] 5 NO. 7
"News of ^Americas Last Frontier”
KODIAK, AI 4SKA APRIL 14, 1945
PRICE 10 CENT?
!Pt*2»1945
Mexico
Nation Mourns President
Roosevelt’s Visit To Kodiak Recalled
Truman Sworn In Office;
Promises To “Carry On”
Governor's Message
Juneau (Special)—Governor
Grueuing issued the following
statement: "Our nation has suf
fered an irretrievable calamity
in the death of the President. So
sudden and unexpected is thi«
tragic blow that it will be diffi
cult for us at oDce to grasp nip
full extent of this national disas
ter—indeed, it is disaster for the
whole world To its farthest cor
ners men, women and little child
ren of every land and of every
race today are infinitely poorer
for the passing of this great friend
(continued on page 9)
i Africa
Washington (iP) — President
; Harry S. Truman was sworn into
| office as the 32nd President at
‘7:09 Eastern War Time (Thurs
day) with his hand on a small
black Bible whose pages were
edged in red. He repeated the
oath after Chief Justice Stone.
To his left were his wife and
daughter. He then shook hands
with the group around him. All
had solemn faces and many were
red- eyed.
Later President Truman sol
emnly pledged himself to the pol
icies of Franklin Boosevelt, and
then announced in quick succes
sion:
1. That he would try to carry
on as he believes President
Roosevelt would have done.
2. The San Francisco United
Nation’s conference will go on as
scheduled April 25.
3. He asked the Roosevelt
cabinet to stay with him.
4. He said the war will be
pressed to a successful conclusion.
Yesterday Triynan seized im
mediately on the grim problems
of war and securing of peace as
he shouldered the responsibilities
of the presidency. Leaving his
modest Connecticut Avenue
apartment early for the White
house, the new President held
an emergency council with his
top military commanders; re
viewed world political problems
(continued on page 91
In Alaska
President Roosevelt was the
first president of the United
States that Kodiak had the plea
sure of seeing, and in turn Kodi
ak was the first Alaskan town the
President saw on his trip to Al
aska in August, 1944. He was
the second president ever to visit
Alaska, the other being Warren
G. Harding who toured the Ter
ritory in the summer of 1923.
Harding fell ill on his return and
was stricken with pneumonia in
San Francisco and died Aug. 2,
(continued on page 9)
Proclamation
To the Citizens of Kodiak:
Whereas; the loss of our late
President is keenly felt in the
hearts of all the peoples of the
world, it is fitting that we join
in a tribute to his revered mem
ory to indicate, in even a small
measure, our burden of grief and
sadness at his passing.
I, therefor, proclaim the hour
from 11 am to noon of Saturday,
April 14, as a time of mourning
during which all business houses
shall remain closed and all citi
zens of Kodiak shall join in rev
erent memory of our leader’s
passing.
This hour of mourning shall be
signalled by the city siren.
Further, 1 hereby proclaim
that all possible gather at the
Community Baptist chuich on
Sunday, April 15, at 2 pm lo
join in special memorial services
to be conducted by the Rev.
Gregory S. Morony.
0. A.Torgerson Mayor
City of Kodiak
Flags flew at half-mast in Ko
fi ak 1 hursday after word began
spreading shortly after noon that
the Whitebouse in Washington,
D C , had announced the pass
ing of President Roosevelt.
At first everyone doubted the
authenticity of the report but as
news bulletin after news bulletin
came over the radio the sad real
ization that it was true swept
through the town, and students
in the local school observed a sil
ent period in reverent tribute.
The first Associated Press
wire, sent at 2 pm from Seattle
(received here 1:35 pm Kodiak
time) was a stark 4-word flash:
“Roosevelt died cerebral hemor
rhage.” It was quickly followed
by the reports below:
Washington (.?)—The White
house announced today that
President Roosevelt died this
afternoon at Warm Springs,
Georgia. The statement said:
“Vice-President Truman has
been notified. He was called to
the Whitehouse and informed by
Mrs. Roosevelt of her husband’s
death.”
Secretary of State Stettiniusad-*
vised that a cabinet meeting be
called.
The four Roosevelt boys in the"
service were sent a message by
their mother which said "the
President slept away this after
noon. He did his job to the end
as he would want to.”
The funeral will be held this
afternoon (Saturday) from the
East Room of the Whitehouse,
with interment at Hyde Park
Sunday afternoon.
Warm Springs, Ga. (jP)—
President Roosevelt died unex
pectedly of cerebral hemorrhage
at 3:55 pm Central War time in
his summer cottage. The shock
ing new6 of his death was an
nounced to the press by Sec
retary William Hassett
The Roosevelt party came
here March 30 for what was to
be a 3-weeks rest period. The
president died iu his little white
bungalow atop Pine mountain
where he had been coming for
20 years.
Commander Howard Bruenn,
naval physician, said the Presi
dent was in excellent spirits
when he saw him at 9:30 am.
“At one o’clock he was sitting
in a chair while sketches wen
being made of him by an art
ist. He suddenly complained
of a very severe occipital head
ache at the back of his bead and
within a very few minutes he
lost consciousness. He was seen
by me at 1:30 pm. He did not
(continued on page 9)