™s NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXII No. 64 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MAY 27, 1960 Per Copy 15<
Gruening Asks President to Review
Decision to Cut Air Force In Alaska
Associated Press Special Service
WASHINGTON, UP) — Sen. Er
nest Gruening has taken his pro
test against a slash in air fighter
strength in Alaska up to the
Commander In Chief.
“I call this matter to your atten
tion and ask that you intervene
to keep our guard up in the part
of our nation closest to our po
tential enemy,” Gruening wired
President Eisenhower.
Gruening said he and other
members of the Alaska delegation
were shocked to hear a recent Air
Force decision to withdraw the
25 planes of the 449th Fighter
Interceptor Squadron from Alaska
and leave only 33 such craft in
the state after August.
Noting a “sudden worsening of
relations between our nation and
the U.S.S.R.,” Gruening said “I
hope you agree with me that this
is no time to reduce our air
force’s fighting strength in
Alaska.”
i He asked the President to re
view the situation and, if he de
cides “it is not necessary or ad
visable t o maintain fighting
strength north of the Alaska
Range,” to support a change in
the Alaska Statehood Act.
He suggested that the President
have legislation drafted to undo
a provision setting up a so-called
“Eisenhower Line” north and west
of which the President has author
ity to create national defense res
servations.
‘Tf we are to write off Alaska
militarily, there would seem to be
no reason remaining to perpetu
ate this division of my state,”
Gruening said.
He pointed out that because of
this provision, the state is pro
hibited from including any area
north of the line in its selection
of 103 million acres of public land
granted with statehood. The line
segregates roughly half of Alaska
for possible defense purposes.
President Orders End
To U.S. Technical
Assistance to Cuba
WASHINGTON, Ut) — President
Eisenhower has ordered an end
to U. S. technical assistance to
Cuba within six months, the State
Department announced today.
Eisenhower issued the order
May 14 under the foreign aid law
ban against providing aid that is
not in the national interest of the
United States.
No specific reason was cited for
the ban, but U. S. policymakers
have been deeply concerned over
Premier Fidel Castro’s repeated
attacks against the United States.
The U. S. technical assistance
which Eisenhower’s order cuts off
has been running at the rate of
about $150,000 to $200,000 a year.
The aid, which included the ser
vices of nine American techni
cians, has been used to improve
Cuba’s civil aviation and agri
culture.
U of A Choir of the North
‘Freezes’ on Tour In
Pacific Northwest
BELLINGHAM, UB — The Uni
versity of Alaska’s 30-member
Choir of the North joined in a
chorus when they alighted here
yesterday from their chartered
C-46. The refrain was:
“Its’ too cold.”
The temperature was a chilly
53 and a brisk southeast wind
whipped across the airport. At
about the same time it was 89 in
Fairbanks.
Adding to the choir’s miseries
was the fact that the boys had
not had a chance to change from
their tuxedos, and the girls from
their formal gowns before board
ing the plane in Seattle, where
they appeared before the Rotary
Club.
For two of the members, George
Gardiner, a Fairbanks Eskimo,
and William Allen, native Indian
from Petersburg and Juneau, the
Pacific Northwest tour is their
first trip away from Alaska.
The choir was given an en
thusiastic reception by the 300 who
attended its concert in the First
Presbyterian Church. From here
the group returned to Seattle, and
will make appearances in Yakima
Friday, again in Seattle Sunday,
and in Portland on Tuesday.
Hawaii Tidal Wave
Toll Is 51 Dead
HONOLULU, Iff) — The death
toll from Monday’s tidal wave
rose to 51 today, with recovery of
two more bodies in the city of
Hilo. Four bodies were found yes
terday.
Nine persons are missing.
Officials said there might be
more bodies under the debris, and
that some might have been swept
out to sea.
Relief agencies set up first aid
shelters and canteens as aid
poured into Hilo, a city of 26,000.
Most of the victims, including 53
injured, were Japanese-American
farmers caught along the half-mile
stretch by four huge waves on
Monday.
American League Standings
W L Pet.
Baltimore . 21 14 .600
Cleveland . 18 12 .600
Chicago . 19 14 .576
Detroit . 15 14 .517
New York . 16 15 .516
Washington . 13 18 .419
Kansas City . 13 21 .382
Boston . 11 18 .379
U.S. Personnel In Turkey
Are Restricted to Base
WIESBADEN, Germany, Iff) —
The U. S.'Air Force reported to
day all military personnel in Tur
key have been restricted to their
bases and no incidents involving
U. S. families has been reported.
A spokesman said flights to and
within Turkey have been tem
porarily suspended. Military com
munications circuits remain open,
the spokesman said, and head
quarters here is in touch with Air
Force units in Turkey. The United
States has a big base in Adana.
Artist Patriot Dies at 82
NEW YORK, Iff)—James Mont
gomery Flagg, 82, the artist who
drew the famed World War . I
poster of Uncle Sam, died in his
Manhattan apartment today.
Stores Closed Monday •
Stores will be closed all day
Monday, Decoration Day, May 30.
The Alaska National Guard as
well as the Veterans of Foreign
Wars, and American Legion, will
be marching thrqugh town Mon
day morning, to Belmont Ceme
tery, where they will participate
in the Memorial Day ceremonies.
SEN. BELTZ IS
IMPROVING SLOWLY
ANCHORAGE, UR—Alaska Sen
ate President William E. Beltz
continues to improve in his con
valescence at Alaska Native Hos
pital, a hospital spokesman said
today.
But no date has been announced
for his release from the hospital.
The Unalakleet Democrat has re
portedly been making steady pro
gress toward recovery from a five
hour brain operation May 6.
STATE COMMISSIONER OF
HEALTH RESIGNS POST
JUNEAU, UR—Dr. Harry Gib-,
son, Alaska’s last Territorial Com
missioner of Health and its first
State Commissioner of Health,
submitted his resignation today as
head of the State Division of
Health.
D<r. Gibson will leave his Alaska
post after four years of duty with
the territory and new state gov
ernment. He said he would join
tjhe staff of the City - County
Health Dept., Great Falls, Mont.,
in September as associate health
officer.
Paul Winson, Commissioner of
the State Health and Welfare De
partment, said no successor would
be named immediately.
New Temblors Hamper
Chile Quake Rescuers
SANTIAGO, Chile, UR — New
earth tremors rocked southern
Chile today, hampering rescue op
erations in the area, devastated by
a week of quakes and tidal waves.
The University of Chile’s seis
mological Institute reported two
more tremors that registered be
tween 5 and 6 on an intensity
scale of 12. They were described
as aftershocks resulting from last
week’s near-cataclysmic quakes.
Government sources predicted
the death toll from the week-long
series of disasters would top
5,000.
Official figures last night
showed 2,829 dead or missing. But
with scores of communities still
cut off by six days of violent earth
upheavals and tidal waves, offi
I cilas said a final count could not
I be made for weeks.
Japan Government Makes
No Change of Plans for
Eisenhower’s Visit
TOKYO, UP — Prime Minister
Nobusuke Kishi’s government to
day informed the United States
that its invitation to President
Eisenhower to visit next month
still stands despite growing left
wing demonstrations demanding
that it be called off.
Foreign Minister Ailchiro Fuji
yama said, “At the present time
there is no intention here of asking
for a delay or cancellation of the
Presidents scheduled visit. To do
so on grounds of security would
put Japan in a bad light.”
However, Fujiyama’s use of the
words “at the present time” was
taken as an indication plans for
the visit might be changed if the
public uproar continued.
Eisenhower’s visit has been
linked with the new U. S.-Japan
ese mutual defense treaty, which
the Socialists and other left-wing
ers violently oppose, contending
that it may open Japan to attack
if the United States gets involved
in a war in the Far East.
As the demonstrations have
picked up steam, they have de
manded cancellation of the Eis
enhower visit as well as Kishi’s
resignation and the rejection of
the treaty.
Old Parcel Post
Limits Get Okay
WASHINGTON, UPI — The Sen
ate Post Office Committee ap
proved a bill Tuesday to restore
pre-staehood size and weight lim
itations on parcel post packages
sent to and from Alaska and
Hawaii.
Before statehood, packages
measuring up to 100 inches in
combined length and girth and
weighing up to 70 pounds, could
be accepted for parcel post delivery
to and from Alaska and Hawaii.
Statehood cut the maximums to
those applicable in the other states
— 70 inches in combined length
and girth and 42 pounds. The bill
would restore the old maximums.
Military Coup Ousts Turkish Premier
By GARVEN HUDGINS
ISTANBUL, Turkey, Ufi — The
government of Prime Minister
Adnan Menderes was overthrown
today in an Army coup. The
people of Turkey reacted with ap
parent relief to the ouster of the
strong-man regime.
The new ruler of Turkey is
white-haired, 62-year-old Gen.
Gemal Gursel, who resigned as
commander of all Turkish ground
forces last month after a row with
Menderes.
Under Gursel, a military junta
of high-ranking air force, navy
and army officers set up what they
call the “Turkish National Union
Committee.
The swift, well-organized re
bellion started at midnight and
was virtually completed by 4 a.m.
Armored brigades and thous
ands of infantry troops moved into
strategic cities and towns from end
to end of this 800-mile-wide
country.
Ex-Premier Menderes was taken
to Ankara under army protection
after his capture on the road, half
way between Istanbul and An
kara. A low-flying light Army
plane spotted Menderes’ limou
sine speeding along the road about
5 a.m.
The plane landed ahead of the
car. Troops hopped out and forced
the Menderes car to turn around
and head for Ankara.
All other major government
leaders were put under military
custody.
U. S. Confident New
Turkish Government Will
Honor Pacts with West
WASHINGTON, UPl — United
States officials were confident
today that Turkey would hold
firmly to its anchor position as
an anti-Communist ally despite
the overthrow of the government
of Premier Menderes.
Officials reported that little
was known here about the military
group which seized power from
Menderes. But declarations from
this group that it would stand loy
ally by Turkey’s commitments to
NATO, CENTO and the United
Nations, were accepted at the State
Department at face value.
Turkey has a very long record
of opposing expansionist pres
sures from the Soviet Union prior
to the establishment of the Soviet
system at Moscow.
Herter Tells Senate
Ike Shouldered
Spy Plane Truth
WASHINGTON, I/P) — Secretary
of State Christian Herter told sen
ators today he knows of no in
stance paralleling President Eis
enhower’s assumption of personal
responsibility for spy plane flights
over Russia.
Herter was asked, in testimony
before the Senate Foreign Rela
tions Committee, if there was any
precedent for a head of govern
ment assuming responsibility for
espionage activities.
“No,” Herter replied, “The gen
eral practice has been, I think, for
a long period of time, to deny any
responsibility whatever.”
But, Herter said, the U-2 plane
“incident was of a very unusual
nature.”
Chairman J. William Fulbright
asked the Secretary whether he
thought it was wise for Eisen
hower to have taken this course.
Herter replied he didn’t think it
made a great deal of difference.
“On the other hand,” he said,
“I believe in a case of this kind
the telling of the truth was the
better course than getting deeper
into fabricating excuses or dis
avowing responsibility.”
Herter’s testimony was given in
the committee’s closed door inves
tigation of the events leading up
to the Paris summit conference
collapse .
I In a lengthy prepared state
ment, he said the United States
must be prepared in the after
math of the summit collapse “to
withstand aggressive pressures
from Russia” in Berlin and else
where.
At the same time he advocated
a “calm and resolute” posture
toward the Soviet Union. He urged
that the nation avoid “fruitless
and damaging recriminations”
over what has happened.
A pledge that the senators will
“strive to avoid bitter partisan
debate” was given by committee
chairman Fulbright.
While few in the free world
doubt that Soviet Premier Khrush
chev bears the chief blame for
destruction of the summit hopes,
F’ulbright told Herter, “There are
many who believe that our con
duct has not been without fault.”
Elaborate precautions were tak
en against any eavesdropping on
the hearings.
A security guard with an elec
tronic device that looked like an
oversized black table tennis paddle
checked the big hearing room foot
by foot to make sure no micro
phone or other hidden device had
been planted.
The device was connected by a
long cord to earphones worn by
the operator.
-.
Tommy Sands Activated
In Air Force Reserve
LOS ANGELES, UP) — Singer
Tommy Sands gets a new suit to
day — a blue one.
He’s starting six months of ac
tive duty in the Air Force Re
serve.
He flies to Lackland AFB, Tex.,
with other recruits for eight
weeks’ basic training.
Later the 22-year-old singer will
complete his service at an air base
I near Los Angeles, the Air Force
said. He is then obliged to stay
in the Reserve for 5V6 more years.
Sands is engaged to marry sing
er Frank Sinatra’s daughter
Nancy, when he completes his
active duty.