m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL, LVI Nc, 22 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1954 Per Copy—15^
Seattle Chamber
Promises Promote
Tourists for Alaska
SEATTLE, UP) — The Seattle
Chamber of Commerce has an
nounced plans to cooperate with
Alaskans in promoting more tour
ist business for the territory. The
Chamber’s Alaska division and
Visitors Bureau will join in the
new activity.
The campaign stems from an,
Alaska division meeting which
heard reports from Edward D.
Coffey, Anchorage, president of
the Alaska Visitors Association,
and Dr. William J. Stanton, who
recently made a survey of the
Alaska tourist problem for the
Interior Department.
Coffey said 77 per cent of all
Alaska tourists come through
Seattle. He said the territory’s
diminishing retui'ns from con
struction, salmon and gold min
ing pointed to the need for build
ing up tourist trade.
Dr. Stanton said the Pacific
Coast states provide 43 per cent
of all Alaska tourists. Most of
those who travel by ship spend
little time ashore. Better high
ways and accommodations, and
stepped-up advertising should
encourage more visits to points of
scenic and historical interest, he
said.
Fellow ‘Confesser*
Defends Schwable
At Marine Hearing
WASHINGTON, (IB—Maj. Roy
Bley testified today he was “men
tally and physically broken” by
his Communist captors in Korea
when he signed a false confession
to engaging in germ warfare oper
ations.
Bley, 40, appeared at his own
request as a witness in the Marine
Corps court of inquiry which is
determining whether his fellow
officer, Col. Frank H. Schwable,
should face court martial for a
similar confession.
Bley was named “an interested
party” to the inquiry yesterday
after Schwable’s counsel, Col.
Paul Sherman, told Bley he was
“suspected” of improper dealings
with the enemy after Schwable
and Bley were captured July 8,
1952.
The Marine Corps decided to
confine the current inquiry to
Schwable rather than investigate
Bley’s conduct at the same time.
The Army, meanwhile, pre
pared to set up a court martial
for one of its men, Cpl. Edward
S. Dickerson, who at first decided
to remain with the Communists
who captured him in Korea, but
later elected to return home.
Bley said he signed the false
confession after five sleepless
nights under threat of removal to
Communist China for execution
as a war criminal.
This period followed months of
solitary confinement, frequent
brutal mistreatment and near
starvation, the Santa Ana, Calif.,
officer declared. He said Tie also
suffered badly from wounds and
from nervous afflictions so severe
that he had to crawl on hands
and knees.
6 Convicted Communists
Given Choice: Prison Here
Or Deportation to Russia
DETROIT, UP) — Six Michigan
Communists, convicted of conspir
acy against the government today
were given the choice of prison
sentences ranging from four to
five years, or going to Russia.
In addition, Federal Judge
Frank Picard fined each of the
defendants $10,000.
A jammed courtroom heard the
judge deliver a scathing criticism
of the defendants in passing sen
tence.
“Under federal law, I can
change this sentence dny time
within the next 60 days,” Judge
Picard said, “and if any of you
should decide to want to go to
Russia, I would be glad to do so.”
Picard said the defendants are
guilty of the greatest offense of
which a citizen could be con
victed, conspiracy for the over
throw of your government.” _
Newsmen were unable to get a
response to Judge Picard’s offer
from the defandants. Federal
agents quickly removed the six
to jail.
Democrats Defeated In
Confirmation of Beeson
But Are Happy About It
WASHINGTON, UP) — Demo
cratic leaders in the Senate were
quietly jubilant today, despite a
45-42 defeat in their campaign
against confirmation of Albert C.
Beeson to the National Labor Re
lations Board <NLRB>.
Sen. Hill <D-Ala>, who took a
leading part in the floor fight
against Beeson, said the outcome
would “give the Democrats a clear
cut issue which we will undoubt
edly raise from time to time” be
fore next November’s election.
Beeson was confirmed after bit
ter debate. Accused by some
Democrats of making “false and
misleading” statements during his
confirmation hearing, he was
given a vote of confidence by all
but one of the Republicans pre
sent. Republicans said his integ
rity stood unquestioned and that
nothing brought out in lengthy
hearings before the Senate Labor
Committee had impaired “his rep
utation for truth and veracity.”
Some said that he became con
fused during his testimony but
had no intention not to tell the
truth.
But Sen. Neely (D-WVA), asked
the Senate to help him protect
President Eisenhower “against the
disgrace of putting a man on there
who had lied five times.”
Marilyn Returns To Tokyo
After Appearing Before
Thousands of Korea GIs
TOKYO, UP) — Actress Marilyn
Monroe, tired but obviously
happy after a four-day tour of
Korea, today flew back to Japan
and a warm welcome from hus
band Joe DiMaggio.
The blonde actress ended three
days of frontline singing for tens
of thousands of soldiers, called
her visit, “the high point of ev
erything.”
Military officials said Marilyn
sang for upwards of 100,000 men
at nine major shows and a series
of brief appearances. Some shows
drew more than 13,000 men.
California’s Gov.
Tells Ike How To
Beat Democrats
PALM SPRINGS, Calif., UP) —
The political advice President
Eisenhower gets from Gov. Good
win J. Knight of California is
this: If you want to defeat the
Democrats at the polls, be kind
to them.
The Republican governor visit
ed with Eisenhower for a half
hour yesterday at the President’s
vacation retreat here. And Knight
said to newsmen after the session:
“I told the President his re
cent announcement that the best
kind of Republicanism is to avoid
bitter condemnation of Democrats
is very popular in California, be
cause that is the way we have
been beating the New Deal here
for 20 years.”
Knight was alluding to Eisen
hower’s statement Feb. 10 that
he is against extreme political
partisanship. He made the remark
in commenting on a barrage of
GOP criticism directed against
the Truman administration.
At a news conference here,
Knight spoke out against calling
“all Democrats blackguards.” He
said that “up until recently there
have always been a million more
Democratic voters than Republi
cans in California.” The gover
nor added that despite that, Re
publicans in his state have been
winning out by refraining from
bitter attacks on the Democrats.”
He taked of it as a GOP pro
gram designed to give the people
“the kind of government that at
tracts Democrats as well as Re- i
publicans.”
_
Bartlett Acts To
Bring Alaska Bill
To House Floor
WASHINGTON, UR — Delegate
Bartlett urged members of Con
gress Thursday to sign a discharge
petition aimed at bringing the
Alaska statehood bill to the House
floor.
The petition, submitted by Rep.
Engle <D-Calif) two weeks ago,
would take the statehood bill from
the House Rules Committee,
where it has been bottled up since
approval by the Interior Commit
tee last year, and bring it to the
floor for consideration.
To be successful, the petition
must bear 218 signatures—a ma
jority of the House membership.
'In separate letters to each mem
ber of Congress, Bartlett noted
that the statehood cause had been
endorsed by both political parties.
He urged a bi-partisan effort to
bring the bill before the House.
Although stalled in the House,
the question of Alaska statehood
is expected to come before the
Senate shortly.
Senate Republican leaders have
said the next major legislation to
be considered there, following dis
position of the controversial
Bricker amendment, is Hawaii
statehood.
Efforts are expected to be made
during the Hawaii debate to add
the Alaska bill to that of the
Pacific territory.
South Korea Denounces
Big 4 Agreement to Hold
Peace Conclave at Geneva!
(By the Associated Press)
South Korea angrily denounced
today the Big Four agreement to
hold a Korean peace conference
at Geneva, Switzerland, April 26.
As the Big Four ministers head
ed home after the scheduled talks,
which will include^ Red China,
“fundamentally incompatible with
the Korean armistice agreement.”
There was no assertion, however,
that South Korea would refuse to
attend the Geneva talks.
Although the top problems of
Germany, Austria and European
security were left unsolved, the
foreign ministers did agree that
question of ending the 7-year-old
Indochinese war would be dis
cussed at the Geneva meeting. I
Secretary of State John Foster
Dulles voiced “a large measure of
regret” at the failure of the con
ference to reach agreeemnt on
pressing European problems. He
said the impasse resulted from a
fundamental difference of views
between Soviet Russia and the
West.
The Big Four agreement speci
fied the inclusion of Red China in
the Geneva talks did not mean
diplomatic recognition of that
country.
Dust Storms Engulf Parts
Of Southwestern States
AMARILLO, Tex., UP)—Choking
black clouds of dust engulfed sec
tions of Texas, Oklahoma, New
Mexico, Kansas and Colorado to
day.
Visibility was cut to zero in the
Texas Panhandle and street lights i
had to be turned on.
The turbulance accompanied a
western cold front that moved
across the states. Tornado alerts
were issued for sections of Texas.
Oklahoma and Arkansas.
In the Texas Panhandle city
street lights cast wan gleams thru
the black pall that shut out the
sun. Cars and buses nosed cau
tiously along streets and high
ways, headlights stabbing feebly
into the dust.
Businessmen in Garden City,
Kansas, shoveled dirt off their
sidewalks like they do heavy
snow.
Congressional Hearing On!
Pacific NW Maritime
Situation Is Slated
WASHINGTON, UPP-Sen. Mag
nuson (D-Wash) said yesterday
he expects a congressional hear
ing on the maritime situation in
the Pacific Northwest to be held
late this spring.
The senator suggested some
time ago to Sen. John M. Butler
(R-MD) that the Senate Com
merce subcommittee on Water
Transportation hold a hearing in
the area. Butler is chairman of
the subcommittee.
Magnuson said in a statement
Butler recalled the suggestion
during a meeting today and said
he would follow it. No date for
the hearing has been set.
The senator said the hearing
will be general in nature, cover
ing the entire maritime situation
in the Puget Sound area.
Bill Peterson Of
Kotzebue Killed In
Crash In Montana
HELENA, Mont., (#)—A Kotze
bue, Alaska, pilot crashed to his
death in a light plane in south
eastern Montana late Thursday.
He was identified as William
Peterson by Montana Aeronau
tics director Frank W. Wiley.
Peterson was enroute to Rapid
City, S.D., when his Beach Bon
anza airplane crashed near Ham
mond, a tiny town 230 miles
southeast of Billings near the
South Dakota boarder.
Wiley said Peterson left Helena
about 3:23 p.m. yesterday for
Rapid City with six hours of
fuel. He was last heard from over
Laurel, with an estimated three
hours of fuel left.
Wiley said Peterson’s destina
tion was Rochester, Minn.
McCarthy Ejects
Army Men From
Closed Hearing
NEW YORK, UP) —Sen. Joseph
R. McCarthy ejected the Army’s
chief counsel and a general from
a closed hearing of his investiga
tions subcommittee yesterday and
angrily asked how a former major
escaped court martial as a “Fifth
Amendment Communist.”
Thrown out of the hearing were
John G. Adams, chief counsel of
the Army, Brig. Gen. Ralph W.
Zwicker, commandant of Camp
Kilmer, N.J., and his aides.
After the session, McCarthy
'heatedly told newsmen he had
been questioning an unidentified
lieutenant colonel and Zwicker
about an honorable discharge
given earlier this month to Dr.
Irving Peress, a Queens dentist.
At a morning open session, Per
ess refused to answer 33 questions
about possible Communist links,
invoking the Fifth Amendment
against self incrimination.
Peress served at Camp Kilmer.
He was promoted from Captain
to Major in the reserves last No
vember. He was given an honor
able discharge after McCarthy
had demanded his court martial.
It was reported the lieutenant
colonel declined to answer some
of McCarthy’s questions concem
inf Peress. The officer said it
would violate Army regulations.
Then McCarthy ordered Adams
to take the stand, it was reported,
but Adams also refused saying
he was at the hearing as an ob
server for Secretary of the Army
Robert T. Stevens. McCarthy then
ordered from the room Adams
and all the Army officers, ex
cept the lieutenant colonel.
McCarthy said “Gen. Zwicker
gave the most revealing part of
the testimony regarding why men
like Iiwing Peress could continue
in service after it was known he
was a Communist,” McCarthy
said.
Zwicker called McCarthy’s sum
mary of his testimony a colored
and slanted version “twisting ev
erything he could so that his ver
sion of what I said was absolutely
not a truthful one.”