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NINETY-FIFTH YEAR
20 PAGES
Satan, Orocjon, Sunday Morning, April 8, 1945
Prtco 5c
No. 11
mm
7n jmn rv K '
UUlafUUUU&l; -
01?
III HA A I f I III U I I I I I I J I I I I il l
PdUNDDD J651 : I I " I
. Without doubt interest in the
coming conference of the United
Nations in San Francisco is rising.
So greatly are the hopes ot the
world pinned on -forming some
organization that will prevent the
'horror of a third world war that
there is deep concern that the
conference be a success. Recently
worries over the coming confer
ence have arisen, sprung from
some dissatisfaction with decisions
at Yalta and with the tardiness
- of disclosures i of some of the
Yalta proceedings.
However the air seems to be
clearing under the general' incli-
i nation of friends of international
order to keep , minor disagree
ments from wrecking the whole
, undertaking. The statement of
! Secretary Stettinius that proposals
.could be submitted to modify the
plan of - Dumbarton Oaks has
helped to allay opposition, and
evidently the fears of Senator
Vandenberg that the proceedings
would-be largely cut and dried
have been abated.
Much preliminary work has
been done to acquaint the people
: with the issues of the conference.
The state department has tried to
inform the people by pamphlets
and radio and interviews with the
press. Many organizations' are
publicizing the peace plan and
. encouraging popular study of the
1 subiect.' The very fact that the
. meeting is to be held in San Fran
cisco directs the eyes of the peo
ple to a new spot, well away from
t battlezones and rom world capi
tals. The atmosphere at least will
be fresh!
, Meantime San Francisco is busy
preparing . for the sessions which
wDl be
(Continued on editorial page)
41st Conquers
Southern Part
Of Mindanao
. MANILA, Sunday, April 8-h
Doaehboys . of the 41st division
virtually have completed conquest
of southern Mindanao, GenTDoug
las MacArthur announced today,
while on Negros island elements
of the 40th diyision advanced 30
miles, capturing two airfields In
. their sweep. .
The far eastern air force, main
. taming its daily devastation sched
ule, blasted Formosa's Kiirun ship
ping base with 144 tons of bombs
and poured 87, more onto Hong
Kong's Kowloon dock.
Direct hits were reported on a
tanker in Hong Kong harbor, and
at nearby Kaitan airdrome.
. A 3000-ton freighter and several
maller freighters were severely
damaged by other bombers -rang-
'lng the south China sea. Two oth
er small vessels were sunk east of
Formosa.
Medium bombers found a Japa
nese lisht cruiser in Soemba strait
in the Lesser Sundas and scored 1
two direct hits. MacArthur said
the warship was either sunk or
heavily damaged.
Voulgaris Will
Head Greeksl
" ATHENS, April 7. -VP)- Adm.
Petros - Voulgaris, head of t h e
Greek navy, was named by the
regent archbishop Damaskinos to
day to form a new government
succeeding that of Premier Nich
olas Piasuhas, who was dismissed.
Earlier today Plastiras told a
press conference he would refuse
to resign, but the archbishop in
formed him by letter tonight that
he had to dispense with "Plastiras
services. . ;v" . - ; " ' .
Dismissal of Plastiras climaxed
a cabinet crisis' which arose when
a monarchist newspaper published
a letter which it said Plastiras had
written In 1941 favoring German
intervention to halt ; the Greek
Italian war.
More Shrubs for
Hospital Needed
; A partially-filled truck of
shrubs, destined for Camp Adair
hospital, today awaited more-j
complete loading, the the Ameri
can Legion has asked that anyone
urith extra greenery call The
Statesman ('phone 9101) on Mon
day so that the truck can be sent
on its way. Such 'phone calls jwill
be relayed promptly to those aid
ing in the work of beautifying the
hospital grounds for the benefit of
; the sick -and wounded service men.
Netherlands to Rebuild
Fleet to Pre-War Level
: LONDON, April 7 - Pi - The
Netherlands, which lost half of its
J,000,000-ton merchant fleet in the
war, is placing, orders for materi-
'als and machinery to rebuild to a
pre-war status, It was learned to
day. - The orders are being placed
In Britain. Belgium. Switzerland
and Sweden.
3rd Seizes MM
Red Forces
Monies,
Art Work
Captured
WITH THE U.S. THIRD ARMY,
April 7-jP)-The golden treasure
of Adolf Hitler's collapsing reich
more than 100 tons of gold bul
lion, the currencies .fit many na
tions, and stacks of priceless art
works was captured today by the
Third army in an unexpected haul
that may shorten the war by rob
bing the German army- of its pay
roll. -. r- ':-:r - !
The stupendous cache, lis full
value as yet undetermined but
possibly worth billions of dollars,
was found in a hidden salt mine
at Merkers, 18 miles southeast of
Hersfeld, when two talkative Ger
man women spilled the secret to
military police.
Reichsbank officials on the spot
said the bullion represented "all
the gold in Germany," and the
German army gave some confir
mation by trying desperately to
j;et back; into Merkers; today with
a h e a v y counterattack in me
Muhlhausen area 30 miles north,
in which the U.S. Sixth armored
and 65th infantry ; divisions
knocked out 40 enemy tanks and
smashed the attack.
10 Truckloads
Some 200 British prisoners of
war who had: been employed in
the mine, w h i c h is called the
Werks Kaiseroda, said they had
seen 20 ten-ton truckloads of gold
unloaded in the mine. This would
meah 200 tons of gold, but the
German bankers insisted that
something over 100 tons was the
correct amount.
The gold still is under seal in
a huge subterranean vault, ana
Third army officers said its value
would not be known until Ameri
can, finance officers break the
seals and audit the hoard. They
expressed the belief, however,
that the German bankers un
doubtedly were telling the truth. '
The booty in the mine com
prised 100 tons of gold bullion
(about $100,000,000); three billion
German marks, two million dol
lars in American currency, one
hundred million French francs,
110,000 British pounds, four mil
lion Norwegian crowns and less
er amounts in Turkish pounds,
Spanish pesetas and Portuguese
escudos.
Treasures In Art
The art treasure, assembled
from Germany's national art gal
leries last February, included
originals by Raphael, Van Dyke
and Durer. There also were 120
cases of Goethe's original xnanu
scripts. - .'-
A few days . ago, as Patton's
troops- pressed ' ever nearer the
hiding place, the Germans started
frnitically to move the treasure
from the salt mine, the. bank of
ficial said. But their efforts were
thwarted by blown-up bridges and
they had to, return it a few days
ago to the 2 100-foot-deep mine. -
Himmler, Goering Trying to
Sell Valuable StoleriProyerty
WASHINGTON, April IMJPf
Helnrich Himmler and Hermann
Goering, were disclosed officially
tonight to ' have : agents abroad
trying to sell works of art and
other valuable .properties. Twe
possibilities appear:
1. That they are. preparing, to
finance postwar Nazi . activities
throughout the world. - 1
- 2. That ; Himmler and Goering
may be trying to build up funds
for their own escape from defeat
ed Germany if they can make it.
- These and other bits of informa
tion about what the Nazis are up
to in the final days of war in
Europe were reported In a state
department broadcast
Together with today's report
from the Allied command on the
western front of the capture of
huge quantities of gold and cur-
. j ; ,- . I r : ' .If j . : 'J .: : ..f" ;" :-:
Russians Fight m Vienna
t i
L,' ':
!
1
Oft-besetsied
Vienna ,ws alt: but
: In the grasp of the rampaging
red army today, much sf Its
masniflcent a r e h f t e t are In
rains.? Schonbmn palace was
the imperial . residence of the
Hapsborgs. It was begun ' in
, 1694 ' rand has 1441 roems.
Twelfthl centory St. Stephan's
b one'ol Europe's finest Gothic
eathodrala. gtkwaritn bers
Mun Is In the heart f the
city. (AP photos)
New Jap Cabinet Formed
As Bombs Rain on Tokyo; j
High Command Reshuffled
-- -P -r. . - ! j !
SAN FRANCISCO, April 7-W-Japan's third war cabinet,
headed by Baron Kantaro Suzuki as premier, was formed today
in a shower of -American air bombs and installed in imperial pal
ace ceremonies held under a black cloud of naval defeat. .
The war ministry straightway announced a reshuffle o the
Japanese army high command, said Tokyo radio in FCG-rooni-
Allies Finish
Jap 15th Army
CALCUTTA, April 7.VP)-The
shattered Japanese 15th army in
central Burma, officially estimated
three weeks ago at 50,000 men,
"no longer: exists as an effective
fighting force," a southeast Asia
communique announced today and
a headquarters spokesman said
two other enemy armies, the 27th
and 28thwere badly mauled in
nese forces'! left inside the Man
dalay Melktilla pocket, the ah
; "There are no organized Japa
attemptsyto rush relief. ;
nouncement said. '. . V !;..
reticy In a salt mine in central
Germany, they filled in some of
the picture of the future plans of
Hitler and' the Nazi party for 'car
rying 5 on ! the war underground
after this fighting stops.
"Assistant secretary of state Jul
ius C Holmes told on the state
department's broadcast about the
Himmler . and Goering deals. .He
did not specify where their agents
are working but from other sourc
es it was learned they have been
in countries either actually neu
tral at the moment or recently
classed as neutral. v ' ' '
V "One German agent," Holmes
said, "is now trying to liquidate
valuable v stolen property, - and
place the proceeds (minus his
commiskm of course) at the dis
posal of Himmler all under cov
er you may be sure."
Em
t. :.E,:-r "Tiai
- - jr - 4 r ' ..
-.y. 4t
',......... ;v..
tored broadcasts, and Suzuki
warned his countrymen the fvery
basis of our empire's existence
will be threatened if the situation
is allowed to pass as it has been."
Domet, Japanese news agency,
announced that Suzuki, successor
to Premier Gen. Kuniaki Koiso
whose cabinet fell Thursday per
sonally took the portfolios of for
eign minister and greater j east
Asia minister, two top rank posts.
A shakeup in the Japanese rmy
highv command was announced by
the war ministry even while the
cabinet Was being Installed in the
presence! of Emperor Hirohito at
the imperial palace. ' . 7
-. Tokyo"; radio . announced 1 that
Field Marshal Gen Sugiyamaf war
minister , in the Koiso cabinet and
Field Marshal Shunroku Hata
were' appointed commanders of
the army command and Gen. fMas
akuzu Kawabe commander of the
air force. . '?;;, ;'l ;
Koiso's cabinet resigned a the
result-of the "war situation? To
kyo said, and to make way "for a
"stronger" government Bu Su.
tukl was internationally "Tthown
as a moderate who often has op
posed Japan's military, extremists.
Sgt. Sam II. Schooley, .
Missing Since Feb. 13,
Is Safe at Base in Italy;
fr-$: .:,i,,r:.irri,. I
. Staff Sgt Sam Harold Schooley,
missing since February 13 In a
flight over Austria, is back on duty
with his ISth.air. force in iUly.
That was the heartening word his
mother, Mrs. Pearl Couey of 244
Marion st, had from the wa de
partment today. And a letter di
rect from her flying son said he
was in good health and soon would
be aloft again. ' The sergeant was
protected by the Russians after
bailing out over Austria". , '
- If
' f - III .J.JIH ' .. r"
Fighting
Ra
In
ges
Streets
By Richard Kasischke
LONDON, Sunday, Aprfl i-JP)-Red
army tank columns, in a head
long 14-mile sweep around west
ern Vienna, three-fourths encir
cled the Austrian capital yester
day, leaving the Nazi garrison a
24Vfe-mile escape gap, as other
shock troop gained in a frontal
assault through the city's rubble
strewn streets.
Reaching the Danube river
northwest of the city, Russian
troops sliced across six of Vien
na's escape routes and left the im
periled capital with only seven of
an original 22 major railroads and
highways.
Berlin reports said that the es
cape gap to the north already had
been narrowed. Soviet cavalrymeav
were said to have forded the Mor
ava river northeast of Vienna and
tot have , established bridgeheads
that ' threatened to- close the en
emy's last retreat roads. " "
At the same time, Berlin report
ed that tank spearheads, bad brok
en 23 miles through the .Vienna
Woods west of the capital and were
plunging" westward "within 125
miles of Hitler's-mountain retreat
at Berchtesgaden in Bavaria.
While Moscow officially con
firmed that Soviet tommy gunners
had broken across the Vienna's
southern city limits and were bat
tling toward its cratered heart,
Soviet troops elsewhere on the
eastern front carved out new gains.
Cleaning out southwestern Pol
and, the Soviets moved within .12
miles of Teschen, and in Czecho
slovakia gained 10 miles on a 80-
mile front. In Yugoslavia, other
Russian units battered to within
100 miles of Italy at a point 42
miles northeast of the Croatian
capital of Zagreb.
Yankees Blast
173 Warplanes
On Japan Raid
GUAM, Sunday,' April 8 -JP)-
American B-29s and their P-51
escorts destroyed or damaged 173
Japanese fighter planes . in their
300-plane bombing of Tokyo and
Nagoya yesterday, air force offi
cials disclosed today. .
The superfortresses, running in
to their greatest aerial battle of
their many attacks on Japan's war-
important industrial centers, alone
destroyed or damaged .136 enemy
fighters. :V- :r t. V
Th P-51 Mustangs, making the
army's first land-based fighter
sweep over the Japanese home
land, accounted for . 37 intercep
tors. Of these, 21 were shot down,
six ; probably" destroyed ; and 10
damaged. .
Wayne L. Baker
Lost in Sinking f
Near Iwo Jima :
; Wayne Louis Baker, gunner's
mate ' 2c, previously reported
missing.' lost his life in, the, sinking-
of an aircraft escort carrier
off Iwo Jima on Febr. 21, 1945,
his sister, Mrs. Ida Bales of route
seven, has been informed by the
navy department
- Baker was born May 17, 1925,
at Oregon ' City and attended
Grant and Parrish junior high
schools in Salem..,
. Prior to enlisting in the navy
In May, 1943, be was employed
by, the Salem Hardware Co. 1 i
: Surviving are three sisters, Mrs.
Ida. Bales of Salem, Mrs. Bessie
Wled of Eugene and Mrs. Esther
Cook of Estacada, ; and three
brothers, JucUon Baker of Salem,
Sgt. Fred Baker with" the 7th
army in Germany, and Darrell
Baker of Hoquiam, Wash.
9th
Outflank
s
Hannover
I Patton's Forces
S J ... '
1 Smash 40 Tanks i
Of Counterblow
I PARIS, April 7.-W-U. S. Ninth
array tanks outflanked Hannover
today in an ls-mile drive that
swept across the Leine river. 10
miles southeast of the city and
toared down in the direct road
to Berlin 140 miles ahead.
i Qn their south flank the U. S.
First army crossed the Weser riv
er at numerous points against light
resistance and west of the stream
was! locked in a raging battle with
German troops held in their battle
positions by their pistol-pointing
officers.
I On the north flank the British
Second army drove on east of the
Wef er to a point 20 miles west of
Hannover as its tanks speared
northward to within 20 miles of
the I big port of Bremen.
Counterblow Fails
I At the same time, the Third
arniy shattered the first big coun
terblow aimed at its spearheads
thrust within 130 miles of Berlin
by ;knocking out 40 tanks' in a
melee west of Muelhausen.
i Bled white by disasters east and
west of the Rhine, the once-mtgh-ty
German irmy seemed power
less! stemhe big push on Ber
lin landT a U. S.Tirt army staff
Officer declared confidently: ...
I' "he German army nd longer
is Capable of maintaining a co
hesive front We are entering the
final" mop-up stage."
From the salient thrust up near
the I Narth sea southeastward .for
300! miles to the Siegfried line in
thejedge of the Black forest, this
was the front by front situation
in what the Germans themselves
called "the battle of decision." :
Canadians Fan Out
I The Canadian First army fan
ned! out 35 miles south of the
North sea, cutting road after road
on the diked lowlands of Holland
which two hemmed-in German
armies must have for attack or
retreat
f Allied planes clamped, an aerial
sealroff on the 19-mile lane of
retreat running tip around the
Zuider Zee from Amsterdam and
Rotterdam, roaring out of 'the
clouds and pounding everything
that) moved.
I The British Second army in
gains Up to 35 miles was quickly
sealing the fate of Bremen, seat
of Germany's once vast sea traffic,
and Was threatening to cut off the
Danish peninsula T and every en
emy! naval base on the North sea
Flood Drives
Out 25,000
INEW ORLEANS, April 1HJP)
Flood waters of the -rampaging
Red river in northwest Louisiana
had driven more than 25,000 per
sons from their homes tonight as
tributaries of the lower Mississippi
poured high waters southward to
ward the already flooded major
stream. ' - ,V V
k A main levee at Hargis plants?
tion jon Red River eight miles be
low Colfax, a town of 1100 per
sons' broke today, and engineers
held j little hope . of preventing a
break above the farming commun
ity, idding to the total homeless.
t Soldiers from Camp Uvihgston
Joined the fight today to strength
en the levee above Colfax and
prevent a break. Sand" bagging
crews have battled the rising Red
rive4 for1; three days. . . ',
GaUoicay, Fisher Re-named to
Tax Commission
Charles V, Galloway and Earl
Lr Fisher held ' four-year re-appointments
. tow the Oregon - tax
cpmnMssioa today by : virtue of a
2 toll - vote of the state board of
control at a - session - Saturday.
There present terms expire June
4; Annual "salary jet by statute
is $4300. ':.;, f 'v , V
Secretary of State Robert Far
rell, Jr, early last week indicated
opposition v .to reappointing the
two members, and opposed it in
the final vote. The reappointment
was on motion, of Gov. Earl SnelL
. 1 " ' , ' '
War
sBuDp9
PI
amies
By ELMONT WAITE
GUAM, Sunday AprU 8
craft smashed probably the last strong Japanese naral force,
including the super-battleship Yamato, in the ; East China
sea Saturday as tKe Nipponese steamed out apparently in a
"banzai' effort to turn the tide of war.
Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz announced from his head
quarters here that the battle was fought around noon Satur
day, Japanese time (8 p. mn Friday, Pacific war time).
- The communique reported six Japanese warships, in
cluding the Yamato, and 391 enemy planes were destroyed
in Friday and Saturday 'sea and air actions.
A later count raised to 417 the number of enemy planes destroyed
April 6-7. ' j
In Washington an official navy spokesman said Ma good 25 per
cent of the remaining Japanese major combat force" was lost or
put out of action in the engagement. . ;
U.S. Pacific fleet losses were listed as three destroyers sunk,
several other destroyers and smaller craft damaged and seven car
rier planes destroyed. v;j s v- .;
In a second communique, Nimitz said additionally! that "one ef
our heavy fleet units suffered minor damage during an aircraft at
tack, but is fully operational." The
ship or large carrier, had participated in the naval battle.
Japs Initiate Two-Day Fight
The Japanese initiated the
forts to shatter the American amphibious force invading Okinawa
island, some 325 miles south of the Nippon homeland, j . '
A large force of Japanese aircraft attacked the invasion ships and
Okinawa shore positions Friday. The communique said the desperate
Japanese airmen succeeded in sinking the three destroyers, .and dam
aging the other warships. UJS. fighter plants and gunners brought
down 11C Japanese' planes.-!' -: n T "
-:"The"Japanese surface forcerepresenting probably about all that
remained of the emperor's once proud combined fleets Vas sighted
heading into the east China! sea from Nippon's inland sea bases by
UJ5. Beet air wing one search craft before noon Saturday.
Mitseher Sends Planes . '. ; - '
Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher immediately sent his Carrier task
force to intercept the Japanese. j ?
. The carrier planes struck the Nippon force "during the middle of
the day" only .50 miles southwest of Kyushu island, which is a part
of the Japanese homeland. J
Therevwas no air opposition over the Japanese ships- even that
close to the heart of Nippon' empire indicating the Nipponese had
used all available aircraft in the heavy attack on Okinawa the pre
vious day.' ; : ' ' J
S4'arming in from all directions, despite heavy gunfire from tha
ships, the American planes sent their deadly torpedoes nd bomb
into the hulls and decks of the Japanese force. j
The 45,000-ton Yamato which the VS. communique said was tha
"most powerful ship left in the Japanese navy" went down belching"
smoke and fire from at least eight torpedo and eight heavy bomb hit.
Other Sinkings Listed j 1
- Also sunk were a light Agano class cruiser, one other small light
cruiser or large destroyer and three destroyers. Three other destroy
ers were left burning. -j
"About three destroyers, the
caped from the attack. i
It added that to "minor! contacts" prior to he main
Japanese planes were shot down. The U.S. carrier force a
destroyed 245 enemy planes the previous day in resisting heavy Nip
ponese strikes along the Ryukyus. i
Nimitz announced that units of Mitscher's carrier force in the
Saturday battle were commanded
W. Radford, G. F. Bogan and J. J.
Nazis in U.S.
Tell Germans
To Stop War
WASHINGTON, April 7 jj-(JP)
An appeal by German, prisoners
of war in the United States to
German soldiers and people to
"put down your weapons immed
iately" is being broadcast to the
reich. . . A .
The war department made pub
lic the text of the message to
night, saying that the "petition
was signed voluntarily by 1391 of
the 3102 German . prisoners of
war" held at Camp Devens, Mass.
' The message was forwarded to
the camp commander for trans
mittal and the war department
said arrangements had been made
to broadcast It to the German
people.-';: "; i
K'.
by 2 to 1 Vote
It was seconded by State Treas
urer, Leslie , .Scott The governor
bad conferred' with the tax com
mission the day previous.' i
' Galloway, ' in charge 'of the
property tax division, has been a
commission member since 1919.
Fisher, in charge of the income
tax division, became-a member in
1923, and was secretary of the
commission four years before that
The term 1 of the third member.
Earl B. Day, does not expire Until
Dec. 31, 1948. Day is in charge, of
I the utilities. tax division.
Largest
(AP)UJ3. navy carrier afr
heavy units, presumably a, battle
two days ot desperate action in ef
communique said, were all that es
action, 80
rcraft had
by Rear Adms. T. C Sherman, A.
Clark. .
Chinese Claim
Major Victory
In Honan Area'
CHUNGKING, Sunday, April t.
-iPy-A major Chinese victory in
southwestern Honan province was
claimed last night by the Chines
high command. "
' A communique said counterat
tacking Chinese forces killed 5000
Japanese troops driving! for Shen
si province, guarding the northern
approaches to the Chinese capi
tal.'; .;;;. :"::::4j::4:yj.:;
, The reported victor was at
West Neisiang, on the - Honan-
Shensi highway, 23 miles north
west of the great central China
city of -Hankow. - r
' The high command said the
Chinese destroyed '; 15 j Japanese'.
tanks and captured a large quan
tity of war supplies. " L
Superforts Strike
Targets in Kanoy a
WASHINGTON, April 8. (Sun-.
day)Hff")-A force of perhaps hall
a hundred Superfortresses struck
military,, targets in the ; Kanoya
area on the southern .tip of Japan
yesterday. JV-x... j.
The 20th. airforce gay no de
tails yet of the attack; carried out
Sunday Tokyo time, by the 21st
bomber command based on fa
Mariana Islands. - ; ;
4T