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About La Grande observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1959-1968 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1959)
WEATHER l-air tonight and Thurtday except valley fog or low clouds 10 tonight and moroinq; h'9h U-4t except 31 touth lo cally; low tonight 10-M, LA GRANDE OBSERVER 89th Issua 64th Year LA GRANDE, ORE., WEDNESDAY. DECEMBL.7 16, 1959 8 Paget, Fiva Cant ; ", . . , is:-.'.-. -..xzi U . HEY, -KIDS! HERE'S SANTA A direct telephone to Santa Claut at tha North Polo will ba in operation today and Thursday from 6:J0. ( p.m. hero. Sponsored by tho Jaycoas, Wast Coast Telephone Co., U.S. National Bank and City Fi nance, tha direct line to Santa is an annual event in La Grande- - Youngsters may call WO 3 2141 for a personal conversa tion with Santa and his hlpors at the North Pole. LOCAL GIRL WITH SAW Jean Wick. La Grande High School student, holds other end of saw as a dozen nat ional 4-H forestry winners prepare to tut eke marking the HO million-acre milestone of the indubtrysponsored Tree Farm program. Each winner received an all ex pense paid trip to the 38th National 4 II Club Congress, Chicago, from American Forest I'roducts Industries, Inc. Others in picture represent various 411 winners from throughout east, south and mid-een rat U.S. AF Plane Sets New Speed Mark .;0J in Air . m ? . it one tvT ;.y.'.. w t Ike Writes State Of Union essage Aboard U.S. Vessel M ABOARD L'.S.S. KSSKX 'UPI President Eisenhower worked on his Slate of (he Union Message while cruising on the sunny Med iterra-.eau today and received a 21-gun salute font the flagship of the British Medilerranear Fleet. The President, aboard the Des Moines, a heavy cruiser, was sail ing on a westerly course between Malta and Sicily when the II. M.S. Tiger, flagship of Adra. Sir Alex ander Bingley, rendered passing honors. Bingley is commander in chief of the British Mi dilerra'ean Fleet and of NATO's Mediterranean forces. Eisenhower watched from the flag bridge of the Des Moines as the British ship thundered its greeting. The chief executive's Sixth Fleet task force was drawn up in a column headed by two destroyers, then the Do Moines, then the air craft carrier Essex, the guided missile cruiser Boston and two destroyers. The American vessels were making a leisurely 10 knots as the chief executive continued on his way to Tunisia. Weather Nearly Ideal Dr. Malcolm Moos, administra tive assistant to the President and a passenger aboard the Essex. was fansferred by helicopter to the chief executive's ship during the morning aid the two were holding a message-writing session before lunch. Moos has been woriekig on the State of The Union Message for weeks. He was brought along on this trip to keep the message up to dale. The President's immediate des tination was Tunis where he con fers Thursday with President Ila- bib Bourguiba halfway between Gibraltar and Suez. Eisenhower was expected to receive another Jim Herron Reported In Good Shape j BAKER (Special Condition of Jim Herron, 2701 Ash St., La Grande, was reported as good Wednesday morning at St. Eliza beth Hospital here. Herron was recovering from in juries suffered Sunday when the pickup in which he was a pas senger collided. with- a Grpyhtaind Bus at Oxman ov.rp.nss near this city. Two other La Grande men. Glenn Nice and Frank J. Her; on, died as a result of the crash. elaborate receplio.i in Tunisia, a nowlv independent Arab nation which wants Western aid without donor countries being too domi ii. nit in the use to which such aid is put From Tunis, where the Presi dent will go ashore by helicopter for a visit of about five hours, the task force will sail for Tou Ion, Fiance, wheve Eisenhower 'meets Secretary of State Chris tian A. Herter r riday afternoon To Travel By Train The two men will travel to gether by train to Paris where a Western summit meeting opens Dec. 19. Early this morning the Des Moines was heading in a westerly direction from the Grecian Is lands toward the Tunisian coast Jine that juts out -into the Medi fFWTiicari. The Essex and Boston traeled 1.500 yards off the stern of the President's ship, followed by .the destroyers MulUnex, V'ogelgcsang, Mchox and Stormes. jDisclose i 10 P Plot oison omniums! U.S. Personnel o set "a new cfticiul S&Jj ecord of 1.520.9 miles r-U-;iA -day at Edwards Air California. ; 1 J v u. WASHINGTON UPI'-The Force announced today, th, of its F106 Delta Dart all-weather interceptors se world speed record an hour Tuesdi L-nM !).,.- r.tlifnr Tho rerm-H was nearlv 38 miles t an hour faster than the speed of ; 1.483 miles an nour c.-imeo uci .jr.. s 1 by the Soviet Union for its new ; i E66 Delta wing fighter. It was 116 miles an hour faster than the previous official record of 1.4IM miles an hour set by U.S. Fio-l May 16, 1958. The announcement said the rec ord was set by Maj. Joseph W Rogers, veteran Air Defense torn mand pilot, over a straightaway. 18- kilometer about 11 mile course. Rogers, using a production mod el of the interceptor built by Con- vair in San Diego, look off at 6:30 a.m. p.s.t., and climbed to an altitude of 40.000 feet above the Southern California desert flight test center. He then touched off the after burner and Hew twice over the course. ' The Air Force said the run was made twice to meet official record requirements of the Federation Aeronautique Internatiunale. lii speed, an average of the two runs was r.ejjianj gmes the spt'cJ oi souno The F106 is the air defense com mand's newest interceptor. Five squadrons are in service so far They can be armed with the MB1 Genie atomic warhead rocket RADIO FREE EUROPE UNIT TARGET OF 'DEATH PLAN1 : MUNICH, Germany (UPI) Officials of Radio Free Eur ope said today Communist agents put atropine (a poisonous alkaloid) in salt shakers at the station cafeteria last month in an effort to poison members of the staff. The attempt failed because officials of the anti-Communist broadcasting station were warned by a double agent mat tne salt had been poisoned. . J I A statement issued bv the sta tion identilied the tipster only as "a person ostensibly used by a foreign Comnnrisi power tor sab otage purposes." The statement said the poisoner was "a ( oinimniist diplomat sta tioned in Western Europe, acting on the instructions o( his gov ernment." The station said the poisoning an' hj uim ue; eu iu . just before the salt shakers were taken into the cafeteria where the station's 1.200 employes take their meals. "Samples were obtained an alyzed by American medical la- cilitiis," the statement said. "This revealed the presence in each shaker of atropine, a poison de i ived from belladonna. The amount in each shaker was 2 36 per ccrlt by weight." 'This was surely enough to kill a man, even it the victim only sprinkled a little salt on his food," a spokesman said. Flood Threats To Western Area Of Washington Now Diminished TANKS RUSH TO FRONT U.S. Sherman tanks roll up Kelgian road during start of ill-famed Battle of Bulge 15 years ago today. Note the snow which made fighting conditions even more miserable. This picture was tak en near KIsenborn, the northern shoulder of German breakthrough. THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE Old Veteran Is , Growing Weaker IIOl'STON. lex. U'PIi -Walter Williams, 117. Hast surviving vet eran of the Civil War. continued lo grow steadily weaker today as he battled for his life against pneumonia. Burp Guns Herald Desperate Runstedt Attack 15 Years Ago SEATTLE i VPI Civil Defense Tuesday, thousands of acres of HELP FIGHT TB .CHRISTMAS SEALS -y-V-v-v-v-v-v--V'yj spokesmen announced late Tues day night Uiat western Washing ton's raging rivers were no longer rising, thus diminishing the threat of a second serious flood in the area in less than a month. Many families were evacuated Injured Airman Is improving At City Hospital Airman William Schcpper. IB. Portland, is recovering from in juries Sunday in a car-truck acci dent west or the city. Hospital attendants said Wcdn-s-day morning that Schepper's con dition is "g.eatly improved" and his condition is listed as "good." Alvin Lee Scott, 23, Port'and, is also in good condition at St. Jo seph Hospital. Both tirmen iire from 'Nilcs Air Eorce Base, Mo tana. low-Jying farmlands were inun dated, and Stevens Pass, Wash ington's main cross - state high way, was washed out. But Civil Defense people said the situation was not nearly as serious as the Nov. 23 flood. No town was hit very hard by Tuesday's high water but several communities along the Stevens Pass Highway reported minor floi.ding in their extreme city limits. The only really serious trouble spot remaining was south of Kent a'oag the Green liiver where a ilikj was announced as in danger Lif goir.g out. The dike, w hich spokesman said was weakened by the November flood, was backed up fy a re cently completed secondary dike. However, it was feared the sec ondary dike had not set long enough to be firm. Ma"y of western Washington's socoidarj highways were covered U.S. NUCLEAR LEADERSHIP America Of War Assures NATO Allies Might In Arms Race PARIS 'VPI1 -Ttic 'In i ted. States told its NATO allies today that It still has a nuclear lead over the Soviet I'nion. "both with respect to nuclear weapons and to the means of th"ir delivery." Defease Secretary Thomas S. Gates gave the assurance lo the NATO Council of Ministers. He said the L S. "Is confident of Us nuclear superiority." He also wa-ne.l the alliance against expected Soviet conces sions that would allow Western na tions to reduce their defense He pledged that the I . S. would maintain its powerful ground, air and naval forces in Europe Britain and Italy added their rtledges to maintain or increase present defense forces. R..t Ff.nr. i role in the alliance -a.id American criticism of it caused controversy in the meeting amid the general show 01 u,mj NATO Secretary General Taut Henri Spaak condemned an 'in discretion" 0:1 the nail nf the V. S. in leaking charges that France, by rot living up to its military commitment wis e.n- dangeiirg the alliar.ee. l.en. Naihan B. Twining, chair man of t.ie V. S Joint Chiefs of Slaif, ma le the cha scs ,lt a se cret meeting of the vato Mili tary Committee. French Defense Minister Pierre Guillauxat sa d today his govern-me-.t was seriously concerned that the charges had" been leaked to the press. Gates defended Twining and said that although he regretted the publicity gjvc;, lhe cnarKe,. facts are facts nd cannot I ig nored. "My gove-nment endorses the mil'.""T su,bs,ai' of the speech made by Gen. Twining." Gales told the ministers. wjthin the competence. rj(;htSi and fe. spo.isibil.ty of generals to com ment on the military consequen ces of political decisions. Spaak said he thought the press had magnified the disagreement, lie said he 'felt the council would agree with him in -condemning the leakage. Then he ruled the inci lent closed. Reports on Soviet Strength Tht dispute was shaded by Gates' appraisal of American nu clear strength and a clear warn ing by the NATO intelligence chief that the Russians are now in a position to attack from any point of their periphery. V. S. Adm. Walter . Boone said that intelligence reports show these developments in Russia's war potential: lhe Soviets have completed a thorough overhaul of their forces and their arms, both conventional and nuclear. The Soviet submarine menace is us glial us ever. with water in spots. It was hoped these would be cleared sometime today, however, as temperatures were d.opping and the rain had stopped falling at many points in the mountains. A CD spokesman at Everett, north of here, said the Stilla guamish River had dropped con siderably from Tuesday's mid afternoon reading. He added that the Snohomish and Skykomish rivers were holding their levels. High School Group To Sing At Elks Confab Tomorrow La Grande High School's Mixed r-nsemble and Hie Gills' Chorus will entertain members of the La Grcnde Elks lodge Thursday evening with a special Christmas music program. It is the regular meeting of the membership at the Elk's Temple and is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. Mrs. Betty Faulkner is di rector of the musical groups. Republican Wins Important House Seat In Iowa DES MOINES, Iowa 1 CPU Republican John Kyi. who staked his campaign on rresident Eisen hower's "Crusade For Peace," won the race for congressman from Iowa's 4th District Tuesday in a viciory over an "anti Benson" Democratic opponent. Republican leaders immediately hailed the election as an indica tion the GOP is on its way to vic tory in liiiO. Union High School Yule Event Tonight Union (Special) Union High school band and choj-u will pres ent their annual Christmas pro gram trnight. There will be two drawings for pri7.es, one by the hi'h school majorettes and anoth-r by lhe Union Junior Women's Club. The program is divided into three parts End will consist of music by the band and Christmas songs by the chorus, and will con clude with the school alma mater. (Editor's Note Fifteen years ago, today, one of the greatest battles for survival ever participated in by U.S. trcops broke with savage fury along the snow-covered Ardennes Forest. It was bet ter known as the Battle of the 3ulge ,id ranks possibly as the greatest single military victory turned in by the Allies during 4. 1 of World War II and also was the closest Ger many came to deciding the outcome of the war. Grady Parnell, Observer newsman, was a member of an infantry division that was almost caught by orrushing Panzer divisions. He describes in gra phic detail those uncertain first days of the fighting.) BY GRADY PANNELL Observer Staff Writer Rapid-firing burp guns and screaming "88's" heralded the sudden and surprise onslaught hy i dozens of spirited German divi- L- Sions th.-il rW'femhor IK rf tnij They came streaming on foot ?nd by barn-sized tanks and cam ouflaged half tracks out of the i driving snow Cagey Field Gen- 1 eral Von Runstedt was in com- L mand. He was following the or- ders of lunatic dictator Hitler, r The entire Schnee-Eiffel of the Monschau literally crawled with enemy troops and gigantic and new Tier Royal tanks that with- i, tood direct fire from small anti- ; ank guns So swi.tly did lhe Wehrmacht t advance, American outposts and front lines were overrun in al matter of minutes, while behind 'he fluid front confusion mount a ancl entire infantry units withdrew without orders. Deepest Thrust I was with the Second (Indian Head) Division about 14 miles in side Germany at the time. It was then the deenest thrust made y nny American division, and r mission was the cutting of the strategic Roer River network of dams in order for Gen. Pat- tons atmor to the south to dash through in a pincher development To our immediate south was where the initial breakthrough ccurred. In a matter of a few hours wo were an island in a rag ing current. You could hear the shooting but visibility was prac tically zero. Then, the white garbed soldats of Von Runstedt became visible. and it was soon "the great battle 'or survival." Captured Germans disclosed I hat crders had been given them to take no prisoners. They hadn't lhe time to clutter up their ad vancing lines with a 1 t . -sw. rel , ' . kM ' b '..V I I M t . . . I .w. v., Jf ;....'.-.. ..... ss'ntJwriA.-.A a Walla Walla Contractor In Low Bid Bids for construction at Ri- veria. Grade School were opened last night at a special meeting of the La Grande school board. Elmur Holsten, Walla Walla contractor, submitted the appar ent low bid for the construction of fire exits, a new outside boil- ' room and a cafeteria. -Moistens bid totaled $41,991. The only other bidder was Bechi tel Brothers, La Grande, with a hid of $45,577. The contract was tentatively awarded to Holsten by the board pending an investigation by the architects and the board. Work is to begin on the build ing within 10 days if the weath er permits. Completion of the kitchen has been deferred until the 1960-61 school budget is determined. Superintendent I.yle ntggs toU .the board that there are suffi cient funds in the building ac count to complete the kitchen. It is anticipated that the kitch en can be completed and the two new additions ready for use in September 19U0. iWallowa Meet On Livestock At Enterprise WALLOWA (Special) Wallowa Ccunty Livestock Marketing Asso cition annual meeting will be held Friday at noon in the Odd Fellows Hall at Enterprise. A free lunch u.MI 1... 1 -Ji: 1 'eaKers on livestock markets NJlarid prices will include Prosser, l North . Portland; Harold Conn, t jTil "ermis,on- and Morgan Beck, On t Jr I tario. These men have received shipments from Wallowa County during the year. This is the first dinner meeting held by the shipping association for several years and indicates increased interest in the import ant problem of how best to market Wallowa County livestock. During the past season most hogs I have been shipped to Portland. sheep to Colin feed yards on Bitter Creek and feeder cattle to On tario Sales yard. I 'Mother, Grandmother TIRED INFANTRYMAN This soldier of the Second Infantry Division reflects the grim aspects of battle as he stands before knocked out U.S. tank retriever in bat tered Belgian town of Wurtzfeld along the Elsenborn ridge, scene of some of the hardest fighting between Americans and invading "Bulge" German troops and tanks. HIALEAH. Fla. (UPI) Mrs. Raymond Liles, 34, became both a mother and grandmother within less than three hours Tuesday. Mrs. Lites gave birth to a boy at 11:46 a m. and her daughter, Mrs. Robert II. Hall. 18. had k girl at 9 22 a.m. Both babies were reported in good condition. Manhattan Borough Prestige, Position In President's Balance captured Yanks. Their timetable read. "Christmas in Paris." This they almost accomplished See BURP Page 3 NEW YORK i UPI' - The bor ough president of Manhattan makes $25.1X10 a year, rides around in a Cadillac limousine and enjoys one of the top jobs in the city administration. It is the highest city post a Negro ever has attained in New York and llulan E. Jack, West Indian-born, affable Democratic political figure has eijoycd a prestige few residents of Harlem achieve. Charges such as those that top pled Presidential Assistant Sher man Adams from a pinnae'e of columns of power accusations of accepting gifts from someone doing busi ness with the government were made Tuesday against Jack. A grand jury is iinesligating the charge that Jack allowed a businessman to pay $5,500 to re model the borough president's seven-room apartment from glass enclosed, sunken tub to recessed lighting fixtures. Jack has refused to say if he would resign in face of the charges. The businessman. Sidney J. Un gar, was being considered by the city Board of Estimate as spon sor of a federally aided slum clearance project in Manhattan in 1958 when Jack's home was re modeled. Jack is a member of the board and has an unwritten veto power over any building project in his bo-ough. Ungnr apieared before the grand jury Tuesday and answer ed all questions concerning the remodeling after he was granted immunity from prosecution based on his testimony, Dist. Atty. Frank S. Megan's office said. 1 I'ngar previously had denied he paid for the remodeling Job, but both men have refused to dis cuss the investigation while the grand jury is taking testimony. - As in the , case of Sherirtaa Adams' friendship with Bernard Goklfine. whose gifts of a rug and a vicuna coat forced Adam to resign. Ungar and Jack havt been friends fnr years. Ungar was once Jack's cam paign manager. Both men have strong ties to Tammany Hall, the New York County Democratic organization.