IS! NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV NO. 62 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MAY 25, 1953 ‘ Per Copy—15^
Atom Shell Firing
From 230-mm. Gun
Signals New Era
LAS VEGAS, Nev., UP — The
first firing of an atomic shell from
the United Sates’ 280-mm. can
non came off brilliantily today,
signalling the beginning of a new
era in artillery warfare.
The nuclear shell burst 500 feet
above a target of tall trees, rail
road cars and military housing
» northwest of Las Vegas.
The long-awaited shot from “At
omic Annie” apparently proved
artillery experts’ contention that
the huge gun can handle nuclear
as well as conventional ammuni
tion.
Defense Secretary Charles E.
Wilson, observing the blast from
a distance of less than eight miles,
commented: “It was extremely in
teresting and I am pleased with
its success.”
The shell burst produced a
bright low fireball that lit up the
gray peaks of the Spotted Range,
ringing the flat, exactly at 8:30
a.m. (RMT>. It was clearly seen in
Las Vegas but was not felt or
heard.
It dazzled observers in a plane
flying over Indian Springs, about
20 miles away, but no shock or
sound was received by the passen
gers.
The atomic cloud rose very
swiftly to a height of 10,000 feet
in little over a minute. When it
reached a height of from 20,000 to
25,000 feet it was supposed to be
pierced by two jet drones flying
test missions, but that phase of
the test was cancelled due to un
favorable surface winds.
Eisenhower Renames Shangri La
WASHINGTON, UP) — President
Eisenhower drove to the newly
named “Camp David” in Mary
land’s Catoctin mountains Satur
day with plans for a day of quiet
work.
This is the retreat above Wash
ington used by President Frank
lin D. Roosevelt and Truman un
der the name of “Shangri La.”
The White House disclosed Fri
day the President had named it
Camp David, choosing a name
that was his father’s, his own and
his grandson’s.
Seward, Nebraska, Team
Leaves for Seward, Alaska
For Basketball Tourney
SEWARD, Nebraska, UP) — The
Seward basketball team left today
on an eight-day 4,135-mile jour
ney that will end at Seward, Al
aska, with a three game basket
ball series.
The basketball series was ar
ranged by the chamber of com
merce in each city with the idea
of promoting better relationship
between the two Sewards—both
named for William H. Seward,
who served as Secretary of State
under President Lincoln.
The team carried with it a res
olution and a Nebraska state flag.
The resolution, passed by the leg
islature, said the flag would be
presented to Seward, Alaska, high
school “as a memento of this
unique and historic occasion.”
Korean Truce Talks
Resumed Amid Secrecy;
Recessed Until June 1
PANMUNJOM, UP) — Korean
truce parleys resumed today amid
tight secrecy and then recessed
until June 1—apparently because
top-level decision on the critical
prisoner exchange issue is needed.
Presumably, the United Nations
Command presented a new pro
posal at the outset of today’s ses
sion, which ended an eight-day,
Allied-requested recesss.
Communist correspondents, af
ter talking to members of their
delegation, said the Allies had re
quested a news blackout on the
session. Lt. Col. Milton Herr said
he did not know if the next meet
ing also would be secret.
Kuskowim and Yukon
River Area Natives Have
Highest Sensitivity to TB
JUNEAU — Recent studies by
the Alaska Department of Health
have demonstrated that the great
est concentrations of tuberculosis
in Alaska lie in the Kuskokwim
and Yukon River drainage areas.
Figures compiled from the BCG
program reveal the following ap
palling high rate of positive re
action to the tuberculin test,
probably the highest in the world:
Ages % positive
3 to 4.87.5
5 to 6.86.9
7 to 8...91.0
9 to 10.88.9
11 to 12.95.5
13 to 14.94.7
This average of 90% positive
tuberculin sensitivity among chil
dren through teen-age does not
mean that 90% of the children
have already acquired tuberculo
sis, but that all people in those
areas are being subjected to con
stant and massive doses of tuber
culosis germs and that, by and
large, tuberculosis may be said to
be running uncontrolled through
those villages.
It is not surprising that another
satistical study about to be re
leased by the Health Department
should show the TB death rate to
be the highest in these same areas,
running as high as 900 per 100,000
in some town districts.
Do you know that 65% of all
men patients admitted to the
Seward Sanitarium have been
fishermen or trappers? To return
to these occupations after dis
charge as inactive will almost al
ways insure a return to the active
stage of tuberculosis. It is just
good business sense to protect the
first investment in such patients
by training them for some way
of e&rning a living that will not
inevitably result in a breakdown
of their lung condition.
Eleanor Roosevelt Says UN
Should Intervene In Korea Talks
TOKYO, Iff! — Mrs. Eleanor
Roosevelt said Saturday United
Nations headquarters should dir
ectly intervene in the Korean
truce talks if present negotiators
fail to reach a settlement.
The widow of former U. S.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
stopping here on a world tour,
made the remark in an interview
with the service newspaper Stars
and Stripes.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Manhandled By
Japanese Reds
TOKYO, Ut)—Twenty Japanese
women waving Communist ban
ners today manhandled Mrs. El
eanor Roosevelt in downtown To
kyo when she refused them an
interview. The newspaper Yomi
uri reported.
The newspaper said the widow
of the late President was rescued
by Japanese guards and was un
injured.
Mrs. Roosevelt, now on a tour
of Japan, was dragged from an
automobile outside the labor min
istry building.
Mrs. Roosevelt had attended a
round table conference at the la
bor ministry on Japanese labor
problems. When she emerged from
the building, the waiting women,
led by an American-born wife of
a Japanese, clamored for an in
terview.
After the incident, guards dis
persed the crowd and Mrs. Roose
velt went on to an afternoon
meeting with prominent Japanese
women at a downtown Tokyo res
taurant where she made a speech.
Maureen Cobb, a member of
her party, said Mrs. Roosevelt
wrote briefly of the incident in
her syndicated newspaper column.
‘‘She treated it as a ‘very unim
portant and unfoi'tunate inci
dent,’ ” Miss Cobb said, adding
that the attack was led by “a mis
guided soul.”
Yomiuri identified the woman
leader as a native of New Yoi'k
City and wife of a Japanese union
leader. She was leading a group
that carried banners which bore
Communist Party slogans.
U.S. Radar Screen Spots
“Unidentified Plane” Over
Northern Japan Island
TOKYO, — An “unidentified
plane” was spotted over Hokkai
do, Japan's northernmost island,
this morning, an Air Force
spokesman said tonight.
The craft was sighted on U.S.
Air Force screens at 8 a.m. but
moved out of range before it
could be identified and before Al
lied interceptor planes could
reach the sopt.
The sighting was over the Nem
uro Peninsula, only a few miles
from the Russian-held Kuriles
Island, where the Soviet air force
maintains fighter bases.
CHRYSLER WORKERS' STRIKE
PROLONGED BR BUDD CO.
DETROIT, l/P) — Some 8,000
Budd Company workers returned
to their jobs today after a strike
that affected a large portion of
the auto industry, but they
walked out again a few hours
later in a new dispute.
The new strike dampened hopes
that 48,000 Chrysler workers, sup
plied by the Budd Co. would be
able to return to work in a day
or two.
The new walkout stemmed
from protests from Budd’s press
shop crane operators about oper
ational procedures.
First Commercial Flight
From Europe to Orient
Completed via North Pole
TOKYO, UPl— A Scandinavian
Airlines plane landed at Tokyo
International Airport tonight, and
thereby completed the first com
mercial flight from Europe to the
Orient.
Carrying 41 passengers assigned
to relieve workers at the Norwe
gian field hospital in Korea, the
DC-6B touched down at 11 p.m.
(3 a.m., Nome time), after a 12
hour flight from tiny Shemya Is
land at the end of the Aleutians.
The plane was in the air 37
hours on its flight from Oslo, Nor
way. It left Oslo Saturday morn
ing and stopped in Anchorage, Al
aska, overnight.
The polar route covered 6,68?
miles, about 3,000 less than con
ventional routes.
Active Volcano Terrain
75 Miles NW of Anchorage
Good for Summer Skiing
ANCHORAGE, W> — Dr. Terris
Moore, president of the University
of Alaska, and Bond Taber, assis
tant professor of geology at the
school, landed in a small plane on
Mt. Spurr Sunday to investigate
new volcanic activity.
They said several vents along
the flanks of the 50-foot-wide
crater were spewing steam and
sulphur fumes. The area of the
vents is about 50 by 200 feet.
The 11,000-foot peak is about
75 miles northwest of Anchorage.
The two men landed at the 10,
000-foot level, on a glacial ice
field.
Dr. Moore said the terrain is
wonderful for summer skiing. He
compared the slopes with the
Swiss Alps and recommended de
velopment of a tourist center on
them. The peak, only a few min
utes’ flight from Anchorage, pro
vides good landing areas for small
planes.
Rosenberg Atom Spies
Refused New Hearing
By U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, UP) — The Su
preme Court today refused for
the third time to grant a hearing
to cpndemned atom spies Julius
and Ethel Rosenberg. This left as
their only apparent chance to es
cape death in the electric chair a
decision to tell the government
any espionage secrets they may
still hold.
President Eisenhower rejected
their clemency pleas last Febru
ary. But Justice Department sour
ces said Saturday the Rosenbergs
have been told they might be able
to save themselves by “singing”
to federal prosecutors.
The husband and wife spy team
was convicted more than two
years ago of wartime conspiracy
to transmit atomic secrets to Rus
sia.
Wheat Loan to Pakistan
WASHINGTON, UP)— President
Eisenhower and GOP congres
sional leaders agreed today to
back legislation for a loan of
1,000,000 tons of wheat to Pakis
tan, which has been suffering
from a drought.
War Before 1955
Is Soviet Plan,
Says Czech Officer
WASHINGTON, Uf) — A former
Czech army officer, trained in So
viet military strategy, has in
formed the House Un-American
Activities Committee of purported
Russian plans to launch war in
Europe “before 1955,” and even
tually to take Alaska.
The Russian decision to “take
over Western Europe,” the com
mittee was told, is predicated on
Soviet suspicion that Britain is
preparing “a definite attack to de
stroy the Soviet Union” in 1955.
The testimony, given in a secret
committee session May 13 and 14,
was made public Saturday in an
unusual volume entitled, “Soviet
Schedule for War,'l955.”
The witness is identified as Col.
Jan Bukar—a name which Chair
man Velde said was assumed to
hide his true identity as a Czech
partisan fighter against the Ger
mans in World War II.
The year, 1955, is the same year
which former President Truman
and his top advisors listed as the
period of the greatest danger of
attack from Russia.
President Eisenhower has scoffed
at this idea, disclaiming any faith
in what he called “magical for
mulas.”
The House committee headed
by Rep Velde predicted in a fore
ward to its hearing transcript that
Bukar’s testimony “will be met
by disapproval by some in the
United States and elsewhere, who’
will seriously object to being in
terrupted from the placidity they
so undeservingly enjoy.”
Bukar told the committee the
Soviet target date for war was
disclosed to him as one of 3,000
officers in training at a Russian
military school for conquest at
Moscow between 1945 and 1947.
The witness, stating he fled to
the U.S. a little more than a year
(Continued on Page Five)
Approval Predicted
For Trimmed-Down
Military Budget
WASHINGTON, (IP) — A House
Appropriations Committee mem
ber predicted tentative approval
without change of the trimmed
down military budget, despite out
cries against slashes in the Air
Force funds.
The prediction, from Rep. Ford.
(R-Mich), came on the heels of
demands that Secretary of De
fense Wilson resign and that gen
erals who have led the Air Force
appear for committee questioning.
Ford said he was sure there
would be no change and certainly
no increases when a subcommit
tee no*w considering the Air Force
budget sends it on to a higher
subcommittee studying the whole
$36,100,000,000 military budget.
Rep. Yorty (D-Calif), a World
War II Air Force intelligence of
ficer, said Wilson should quit as
defense chief, adding in a state
ment:
“The dollars he worships will
> not shoot down attacking planes.”