HE NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LIX No. 79 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1957 Per Copy—15*
Eisenhower Will Invite All Nations
To Make Checks of Radioactive
Fallout in Future U.S. Tests
WASHINGTON, iff)—President
Eisenhower said today some ad
visors have told him that Russia
should be given the secret of how i
to make “clean” hydrogen bombs I
—if the United States itself final- j
ly figures out how to do it.
Eisenhower also told his news
conference he will in.vite all oth
er nations to make on-the-spot
checks of radioactive fallout at
any future U.S. atomic weapons
tests.
He made that statement in re
calling that leading scientists
have told him the U.S. already
has an H-bomb 96 percent free of
fallout and that given another
four or five years they can pro
duce a 100 percent clean bomb.
A reporter asked Eisenhower j
Avhether—once a truly clean
bomb was made—there was any
, way the U.S. could share the
knowledge with the Russians.
Eisenhower replied that he had 1
raised that same question with ,
the scientists and they had told j
Tin •ee U.S. Sailors
Killed in Fire in
Marseille Harbor
MARSEILLE, France, Iff!—Three i
American sailors were killed to
day in a flash fire that started on
a small French harbor craft and j
spread to the U.S. aircraft carrier j
Lake Champlain. A French dock- |
hand also perished.
The blaze raged around the
stern of the 40,130-ton 6th Fleet
carrier for 45 minutes before it
was extinguished. It sent a thick
black column of smoke above this
Mediterranean port.
The 30-foot harbor boat had
pulled up alongside the Lake
Champlain to unload automobiles
and other equipment needed on
shore by the carrier crew. The
three American sailors were
aboard the boat when the fire
broke out.
The four bodies were found on ■
the blackened bottom of the land- J
ing craft. Several persons were
injured by the blaze.
The Lake Champlain had an
chored here this morning for a
12-dav visit. She was accompan
ied by two destroyers.
Gen. Armstrong Expected
Here Thursday Morning
Mayor Andersen received word
today that Lt. Gen. Frank Arm
strong plans to arrive Nome at
about noon, in time to participate
in the 4th of July program. Gen.
Armstrong will be accompanied
by his aide, Col. Markell.
Col. F. Stocking, commander
of Ladd Air Force Base also mes
saged Mayor Andersen that the
774th Air Force Band expects to
land at Nome Field at 10:30 to
morrow morning.
him that the minute the secret of
building a clean bomb was
worked out other countries should
know about it. He added that he
thought legislation would be re
quired to authorize sharing of
any bomb construction knowl
edge.
Eisenhower’s comments today
were regarded in some Adminis
tration quarters as falling far
short of a definitive U.S. policy,
or even a firm indication of what
the government might do, if a
clean bomb is perfected.
In his discussion of atomic
weapons today, Eisenhower also
reiterated that the United States
stands by its offer to suspend
atomic weapons tests temporarily
in an effort to reach agreement
on disarmament.
Eisenhower said this country
means to go thru with that offer
to Russia even tho it may mean
the loss of some scientific advan
tage gained from testing of weap
ons. He was speaking of advan
tages in connection with peaceful
use of atomic power.
He also said' if this country j
ever holds another nuclear weap- ]
ons test he is’going to invite ev
ery country in the world to put
up its rockbts (sic) to test the
amount of fallout.
In using the term rockets, Ei
senhower was apparently refer
ring to methods scientists use to
measure fallout.
Biggest Atomic
Test in U.S.
Set for Fourth •
ATOMIC TEST SITE, Nev., UR
—The biggest Fourth of July fire
works display in the nation’s his
tory is on tap tomorrow, but it
will be a grimly serious instead
of festive occasion.
The United States is scheduled
to explode what could be the most
powerful atomic weapon ever
detonated on this continent.
If the device reaches the peak
of its field of power it would ex
ceed the giant which was set off
in 1955 at the Nevada test site.
Speculation is that the shot
scheduled for tomorrow would
be between three and four times
as powerful as the atomic bomb
which ruined the Japanese cities
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in
World War II.
Those bombs were rated at 20
kilotons. A kiloton is equal in
energy to 1,000 tons of TNT.
Dr. Alvin C. Grabes, scientific
adviser to the test manager, has
said only that the weapon would
be “well below 100 kilotons.”
The shot, designated as “Hood,”
will be fired at 4:40 a.m. (PDT)
if weather does not force a second
24-hour postponement. The shot
was originally scheduled for
early today.
Gov. Stepovich
Arrives Here For
Fourth of July
Governor Mike Stepovich ar
rived this morning from Anchor
age and was a guest of the Ro
tary Club at noon.
A dinner is planned in his
honor at 7:30 at the North Star
Dining Room. Guests are asked
to come a little early in order
to meet the governor and to talk
to him.
At press time the North Star
said there were a few reserva
tions still available.
Mike Walsh will be the master
of ceremonies at the dinner.
A breakfast with Gov. Stepo
vich is planned for 8 o’clock to
morrow morning, preceding the !
festivities of the 4th of July. He
’will make the address of the day
at the patriotic exercises.
Tentative plans have been
made for a Republican dinner
if the governor has time to re
main over the evening.
Giant Explosion
On Face of Sun
Latest in Series
ROME, MP>—Another giant ex
plosion on the face of the sun was
observed today. Scientists de
scribed it as “one of the most
powerful ever seen.”
The Swedish-operated observa
tory on the Isle of Capri noted
the explosion at 8:22 a.m. (2:22
a.m. EST’ and immediately word
was flashed to the European
headquarters of the International
Geophysical Year in Holland.
Officials there said the Capri
observation was the first to be
made in Europe of this latest in
a series of solar explosions which
began June 28. The sun flares
are bombarding the earth with
magnetic hurricanes and electric
storms, creating widespread radio
blackouts.
Word of the explosion was also
flashed across the Atlantic to the
IGY world headquarters at Ft.
•Belvoir, near Washington, D.C.
The Capri scientists said the
first effects of the sun blast will
be felt before dawn Thursday (at
7 p.m. PST tonight).
Whooping Crane
Misses Flight North
Dies in Texas
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, tffl—A
whooping crane who decided to
stay south this year left his bride
at the altar yesterday when he
died after being captured.
The male bird was captured
after a three-hour chase Monday.
He was intended as a mate for
Rosie, a female member of the
vanishing species, who was cap
tured last year with an injured
wing and now resides in a San
Antonio zoo.
Claud Lard, manager of the
refuge near Austwell, Tex., where
the score or so of remaining birds
winter, ran down the male. He
said he didn’t know why it didn’t
go north to its usual Canadian
summer grounds.
The people of Nome are honored and happy to
have their governor, Mike Stepovich, as a special guest
and speaker for this Fourth of July celebration.
The people have been looking forward to the day
when they could personally greet Alaska’s native-born
governor, as three-quarters of the population in this
area is native-born and feel that his appointment by
President Eisenhower is a big step in the development
of northern Alaska.
The people of northwestern Alaska know Govern
or Stepovich does not have to be told that the comple
tion of Highway 97 to Nome will be the biggest single
accomplishment toward a stable economy; he knows
from personal knowledge that the furthering of the
recommended hydroelectric power project for this area
will be the next big step.
The mining people of the area feel encouraged that
an Alaskan governor will advocate the increase in the
price of gold to meet other price changes and will rec
ommend aid for the prospecting of other metals known
to be in this area.
If the governor is to go down in history as having
done the most for the territory, his efforts will be
directed toward a fair and uniform tax structure
whereby all Alaskans may benefit by the 25 percent
living cost reduction now allowed to federal employes
but denied the rest of the residents. ,
The staff of the Nome Nugget, 99 percent Alaskan
born, extends a hearty welcome to Governor Mike, and
an invitation to come again soon.
June Was Hot and Dry
The Weather Bureau reported
today that the month of June
enjoyed the second highest aver
age temperature since 1913. The
f81 degrees recorded on June 11
was the highest ever recorded for
that date, only 3 degrees less
than the all time high of 84 de
gress recorded in July, 1936. The
average was 50.8, the high was
81 on June 11 and the low 36 on
June 2.
Precipitation for the month was
.52 inch, compared to 1.8 in. as
normal. There were 260 hours of
i sunshine or 41 per cent of the
[ possible sunshine .
Impending Changes
Among Top Kremlin
Leaders Reported
LONDON, (fft-—Reports of im
pending sweeping changes among
top Kremlin leaders reached dip
lomats here tonight.
The reports said three top
members of the Presidium of the
Central Committee of the Com-*
munist Party—the high party di
recorate—wrere slated for demo
| tion. »
They were named as former
Premier Georgi M. Malenkov;
former Foreign Minister V. M.
Molotov; L. M. Kaganovich, boss -
of Soviet heavy industry.