m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA —MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVI No. 33NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1954 Per Copy—15^
Force of March 1 Hydrogen Bomb
Completely Surprised Scientists
NEW YORK, iff) — Time maga-i
zine today reported the latest U.S.!
thermonuclear explosion went off
March 1 with a blast probably 500
times greater than the Hiroshima
atomic bomb.
The force of the explosion, Time
said, completely surprised atomic |
scientists working on the project |
at the U.S. proving grounds in the I
Marshall Islands.
Twenty-eight U.S. observers and
236 island natives, thought to have
been evacuation to a safe distance,
were showered with radioactive
particles, Time reported. Their ex
posure was 10 times greater than
the usual safety limit, the maga
zine said, but the Atomic Energy
Commission announced there had
been no burns.
Time said calculation of the
blast force is still incomplete but
was so great that the AEC was
forced to reclassify a test on Nov.
1, 1952, as a “mistake.”
Force of the “misfire” was
“awesome enough,” Time added.1
and gave these details on that ■
test:
The blast was 250 times as great 1
as the Hiroshima bomb;
Its fire ball measured 28 miles
in diameter;
The mushroom cloud climbed
80,090 feet into the stratosphere
and an observer plane 50 miles
away, flying at 30,000 feet, had to
run away to avoid being caught
under the mushroom’s lip.
Time gave no source for its
information on the two explosions.
Defensive Tests
Under Way For
Thule Air Base
WASHINGTON, UP) — The first
test of defenses against capture of
the huge and strategically vital
Thule Air Base and other arctic
installations which Russia might
seek to seize in a war is under
way.
The Defense Department an
nounced Monday that a joint Air
Force-Army “Exercise Chill Wind”
involving use of 850 paratroopers
of the XVIII Airborne Corps and
a score of the giant C-124 troop
carrying planes would be conduct
ed “this month” at Thule, on the
northwest corner of Greenland.
Actually, it is understood, the
operation already has started and
will include in addition to defen
sive tests for Thule, several other
arctic bases. Among these are
Sonderstrom, halfway down the
Greenland west coast, and instal
lations elsewhere.
The Thule test, only 900 miles
from the North Pole, is the most
northern locale for any American
maneuver ever held. Conditions at
this time of year in northern
Greenland are rigorous. The long
arctic night is about to end, but
winter weather prevails, with sud
den gales blowing at velocities of
more than 100 miles an hour, tem
peratures far below zero and
“white - outs” caused by wind
whipped snow interfering with
both troops and plane operations.
Canadian, U.S. Co.
Heads Meet In
Pi •emier’s Office
VICTORIA, UP — The heads of
giant Canadian and American en
terprises, competitors for vast
British Columbia and Yukon
water rights, met in a hush-hush
meeting in Premier Bennett’s of
fice Tuesday.
They were Thayer Lindsley,
president of Ventures, Ltd., Fro
bisher Ltd., and Quebec Metallur
gical Industries, Ltd., and Irving
W. Wilson, president of Aluminum
Company of America.
The two enterprises both have
their eyes on hydro-electric poten
tial in northern B.C. and in the
Yukon.
The Canadian government last
year rejected an Alcoa proposal
for a project that would divert the
Yukon River above Whitehorse
into Taiya Inlet and thence to U.S.
territory near Skagway. The com
pany wanted to use the diverted
waters to develop about 2,000,000
horsepower for an aluminum proj
ect.
Frobisher Lt., followed with an
other proposal to use the waters
of the Yukon watershed for a
mammoth hydro-electric-metal re
finery project which would ulti
mately cost up to S700 million dol
lars.
Neither Premier Bennett nor
the company heads would com
ment on the discussions. Premier
Bennett said it was a preliminary
meeting.
St. Patrick's Day
J
> Roundup
NEW YORK, UP—The Irish —
more than 100,000 of them —
marched up Fifth Avenue Wed
nesday under brilliant sunshine
in their annual St. Patrick’s Day
parade.
The traffic dividing line down
the center of the avenue was
painted green along the 50-block
route for the gala occasion.
Mayor Robert F. Wagner — a
McTague on his mother’s side —
headed the marchers.
Many of the marchers were
pure-bred Irish, some were mixed
and some were sons of Erin just
for the day.
SOUTH BEND, Ind., UP — St.
Patrick’s Day wasn’t the same at
Sweeney’s Shamrock Tavern.
State pure food laws prevented
the tavern from serving its usual
green-tinted beer today.
WASHINGTON, UP — This St.
Patrick’s Day is a triple occasion
in the home of Vice President
Nixon.
Besides being her namesake’s
day, it is Mrs. Pat Nixon’s 41st
birthday and the Vice President
has promised to be home for din
ner.
“We only manage to have a
family dinner now about once a
month,” Mrs. Nixon said.
Demos Wrong
About GOP Tax
Plan, Says Ike
WASHINGTON, UP) — President
Eisenhower said today the Demo
crats are wrong about his tax pro
gram.
He also said he has full con
fidence in the honor and integ
rity of Secretary of the Army Ste
vens and stands behind the secre
tary who is embroiled with Sen.
McCarthy.
And he said any president who
did not act immediately if the
country were attacked by an ag
gressor ought to be impeached or
even hanged.
Those items were highlights of
a news conference in which the
chief executive under questioning
from reporters ranged over a
broad area of domestic and inter
national issues.
On the subject of taxation the
President said the contention by
Democrats that a pending tax re
vision bill would help the rich—
and not aid the low income fam
ilies—is simply an error.
Eisenhower declared that any
president should be worse than
impeached — he should be hanged
—rif he didn’t take whatever action
he felt necessary to protect the
United States against an unpro
voked attack. He said such action
should be taken within two min
utes without waiting for Congress
to declare war.
Those remarks were prompted
by Secretary of State Dulles’ as
sertion yesterday that the Presi
dent has advance congressional
authority to retaliate againsl any
Soviet attack on London, Paris, for
example, in tl\e same manner he
would retaliate against an attack
on American cities. The discussion
was part of the running debate
over the military “new look” and
primary reliance on capacity for
“massive retaliation” to head off
war.
He declined to comment on the
statement by Rep. Cole (R-NY),
chairman of the Senate - House
Atomic Energy Committee, that
the United States has the hydro
gen bomb and can deliver it any
where in the world.
The President wore a green tie,
marking St. Patrick’s Day. He
said with a grin that he hoped
everybody in the room was wear
ing the green emblem.
Drinking Water Flown
Into Cold Bay AFB
ANCHORAGE, UR — Alaska’s
bush pilots have flown just about
every type of cargo in their time—
from stove wood to tractors.
So pilot N. G. Kelly off Reeve
Aleutian Airways wasn’t surprised
at the emergency call he got over
the weekend. But it was a new
one.
Fire destroyed the pump house
of the Air Force field at Cold Bay.
Way out near the end of the
Alaska Peninsula, the field sits
above the waters of Cold Bay. The
waters of the Bering Sea are a
short distance to the north.
And what did the men at the
field yell for? Water!
Kelly flew 100 gallons of the
stuff — for drinking — 600 miles
from Adak Island.
Southern Senators Start Lengthy
Attack On Statehood Legislation
Democrats Take
Tax Appeal
To The Nation
WASHINGTON, UP>—Democrats
took their tax appeal to the nation
last night in a radio and television
broadcast in reply to an address
by President Eisenhower the night
before.
House Democratic leader Sam
Rayburn of Texas declared the
Republican tax revision program
eventually would provide six
times as much to the upper 20 per
cent income brackets as to the
great majority of other taxpayers.
He told his listeners if they
were among the 80 per cent of
Americans who,, he said, earn less
than $5,000 a year, “the Republi
can tax program offers you little
or no relief at all.”
He said the Republican program
is a revival of a philosophy that
special benefits for the v wealthy
“may eventually trickle down to
the great majority.” But actually
little or nothing has ever trickled
down, he said, “in all the history
of Republican tax laws.”
Sen. George (D-Ga), who has
proposed increasing exemptions:
from the present $600 to $800 this j
year and $1000 next year, told the
Senate yesterday His proposal
“might have the effect of halting
the present downswing” in the na
tion’s economy.
Humphrey Says Sales Tax
Cuts Will Break The U.S.
WASHINGTON, UP) — Secretary
of the Treasury Humphrey told
senators today the •administration
opposes the House-approved ex
cise tax cuts because “we have to
have the money to pay our bills.”
He agreed with Sen. Byrd (D
Va) that the cuts would have to
be paid for with borrowed money.
“If anything will send us quick
er to financial suicide, I don’t
know what it is,” Byrd declared.
“That’s my opinion,” Humphrey
said.
Health Dept. Analysis
Shows Fox Had Rabies
Chief of Police Glass is in re
ceipt of a telegram from the De
partment of Health stating that the
mad fox which was killed in town
last month definitely had rabies.
The fox’s body was sent to
Anchorage laboratories and then
shipped stateside for further an
alysis for possible evidence of
infection by rats.
Chief Glass states that as a pre
caution to safeguard the public an
intensive campaign will be put in
effect immediately to eliminate all
loose dogs as several were bitten
by the fox and some of these dogs
infected other dogs before they
died.
Dog owners are urged to coop
erate with the authorities by keep
ing their pets tied up for the next
several weeks.
About 15 dogs already have
been shot this month and some
dogs have been reported to the
police as having died from rabies.
. WASHINGTON, UP) — Southern
senators skilled in the art of
lengthy debate today continued
their attack on statehood for Ha
waii and Alaska.
Sen. Eastland (D-Miss) occupied
the Senate floor for nearly four
hours yesterday in what he said
was the “preface” to a discussion
of his theme that Communists
dominate the political and econ*
omic life of the Hawaiian Islands.
The Mississippi senator an
nounced that he plans to speak
for “three or four days.”
Sen. Smathers CD-Fla), a leader
in the opposition to the combined
Hawaii-Alaska statehood bill, told
a reporter there will be no fili
buster in an effort to prevent a
Senate vote on the statehood issue.
But Smathers said he does not ■
believe there is a chance for a
vote “on anything” in the Senate
this week.
v Smathers said an amendment
proposing commonwealth status
for Hawaii and Alaska as a sub
stitute for statehood probably will
be offered in the Senate Thursday.
Sen. Eastland told the Senate:
“With the admision of Hawaii, we
would become the United States of
the Pacific; with the admission of
Alaska we would become the Unit
ed States of the Pacific and the
Arctic Ocean . . . and only the
dear Lord himself knows where
we will stop.”
Eisenhower Will Back
Secty. Stevens In Row
With Senator McCarthy
WASHINGTON, UFI — President
Eisenhower said today he has full
confidence Secretary of the Army
Stevens is telling the truth in his
controversy with Sen. McCarthy.
The President told a news con
ference that if he didn’t have
confidence in Stevens’ integrity,
Stevens wouldn’t be holding the
job he does.
Eisenhower said it may turn out
Stevens has made some mistakes,
■but he added that so far as the
secretary’s integrity and honor are
concerned he stands behind Stev
ens.
The question of who is telling
the truth looms as the central issue
for the developing Senate inquiry
into the row between McCarthy
and his chief counsel, Roy Cohn,
on the one hand and Army of
ficials on the other.
All the principals are expected
to be called to testify under oath
when the inquiry gets under way,
probably late next week.
McCarthy said today he was
willing to let Army lawyers cross
examine him.
Home-Made Bomb Goes
Off In Grand Central Sta.
NEW YORK, UP)—A home-made
time bomb exploded at the peak
of the evening rush hour in Grand
Central Terminal yesterday, caus
ing a great deal of excitement and
one minor injury.
The bomb went off in the lower
level men’s washroom, knocking
down a marble partition. Police
found remains of the bomb, a
timing mechanism and a length of
IV4 inch pipe.