THE
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ^ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCL1TED PRESS
62nd year No. 49_NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1961 Per Copy 15£
Possible Military
Force Maybe Used
Against Cuba
By John M. Hightower
WASHINGTON (ffl — The Ken
nedy Administration is reported
to be considering possible use of
military force against the Castro
regime in Cuba if other means
eventually fail to put an end to
the island’s pro-Communist rule.
Employment of force as a last
resort is said to be one of several
plans under study here for deal
ing with the Cuban crisis. Others
include the application of political
and economic sanctions against
Cuba through joint action with
Latin American allies.
Some officials believe that as
the situation develops following
the unsuccessful rebel invasion
last week, other American govern
ments might ultimately be will
ing to participate even in military
operations against Castro. The
United States is trying to con
vince them through diplomatic
consultation that Cuba as a Com
munist base is a threat to the
entire Western Hemisphere.
None of the possible lines of
anti-Castro actions under con
sideration by President Kennedy
are near firm decision.
They include:
Naval blockade — in Kennedy’s
view this would be an act of war
and probably not a very effective
move since a blockade is aimed
at strangling a nation slowly.
Economic embargo — a partial
embargo already is in effect.
The greatest single diplomatic
disadvantage of a total embargo
is that it would subject the United
States to propaganda charges of
starving the Cuban people. Cu
bans still can buy foodstuffs and
medicines from the United States.
Another anti-Castro operation
by Cuban refugees — some au
thorities think such an action
might still be the way out for the
United States if the operation
could be properly organized and
supported on a large scale.
Soviets Will Come to
Aid Cuba If Attacked
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y. —
Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister
Valerian A. Zorin declared today
his country will stand' by its
promise to come to the aid of
Cuba if it is attacked.
He declared the Soviet Union
viewed the question of aid to
Cuba even more seriously than
Britain regarded its ipledge to
Poland just before World War II.
In a formal statement distri
buted at a news conference, Zor
in charged all attempts of the
United States at the United Na
tions “to defend and justify
treacherous policy in regard to
the Republic of Cuba and its
revolutionary government ended
in complete failure.”
Inter-American Defense Board
Bans Cuba From Sessions
WASHINGTON Ufi — The Inter
American Defense Board today
barred Cuba from participating
in its secret sessions so long as
Cuba is in “evident alliance with
the Soviet bloc.”
The board is an Inter-American
Agency charged with planning
hemisphere defense against for
eign aggression.
The proposal banning Cuba, was
presented by the United States.
The vote was 12-1 with four ab
stentions and one vote reserved.
Loyal Forces
Crush Algerian
4-Day Army Revolt
ALGIERS l.T) — Forces loyal to
President Charles De Gaulle
crushed the four-day army revolt
today with hardly a shot. The man
who led the insurrection, Gen.
Maurice Challe, surrendered to
face trial and possibly a death
sentence.
Three other retired generals
who joined in leading the mutiny
— Raoul Salan, Edmond Jouhad
and Andre Zeller — were not
accounted for.
The French Ministry of In
formation said Challe will be
brought to trial on charges of or
ganizing an insurrection and
usurping power. Similar charges
have been placed against the three
other generals and three colonels.
The government has not dis
closed whether Challe will be
tried as a soldier or as a civilian.
On that issue could depend
whether he faces a firing squad
or the guillotine.
The uprising ended with the
bewildering abruptness with
I which it began Saturday.
Thousands of Europeans gather
ed in the center of Algiers as ru
mors swept the city that loyal
| soldiers were preparing an attack.
But the mutinous generals
! could give little encouragement
to the French settlers, who had
hoped De Gaulle’s plan of self
determination for Algeria was
doomed by the insurrection.
The fleeing generals left be
' hind them despairing and be
wildered French settlers of the
North African metropolis who had
supported their effort to over
throw De Gaulle and keep Al
geria forever French.
De Gaulle’s Speedy
Victory “Heartening”
WASHINGTON UP — The Unit
ed States government today
described as “heartening” Presi
dent De Gaulle’s speedy victory
over the French army insurgents
in Algeria.
In setting forth U. S. reaction,
State Department Press Officer
Lincoln White said:
“It has been heartening to all
believers in the democratic sys
tem to see the French people ral
ly behind President De Gaulle
to defend France’s republican in
stitutions.”
Earlier, Secretary of State Dean
Rusk had said “it is always a
great help to the free world to
see France strong and unified.”
$1,174,285 in Benefits
Paid to Jobless Alaskans
During Month of March
JUNEAU — Labor Commission
er Gil Johnson announced that
$1,174,285 in unemployment com
pensation insurance benefits were
paid to Alaskans during March.
During March, 28,707 unemploy
ment checks were issued under
all three programs, including 25,
068 under the state jobless insur
ance program. During February,
23,813 checks, totaling $973,559,
were issued to jobless Alaskans.
A breakdown of the money re
turned to the economies of some
of Alaska’s major cities showed
these figures:
Anchorage, $475,179; Fairbanks,
$277,176; Juneau, $55,960; Sitka,
$39,294; Homer, $55,092; Nome,
$28,195.
Tshombe Arrested After
Walking Out on Conference
COQUILHATVILLE. The Con
! go UP) — President Moise Tshom
j be of Katanga was arrested here
| Tuesday by soldiers of the Congo
S lese central government as he was
1 on his way to his plane to leave
Coquilhatville for home.
Tshombe had walked out on a
| conference of anti-Communist
! leaders in this capital of Equator
Province, charging President Jo
I seph Kasavubu of the central
government had sold out to the
United Nations.
The conference that Tshombe
left was a meeting of all Congo
| factions except that headed by
Antoine Gizenga.
Tshombe’s chief complaint was
an agreement Kasavubu reached
with the U. N. command calling
for immediate withdrawal from
the Congo of all foreign advisers
not under the central govern
i ment’s authority.
Belgian advisers are prominent
in Katanga’s government.
Last month Tshombe and the
j Congo’s other anti-Communist
j leaders agreed in principle to a
confederation of Congolese states.
But Tshombe’s walkout appeared
j to doom such a confederation.
Six American Newsmen
Released by Castro Regime
WASHINGTON UP) — The State
, Department said today six Ameri
: can newsmen had been arrested
1 by the Castro government, bu1
| now have been released.
; Listed as released were Harold
K. Milks, the Associated Press;
Richard Valeriani, NBC; Henry
! Raymont, UPI; Martin Houseman,
UPI; Robert Perez, MBS; and Jay
j Mallin, Time magazine.
The department was unable to
j give further information concern
; ing some other U. S. newsmen
whose situation is not known
| here. They include Robert Berrel
lez of the AP staff in Havana.
Press Officer Lincoln White
said the department has no de
tails on what charges, if any, led
to the arrest of the American
newsmen. He said the only infor
| mation he has is that the men
have been released.
The sltate Department’s infor
mation is obtained from the Swiss
embassy in Havana.
Lawrence Waldheim
Passes in Tacoma
George Waldheim has received
word of the death of his brother,
Lawrence Waldheim, at Tacoma
where he had make his home
since leaving Alaska.
Lawrence Waldheim came to
Nome in 1916 and mined on Dry
Creek with George until 1918
wihen he was inducted into the
Army during World War I. He
was stationed at Fort Davis here
and later was transferred to Fort
Lewis, Washington.
He returned to Nome in 1927
and mined at Tin City with
George until 1928 when he moved
to Tacoma to take over the fam
ily ranch.
He was a bachelor and is sur
vived by two sisters in addition
to George here.
| Peter Lawfords Are
Expecting Fourth Child
NEW YORK UP) — Actor Peter
Lawford and his wife, Patricia,
say they are expecting their
fourth child in June.
Mrs. Lawford, a sister of Presi
dent Kennedy, and her husband
celebrated their seventh wedding
anniversary Monday. They have
two boys and a girl.
Gov. Egan Vetos
Two Pieces
Of Legislation
JUNEAU l/P* — Two pieces of
legislation approved by the 1961
session of the Legislature were
vetoed by Gov. Egan today.
Egan turned thumbs down on
SB112 and HB234.
SB112 would have permitted
the State Commissioner of Reve
nue to deposit state funds in
Alaskan banks on the security of
real estate mortgages and trust
deeds on property located within
the state.
Under the existing law, the
commissioner can deposit state
funds only on the security of
“bonds or other securities which
are eligible to secure the deposit
of the U. S. government” in an
amount equal to the state deposit.
“Legislation that tends to di
minish the requirement that state
deposits be fully adequately se
cured is not in my judgment
desirable,” Egan said in his veto
message.
HB234 would have, among other
things, authorized the collection
of interest in advance on loans
in principal amount not to exceed
$7,000, double the current limit.
The bill also would have au
: thorized an increase in delin
. quency charges to a maximum of
. six times the presently author
[ 1 ized delinquency charges.
t I “I do not believe that the situ
i ation among lenders is such tha1
I ■ this form of relief is necessary,’
. Egan said in his veto letter. “It’s
’ impact on the borrower is severe.
“In effect, it would double the
maximum loan of this nature
made subject to a rate of in
terest some 43 per cent above the
otherwise legal rate (from 8 per
I cent to 11.5 per cent).”
$2,000 In Depressed Area
Funds Allocated to
Three Communities
JUNEAU UPi — Gov. Egan today
authorized an allocation of $2,000
| in state depressed funds to each
of three communities, Fortuna
Ledge, White Mountain and Tena
kee Springs.
The money will be used to help
| pay for labor costs for projects
planned at the three communities.
In Fortuna Ledge, the projects
include sidewalk construction,
brush clearance along the road to
the airstrip, excavation of a
drainage ditch to avoid erosion
at the airstrip and airstrip re
pairs.
At White Mountain, the work
involves brush clearance along the
airstrip approach, drainage work
at the airstrip and along the vil
lage front, repairs to the main
road, construction of a cold
storage pit and the clearance of
a footpath to the airstrip.
Actor Gary Cooper’s
Condition Getting Worse
HOLLYWOOD (/Pt—Gary Coop
er has advanced cancer at multi
ple points in his body, his condi
tion is worsening and there is
reason for grave concern, his doc
tor said today.
The doctor added: “With a full
knowledge of his condition in the
1 past months, Gary’s spirit is good
and his courage is a source of in
spiration to his family and
friends.”
Dr. Rexford Kennamer, in the
j first official revelation of the
j famed actor’s condition, said
| Cooper, 59, underwent surgery in
I 1960 for carcinoma of the colon.
State i )|)j)oses
Alaska Steam
Rate Hike
WASHINGTON UP>—1The Alaska
Steamship Co. claims rising labor
and operating costs justify in
creased water freight rates in the
Alaska trade.
The State of Alaska, opposing
an increase, argues that the com
pany has overstated expenses and
understated revenues.
The contentions were made in
briefs filed Monday with the Fed
eral Maritime Board in connec
tion with a hearing on a 10 per
cent increase granted condition
ally by the board in January of
1960.
The briefs were the final step
before Board Examiner Arnold J.
Roth makes his recommendations
in the matter to the board which
will make the decision.
“By far the most critical ques
tion inherent in this and prior
proceedings is how to meet the
i ever-increasing labor and other
! costs and continue to maintain
service to the public,” Alaska
Steam said in its reply brief.
During 1960, it added, operat
i ing costs continued to increase
! and “without the 10 per cent in
| crease in rates, Alaska Line’s 1960
; operations would have resulted in
I a substantial operating loss.”
The state brief claimed the
j company’s case “is based upon
overstatement of its expenses,
understatement of its revenues,
1 unsupported and inappropriate
valuations, improper inclusion of
non-owned assets and discredited
theories of rate-making.”
Each side questioned the meth
ods of analysis and base figures
I used by the other in reaching ec
' onomic conclusions.
| The company noted the state
and counsel for the board con
tended the Alaska Line rate of
return on its investment was over
seven per cent in 1959. The com
pany claimed the actual 1959 rate
of return ranged from .19 to 1.23
per cent.
The board allowed the rate in
crease to go into effect pending
investigation and on the condition
that if it was found unreasonable,
the carriers would be required to
make refunds of shippers.
Gov. Egan Signs Bill
Approving $1 Million for
Construction of Hwy. 97
JUNEAU OP! — A measure ap
propriating $1 million from the
Ferries, Roads and Highways con
struction fund for new road con
struction, on a federal matching
basis, was signed by Gov. Egan
yesterday.
The bill provides that in using
the money, the state is to place
emphasis on connecting centers
of population to the State High
way System that are not connect
ed to the system by ferry or
road.
The Ferries, Roads and High
ways construction fund was cre
ated in House Bill 44, which
Egan signed earlier. HB44 imple
ments the $23 million general ob
ligation bond issue for ferries and
roads approved by the voters last
fall.
The House and the Senate, dur
ing the 1961 legislative session
approved identical resolutions
which said it was the intent of
the Legislature that $1 million
was to be used to start construc
tion of the Nome-Fairbanks Road.