as NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL .LVIII No. 36 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 26, 1956 _Per Copy—154
Russia Denies U.S. Claim That Its
Balloons Have Flown Over Alaska
Despite Evidence Found Near Nome
FAIRBANKS, 'The U. S.*
Weather Bureau of Fairbanks In
ternational Airport Saturday in
sisted, despite Russian denials,
that Russian weather balloon ap
paratus has been found in Alaska.
A spokesman for the bureau
said he personally has inspected a
set of recording equipment com
monly tied to balloons sent up by
weathermen all over the world.
Bore Soviet Markings
He said the weather-sounding
devices, bearing Soviet markings,
have been found on the Seward
Peninsula near Nome as well as
one he saw which was found near
Galena, 300 miles west of Fair
banks two or three years ago.
The equipment, the spokesman
said, was turned over to the Air
Force.
Soviets Safe In Demand
The weatherman said the Soviet
Union was safe in its demands for
the remains of a Russian balloon
found in Alaska. He explained the
balloon “skin” expands to one
one millionth of an inch at an al
titude of 60,000 to 80,000 feet be
fore it freezes and shatters “into
a million pieces.”
When the tiny fragments fall
to the ground, he said, they are
so minute and so scattered it
would be impossible to pick them
up.
Prevailing westerly Winds, the
bureau spokesman said, carry the
balloons across the Bering Strait
from weather stations in Siberia.
LONDON, W*—Russia rejected
yesterday a U.S. claim that Soviet
balloons have flown over Ameri
can territory.
A government note broadcast
■by Moscow radio challenged the
United States to produce any So
viet balloons to prove its case.
The United States told Russia
March 1 that Soviet balloons had
flown over Alaska just as U.S.
balloons had flown over Soviet
territory.
Russia had protested that cam
era-carrying U.S. balloons had
been “spying” on Soviet territory
and endangering air traffic. The
U.S. said they were weather bal
loons.
Russia repeated its earlier
charges that captured U.S. weath
er balloons contained cameras as
well as radio transmitters.
As to the U.S. charge that Sovi
et balloons had appeared over
American territory, the note said:
"These assertions run counter
to the facts. Soviet organs have
not launched and are not launch
ing aerostats (balloons* into the
air space of the United States or
any other country.
‘ “Inasmuch as the United States
note contains different assertions,
however, it would perhaps be ad
visable for the sake of truth to
arrange simultaneously displays
of both American balloons inter
cepted in the Soviet Union and of!
Soviet aerostats allegedly in the
possession of the United States,
government.”
Value of Unitized Cargo
Handling Is Proved,
Says Alaska Steam
SEATTLE, UPL-The' Alaska
Steamship Co. said Saturday that
a decrease in cargo losses has
proved the value of “unitized”
cargo handling.
Unitized service includes the
use of trailer vans, metal contain
ers and wooden cribs to handle
cargo in large amounts, rather
than small, individual pieces.
The Alaska Line began its uni
tized service in 1953 in an effort
to speed up the loading and un
loading of ships and reduce cargo
losses. Other ocean-transportation
services are using similar meth-1
ods.
“A by-product of unitization,”
the company added, “has been
the rpduction in personal injuries,
which show an attributable drop
of 75 percent.”
Ruling Which Voided
Coast Guard Procedure
Won’t Be Appealed
WASHINGTON MV-'The Justice
Department was reported today
to have decided not to appeal a
circuit court ruling which voided
the Coast Guard’s procedure for
screening suspected security risks.
The department declined to
comment on the matter. The cir
cuit court had ruled against the
use of unnamed informants in a
screening case.
Government sources indicated
the Coast Guard now is working
on a revision of its regulations for
such screenings.
The San Frincisco court handed
down its 2-1 decision last October
in the case of Lawrence E. Parker
and five other seamen who were
screened off ships in San Francis
co after the outbreak of the Kor
ean War. The court ruled they
were improperly denied the names
of witnesses who gave adverse
information against them. Such
denial, the court said, deprived
the seamen of due process and
“the right of citizens to confront
their accusers.
Whaler Cargo
Seized as Illegal
HAMBURG, Germany, OP—A
West. German state court today
ordered the confiscation of the
entire cargo of the whaling vessel
Olympic Sun, owned by Greek
born Aristotle Onassis.
The Olympic Sun arrived here
Friday with 9,000 tons of whale
oil worth two million dollars.
The action against the tanker
was taken on a complaint by the
Norwegian Whaling Assn, that
Onassis’ whaling fleet had caused
serious damage by hunting ille
gally in antarctic waters.
The Norwegian government had
sent three protest notes to Pana
ma, under who$e flag the Onassis
whaling fleet operates. All were
rejected. Representatives of Onas
sis here have not yet commented
on the seizure.
Weather Apparently
Has Been Balmy
Where Icebergs Grow
NEW YORK, —Whatever the
unspringlike weather along the
North Atlantic seaboard, it appar
ently has been balmy up where
the icebergs grow.
Reaching port today with his
liner, Stavangerfjord, Capt. Ivar
Gronbukt reported he had to go
50 miles off course at Cape Race,
Nfld., to avoid slush ice and
“growlers,” or icebergs.
“They’re coming down early
and fast," Gronbukt said, noting
icebergs are not expected until
late in April or early May.
‘Long John Silver’ Actor
Robert Newton Dies at 50
BEVERLEY HILLS, Calif., UP>—
British actor Robert Newton, the
wily, gravel-voiced “Long John
Silver” of television and the mov
ies, died at his home yesterday of
a heart attack. He was 50.
Newton returned to Hollywood
last June after a year in Australia
where he made a film version of
“Long John Silver” and filmed 26
half hour TV shows based on the
character.
Only last year he said he in
tended to take out American citi
zenship.
Post Offices to Replace
Old Pens With Ballpoints
WASHINGTON, l/IV-The old
fashioned and frequently messy
hand-dip post office pen will be a
thing of the past in the next six
months, Postmaster General Sum
merfield said today.
He said his department has
asked for bids on 500,000 ball
point pens and 500,000 refills for
use in post offices throughout the
country.
Chester Topkok of Teller Wins
Nome - Hastings Dog Race Sunday
The Chester Topkok of Teller
with seven dogs won the Arctic
Club 15-mile dog race yesterday
in one hour, 35 minutes and 30
seconds.
The weather was perfect and a
large crowd turned out with cam
eras clicking all the way from the
starting point in front of the City
Hall to the King Island Village at
the east end of town.
The eight teams entered in the
race finished as follows:
Chester Topkok, Teller, nine
dogs, 1:35:30.
John Komok, Teller, nine dogs,
1:42:06.
Edwin Punguk, White Moun
tain, nine dogs, 1:53:25.
Paul Tocktoo, Nome, seven
dogs, 1:58:30.
Henry Adams, Nome, seven
dogs, 1:58:31.
Arthur Trigg, Nome, eight dogs,
2:1:13.
Clifford Attatayuk, Ncme, seven
dogs, 2:16:36.
Billy Nelson, Bluff, nine dogs,
2:41.
The winner received $300 in
cash and his name will be in
scribed on the Polaris trophy.
John Komok, second place, re
ceived $100; third, Ed Punguk,
$50 and the Russell trophy; 4th,
Paul Tocktoo, phonograph from
the N.C. Store; 5th, Henry Adams,
fur cap from Polet’s; 6th, Arthur
Trigg, hip boots, donor anoymous;
7th, Clifford Attatayuk, knee
boots, donor anonymous; 8th,
Billy Nelson, shoepacs, donor
anonymous.
A surprise team which furnish
ed considerable entertainment
during the race was a team of
black cocker spaniels, sponsored
and trained by B. G. Baker. The
leader was Beegee and her team
mates Sharkey and Tarby. The
“team” hauled a burden, Gypsy,
a tiny dachshund, dressed in an
Easter gown.
The shotgun given by the Arctic
Club was a wared to Jack Hanson
of the U.S. Weather Bureau, and
the radio was awarded to Edna
Alexander.
All the drivers in the race
were treated to dinner Sunday
evening as guests of the North
Star Grill.
Eyinck Withdraws Name
From Primaries for
Highway Engineer
Donald H. Eyinck announced in
a letter dated Mareh 16 that he
wishes to withdraw his name as
a candidate in the primaries for
the office of territorial highway
engineer, it was learned here Sat
urday.
Eyinck’s letter was addressed
to John A. McKinney, territorial
director of finance. The clerks of
the court have been notified of
Eyinck’s announcement of with
drawal.
This leaves Frank Metcalf and
Charles Davis as the sole Demo
cratic candidates for the highway
engineer’s office in the coming
April 24 primary.
Sec. Weeks Refuses to Give Senators
Confidential Papers on Trade Policy
WASHINGTON, tfV-Secretary 1
of Commerce Weeks refused to
day to give investigating senators
confidential papers on East-West
trade policy despite a statement
by Sen. McClellan (D-Ark) that
“the chair orders and directs you”
to hand them over.
Weeks’ stand at a public hear
ing and Chairman McClellan's in
sistence on the information has
touched off a row between Demo
crats and Republicans on the Sen
ate Investigations subcommittee.
Sen. Mundt (R-SD) protested
what he termed “political perse
cution” of government officials,
and Sen. Bender <R-Ohio) called
it “shocking” that McClellan
should interrupt Weeks before the
secretary could complete some an
swers.
McClellan, banging his gavel,
said there had been “uncalled for
remarks.” With sarcasm in his
voice, he told Bender, “I’m sorry
that my colleague is shocked.”
Weeks, Undersecretary of State
Herbert Hoover Jr., and John B.
Hollister, U.S. foreign aid chief,
all called to the witness stand si
multaneously, took turns in re
fusing to:
1. Give in a public hearing de
tails of a 1954 agreement by free
world nations to relax many of
the embargoes and curbs on sale
of strategic goods to Russia. They
offered anew to give this informa
tion in confidential closed door
meeting. McClellan agreed to let
them do so.
2. Refused to give the subcom
mittee at all copies of working
papers which served as guide lines
to the U.S. negotiators at the 1954
Paris Conference at which the
agreement to relax the controls
was reached.
Weeks, Hoover and Hollister all
insisted that to hand over the
working papers would “violate
the doctrine of the separation of
powers” between the legislative
and executive branches of gov
ernment.
Weeks came to the hearing with
a prepared statement in which he
said it was “inconsistent” for the
subcommittee to insist on infor
mation but refuse to accept it in
a closed session as he said it had
repeatedly done heretofore.
Red Leader at
Tiflis Fired for
Students’ Skipping
MOSCOW, UV—The chief Com
munist organizer of Tiflis Univer
sity has been fired for failing to
indoctrinate the students with
Communism successfully and for
failing to wipe out national and
racial pride.
This was disclosed in the March
24 issue of the Tiflis newspaper,
“Dawn of the East,” which
reached Moscow today.
The firing of the university
Communist cell’s party secretary,
S. Djorbenadz, was revealed in an
article which said also that the
students had indulged in mass
cutting of their classes in Marx
ism, Leninism and dialectical ma
terialism since last September.
According to the university fig
ures, between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31,
94,083 man-hours of classes “were
skipped without any excuse.”
The newspaper said the stu
dents organized themselves into
groups and went to the movies
instead of classes while teachers
“lectured to virtually empty audi
toriums.”
“Especially ‘organized’ in this
way are groups in the west Euro
pean language and literature fac
ulty (school). Unfortunately, they,
are followed by the faculty of
physics,” the newspaper said.
The paper said that since the
beginning of 1955 “there were 176
registered cases of students break
ing rules of socialist order.
< Tiflis is the birthplace of the
late Joseph Stalin, who now is
under attack by present Kremlin
leaders.)