22 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV No. 75 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1953 y Per Copy—15^
Navy “Frogmen”
Demonstrate Suits
In ley Bering Sea
Mrs. Steve Andersen
Takes “Swim” Today
An under - water demolition
team o'f the U.S. Navy put on a
demonstration yesterday in the
Bering Sea amid large floating
cakes of' ice off the mouth of
Snake River.
The party of six men with Lt.
Robert Pope in charge, outfitted
themselves in frogmen’s outfits
and walked over the seawall
back of the Wallace Hotel and
into Bering Sea where they swam
out about two hundred yards, then
returned to shore by swimming to
the mouth of Snake River and
along the concrete east jetty. They
cavorted o'n and around the ice
cakes on the shore for the bene
fit of the many picture takers who
had assembled to witness the
demonstration.
The six men stayed in the 34
degree water for 35 minutes be
fore emerging and returning to
disrobe and warm up.
The demolition team again
demonstrated their equipment
and technique today at about 1
p.m. and were joined by Mrs.
Steve Andersen, wife of Nome’s
mayor.
Mrs. Andersen, who is a very
good swimmer, maneuvered the
water-tight outfit out into the
breakers which were approxi
mately from two to three feet
high.
The water temperature today
was 41 degrees Farenheit.
Mrs. Anderson verified the fact
that it is possible to swim in the
Bering Sea and not be uncomfort
able.
Lt. C. J. Kopp, a doctor, is
along with the party on special
assignment to see that the frog
men keep in tip-top physical con
dition.
Lieutenant Pope, who hails
from 339 C. Ave., Coronado, Cal.,
said that 16 weeks of training
are required for a sailor to be
come a “frogman.” He also said
that if his group is here on the
4th of July they would be glad
to give another demonstration.
Others in the party are:
Maurice Basquette, Marcus
Chandler, Frank Hyers, Gerald
Patterson, Robert Zink and James
Cude.
$50,000 Loss in Cannery Fire
Not Covered By Insurance
JUNEAU, UP)—A $50,000 loss is
estimated in the fire that destroy
ed a floating shrimp cannery here
last weekend. It was not covered
by insurance.
The plant was owned by Clyde
Sheldon of Petersburg. Until
June 1 it had been operated by
Kayler - Dahl Fisheries Co. of
Petersburg. The insurance lapsed
when the company lease expired
June 1.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., UP) — An
eight-foot cross was burned last
night in front of the home of
Fyke Farmer, Nashville lawyer
instrumental in the final delay of
the Rosenberg’s execution.
Employee of State Dept. \
Radio In Berlin Admits
He Was A Communist
BERLIN, UP)—Eberhard Schutz,
program director of Rias, the U.S.
State Department’s radio station
in Berlin, said today he might as
well beat Senator McCarthy to
the punch and admit that he used
to be a Communist.
But, Schutz declared, he has
been a fighter against Commun
ism for many years and he denied
that Communist propaganda is
creeping into Rias broadcassts to
the Soviet Zone of Germany.
Schutz said his past Commun
ist experience helps him to be
more effective in the station’s
anti-Red broadcasts “because I
know how they operate.”
McCarthy recently asked U. S.
High Commissioner James B.
Conant if he is aware that Com
munists were employed on Rias,
and announced he intended to
question the statioA’s deputy dir
ector, Gordon A. Ewing of New
York City.
Nine German employes of Rias,
including Schutz, promptly
threatened to resign if McCarthy
should “weaken the effectiveness
of the station’s work” by a public
attack on its personnel.
Schutz said today:
“I suppose I must be the one
McCarthy is most interested in,
for I was a member of the Com
munist party "trom 1931 to 1937,
and I spent nearly three years in
Russia.”
“For the sake of Rias and its val
uable work, I think we should
come out openly and give the
public all these facts before they
become distorted in public contro
versy,” Schutz declared.
Asked if he thought McCarthy
might call him as a witness,
Schutz smiled and said:
“He can’t. Under the McCarran
Act I couldn’t be admitted to the'
United States.”
Bridges' Union To Fight
Conviction of Hawaii Boss
HONOLULU, (Jt — Harry
Bridges’ powerful Longshore
Union in Hawaii opens a special
convention today to plan a fight
against the conviction of its Ha
waii leader, Jack Hall, as a Com
munist conspirator.
Some 24,000 union stevedores
and sugar and pineapple planta
tion workers ended yesterday a
three-day walkout protesting the
conviction. Hall and six co-de
fendants were convicted Friday of
conspiring to’ teach and advocate
the violent overthrow of the gov
ernment.
Lulu Fairbanks Wins
Trip To New York City
SEATTLE, (if)—Lulu Fairbanks,
associate editor of the Alaska
Weekly, published here, has won
an airplane trip to’ New York in
a contest sponsored by the Mary
Margaret McBride radio program
of the National Broadcasting Co.,
it was announced today.
Miss Fairbanks was one of four
winners. Winners were judged on
their efforts to enhance demo
cratic processes and achieve peace.
Miss Fairbanks was nominated
for the honor by Sarah Truax
Albert, author and actress.
Beta Sigma Phi Sorority
To Collect Funds To
Finance 4th Celebration
Councilman Bill Gillis reported
at the Nome Council meeting on
Monday evening that the Fourth
of July finances are being raised
by the Beta Sigma Phi who have
already started soliciting business
houses for the necessary funds for
prizes and free ice cream for the
children.
A special meeting of the several
committees for the celebration
and sports events scheduled for
the Fourth, is to be held tomorrow
evening at 8 o’clock at the City
Hall.
The Cemetery committee re
ported that no action has been
taken, pending a meeting with
Ralph Lomen who returned re
cently and who activated the city
cemetery program last year.
An amendment to the taxi-cab
ordinance was read, which if
adopted at the next council meet
ing will give cab companies the
privilege of registering their trade
marks, emblems, or color com
binations.
The purchase of a new grader
was discussed at some length, as
the grader now owned by the
city and purchased as used equip
ment in 1946, was reported as
too costly in repairs. ^
Virgil Warneke requested the
lease or rental of four feet on
Lane’s Way, next to the City
Cab, for use as a shop.
New P.O. Box Rent Rater
Go Into Effect Here July 1
The Post Office Department has
directed Postmaster McLean to
adjust the quarterly rental rates
for boxes in the Nome Post Office,
effective July 1.
The rates are based on the re
ceipts of the individual offices
and locally will result in an in
crease from 75 cents to $1.10 for
the smallest boxes and from $2.00
to $2.25 for the largest boxes.
The medium-size boxes will re
main at $1.50.
The basic schedule now in ef
fect has not been changed since
1907 and the increased charges
are made to conform with the in
creased cost of providing the
equipment and maintaining the
service.
Healy River Coal Corp.
Bought Out Bv Suntrana
FAIRBANKS, IP—One of Alas
ka’s largest business enterprises,
the Healy River Coal Corp., has
been sold to the Suntrana Mining
Company, Inc., it was announced
today by Ken Gillanders, presi
dent of Healy River.
The transfer of properties will
be effected July 1, at which time
Suntrana will take over all Healy
River contracts. No interruptions
in service are anticipated.
The Healy River mine located
at Suntrana on the Alaska Rail
road south of Fairbanks is a
major coal producer in the Terri
tory. Controlling interest in this
mine was owned by the late Capt.
A. E. Lathrop and has been oper
ated recently by his estate.
The main reason for the sale
was to raise cash to pay ir^heri
tace taxes levied against the Lath
rop estate, Gillanders said.
Special Emissary From Washington To
Korea May “Open New Channels” For
More Acceptable and Honorable Truce
Eisenhower Discusses
Korean Situation With
Congressional Leaders
WASHINGTON, W» — President !
Eisenhower discussed the delicate !
Korean situation with congres
sional leaders today but the law- J
makers kept mum on just what j
was said.
Sen. Knowland <R-Calif> act
ing Senate majority leader, told
newsmen about the briefing after
he and other GOP leaders had
conferred with the President at
the White House.
Knowland said the President
gave the lawmakers a “fill-in” on
the Korean matter, but the Sen
ator added that he was not at
liberty to go into any detail.
Korea War Enters
4tli Year Today
j
SEOUL, ti?) — The Korean war
entered its fourth year today, as
quiet as it was savage on that
black day when North Korea’s
army struck without warning ac
ross the 38th parallel.
There had been heavy fighting
yesterday on the central front,
where 6,000 or more Chinese Reds
had attacked only to be hurled
back by U.S. and South Korean
infantry.
And the third year of war went
out on an angry note too in the
air, where Sabre jets reported
they knocked down six Red MIG
jets and damaged a seventh.
But as night came on, the fight
ing died along the ridges. Early
today the only engagement re
ported in the ^Tsually dangerous
hours before dawn was a clash of
75 Chinese with South Korean
troops on the central front.
The Chinese lost an estimated
200 men in killed or wounded in
the assault in central Korea
which began early Wednesday.
White Predicts Elected
Committeemen Will Not
Be Recognized In 1954
JUNEAU, UP)—A prediction that
the Republican National Commit
tee will not recognize the Alaska
National Committeeman and Com
mitteewoman slated for election
at the polls for the first time in
1954 came Tuesday from Albert
White, long - time controversial
party leader.
White, who bears the title of
general counsel for the party in
Alaska and often has been labeled
“Boss” White by his critics in the
Territorial Legislature, questions
the legality of the act by the 1953
Legislature to make the two com
mittee posts elective in 1954.
“I feel sure that the Republican.
National Committee will continue
to recognize the two Alaskans
legally appointed to it until their
terms expire in 1956.”
The committeewoman is White’s
wife, Margaret. The national com
mitteeman is Rouert J. McKanna
of Fairbanks, who received a re
signation suggestion from the 4th
Division Republican Club at a
recent controversial meeting.
> SEOUL, W)—'President Syng
man Rhee said today impending
conferences with a special emis
sary from Washington may “open
new channels” which would make
an armistice “more acceptable to
us and perhaps more honorable to
the U.S.”
Assistant U. S. Secretary of
State Walter S. Robertson, carry
ing a secret note to Rhee from
Secretary of State John Foster
Dulles, landed in Toyko and was
expected in the South Korean
capital Thursday.
The statement—made in an in-,
terview with NBC — contrasted
sharply with Rhee’s threat earlier
today to fight on alone if a
truce unacceptable to him is sign
ed by his allies.
The ROK government, mean
while, announced formation of a
committee of top cabinet mem
bers—with Rhee as chairman—to
take over “defense” of the coun
try immediately in the event of
a cease-fire. Its duties were not
explained.
In an impassioned letter to Gen.
Mark Clark, Rhee declared that
under terms of the present armis
tice agreement “I do not see . . .
how the ROK forces can remain
under your command, however
regrettable to us.”
House Condemns Defense
Dept. Reorganization As
Step To Military Control
WASHINGTON, UP—By a vote
of 16 to 1% the House Govern
ment Operations Committee to
day sent President Eisenhower’s
plan to reorganize the Defense
Department to the House for full
debate but condemned it as “an
other step on the road toward
control by the military.”
The criticism was made in a
formal committee report which
asserted that provisions increasing
the authority of the chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff “strike at
the heart of government by the
people” by creating a Prussian
type chief of staff.
Chairman Hoffman said he
planned to call the reorganization
proposal up for House considera- j
tion tomorrow.
The plan will go into effect next
Monday unless the House or Sen
ate adepts meantime a resolution
for disapproval.
Alaska Convention of
American Legion Held
At Cordova Till Saturday
CORDOVA, UP—The annual Al
aska American Legion convention
opens here Wednesday with dele
gates from all parts of the Terri
tory. The session runs through
Saturday.
Among the speakers will be
Waino Hendrickson, Secretary of
Alaska.
Hendrickson is attending the
convention both as an official
delegate from the Juneau post and
as the personal representative of
Governor Heintzleman. His ad
dress will be in behalf of the
governor. Hendrickson is a form
er Alaska Dept, commander.