; ,-. , .. . . . - . : ! - - .
; oi ram n i aiii w ;
. (
. By Trudl BfcCallooga ' ' V "
TIIE NIGHT before Chrlsinus la 1S18,
-Silent Nlfhfmmt beloved of Chrtat
bui carols had not yet been composed.
Bat on Christmas Day it was sung by :
children la an Austrian village. ;J
That Christinas Eve the Tillage priest,
yeang Josef Mohr, sat reading, when a
peasant woman knocked at the door,'
- A child had been born in - one of the
'humble homes in the Alps. He went to -bless
It and returned so filled with the
meanlnr of the Christinas story that he
sat down to write what he felt. The
lines kept turning- into
Night! Holy Night! An
bright . . ."
Frans G ruber, schoolmaster composed
"Silent Night." later erroneously attri
buted to Haydn. Next morning, with
only a guitar to guide them, the village,
children sang the song. The Journey of
"Silent Night" had begun. -
OtP
The flutter of Christmas shop
ping, the scramble for gifts from
depleted stocks, the . hurry of
crowds on downtown streets give
a wrong impression of Christmas,
1944. The mood of the people is
sober. A few weeks ago there was
enthusiasm about Christmas, as
folk looked forward to this as
probably the last wartime Christ
mas, as far as the war in Europe
is concerned. There "was still a
ray of hope that the bloody busi
ness in Germany might be con
eluded, perhaps by the year-end.
The German counter-offensive
quickly , cooled that enthusiasm.
Deep concern, if not depression,
replaced the buoyant optimism
that had prevailed, since last sum
mer. People realized that in the
whirling maelstrom of battle at
the junction of Germany and Bel
gium and Luxembourg our , own
men were fighting and dying, our
own men were being engulfed in
the rolling tide" of JGerman armor
and infantry. There could be little
lightness of heart in such a situa
tion. "
f While theTTVMrno lack of con-
fidenc in ultimate victory, tne
s fact suddenly dawned" on Ameri
cans that the war was far from
woii. There has been, in conse
quence, . a great deal of self-re-
croach over our complacency, our
over-confidence, our "superiority
complex," if you please. Now we
feel like saying, with KjpUng:
' "For frantic boast and foolish
1 word v .
Have mercy on thy people, .
- -" lord."
There is at home that guilty feel
lng that somehow we have let our
(Continued on editorial page;
Delivery of All
Parcels Today
Postoff ice Plan
All packages in the Salem post
office will be delivered today,
Postmaster Henry Crawford said
Saturday night With the biggest
L holiday season in its history be
hind it, the Salem post olfice stall
was ready - to observe the Christ
mas holiday on Monday with all
work cleared up.
"- Only package received during
the night Saturday or Sunday
morning will bo left to deliver
today, Crawford said. The work
was all cleared up last night ex
cept for misdirected packages.
The post office will remain closed
11 day Sunday and Monday,,
The expected drop In quantity
of incoming mail did not hit the
local office until Saturday noon,
several .days later than usual,
Postmaster. Crawford said.
Berlin Brings White
Christmas'" to Yanks
SOMEWHERE IN NETHER
tANDS, NEW GUINEA, Dec. 24
Irvingjv Berlin brought
white Christmas' to American
doughboys here last night with
his unexpected appearance at a
holiday party. v " .;'
The song writer arrivedun-
announced en route to join nis
troupe of This Is the, Army w for a
tour of the Pacific theatre, and
obliged the GI's with piano num-
Vlers and with some songs which
r be helped make popular.
H
verse: "Silent
is calm, all is
li
i !
fL
Salem Churches
Birthday of Priiice of Peace
V i . -i' . t
With Special Noel Services
With prayer, music and lighted i
candles, the birthday of the Prince :
of Peace will be celebrated today
and Monday in Salem churches. , -
While regularly-scheduled Sun
day services center about the
hiumble nativity of the Babe of
Bethlehem, several churches have
planned special observances of the
great feast of Christendom.
Midnight Service
t
The midnight Christmas eve
service will begin with a candle
light procession at 11:00 p.m. Sun
day night at Saint Paul's Episco
pal church. The choir will sing
Tours Communion, The Magnifi
cat, and an off ertory, "The Sheep
Lay White Around" by Sure. Or
gan preludes will precede the ser
vice. Special prayers will be of
fered for the young men and wo
men of the parish in the military
service of their country.
Seven Christmas Masses
Seven Christmas masses will be
celebrates in Salem's two Catholic
churches Christmas day. The first
will be a 6 o'clock high mass at
St Vincent de Paul's church and
the, last will also be a high mass
at 11 o'clock at St Joseph's. ;
Other high masses will be cele
brated at 10:3d' at St ?Vmfcent'
and the first mass at St. Joseph's
will be a high mass at 7 o'clock.
Low masses will be celebrated at
8:30 and 9:45 at St Joseph's and
at 7:30 and 9 o'clock at St. Vin
cent de Paul's. Christmas carols
will be sung at all of the low
masses and the choir will sing the
high masses. St Michael's mission
at Chemawa will have low; masses
on Christmas at 7, 8 and 9 o'clock
with carols sung by the students,
First Baptist Chnrch
The First Baptist church, will
present a Christmas service 6 to
7 o'clock in the morning i
Christmas day. Organ Christmas
melodies will be played at 5:55
a.m. to open the meeting, followed
by the singing- of a group of the
old Christmas carols. . A mixed
quartet will sing, "Thou Didst
Leave Thy Throne," and "There's
a Song in the Air." ' Miss Mabel
E. Fox will sing a solo, "Cantique
de Noel," by Adam. .
"The Nativity scene,". "Holy
Night" will be shown in pictures
during the service. Dr. Irving A.
Fox, pastor, will speak on the sub
ject, "The Secret of a - Merry
Christmas." 1 f
Latheran Services " . " .
''' Christ's Lutheran church will
hold a 10:30 Christmas day ser
vice With a sermon by the pastor
on "The Wonder Child in the
Manger".
Senators Work toGive U.S.
Advantage From Air Bases
By Jack BeU
WASHINGTON, Dec. ' 22.(P)
Senators -maneuvered today to
provide an ace ; in the hole " for
the state department when it sits
in on the final determination of
aviation rights. -: V
Chairman Mead (D-NY) an
nounced that - members Tunnell
(D-Del) and Burton (R-Ohio) of
the senate war, investigating com
mittee have been instructed . to
find out what has been done or
will be done with American-constructed
airports- when they make
flying trip to north .Africa after
Christmas. ' ,:
Mead said the committee is de
termined that Uncle Sam keep a
string on . the world-wide system
of ; landing fields, which military
engineers ' have built in foreign
, . .v --:
JI. : - r i-m naurfi.niiii 1
f
j-.
to Celebrate
Turkey Saves Self
Urging Hungry to
'Buy War Bonds'
TACOMA, Dec' 23-()-Major,
a 37-pound turkey, weathered to
day's last-minute frenzied Christ
mas shopping by , strutting up ?nd
down on the sidewalk in front ot
Corbit's poultry market wearing
a sign "Don't Buy Turkeys,. Buy
war eonas." "
Hundreds of Christmas shdo
pers stopped to stare at the bird,
1 : t , ii .it x - m ai I.
waica wim an 113 learners mi
lled. aDDeared to enibv the sensa
tion he created. Major has been
working froni 8 a.m. to 6 pjn. the
last few days, said F. A. Corb
Greek Gvil War
Spreads Over
Entire Nation
ATHENS, Dec. 23 (Jpy Fifteen
thousand to 20,000 left-wing, Elas
warriors stormed the " rightist
guerilla stronghold in northwest
ern? Greece today, spreading civil
war clear across tne nation, as
stiff fighting also erupted north of
the Athens port of Piraeus, where
British-Indian troops landed un
der the support of naval guns and
rocket-firing Beaufighters.
British headquarters, which
only last night received the Elas'
reply to its cease-fire ultimatum,
officially declared that the Elas
assault on the right-wing strong
hold around Ioannina was an
"unprovoked attack" in violation
of an agreement reached between
the , rival factions at Caserta be
fore the original British landing:
in Greece. ,
While Lt Gen. Ronaold Sco-
bie,' the British commander, and
Harold McMillan, British resident
general in the Middle East, con
ferred on the situation, Indian
troops battled the Elas members
north of the main harbor basin of
Piraeus, southwest of Athens.
Weather
JKaximnm temperature Sat
rday 38 desrees, minimum J9
. degrees; no rain; river -2 ft
2 in. Partly cloudy Sunday with
a few snow flurries in the
southeast portion and showers
In southwest; clear in north
portion - Monday and partly
cloudy In south; little change In
temperature. .
countries until it becomes certain
that this country will : share in
aviation rights in those countries.
: ; Alongi with their clean shirts
Tunnel and Burton will pack com
mittee , instructions to check, .the
coordination 'of American' civil,
military and relief agencies abroad
to inquire into the tapering off of
lend-lease, to learn plans for the
postwar disposition of facilities
and to find out how much oil is
coming out of the middle east for
the fighting forces. , .m
"We particularly want the state
department to have a string at
tached to that lineup of airfields
from Casablanca to s Cairo when
it goes into conference to deter
mine landing rights all' over the
world,! Mead told a reporter.
VVBswMSmssvssHfStfMM1 M: W
. i r
t
NINETY-FOURTH YEAR
rn
Pointless
Articles
Going Out
Most Vegetables,
Meat Will Cost
Points Next Week
. By Marvin L. Arrowsmith
"WASHINGTON, Dec. 23;P
Virtually all point-free meats and
canned vegetables will be back on
the ration list by the start of the
new year, it was learned tonight
The OPA, reliable sources said.
is prepared to announce the dras
tic move next Wednesday." New
point values, now being discussedj
probably will be effective De
cember 31.
Affects Many Items ' v "
The decision is understood to
affect practically all cuts of beef,
veal, lamb and pork, as well as all
major canned vegetables. The af
fected foods have been ration
free since last May. !
Because of continuing need for
freezer space in warehouses for
military commodities, frozen
fruits and vegetables probably
will stay point-free. Jams, jellies
and preserves are not expected to
be returned to the list
Victory for OPA
; Restoration of points to , the
wide variety of meat , .cuts an
vegetables will be a major victory
for OPA over the War Food ad
ministration. For the last five
months OPA has recommended
that point-free meats and vegeta
bles be put back under rationing.
contending that spotty distribution
and shortages-r-actual and poten
tial warranted such a" move.
.WFA, which has jurisdiction as
to which commodities are ration
ed, rejected the proposal each
time it was submitted. The dis
pute 'was climaxed last month
when OPA appealed to Stabiliza
tion Director Fred M. Vinson, ask
ing that he act as arbitrator.
Willamette to
Share in Fund
Okelied by ER
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23JPh
President ; Roosevelt's signature
put a billion-dollar program of
approved flood control projects on
the nation's postwar books today.
1 But congress still must appro
priate the money for the projects,
which encompass not only flood
checking works, but also reclama
tion, hydroelectric power and sinv
ilar developments. .
! PORTLAND, Dec. 23 (P A
$20,000,000 appropriation to im
prove the Willamette river basin
by constructing five new dams at
Dorena, Detroit, and three sites
not yet chosen is authorized in the
flood control bill signed today by
President Roosevelt, '
Lookout Point on the middle
fork of the Willamette, Quartz
creek on the McKenzie river, and
a . spot near Sweet Home on the
Santiam river are tentative sites
for the other dams, army engi
neer's said.
Oregon Sweeps Close
To E Bond Goal
. PORTLAND, Dec. 23.CP)-re-goa
swept to 90.2 per cent of its
$34,000,000 E bond goal today with
sales of $30,685,429. Eight days
remain to reach the mark.
Overall sales, long past the
$107,000,000 quota, reached $145,
291,130. Multnomah county,4, with
only 79.1 per cent of $19,000,
000 E quota, still hung behind," -
,uy r ; f
24 PAGES
lBB
ft M
Cracks Down
VI
w -
J
Byrnes,
A 1 i
rnes uraers
Closure of All
Racing
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23-()-In
its most drastic manpower moves
of the war, the government today
banned horse and dog racing and
served notice that materials, fueT
and transportation will be denied
businesses which defy, manpower
regulations.
Selective service also was di
rected to review the qualifications
for military service of profession
al athletes. J
The actions capped a week of
intensified endeavor to speed up
the whole American war effort
to the greater pace which the
German counter - offensive has
shown will be necessary for victory."-
: .. -.
Today's actions .were ordered
directly by James F. Byrnes, di
rector of war mobilization and re
conversion. It 'was announces,
however, that his request that all
racing tracks close by January 3
was issued with President Roose
velt's approval.. tvf ---;' 1
Glenn Miller
Now Missing
2 DUARTE, Calif., Dec. 23.itf)
Maj. Glenn Miller,' peacetime
dance band . leader, is - reported
missing in action in France, his
wife's parents announced here to
night .... ... -
Mr. and Mrs.- Fred W. Burger
said the word came by telephone
from their daughter. " Mrs. ; Miller
called from Tenafly, N. j where
she had gone to accompany; a girl;
recently adopted by the Millers,
to California. ' " f
' (Irs. Miller said that the band
leader had, been in England for
some time, directing musicians'
groups in an armed forces ! enter
tainment program, and that he
went to France about two; weeks
a0. - i-: : s Ir 4 t j-v S
Marine Senior Surgeon
Dies at 57 in Geveland
CLEVELAND ,Dec. 23 Dr,
Stephan A. De Martini, 57, senior
surgeon at the United States ma
rine hospital here, died today. A
native -of Portland, Ore,' Dr. De
Martini was connected with the
United States : public health ser
vice for many years, serving in
its hospital in Port ,Townsend,
Wash. - ' -i
Low Temperatures
Predicted Christmas
PORTLAND, Dec. 23-CflP)-The
thermometer is expected to dive
to 20 degrees the season's low-
here Christmas eve-
I
;y H. :1
James F.
Fe
PdUNDnD 1651
Salem. Oregon, Sunday Morning,
9
100 Jap
anes
Blasted
Destruction of
Nips iil Ormbc
Area Completed
By James Hutcheson r
GENERAL Mac ARTHUR'S
HEAD QUARTERS, Philippines,
Sunday, Dec, 24 -P) Headquar
ters today reported a smashing
daylight air raid on Clark Field,
near Manila, in which the' major
ity of 100 grounded Japanese
planes were destroyed, and said
also that U Stroops had completed
the destruction of Nipponese in
the bloody OrmoC' corridor of Ley
te island. , !
Liberator bombers operating
from Leyte made the Clark Field
raid Friday, Philippine time.
Nips Surprised
It was the first daylight Liber
ator operation against that main
Japanese air center in the Philip
pines and an army spokesman said
it was a first class surprise to the
Nipponese, who got only nine of
their fighters in the air to meet
the assault ' '
Eight of the nine interceptors
were shot down by . US Thunder
bolts; The dispersal and taxi areas
betweep Jtwpjotthe airstrips were
lert enveloped m lire and smoke
Liberator crews reported one tre
mendous explosion from which i
smoke column rose 5000 feet
Jap Toll Mounts
Yanks cleaning up Leyte's Or
moc corridor and pocketed Japa
nese to the east counted another
3788 enemy dead in one day.
bringing the 8-day total to 18,661
The US 77th division, the com'
munique said, is continuing to
work its way westward from the
corridor to the port of Palompon,
last base of the remnants of en
emy forces in that area.
Participation of the 11th air
borne division in the west Leyte
fighting was disclosed for the first
time. ' It is commanded by Maj.
Gen. Joseph M. Swing. It did
much of the heavy fighting in the
rugged mountainous terrain south
east of Ormoc and east of the bat
tlefront where the 77th and the
7th division closed a trap on the
enemy's Yamashitaline and turn'
ed the Leyte campaign toward i
victorious end.: ,
Chief of Navy Chaplains
To Be Rear Admiral
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22-(JP)
Legislation permitting the eleya
tion of the chief of navy chaplains
to the rank '. of rear admiral was
signed today by President Roose
velt "
Airpl
Soviets Report Nazis Killed 700,000 Persons,
Including AmericanSyBritons, in Death Camps
By Eddy GUmore : v
MOSCOW, Dec. 23.-(P)-A So
viet extraordinary state commis
sion investigating war crimes re
ported today that 700,000 persons'
including an undetermined . num
ber of citizens of the United States
and Britain, . had been killed by
the Germans in three camps in
Lwow ' Province, Polarid.
' The report did not list the names
of the Americans and Britons,-nor
did it give " any further details
concerning them. " The victims of
all nationalities were said to in
clude both civilians and prisoners
of war. ; '
Writers, artists and musicians
were made to wash the stairways
of one seven-story building with
their tongues, and then were , com
pelled to pick-up v garbage with
their, lips, the report said. i-
In another incident, the report
v4(V,,
December 21. 1944
Allied Air Might
Pours Destruction
On German'Ranks
Yank Relief Columns Bite Into :
Southern Flank of Penetration
By Enemy; Situation Improves
PARIS, Sanday. Dec 24 (APV American relief col
umns, swinging- up through
Belgium in their first effective counteraction, have bitten
into the southern flank of j the German penetration which i
now has reached Libramont, only 23 miles northeast of his
toric Sedan, allied headquarters disclosed last night JL
With clearing skies the world's mightiest air. force also
swung into action with 4500
invasion columns, cutting destructive swaths through their
ranxs ana nammering tneir rear i
Dases. . !-.'"- i
Allied headquarters, lifting !a
48-hour time lag on front news,
gave this report of the situation:
Striking north of the city f
Luxembourg and also, north of
Arlon, 13 miles northwest of Lux
embourg, American troops hate
dented the German southern
flank. '
Attack Located - , '
A front dispatch covering this
action through Friday , morniig
said the Luxembourg counterac
tion was sprung north of Mersch,
eight miles above Luxembourg
viijr. Aimuugn uus aispaicn w
iiiL t. it- . a m r
censored it contained these
haps significant words:
"It is obvious that in the
days since the Germans threw th
dice in what probably is their last
big gamble,' the Americans hae
had time to reform their forcesr
Halted in North.
Encouraging news also came'
from the northern flank, where
Associated v Press V Correspondent
Wes Gallagher said that Fiejd
1 V , tt -k . a . l j
marsncu A.ari von nunasieat naa
been forced to pull back one of hb
crack SS (Elite) divisions because
it was so badly mauled by hard
fighting doughboys in the Mal
medy sector. .i: j
The Germans left more 5 thin
1000 dead in the snows below
Malmedy, Gallagher said, and a
hard freeze setting in had the
Yanks grouped around small bon
fires across the battle - ridden
fields and cross-roads. Hundreds
of 7 Hitler's . youthful troops are
snow-covered lumps, dead in the
No Man's Land between the lines
in that area, the dispatch saidJ
US Loses Stavelot
The Americans, however, hae
lost Stavelot, five miles southwest
of Malmedy, headquarters dis
closed, and also confirmed the
German . announcement that : St.
Vith, 12 miles southeast of Stave
lot, had been taken by the Gerr
mans. '. ;
Masses of German armor wete
reported- pushing the Americans
back lowly from St Vith toward
Vlelsalm, nine miles to the weft
and seven miles south of Stavelojt.
SHAEF described ' this action.
where the Americans, werjyrfigt
to prevent a ; link-up ; of maidr
German columns, as one of the
epic stands of the war. The Amer
icans slugged it out toe to toe, and
are still fighting with great cour
age, but are slowly being pressed
back by superior forces.
related, the commander of one of
the camps, the Yanov camp, threw
two four-yearpld children int4
the air and shot them to amuse, his
own,nine-year-old daughter. ? f
The committee said it was also
established that at the three campi
Yanoy, Sitadel and Usenitz4
the gestapo devised the "humah
icicle" treatment, which consisted
of t putting bound prisoners Into;
barrels of water and then placing
the .barrels outside in below-zerc
temperatures, with guards stand
ing over them until they; became
frozen, in ice. , .
' Nazi gestapo chief H el n r I e hi
Himmler . was said to have : par-j
ticipated . directly in the crimes,!
visiting the camps' several times!
for personal inspection.
v"As a result of this,", the re
port said, "the Lwow atrocities' of
the German monsters- bear; the
No. 233
Luxembourg and southeastern ,
sorties against the German
-
To Halt Nazis
LONDON, Dec 23 -The
might ot allied air power was
thrown in today over the snow
covered western front in an at .
tempt to check the German drive
into Belgium and Luxembourg as
more than 400 heavy bombers and
more' than 1000 fighter-bombers
pounded Marshal Karl Von Rund
stedt's lines. i .'
In some of the fiercest air. bat
tles of the war, 106 German Mes- '
serschmitt and Fockewulf iighters ;
were shot down by rAmerican
fighters and bombers 'which 4 es
caped with much smaller losses.
Three heavy bombftrjuAnd 13
fighters were reported missing by
the U. E. Eighth, air force, based
in Britain. ,
Three hundred planes of the U.
S. Ninth air force based in
France shot down at least 29 of
the German fighters which rose,
by the hundreds ; to protect the
German supply lines. The Ninth's
losses were not reported here.
One Contest J
Winner Found
Names of one winner and of
one possible winner in the Sixth
War Loan Victory dream house
contest were filed Saturday with
Marion county war finance com
mittee, although the first prize
was yet unclaimed. '
. Theodore Rainwater, 1980 South
Church street, will receive the
$4000 worth ot war bonds should
first place winner not file' his
name with' the committee by FrK-
day of 5 this week. Should the
winner reoorL through a bank of
Marion county, , or to Douglas
Yea ter, committee chairman, then
Rainwater .will be declared win
ner of the two-acre tract, second
prize. If Rainwater Is declared
winner of first prize then G. A.
Austin, 1535 State street,. will be
awarded the tract of land. V, .
-T
mark of the personality of Him
mler himself." v . -
The German government, said
the report, systematically sent to
the Lwow camps prisoners of war
and civilians of foreign states from
concentration camps in Germany
and then tortured and killed them.
. . The victims were said to have
included Ukrainians, Poles, Czech
oslovaks, Yugoslavs, Americans,
Britons,.' Netherlanders, Italians
and citizens of other states, in
cluding many Jews. The reports
were confirmed the commission
said, by numerous' statements ' of
Soviet citizens and also by French :
prisoners of war who had been
confined in the camps and were
liberated by the Red army. v;,
The commission ' reported that
"children were selected and given
to detachments of the Hitler youth
as targets for shooting, practice."
1 -.:
. 5
.
- V
r.
Pries) 5c
Enter Effort