m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVII No. 109 - NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1955 Per Copy—15^
Adenauer Gets Triumphant Welcome
Home After Historic Talks at Moscow
Diplomatic Relations
Reestablished in Return
For Prisoner Release
BONN, Germany, (jfl—'Chancel
lor Konrad Adenauer returned to
Bonn today from his historic talks
with Soviet leaders and declared:
“I do not doubt that Premier Bul
ganin will keep his word to re
lease Germans still held in Rus
sia.”
The 79-year-old West German
leader was given a triumphant
welcome home from the talks in
Moscow where he agreed to estab
lish diplomatic relations between
West Germany and the Soviet
Union.
On the Soviet promise to return
German war prisoners— of prime
importance to the German people
—Adenauer said:
“Premier Bulganin told me that
even before I arrived in Bonn, ac
tion to return the German war
prisoners would already be start
ed. Bulganin, as well as Khrush
chev (the Communist Party boss),
further declared that if other Ger
mans are still held in the Soviet
Union, we can submit a list of
their names.”
Adenauer proudly told hun
dreds of enthusiastic West Ger
mans at the Bonn-Cologne air
port:
“We can therefore nope that the
derman war prisoners and all
others still held in prison there
will return soon to our father
land.”
There was no apparent progress
made on the other key issue raised
by Adenauer in the five-day con
ference—the reunification of his
divided country.
A joint communique signed by
Adenauer and Bulganin said only
that the agreement to exchange
ambassadors “will further the set
tlement of pending problems af
fecting the whole of Germany,
and must thus help the solution of
the principal national problem of
the German people—the re-estab
lishment of the unity of the Ger
man democratic state.”
The two delegations also agreed
to set up committees to work for
development of German-Soviet
trade.
In an exchange of letters with
Bulganin at the close of the con
ference, Adenauer also put on the
record what he called “German
rights which we cannot relin
i quish ”
In his letter he insisted that the
fixing of Germany’s final border
must come only in a final peace
treaty, and that his government
still insists on its claim to speak
for all of Germany.
Airmen’s Course
For Captivity
Found Too Rough
STEAD AIR FORCE BASE,
Nevada, UP)—Air Force headquar
ters in Washington is “very dili
gently working on” a new cirricu
lum to be used in the school here
which is trying to Jeach downed
fliers how to escape an enemy or
foil brutal inquisitors if captured.
Col. Burton E. McKenzie, com
mander of this school on war's
harsh realities, told reporters of
the plan. He is “seriously consid-1
ering” taking an interim step to
modify one phase of the training
program which has come in for
public attention.
The colonel, talking yesterday
to two score reporters invited by
the Air Force to visit the school,
said he might decide to conduct
the tough “interrogation” phase of
the course with only his profes
sional instructors serving as “the
prisoners” under grilling.
About five percent of the stu
dents who take the course, and
who volunteer, now are subjected
to the browbeating question tech
nique akin to that they should ex
pect if they fall into Communist
hands in a future war. McKenzie
said if he decides on the change,
not even volunteers will be ac
cepted for the interrogation, all
of which would be by demonstra
tion only.
It is the interrogation phase of
the course which has stirred pub
lic attention, with questions about
whether realism is too tough.
The Air Force’ position is that
its bomber and fighter pilots
whose missions may take them
anywhere on the globe, should
have this training in what to do,
and not to do, if misfortune lands
them deep in a hostile land. Mc
Kenzie says this is “life insur
ance.”
What the Air Force is trying to
teach its fliers is how to lead a
hard life for a little while so they
can lead a long one. #
Young Woman Crashes
To Death Through Glass
Roof, Injuring Hotel Guest
NEW YORK (j*P>—A young wom
an crashed through the glass roof
of the Biltmore Hotel’s fashion
able Palm Court in a fatal 24
floor plunge yesterday, landing in
the midst of 150 persons having
cocktails and a late lunch.
The falling woman hit and ser
iously injured a man sitting with
his wife in the lounge. Ten other
persons were cut by flying glass.
The woman, who had registered
at the hotel on Monday, was Miss
Mary H. Merkle, about 27, of
Cleveland.
The young, brown-haired wom
an had dropped from the bath
room window of her suite or from
a fire escape outside, police re
ported. She was taken to a hospi
tal where she soon died.
Police said Miss Meckle had
been despondent after a nervous
breakdown and was in New York
for medical treatment.
The man she landed on suffered
three broken ribs and was report
ed in serious shock.
*
His wife said it all happened so
fast she didn’t know what to think
when she suddenly saw her hus
band on the floor with the smart
ly dressed woman lying beside
him.
ANG’S CO. A’ PRAISED
FOR MARKSMANSHIP
Company “A” of the First Scout
Battalion of the Alaska National
Guard, composed of the King Is
land, Little Diomede, Savoonga,
and Gambell units, currently at
tending encampment at Dexter,
has done exceptionally well in
the last two days on the firing
range.
Of the first 59 men to have
fired their weapons, 21 of them
have qualified as expert, and sev
eral others missed by as small a
margin as two or three points.
This is an unusually high average
for a unit of this size and the
men are to be commended for
their fine showing.
Communist Cell
In Government
Just Last Year
WASHINGTON, —Chairman
Walter (D-Pa) said today his
House Committee on Un-Ameri
can Activities has evidence that an
extensive Communist cell was op
erating in the federal government
as recently as last year.
Walter said the committee staff
is developing data now for the
hearings scheduled to get under
way shortly after Congress recon
venes in January.
“We have been talking with
some people who were in this
thing,” Walter said in an inter
view. “They gave us a lot of val
uable information.”
Walter said he did not know, on
the basis of information at hand,
whether the alleged cell’s mem
bers still are. in the government,
“■but they were during the period
covered by our preliminary in
quiry, which included 1954.”
“Did they hold responsible fed
eral jobs while members of the
cell?” he was asked.
“I would say some of them were
in rather responsible positions,”
he replied.
Walter estimated that “upwards
of 150 people” belonged to the cell
at one time or another. He did not
say where it operated.
Should the forthcoming hear
ings bear out the committee staff’s
preliminary evidence, the investi
gation undoubtedly would play a
major role in the 1956 election
campaigns.
Republicans have hammered
hard in past campaigns at previ
ous disclosures of Red infiltration
of the government under Demo
cratic administrations. During the
1952 national campaign they
promised to drive the Reds from
government jobs, and Republicans
campaigning for Congressional
seats last year claimed the Eisen
hower administration had fulfilled
that promise.
6 Killed in B-25 Crash
UNIONDALE, N. Y., tffl—S i x
men were killed Tuesday when a
B-25 military plane crashed into
a cemetery here five minutes after
taking off from nearby Mitchell
Air Force Base on Long Island.
Three of the victims were crew
members and three were passen
gers.
City Urged To Complete Play field;
Fire Inspections Start Thursday
State Dept. Official Will
Hold Talks in Yugoslavia
On East-West Relations
WASHINGTON, (^—Deputy Un
dersecretary Robert Murphy, one
of the State Department’s top
trouble shooters, will fly to Bel
grade within two weeks for talks
with Marshal Tito and other high
Yugoslav officials.
Murphy will review Yugoslav
ia’s economic aid problems with
the United States and discuss
East-West relations generally in
the light of Yugoslav’ moves to
improve ties with Russia.
Murphy played a major role
just a year ago in bringing about
settlement of the long-standing
dispute between Yugoslavia and
Italy over Trieste.
Diplomatic officials who told of
Murphy’s forthcoming trip said
no crisis was connected with it.
The visit has been set up, they
said, as a high-level exchange of
views aimed at improving each
government’s understanding of
the other’s problems.
Murphy tentatively plans to ar
rive in the Yugoslav capital the
week of Sept. 25 after first at
tending a meeting in Paris Sept.
19 of American Embassy econom
ic officers from 20 west European
countries.
Longshoremen’s
Srike Called Off
After Eight Days
By the Associated Press
The eight-day strike of New
York longshoremen was called off
today.
A proposal also was shaped up
for ending the three-day strike of
43,000 CIO workers in 27 West
inghouse Electric Corp. plants.
Some 5,000 New York dock
workers gave cheering approval
to a plan designed to let them
voice their grievances before a
citizens’ committee.
The stoppage had spread to
ports along the East and Gulf
Coasts.
The strike was aimed at the
Waterfront Commission, an offi
cial bi-state policing agency.
The citizens’ committee formula
was proposed by State Sen. James
F. Murray Jr., of New Jersey. The
ILA accepted it.
At Pittsburgh, a union source
said a proposal has been worked
out for ending the strike of the
CIO International Union of Elec
trical workers in 27 Westinghouse
plants.
To become effective, the pro
posal must be ratified by the
Westinghouse Conference Board
and the union’s Local 601. The
Westinghouse strike started with
members of Local 601.
In Chicago, management and
labor representatives held a series
of conferences on issues in the
22-day-old strike of 40,000 CIO
United Auto Workers in 18 Inter
national Harvester Co. plants in
six states.
» William Barber presented the
city play field project to the city
council Monday evening and ex
plained in detail the importance
of the field and the necessity for
the city itself to share in the
completion of the field at the
north end of Steadman Ave. He
showed how this playfield is not
only needed for juvenile baseball
and softball games which are now
played too far away from town
for many to watch and enjoy but
will become a center for track
meets and other civic activities.
He expressed the hope that the
city would take the initiative so
that a lease could be obtained
from the U.S. Smelting Co. for
the lots being used and a long
range program planned.
The Fire Department Commit
tee reported that the extension of
the fire mains to the power plant
will be delayed until necessary
motorized equipment is available
to dig the mains.
Fire Inspection Starts Tomorrow
Chief Webb announced that in
spection of all occupied build
ings will start tomorrow and vio
lation slips left where hazards
exist.
Three fires were reported for
the month with no damage re
ported and $49 in volunteer fees
paid.
Police Department reported
collection of $528 in fines; 58
arrests, 8 dogs destroyed and one
impounded; nine juvenile cases,
and two juveniles turned over to
the Welfare Department.
Fifty eight citizen complaints
were received during the month,
including such things as family
quarrels, annoyance due to bark
ing dogs, rock throwing by chil
dren, petty larceny, hospital as
sistance, etc. Chief Webb stated
that he wanted the public to
know that every effort will be
made, within reason, to investi
gate all complaints.
The Street Committee reported
that the new downtown sidewalks
are still being laid and the proj
ect should be completed before
the snow flies.
The city attorney suggested an
overhaul change in the compila
tion of city ordinances to facili
tate the use of municipal laws in
a more practical way. No action
was taken by the council.
PRICES UP ON TV SETS
NEW YORK, UP—Prices of tele
vision receivers are rising. A $20
hike in prices on most models is
being made by Allen B. Du Mont
Laboratories, Inc. Motorola has
raised prices on 13 models $10 tc»
$30 a set. Other manufacturers
cite rising costs of labor and mat
erial and indicate they will join
in markups.
NOT A KNOT LEFT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., UP —
Mrs. A. Y. Smith’s pride and joy
was the knotty cypress wood ceil
ing in the living room of her
home. Lightning struck the house
yesterday, knocking every knot
out of the ceiling but doing little
damage otherwise.