writer
When American forces com
plete their cleanup of the Gil
bert islands, they may jump north
to the Marshalls, halfway betw'een
Hawaii and the northeastern coast
of Australia.
This group already has been
battered heavily by big U. S.
bombers. It includes 32 pin-point
islands and 300 reefs with a total
estimated area of 160 square
miles and a pre-war population
of 10,000—largely Christianized
by Protestant and Catholic Ne
gro mission teachers. Although j
previously touched by other trav
elers, it was first explored by Cap
tains Gilbert and Marshall in 1788.
Developed as a whaling center,
•he Marshalls were annexed by
Germany an 1886 and became the
hub of intense trade rivalry be
tween German and Australian
business interests. The sandy soil
—never more than 35 feet above
sea level—is not conducive to ag
riculture, but the islands have
many .coconut palms, breadfruit J
trees, and several varieties of ba
nanas. Animals are scarce, but j
many kinds of fish abound on the
reefs. Copra was a leading peace
time export.
Highly strategic in Pacific war
fare, the Marshalls headquarter
ed German supply forces duri ^
the early days of World War i
and were developed to serve as a
repair base for warships. Soon
the Japanese moved in, however,
and later got the group under
mandate. They are believed to
have made extensive improve- i
ments which, since 1935, they kept j
completely secret.
r~ ......
(
t
T JJ A Tw y.® tS ALERN O—U. 8. troops of the fifth Army, nearing the Italian shore
- *® •*** * new chapter in the Italian invasion, keep a watch aloft for German planes, w. „ .
*
| British Army
Crosses Peccia
River in Italy
' _
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
ALGIERS. Jan. 10.—(AP)—A
J heavy force of American Fort
resses in close formations, swept
in about noon and bombed Sofia,
the capital of Bulgaria, in the
fifth bomber assault on the Ger
man-controlled city.
This raid followed yesterday’s
M ARINES IN
ADVANCE AT
BORGEN BAY
ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS IN NEW GUINEA,
—'AP)—United States marines on
New Britain Island, resumed at
tacks on the Japanese around
Borgen Bay, east of Cape Glou
cester, while bombers and fight
ers of the South Pacific command,
raided enemy installations and
met stiff interception over Cape
St. George, on the south tip of
New Ireland.
Fighting in Borgen BnHFriday,
a spokesman for Gen. MacArthur
i ssaid, continued brisk, but later
reports of the battle are lacking.
The communique said marines
were attacking southward from
Silimat Point, and bad reached
Hill ‘-66" and killed 200 Japanese.
Torpedo dive bombers from Al
j lied Solomon Island bases, staged
a middal attack on Cape St 1
George Friday, causing fires and
stirring up a large force of inter
! ception planes.
At least 10 Japanese planes
were shot down and probably two '
more. The attackers lost six.
Cape St. George is located at
the south entrance of the channel
which separates New Britain
from New Ireland, and warrants
important consideration in allied
strategy should MacArthur at
tempt a New Ireland landing on ■
the west flank of Rabaul.
Bombers of the South Pacific
command also struck the Rabaul
system of airdromes, starting
large fires.
No mention was made of enemy
or allied plane losses.
COMMUNISTS
IN MEETING
—
: NEW YORK, Jan. 10.— (AP>—
The Communist Party’s national
committee, saying it believed that
America’s post-war political is
sues must be decided within the
form of the two-party system, be-1
gan action to drop the word i
‘party” from its name
Finishing a three-day session j
' yesterday, the committee recom
mended the name be changed to |
something like ‘‘American Com-1
munist Political Association.”
Earl Browder, the general sec
retary, suggested the organization
be known by a name indicating its
character as a communist associa
tion for political education,”
BOMBERS
RAID MILI
SEVENTH ARMY
PEARL HARBOR, Jan 10.—
i(AP)—Seventh Army Air Force 1
dive bombers raided Mili atoll in
the Marshall Islands Friday
The Japanese immediately re
taliated by attacking Tarawa in
the American held Gilberts. 1
Admiral Nimitz announced Jap- '
anese caused no damage in the
Tarawa attack, which as usual
was made at night.
Nimitz did not disclose the ;
damage caused at Mili, where the i
Japanese air base was presumably 1
the target for the dive bombers. I
The Japanese offered no aerial
opposition.
operation, when the naval base of
Pola, in the northern Adriatic, in
an endeavor to cripple German
troop and supply movements.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
ALGIERS, Jan. 10.—(AP)—Fifth
Army forces pushed deeper into
the defense belt near Cassino, in
a two-mile advance.
The British crossed Peccia riv
er, firmly holding the bridgehead,
despite heavy artillery fire.
Southwest of the town, in a
thrust from Maio, the Yanks tit
tered through opposition to cap
ture the 3,500-foot peak of Catena
Vecchio, overlooking the road
from fallen Sanvittore.
Clark’s army is preparing for
an attack on Cassino itself. It
captured Mt. Chiaai directly south
of the town, and still farther
south completed occupation of
Mount Porchia and mopped up
entrenched Germans on the
slopes.
The Americans are now four
miles east of Cassino.
Deep snows in the mountainous
sectors restricted fighting to pa
trol activity, artillery and mortar
fire.
SMETONA DEAD
IN CLEVELAND
CLEVELAND, Jan to.—(AP)_
Antanas Smetona, Lithuanian’s
exiled president, who successful
ly withstood German diplomatic
pressure only to flee Russian oc
cupation of the tiny republic, died
of suffocation yesterday in a resi
dence fire.
Artificial respiration failed to
revive the 69-year-old president,
after he sought to recover a fur
coat in the attic of the apartment
where he resided with his wife,
Sofit, since 1942.
Others who fled from the fire
included Julius Smetona, 31, son,
and Burita, 31, daughter-in-Law,
with two grandchildren.
MAY NOT SERVE
IN MILITARY
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.—(AP)
—President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt instructed the secretary
ies of War and Navy, that mem
bers of congress “may not serve
in the active components of Ahe
armed services."
Roosevelt said in a formal
statement that Attorney General
Francis Biddle advised him, the
Constitution forbade simultaneous
service in the armed forces and
congress.
NAZI ARMY
IN HAVOC
STOCKHOLM, Jan. 10.—iAP)—
The German army’s westward
flight across Russian Ukraine, it
is said, “could almost be describ
ed as chaotic," because the Ger
man high comman plans for a
methodical retreat went awry
The Red Army struck suddenly
and swiftly in numerous offen
sives.
Berlin correspondents said a
German military spokesman,
gravely admitted to Swedish
newsmen, that their armies were
fleeing during “one of the decis
ive hours of the war.” in desper
ate battles upon which “the out
come of the whole war depends.”
NOTICE!
Republicans are urged to attend
a meeting at 8:00 p m., Thursday,
in the court room of the Federal
building. Election of officers, plat
form and ticket will be discussed.
H. G. MILLER,
Acting President.