Arsenic From Bedroom Ceiling Paint Revealed as
Cause of Illness of Amhassador Clare Boothe Luce
NEW YORK, —Deadly arse-'
nic dust sifting down from the
paint on her bedroom ceiling in
Rome reportedly caused the long
series of illnesses that have
plaugued U.S. Ambassador to It
aly Clare Boothe Luce.
The reason for the blonde beau
ty’s strange sickness was kept a
diplomatic secret for more than
a year.
Last night, Time magazine dis
closed the whole bizarre tale af
ter friends told Mrs. Luce they
had heard snatches of the story.
The envoy’s husband, Henry R.
Luce, is editor in chief of Time.
Mrs. Luce, former playwright
and Republican congresswoman
from Connecticut, was named
ambassador to Rome in 1953. On j
s>
her arrival, she moved into the
17th century Villa Taverna, offi
cial residence of U.S. ambassa
dors.
Difficulty in Dancing
Then for 20 months tiny specks
of the poisonous arsenic fell un
suspected from the paint on the
ornate bedroom ceiling. It pow
dered her breakfast coffee; it
gave off in summer arsenous
fumes, which she inhaled.
The magazine’s story continued:
After a year’s residence, Mrs.
Luce began feeling tired and ill.
Nervousness and nausea followed.
She found "bne night she could
hardly manage to waltz at an art
festival because her right foot
had turned numb.
U.S. Charges Russia Is Holding
American Airmen from Downed Planes
MOSCOW Iff)—The United States
has charged the Soviet Union is
holding American airmen from
two—and possibly more—downed
U.S. planes.
A note from the U.S. embassy
to the Soviet foreign ministry
called on the Soviet government
to make a thorough investigation.
It asked the United States be in
formed of progress as soon as
possible.
Cited specifically were the
crews of a U.S. Navy Privateer
that went down in the Baltic Sea
April 8, 1950, and a U.S. Air
Eskimo Children Like
Kotzebue Tourists, Says
Chester Seveck in Report
“Eskimo children like the
tourists,” is the report from Ches
ter Seveck at Kotzebue. Chester
sends tourist news from Kotzebue
to the Alaska Visitors Assn, news
bureau in Seattle.
His July 1 report said that 165
tourists had visited Kotzebue this
season.
More details in Chester’s own
words: “They were all good peo
ple and happy people. They are
enjoyed to see the kindly Eskimos
around here, walking around in
the village to see cutting the seals,
oogruk, whale and drying fishes,
to see ivory carving, jade cutter,
sewing mukluk and parkas, Eski
mo yoyo, doll dresser parkas.
“They are mostly enjoyed a
skin-boat ride and Eskimo dances.
Some of the tourists stayed two
or three days. They are enjoyed
the food here, reindeer meat, Al
aska fishes, whale meat steak,
seal liver. Of course, we had ex
cellent cook in Wien Hotel.”
He adds that Mrs. Lucy Jensen
is the best Eskimo dancer.
BABE ZAHARIUS HUSBAND
GREATLY ENCOURAGED
AT HER PROGRESS
GALVESTON, Texas., OP—The
condition of Babe Zaharias is
greatly improved at John Scaly
Hospital. Her husband said he
was greatly encouraged at hei
progress and was hopeful of some
"good news” within 10 days.
The famed woman athlete ii
suffering from cancer. She was
operated on Friday to sever spina
sensory nerves to reduce pain.
i 1
►
Force B-29 lost June 13, 1952,
over the Sea of Japan or near the
Kamchatka area of Soviet Siberia.
The B-29 carried 12 men and
the Privateer 10.
The note said the United States
had been informed and was “com
pelled to believe” that some of
the crew members from the two
planes are being held by the So
viets.
“It may well be,” the note went
on, “that the Soviet government
has in its custody members of
other United States aircraft, par
ticularly crew members of air
craft engaged in behalf of the
United Nations Command side of
the military action in Korea since
1950.”
The note explained that the
U.S. government for some time
has received information front
persons freed from Soviet im
prisonment that they had “con
versed with, seen or heard re
ports” concerning American air
men “in actual detention in the
Soviet Union.”
The note continued:
“The reports have now become
so persistent and detailed, and so
credible that, although the United
States government is not able
to identify by name these Ameri
can nationals now detained by the
Soviet government, it requests
the Soviet government to inform
(the U.S.) in detail concerning
each American military person
who has been detained in the So
viet Union at any time since Jan.
1, 1949, of whom (the U.S.) has
not heretofore been informed . , .”
The State Department indicated
today it hopes release of the note
will encourage persons who know
about the men to come, forward
with information that will help
free them.
I - - ■-'
Lost Hair by the Brushiul
In the summer of 1954 Mrs.
Luce came home for a thorough
medical checkup in a New York
hospital. Doctors said she was
suffering from serious anemia
and nervous fatigue.
After two months she felt bet
ter and returned to Rome.
The symptoms soon returned,
however, and became ever more
distressing. She began to lose hair
by the brushful. Her fingernails
became brittle. Her teeth loos
ened. She was confined to her
bed more and more.
The Ugly Word
Late in 1954 She went to a U.S.
Navy hospital in Naples. A Navy
doctor examined her and asked if
any of her medicines contained
arsenic.
“It was the first time the ugly
word had been mentioned in con
nection with her illness.” Time
said.
Later she reported the arsenic
poison theory to a friend in the
Central Intelligence Agency.
Meanwhile, Navy doctors sent
laboratory specimens to the U.S.
Naval hospital at Bethesda, Md.
They used a fictitious name—
“Seaman Jones”—for the pa
tient.
'Seaman Jones' Poisoned
The report came back: “Seaman
Jones” was a victim of arsenic
poisoning.
Mrs. Luce realized at once she
was in a ticklish situation. Deli
cate diplomatic relations might be
jeopardized if the news were
made public.
Investigators checked American
and Italian employes at the em
bassy. Nothing suspicious turned i
up. Within a week the poison was |
traced to the arsenate of lead in |
the bedroom ceiling. The room
was quickly repainted with non
leaded paint, eliminating the
danger.
Mrs. Luce returned to the Unit
ed States last May for treatment
to counteract the arsenic poison
ing. She is to leave this week for
a three-week cruise on the Medi
terranean Sea. Then she will re
sume her duties at the Villa
Ta verna.
/---—--X
WEATHER FORECAST
Cloudy this evening with oc
casional rain tonight. Winds in
creasing to 10 to 15 mph from the
southeast tonight. Mostly cloudy
with occasional showers Thurs
day. Low temperature expected
tonight in the mid 50’s, high to
morrow in the 60’s.
Nome data last 24 hours as of
7 a.m. today: highest tempera
ture 61, lowest 47. Max. wind 20
mph from the east southeast.
Sunrise at 2.18 a.m., sunset at
9:55 p.m.
A year ago today: high 48, low
43. Extremes this datd since 1907:
highest 73 in 1908, lowest 33 in
1911.
Monday Baseball
By the Associated Press
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 7, Boston 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Brooklyn 4, Chicago 1
• called at end 6th, rain)
Cincinnati 10, New York 4
Milwaukee 2, Pittsburgh 1
Philadelphia 2, St. Lotiis 0
Tuesday Baseball
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore 5-5, Chicago 3-3
Boston 10-1, Kansas City 0-0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chicago 3, Philadelphia 2
<16 innings)
Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 2
New York 8, Milwaukee 6
Cincinnati 4, Brooklyn 3
PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
Seattle 7, Sacramento 4
Portland 8, Hollywood 7
Vancouver 6, San Diego 5
One theory as to why engage
ment and wedding rings are worn
on the third finger of the left
hand is that the Egyptians be
lieved a vein ran from that fin
ger directly to the heart.
Democratic Candidates
Fire New Blasts at
President Eisenhower
The three leading candidates for
the Democratic presidential nom
ination—Adlai Stevenson, Sen.
Estes Kefauver and Gov. Averell
Harriman of New York—fired
new blasts at President Eisen
hower Monday night.
Kefauver said of Eisenhower,
“He is already helpless with his
own people. They won’t support
him now.” He predicted “chaos”
if Eisenhower is “re-elected.”
Harriman said Eisenhower “has
surrendered to the old guard of
the Republican Party, to big busi
ness and special interest. If we
have four more years of Eisen
hower, we will see a vast change
in our free enterprise system.”
Stevenson telegraphed that “my
travels around the country have
convinced me that the people
have had enough of government
by drift, by single-interest, by
complacency and by stage-man
ager.”
BRING YOUR
WATCH
tu the
Nome Drug Store
for
EXPERT REPAIRS
--
To the DEFENDENT.
CHRIST IS THE SHIELD
“I AM THY SHIELD, AND J
THY EXCEEDING GREAT REWARD.” S
Genetit 15:1 §■
Guaranteed * Lang and Olympic
Dependable Ranges
Fuel Service heaters
LP Gas and stove parts
Gat Appliancei AND REPAIRS
Main 152 Quaker OC
GREEN’S
CITY FUEL & TRANSFER
ARCTIC SANITARY
SERVICE
PIIONE RED 181
Modern Laundry & Dry Cleaners
FIRST AVE. b LANES WAY PHONE MAIN 111
EIGHT -HOUR SERVICE
Nome Market
IS NOW OPEN !
DIRECTLY BACK OF
THE GLUE POT
on 1st Avenue
LOWEST PRICES
on
STAPLE GROCERIES
We Welcome Your Patronage
GEORGE and DELLA GOSHAW