SSI NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VQlI LvT~No. 27 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1954 Per Copy—15^
Confusion in House of Representatives
As Puerto Ricans Shoot Congressmen
WASHINGTON, i/P)—Rep. Alvin
Bentley <R-Mieh), most seriously
wounded among five Congress
men shot down by fanatical gun
ners in the House chamber,
showed some gains early Tuesday.
In jail a few blocks away, the
leaders of the Puerto Rican pistol^
wielders insisted they were not
sorry for the unprecedented out
break in the capitol Monday af
ternoon.
Lolita Lebron, who claimed the
ringleader’s role in ^ jail inter
view, summed up: “I do what I
must for my country.”
And Rafael Concel Mirando de
clared: “We don’t talk about the
little things.”
Both had more to say about
Puerto Rican independence than
about the wild shooting that dis
rupted proceedings in the House.
Along with the two other Puer
to Rican men—Andres F. Cordeo
and Irving Flores—they were held
in bail of $100,000 each on charges
of assault with intent to kill.
They face possible penalties of
up to 15 years in the case of each
wounded Congressman, or a pos
sible total of 75 years each—if all
the wounded survive. The charge
would become murder, punishable
by death in the electric chair, if
one should die as a result of their
wild outburst.
In addition to Bentley, the
wounded are Reps. Kenneth A.
Roberts (D-Ala), shot in the knee;
Ben F. Jensen (-Iowa), wounded
in the left shoulder; Clifford Da
vis <D-Tenn\ shot in the right leg,
and George H. Fallon, (D-Md), hit
in the hip.
Bentley was struck in the upper
right chest by a bullet which trav
eled through the lung, diaphragm,
'Continued on Page Two)
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Federal Prosecutors Ask
Indictment of Four
Puerto P i can Fanatics
WASHINGTON, OP) — Govern
ment prosecutors went before a
federal grand jury today to ask
for indictment of four Puerto Ri
can fanatics in connection with
a wild pistol attack upon the
House of Representatives Monday.
U.S. Atty. Leo A. Rover and his
assistant, John Conliff, in charge
of the criminal division of Rover’s
office, said five or six witnesses
would be called.
Rep. Paul W. Shafer (R-Mich)
was listed as a principal witness.
Conliff said Shafer, an eye wit
ness, would be the only House
member to be called.
Other witnesses include doctors
who treated the five wounded
House members and police offi
cers who questioned the four
Puerto Ricans who are under ar
rest and jailed in default of $100,
000 bond each.
The prosecutors went before the
grand jury as Capitol Hill leaders
pondered security measures to
head off any more such attacks
Meanwhile Rep. Alvin M. Bent
ley (R-Mich), most .seriously
wounded of the five Congressmen,
was taken off the critical list at
the hospital where he is under
treatment. That reduced the
chance that charges against the
quartet might be changed to mur
der.
RENO, Nev., OP)—State comman
ders of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars from 10 Western states, Al
aska and Hawaii will hold a two
day conference here May 22 and
23, Nevada VFW Commander
Glen Thorne announced Monday.
-—-I
Boeing Co. Unveils 95-Ton, 4-jet
Swept-Wing 550 mph Transport
SEATTLE, UPi—A jet-propelled
challenge to British and Ameri
can planemakers—a 550-mile-an
hour aerial giant—has been taken
from under its veil of secrecy by
the Boeing Airplane Co.
The 95-ton swept - wing, 4-jet
airplane was shown yesterday as
it neared completion in the
sprawling plant of the company
which also builds the Air Force’s
B-47 and B-52 bombers.
It was know - how gained in
building the bombers that made
it possible for Boeing to be so
near completion of the prototype
of what it hopes will be the
world’s commercial carrier of the
future, said William M. Allen,
president of the company.
But, he stressed, the 15 to 16
million dollars spent in develop
ing the 707—trade name for the
airliner—came from Boeing’s cof
fers and was a gamble made in
the interest of “our own national
welfare, both military and com
mercial.”
The first 707 won’t fly until
possibly early in September, Al
len said, and production of planes
for sale is three years away. But,
company officials contend this
will give them a sizable jump-off
on other American manufacturers
because they said, no other air
plane builder in the United States
has progressed as far with jet
airliners.
Only De Haviland of England
has a commercial jet in the air
and Allen said he was confident
the English “Comet” will be no
match for Boeing’s giant.
The company said it couldn’t
for competitive reasons give firm
figures for performance of the
707 but admitted it would fly
from 4,000 to 5,000 miles, carry
ing from 125 to 150 passengers
while cruising along at an alti
tude of 35,000 feet “and up.”
Its four jet engines develop the
equivalent of 10,000 horsepower
each at sea level and twice as
much at 35,000 feet. The fuselage
is 128 feet long and its wing
spread 130 feet.
Allen said the company hopes
for some military orders, too, as
the plane is, in his words, ideally
suited to serve as a tanker for
the big 8-jet B-52 and 6-jet B-47.
Airlines ordering one of the
planes will pay “at least $3,000,
000” for it, Boeing said.
Debate on Hawaii
Bill Deferred Till
Next Week
WASHINGTON, UR—‘The start
of Senate debate on Hawaiian
statehood Tuesday was deferred
until late this week or next Mon
day.
Majority leader Knowland an
nounced to the Senate that he
would seek action today on legis
lation to increase the borrowiing
authority of the Commodity Cre
dit Corporation and follow that
with a bill to authorize importa
tion of Mexican farm laborers.
Knowland said that if the Sen
ate completes work on the two
bills speedily, he hoped that de
bate might start this week on the
Hawaii statehood bill. He added,
however, that he might propose a
recess from Thursday night until
Monday to give Senators a chance
to clean up work in their offices.
Meanwhile Rep. Pelly iR-Wash)
speculated in a statement that the
shooting in the House Monday by
Puerto Rican terrorists might be
used against the statehood bills in
the Senate.
“I expect this tragic occurrence
to touch off a flood of biased ora
tory,” he said.
-:-I
CAB Suspends Proposed
Alaska Fare Reductions
WASHINGTON, UP) — The Civil
Aeronautics Board Tuesday sus
pended until June 22 additional
proposed reductions of airline
fares in Alaska and between Al
aska and the Pacific Northwest.
The board said the proposed
new fares may be lower than can
be justified by costs of providing
the service, and may adversely
affect the passenger revenues of
airlines operating between the
United States and Alaska.
Last week the board took sim
ilar action against fare reductions
proposed locally by Alaska Air
lines, and jointly by Alaska, Nor
thern Consolidated, Wien Alaska,
Western and West Coast.
More Relief For
Bristol Bay Area
On The Way
ANCHORAGE, UB—More assist
ance in the way of surplus food
and funds for purchase of other
supplies is on the way for the
distressed families of the Bristol
Bay area, Alaska Civil Defense
Director Harold E. Pomeroy said
Monday. >
Pomeroy said the request came
from Territorial Secretary Waino
Hendrickson, who has been handl
ing the relief shipments with the
cooperation of the Alaska Air
Command.
Pomeroy said the additional
food supplies, including meat,
cheese, powdered milk, shorten
ing and butter are now in Seattle
and will be distributed in the
Bristol Bay area within 30 days.
However, Gov. Heintzleman has
made arrangements in Washing
ton, D.C., Pomeroy said, for the
purchase of items not included in
the shipment, especially flour and
sugar.
The money will be made avail
able this coming week, he said,
but did not indicate where the
money is coming from.
Ike Hits Out At “Disregard
Of Standards Of Fair Play”
In Congressional Investigations
Bartlett Hopeful Of
Extension of Alaska’s
Public Works Program
WASHINGTON, UR — Delegate
Bartlett said today he is hopeful
of an early hearing by the Sen
ate Interior Committee on his bill
to extend the life of the Alaska
Public Works program.
The Alaskan bill, which would
continue the program until June
30, 1959, was passed unanimously
by the House earlier this week.
The Public Works program was
set up in 1949 with Congress au
thorizing appropriation of 70 mil
lion dollars to finance schools,
water projects and other com
munity developments works in
Alaska on a matching basis.
Although the program present
ly is scheduled to expire in June
1955, actual appropriations total
only slightly more than 41 mil
lion dollars.
Bartlett’s bill would not in
crease the appropriation but
would merely extend for four
years the time in which Alaskan
communities could become elig
ible to participate.
Mitrovich Enroute
To Japan as Guest
Of Industrialists
JUNEAU, 1/P) — Sitka’s mayor
M.S. (Duke) Mitrovich says “he
believes without a doubt that
Japanese pulp interests will build
a pulp and paper mill in Sitka.”
Mitrovich stopped here yester
day enroute to Japan where he
will spend two weeks as a guest
of Japanese industrialists who are
believed to be contemplating pro
duction of pulp in Alaska.
The mayor said he was sure
the Japanese would have a saw
mill in operation at Sitka next
summer but couldn’t predict how
soon the pulp mill would start
producing.
He said the deal is being finan
ced by 17 companies in Japan
who will get additional financing
help from the Export - Import
Bank of Japan.
However, at Anchorage, An
chorage Chamber of Commerce
officials announced yesterday the
indefinite postponement of a
goodwill mission to Japan.
Nine Anchorage residents and
the Sitka mayor had been sched
uled to leave Thursday on a two
week tour.
“Under the circumstances, it
just seems like the wrong time
of year to attempt this trip,” the
Chamber officials’ statement said.
“We feel it will be better to
postpone the tour date until we
can get more people together.”
The trip had been promoted by
the Anchorage Chamber in coop
eration with the Japanese govern
ment. The intent was to promote
Alaska-Japanese trade.
b WASHINGTON, UP) — President
Eisenhower hit out today at “dis
regard of the standards of fair
play” in Congressional investiga
tions, and declared that no one
in the armed forces is required to
submit “to any kind of personal
humiliation” before investigating
committees.
Eisenhower said in a statement
read to a news conference that “in
opposing Communism, we are de
feating ourselves if either by de
sign or through carelessness we
use methods that do not conform
to the American sense of justice
and fair play.”
The President did not mention
Sen. McCarthy fR-Wis) by name,
but there could be no doubt he
was aiming at him, for the Presi
dent coupled his remarks about
Congressional investigations with
praise for Brigadier General Ralph
Zwicker.
It was McCarthy’s treatment of
Zwicker, commandant at Camp
Kilmer, N.J., which touched off
the heated row of the last two
weeks between McCarthy and
Secretary of the Army Robert T.
Stevens.
The President said the Depart
ment of the Army had made “ser
ious errors” in promoting and
giving an honorable discharge to
Maj. Irving Peress, New York
dentist who refused to say wheth
er he was a Communist when be
fore McCarthy.
McCarthy later called Zwicker
for questioning about Peress and,
in a heated session behind closed
doors, told the general at one
point that he was not fit to wear
his uniform.
This brought from Stevens a
denunciation of “abuse” of Army
officers.
Eisenhower took another indi
rect swipe at McCarthy in reply
ing to the first question put to
him when he finished reading his
prepared statement.
The President was asked for
comment on McCarthy’s demand
for vxplanation of why R. W.
Scott Leod was stripped of his
hiring-tiring authority by Secre
tary of State Dulles.
Eisenhower shot back that the
responsibility for administrative
assignments within any particu
lar department is the sole respon
sibility of the head of the depart
ment and no one else.
McCarthy called last night for
a moratorium on statements be
tween him and his critics.
Eisenhower Welcomes
Puerto Rico Governor
WASHINGTON, W) — President
Eisenhower at a news conference
today referred to the gunfire
wounding of five members of the
House by Puerto Rican terrorists
as a tragic event.
He said he was pleased to wel
come at the White House the
governor of Puerto Rico, who ex
pressed regret for the incident.
Eisenhower called the govern
or’s visit a splendid one.