22 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVIII No. 89 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JULY 27, 1956 Per Copy—154
Egypt Seizes Suez Canal Company;
Diplomatic Relations With France
And Britain Reach Breaking Point
LONDON, (JI—Diplomatic rela-4
tions between Egypt and the Brit
ish and French governments
reached a crisis today over the
seizure by Egypt of the Suez Can
al Co. under a nationalization
decree.
The company was French con
trolled and the British govern
ment held 44 percent of its stock.
This stock dropped 21 percent on
the Paris market, and the French
franc—already staggering under
the impact of inflation—lost more
of its value in relation to gold.
Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel
Nasser announced last night
Egypt was expropriating the 101
mile canal and would use its rev
enues to finance the Aswan Dam.
'Energetic Language'
French Foreign Minister Chris
tian Pineau called in Egyptian
Ambassador Kamal Eddine Abdel
Nabi and protested the action in
what informed sources called “en
ergetic language.”
After the conference, diplomat
ic relations between France and
Egypt were described as almost
at the breaking point. The Egyp
tian ambassador called Pineau’s
words “inadmissable and 'unac
ceptable," and said he thought
his government would have to re
consider its relations with France.
Here in London, British Prime
Minister Eden told a tense House
of Commons that nationalization
of the waterway had created a
serious situation which would
have to toe handled with “firm
ness and care.”
'Well Build the Dam'
Reacting with fiery language to
withdrawal of British and United
States offers to help finance the
$1,300,000,000 Aswan Dam on the
Nile, Nasser declared in Alex
andria:
“We don’t have to seek Ameri
can and British aid for building
our dam. We’ll build the dam our
selves and with our own money.”
Navigation in the canal pro
ceeded normally today.
The Egyptian flag was raised
atop the company’s offices in Port
Said, replacing * the company’s
blue flag. An Egyptian soldier is
guarding the company’s safe
there.
Canal Tolla May Be Doubled
Nasser said Egypt would realize
$100 million a year from the can
al to build the dam. Figures from
the canal company indicated he
might have to double tolls to do it.
The canal is the major channel
for middle east oil shipped to
world markets. This was reflected
on the Paris market with a $6.50
rfTop in ■ Esso Standard oil stock
at $189 a share.
Eden remained silent on sug
gestions from some members of
Parliament that Britain might
have to use force against Egypt.
But he said he government was
considering stopping shipment of
all British arms to Egypt.
The British aircraft carrier
Eagle, major unit of the British
navy closest to Egypt, remained
ai Naples. Italy.
•
STEEL STRIKE
END IS NEAR
NEW YORK, (£>—A settlement
of the 27-day nationwide steel
strike was announced today but a
formal end to the strike will not
come until sometime early next
week.
David J. McDonald, president
of the United Steelworkers of
America, announced at a news
conference the settlement had
been reached with John A. Ste
phens, chief industry negotiator,
sitting beside him and nodding
agreement.
McDonald said that it will take
“several days,” however, before
individual contract with the steel
companies can be completed and
signed.
He said a return'to work of the
<550,000 striking steelworkers must
wait until the signing of those
contracts.
No terms of the settlement were
announced.
There have been uncontradict
ed reports for the past three days
that the settlement embraces a
three-year contract with approxi
mately a 50-cent-an-hour package
spread over that period.
Marine Hero
Asked to Appear as
McKeon Witness
By BEN PRICE
PARRIS ISLAND, N.C., Of)—A
crusty, old-time “devildog” and
marine hero, Lt. Gen. Lewis B.
“Chesty” Puller, was asked today
to appear as a witness in the trial
of S. Sgt. Matthew C. McKeon.
Puller, now retired, is the only
man in the marines ever to hold
five Navy crosses and a Distin
guished Service Cross.
Defense Attorney Emile Zola
Berman of New York City asked
the marines to order Puller to
active duty and bring him here
as a defense witness.
“I think he is an authority on
training methods,” Berman said.
But from his home at Saluda,
Va., Puller said: “I know nothing
about it. If I go down there (to
Parris Island), the Marine Corps
will order me there. I refer you
to Marine Corps headquarters.”
How marines are trained has
become an issue in the McKeon
trial, especially whether night
disciplinary marches are a com
mon practice.
McKeon is facing a seven-man
court-martial on chages growing
out of a march he led into the
tide-swept Ribbon Creek marsh
last April 8 on which six marine
recruits drowned.
As a result, McKeon is charged
with involuntary manslaughter,
oppression of recruits and drink
ing on duty. The court-martial is
in adjournment until Monday.
TRANSATLANTIC LINER.S COLLIDE;
ONE SHIP SINKS; 1,634 RESCUED
Four Investigations
Launched* to Solve
Mystery of Collision
NEW YORK, UP—Four investi
gations were mapped today in
quest of* the answer to this ques
tion—What caused the disastrous
collision which sank the Italian
luxury liner Andrea Doria and
severely damaged the Swedish
liner Stockholm?
That question was asked around
the world as the last 533 surviv
ors from the sunken vessel ar
rived in New York aboard the
Stockholm. Her bow was shred
ded by the crash.
Planning probes were the Swe
dish and Italian consulates of
New York. In addition, the House
Merchant Marine Committee an
nounced it would ask the Coast
Guard to make its own study.
Without a request from Con
gress the Coast Guard could not
act because the collision occurred
outside U. S. territorial waters
and did not involve an American
ship.
PerhapS the foremost point in
the mammoth mystery was:
How could two such ships—
each equipped with the finest
navigational equipment, includ
ing. radar—fail to detect each
other’s presence in time?
The Andrea Doria’s skipper,
Capt. Piero Calamai, who arrived
last night with many other sur
vivors, remained silent on all of
the questions. Haggard and worn,
he read a brief statement largely
confined to a commendation of
the sweeping rescue efforts by
other ships.
The only other comment from
the ship’s crew men was a state
ment by one that he saw the ves
sel’s radar screen in operation
after the collision.
Earlier, 1,137 of the Andrea
Doria’s passengers had been
brought into New York by other
ships. Of these, 49 were in hospi
tals. Thirty-one others had left
after treatment.
WAFs Who Became
Jehova’s Witnesses
To Be Discharged
SAN RAFAEL, Calif., i*V-Im
mediate dismissal from the Air
Force is on the way for two young
WAFs who stopped saluting after
adopting a new religion.
The Air Force ordered admin
istrative discharges yesterday for
Airman 2d C. Nora P. Clark, 21,
of LeMoore, Calif., and Airman
3d C. Mary L. Perez, 23, of Lor
eauville, La.
The women have been confined
to quarters since Monday when
they announced they would no
longer salute the American flag
or officers 'because of religious
beliefs.
Miss Perez said both were bap
tised a week ago as Jehova’s Wit
nesses—a sect that disapproves
of saluting.
Both said they were Baptists
when they enlisted.
‘All the City Weeps'
At Italian Home Port
Over Loss of Andea Doria
GENOA, Italy, MV-“When a
ship like this sinks, all the city
weeps.”
Those words from a gray
bearded sea veteran today ex
pressed the feeling of this port
city at the loss of the Italian
luxury liner Andrea Doria off
Nantucket.
The Andrea Doria was built in
Genoa and this was her home
port. Thruout yesterday and last
night hundreds of wives, children
and other relatives of crew mem
bers crowded around the office
of the Italian Lines for news of
the ship and rescue operations.
“It’s as tho a piece of Genoa
had been lost,” said one news
paper.
The Andrea Doria was also
mourned throughout Italy.
Mid-Canada
Radar Line Will
Be Ready Jan. 1
OTTAWA, UPt—Canada’s minis
ter of defense production says the
$170 million mid-Canada radar
warning system is expected to be
put in service on its Jan. 1 target
date.
The statement by C. D. Howe
to the House of Commons indicat
ed that the North American radar
warning system will go into full
operation next New Year’s Day.
Officials have said previously
it is intended to bring the DEW
Line in the Canadian arctic into
operation at the same time the
mid-Canada line is put in service.
The mid-Canada and the DEW
Lines are two of the three chief
components of the North Ameri
can radar network. The Pinetree
chain, which roughly follows the
49th parallel, has been in opera
tion some two years.
Today, Defense Department of
ficials said the information dis
closed by Howe had been regard
ed as highly secret. Security offi
cers said it had never been in
tended that any announcement
be made on the line’s starting
date until after it was actually
in operation.
Must Have Been
A Good Wind
Ellen Lyle Smith, who is here
visiting with mother, Mrs. Emma
Lyle, turned over to the Chief of
Police yesterday, for the Youth
Center Fund $17.45 which she
collected with little effort during
the storm yesterday.
Mrs. Smith was battling her
way down Front St. during the
windiest part of the day with her
head down into the wind, carry
ing some empty pie plates which
she was returning to the bakery.
According to her story, when she
reached the North Star Bakery
she was amazed to find she had
collected $17.45 along the way.
Which just goes to show that
anything can happen on Front St.
—especially for a good cause.
Only Four Die (Later)
In History’s Greatest
Rescue Operation
NEW YORK, OP—Two great
transatlantic liners, laden with
thousands of carefree passengers,
collided with a rending crash in
fog off Massachusetts Wednesday
night.
One ship—the Italian liner An
drea Doria—keeled over and
plunged to its doom in the ocean
depths at mid-morning yesterday.
But before the luxurious An
drea Doria vanished beneath the
genfle swells of the relatively
calm sea its 1,634 passengers and
crew were snatched to safety by
other ships in history’s greatest
rescue operation.
Four Die Later
Four died later. An undeter
mined number were injured.
The disastrous smash occurred
at 11:20 p.m. Wednesday when,
for some inexplicable reason, the
Andrea Doria and the Swedish
liner Stockholm crossed paths.
The ships collided 45 miles
south of Nantucket Island, some
200 miles northeast of New York.
The Andrea Doria carried mod
em radar equipment which should
have enabled it to spot another
ship miles away even in the dens
est fog.
At 11:22 p.m. came the elec
trifying radio message from the
Stockholm: “We have collided
with another ship. Please (stand
by). Ship in collision.”
Message for Help
A few moments later the Stock
holm added: “Badly damaged.
Full bow crushed. Our No. 1 hold
filled with water . . . Help if you
can.”
Then, ascertaining the identity
of the other vessel, the Stockholm
told the Andrea Doria:
“Lower your lifeboats. We can
pick you up.”
Back came this message: “We,
(Continued on Page Three)
U.S. Consults Urgently
With Britain and France
Over Egyptian Action
WASHINGTON, UP»—The State
Department announced today the
United States is “consulting ur
gently” with Great Britain and
France over Egypt’s seizure of
the Suez Canal.
The announcement came after
President Eisenhower had dis
cussed the situation with Under
Secretary of State Herbert Hoov
er Jr., then with the Cabinet.
Hoover earlier had been in
touch with Secretary of State
Dulles in Lima, Peru, by tele
phone.
State Department press officer
Lincoln White said he was “not
at liberty to say” whether the
British government had asked the
United States to take action.
White added he had no knowl
edge of any move by Dulles to
curtail his present Latin Ameri
can visit and return here before
Sunday as scheduled.