m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS__
VOL. LV No. 29 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 9, 1953 Per Copy—15^
Army To Test Fire
Atomic Artillery
In Next Few Weeks
WASHINGTON, tfl—'The Army
and Atomic Energy Commission
will make military and scientific
history with the test-firing of the
world’s first atomic artillery some
time during the next few weeks.
A joint AEC - Pentagon an
nouncement over the week end
said “a projectile with an atomic
warhead” will be shot from one
of the Army’s new 280-millimeter,
mobile cannons during the forth
coming series of nuclear tests at
the Nevada proving grounds.
The guns themselves have been
in existence for at least two years.
They were given public demon
strations, firing conventional am
munition, last year. But until now
there has been no atomic ammu
nition to pass to the artillerymen.
Scientists from the AEC’s Los
Alamos laboratory and Army ord
nance experts apparently have
succeeded in packing an atomic
explosive into a shell about 11
inches in diameter—the approxi
mate bore of the big guns.
The announcement said the
Nevada test would not be public.
Congressional Probe of
Ammo Shortage in Korea
May Be Expanded
WASHINGTON, UP)—A congres
sional investigation into' reported
ammunition shortages appeared
likely today to be expanded to
take in other phases of the war
in Korea—but not the whole war.
Democratic senators made it
plain they will fight any effort to
expose what they regard as mili
tary secrets to public view in a
broad scale inquiry such as that
suggested by Sen. Taft.
And Sen. Knowland of California
chairman of the Republican Pol
icy Committee in the Senate, said
“it would not be profitable at
this time to have a general in
vestigation of the Korean war.”
His statement brought to light
a difference between two of the
top GOP figures in the Senate.
Taft is Republican floor leader.
“We should concentrate on am
munition,” Knowland said, “and
not expose our hand with a gen
eral investigation.”
Taft said he thinks it might be
well for the lawmakers to investi
gate not only the ammunition sit
uation—as thd Senate Armed Ser
vices Committee already is doing
—but also the circumstances sur
rounding truce talks and the han
dling of Communist prisoners.
Navy To Suspend
Barrow Oil Project
WASHINGTON, Uf) — Navy
Secretary Anderson testified
Friday the Navy plans to sus
pend the $50,000,000 project to
locate oil off Point Barrow.
Anderson said the Navy also
will cancel a request for more
than $9,000,000 for 1954 work.
Anderson announced the de
cision after Rep. Gavin (R-Pa)
said there was "no economic
justification" for the project
because of the isolation of the
Point Barrow project.
Sen. Taft Asserts Chances
Are Good For Changes
In Taft-Hartley Law
WASHINGTON, UPI—Sen. Taft
said today after a White House
conference the chances are good
for House - Senate-administration
agreement on about 15 changes in
the Taft-Hartley labor law, some
of them “substantial.”
Taft told reporters it was gen
erally agreed at today’s meeting
that the best approach is for both
Senate and House labor commit
tees to complete hearings on pro
posed changes before any final
bills are drafted.
Taft said the labor-management
advisory committee set up by the
administration in the hope of
reaching agreement on amend
ments to the labor law apparently
has given up any idea of getting
both sides together.
He said Secretary of Labor Dur
kin now feels the problem is one
to be handled by the labor com
mittees of the Congress.
“High Noon” Voted Best
Motion Picture of 1952
NEW YORK, UP!—'“High Noon”
has been voted the best motion
picture of 1952 by movie critics
in the 30th annual poll conducted
by the Film Daily, a trade publi
cation.
The publication announced last
night that 262 of 334 critics parti
cipating in the nation-wide poll
voted for “High Noon,” a western
drama.
The Film Daily’s “10 best pic
tures” list contained these other
movies, in the order in which
they placed:
“The Quiet Man,” “The Great
est Show on Earth,” “The African
Queen,” “Ivanhoe,” “Come Back,
Little Sheba,” “The Lavender Hill
Mob,” “Singin’ In the Rain,”
“With A Song In My Heart” and
“Five Fingers.”
Two Small Girls, Aged
5 and 8 Found Victims
Of Sex-Mad Killer
SPRING VALLEY, N.Y., UP) —
The brutal slayings of two small
girls, one 8 and the other 5,
haunted this country community
today with a sex-mad killer pos
sibly on the loose.
The bodies of the two girls, who
lived at a school for underpriv
iledged children here were found
last night in a snow - covered
wooded area near the school.
One girl had been stabbed; the
other had received a savage blow
at the back of the head. A doctor
said there was evidence that both
had been the victims of sex at
tacks.
Authorities checked a number
of state mental institutions in the
general area, but there was no
report that any inmate had es
caped.
SHORTEST EDITORIAL
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., W — The
Arkansas Gazette’s shortest edit
orial in its history was devoted
Friday night to the death of
Joseph Stalin.
It read: “Sic semper tyrannis.”
The translation of this Latin
phrase is “Thus always to tyrants.”
Malenkov Pledges
Red Peace Policy
At Stalin’s Funeral
MOSCOW, UP)—Over the bier of
Joseph Stalin, his successor Geo
rgi M. Malenkov pledged the So
viet Union Monday “to strengthen
by every means the might of the
Soviet armed forces,” but de
clared his foreign policy is one
of peace.
Both Malenkov and Laventi P.
Beria, in funeral orations, praised
the “heroic Korean people.” Mal
enkov said a “mighty camp of
peace, democracy and socialism
has been set up” under Stalin,
and he counted the Chinese peo
ple as in that camp. '
After the orations, Stalin’s body
was placed in Lenin’s tomb on
Red square—the tomb to whose
top Stalin invited Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower in 1945 when he
visited Moscow.
The funeral lasted an hour and
a half and took place outdoors
in windy Red Square with the
temperature around 12. Somber
music by a band of 750 pieces set
the tone. Stalin’s body—he died
Thursday at the age of 74 after
a brain hemorrhage—was brought
from the hall of columns, set
down before Soviet leaders come
to praise him, and then gently
placed in the Lenin mausoleum.
Bette Davis In Hospital
NEW YORK, (#—Actress Betty
Davis was admitted to New York
Hospital Sunday night and re
portedly underwent a tooth oper
ation.
A spokesman at the hospital
said her condition was not serious,
but declined to tell the nature of
her ailment. The tooth operation
was reported by a man who
identified himself as a friend of
people connected with Miss Davis’
current starring vehicle, the musi
cal play “Two’s Company.”
Methodist Churchman
To Speak Here Next Week
RONALD DUFRESNE. Meth
odist lay speaker from Van
couver, Wash., who will conduct
special services every evening
next week starting Sunday.
He is aecompaned by his wife
who is bringing her harp and
who is also an accomplished
organist. With him also is a
tenor soloist who will be fea
tured in the special musical
program throughout the week
and who will lead the congre
gational singing.
McKay Will Strike Balance
Between Conserving and
Exploiting Our Resources
WASHINGTON, UP) — Douglas
McKay, in his first formal speech
as Secretary of the Interior, said
today the nation should preserve
its natural resources as much as
it exploits them.
The new cabinet officer said he
hopes to strike a balance between
the views of:
1. Those who would keep the
country nearer its natural state,
with public recreation parks and
fish and game preserves.
2. Those who would build pow
er dams, drainage and irrigation
projects and oil and gas develop
ments.
He said he feels strongly about
preserving wildlife and recrea
tional resources, adding: “I almost
wish in some ways that the Sec
retary of the Interior had no other
responsibilities.”
However, he said, he recognizes
“the equally heavy obligation” of
developing water resources for ir
rigation and power, grazing, tim
ber and mineral industries, as
well as administering the trustee
ship of Indian resources.
“In the exercise of these re
sponsibilities,” he said, “I shall
attempt to maintain a balance be
tween the developmental and the
protective concept.”
Freight Train Rams Truck
Killing Engineer’s Friends
MOUNDVILLE, Ala., iff) — En
gineer H. Paul Hassell couldn’t
stop his freight train in time to
save the lives of two youngsters
who had won his heart.
His freight plowed into a pick
up truck which pulled into its
path at a crossing three miles
south of here Sunday.
The shaken 50-year-old Bir
mingham engineer then learned
that its occupants had been a bro
ther and sister who had waved at
his passing train for many years.
Hassell first noticed the chil
dren eight years ago, when they
began running from their track
side farm to wave as he passed.
He dropped Christmas presents
with his name on them, and the
children sent him presents, too.
He had hunted with Ben and
other members of his family.
Typographical Error Sends
16 Printers To Jail For
Sabotage In Red Germany
BERLIN, (£*—The West Berlin
newspaper Telegraf reported to
day that 16 proofreaders of the
Soviet sector Tribune were arrest
ed today for sabotage after it was
discovered that their paper had
praised Joseph Stalin as a fighter
for “war” instead of peace.
The Tribune, organ of the Com
munist East German Trade Union
Federation, published a condol
ence message from the ruling So
cialist Unity party which included
this sentence:
“With Joseph Vissarionovitch
Stalin, a great scientist of Marx
ism - Leninism and an excellent
fighter for the preservation and
strengthening of war in the world
has passed away.”
It should have said “for pre
servation and strengthening of
peace ...”
Opposition To
Hawaii Statehood
Expected in House
WASHINGTON, (/PI—The House
picked up the Hawaii statehood
bill today for the third time in
six years—and still opposition is
expected again.
Bills tor make Hawaii a state
passed the House twice—in 1947
and in 1950—'but died both times
in the Senate. The proposal now
has the endorsement of both the
Democratic and Republican par
ties and the blessing of President
Eisenhower.
But growing Democratic resent
men of a snub of Alaska statehood ,
by the Eisenhower administration,
added to a hard core of opposition
from the large states and the
south, makes a close vote appear
likely tomorrow.
Democrats, who fought unsuc
cessfully to shepherd both Hawaii
and Alaska into the union in the
last two congresses, say the Re
publicans are playing politics with
the two bills this year.
Democrats favoring statehood
for both territories maintain it is
unfair for Republican leaders to
single out Hawaii in any hope of
getting two more Republican
senators and leave Alaska by the
wayside. The GOP holds the
slightest margin over the Demo
crats in the Senate—48 to 47 with
one Independent.
Secretary Dulles Tackles
U.N. Problems Brought
About By Death of Stalin
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., l*—
U.S. Secretary of State John Fos
ter Dulles tackled United Nations
problems here today, scheduling
a brefing with the American U.N.
delegation and his firsf visit as
U.S. foreign policy chief to the
world organization headquarters.
His visit is hard on the heels
of Washington talks with Britain’s
Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden
during which the western allies’
attitude toward Soviet govern
ment changes caused by Stalin’s
death was touched on. Eden fol
lows Dulles here tomorrow for
two days of talks with other U.N.
delegates.
Neither has commented public
ly about their talks on what the
Russian changes may mean.
Taft Proposes Congress
Investigate Korean War
And Ammo “Shortage”
WASHINGTON, UPi — Senator
Taft (R-Ohio) proposed Saturday
a full-scale congressional investi
gation of the conduct of the Kor
ean War.
Taft, Senate Republican leader,
told reporters he thinks it might
be wise to broaden a pending in
quiry into reputed ammunition
shortages to cover also the cir
cumstances surrounding armistice
talks and the handling of prison
ers.
The senator advanced his plan
shortly after Gen. James A. Van
Fleet had spent an hour and 10
minutes with President Eisenhow
er. The general declined to say
whether he and the chief execu
tive talked about his claim that
ammunition has been seriously
short in Korea.