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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (May 29, 1945)
i i i Yank A Community Newspaper For Every Member of the Family ESTABLISHED INflfi Jap Suicide Planes Hit 13 U. S. Ships in Fighting For Shuri GUAM, May 29 (UP) Japanese defenses in southern Okinawa appeared to be crumbling fast today. On the west coast, marines of the sixth division captured two-thirds of the capital city of Naha, cleared the north shore of Naha harbor and sent patrols to Onoyama island in mid harbor. Sixteen-inch guns of battleships offshore breached the walls of the inland citadel of Shuri, already outflanked and nearly encircled. A number of Japanese were fleeing through the escape gap still open. Seventh division troops on the east coast drove another 1,500 yards south on a 3,000-yard front and reached the southwest corner of Iiaten Bay. Reconnaissance groups in lanning craii reconnoiierea me 1 Churchill Predicts Early Session With Truman, Stalin LONDON, May 29 (UP) Prime Minister Churchill said today he contemplates an early meeting with President Truman and Mar shal Stalin. His assertion was in the form of an affirmeii.e, un claboratid written r.'ply in com mons to a question by laboritc Ivor Thomas. Churchill intim ated last Saturday that a big three meeting-might- be held be fcre Britain's general ek'ction early in July. Answering demands Tor a speedup in the punishment of axis war criminals, Churchill said the big powers arc inclining toward assigning the trials to interallied military tribunals. Churchill announced that At torney General Sir David Max well Fyfc had been appointed United Kingdom war criminals prosecutor to work with Robert Jackson, the American rcpies'-'n-lalivc. Russia and Franco have not yet named representatives, he said. Commons met loday for Ihc first lime r-inrfl Vile l.ibnnlcs broke away from the wartime coalition government. The reor ganization of the cabinet left the? lahoritcs free to heckle Churchill at will, and they look advantage ef Ihc opportunity. Kansas Suspects Nabbed in Union Sheriff Jesse Broshcars and state police yesterday arreted Frank D. Hutchison, 22, and John M. Lomon, i, ;n Union oh tele graphic advices from Kansas that they arc wanted there on felony charges. The eldc r man, whose name is said to be an alias, arrived in Union a few days ago, and Hut chison has been there for some lime, having gone to the neigh boring city from San Fianciseo. whore he is said to have bcei. employed recently in a shipyard. They arc being held pending ar i ivai of officers from Topeka. La Grande Coast Guardsman Praised for Combat Courage Coast Guardsman Doug H6I man, 2H, 'gunners male first class of 2004 Adams avenue, has received high praise from his commanding officer for his role in the invasion of Levi? and Mindoro. in speaking of the 2'i year old coast guardsman, his skip per who pictured to remain anonymous said, "Holman was pointer on a 20 m m. gun. His shooting was exceptionally good and his leadership has bt n outstanding. On one ctrasion we nearly raised out of the water by a near miss. The en tire ship was covered with water and shrapnel. W? re ceived one severe casualty as :i result of this bomb. Holman was also hit but he didn't even report his wound unlil the ac tion was over.'' . Hobnail's record, and the i .c- Bl ows Crumble south ana west coasts of the bay. The gains all across tho island were the best sinco Lt. Gen. Sim on Boliver Buckner's 10th army forces rammed into the Naha- By United Press A Bern broadcast said with out confirmation today that the American 10th army had cap tured Naha, capital of Okin awa. The broadcast, giving no rource for the report, said "All the city of Naha now is occu pied" by the Americans. Shuri - Yonnbaru defense line more than a month ago. A Pacific fleet communique revealed the Japanesere newed their suicide air attacks on American war ships off Okinawa Sunday, sinking one light unit and causing minor to modcrato damage to 12 others. The enemy paid for the suc cess with 77 planes shot down, preliminary reports showed. Sixth division marines met only scattered machine-gun and rifle fire from enemy rear guards as thry swept through the mined, lubble-heaped streets of .'aha to the shores of ihe harbor. A front dispatch from United Tress war correspondent E. G. Valens saiel a patrol landed on liny Onoyama island in the cen ter of Naha harbor, but retreated under fire from Japanese guns on the south shore of the harbor. Increased Veteran Hospitals Sought WASHINGTON, May 23 (UP) Veterans Administrator Frank T. Hines loday asked the federal board of hospitalization lo ap prove construction of 72 new vet erans administration hospitals or additions to existing hospitals. The revised program would provide 20,772 additional beds. Hines said this would cover the requirements of the veterans ad ministration through December, 1!)47. Locations of the proposed hos pitals and their size included: Additions to existing neuropsy chiatry facilities at American lake, Wash., 104 beds, and a new .'100 bed tuberculosis hospital in Spokane. ord of the LST to which lie was asHgnod is one of courage. At the invasion of Leyte the coast guard ship shot down four Jap anese planes despite the fact that th; ship's smoke generat ing equipment was not func tioning, .after that the ship made two runs to Mindoro, crossing through enemy held "Suicide Gulch" in the Sula sea. On their first run they dowr.;d a Jap dive bomber and on their second added four mole to bring their total of enemy air craft to nine. It was the last plane shot down which almost caused disaster, for she came in at 20 feet from head on. The gun crews poured a Y.&, of anti-aircraft fire ito her, and suddenly, the Jafsi wings be gan to wobble and one of them See COAST . . . Page 7 r T HW!rBH!!!iiiP:?iiffi:iilffi!!!!!:!l!l!lllllli v WARNS JAPS Capt. Ellis M., Zacharias, one of the navy's leading experts on Japan and a former rosident of that coun try, has promised in broadcasts beamed at Nippon that greater destruction than was heaped upon Germany will be the fate of Japan. The recent raids on Tokyo aid Yokohama are sam pler of what U to come. Big Five Extend Security Parley As Business Lags SAN FRANCISCO, May 20 (UP) The big five of the United Nations security conference, in a two-hour meeting, today moved ahead rom June 6 to. June 11 (heir tentative- deadline for ad ournment of the parley. The conference leaders also discussed at length a French pro posal to change the wording of an amendment to the basic Dum barton Oaks plan covering bi lateral treaties such as the Franco-Russian pact directed against any future German aggression. Meanwhile, it was indicated that Denmark might seek a seal at the conference within the next few days. The United Stales told its fellow big five members that if Norway should move lo admit Dcnmaik to the confer ence, this country would agree. But the major part of today's big five meeting was revealed to have centered around the lag ging progress of I ho conference work. The general sentiment was that the conference should get on with its work as rapidly as possible, but that under no circumstances should the qaulity of the output suffer. Sharp Increase in Jobless Predicted WASHINGTON. May V.) (UP) War production boss J. A. Krug today predicted a sharp new cut in munitions production soon wilh a resulting jump in unem ployment. He said, however, that within six months rapidly increasing civilian production should be able to begin taking up the slack of cut back war workers and discharged soldiers. He estimated that the war ma chine will need 2,000.000 less workers three months from now, boosting unemployment from a current 800,000 lo 1,000,000. Six months from now, he said, the numler of persons no long er needed for war activities will amount to 4,800,000 including 1.000.000 disehaiged servicemen. Baseball Results By Unilod Press NATIONAL LEAGUE New York 3 12 0 Pittsburgh 4 8 1 Fcldman, Adams and Berres; Hoc, Gables and Lopez, Salkeld. Brooklyn 10 14 I Chicago . 3 8 3 Chapman and Danlonio; Stew art, Columellas, Vandcnberg and Rire. O AilCBICAN LEAGUE Chicago 4' 0 I Boston 13 I Ross, Papish and Tresh; Woods, F.arrctl, Hausman and Garbaik. St. Louis 0 5 1 New York ' 11 15 I Kramer, West. Zoldak and Hay worth, Mancuso; Donald and Crompton. LA GRANDE. OREGON TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 29, 1!M! Y Is ham a "Sim Lumberman, Passenger Are Missing on Idaho Flight Frank Van Patten of Ontario; a member of Van Patten Lumber company of La Grande, is reported missing in his four-passenger Cessna plane presumably in northern Idaho. He had Charles P. Flcgcl, Ontario rcalcstatc man, as a passenger. Valley County Sheriff Merling Francis said the plane has been missing since it took off from the Yellowpinc airport at 5 p. m. 100 Syrians Killed By French as Near East Crisis Grows BEYROUTH, May 20 (UP) Jcmii Mardam, acting premier of Syria, reported today that one hundred Syrians have been kill; cd and 300 wounded so far ij widespread fighting with Frcncn forces in the Levant. Mardam said at Damascus that the crisis caused by an intlux of French troops was "most grave." Disorder and violence were wide spread in Syria and Lebanon, de spite an apparent effort by the French to avoid trouble or keep it to a minimum. Reports reached Beyrouth that French forces had withdrawn from certain exposed points where local garrisons could not be quickly reinforced. Damascus reports said French tanks were sent to rcinfotco the garrison at Hama. , , LONDON, May 20 (UP) . Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden indicated lo commons today that Britain supports French claims to military bases in Syria and Lebanon, similar lo the British bases in Iraq. In a carefully-worded state ment delivered in response lo u number of questions from the house, F.den admitted grave con cern over the spreading tension in the middle cast. He said it threatens the security of allied communications to the far east. Both Britain and the United Stales, he added, arc in active consultation with France on the situation and the French have been warned that the dispatch of further reinforcements to yria and Lebanon may have ' rcgret able" consequences. Truman Plan for Jobless Payment Meets Opposition WASHINGTON, May 20 (UP; President Truman may gel the first major congressional rebuff of his administration over the question of setting a federal stan dard of unemployment compen sation. President Roosevelt was simi larly rebuffed last year. Mr. Truman yesterday asked congress to set federal standards of unemployment pay as an emergency measure during the reconversion period pending ac tion on a general broadening of social security measures. ' Specifically he urged establish ment of a nationwide maximum of at least $25 weekly extending over a period of up to six months for woikers thrown out of jobs during the changevor from war lo peace production. Reaction among congressional leaders indicated that the request will be rejecied as was a similar one !a.-.l year during considera tion of the war mobilization and reconversion bill. All that congressional Iradrvs would promise for the lime being was prompt attention to the prob lem am. luiimmem oi some p.o i of the president s request. Both houses of congress re-, jcetl d proposals to set a federal standard ranging up lo $35 a week based on previous earn ings antl dependents of tile un employed woi-fcers. ACTRESS HAS DAUOKTER 11(51,LYWCMJD, May 2! U'Pl Screen A t a Herfv Jjnnarr end (B)iti(B Ai-tuT John irfXici today trtoBirO the pairnu uf en i, upsetting. Ihcir choice of , (jymc for Bfm A iiWt was born at 7:j) (,&.. " She Defenses on Okinawa 5n 1 Sunday onroute for Ontario, The plane was equipped wilh a two-way radio but no commun ication was received from the men. Forest service men report ed ' hearing the plane 18 miles west of Yellowpinc, a lumbering community, shortly after it left thc-ficld. Francis said ho and P6'rin Stohr, veteran Idaho pilot, flew over the mountainous terri tory yesterday but saw no trace of the plane. Civil air patrol planes from Boise have joined the search, and the CAP from La Grande and the surrounding area have offered their services. Van Patten, frequently a bus ncss visitor In La Grande, is a major in the CAP and saw serv ice in the current war flying bor der and Atlantic patrol. Slash in Army Sought By House Military Leader WASHINGTON, May 20 (UP) Chairman Andrew A. May, D., .Ky., of the house military affairs committee today recommended a "drastic reduclici " in Ihc size of the army. Stating that approximately 12, 100,000 persons were enrolled in the U. S. armed forces on April I, May urged immediate dis charge of jll soldiers over 35 ex cept thosa in key positions. "Now lhat c.ir principal enemy has surrendered unconditionally there should be a more drastic reduction in the armed forces than the army has yet made," May said in an interview. "All men over ,'15 years of age except those in key positions es sential lo the completion of the war against Japan and those needed for the occupation of con quered Germany should be speed ily discharged." In this group, he said, arc most of those who have families and business eonncctions and will have the greatest difficulty in re adjusting themselves. Induction of Some 4-Fs is Army Plan WASHINGTON, May 20 (UP) The army plans to induct a few men under 20 with minor phy sical defects for limited service assignments. Selective service announced that a limilcd number of such men would be drafted in addition to the monthly quotas for general service. The new polity also covers conscientious objectors. Those under 20 who ale physically ac ceptable will be assigned to "work of national importance" under civilian direction. Knudsen Quits Army Production Pout WASHINGTON, May 2.) '(UP) Lt, Gen. William S. Knudsen has nsigned as army director of production effective June I, the war department announced to day. It also was dis4.-loKf.-d t ii a t Knuriurn has l.en awardea an oak leaf cluster to tha distin- eu'.'Jied orvire medul fur his fjvc , j st.rvic(! in ucXtm Knudsclli rrn,cr piTgi,,.nt f (;rn,,8 Mirs, did Not ai.nounee j futurc plans, I Extension of Price Control Favored WASHINGTON, May 29 (Cl'l Th set alo bankr.g ccmml'te today app -oved ft biii tu exMiid pr.w control JRir art'thcr yca. ,J, "live ny'iavnt ;iw mil t I pirdJuiw 30. hc cil (U69 $p proved tfwk'xlcnsion bill witholt) HELD AS SPY Paul Jean Mario Cavaillot, 43, former Fronch air force officer, who hBs beon arrested by the FBI on charges that ss sorved as a German agent. Oregon to Get New Insect Killer to Use on Potatoes WASHINGTON, May 20 (UP) DDT, the war developed insect killer, will be tried out commer cially against the potato tuber flea beetle, the war production board saiel today. On the request of war food ad ministration a limited amount of DDT will i.r. made available in Oregon to motect the potato crop. ; The limited supply of DDT, makes it impossible, however, lo permit general commercial use because of the great military de mand for it, WPB said. Other home front commodity and production news included:. A total of 1,500 new automo biles will no released lo essential users during Ihc next month, the office of price administration said. The June quota is the same as May s. OPA said the remaining sup ply of 1013 cars, less than 4,000, will last until new production is available. WPB removed controls on pro- diielion of aluminum cooking utensils and kilehenware. In creased production of aluminum ware is. expected as war contracts are completed. Japan Warned Not To Mistreat Yanks WASHINGTON, May 20 (UP) The United Stales again has sternly warned the j;l ---- eminent against mishandling American pi isoners, lnc , partment revealed today. The Japanese had hinted at a policy of reprisal against Ameri can prisoners and civilian in ternees because a U. S. subma rine mistakemy sank a Japanese supply ship thai was traveling under an allied grant of safe con duct. The United Stales rejecied a Japanese protest about the sink ing. However, the U. S. navy has instituted court martial proceed ings against the commander of the submarine. The Japanese vessel, believed to have been the supply ship Awa Maru, was sunk on April I. Three Girls Are Given Scholarships President Koben J. Maaske nl Kastern Oregon colli ge, today an nnunt :'d the awarding ,f Hirer1 all-tuillon scholarships presented wm.puinmi cum oi La wranuc. iney nave necn given to Irrnr Van Beveren uf Hills- lioro. Vera linrtril ut Lostir,'. and one from Wagner's Dress Shop lo Mary Soinnicrcr of Her niislon. Receipt of a $71 fiesliiiian scholarship gilt from Mr, antl Mrs, Clyde McKrnie of Sum n crvilh was acknowledged lo dav tly Or. sTaaaKe. 10 scholarship is designalcD for a ?!uritt in agi(S)iltiire. X0j fr ,-' city commissioner1.- iVtHm$lr7::JU o'clock tonight idrtctto' of (Wednesday night, be cause of tomorrow being a legal holiday. F ' - ' i Industries, Homes Of Great Wrecked By Bombs GUAM, May 29 (UP) Yokohama, Japan's second port and fifth larjfest city, was a nixing inferno today after morp tnan 'i:u superiomesscK poured u.zuu tons oi nign expio sives and incendiary bombs on the city in a daylight fire raid. UetuTtimir Ii-2!) crewmen said smoke rose as high as 20,000 feet over the blazing metropolis and alHO reported smoke oveJT nearby smouldering Tokyo, target for two GOQ-plune assaults last week. Shipyards, war plants, naval block of business buildings and homes in Yokohama were re duced to charred wreckage as bombardiers laid their deadly cargoes in a pattern from the waterfront straight through the city. I The assault was carried out from medium altiludc with what GUAM, Wednesday, Mav 30 (UP) (Via' Navy Radio) 21st bomber command headquartors announced loday lhat 51 square miles of the industrial heart of Tokyo have beta destroyed by superfortress raids on the Jap anese capital. Maj. Gen. Curtis E. Lemay said there was "vory little left" of the third largest city in the world after six B-29 attacks. Photographic reconnaissance showed lS'i more square miles wore destroyed last Thursday and Saturday in the climatic fire raids that have leveled 46 per cent of the built up area of tho Japanese metropolis. pilots said was "relative case." Yokohama, a city of 1,000,000 was one of Japans principal naval buses and the main- port See YOKOHAMA . . . Page 2 Business Will Halt As City Honors War Heroes - Patriotic eili.ens of La Grande will lay aside the implements of commerce, and industry tomorrow lo pay tribute to the memory of the men and women who gave Ib.'ir lives in defense of their coun try, with exercises locally that will consist of u parade and services al the Masonic cemetery. In the event of Inclement weather the program will be presented in the First Methodist church. Business houses will be closed ; all day and public attention will be focused on the Memorial Day observance. The parade will form at Greenwood and Washington streets and will traverse Ihe busi ness district, disbanding at the Kills' temple. Immediately fol lowing tne parade the partici pants, representing the city's pa triotic organizations, boy and girl scouts and other organizations, will go to the cemetery where rit ualistic services will be conduct ed by the American Legion, Vet erans of Foreign Wars and the United Spanish War Veterans. One of the highlights or the ceremonies will be the reading of general orders No. II of Gen eral Logan, first commander of Ihe Grand Army of the Republic, which set aside May 30 as the first Memorial Day. It will be redd by It. J. Kitchen, represent ative of the Sons of Union Vet erans. Shorter Work As Step to Balk An improved system of tlis Iribution jvhich will contribute lo greater consumption of the products of American industry, and a possible? shortening of hours of work are seen by Kev. Clarence A. Kopp of La Grande as some of the measures neces sary lo prevent widespread un employment and depression in post-war years. He spoke last night at a meeting of the Union county veterans' vmployment commit tee in the city hall, asserting thul present efforts to readusl the nation to a civilian econ omy are onlv makeshitls and will not solvere problem now confronting the nation any more than similar measures did after World War I. Itev. Kopp said the demand for consumer goods will be so See Columiu 1 arid t Weather Data for 24 hours to 7 a. ni. Temperature: Maximum 77 Minimum 49 Forecast: Purtly cloudy tonight and Wednesday. FIVE CENTS am Port Are installations and block after Jap Navy Chief Ousted, Post Goes To Air Veteran SAN FRANCISCO, ' May .20 (UP ) Admiral Soenm Tnyoda was removed from Japan's three top naval commands today in a general shakcup following the ' American successes on Okinawa and carrier-based raids on the ' Japanese homeland. The Japanese Domei agem.v said the navy ministry announce that Toyoda had been relieved as commander In chief of the. com bined fleet, commander-in-chief of the newly-established over-all naval command and commander.' of the naval escorts' command. . All three posts were given to Vice Admiral Jisuburo Ozawa, vice chief of the naval general staff and oresident of the naval See JAP NAVY . . . Page 7 240 Remain in Thinning Ranks Of Grand Army WASHINGTON, May 29 J (UP) Morr.orial Day this you will find only 240 members of the Civil war Grand Army of ' the Republic still alivo. Rep. William R. Thorn of ' Ohio said tho 240 "Union" army : veterans average 98 years oi ago and all live in the United ' Slatos oxcept one in England. ' California leads with 30 liv ing GAR vetoians and Ohio is second wilh 23, Thorn said. , Arizona has two! Colorado nine: Idaho one: Kansas seveets Oregon three; Utah one, and Washington four. Day Is Projected Unemployment great for nerhaps two years ali tor thj war onus lhat there wil be no unemployment problem,, but, he added, once the immc- diate demand has been satis' tied the .(iiestion of jobs will again develop. '' He said America's problem has not been one of over-pro-duclion but of undcr-consumpV." tion and faulty distribution. -He said it is his opinion that one step toward preventing un employment is the spreading of work IhroiigW shortening of hours. William Hermann said tho CmUi-al labor council has adopt( ..eu a resolution proposing a six-' hour day, but that no action has been taken by tho state federa-, tion. The next meeting will b(j, June 25. v.eighir' pounds. amendments. o
