Vice President Johnson Heads for
Berlin to Meet with W. German Leaders
, . L ; • • • - . ■ • ....
WASHINGTON W — The
White House announced today
that Vice President Lyndon
Johnson will fly to Berlin as per
sonal representative of President
Kennedy for meetings with West
German leaders.
Johnson expects to leave from
Andrews Air Force Base just out
side Washington tonight in Ken
nedy’s Air Force jet.
The Vice President will be ac
companied by retired Gen. Lucius
Clay, who was U. S. military com
mander in Germany at the time of
the 1949 airlift.
Kennedy’s decision to send
Johnson to Europe had been re
ported earlier by diplomatic
sources. These sources described
it as a move to demonstrate to
West Germans that the U. S. gov
ernment is vitally interested in
their security.
Johnson will meet with both
West German Chancellor Konrad
Adenauer and West Berlin Mayor
Willy Brandt.
“He will deliver to Mayor
Brandt a message in answer to
the one dispatched by the mayor
to the President,” the White
House announced.
Brandt sent Kennedy a lengthy
message early this week, demand
ing that the West take political
as well as verbal action over the
Communist closing of the border
between East Berlin and West
Berlin. ■,£>
The full content of Brandt’s let
ter, said to have run some 1,000
words, has not been made public.
Another move of reassurance
under consideration but still with
out decision is to dispatch addi
tional United States, British and
French troops to West Berlin. Dip
lomatic informants in London
spoke of this as involving a pos
sible token increase in the 11,
000-man Western garrison in Ber
lin.
The real purpose of the John
son mission, officials said, is to
NASA Decides No
More Sub-Orbital
Flights are Necessary
WASHINGTON iffi —- Space
Agency, in a speed up of its pro
gram to orbit a man around the
earth, decided today no further
sub-orbital flights are necessary.
An attempt at an orbital flight
may be made late this year.
The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration said the
two sub-orbital flights — rocket
rides up and down again — by
U. S. astronauts had supplied all
data needed.
“A detailed evaluation of the
medical and training aspects of
the Mercury-Redstone sub-orbital
flight program has revealed no
problems which would require ad
ditional sub-orbital flights,” NASA
said.
The announcement went to say
the NASA Space Task Group
“will now devote its full energies
' and resources to the orbital phase
of Project Mercury and to fol
low-on planned manned flight
programs” including Project
Apollo which will send a three
man space craft to the Moon.
weathefTfqrecast
Continued cloudy with occa
sional light raiir or drizzle. Little
change in temperature.
In the past 24 hours: Highest
temp. 61, lowest 56. Sunrise at
4:02 a.m., sunset at 8:09 p.m.
Bgi
demonstrate American support of
West Berlin and offset evident
dissatisfaction in that city and
West Germany 7/ i t h United
States, British and French reac
tion to the Berlin border closing.
U. S. officials have been deeply
concerned about reports of sharp
disappointment among West Ger
mans at the lack of strong Allied
reaction to the Communist shut
off of the refugee flood into West
Berlin.
Edward R. Murrow, Director of
the U. S. Information Agency and
President Kennedy’s chief adviser
on foreign propaganda operations,
came out of Berlin two days ago
with reports of a popular feeling
of let-down. He said the danger
was that a sense of resignation
among the people of West Berlin
might result from this situation.
Alaska Airlines Postpones
Start of Jet Service
SEATTLE (ffl — Alaska Airlines
has postponed the start Sunday
of Convair 880 jet-transport serv
ice on the Seattle-Fairbanks-An
chorage route, the line announced
today.
C. L. Miller, vice president for
operations, said the line will be
gin daily jet service between the
Pacific Northwest and Alaska
within two weeks. A definite date
will be set soon.
The postponement was ordered
to give the line and the Federal
Aviation Ageney additional time
to complete studies, Alaska Air
lines said.
| Yankee Sluggers, Maris
| And Mantle Way Ahead
! Of Ruth’s Homer Record
NEW YORK UP) — It’s surprising
how many of Mantle and Maris'
New York teammates still think
Mickey will overtake Roger in
their exciting duel for Babe
Ruth’s home run record.
The score: Maris 48 and Mantle
45 in 119 team decisions and one
tie. That leaves Maris 14 games
ahead of Ruth’s pace in 1927
when he set the record of 60
homers.
“I still think Mickey will be
the one to do it,” said a Yankee
who understandably asked not to
be identified. “Roger goes on
streaks. He’s hot and cold. One
week you can’t get him out. The
next time he can’t buy a base
hit. Mickey is consistent.”
“Mantle should have the ad
vantage in the next couple of
weeks,” said another Yankee.
“That’s because we’ll be playing
on the road. Mickey hits more
homers than Maris on the road.”
“I think it’s a tossup between
the two,” said Yogi Berra. “It’s
just a question which one gets
hot and stays hot.”
"ALL THOSE KENNEDYS" . . .
BOSTON UP) — A song line
about “all those Kennedys” drew
a smile and applause from Jac
queline Kennedy Thursday night
as the President’s wife watched
the musical comedy “Sail Away.”
The First Lady got the first
and last ovations of the evening
when she came and left the crowd
ed Colonial Theater.
Hundreds of people jammed the
lobby and the street outside to
catch a glimpse of Mrs. Kennedy,
who wore a white sleeveless
blouse and a black skirt.
11 Cubans Seek
Asylum in U.S. Off
Soviet-Bound Boat
NORFOLK, Va. (#) — Eleven
Cubans seeking political asylum
in the United States said today
they took over a 3,800-ton freight
er at gunpoint but bloodless en
counter on the high seas with 23
fellow crewmen.
The sugar-laden freighter, the
Bahia de Nipe, dropped anchor
in Chesapeake Bay late Thu:s
day with 23 crewmen locked up
in various sections of the ship.
She was bound from Cuba for the
Soviet Union.
Capt. Jorge Navarro, 46, the
ship’s master, and 10 of his crew
were brought ashore today on a
Coast Guard cutter while another
cutter kept the Bahia de Nipe
under surveillance.
Navarro told newsmen “the
only way we could get out of
Cuba was the way we did.” He
said he and his group of crew
men took over the ship during
a five-hour period between dusk
and midnight Monday, 300 miles
east of Bermuda.
“There was no resistance,” Na
varro said. “We took them by sur
prise. We had two small pistols
and we surprised them one by
one.”
Some of the men were working
and others were sleeping when
they were seized, Navarro said.
He and his group jimmied the
magnetic compass and the ship’s
gyroscope sa the other crewmen
would not know when the ship’s
course was changed.
“We even had two different
navigational charts,” Navarro
| said, “one to show the other men
and one in -my cabin to show us
where we were really going.”
The State Department indicated
in Washington the defectors
would be allowed to remain in
this country.
The State Department also
promptly advised the Castro gov
ernment through the Swiss Em
bassy that it could reclaim the
ship.
Since the freighter’s top offi
cers were among those seeking
asylum, it was assumed new offi
cers would be sent from Cuba to
take her on her way.
Fire Breaks Out On
Liner In Drydock
SEATTLE iX) — Firemen quick
ly controlled a blaze which broke
out below decks today on the
1'7,000-ton passenger liner Presi
dent Roosevelt which is under
going conversion at a drydock.
All of the 600 men working on
the vessel were accounted for, al
though at first some had been
feared trapped.
The ship, which formerly ran
from San Francisco to Honolulu
as the Leilani, has been renamed,
and is undergoing an $8 million
conversion at Puget Sound Bridge
and Dry Dock Co.
FALSE ALARM . . .
HONOLULU Ub — A Navy
destroyer raced at 31 knots from
Pearl Harbor to the eastern tip
of Oahu Island yesterday when
a radar station reported sighting
a Soviet ship within the three
mile limit.
The destroyer Epperson over
took the ship and demanded an
explanation.
The answer was soon made clear
—in English. The ship was a
New Zealand freighter preparing
to steam into Honolulu.
Alaskan Army Tours
To Be Extended
Three to Six Months
ANCHORAGE UP, — Army Sec
retary Elvis Stahr has informed
Maj. Gen. John Michaels, Alaska
Army Commander, that all sol
diers on duty in the state will re
main here three to six months
longer than they had anticipated.
Alaska is considered an over
seas tour.
Enlisted men whose enlistments
would normally end between Oct.
1 and next June 30, will serve
not more than four additional
months.
The extension of overseas tours
will be effective on Oct. 1. The
extension will range from three
to six months, depending on
whether or not a tour is con
sidered a hardship assignment.
Stahr said the four-month ex
tension enlistments “gives the
stability it needs during its build
up. It will take approximately
four months for the training cen
ters to graduate soldiers in suffi
cient numbers to fill new require
ments and to replace those in
voluntarily retained.”
Selective Service Director
Warns 18-Year-Old Alaska
[ Youth They Must Register
JUNEAU UP — Lt. Col. Dan
Mahoney, State Selective Service j
Director, today warned the young |
men of Alaska they must register
for Selective Service within five
days after they become 18 years
of age.
“Thfe obligatipn to register,”
Mahoney said, “is a continuing
obligation and must be fulfilled.
Every male person between the j
ages of 18 and 20 is required to
[ register, including members of
the reserve components of the
armed forces.”
Mahoney said recent stepped up
draft activity had disclosed a
number of young men in Alaska
who had failed to register with
Draft Boards as required by law.
Lt, Gen. Munday
To Visit Nome
Lt. Gen. George W. Munday,
USAF. who arrived in Alaska the
first of this month to assume
command of all armed forces in
the 49th State, succeeding Lt. Gen.
Frank A. Armstrong, who retired
from active duty, has announced
that he is making a statewide
orientation trip and expects to ar
rive in Nome next Thursday after
noon for a couple of hours.
The Chamber of Commerce will
plan an informal meeting for
members of the board and repre
sentatives of other civic organi
zations.
It has been suggested that the (
community meet the General’s
plane at the airport and give him
a real Alaskan welcome, although
his stay will be brief.
PROUD PAPA . . .
GREENSVILLE, S. C. Iff) — A
prouder father never was than
Douglas Dean Riddle.
Riddle, a student pilot, took
to the air with an instructor to
drop announcements of the birth
of his son, 7-pound, 5-ounce Doug
las Dean Riddle Jr.
The announcements, on 8 by 10
sheets of paper, noted that the
mother, Tommie Garrison Riddle,
and baby were doing fine, and
“father is up in the clouds.”
Riddle said he got almost 100
congratulatory telephone calls
Thursday.
State Cuts Nome
School Budget
By $33,941.75
Schoo 1 Superintendent Conrad
Potter today announced that the
State Dept, of Education has
approved the Nome School Dis
trict 1961-62 budget, but has cut
their contributing share of the
total budget by $33,941.75.
The total budget approved by
the City Council in May, and
submitted to the state, amounted
to $394,409, which included a
local share of $80,132,25; another
$30,000 from Johnson-O’Malloy
aid; and approximately $15,200
from Public Law No. 874. The re
maining $269,076.75 was request
ed as the state share of the bud
get. Instead, the state will be
contributing a total of $235,135.
Potter said, “the district has re
ceived nominal cuts in the past,
but not as drastic as this 1961-62
cut of $33,941.75.”
“The School Board has not yet
met to discuss the cut, but it is
anticipated that some mainte
nance and operational activities
will be curtailed, and that the
the teaching staff will be re
duced by three, perhaps four
members, raising the teacher
pupil ratio considerably. The end
result of course is the addition of
a still greater burden to our ele
mentary classes, already suffer
ing under a split-shift program.
Not only will the grade school
children be attending school for
a fewer number of hours, but with
larger classses, each child will
receive less individual attention,’*
Potter said.
BIGGEST PEACETIME
MILITARY BUDGET
SIGNED BY PRESIDENT
WASHINGTON UR — A peace
time record $46,662,556,000 mili
tark appropriation bill, including
funds to start a nationwide system
of air raid shelters, has been
signed by President Kennedy.
The bill’s total is $265,611,000
more than Kennedy asked to fin
ance the Defense Department for
the fiscal year ending next June
30. The bill provides flexibility
to shift funds.
Tossed Into the military money
bill for the first time was an
allotment of $7.6 million to start
work on Civil Defense projects,
including eventual construction of
fallout shelters in pest offices and
other federal buildings through
out the country. The money could
be used also to purchase food,
medical supplies and other emer
gency equipment.
New $3 Million Hospital
At Kotzebue Turned Over
To Public Health Service
KOTZEBUE UR — The new 50
bed, $3,000,000 Alaska Native
Hospital here has been turned
over to the Public Heiaih Service
It will be formally dedicated
sometime between Oct. 25 and
Nov. 15.
Dr. K. Kasuga, area medical
officer in charge of the ANS of
fice in Anchorage, said completion
of the project of transferring pa
tients and equipment from the
old hospital building will be com
pleted around Sept. 15.
The new building contains a
10-bed obstetrical unit and a 10
bed pediatric unit with a special
and separate isolation unit. The
old hospital was built in 1939
and is one of the oldest in the
state.