ss NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. LXII No. 137 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1960_Per Copy 15^
U.S. Warships and Planes Sent to The
Caribbean to Shield Guatemala and
Nicaragua From Castro-Type Attack
President-Elect Kennedy
Briefed on Caribbean
PALM BEACH, Fla., UP>—Pre
sident-elect John F. Kennedy got
a top secret briefing today on
the tense Caribbean situation. He
also arranged to discuss unem
ployment problems next week
with AFL-CIO President George
Meany.
With American warships and
planes patrolling the Guatemala
and Nicaragua regions on an
anti-Communist mission ordered
by President Eisenhower. Ken
nedy received a report on that
matter from Allen W. Dulles,
chief of the Central Intelligence
Agency.
Kennedy headquarters declin
ed comment on the substance of
the briefing.
In response to a news confer
ence question, Donald M. Wilson,
acting press secretary to Ken
nedy, said the President - elect
would have no comment on Eisen
hower’s action ordering U. S.
naval units to the Caribbean to
block any Communist-led attack
on Guatemala or Nicaragua. Wil
son said Kennedy feels comment
by him would be improper “be
cause he has no responsibility”
until he takes office Jan. 20.
20 Houses Built in Detroit
Enroute by Rail To
Juneau Housing Project
SEATTLE, (iP) — Twenty houses
left Detroit by rail this week,
headed for Everett where they
will be loaded onto barges and
taken to Juneau, where a 2,000
unit housing project is getting
under way on the flats at the foot
of Mendenhall Galcier.
The Detroit-built structures are
a new technological development
pioneered by the Koppers Co.,
Inc., in which a solid, plastic foam
core is sandwiched between two
panels of Simpson Timber Co.
plywood.
The initial shipment of 20 units
shipped knocked down in packing
cases, is the first of 60 such units
to be built in the Juneau project.
They will be erected on founda
tions poured before winter sets in.
Cold weather is not expected to
impede construction as the pre
insulated panels are assembled.
Army Parachute
Drop Today
Maj. Joseph Thomson, U. S.
Army parachute specialist and his
party arrived today for the first
week of indoctrination training
for the operation planned for
January at which time there will
be a regular parachute exercise.
The first parachute drop will be
made today north of the old Mu
nicipal Landing Field, and others
will follow during the week.
WEATHER FORECAST
Fair, becaming cloudy tonight,
with northwesterly winds 20-30
mph decreasing tonight. Lowest
temp, expected tonight -5, the
high tomorrow 10.
In the past 24 hours: highest
temp. 5, lowest -4. Sunrise at 8:44
a.m., sunset at 2:49 p.m.
A year ago today: highest temp.
24, lowest 16. Extremes on this
date since 1907: highest 35 in
1926, lowest -17 in 1948.
By JOHN SCALI
AUGUSTA, Ga., UP>—'The White
House brushed aside today de
nunciations from the Soviet Union
and Cuba against President Eisen
hower’s action in ordering U. S.
warships and planes to shield
Guatemala and Nicaragua from
any Communist-led attack.
Presidential Press Secretary
Hagerty labeled Moscow’s pro
tests the kind of “Communist
type reaction” that could be ex
pected.
“There’s a very similar re
action—the words are almost the
same — from Cuba,” he told a
news conference.
Eisenhower decided to end his
Augusta vacation Wednesday
after two weeks golfing and re
laxing in the Georgia sun.
Eisenhower’s move in rushing
warships into the Caribbean
served notice the United States
will use military force to back
up diplomatic protests, if need
be, to stop Cuba’s Fidel Castro
from subverting anti-Communist
Latin American countries.
Eisenhower’s emergency action
foreshadowed similar American
military help for any other Carib
bean nation which might request
it.
Top officials said movement of
four U.S. destroyers and an air
craft carrier into the area was
a blunt warning to Castro that
he will not be permitted to ex
port his leftwing revolution to
other Latin-American nations.
They acknowledge that the
President’s action carried a step
further the existing policy of op
posing by words what are re
garded as Castro’s pro-Commun
ist maneuvers.
Return of Dependents
From Overseas Will be
At Rate of 15,000 Monthly
WASHINGTON, UTV—'The Pen
tagon has made it clear that a
new order involving dependents
will not force extensive separa
tions of military families now
overseas.
Secretary of Defense Thomas
Gates Jr. said Thursday a presi
dential order to reduce the num
ber of overseas military depend
ents by about 184,000 will be
carried out mainly by:
1. Having military men now
overseas return to the United
States with their families at the
end of their normal tours of duty.
2. Returning some military men
with their families before com
pletion of their regular assign
ments.
3. Reducing the number of
military dependents sent abroad
in the future.
Gates specifically excluded
from the reduction program
military units in Alaska, Hawaii,
the Panama Canal Zone, the Mar
iannas, Marshall, Midway, Samoa
and Virgin Islands and Puerto
Rico. He said the plan should be
carried out without regard to
rank or station.
The reductions will start in
January at the rate of at least
15,000 monthly.
President Eisenhower ordered
the reductions Wednesday as part
of an extensive program aimed
at reducing the spending of U.S.
dollars overseas.
A **
Captain of Northwind
Explains Mission To
C of C and High School
Members of the Chamber of
Commerce Board of Directors and
invited guests met with Capt.
Russell Waesche of the North
wind which is in the roadstead,
at noon today and were given a
detailed account with the aid of
a map of the trip which the
Northwind just completed in the
Arctic Ocean.
This very informative explora
tion work in the ice pack will also
be explained to the students of
Nome High School through the
courtesy of Commander Waesche
this afternoon.
This trip of the Northwind is
an oceanographic expedition and
carried several scientists who are
checking currents, water solidity
and other statistics.
The bow plates which were
damaged in the Arctic are 1%
inches thick and are backed by
several watertight compartments.
Capt. Waesche’s father, at one
time, served as an officer on the
old Coast Guard Cutter Bear on
the Bering Sea Patrol.
Count of Absentee
Ballots Starts Today
JUNEAU, UR—A count of some
5,000 absentee ballots from the
Nov. 8 general election started
at Juneau, Nome, Anchorage and
Fairbanks today.
Secretary of state Hugh Wade,
Alaska’s chief elections officer,
said the absentee ballot count
should be completed by Saturday
night in the four election district
offices.
The official state canvass of
the absentees, Wade said, will
probably start here Monday after
noon and the State Canvassing
Board is expected to have all of
its work completed by Tuesday
night or early Wednesday.
Wade said there were some 390
absentee ballots at Nome, 1,850 in
Anchorage, 1,300 in Fairbanks
and 1,500 in Juneau.
Commissioner of Labor
To Investigate Hiring
Practice Complaints Here
JUNEAU, Lft — Gil Johnson,
State Commissioner of Labor,
said today he will go to Nome and
Barrow next week to investigate
complaints of hiring and pay
practices at far north defense in
stallations.
Johnson said he has received
complaints that some firms in far
north defense work practice dis
crimination in hiring and paying
residents of Alaska.
The Labor Commissioner said
he planned to meet with legis
lators, civic leaders and company
officials at Barrow on Nov. 21
and at Nome on Nov. 23-24.
Unemployment Rate In
State Increases Sharply
JUNEAU, W)—The State’s in
sured unemployment rate jumped
another four points last week to
8.3 per cent of the insured labor
force of 30,743, the Employment
Security Division reported today.
The unemployment rate during
the week ending last Nov. 12 com
pared with 8.8 per cent during
the corresponding week a year
ago and 7.9 per cent for the week
ending last Nov. 5.
The Division blamed the in
crease on seasonal shutdowns of
numerous construction projects
and discontinuance of fishing in
dustry operations.
City Basketball
League Opens
Saturday Night
The 1960 - 61 City Basketball i
League will get under way Satur
day night, Nov. 19, at the high
school gym with four of the five
league teams in action.
Last . year’s defending cham
pions, the National Guard, will
face the challenge of the Polar
Hornets. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
The second game will feature
the High School Nanooks and
the Alaska Native Brotherhood.
The Jaycees, the fifth team in
the league, draws a bye for the
first night but will be seen in
action on Tuesday, Nov. 22nd.
This year’s league will feature
the return of four teams from
past years and the addition of a
new one—the Jaycees. Gone are
the Merchants and Independents
teams from last year.
Many players familiar to local
fans will once again be featured
along with several new ones. Each
team will field a different line-up
than in the past and all teams
appear to be well balanced.
Games are set for Tuesdays and
Saturdays with a double header
on each game night with the first
game Deginning at 7:30 p.m.
Chrysler Discontinues
DeSoto Line of Cars
DETROIT, UP)—Chrysler Corp.
today discontinued its DeSoto line
of automobiles.
The corporation notified its
1,649 DeSoto dealers to concen
trate their efforts on other makes
of Chrysler cars.
Production currently is sched
uled to end Nov. 30. It may end
sooner.
Chrysler said that “despite a
general advance in automobile
sales this year, shifts in market
patterns, under way the past
three years, have adversely af
fected DeSoto sales, particularly
since 1961 model introduction.”
The decision was not unex
pected. Only the timing had re
mained in doubt.
Liquor Industry Wants
Stricter Enforcement of
Minors’ Violating Laws
JUNEAU, UP* — Representatives
of the liquor industry want strict
enforcement of laws prohibiting
minors from violating or attempt
ing to violate local and state liq
uor regulations, the Alcoholic
Beverage Control Board said to
day.
The board has just completed
a series of hearings at Nome,
Fairbanks, Anchorage Ketchikan
and Juneau.
Bill Ray of Juneau, chairman
of the ABC, said spokesmen for
the liquor industry were unani
mous in urging a continuous
crackdown on minors who buy or
attempt to buy liquor.
Among other subjects discus
sed, Ray said, were the business
practices of some retail liquor
dealers and general enforcement
problems. There were requests,
too, for more clearly defined li
cense classifications, Ray said.
LONDON, UP* — Sir Winston
Churchill had a disturbed night,
but his back injury is creating no
anxiety, his secretary said today.
Britain’s World War II prime
minister, who will be 86 on Nov.
30, broke a small bone in his
back when he tripped over a rug
in his bedroom Tuesday.
Gov. Egan Acknowledges
Nome Bid As Site Of
State Vocational School
Mayor Steffen Andersen has re
ceived a letter from Gov. Wm.
Egan acknowledging Nome’s bid
for the vocational school to be
constructed north of the Yukon
as provided in acceptance by the
voters of Bonding Proposition 3.
The Governor’s letter states:
“ll am referring a copy of your
telegram to Commissioner Theo
J. Norby of the Department of
Education, whose responsibility it
will be to make the initial re
commendation in this regard. T
can, however, assure you and
members of the Common Council
that Nome will be given full con
sideration.
“I know that I speak for Com
missioner Norby as well, when 1
say that we would be pleased to
discuss this subject further with
you or your representatives at
any mutually convenient time.”
Alcan Pacific Submits
Lew Bid of $52,872 For
Council Road Bridges
JUNEAU, —The State Depart
ment of Public Works said today
the Alcan Pacific Co., of Anchor
age, had submitted an apparent
low bid of $52,872 for construc
tion of three timber bridges on
the Nome-Council road.
The bridges are to be built over
the East Fork of the Solomon
River, the Bear River and the Fox
River.
The second apparent low bid of
$54,107 was offered by the E & B
Construction Co. of Nome. The
other two bidders and their of
fers were P. L. Reader, Nome,
$54,794, and Fred Nygren, Seattle,
$76,167.
All School Age Point Lay
Children Leave Home
From a letter by Sam Agnasag
ga, Point Lay Native Store man
ager, to Leo Murphy, manager of
ANICA, it is learned that the
■village is devoid of children. He
writes: “All our children are gone
back to school. Some to Wran
gell Institute, some to Mt. Edge
cumbe, Fairbanks and Haskell
Institute. My little daughter,
name Alma Rhoda, is the young
est of all who went. She will be
6 years old Sept. 28. I hope ev
erything is going well with them.”
Point Lay has not had a school
for about four years, as there
were not the needed 12 children
to have a school. Several of the
families had moved to Wain
wright, stated Robert Grant of
BIA.
BIG “IF”
CONCORD, N.H., UP) — Styles
Bridge, senior Republican U. S.
Senator, says Vice President
Nixon could have won the presi
dential election if President Ei
senhower had given more help at
an earlier date in the campaign,
had Nixon campaigned as vigor
ously throughout as he did in the
last two weeks and had Nixon
not participated in TV debates.
The New Hampshire senator
said Nixon is the most probable
choice for presidential candidate
despite his defeat by Democratic
Sen. John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy will have difficulty
pushing his programs through
Congress, Bridges predicted. His
“eyelash victory” in the Nov. 8
election gave him “no clear man
date” to carry out the Democratic
party’s policies, Bridges asserted.