La Grande evening observer., April 13, 1945, Image 1

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Weather
Data for 24 hours ending 7
a. m.
Maximum 46
Minimum 29
Precipitation 04
Forecast: Generally clear lo
nigh; cloudy and warmer Satur
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ESTABLISHED 1896
LA GRANDE, OREGON FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 13, 1915
FIVE CENTS
m
4
Peace
German Defenses
Collapse on Last
Drive to Capital
PARIS, April 13 (UP) American troops were reported
unofficially only 15 to 16 miles from Berlin today and field
dispatches said German resistance appeared to have collapsed
even on the last approaches to the wrecked capital.
Far to the south, the American first and third armies vir
tually cut Germany in two with parallel advances that car
ried almost two-thirds of the way across the reich and
brought the great military base of Leipzig within artillery
range.
First nrrnv troons reached
companion stronghold of Halle, 15 miles to the. north west,
and German spokesmen said other Yank columns were about
10 miles west and southwest of Leipzig at Merseburg and
Hw. rll
Vienna i-ans,
Reds Move to
Join Yanks
LONDON, April 13 (UP)
Vienna has been captured by
Marshal Feodor I. Tolbukhin's
third Ukrainian army and 130,000
prisoners have been taken, Mar
shal Stalin announced in an or
der of the day.
Russian troops smashed 11 Ger
man tank .divisions and destroy-;
cd 1,245 tanks' and self-propelled
guns, the order said.
Fighting mounted in intensity
on the eastern approaches to
Berlin on the other end of the
eastern front, and it appeared
that the zero hour for the Rod
army's march on the capital was
3 close at hand.
Battle Across Oder
Radio Moscow said Soviet
troops were waging "fierce bat
tles" from their bridge-heads
across the Odor river 30-odd miles
cast of Berlin, but gave no de
tails. Cossack cavalry moved up
4 to the Berlin front earlier this
week, Soviet field dispatches
said.
Commentators on the Berlin
ladio said vast Soviet troop
movements were under way all
the way from Stettin Bay north
of the capital to the confluence
of the Oder and- the Neisse in
the south, a front of at least 110
fjoiles.
Military observers in London
c xpeetcd Premier Marshal Stal
in to give the order any hour
piow for Marshal Gregory K. Zhu
! l.ov's first White Russian army tc
See RED ARMY . . . Page 5
High Educational Standards
55
Of Oregon Jeopardized by
Lack of Qualified Teachers
'. By ERIC W. ALLEN, Jr.
United Press Staff Correspondent
,5 SALEM, Ore., April 13 (UP) Oregon, traditionally one of the
' best educated and most literate states in the union, has suffered
great damage to its educational facilities due to the war. And it
t is facing a situation which, during the next few years, may result
in a deplorable condition in its schools,
jl Al present, Oregon is on top of the educational heap. A recent
purvey of soldiers in the U. S. army showed that Orcgonians were j
s only tight tenths of one per cent "educationally deficient", com-1
i pared with a national average many times that figure.
ni ("Educationally deficient'
means either totally illiterate, or
possessing no more than a fourth
grade education. The survey was
made by the U. S. chamber of
commerce.)
State Has Top Rating
Figures related by Rex Put
0 nam, state supsrintendent of pub-
' I:c iwiruclion, shinv that Orrgnn
is highest in the nation, and that
i all west coast slates are in the
itop bracket with Washing! irl
Qhowing only 1 per cr($ defi-
i cicncy and Cal!foi!ji) 2.8.
But this high tanding is
; threatened, Putnam sa;lJ-
; cause of present and piMntial
' eonditions Oregon may face ai-
w iwu aii(umaiives:
TS close
quirements to
.educational stfirtclard
Page 31-
Loving
and perhaps entered Leipzig's
Pegau
Flying tank columns of the
second armored division official
ly were out in front of the U. S.
ninth army drive on Berlin after
crossing the Elbe river near Mag
deburg and pushing ahead more
than five miles to positions 55
1 miles or less southwest of the
capital-this morning. .
ParBtroops in Vanguard
Unconfirmed radio Paris re
ports said, however, that Amer
ican paratroops had dropped in-
WITH U. S. THIRD AH MY,
Germany, April 13 (UP) A
task force of the fourth arm
ored division was revealed to
day to have broken through a
German prison camp contain
ing . 900 .'. Americans , in . the
Wuersbuxg .. area in a bold'
thrust.
to Brandenburg province only 15
to 10 miles west of Berlin and
linked up with the second arm
ored division at an undisclosed
point.
At the same time, United Press
War Correspondent Robert Ver
million reported that the Ger
man defenders east of the Elbe
were fighting no harder than
those overwhelmed by the
Americans west of the river
where resistance for three days
has been almost negligible.
Doughboys Cross Elbe
Vermillion disclosed that
strong infantry reinforcements
already were over the Elbe and
moving up to join the battle for
Berlin with three more divisions
at the west bank on a 75-mile
front looping to within 45 miles
of the city.
Marshal Sir Bernard L. Mont
gomery, commander of the Brit
ish 21st army group, told his
troops that the nazis were en
gaged in destroying all Germany
as they fell back for a fight to
the death in the Bavarian and
Austrian Alps.
81 Are Missing
As Ships Collide
NEW BF,TFORD, Mass., April
13 (UP) Eighty-one crew mem
bers of an American freighter
and a Canadian tanker which col
lided ,u)d burned in Buzzard's
bay dutr)i4 a heavy fog were
missing today.
I wo cnw ineiovers were
knowqicad (fid 52 others werg(tsixth strict and K avenue be
hospital.W.d, tttcc in scriBbj
concilia. 0 q
Survis jri it the
Canatftni .ssrL raiiifd the
freigtr 1, V.-tght. The .kcr
tei the collision.
Body Of Former
President Starts
On Last Journey
State Funeral
To Be Tomorrow,
Burial Sunday
ATLANTA, April 13 (UP) The
special train bearing former Pres
ident Roosevelt's body north
ward arrived at Atlanta at 2:28
p. m. EWT.
While the nation -and the cap
ital rallied against the shock of
the sudden tragedy a special
train rolled north from Georgia
bearing the president's body to
Washington. Tomorrow there will
be state funeral ceremonies at
4 p. m. (EWT) and Sunday the
burial at the Hyde Park estate
the president loved so well.
Running behind schedule the
train reached Atlanta at 2:28
p. m. It was met by an armed
escort and a crowd of about 1,000
spectators.
. White House officials said the
president's body will not lie in
state at any time.
WARM SPRINGS, Ga., April
13 (UP) The body of Franklin
D. Roosevelt today was borne
from the "Little White Pjouso"
of Georgia to the roll of muffled
drums, starting the long, last
journey to Washington.
The hot southern sun shone in
a blue sky as the funeral cortege
left the green hills the president
loved so well. ' The procession
slowly moved down the winding
.mile-long road to Warm Springs
station.. . . - .
In the distance ii church bcl.1
pealed from some country steeple.
The cortege left the "Little
White House" at 10:30 a. m. along
the road stood hundreds of rcsi
See STATE . . . Page 5
81 Die As Twister
Sweeps Through
Oklahoma Cities
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.,
April 13 (UP) Eighty-one per
sons arc known dead and marc
than 500 were injured last night
when a tornado ripped across
southeastern Oklahoma, causing
extensive damage and casualties
in a half a dozen communities.
The toll was rising hourly as
rescue workers recovered more
bodies from the ruins of wrecked
homes and buildings.
The greatest loss of life was
reported at Antlers, a town of
3,200 population which was al
most entirely laid waste by the
terrific force of ' the tornado.
Fifty-one bodies were recovered
and more were being found
"every few minutes." 'More than
200 other persons were reported
injured at Antlers.
Nine persons, including five
students of the demolished Okla
homa school for the blind, were
killed at Muskogee and more
than 200 were injured. Two
soldiers were killed, and more
than 100 persons were injured in
Oklahoma City where the wind
cut a swath of destruction
through the southeastern resi
dential district.
Troops and a medical corps
unit were rushed from Camp
Maxcy, Tex., to aid the residents
ui Antlers, residential districts of
which were "flattened." The
business district also was laid
waste. It is estimated that be
tween 400 and 500 homes were
demolished.
Fifty civilian doctors from
nearby Hugo, Dutanl, Atoka and
Idabel also were rushed to Ant
lers for emergency duly.
Snow Is Blamed For
Auto Collision
Hepvy snowfall which obscured
the vision of motor vehicle
drivers Wcdnesy morning is
given in reports to UtQ city police
the aui of a collision W
.twecn a car driven by Mrs. Gene
vieve Carter, 2008 Q avenue, and
a pickup truck driven) by L.
Whittaker.
Lois Hill icptjry.-d that her car
imaged iri-yi collision at
I ir awa Jcffcrsoy streets .Wed
nod ay evening with(Iii)ic twy.'en
by Roy S. Wood.
World Mourns For
Hail to
"r : .- 'Mi
if "A w .iiaitf" ' - 4J
President Harry S. Truman, who today look his first official ac
tion as president of the United Stales, having taken lho oath lato
yjslerday a short lime after the death of his chief. Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
Former Missouri Farm Boy Is
32nd President of United States
WASHINGTON, April 13
(UP) The gray-haired man
with the gold-rimmed spec
tacles walked into the awesoino
com'usion that was the White
House and into the most mo
mentous moment of his life.
He came in as Vice President
Harry S. Truman and he walk
ed out again as the 32nd presi
dent of the United States.
He made his way into the
apple-green cabinet room of
the White House. Cabinet man-
WASHINGTON, April 13
(UP) With Harry S. Truman
installed as president, the na
tion will be without a vice
president until Jan. 19. 1949
when the present term of of
fice ends.
While there is provision for
succession of cabinet members
to the presidency in event of
the death or removal from of
fice of both the president and
vice-president, there is no pro
vision for a successor to the
vice president when that office
becomes vacant.
The job of presiding over lho
scnale, customarily held by the
vice-president, falls to Sen.
Kenneth McKellar, D Tenn.
beis were seated there, solemn
faced. Leaders of congress
were there too. They stood in
groups, talking quietly.
Truman 111 at Ease
Harry S. Truman sat down in
an overstuffed leather chair. It
was understandal)1:- that lie
was not completely at case.
Then up stepped Chief lustic
Harlan F. Stone of the United
States supreme court. The vice
president got to his feet. Some
one gave him a Bible from
President Roosevelt's office.
He held it reverentially on
his left palm.. His right hand
was on the cover. The cloek
on the mantlnpieee pointed to
B:H5 p. m. CWT. Three minutes
httcr, tliv chief justice began
administering the oath of of
fice:' "I. Harry Shippe Truman,
do soBmnly .swear that I will
0 faithfully execute the office of
president of the United States
and wilj, to the best of my abil
ity, preserve, protect and de
fend the constitution,-, of the
United States." q
The chief justice recit0 the
oath from memory. The .new
(Jncsident repealed the word;
f-
ter himil phrase by phrase.
It was 6:08 p.m. when Harry
S. Truman became the 32nd picsi-1
the Chief
dent of the United States.
Not a member of the Roosevelt
family was present at the cere
mony. Three reporters were present,
representing the three press as
sociations. Mrs. Truman was
there too, u proud wife and
mother who a few moments be
fore had dabbed at tear-stained
eyes with a crumpled handker
chief. Her hand hold that of
their 20-year-old daughter, Mary
Margaret. Both stood in - the
background as the oath was ad
ministered. They were just spec
tators. Wallace is Witness
One of the witnesses was Hu
man who' might have been in
Tillman's place had the political
fates been ditierent former vice
president Henry A. Wallace. Wal
lace, wiio will remain in Presi
dent Truman's cabinet as secre
tary of commerce, was so shaken
that Secretary of State Edward
R. Stettinius, jr., had to help him
from the room.
Mrs. Roosevelt was 1 1 blocks
See FARM BOY . . . Page' 5
I Jap Raiders Sink
jU.S. Destroyer; 118
Lnemy Planes Lost
GUAM, April 13 (UP) The
Japanese were revealed today la
have lost 118 planes in two des
perate suicidal attacks against
American forces in Okinawa
area yesterday.
Admiral Chester W. Nilnit.
disclosed that one U. S. destroy
er was sunk in the action and
several other ships damaged, al
though the latter continued in
operation.
(A Tokyo broadcast, recorded
by the- FCC, admitted' the loss of
only two Japanese planes and
claimed that. the suicide foi-res
had sunk or damaged 11 Ameri
can a vessels in the raids yester
day." o
(Toky:i said the attacks were
, directed against eight separate
groups of U. S. warships stretch
ed 101) miles off Hie eastern
const of Okinawa. The eneiv
report claimed the entire Ameri
can naval force included a''asl
eight aircraft carriers and seven
battleships.)
Nimitz' report of(tl)c raidiwas
the first official U. S. mMion
of Japanese suicide attacks, al
though Tokyo long has spoken of
its .kaiiiikazi
corpsT'
special -attack
La Grande Will
Halt Business To
Honor Roosevelt
Meditation Period
To Be Observed At
11 A. M. Tomorrow
In memory of the late Presi
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt, all
business houses in La Grande will
observe a 10 minute pause in the
day's activilUiJ tomorrow and
spend the time in silent medita
tion. Business will be suspend
ed from 11 to 11:10 a.m.
' This was ' agreed upon by
members of the merchants com
mittee who convened this morn
ing in the chamber of commerce
efficc.
The fire department bell will
be tolled signaling the pause for
memorial. The committee has re
quested all churches in the city
to conduct memorial services
Sunday, the day of the presi
dent's burial. The committee al
so urged, that the flag be dis
played. City schools today are holding
individual memorial services, and
in the high school assembly this
afternoon, Rev. C. A. Kopp was
to give the eulogy.
Fedral agencios throughout
the country will be closed to
morrow afternoon under an or
der issued today from the White
House.
Superintendent of Public In
struction Rex Putnam today
urgod schools of Oregon to hold
memorial services in honor of
President Roosevelt.
Gov. Earl Snell said today that
all state offices will be closed
during the time of President
Roosevelt's funeral tomorrow.
State liquor stores arc closed
today and will remain closed un
til Monday.
, Elgin Plans Momorial
Jack Fitzgerald of Elgin this
afternoon announced that city
will cooperate in the lU-minute
pause for meditation, suspending
all operations in the business
houses.
The bells in the Elgin city hall
and the churches will loll dur
ing the Hi-minute period.
Month of Mourning
Proclaimed By
Gen. Eisenhower
PARIS, April 13 (UP) Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered
a 30-day mourning period for
American troops throughout the
European tlx-ater today in mem
ory of President Roosevelt.
Eisenhower flashed back the
order to supreme headquarters
from the front, where ho was
conferring with his generals on
the final phases of tlie battle of
Germany.
The bailie was drawing to the
end long envisioned by President
Roosevelt. And it was under the
direction of the man he picked to
l.o supreme commander on the
western front.
Word of the death of the presi
dent spread rapidly through su
preme headquarters and Paris,
leaving sadness and grief in its
wake.
Gen. Charles Dc Gaulle, provi
sional president of France, cab
led President Truman llitit the
French government learned of
Mr. HotcveVs death with
"great emotion and deep sad
ness." He ordered flags lowered to
Sec ARMY . . . Page 5
B-2-9S Rain Fire
Bombs On Tokyo ,
eGUAM, April I I (tJ' A huge
force of hundreds of (Stperfor
tresses dropped thousands of tons
of fire bombs into fivc-sqiiaro-mile
arsenal area of Tokyo carl)
today. u
a new attempt to burn out
a segment of the teeming enemy
capital city, the B-2!)s directed
their incendiaries on the great
ammunition production area
about six miles northwest of(8)c
Imperial palace, and at the eogc
of the 17 square mile urea devas
tated with a huge loss of life
March 10.
Rooseve
New Chief Executive
Reaffirms Principles
Set Up by Roosevelt
WASHINGTON, April 13 (UP) President 'Harry S?
Truman took the nation's helm today, summoning to the .
White House the chipfs of war and foreign policy to pledge'
his determination to carry forward President Roosevelt's
objectives of speedy victory and firm peace.
His first official act was to issue through Secretary of
State Edward R. Stettinius, jr., a proclamation of a month's
mourning for Mr. Roosevelt. .- '"
But already ho had plunged dee)) into the monumental task
of carrying on the national war effort, without pause or hes:
itation, both in the west and in the east. '
Within three hours of his first working day as president,!
Mr. Truman had shattered his first precedent.
After conferring at the White House with military and.
diplomatic chiefs, he drove to-Capitol Hill for a luncheon,
conference in the office of Lester Biffle, secretary of the
senate, with the leaders of congress.
Ho also ariunged to make
formal declaration of his objec
tives before a joint congrcslonal
session al 1 p. m. Monday. He
may speak by radio to the armed
forces Tuesday night.
James F. Byrnes, "assistant
president" under Mr. Roosevelt
until a few days ago, hurried to
the While House to offer its new
occupunt his unique intimate
knowledge of Mr. Roosevelt's
vital discussions with Prime Min
ister Churchill and Marshal
Stalin ut Yalta.
Brushing asiCra precedent as
easily as did his famous pre
decessor, Truman emerged from
the While House a little more
than two hours after taking over
the president's 'desk.
He wcnl to Capitol Hill and
lunched with congressional lead
ers of both parties a symbolic
gesture which many felt might go
far toward solidifying congress
behind the naMon,',s new chief
executive and comander-in-chief.
Sec VIGOROUS . . . Page 0
Saddened Britain
Honors Roosevelt
LONDON, April 13 (UP) Prime Minister Churchill called the
British cabinet into special session today to consider the effect of
President Roosevelt's death, winch many diplomats feared might
have grave repercussions -on world security plans.
Churchill and King George led the British in paying tribute to
Mr. Roosevelt. For the first time in history the House of Com
mons adjourned in observance of the death of an American jircsi:
dent.
Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden will attend Mr. Roosevelt s
funeral, it was announced officially. "
Churchill told un eiglit-mmuto
Commons session that Mr. Roose
velt's "friendship for the causa of
freedom and for the causes of the
weak and poor won him im
mortal renown."
The house then adjourned as a
mark or respect after setting
aside Tuesday for personal
tributes to the late president.
When it reconvenes next Tues
day, Churchill is expected to of
fer a traditional motion express
ing sympathy to the King on the
Tributes to Memory
Of Democracy Heard 'Round World
By United Prom
STOCKHOLM King (luslav
today messaged President Till.
man: "Deeply shocked by Hie tragic
news of President Jtooievelt's
sudden death, I 1eg to express
my deepest sympathy and sin
cerest regrets in the great loss
which the United States jd
Swedish peilo and tl(e) whole
world have Offered in the death
of this great man."
ROME Pope Pius Xi?
cabled his personal condol
ences to Mrs. Roosevelt and
Prcsldont Truman early today
Immodiatoly after ho learned
of Mr. RoosevoU' death,
MARSHAL MONTGOM
ERY'S HQRS. Marshal Sir
Bernard L. Montgomery mess
aged Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
today:
It
Truman Proclaims
Day of Mourning :
WASHINGTON, A p ri 1 13
(UP) President Truman to-":
day proclaimed Saturday as a '
day of mourning and prayer
throughout the United States" ;
In respect to the lute Franklin
D, Ruasevelt.
The presidential proclama,.
tion was issued by Secretary -of
Stnto Edward R. Stettinius. '
. At. the same time, by order of .
the' president, Stettinius or-;'
dcred that: y
1. Flags to remain at half
mast on all public buildings of
the United States for one
month until the close of Mon
day, May 14.
2. All executive depart
ments und agencies , of the
government be closed tomor
row afternoon the day of the ,
funeral. '
death of "his cousin" the time
honored designation of the head
of a great and friendly state.
"Big Three" Is Gone
Roosevelt, the realization persist1
Roosevelt, the healization persist
ed that the "big three", is dead
with him. Saddened and bewil
dered diplomats, British and Ab
lied, fell that the peculiar per
sonal type of negotiations
brought into full riower by thrt
See BRITAIN . . . Page 5 -;
of Defender
(i ,-nmmnnder of land focos
of the British Empire fignlinj, i
western Europe, I waflt to ex
press to you our sincere regret
althe death of the president.
"Few of us, if any, had the
privilege of knowing him, but
to all of us he had become a
tiiend. He was a great man and
a great champion of freedom, and
this loss at this time is a shat
tering blow.
"I should be grateful if you
would convey to Mrs. Roosevelt
our sincere sympathy. '
MOSCOW Moscow news'
papers today printed on lholt
ironl pages a picture of Presi-,
dent Roosevelt with his name
in a black border.
Marshal Stalin hailed President
Roosevelt in death today as 'a
great politician of world signific
ance and a pioneer In the orgoij
See W'ORLD . . . Page 6