E£ NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVI No. 71 " ~~ NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE16^L95T Per Copy-^T5^
H-Bomb Inventor
Does Not Trust
Dr. Oppenheimer
WASHINGTON, UP) — The man
credited by many atomic scientists
with unlocking the door to the
hydrogen bomb says he would feel
safer if Dr. J. Robert Oppenheim
er did not have custody of the
nation’s vital secrets.
The scientist is Dr. Edward Tel
ler, 46-year-old University of
California professor, who said he
regards Oppenheimer as a loyal
American but questions his wis
dom and judgment.
Oppenheimer himself calls Tel
ler the “principal inventor” of
the fearful H-bomb.
Key Men Back Oppenheimer
But even as Dr. Teller express
ed some reservations about Op
penheimer, father of the atomic
bomb during World War II, many
of the key men who worked shoul
der to shoulder with him in top
secret projects rallied to Oppen
heimer’s defense, saying he was
a man of complete loyalty, integ
rity and devotion to his country.
On the other side of the pic
ture, William L. Borden, former
executive secretary of the Senate
House Atomic Committee, de
scribed Oppenheimer as “more
probably than not an agent of
the Soviet Union.”
All this conflicting testimony—
and a backstage account of the
momentous, tortuous development
of the H-bomb—was disclosed in
the release of the transcript of
hearings before a special security
board of the Atomic Energy Com
mission.
The board ruled on May 27 that
Oppenheimer was a loyal Ameri
can and a discreet one. But, in a
2-1 split, it said the famed, thin
physicist with the crew haircut
was a security risk not entitled
any more to' access to the atomic
information he helped store up
for 10 years.
Oppenheimer and his attorneys
have appealed to the full AEC to
overturn this finding.
The half-million words of testi
mony from 40 witnesses ran
through the gamut of charges that
Oppenheimer had been a contrib
utor and fellow traveler with
Communist causes until 1942, that
he lied to Army intelligence of
ficers investigating Russian atom
ic espionage in 1942, and that he
opposed an all-out effort to de
velop the H-bomb as late as 1949.
All Charges Conceded
All this was freely conceded by
Oppenheimer, who said he had
made mistakes in the past and had
once been an “idiot,” but carefully
guarded the host of secrets “I
have had ... in my head a
long time.”
And a virtual roll call of former
AEC commissioners and top atom
ic scientists backed up former
AEC chairman Gordon Dean,
who described Oppenheimer as
one of the few men who can
completely demonstrate his loy
alty to his country “by his per
formance.”
Aside from Oppenheimer and
his wife, there were 38 witnesses.
Attorneys for Oppenheimer said
25 of them voiced no doubts at
all about him.
McCarthy Protests
Democrats Are
Out To Get Him
WASHINGTON, UP) — Sen. Mc
Carthy protested today that Dem
ocrats on the McCarthy - Army
hearings subcommittee wanted
“to put me in jail” for obtaining
information on security risks in
the Army, and were also claiming
he didn’t handle it with proper
speed after he got it.
McCarthy, in possibly the final
day of the hearings, was under
pressing questioning as to why he
didn’t go to Secretary of the Army
Stevens when he first heard of al
leged Communist infiltration of
Ft. Monmouth, N.J.. rather than
waiting months to hold hearings.
Sen. Jackson (D-Wash) first
raised the question, and it was
taken up by others, including
Army counsel Joseph N. Welsh. ,
It was a wrangling exchange in
which Sen. Symington (D-Mo)
once referred to Roy M. Cohn,
chief counsel to McCarthy’s in
vestigations subcommittee, as “the
junior deputy senator from Wis
consin.”
Jackson noted McCarthy had
testified he received from an
Army intelligence officer in April
or May of last year a 2 Yz, page
document which McCarthy de
scribes as a summary of a longer
FBI report to Army intelligence
on security risks at Monmouth.
Saying that “called for prompt
action,” Jackson asked why Mc
Carthy hadn’t called the docu
ment to the attention of Stevens,
who had been in office only a few
months. Jackson contended that
would have been the quickest
route to getting the alleged sub
versives named in the document
out of the secret radar labora
tories.
McCarthy said the summary
was in the hands of military in
telligence officers and it would
be “worst than silly” to' call up
Army officials and tell them it
was in their files.
SENATE MOVE AGAINST
McCarthy likely to die
IN RULES COMMITTEE
WASHINGTON, UP) — An effort
by Sen. Flanders (R-Vt) to strip
Sen. McCarthy of his committee
chairmanships appeared headed
today for a quiet death in the
Senate Rules Committee.
It was Flanders himself who
late yesterday moved — at the
prodding of Republican leaders—
to send his proposal to the Rules
Committee. This was done by a
voice vote, with only a few scat
tered dissents.
South Africa Presses For
Increase In Gold Price
MONTREAL, LP)—South Afrcia,
world’s largest gold producer, is
pressing for support for an in
crease in the price of gold at the
Congress of the Chambers of
Commerce of the British Empire.
A resolution, submitted by the
Association of Chambers of Com
merce of South Africa, says a
substantial and uniform increase
in the gold price in terms of all
currencies would represent a
major contribution towards the
economic welfare of the world.
Season’s Longest Heat
Wave Still Goes On
(By the Associated Press)
The season’s longest heat wave
showed no' immediate signs of
breaking over the central and
southeast sections of the country
today.
More hot and humid weather
was forecast, with daytime tem
peratures in the 90s. Sleeping was
a problem as temperatures stayed
in the 70s during the night. Today
was the sixth straight day of op
pressive heat in most of the Mid
west. For the first time in Wea
ther Bureau history Chicago had
its fifth straight June day of 92
degree or higher temperature
with a top of 95.
Paints Washington State
Capitol Dome To Prove
Love For Girl Friend
OLYMPIA, (F—A youth who
painted huge orange letters on the
state capitol dome to proclaim his
love for an Olympia high school
girl got the bill—plus a lecture—
in Superior Court yesterday.
Judge Charles T. Wright order
ed George Doherty Jr., 19, Olym
pia, to pay the cost of removing
the paint, $300 to $600 and gave
him an 11-months suspended jail
sentence, plus a suspended fine of
$500.
The judge also directed Do
herty to attend church every Sun
day for a year.
Doherty previously had admit
ted he had painted his initials on
the lower part of the dome in an
effort to impress his girl friend.
BIDAULT OPPOSES PLANS
TO SUSPEND PEACE TALKS
GENEVA, CP)—French Foreign1
Minister Georges Bidault was re
ported today to be firmly opposed
to British-American plans to sus
pend the Indochina peace talks.
Bidault flew in from Paris for
a dinner meeting with British For
eign Secretary Anthony Eden and
U.S. Undersecretary of State Wal
ter Bedell Smith. French sources
said his sole purpose in coming
back was to try to prevent a
breakup of the conference.
Britain and the United States
were reported to be studying the
possibilities of setting up a stand
by group to remain in Geneva
during the proposed suspension or
recess.
Sees No Solution For East
West Conflict Except In
Horror of Atomic War
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., CP)—For
mer ambassador George F. Ken
nan said today he has “watched
with a sinking heart” the growth
of a national state of mind that
sees no solution of the East-West
conflict “except in the horror of
an atomic war.”
“I fear I see a deterioration in
the prospects of our continuing to
muddle through these difficulties
in the direction of a more hopeful
future,” he said.
Kennan’s remarks were pre
pared for the annual Radcliffe
College commencement at which
his daughter Grace was to receive
a Bachelor of Arts degree cum
laude.
\
Ike Thinking of
U.S.’ Problems, not
Of ’56 Re-election
WASHINGTON, UPI — President
Eisenhower said today he is giv
ing no- thought now as to whether
he will seek re-election in 1956.
The President also told his news
conference his forthcoming con
ference here with Prime Minister
Churchill was suggested by Chur
chill to combat what Eisenhower
termed the theory that there is a
great rift between the United
States and Britain.
Eisenhower said the main pur
pose of the conference, to be held
at the White House the weekend
starting June 25, is to make the
alliance between the two nations
as strong as possible.
The President’s remarks re
garding 1956 were touched by a
newsman’s reminder that Eisen
hower’s chief aide, Sherman
Adams, suggested last week that
Eisenhower might not run again
for the Presidency if the Repub
licans were to lose control of Con
gress in the elections this fall.
Eisenhower was asked whether
such a political development in
November might have this effect
on his plans.
He paused for a moment, then
laughed. Then Eisenhower went
on to say that to his best knowl
edge the matter of what he will
do in 1956 never yet has been dis
cussed by him, except perhaps in
a facetious manner.
The President said he was not
going to make any prediction on
that matter. He added, to a round
of laughter, that what happens
then is sufficient unto the day
and the evils thereof.
! He mentioned the great world
problems confronting the United
States and said those are occupy
ing his main attention at this
time. He said that not by any
manner of means was he casting
his mind forward to 1956 at this
time.
Gen. Van Fleet Says
Breakup Of Korean Peace
Talks No Surprise to Him
TOKYO, UP)—Gen. James A. Van
Fleet, former commander of the
U.S. Eighth Army in Korea, said
today the breakup of the Korean
peace conference at Geneva was
“no surprise to me” and “I’m
glad it finally came about.”
The retired general, on a mili
tary aid survey of the Far East
for President Eisenhower, de
clared “we had to go through with
it and prove once again you
can’t believe the Communists—
you can’t rely on them.”
Van Fleet arrived today from
Korea and said he planned to visit
Formosa “as soon as I can.”
Asked if the South Korean army
which he helped build to its pre
sent 20 division strength, could
be expanded, Van Fleet declared:
“They have plenty of manpow
er and a wonderful spirit. This
is true of all our free countries
in Asia.
“Whenever you find a native
force trained and equipped and
with a passionate desire to defend
its freedom, it is a bargain pack
age for the United States to sup
port such people.”
Council Chooses
Herb Jenks As
Chief of Police
Last evening the Nome City
Council met and many reports
were given and new matters
brought up.
Bill Gillis reported that streets
were in fair condition and that
about $1,500 worth of lumber
would be needed to make the
necessary sidewalk repairs.
He also recommended that sec
tions of streets be blocked off for
proper oiling so that the work
could be done more efficiently.
It was reported that the old
grader belonging to the city was
being sold to Lee Dredging for
$1,000.
The city agreed to assume the
responsibility of paying for cleri
cal work at the Health Center.
This work has been financed by
funds from the local TB fund
but which is now exhausted.
The city sold to Jack Blattler,
Lot 34 in Block 12.
Playfield—Bob Lewis reported
that as soon as Ernie Bohrer fin
ishes repairing playfield equip
ment it will be put into use at
the playfield. The swings will be
completed when the new links ar
rive from the states.
Fire and Water — City mains
were reported filled and all re
pairs completed. Volunteer fire
men collected $48.50 for the
month and two fires were re
ported, one of which was a grass
fire.
Insurance has been taken out
on the new Jeep pumper, making
all equipment of the city now
covered for liability.
Police Dept.—73 arrests were
made during the month, 70 of
which were civilians and 3 mili
tary. $561 in fines was collected;
14 traffic violations were reported
and 7 dogs shot.
Health Dept, report showed no
communicable diseases; four TB
hospitalizations; 48 X-rays taken
and one case turned over to the
Crippled Children’s Assn.
The School Budget was accept
ed by the city with the city’s
share being $45,912.25. There was
considerable discussion on how
this indebtedness was to be met,
whether by an increase in pro
perty taxes or by raising the sales
tax one per cent.
Six applications for Police
Chief were received. Acting chief
Herb Jenks was chosen to fill the
position for the year. One ap
plication for Fire Chief was re
ceived and accepted: W. W. Laws;
one application for utility man
was received and accepted: Harry
Johnson.
The program for the 4th of
July celebration was discussed
and Jim Walsh was appointed
chairman, assisted by Rita Harper.
Rose Silverman brought up the
matter of the curfew enforcement
prohibiting young people from
frequenting eating places after 10
o’clock at night. This matter was
left to the discretion of the Chief
of Police.
Clean-up—Chairman Rita Har
per reported the city garbage
dump was a public eyesore and
steps are to be taken to have it
bulldozed immediately. It was
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