22 NOMEN
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN AiJiSgA-MEMwa
VOL. LIX No. 149 • NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1957 _'gtopy—lty
Opportunity for Airlines and Nome
In Air Routes to Siberia ,
(From an editorial in the Anchorage Daily Times)
WE ARE WATCHING to see how quick our enter
prising airlines, especially those operating in Alaska,
will get on the ball and seek permission for operations
into Russia.
The Soviet travel agency Intourist, has announced
that foreign tourists may now travel in Siberia. This
may open the way for the extension of some of Alaska’s
air services across the Bering Strait and into the other
continent.
Such an extension, in fact, would be more than into
another continent. It would ‘be into another day, be
cause it would cross the International Dateline. Pas
sengers would fly into tomorrow. And come back into yesterday, if
they come back.
The Soviet action in opening Siberia, however, should be taken
seriously by the airlines. For those operating into Nome the, route
extension would be only a few miles to reach Siberia.
WE ARE SURE many Alaskans would enjoy going as tourists
to Siberia. They would be interested in seeing how the Russians have
developed their cities and have used the resources of the arctic. There
are many lessons that could be applied to Alaskan development.
The,Russians said tourists can now go as far as Irkutsk in
Siberia, a city north of Mongolia on Lake Baikal. The Intourist
agency pointed out that tourists could go there in their own auto
mobiles and enjoy some of the most picturesque parts of the country.
But the length of the drive makes it improbable that many could
go that way.
From London or Paris to Irkutsk it is 4,000 miles by great
circle route. From Nome to Irkutsk there are only some 2,950 miles
to fly. From Anchorage it is 3,460 miles to the city on the shore of
Lake Baikal. That is only four miles farther than Anchorage to
Washington. It is 53 miles less than Anchorage to Tokyo, a hop
run on a scheduled basis by more than one airline.
THE DAY WILL COME when civil air routes extend into
Siberia. That will lead to the expansion and improvement of air
navigation aids into parts of Alaska now considered of minor
The opening of Siberia to tourists might be taken as the signal
importance.
that the time is near for the airlines to make application on whatever
forms, to whatever government and in whatever language required.
It is thrilling to study the arrival and departure announcements
on the boards at the Anchorage International Airport. Planes come
from and depart for New York, Seattle, Tokyo, Manila, Formosa,
Stockholm, and Copenhagen.
The introduction of service to Irkutsk with whatever stopover
points the Russians deem appropriate might add such names as
Yakutsk and East Cape in Siberia.
The Sandinavians fire flying from Copenhagen to Moscow.
Why should some Alaskan lines fly from Nome to Irkutsk?
. .
Federal Officials
Start Search for
Missing Couple
ARLINGTON, Va., UB—Police
turned over to federal authorities
their search for Air Force Sgt.
ynd Dwyer Jr. Saturday as
they learned that the wife had
written a letter from Texas after
vanishing four weeks ago from
their home here.
The couple drove from their
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Dodger Pitcher Newcombe
Cured of Air Travel
Fear by Hypnotism
COLONIA, N. J., Uh—Dodger
Pitcher Don Newcombe says hyp
nosis has cured his fear of air
travel and he’s ready to fly to Los
Angeles if necessary to help in
promotional work for his club.
The hypnotic treatment paid
off Saturday, Newcombe says,
when he made a round-trip flight
to Detroit accompanied by his
personal hypnotist, Joseph Edel
man of Saddle Brook, N.J.
“In my own mind now I really
would not be nervous about rid
ing in a Piper Cub,” Newcombe
said last night.
The 31-year-old hurler blamed
his former terror of the air on his
witnessing a plane crash in Eliza
beth, N.J., in 1951.
The weekend air trip was his
first since 1956 when he flew to
Japan on a team tour. He said he
was “under tremendous tension”
on the 1956 trip. “I couldn’t stand
it,” he said.
But he felt his career was at
stake since the Dodger schedule
calls for wide air travel.
2nd Infantry Division
Formally Deactivated In
Ft. Richardson Ceremony
SEATTLE—One of the proud
est fighting organizations of the
United States Army, the 2nd In
fantry Division, was officially in
activated during ceremonies at
Fort Richardson this morning.
The 1st Battle Group, 23rd In
fantry, was the honor unit in the
ceremony.
The 23rd and 9th Infantry Reg
iments have been elements of the
2nd Infantry Division since it was
activated during World War I.
The 1st Battle Gorup of each
regiment will remain stationed in
Alaska, but as a separate unit,
with no divisional affiliation.
Seatonj in Virgin Islands,
‘Burned Up’ at Firemen
ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands,
—U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Fred A. Seaton was a spectator at
a fire last night and wound up in
a heated discussion with the St.
Thomas volunteer firemen.
The fire destroyed a building
under construction on the Con
tant Estate. The loss was estimat
ed at $3b,000
Seaton, a guest at the hotel
club, became irked at what he
considered delay and inadequacy
of the firemen and their equip
ment. The building was on a hill
lacking fire hydrants.
Beck Convicted;
Will Appeal for
New Trial
SEATTLE, UP—Teamster chief
Dave Beck was convicted Satur
day of grand larceny. His attorney
said today he will press for an
early hearing on his motion for a
new trial
The Seattle Times said it had
learned the defense will charge at
least one member of the panel <7
men, 5 housewives) failed to an
swer truthfully while being ques
tioned for jury duty.
Beck, 63-year-old outgoing presi
dent of the Teamster’s Union,
was accused of stealing $1,900
from the sale of a union-owned
automobile.
Punishment for the crime for
which he was convicted after a
12-day trial is a sentence up to 15
years in prison.
Beck will face new court trou
ble in April. He goes on trial then
in Tacoma in federal court to an
swer charges he evaded $240,000
in income taxes for 1950to 1953.
Former Fairbanks Judge
Harry E. Pratt Dies
PHOENIX, Ariz., UP—Harry E.
Pratt, former United States dis
trict court judge in Fairbanks,
died in a Phoenix, Ariz., hospital
here Saturday. He was 73.
A brain hemorrhage was the
apparent cause of his death.
Pratt, a resident of Tucson for
the past 18 months, was bom in
Norton, Kan. He was appointed
federal district judge in 1935 and
held that position until he retired
in 1954.
He is survived by his widow
and two married daughters, both
of Fairbanks.
His widow, Helen, said she had
requested memorial services be
held in the courtroom where he
served. The body will be cremat
ed.
HISTORIC NATO MEET
STARTS IN PARIS
Disagreement
Starts Over Action
On NATO Missiles
PARIS OB—A disagreement over
j quick action on NATO missiles
i bases and atomic stockpiles ap
peared to be developing at the
very outset of the historic summit
conference.
The conference opened with a
brief public session at noon at
which Eisenhower spoke. It went
into a closed working session in
midafternoon, but statements of
government heads were made
public as delivered.
German Chancellor Konrad Ad
enauer backed the United States
principle that, as Adenauer said
it, NATO should be equipped with
“advanced weapons equalling
those of our potential enemy.”
Norway’s Premier Einar Ger
hardsen informed the conference
his country has no plans now “to
let stockpiles be established on
Norwegian territory or to con
struct launching sites” for inter
mediate range ballistic missiles.
Gerhardsen said if necessary a
solution to disarmament must be
sought “thru direct diplomatic ne
gotiations between the two prin
ciple military powers.” This was
a clear suggestion for American
Russian talks—something which
the European allies have always
shied at heretofore.
Both Adenauer and Gerhardsen
favored postponement of decisions
on rocket bases in Europe.
But NATO’s civilian chief, Bel
gium’s Paul-Henri Spaak, lent
powerful support to President
Eisenhower.
Spaak called on all 15 members
of the alliance to arm themselves
with the most modem nuclear
weapons and said failure to do so
would leave the Soviet Union with
a nuclear monopoly in Europe.
In his opening policy statement,
Adenauer advocated a study by
NATO of the possibility of eco
nomic moves to penetrate the So
viet satellite countries “to over
come the partition of Europe.”
He said NATO could also act to
tighten economic ties between the
free world and the Middle East
ern nations.
Eisenhower Calls
For Heroic Efforts
In Missiles Race
By JOHN M. HIGHTOWER
PARIS, (JB—President Eisen
hower called on the Atlantic alli
ance today for heroic efforts t»
build its military strength in the
missiles race with Russia “while
the margin of power is still ours.'*
He immediately ran into de
mands from some other NATO
leaders to postpone a final deci
sion on basing nuclear rockets in.
Europe. •
The President, in a bid to re
assert strong American leadership
in the face of the Soviet leap for
ward in nuclear missiles, said
mighty new forces were begin
ning to “cast a pall ova: our
world.” t
He said the free world must rid
itself of complacencies and such,
“false habits” as thinking that
time is on the side of the Wept
and that the eventual triumph off
freedom over despotism is in
evitable.
Eisenhower coupled his grim
but apparently confident demand
for action with a declaration that
the United States and its allies
stand ready to join Russia in an
effort tb bring the forces threat
ening the world “under rational
control.”
But, until that can be done, the
allies must employ their strength.
“to sustain peace and freedom.”
“The forces arrayed against us
are formilable but not irresisti
ble,” Eisenhower declared.
Eisenhower read his 2,000-word
speech at his usual rapid pace. He
chewed up a number of words
and repeated many, but that is
the way he habitually speaks.
There was little if any evidence
of spech defect due to his stroke
of Nov. 25.
For the public opening session
of the conference, Eisenhower and
the other government chiefs sat
at a circular table in the confer
ence room of the Palais de Chail
lot, which is NATO headquarters
in Paris.
Britain’s Prime Minister Harold
MacMillan was pieced to the
President’s right and Secretary
General Paul-Henri Spaak to his
left.
Rep. Tollefson Urges That U.S.
Build Nuclear Powered Icebreaker
WASHINGTON, (*>—Rep. Tol
lefson (R-Wash) today urged that
the United States construct a nu
clear powered icebreaker to meet
present and future needs in the
polar areas.
He said he would introduce a
bill early in the next session to
authorize such a vessel.
Russia launched the world’s
first atomic powered surface ship,
the cebreaker Lenin, on Dec. 5.
A U.S. nuclear merchant ship, the
Savannah, is scheduled to be com
pleted in 1960.
Tollefson, senior Republican on
the House Merchant Marine Com
mittee, has been a strong advo
cate of U.S. action to press claims ]
to portions of Antarctica.
He said he believes it is “obvi- i
ous in the light of recent events
that our activities in the antarctic
will increase during the years
ahead.”
At the same time, he said, im
mediate use could be made of a
nuclear powered icebreaker in
carrying supplies to the DEV
Line above the Arctic Circle.
Saying that nuclear powered
vessels have from six to eight
times the cruising range of con
ventional ships, he added:
“The advantage of having an
icebreaker which could operate
the year around without refueling
and which could, if built as a
combination cargo-icebreaker, de
liver supplies and oil by itself,
would be inestimable.”