m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV NO. 152' NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1953 ~ Per Copy—15<*
Family of Three
Indicted in $681,700
Armored Car Theft
BOSTON, — Three members
of a family were under indict
ment today in connection with the
fabulous $681,700 cash robbery
from a parked armored truck 21
months ago.
A federal grand jury late yes
terday indicted George D. O’Brien
43, an ex-convict on charges of
actual participation in the daring
daylight theft.
His wife, Maragaret, 42, and
their son, George D. Jr., 19, a
Massachusetts Institute of Tech
nology engineering student, were
indicted on charges of receiving
stolen money from the older
O’Brien.
The husband and Wife were ar
rested Thanksgiving eve by FBI
agents in their $20,000 white
colonial-type home in Wollaston
on Boston’s south shore.
The son was arrested the same
day on the M.I.T. campus. The
Institute suspended him soon after
his arrest but reinstated him two
days later pending outcome of the
case.
The grand jury heard 51 wit
nesses during the five days the
government presented testimony
in the armored car theft of March
25, 1951.
The district attorney said “at
least three men’’ cleaned out the
armored car of everything but
$70,000 in silver while it was
parked on a busy square in Dan
vers, about 20 miles north of Bos
ton.
The truck’s three guards were
having a forenoon cup of coffee
in a nearby drug store at the
time.
South Sen. Hints
Filibuster Against
Hawaii Statehood
WASHINGTON, OP—Sen. East
land (D-Miss) hinted Tuesday at a
Southern filibuster against Hawaii
statehood legislation.
Declaring his opposition to the
proposal, Eastland said:
“It may be necessary to talk for
days and this the South must do.”
He said in a statement released
by his office that he understands
the administration plans to bring
the Hawaiian statehood issue up
for early consideration in the Sen
ate in the session opening Jan. 6.
Eastland’s statement followed
by a day announcement of Sen.
Long (D-La) that he is ready to
support Hawaii’s bid for state
hood. Long is a member of the
Senate Interior Committee, which
voted 8-7 to tie together Hawaiian
and Alaskan statehood bills.
Eastland said in his statement
today that admission of Hawaii
would mean two senators would
be elected there and this “would
cause grave trouble in this coun
try.”
“There would be two votes for
socialized medicine,” he said, “two
votes for the government owner
ship of industry; two votes against
all racial segregation, and two
votes against the South on all
social matters.”
Living Costs Decline In
November For First
Time Since February
WASHINGTON, OP — The -gov
ernment reported today that living
costs declined in November, re
versing a steady eight months ad
vance to record levels.
The index, compiled by the Bu
reau of Labor Statistics, declined
three-tenths of one per cent to
115 per cent of the 1947-49 aver
age.
It was the first drop since Feb
ruary, and indicated some stabil
izing of the economy.
The index decline knocks about
1,100,000 railroad employes out of
the penny-an-hour wage increase
they would have received had the
index stayed at its October figure.
The Labor Statistics commis
sioner said he had advance in
dications that food prices are ad
vancing, mainly pork prices. He
said this may prevent a further
living cost decline for December
when the bureau reports the De
cember living cost level late next
month.
Mother Hears
From Missing
British Diplomat
LONDON, UPI—A Christmas let
ler in the handwriting of Guy
Burgess, British diplomat who
vanished 2V£ years ago, was deliv
ered at his mother’s home Wed
nesday.
She said it was the first real
evidence that her son is still alive.
Burgess and his foreign office
colleague, Donald MacLean, an
American affairs expert, disap
peared on May 25, 1951. There has
been wide speculation that they
fled to the east to help the Com
munist world dn its cold war
against the west.
Burgess’ mother, Mrs. Evelyn
Bassett, speaking from her apart
ment near Piccadilly Circus, said
she was “absolutely certain” her
son wrote the letter signed in his
name.
“It is a wonderful Christmas
present,” she said. “It is the first
real sign we have had that he is
still alive.”
Contents of the letter were not
published.
The penned date of the message
was simply “November.” It was
postmarked Monday night, how
ever, and in the do^vard area of
London.
The fact that it was posted in
a dockyard area suggested a pos
sibility that Burgess, if actually
in an iron curtain country, sent
the letter to England in the care
of a seaman, who dropped it in
a local mailbox.
The disappearance of Burgess
and MacLean touched off the
most intensive manhunt in recent
European history.
_
Izvestia Announces
Execution of Beria
MOSCOW, UP)— Soviet govern
ment newspaper Izvestia an
nounced former Secret Police
Chief Davrenta P. Beria and six
others accused of treason have
already been executd.
The newspaper said the Soviet
supreme court which sentenced
Beria to death sat from December
18 until today.
Father Stricken
As Nixon Plans
Talk to Nation
WASHINGTON, UP) — Plans for
Vice President Nixon to report to
the nation tonight on his 45,000
mile good will tour of the Far East
and Middle East were kept in
force today despite the serious
illness of his father in Phoenix,
Ariz.
The 75-year-old father, Frank
A. Nixon, was stricken aboard an
airliner as he flew home to Cali
fornia after a stay in Washington
and was hospitalized after the
plane made an unscheduled land
ing at Phoenix.
The vice president himself was
not immediately available but his
office reported it had no word of
any change in the broadcast plans.
His mother said he told her by
telephone last night he would not
go to1 Phoenix unless the father
took a turn for the worse.
Nixon returned Dec. 14 from
the 2V2 month trip that took him
around the world.
His half - hour address will be
carried by all the major radio net
works and by NBC television.
_
Cardinal Spellman
Arrives In Korea
Army Hospitals
SEOUL, (#>—The smiling, white
haired man moved slowly down
the rows of beds, stopping at each
to shake hands and chat for a few
moments with the patients in the
Allied Army hospital.
Francis Cardinal Spellman had
begun his third consecutive Christ
mas visit to United Nations troops
in Korea.
The cardinal, archbishop of New
York and vicar of all Catholics in
the armed forces, arrived Wednes
day by plane from Tokyo and
paused only to greet the 8th Army
commander, Gen. Maxwell D.
Taylor, and attend an Army honor
guard ceremony before heading
for the 121st Evacuation Hospital
outside of Seoul.
From there he went to the 48th
Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.
At the 121st he individually met
about 300 hospitalized men; at the
48th, 180 more. To each he gave
cigarettes and cards inscribed: “In
prayerful remembrance of Christ
mas shared together in Kqrea.”
11th Ballot Fails To
Elect French President
VERSAILLES, France, UPS—'The
French parliament went through
its 11th round of voting Wednes
day and again failed to elect a
president of the republic after a
week of fruitless voting.
Balloting with tired indiffer
ence, the more than 900 deputies
and senators refused to give a
winning majority to either of the
two chief candidates — Socialist
Marcel-Edmond Naegelen or over
seas minister Louis Jacquinot of
the Conservative Independent
party.
Naegelen got 372 votes, Jac
quinot 338. The required majority
was 441.
A 12th ballot was scheduled
later Wednesday.
Last Two of 13 Michigan
Prison Escapees Captured
In Indiana Town Hotel
RICHMOND, Ind., M—A park
ed car with two half-eaten loaves
of bread led police to the cap
ture in a hotel room early Wed
nesday of the last two- of 13 es
caped Michigan convicts.
Police Capt. John Rizio said the
two men, after a brief struggle,
admitted they are Robert Dowling,
33, a burglar, and Roman Usion
dek, 37,'psychopathic killer. Mich
igan police had described them as
dangerous.
They and 11 others escaped
from the southern Michigan pri
son at Jackson last Saturday,
burning through bars in a prison
sewer with an acetylene torch.
The tipoff came when cruising
patrolmen Robert Matheny and
Lawrence Harris spotted a car
with Michigan license plates,
parked opposite the W'ayne
Country courthouse.
Police found them in a nearby
hotel and arrested them. Dowling
tried to use a pistol, but was
quickly disarmed.
U.S. Examining
Soviet Acceptance
Of Atomic Talks
WASHINGTON, UP) — The
United States probably will send
Russia a new note soon welcom
ing its avowed agreement to atom
ic talks and suggesting ways to
get them started.
Top officials, who are still
going over Moscow’s message
with a magnifying glass, have yet
to decide precisely how this coun
try should proceed. Some author
ities believe an exchange through
normal diplomatic channels will
be undertaken.
However, such planning is go
ing forward in the State Depart
ment and Atomic Energy Com
mission on the assumption that
secret talks among the world
atomic powers will open up under
the sponsorship of the United Na
tions Disarmament Commission in
late January — about a month
away.
A preliminary exchange of
views which could be carried on
by ambassadors, or perhaps by
Secretary of State Dulles and For
eign Minister Molotov at the proj
ected Berlin conference, might
serve to clear the air of misunder
standings if any exist, officials
said.
The Russian note conditionally
agreeing to talks said President
Eisenhower’s proposal for an in
ternational atomic energy pool for
peaceful purposes needed clarifi
cation — apparently on the point
of what the president would do
about weapons control.
Dulles said yesterday the world
might see a “recession of the hor
ror of atomic warfare” in 1954 as
a result of America’s initiative
in reviving atomic talks and Rus
sian agreement to participate.
Asleep On Railroad Track Bed
ALBUQUERQUE, UP) — A fine
for drunkeness was the best $10
a 30-year-old Albuquerque man
ever spent.
Police rescued him from the
busy Santa Fe railroad tracks
where he had passed out.
Americans Refuse
To Listen to Last
Minute Appeals
PANMUNJOM, U?i — Time ran
out at midnight Wednesday on
efforts to change the minds of 22
American war prisoners who' stay
ed with the Communists.
The 90 day period for explana
tions to war prisoners expired
hours after the Americans and
other pro - Red captives chanted
songs, shouted and linked arms
in a wild dance to drown out last
minute broadcast appeals to re
turn home.
An Indian spokesman said that
as midnight passed there was no
request fo'r repatriation from pri
soners in the pro-Red north camp.
The Communists, who have
pressed repeatedly for an exten
sion of the explanation period,
asked to interview more Chinese
prisoners from the anti-Commuu
ist south camp Thursday.
But the Neutral Nations Repat
riation Commission ruled that the
explanations had ended.
The Commission approved a re
quest from the pro - Communist
Americans and the Briton to meet
Allied and Red news correspond
ents inside their compound Thurs
day.
Under terms of the armistice all
unrepatriated war prisoners are
to be held in the neutral zone
until Jan. 22 when they are to be
released as civilians. During the
the 30-day period they can still
ask for repatriation.
The Communists want the pri
soners kept in custody until a
peace conference decides their
fate, but the Allies have refused
to agree.
Mrs. Howe Leaves Japan
For Christmas At Home
TOKYO, UP>—Mrs. Portia Howe
packed Wednesday night for a
long homeward journey, a sad but
devout mother who says her war
prisoner son one day will realize
he made a mistake in turning
Communist.
The Alden, Minn., housewife
expects to spend Christmas with
her family. She is taking presents
bought in Japan for her three
other children.
Mrs. Howe flew to Japan 12
days ago in an effort to see her
POW son, Pfc. Richard Tenneson,
in Korea. She failed. But she said
Wednesday night her hope is not
shaken.
Tenneson, 20, is one of 17 Am
ericans who shouted down a last
minute Allied loudspeaker appeal
at Panmunjom that they come
home. All the Americans refused.
Mrs. Howe, a small Bible in
her hand, listened to the news in
her hotel room.
Then she opened her Bible.
“Train up a child,” she read aloud
in a soft but composed voice, “in
the way he should go and when
he is old he will not depart from
it.”
This, she said, is one of God’s
promises and “ I believe God’s
promises are never broken.
“I feel sure Richard will realize
his mistake.”
DON'T MISS THE CHRISTMAS
EDITION OF THE NUGGET. IT
COMES OUT THURS. EVENING