SSI NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV No. 73 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1953 . Per Copy—15^
Rliee Imperils Impending Truce
Bv Freeing Anti-Red Prisoners
---<
26,000 Anti-Red
Prisoners Loosed
From PO^ Camps
SEOUL, UP) — New and bloody
mass breaks from Allied stock
ades today swelled to nearly
26,000 the legion of anti-Commun
ist war prisoners liberated in
South Korea’s bold defiance of
the U.N. Command.
More than 1,800 bolted from
five prison camps and a hospital
last night and early today on the
heels of those ordered released
Wednesday by President Syng
man Rhee of the Republic of
Korea.
U.N. Command headquarters in
Tokyo placed at 25,952 the total
Koreans escaping in the past two
days, and at 9,398, those anti-Red
Koreans remained in custody. The
figures differed somewhat from
those released by the U.S. Pri
soner of War Command, which
said its totals were “rough.”
There was no quick official
Communist reaction to Rhee’s de
fiant move.
In Moscow, the Soviet press
carried the story under the head
ing “provo'catory actions of the
Syngman Rhee clique.” The re
iports published there implied
collusion between some American
authorities and the South Kor
eans.
Michaux Accomplishes
Mission of Dropping
Bible In Soviet Russia
“Our mission is accomplished,”
beamed Elder Michaux of the
Church of God of Washington,
D.C., when he returned from a
trip over the Bering Sea yester
day.
Michaux and his party have
been waiting for favorable wea
ther to drop a Bible written in
Russian, at some favorable spot
in the ocean to reach the Russian
coast.
The spot picked by Pilot Tosch,
who took the party, was in the
vicinity of St. Lawrence Island.
Michaux said that one Bible,
like one small seed, can spread a
lot of Christianity behind the Iron
Curtain to people who have been
deprived of the privilege.
On the way over a herd of wal
rus were seen and on the return
trip many whale were seen spout
ing in the sunlight. They stopped
at King Island where about ten
skin boats loaded with residents
of the island came out to the
plane to see the teachers, Mr. and
Mrs. W. Rasmusson, take off. x
California Solon Pleads Innocent
To Charges of Payroll Padding
WASHINGTON, UP) — Rep.
Bramblett (R-Calif) Thursday en
tered a plea of innocent to an 18
count indictment charging payroll
padding and kickbacks from office
employees.
Chief Judge Bolitha J. Laws of
the U. S. District Court set bond
at $2,500 and fixed Oct. 19 as a
tentative trial date.
1 TOKYO, UPl — Defiant South
Korea freed 25,000 anti-Red Kor
ean prisoners Thursday on orders
of President Syngman Rhee with
out regard for the peril it placed
on an impending truce.
Early Friday 1,500 more anti
Red Koreans tried to make a mass
escape from yet another prison
camp near Seoul’s port city of
Inchon and clashed with U.S. sol
diers and Marines. First unofficial
reports said 100 prisoners \/ere
killed. A report from Seoul said
400 escaped.
Rhee immediately accepted re
sponsibility for the surprise move
—first official act in open revolt
against United Nations’ efforts to
reach cease-fire terms with the
Communists.
Rhee said in a statement he did'
it “without full consultation with
the United Nations Command.”
“We pulled the rug out from
under their feet,” a South Korean
government spokesman boasted.
President Eisenhower quickly
conferred at the White House in
Washington with Congressmen
over the critical development. One
conferee, Sen. Styles Bridges said
afterward “It is a serious thing.”
Chinese and North Korean Reds
had keyed the truce talks at Pan
munjom to the issue of handling
anti-Red prisoners.
What might happen now to the
almost-accomplished truce was,
for the moment, anybody’s guess.
Damage in Whittier
Fire Estimated At
20 Million Dollars
WHITTIER, UPi—Damage to the
military port of Whittier, which
virtually was destroyed toy fire
Wednesday night, will be in the
vicinity of 20 million dollars, the
port commander—Col. William H.
Bigelow—estimated last night.
The major part of the loss was
to the 1,200 foot wharf and the
three warehouses, all of which
were destroyed. About two mil
lion dollars damage was done to
general military cargo, including
construction materials, household
goods and general supplies.
Military investigators still are
seeking the cause of the fire. The
flames raced through a 1,200 foot
dock and three new, chock-full
800-foot warehouses in less than
four hours.
Andrew J. Hedge, 39, a yard
master for the Alaska Railroad
and one of the 18 persons injured
during the fire, said it was pre
ceded by a muffled explosion.
“It could have been paint x>r
tar or anything like that,” he said.
THURSDAY SCORES
American League
New York 5-3, St. Louis 0-0
Boston 23, Detroit 3
Cleveland 6, Philadelphia 4
Chicago 8, Washington 4
National League
St. Louis 12, Brooklyn 4
New York 6, Cincinnati 3
Chicago 8, Pittsburgh 4
Coast League
Sacramento 4, Hollywood 1
Seattle 8, Los Angeles 5
Portland 3, Oakland 2
San Francisco 9, San Diego 0
Rosenbergs To
Be Executed At
Sing Sing Today
WASHINGTON, (.?—By a 6 to
3 vote, the Supreme Court struck
down today the legal barrier
thrown up by Justice William O.
Douglas against the execution of
atomic, spies Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg.
The decision could be the cli
mactic one for the husband and
wife who have waited on death
row in New York’s Sing Sing pri
son for two years while their fate
was a battle issue in the courts
of the U.S. and public opinion the
world over.
Soon after the historic ruling
was announced here, U.S. marshal
William A. Carroll said in New
York that 7 p.m., tonight had
been tentatively set for carrying
out the death sentences.
The lawyers who have battled
doggedly for the Rosenbergs were
still maneuvering, however, to
save them.
They filed motions with the full
Supreme Court for a stay of exe
cution for reconsideration of the
decision which set aside the stay
Douglas issued on Tuesday.
They have pending, too, a new
petition that President Eisen
hower spare the lives of Rosen
berg, a 35-year-old engineer, and
his wife, 37.
Today’s court decision rejected
the argument of Douglas that
there is substantial reason to ques
tion whether the Rosenbergs were
tried under the right law.
They were convicted and sen
tenced under the espionage act
of 1917, but Douglas said the
courts ought to pass on the ques
tion of whether they should have
been sentenced under the 19 4 6
Atomic Secrets Act.
The 6-man majority overturn
ing the Douglas stay was made
up of Chief Justice Vinson and
Justices Reed, Jackson, Burton,
Clark and Minton.
The minority consisted of Doug
las, and Justices Black and Frank
furter.
Vinson’s majority opinion was
brief. It said the court does not
doubt Douglas had the power to
issue the stay in the first place.
But the Chief Justice said the
issue is whether a substantial
question of law exists and he said
the court believes in this case that
answer is no.
Douglas in his dissent declared:
“I know in my heart that I am
right on the law.”
He added: “No man or woman
should go to death under an un
lawful sentence.”
In Congress, comment on the
court’s action was generally ap
proving.
Court Refuses Grant
New Temporary Stay
WASHINGTON, (A — The Sup
reme Court today refused to grant
a new temporary stay of execu
tion to Julius and Ethel Rosen
berg, the atom spies awaiting ex
ecution. The stay had been asked
to permit time for the White
House to act on a new plea for
executive clemency.
129 Americans Die In Flaming Crash
Of C-124 Globemaster Near Tokyo
| City and Air Force
Plan Celebration
For 4th of July
At a special meeting of the City
Council last night, called by May
or Steve Andersen, arrangements
were made for Nome’s Fourth of
July celebration, with the cooper
ation of the Air Force and Army
personnel.
Present were Lt. Colonel H. I.
Williams, USAF, Nome Field
Commander, and Captain James
H. Fulton, Jr., USAF. Col. Wil
liams outlined a tentative pro
gram of the military’s participa
tion in the parade, sports and
at the American Legioji Dance.
Nome’s favorite military band —
the 774th Air Force Band—will
again be here with their most en
joyable music.
The following committees were
appointed by the mayor:
General Committee: Mayor S.
'Andersen, Councilmen Dan Jones,
and Keith Hedreen.;
Finance: Cotincilmen W. Gillis
and E. Straub, and Beta Sigma
Phi Sorority;
Children's Sports: American Le
gion, Veterans of Foreign Wars,
gion, Veterans of Foreign Wars;
Eskimo Sports: Arctic Native
Brotherhood and the USAF Pro
ject Officer;
Refreshments: Chief W. W.
Laws and USAF Project Officer;
Dance: American Legion and
Band Master, USAF;
Publicity & Program: George
R. Goshaw.
There will be a parade of mili
tary personnel of Ladd Field and
civic organizations. As soon as a
completed program is arranged,
it will be published. Committees
are subject to the call of Mayor
Andersen.
The Mayor urges every citizen
to cooperate in making this Fourth
the best ever, and he further re
quests all business firms and in
dividuals to display our National
Colors — to decorate Front Street
business houses and all homes.
Rene Fonck, World War I
Ace, Dies Unexpectedly
PARIS, UP — Col. Rene Fonck,
World War I French air ace, died
unexpectedly yesterday at his
home here. He was 59 years old.
Fonck was credited with 75 air
victories during World War I. In
one of his greatest exploits, he
knocked down six German planes
in one hour.
In 1926, he tried to become the
first man to fly the Atlantic non
stop, but his plane crashed and
burned on the takeoff.
Fred Winkels of Spokane Is
New Grand Master F & A M
SPOKANE, (jP) — The Washing
ton State Grand Lodge of Free
and Accepted Masons Wednesday
elected Fred Winkels of Spokane
Grand Master to succeed Lemuel
W. Sims of Seattle.
More than 1,000 delegates from
Washington and Alaska attended
the two-day convention.
TOKYO, UP — A giant C-124
Globemaster pinwheeled out of
the murky sky near Tokyo Thurs
day and carried 129 Americans to.
flaming death in history’s worst
air disaster.
The Air Force said 60 bodies
had been identified. The huge
double-decked transport was car
rying 121 Army engineers and
airmen back to battle stations in
Korea. The plane had a crew of
seven.
There were no survivors.
An eyewitness said the giant
plane “somersaulted like a bird
and plummeted to the ground.”
A Japanese farmer said, “The
huge bird came skimming over
the trees by the highway. Two
of its four propellors were not
turning. Then it. circled and
crashed and exploded.”
Associated Press photographer
Max Desfor reported from the
scene.
“There were large pieces of the
wreck still intact, including one
twisted wing.
“One tangle of wreckage with
an engine was jammed into a
crumpled heap about 30 feet high.
“It looked as if the plane had
come almost straight in.”
Associated Press correspondent
Stan Carter, reporting from the
scene, said sickened Air Force
medics toiled under searchlights
carrying broken bodies to ambu
lances across 100 yards of deep
mud.
“The scene was like something
out of hell,” Carter said.
Last Friday the Air Force brief
ly grounded all Globemasters af
ter the failure of small generator
parts had caused fires in the en
gines .of two .planes.
Inter-Union Strife
Looms For
Alaska Shipping
SEATTLE, UP)— A move which
may bring a new head-on clash
between unions involved on West
Coast ships—including those serv
ing Alaska—was reported yester
day.
Organizers for the Internation
al Longshoremen & Warehouse
men’s Union moved onto West
Coast ships in the Seattle area
and began organizing the stew
ards department crews. Alaska
ships were the first targets.
The move no doubt will precipi
tate a head-on clash between the
ILWU, headed by Harry Bridges,
and the Seafarers’ International
Union, headed by Harry Lunde
berg, backed by other AFL mari
time unions, the Seattle Times
said.
The first ship visited by the
ILWU organizers was the Denali,
Alaska Steamship Co., passenger
vessel. They said they signed up
39 Denali stewards Wednesday.
The organizers said they signed
27 Thursday on another Alaska
Steam passenger vessel, the Aleu
tian, and all nine stewards on the
Lucidor, a freighter of the same
line.
t