-v. i. .4 ; - - v . '
rr
fJjlM.
'if .
it-
JV
U
Easfr Don
WDEDQCa
l
x 1. f , POUNDbO 1651 1-
I i M " L: r , . ; "
In the diary of Samuel R- Thurs
ton, first territorial delegate from
Oreeon to the congress, appears
this entry:
"Tune 22. 1850 Wrote a letter
to A. Bush about going toOregonJ
The meat of his letter was i to
propose to Bush to go out to the
new territory and start a j news
paper which would support the
democratic party. Thurston, back
in Washington, had been working
on the project for some months. On
Jan. 13, 1850, he made this entry:
"Today I had a long talk with Mr
Fitch of Michigan about going to
Oregon to start democratic pap
er. Later he wrote a Mr. Crane of
the New York Evening Post on the
same subject; he spent two weeks
in March in Springfield, Mass.,
looking up possible editors, and
bv Mav was : busy seeing about
buying a press.
What spurred him on was the
report that the Whigs were going
to start ah organ in Portland. His
Information was correct A Whig
organ, the Oregonian was launched
in December, 1850. Thurston was
anxious to protect himself, and his
i party by getting a paper of his
own started.. He finally found the
i man he was looking for in Asahel
Bush, who while studying law was
editing the Westfield, Mass. Stan
dard. Bush came west to the ter
ritorial capital at Oregon City,
established The Oregon Statesman
as Thurston had desired, on March
28, 1851. : . ' !
So today is The Statesman's
birthday. It "is 94 years old. No
celebration is planned; not even
a birthday cake. Merely this salute
to its founder
(Continued on editorial page)
Manpower Bill
Passes House
Bv Seven Votes
WASHINGTON, March 27-Uv
Manpower legislation arming War
I Mobilize amesX Byrne- with
an enforcement club of , jail sen
tences and fines squeaked through
the house today, by a seven-vote
margin. I
A vole of 167 to 160 sent to the
senate the compromise bill giving
Byrnes power; to fix ceilings on
employment, to freeze workers in
their jobs and to regulate hiring
nd rehiring. Violations of his or
ders by either employer or em
ploye would be punishable by one
year in jail apd a fine of $10,000.
j An even . harder fight on ,the
bill is expected In the senate,
which probably will take it up to
morrow. During the two compro
mise measure, the senate balked
on a less sweeping measure adopt
ed by the house.
German Hope
Of Separate
Peace Gone
LONDON, March 27 .-flPrime
. Minister Churchill, appearing in
the house of commons at an hour
when German armies of the west
f reeled back before the greatest
" Allied victory of the war, squelch
ted today: any possible eleventh
hour peace proposals by the en
' emy. ' . " - - r.
With a curt, Mno sir," he an-
. awered a question as to whether
. parliament would have a chance to
r discuss any German proposals
. lor laying down arms.
' Any such proposal, Churchill
said, . would be communicated
' forthwith to Russia and the United
States, bound unequivocally : to
' ' declaration that Hitler's Germany
i must accept unconditional surren
: ' der or be flattened. '.
Women, Children Free
;To Evacuate Berlin
f STOCKHOLM, March 27.-P-
Dispatches from Berlin said a de
cree had been issued permitting
women, children and others cot
1 regarded as essential for; defense
- of the capital to leave the .city
without special formalities.
Hubbub of Excitement Caused
, By Nazi Surrender Rumors ,
(By the Associated Press) .
A hubbub of v excitement over
rumors that Germany had sur
i rendered kept telephone lines
5 humming and newspaper offices
- in a quandary today throughout
.Oregon before the mistake was
'corrected.
Radio broadcasts and teletypes
f some railroads carried the er
roneous V-E dar report, not dis
tributed by The Associated Press.
Listeners at once hurried to tele
phone friends and to query news
paper offices and press bureaus.
. Pedestrians on Oregon streets
ttopped others," shouted, "Hey, you
NINETY-FIFTH YEAR
SvBj (S3,
'!- SI
Russian
!
Forces
In Danzig
Two Red Armies
Unite in Assault
Toward Austria
By Romney Wheeler
LONDON, Wednesday, Mar. 28
-JP)-Armor-paced Russian forces
plunged within 61 miles of Vien
na s city limits, herding tne txer
mans back upon the Austrian bor
der now 23 miles away .from Sov
iet units charging across the tables
land of northwestern Hungary,
Moscow announced, last, night.
Far to the north, other power
ful Russian forces crashed into the
center of fire-blackened Danzig
I and fought through the streets of
the neighboring polish port of
Gdynia, the ; Soviet communique
said. . j ':
The fall of thes two vital Nazi
naval bases on the Baltic appeared
imminent.' Their capture would
give the Russians a psychological
as well as 4 military triumph, for
it was over Danzig sandHhe ad
jacent Polish corridor: that Adolph
Hitler found a pretext for launch
ing the second WorldLwar, Sept
1, 1839.
In German upper Silesia- and
adjacent Polish Silesia, Marshal
Ivan I. Petrov's Fourth Ukraine
army linked up with : the " First
Ukraine army commanded by Mar
shal Ivan S. Konev, and the mas
sive forces lashed out together on
an 80-mile-wide front against the
Germans' Sudeten mountain posi
tions. Soviet units on the left flank of
this front which faces generally
southward, won positions 14 miles
northeast of Moravska-Ostrava,
Czechoslovakia's third city guard
ing the northern route to Prague
and already threatening Vienna.
After capturing the Polish city
of Kybnik, 13 miles east of Ratibor,
Soviet forces drove nine miles be
yond ; that eight-way highway
junction and took Loslau (Wodzi-
slaw) for their closest approach to
the Moravian gap.
Nazis Admit
Rhine Front
Badly Shaken
LONDON, March 27.-(-The
official German news agency ack
nowledged tonight that the Ger
man army s Rhine front was
"thoroughly shaken" and describ
ed Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's
deep smash across the reich's
waist as "a surprising turn of de
velopments.'
DNB Commentator Dr. Max
Krull quoted "competent German
circles," however, as saying "The
Germans are not lacking reserves
in the hinterland to build up a
new defensive wall." ) '
Krull declared that Patton's
drive; eastward which could lead
to a Juncture with a Russian push
westward from Silesia, "points to
other strategical- objectives, one
being the historic plan to separ
ate northern and southern Ger
many through a line of the riv
er Main."
heard the war s over In Ger
many?" Portland shipyards and
industries in other areas . called
the press, asking if plans to cele
brate victory in Europe should be
started. i
At the state capitol in Salem,
state officials and employes
ganged eagerly Into the pressroom
to find out more details. They
learned the report was incorrect,
then wandered sadly, back to
desks.
Many callers anxious to contact
newupaper offices dialed again
and again, only to get busy sig
nals. , -
12 PAGES
Yank Plane
Smoke and flames tower from a
struck by another plane landing
j(AP Wlrephote from Army Air
51 ' " J 'ft" ?
I 1 L.. '.
- M i?
h it .
'? if - vfl.'.-'SiV ; ... j 1 ; '
ijfatfy Cute lrarsiip Budding
Program But
Cautions Against Optimism
WASHINGTON, Matfch
drastically its latest warship building program even as Fleet Ad-
rrfiral Ernest J. King said "No quick and easy victory (over Jap?
an) xaii be taken for granted." ii; . .
'. A $1,000,000,000 "insurance" construction program announc
ed March 6 was slashed 175 per
Lt. Hannaman
in Crash ;
v6r Germany
rst Lt. James D. Hannaman
of ! Salem was killed when the
Eighth air force bomber on! which
he was co-puot
went dovn bv
erTDusiieldorf early In Janu
ary, the ar de
partment noti
fied ' his widow
Tuesday.;
Mrs. ' Hanna
man, the for
mer Lilaj Mur
ray, hadj pre
viously been in
formed he war
missing i in ' action. , Hannajtian, a
fomer student at University of
Oregon, was associated with his
father, the late George Lv Hanna
man, in the contracting - firm of
Viiesko and. Hannaman before en
tering air corps active senate.
Survivors in addition to his wid-
oVi are two children," Jimmy," Jr
ai4d Vicki; his - mother, j Mrs.
Gorge L. Hannaman of fakers
filld, Calif.; sisters, Betty June
Dihlen ; and Mary Jane Hanna
man, both of Bakersfield; broth
ers, Sgt Jack Hannaman, serving
with the army in England, and
Paul Hannaman, Bakers fiel
51,673 U.S. Plan
Sent at Nazis in Week
LONDON, March 27-P)-bnited
States air forces sent 51,673 planes
against German targets in the week
of March 16-22, just before the Al
lied Rhine offensive, and lfst 227
while destroying 375 enemy air-
craft,
U. S. strategic air
force
headquarters in Europe annoimc
IK
today. , : ;
. JThe Oregon Statesman appreci
ates living in the Willamette val
lefrand starting its 85th yfcar to
day. ,.
feat 4iu!Si. ..S).J
- I U.1WN
yewswortihj .
.i ,5-, . . . i
Salem. Oregon. Wednesday Morning.
- s
I ' II'..-: II i
U0UUS1
Burns on Iwo
Mustang fighter' plane which was
en the treacherous Iwe Jlma airstrip
Forces).?
Admiral King
navy today cut back
cent. iThis reduced a projected
oik new iieei ox ot warsnips OI
all categories totaling 636,860 tons
to 12 escort carrier of 150,000
tons.i Other chaser of the mvt'i
overall building program were not
affected. . : j ; j. ' -:;
However, it was j reported that
the joint chiefs of staff, who de-
-Cided upon the warship building
cut, are questioning the maritime
commission on the. heed of build
ing aoout 40 newt tankers now
planned for delivery this year and
next '
in i i . i ; '
Admiral King's note of caution
was included in his annual report
as fleet; commander in chief, which
also said that the war in, the Pa
cific "today is ahead of our ex
pectatipns of last year." ! f
Although emphasizing that there
has been no Pacific schedule "ex
cept ta go as far and as fast as
the means at hand would permit,"
the fleet admiral said the "very
speed" of the advance on Tokyo
"has created new production prob-
i T- ;
Tokyo Reports
New B-29 Raid
SAN: FRANCISCO, March 27,-
(A'J-Tokyo radio said southern Ja
pan Wis attacked for the second
time in 12 hours Tuesday by su
perfortresses. The enemy said the
second;! raid was made by SO to
60 B-29s which dropped incen
diaries ! and explosives for two
hours. and half around midnight
Tuesday (Tokyo time). j .1 .-,
This 1 report, unconfirmed im
mediately by Allied sources, was
put out by Japanese Domei news
agency and intercepted by the fed'
era! communications commission.
Headquarters of the 21st bomber
command at Guam previously had
reported a raid by more than 200
Superforts around noon Tuesday
(Japanese time) on Kyushu.
Iligli German Officers
Captured, by Yankees
W?TH THE VjS. FIRST ARMY
EAST OF THE RHINE, March 27
WV-Two aazi maiop generals, sev
eral j colonels and ) 15 lieutenant
colonels were : captured today by
doughboys in a roundup pt more
thanf 1200 prisoners: in the vicinl
ty c Khrenbreitstein across the
Rhine from "Cologne .
March 28, 1945
! mi :
Soldiers Smash
Through Stiff
Jap Defenses
By James Hntcheson
MANILA, Wednesday, March 28
-(iT'J-Veterali Yanks of the Eighth
army's American division landed
on Cebu Island against well-prepared
beach defenses Monday
morning after effective naval and
air bombardment and quickly
speared two and a half miles
northward almost to the outskirts
of Cebu City, Which , was burning
from Japanese torches.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur an
nounced the invasion today in a
communique which said the Jap
anese defenders were caught "off
guard." i '
Front dispatches reported, how
ever that the Americans encoun
tered stiff - mortar fire on the
beaches, which were elaborately
rigged for defense. V
Associated Press Correspondent
Richard Bergholz wrote that "the
Japanese must , have known . the
Yanks were coming to Cebu. They
had everything ready for a long,
tough fight" I
He said that although., the am
phibious Buffaloes used by the as
sault waves were pinned down on
the beach ! by : mortar fire, the
Yanks pSleaouVand staried" inland
afoot against disorganized resis
tance. - '-.
A spokesman saidAhe Crt close-
range contact: with Japanese did
not come until the Americans
were 3000 yards inland.
As Maj. Gen. William H. Ar
nold's Americans knifed inland the
enemy fell back. Hie Japanese
finally blew the big three-span
highway bridge across the Managa
river, just north of the beachhead.
The landing was made near Tal-
isay, which is about five miles
south of Cebu City, midway along
Cebu's east coast
Alien Nippons
Use of Land
Bill Is Signed
A bill , to prevent alien Japanese
from living on or using land pur
chased in the name of a relative
became law Tuesday when it was
signed by Governor Earl Snell.
The "bill, introduced by the sen
ate revision of laws committee and
known as senate bill 274, carried
an emergency clause, which makes
it , effective immediately; rather
than 9Q days after legislative ad
journment . .... .
Japanese ! aliens are prevented
from owning land, and the' new
law will prevent them from .con
tinuing their practice Of using land
purchased in the name of a rela
tive, who is a citizen.
- Seventeen other bills were signed
Tuesday byi the governor. '
Japs Launch
Raid on Iwo
GUAM, Wednesday, March 28,-r
(APpTwo hundred or more 'Japa
nese, well 'supplied with grenades
and carrying rifles or revolvers,
broke into a bivouac area of army
fighter pilots and aviation service
troops on Iwo Jima in a well or
ganized, surprise attack Monday.
Marines of the Fifth division
finally smashed the attack," killing
196 Japanese!
Ortanlzed resistance ended on
two on March1 16, Fleet Adm.
Chester W. Nimitz announced sev
eral dayr ago- f '
Huge New Yank, British
Tanks jn Europe Action
PARIS, March 27-ii'a)-General
Eisenhower said today that some
new American and British "tanks
equivalent to the German Tiger
and Panther models now had ap
peared on the battlefield.
Their numbers are not large but
will increase if the war lasts, the
supreme commander of the west
ern Allies said at a press conference.
No. 1
baos
Nimitz Silent
.j
On Nip Report
Of Landings
By Elmont Waite
GUAM, Wednesday, March 28.
CflP Still denying the enemy any
hint of his intentions, Fleet A dm.
Chester W. Nimitz today reported
both carrier planes and fast na
val ships of the US Pacific fleet
continued their intense bombard
ment of the Ryukyus. He totally
ignored repeated Japanese broad
casts that American troops had
made amphibious landings on
strategic Okinawa in the center of
the island chain.
Nimitz did not even locate the
targets for Tuesday's bombard
ment but they presumably were
in Okinawa and possibly adjacent
small islands, as were three others
in the last four days.
Tuesday was the tenth cohsecu
tive day that. Vice Adnt Marc A.
Mitscher's carrier pilots have
bombed, rocketed and strafed tar
gets from southern Honshu to the
southern Tyukyus, and the fourth
day in five that Adm. Raymond
A. Spruance's fast, new 16-inch
gun battleships have poured their
explosive charges into shore , de
fenses in Okinawa: or vicinity.
Argentina at
War With Axis,
Ends Isolation
BUENOS AIRES, Mar.
Argentina s .military governmen
declared the existence of a state
of war with the Axis nations to
day in" a move frankly to end its
diplomatic isolation.
; The decree issued by the gov
eminent stated that, war was de
clared against Japan because of
the attack on the United States at
Pearl Harbor and against Germany
because Germany Was Japan's al-
The decree as broadcast by the
government radio also expressed
the government's adherence to the
Chapultepec acts in accordance
with the invitation Issued by the
Mexico City conference of Amer
ican republics. '.'"!.
I . It concluded with a statement
that appropriate ; measures : would
be taken to supervise the activ
ities of companies,' individuals and
organizations which, might affect
Argentina's relations' with other
American countries or threaten
their-peace. - --r - '
p .r
Vets' Affaire f
Tp'Be Probed ;
I WASHINGTON, March
The house voted an investigation
of the veterans ' administration
today but efforts to obtain a full
scale' probe Into all veterans af
fairs failed. -
' By a vote of 256 to 4 the house
approved a resolution by Chair
man Rankin (D-Miss.) of the vet
erans committee authorizing that
committee to investigate the facil
ities of. the veterans administra
tion. - -
Rankin promised; an investiga
tion ."which will leave no stone
-unturned?, but Rep. Philbin-(D-
Hass.) declared the action jtoo
limited to uncover, the true state
of veterans treatment 'P
British Food Officials
Arrive in Wasninston
V i WASHINGTON, March 27.P
jPressing. world' food i problems
brought two high British officials
here .. today at . the invitation of
President Roosevelt - - r
' " The visitors, the right honorable
Oliver Lyttleton, minister of pro
duction,, and CoL J. J. Llewellin,
minister of food, will talk "with
"highest American authorities.
Weather
Max. Mia.
San Francisco 68 , 43
Eugene , ., . SO 34
Salem , -St . 3
Portland 6 " 4
SeatU ., , S7 "- V SS -
trace
trace
trace
trace
Willamette liver 1 ft : i In.
FORECAST: 4 from McNanr field, Sa
lem) Occasional rain showers today
with mostly cloudy skies except for
Price 5c
&ief periods of sunshine.
.S. First Knifes 27 More Miles;
News Blackouts
1 -
Moving Armies
By AUSTIN BEALMEAR ? .
PAIUS, Wednesday, March 28 (AP) Allied armlet
poured east in a torrent through smashed German lines yes-
erday, led by U S. First army
miles eastward and breaking
enemy was desperately trying
irom iserun. ,
ine entire ironi blazed with the fires of victory as seven
allied armies pressed home
clared was one of the greatest triumphs of any war. A front
dispatch) said "the rout is under way." I s
The Rhineland battle, forever a blackday in, Prussian
military history, had stripped
make another successful stand although Eisenhower, said
they yet) would form a temporary line. j
But 'now one of those lines
army's dash, which swept into
river, even as the enemy tried
the disasters of the Rhine.
Twelve miles to the southeast, another First army tank
force was closing on Wetzlar,
News blackouts closed over these spearheads, Just as they did over
racing U.$- Third army tank columns, which had shredded defenses
ol tne river Mam at many points southeast oz ranxiurt ana by enemy
account wkre loose '225 miles southwest of Berlin.
On the north flank, the British
through the enemy lines on the north German plain and dashed east- -ward
almost unopposed under another security blackout. '
- The U-S. Seventh army lashed out from its hew bridgehead north
of Mannheim, cut7 the Frankfurt-Mannheim superhighway at a second
J S i - ' , a . .1 V. 1 I 11 1 J 1 1 .
poini ana was nine mues easi oi uie runne. i prouaoiy uaa una.ea up
with the Third army in its Mainz-Worms crossings.
n . -ri - i i 1 . a, A 1 At "
tjienerajMBeenxiower aeciarea wai uie wennnacnt as a uuuuuj
force on the westenufront is a whipped army," and called the Allied
triumph along the Rhine one of the greatest of any war. He predicted
the Nazis would be beaten into abject surrender that there would be
no negotiations. j
Censorship Shrouds Moves j
Partial censorship shrouded the extent.of the sensational Allied
advances, but the enemy radio said XSS. Third army columns were ap
proaching Wuerzburg in Bavaria, 223 miles from Berlin, and bad
reached Xjohr, 225 miles from the rubbled German capital. j
' : Third; army doughboy were fighting 'in the heart of Frankfurt ;on
the east side of the Main river after , charging across a damaged rail
road bridge in the face of blistering machinegun and mortar fire. They
had a strong holding in the southwestern part of Germany's ninth city,
but the eiiemy still was resisting stubbornly. r . u I
'i: The !Allied-controlled Luxembourg radio' said Wiesbaden, "four
miles west of Frankfurt near the confluence of the Main and Rhino'
rivers ha W seized.-; r:'V-' ; -"-'-vr"-1-"
(A Blue network broadcast from Paris said Allied fighter -pilots
reported Third army tanks were menacing Nuernberg, nearly 100 miles
beyond the point where Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's forces were offi
cially plaked. Nuernberg was the site of the annual Nazi patty con
gress.) 'j - : : ! - . v. ' - : . j-'
First Arniy Sweeps Ahead
A powerful armored column of the First army swept another s 22
miles northeast from the ancient city of Limburg, which was entered
in Monday's sensational splurge, and was reported within two miles
of Wetzlar, some 30 miles almost due north of Frankfurt j
Another tank force spilled -down a super military highway south-
east from! Limburg to within a dozen miles of a junction with .Third
army forces fighting in Frankfurt. Wetzler is approximately 235 air
line miles from Berlin. "''' j
, Lt Ghn. Courtney H. Hodges' roaring First army tank forces reg
istered gains as high as 27 miles during the day, maintaining constant
pressure pn the frantic and disorganized enemy. During Monday
night Hodges' infantry first crossed a hastily-built bridge over the Lahr
river at Iiimburg, and with the dawn his tanks began tearing along
the superhighway toward Frankfurt f - -''
Surrender to
Result When
Allies Meet
(By fee Associated Press)
Gen. Eisenhower said today that
unconditional surrender would be
imposed upon the Germans when
the Russians and western allies
were linked in Germany. -
Here were the approximate dis
tances between the western allies
and the Russians today: . ''
British Second army About
325 miles (from east ot wesel to
the First jWhite Russian front on
the Oder; . :
UJ5. Nihth army About S30
miles (from the Essen area to the
First While Russian front on the
Oder).
VJS. Fst army : About 280
miles (from the area Just west of
Wetzlar t4 the First Ukraine army
front on the Neisse).
; U JS. t Third army About 245
miles (byi German account, from
the Lohr area to the First Ukrainf
army front on the Neisse).
VS. Seventh army About 330
miles ' (from the Mannheim area
to the Neisse front).
Salem School District Budget
Committee to
Salem School district's budget
committee named by school direc
tors Tuescfay night, has been call
ed, to meek next Tuesday . to con
sider, the coming year's plans for
expenditure. i-'Ct ji.-.-w- .1
? Appointed on i-that committee
are ' Frank 'Spears, Harry Scott,
Mrs. Elmer Berg, W. L. Phillips
and William En tress, while Har
ley White and George Graben
horst hav4 been named as alter
nates. - - '-'
a Directors voted to establish a
policy thai! the district will pay the
equivalent! of per pupil cost plus
any state funds available under
the handicapped child program to
aid in the education of . spastic
children. ,
Qose Over Fast
Half Across Reich
tank forces knifing 27 more
across the Dill river where tho
to rally for a stand 225 miles
i
what General Eisenhower de
the Germans of the power to
had been broken by the First
Herborn and across the Dill
to7 form a line there to repair
57 miles beyond the Rhine.!
Second army broke completely
World Court
To Be Planned
WASHINGTON, March 27-(JP)
United Nations ' diplomats will
meet in Washington April 9 to
plan an international court.
The state department announced
today that invitations had gone
out on behalf pt the same nations
that are sponsoring the world se
curity meeting in San Francisco
on April 25. . j
The Washington draft is to be
presented at San Francisco, prob
ably to be signed alongside a char
ter for a world peace organization.
52-Year-Old Nazi Soldier
Member of Hitler Youth
'! - - . ". i " . .-
WITH THE U. S. THIRD ARMY,
March 27.-pp)-A German soldier
captured in the Frankfurt suburbs '
today told' his captors he was 52
years old." I -;;. '-i;.-'-.'
"What is a man your age doing
in the army, asked Lt. CoL Ern
set Mitchell of Arlington, Mass. -.
With a weary grimace the pris
oner replied, "I'm a member of
the Hitler youth." , . j
Tuesday
, More than $100 a year could
thus be provided toward the tul-
tion of each child sent to a special
school where not only is the physi
cal condition into consideration in :
classroom assignments but where
special muscular training is also
available, it was said. ' ' i -
Directors authorized the school
clerk to call for bids on the old
grandstand on the high school '
field, its sale to be contingent up
on arrangements for continued use
of Sweetland : field until a new
stadium can be constructed. ' The
lumber in the old structure, would
be particularly valuable now, lt
was pointed cut . . . . .
rW v