; 1 .'r
, i !
Readier
Thursday maximum tern
perature . 45, minimam SI.
' fiain JL3. Elver -1.C ft.
Intermittent rain west ef
Cascades, rain and snow ov-
- er eastern Cascades Friday
and ' Saturday; net mach
change in tempera tore.
POUNDDD 1651
I went to the "blood bank" and
made my first contribution last
Tuesday. Had. been intending to
do it for weeks, but it is very easy
to put off something which you
r know you can do next day or next
Week. Then perhaps there was a
degree of hesitancy due to appre
hension over drawing off my own
blood. You know it is all right or
the doctors and nurses wouldn't
have people doing it, but . ; .
; Well, the apprehension proved
' ' groundless, the tapping process
painless and the experience inter
esting. And when you talk with
those in line who have given their
blood several times you feel a bit
chagrined over your own slow
ness in responding to the calL
You begin by being free of cold
cr Influenza, and you eat a very
" light breakfast of toast, coffee,
fftHt:iaice. You report at the First
Methodist church sometime after
10:30 a. m. on a Tuesday, are
checked in at, the door, and .then
wait your turn. It's a game of
"musical chairs, one donor re
marked, as persons move along
the chair-rows until they are
called. - v' : -. . .vv
? A registration card is filled out
with your personal data, partieu--'
larly your health record. A nurse
pricks your finger with a needle
to get a drop of your blood for its
hemaglobin test. Another -nurse
records your temperature and
blood pressure. If you have a
passing grade in all this you go
into the "receiving wardwhere
donors recline on high cots while
nurse inserts a needle in your
arm and the - desired quota of
blood is withdrawn. A ten-minute
rest on a low cot is prescribed,
- and then the donor is given a
bracer of a cup of coffee and a
doughnut. "No heavy lifting ' for
several hours' is ordered, which
Is easy advice for ; an editor to
follow. That's just about all there
Is to it You wait at least eight
weeks before repeating. ;ir;
The blood is taken into Port
land, then shipped under refrig
eration to Oakland where t h
plasma Is extracted and
Continued on Editorial Page)
President
"To Broadcast
AtTSToon Today
- WASH I NGTON, Dec 23 P)
The greatest network of interna
tional: radio facilities ever organ
ized will -carry President Roose
velt's address tomorrow to the far
: comers of the world.
, The president will speak at
soon, Pacific war time, from bis
Hyde Park, NY, home. He is ex
: pec ted to talk for about half, an
hour and has announced that he
will discuss the Teheran and Cairo
Conferences of allied , war leaders.
All domestic radio networks will
, broadcast the address as will the
' entire British Broadcasting cor
poration's system, the Australian
and New Zealand network, and
stations in Algiers, Palermo, Bari,
Naples and India. ,
' A BBC relay is planned to South
Africa, the Atlantic, and the mid
dle east, and ' arrangements are
Contemplated for the Leopoldville
Station in central Africa to relay
the address to Iran.
' Twenty three American short
wave stations will carry broad
casts intended, primarily for mem
bers of the armed services in Eng
land, Ireland, Iceland, North At
tica, Italy, Central Africa, the nearj
...7 rt a a Pfaiu
Short wave broadcasts also will be
beamed to the Dutch East Indies
and the Philippines. !
Because many war workers and
.ethers may not have opportunity
to hear the mid-afternoon pro
gram, many domestic radio sta-
- tions will broadcast transcriptions
(Turn to Page 2 Story C)
Germans
Anti-Sub Net
NEW YORK, Dec. 23 A
Berlin broadcast said today the
Germans had spread a 50-mile-long
anti-submarine net cutting
Off the Gulf of Finland from the
Baltic sea to prevent Russian sub
marines from entering the Baltic
" The broadcast, quoting an ar
ticle by a Capt. Zimmerman in
the Deutsche Allmemeine Zeitung
said special craft spread the net,
called the biggest ever used in
naval warfare.
? SWOPPING 1
I I DAV LEFT
4 2y -AMD I WMENV
KEHTY TXH3D YEAH
f'W
oylets
Red Ari
12
Bagramain's -Troops
Gain
Advantage
w By James M. Long
LONDON, Friday, Dec:
24 (AP) The Russians
have forced a Blew breach
in German Lines before
Vitebsk, Berlin admitted
.... ?
today, while Moscow dis
patches said the Soviet Bal
tic army had battered to
within 12 miles of that na
xi fortress as its big winter
of fensive 1 entered its 12th
day. : j
The soviet midnight communi
que made more modest claims as
it . reported ; that units of Gen.
Ivan Bagramain's forces had
captured several populated places
and additional "advantageous po
sitions." Eight hundred Germans
were killed in the day's fighting
in which one unit crossed a w;
ter .barrier, taking the Germans
by surprise . and sending them
into hasty retreat i without their
equipment.1'-; f-
The communique, recorded by
the soviet monitor, also told of
exceedingly, bitter fighting in the
Zhlobin area of southern white
Russia, where the Germans were
counterattacking. Fifty - seven
German tanks and 1500 nazi sol
diers were - killed and "despite
great numerical superiority the
Germans "did not achieve sue-
In the Korosten area of the
Kiev bulge where the Germans
w e r e also counterattacking 85
miles west of the Ukrainian capi
tal, the enemy lost 27 tanks and
800 men after two separate at
tacks which were successfully re
pulsed. r-i . r .
The Russian announcement
(Turn to Page 2 Story B)
Eisenhower
Commends
WITH THE 5TH ARMY IN
ITALY, Dec. 23 P- Gen. Dwight
D. Eisenhower, allied commander
in chief, put in a good word for
the slogging doughboy on the
tough Italian front today and said
the campaign was definitely
TWorthwhile because it gave the
allies ; air i bases against central
Europe and tied up German troops
The allied leader, on a visit to
the Italian front, said cracking the
Germans' winter line is not a job
for the air force alone but for the
infantry which has only one al
ternative, the same slow, plodding
progress -which is now under way.
Discussing the Italian campaign,
Eisenhower said that prior to the
allied invasion there were seven
German divisions in Italy but 13
days after the conquest of Sicily
the nazis had sent 19 divisions
into . the country, in addition to
troops tied up in southern France
and the Balkans because of the
uncertainty over the next allied
move. . - '
Canadian Rail Unions
May Strike Also -
ST. THOMAS, Ont, Dec. 23JP)
It was reported in railroad cricles
here today , that Canadian-resident
employes of United States rail
roads might strike if a threatened
wage increase strike of 20 Amer
ican railroad unions is carried out
December SO. It is believed, how
ever, any financial gain would be
obviated by wage-freezing orders
of the Canadian government.
Criticizes Red Attack
NEW YORK, Dec. 23-tfVMat-
thew Woll, vice president of the
American Federation of Labor, to
night criticized the attack upon
himself and three other AFL lead
ers in the Soviet publication "War
and the Working Class" as ? "a
my
Miles I
From Gitv
blow at allied unity. r
10 PAGES
Fo&e Breach in
War Criminal?
' f
S
Germans claimed this a front and
. back view ef Kenneth Williams,
21, of Charlotte, NC, an Ameri
can flier, whe was said to be la
mm-- m wi wiw wi
shot dewn In the raid en Em
den, '
to
Allied Fliers
In Retaliation
NEWjfORk, Dec "23 -i?P)-The
German radio said tonight that
British and American airmen held
as prisoners of war in Germany
would be put' on trial as "war
criminals.
The statement was made by Ed
ward Roderick Dietze, who said
that Germany thus would reply
to what he termed Russia's "mock
trial" at Kharkov where three
Germans and a Russian., traitor
were executed after trial on char
ges of committing atrocities. Dietze
added that "Anglo-American air
men who dropped their bombs de
liberately on residential quarters
of German cities and bear with
(Turn to Page 2 Story E)
Army, Navy Journal
Asks Renomination
For Gen. Marshall :
Washington; Dee, 23.-4P)
The Army and Navy Journal
tonight urged President Roose
velt to renominate Gen. George
C Marshall as chief ef staff In
order to shew I the world that
Marshall Is not to be transfer-;
red to some other position.
Roosevelt Weds
NEW YORK, Dec. 23-ff)-Lt. J.
W. Willard Roosevelt, 25, son of
the late Major Kermit Roosevelt
and a grandson of the late Presi
dent Theodore Roosevelt, was mar
ried today to socially w prominent
Nancy Thayer,'; 24. " f ' t t
Try
Generals Issue (Xifistmas Messages to Troops
ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD
QUARTERS, New Guinea, Friday,
Dec.' 24.-69j-Gen. : Douglas Mac-
Arthur today . sent the following
Christmas - message to , the : men
and women of the armed forces
in the southwest Pacific. ' ' - 1
On this Christmas day, the an
niversary of the birth of our Lord,
Jesus Christ, I pray that a mer
ciful God may preserve and bless
each one of you.
PEARL HARBOR, Dec. 23.-P)
In a Christmas message to forces
under his command, Adm. Ches
ter5 W, Nimitz, commander-in-chief
in the Pacific, said today:
"We look ahead with full con
fidence that the next Christmas
IS ir 5 ft o s Dd : IrO eavSes
" S ;- t" ' , '-t, ;
Allies Blast Rocket Gun Coast
During Day; Nazis Bag Planes
LONDON, Friday, Dec. 24 - pP)
heavy b ambers attacked Berlin
of American and RAF aerial activity against mysterious targets
in the Pas de Calais area of France now! termed the "rocket
gun coast."
The broadcast, heard by the
man night fighters and anti-aircraft fire knocked down a con-
Yanks Capture
MtCavallo;
Shell Viticuso
By JOSEPH DYNAN
ALLIED HEADQQUARTERS,
Algiers, Dec. 23. (JP) American
troops driving on Cassino In a
flanking move from the east cap
tured 3,000-foot Mt. Cavallo and
from that lofty vantage point be
gan shelling the fortified village
of Viticuso, only eight miles from
Cassino, allied headquarters an
nounced today as the Fifth and
Eighth armies pressed their at
tacks over rain - soaked Italian
terrain.
French units participating in
the side-door, assault on Cassino
scored their iirct' Important stra
tegic victory of the Italian cam
paign when, after three days and
nights of ferocious fighting, they
won possession of a key mountain
pass near the site of the Ameri
cans advance.
Casslhov major hUfhwiy" and
rail junction guarding a wide
valley 70 miles from Rome, now
Is within allied artillery range
! from the senthe&st, east and
northeast. American forces
driving p the Liii valley from
the soatheast were still clean
ing out nests of bitterly-reslst-Inx
Germans on the outskirts
of San Ylttore, six miles from
Cassino.
Canadian tanks and infantry,
after three days of house-to-house
fighting, cleared the nazis from
all but the .northwestern corner of
the ancient cathedral town of Or
tona on the Adriatic coast.
The Germans, defending this
fortress with a fury commensur
(Turn to Page 2 Story F)
Three Weeks
Till Flu Crest
By the Associated Press -Oregon's
wave of influenza and
other respiratory ailments surged
toward a crest that still was three
weeks away.
Dr. Frederick D. Strieker, state
heatlh officer, said at Portland
that he anticipated no slackening
in. the spread of respiratory trou
bles until possibly the second
week in January. By that ' time
the epidemic, which he estimated
has stricken more than 10,000 Ore
gonians, may have run its course.
As well as In the schools and
offices, the epidemic was cutting
into 'war production, too.- Ship
yards and other war plants in
the Portland area struggled along
with absenteeism running as high
as 20 per cent, in the Henry J.
Kaiser shipyards from around t
per cent -7- considered normal for
this time of year to 11 per cent.
will be a happier one at home and
an infinitely more dismal one In
Japan. -
He told fighting men in the Pa
cific that "Americans at home
celebrate this holiday season
without fear . of bombs or shells
because your valiant efforts in the
past , year have - steadily pushed
the enemy back.
WITH THE FIFTH ARMY IN
ITALY, Dec 23.-ff) - Lt. G e n.
Mark W. Clark told his army In a
Christmas message today that the
job of closing in on the enemy
would go on "with such accelera
tion and crushing force that once
victory Is achieved -there will be
no more Chris teases . spent in
overseas combat,"'
Salem, Oregon, Friday Mamina, Dembeir
Lines at
- A DNB broadcast said British
again last night following a day
Associated Press, declared Ger
O siderable number of four-engined
aircraft over the German capital.
There was no British confir
mation of the reported new attack
on Berlin although earlier tonight
bombers had been heard heading
across the " channel. Berlin has
been given six heavy ' poundings
since November 18, the last one
December 16.
: The roar of the big British
bombers awakened many Eng
lish villagers.
The "rocket gun coast" which
was blasted In yesterday's ope
. rations for the fourth successive
day acquired its name from the
belief that this area harbors In
stallations of the vaunted new
German "secret weapon.
t The allies are officially silent on
the nature of these raids, but the'
London Press, on the basis of neu
tral reports that the Germans were
installing rocket guns in this axis
territory closest to England has
informally named the area after
ithewhigte powered rocket gun, it is
said M sneiier jur ssaiu ou ont-
ain. ; -,i . : - ' . '
Bomb-carrying American Thun
derbolt fighters attacked the Im
portant German air base near the
town of Gilze and Rijen in south'
era
Holland,-while the northern
French targets of RAF medium
and light bombers included a camp
near Merlimont, a small coastal
village 19 miles south of Boulogne,
and two railway junctions, it was
announced., One medium bomber
was missing from these operations.
British coastal guns after 10 p.m.
pumped shells for an hour and a
quarter across the Strait of Dover
and an enemy convoy was be
lieved to have been the target
German guns on the French coast
replied to the bombardment.
(In New York, Allan A Michie
of the Reader's Digest magazine,
returning by plane from Europe,
said that allied officials regard
Germany's rocket secret weapon
as "no bluff. He said the allies
believe it is a rocket-type projec
tile weighing approximately 50
tons, including 10 tons of explo
sive, which "can be shot from the
French coast into England.) ,
Schweinfurt v
Missing Found
WASHINGTON, Dec 23
The relatives of the 348 -airmen
who failed to come back from the
big American raid on Schweinfurt,
Germany, last fall have Christmas
greetings from the army notifi
cation that the men are alive al
though prisoners.
The war department said today
that 59 per cent of 581 missing
crew members of the Flying Fort
resses on the Schweinfurt mission
"have been thus afr officially re
ported, prisoners of war" and it
is expected that further reports
will increase this percentage. To
date, only. 18 of those listed as
missing have "been transferred to
the death list. Still unaccounted
for are 217 men.
"It is my sincere hope that de
spite the i circumstances of war
each member of the 'Fifth army
will be able to feel tho presence
of Christmas and, inspired by the
righteousness of our cause and
the united of this allied team, win
know that with God's help we
shall make 1944, a decisively vic
torious year," said the message.
! LONDON, Friday, Dec 24-P)
-Lt, Jacob L. Devers, in a Christ
mas message to the growing Am
erican forces in Britain, asserted
today that there no longer is any
doubt of allied victory and said
"We have both the manpower and
material to bring this war to a
successful conclusion" and to re
build the world.
24, 18-4 J
r
iteBk
Dr. Erb Dies
Pneumonia
President
EUGENE, Ore., Dec. 23-(P-
Pneumonia brought a sudden end
today to the meteoric career of
Dr. Donald Milton Erb, 43-year-
old University of Oregon presi
dent who rose from stock- clerk tjf
eouege acuranistratoc at 37. -.
The economist, ', educator and
author contracted a heavy cold
last weekend. He was taken to a
hospital Tuesday but his condi
tion declined steadily, reaching a
critical stage late last night. He
died shortly after noon today de
spite blood transfusions and treat
ments with penicillin and sulfa
drugs.
Erb, was one of the youngest
college presidents in the nation
when he succeeded Dr. C V.
Boyer here in 1938. He was the
youngest man ever to head the
university.
His death was a blow to the
university, whose supporters held
great hopes, for development un
der. Erb's leadership. State offi-
(Turn to Page 2 Story D)
Capt. Lovell
To Give Back
Blood Gift
Until Capt. Lovell has regained
eight more pounds some other Sa
lem man or woman will have to
take his place in the blood donor
line at the First Methodist church
on Tuesday.
Lovell, wounded in tho south
Pacific, credits the Red Cross
blood plasma bank with saving his
life and plans to give back to it,
he said this week, a portion of the
contributions given him. J
If Lovell contributed every time
permitted, he couldnt catch up
with what he sometimes calls his
debt to the plasma bank In two
years, but he proposes to get
started as soon as physicians say
he may. . ..
Late Thursday night, Salem was
still 140 registrants short of the
number needed to guarantee the
city's quota for next Tuesday.
Prevalence of influenza and re
lated ailments in the city means,
Red Cross workers said Thurs
day, that persons not afflicted who
have planned to give to the blood
bank should do so this coming
week. They may make appoint
ments and receive Instructions by
calling number 9277, . v , ,f
Lebanon Man
Wins Navy Cross
A L IU E D HEADQUARTERS,
Algiers, Dec. 23(P)-Lt. (J- W.
C Gill, Lebanon, Ore, wounded
in the beach assault at Salerno,
received the navy cross today.; -
He was Injured severely while
in charge on a small assault craft,
but continued directing the flo
tilla until he', collapsed. He has
been in the hospital here since.
Vice Admiral H. K. Hewitt pre
sented the medal.
Prlc 5o
n
L)WC5J U U
Biddle
Wfceii Unions -
Reject Qiffer ;..
Two Lines, Brotherhoods .
Accept Arbitration;
Settlement Prospect Gloomy
' WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 3 -(AP) President
Roosevelt has ordered Attorney General Diddle to pre
pare the necessary legal papers preparatory to the gov
ernment's taking over of the railroads, now threatened
with a nation-wide strike. - ' - "
This was made known at the White House tonight
shortly after word was received that three of the five
railroad operating brotherhoods had rejected the presi
dent's ofer to arbitrate the rail wage controversy and
after the president had explored a similar dispute with
representatives of the 15 non-operating unions.
The rail managements and two operating unions.
agreed to his arbitration.
It was emphasized that
general only was to l4prepareH the necessary papers
looking to. government seizure of the railroads.
Attorney: General Biddle's office declined comment. A
spokesman said there would be no announcement of the justice
department's activities, following up the presidential order, be
fore morning.
The move indicated the president was not very hopeful about
the situation after a day of conferences with the carriers and
the brotherhood chiefs. - - r
Government operation would not be a new experience for the
railroads; a federal agency was in charge of them during the first
woridwan:;.;; -;'vX ; :.
' ' With tonight's developments, the chances for the nation's "Christ
mas present' that the president
day that the strike called for December 30 would not materialize
went glimmering. ' ' '
The White house issued this statement on the situation tonight:
The president tonight directed the attorney general to prepare
the necessary documents for the taking over of the railroads by
the United States government. No date for such action has been fixed.
, "At a conference called this
the representatives of the carriers and the brotherhoods that there
had to be prompt settlement of tho controversy. He stated that ac
tion had become necessary, that the war could not wait that he
would not wait !
"He asked that he be advised
versy would agree to his administration of the -dispute and would
agree to abide by his decision - which, of course, would have to be
within the law of the land.
"Shortly after the conference
senting the brotherhood of railroad
that his organization was willing to
would abide by his decision. .
"John P. Pelley, president of
roads, informed the president that
unanimously had agreed to his
they would abide by his decision.
"Alvanley Johnston, representing the brotherhood of engineers.
notified the president that his organisation would agree to arbitration
by the president, and would abide by his decision.
. "However, D. B. Robertson, representing the brotherhood of loco
motive enginemen and firemen; Thomas C. Cashen, president of the
switchmen's union, and H. W. Fraser, president of the order of rail
way conductors, all advised the president that they refused to agree
to arbitration by him. .
" "Later in the afternoon the president met with the representatives
of the non-operating employes. The president advised them of what
had transpired during the last few days in his various conferences
with the operating brotherhoods. The same proposals for arbitration
which he had made to the operating brotherhoods were repeated.
: "The representatives of the non-operatives made it clear they had
not declined the president's offer to arbitrate their disputes with the
carriers. However, they presented to the president a new' proposal
for settlement of their disputes. "..';-
; "At the request of the president, Justice Byrnes (James F. Byrnes,
war mobilization director) will tomorrow submit this proposal to the
carriers and to Judge Fred Vinson, stabilization director, for their
consideration. The president again made clear; to the representatives
of the employes that any settlement must be In accordance with the
stabilization- program." ...: 4
, Under the terms of Mr. Roosevelt's offer, the parties would have
to agree in advance to abide by his decisions.
The chief executive called in leaders of the 15 non-operating un
ions and offered to pass personally on their wage case after first pro
posing to the operating brotherhoods that he arbitrate their dispute.
r The non-operating group talked with the president for an hour
and a half. George Harrison, head of the clerks union, told newsmen
afterward that they explored the situation at length but that tho mat
ter has gone over for further conferences." ". '
Raids on Mdrshalls Sho w
JapsJJnc
By .LEONARD MILLIMAN
Associated Press Wr Editor
American raids on the Marshall
and the Solomons disclosed con
centrations of Japanese shipping
in the central Pacific and barges
near Buka indicating Friday that
th- Japanese are continually shift
ing their forces, uncertain where
the next blow will fall.
Twenty Japanese ships were
found in Kwajalein lagoon In the
first heavy r&id en Ciat central
No. 233
Oraereci.
x4w .
; v
the order to the attorney
had asked assurance by the holi- '
afternoon by the president he told
whether all parties to the contro
adjourned, A. F. Whitney, repre-,
trainmen, advised the president
have the president arbitrate, and
, - C
the association of American rail
tho representatives of the carriers
arbitration of the dispute, and that
Marshall atoll since December 4.
This is by far the heaviest con
centration of ships reported In the
Marshall, where increasing num
erous transports and cargo ships
have been hit by navy reconnais
sance planes. ,
: American planes on night patrol
bombed and strafed barges at Bu
ka, off the northern tip of Bou
gainville where the Japanese have
been slipping northward by tsrr 3
(Turn to Pase 2 Ctcry A)