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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1954)
Gen. Curtis Lei V. I Power Than . AH Editor's Note: To tough, hard driving Gen. Curtis Lemay, the possibility of atomic war is never academic He and his men of the Strategic Air Command live j with 11 every uajr. - and night, they train continuously for the big. fateful blow. Here s a ddseup of the SAC boss by an AP correspondent who's A veteran of generals and wars.) By DON WHITEHEAD OMAHA, Neb. t - Out: here in the brown, wind-swept center of America, a stern-faced man is polishing a fighting machine on which the whole free world may one day depend for survival- He hopes that day never will come - an atomic war between the United States and Russia., He hopes and believes his efforts have shaped an instrument f or enforc ing peace in the world. i But if war does come, he alone will have at his command more destructive power umu ou. uv bined armed forces of mankind since the dawn of history. His wJl be the power to wipe out cities . . .the power to leave key areas of an enemy nation ton. and bleed ing within a few thunderous hours. This man is four-star Gen. Cur tis Emerson Lemay. His machine is the Air Force's Strategic Air Command the atom bombers also will be the hydrogen bombers. Depends oh Lemay If there is any one military man the Russians should Fear above all others in another war perhaps he is Lemay. For it would be his bombers which would carry the main weight of retaliatory atomic j - "j i GEN. CURTIS LEMAY "At War Every Day" Adlai Won't to To McCarthy' NEW YORK tfi - Adlai E. Stev enson' said Saturday he will not reply to Sen McCarthy's "20-count Tarty, declaring "I will not stoop to the senator's level." Stevenson said he had read the charges of Sen. McCarthy, who Friday night in Milwaukee accused the Democrats of "20 years of treason" and called Stevenson the "attorney for ihe defense." Mc Carthy asked Stevenson to plead guilty or not guilty. Stevenson flew here from Boston with his son, John Fell Stevenson, 17; William Blair, an aide, and Mrs. Carol Evans, his secretary. lie luiicuut u via a auca&ni wui. "While saying he planned no re ply to any of McCarthy's state ments, the unsuccessful 1952 Dem ocratic presidential candidate did ay, however, it was "the first I heard of it" when asked for com ment nn McCarthy's statement that Stevenson had been given the task of formulating America's postwar policy for Italy. - McCarthy had added: - mat policy according 10 me sworn testimony of Gen. Bedell Smith was to 'connive" to bring Communists into the Italin govern ment and to bring the Communist leader, Togliatti, back from Mos cow. . ." v c:j C4 '' 'The proper person to consult would be Bedell Smith "At that time I never heard of Togliatti." Stevenson said he spent only six weeks in Italy and that his work was "not political but technical. Smith was not available for com ment. I V HiHt"W I ' Vklj. .sa.J Reply CUSTOM MADE IN OUR MEW SHOP YOUR OR OUR MATERIALS SEE OUR SAMPLES IN YOUR HOME x TrarcrM Hods Istallcrtlon f A Complete Drapery Service 1 "Ererything for Your Window i ELMER ree Eitimcrtei ' 3870 of attack against Russia. The out come of the war might well, be determined within a matter of days, depending on how efficiently Lemay and his men are doing and will do their jobsTi; i ' ti Day and night his .bomber and crews remain on the ( ready. Day and night, regardless! of weather, they work to perfect bombing tech niques. Someone has . said that SAC "is at war every day. . Who is this general shouldering such an awesome responsibility? Why was he chosen above .all others? How well has he done his job? Is he the ruthless, machine-, like- driver he has been pictured? Why is he one of the most con troversial men in military life today? . i -1 v f Air Force Legend i j -J " You don't come by all the an swers easily, because at 47 Lemay already is an Air Force j legend. It is sometimes hard- to separate, legend from fact, j i f In appearance. Lemay is stocky and heavy-jowled. j He weighs " 1S5 pounds and stands 5 104. His hazel eyes are set under black brows. His thick black hair is tinged with gray. Most of the time he has a cigar stuck between bis jaws. His face , has a stern, set look older than his years. A stnile j doesn't come easily.. ! j In the legend, i Lemay; Georgie Patton with wings. "old Ironpants." ' I i ' ' j He's a general who 'regards men t and machines with the same cold s . .i : I u . eye. rie s ine man wno can i at a bomber crew and tell you whether they'll come; home alive from a combat mission. He's the real tough guy you respect but cant Jove "Has No Friends" ! some oi me stories-go ie una. A group of colonels invited Le- jiman should have dinner with his friends, and the commanding gen- Ural has no friends."! ' j At a reception m England.; talkative woman asked Lemay why he was so quiet and he said: "Lady, if you talk all the time, you don't learn anything." ? . To his staff, Lemay said: "!f any of you have anything to say, then get up and say it even ;if you think it's stupid. If you are stupid, everybody knows it any way" li . Marines Run Second j Comparing the esprit of the Ma rines with the spirit of i his own command: "The Marines are run ning second." M ! 1 On the whittling away from the military men of "such privileges as the commissary and medical aid for dependents: "If j you keep tip that sort of thing, you make this a career for saps and suckers. And you can't trust the security of this nation to second class citizens." It is true that Lemay; has built up a pride and spirit within his command that probably can't :be matched by any other military out fit outside the Marines.; The word has gone around that "old Ironpants" gives you a fair shake if you're on his team. The true driving force behind Lemay has been his conviction that air power properly used j is the key to victory Jin war. Once a fighter pilot, he shifted to bomb ers early in his career. I "I saw the real ipower of thei Air Force was in the bombers.'' i he says. "I wanted to be with them." ; Blunt Talk ! i Lemay has gambled his career and his life many times to prove his beliefs to himself and to others. He made enemies. He left a trail of wounded feelings behind him with his blunt talk. But in the crises, the Air Force has turned to Lemay time after time as their !'get it done guy. ; Example: ' In World War II. Lemay was one of the first to take the B17's into combat. He led 20 missions personally and fought successfully to prove that mass daylight bombing was practical,: something the British had insisted couldnt be done. ! ! He worked out a new "staggered box" formation for bombers which gave them greater protective fire power and sharply reduced losses. He proved that bombers could bore straight in to theit targets, drop their bombs more accurately and come home with fewer losses than in attempting "evasive" action to avoid flak. Sent to Pacific ! Example: In 1945. Lemay was sent to "the Mariannas to jack; up the lagging B29 campaign in! the Pacific. The bombers had been trying and often failing -4 to hit their targets, from high alti tudes because of ; overcast and high velocity winds over Japan. Lemay made his' decision.! He sent the bombers in at only S.000 to 12.000 feet He gambled that this tactic would confuse enemy antiaircraft gunners. And he was right His B29s began plastering their targets right Ion the nose. Example: In the early days of the cold war in Europe, it was THE BLIND MAN ! Center . - Phone 3-7323 ay (Commands I More Destructive 'History's First i?. b3i .aah.. kbt tu-st prr&uctwn v a aitoa kvVi u i jail, rav f i general as the flong rifle of; the air age," is shown as it wa rolled from the Boeing Airplane Co plant at Seattle,, Wash. Gen. Nathan F. Twining, Air Force chief of staff. inlH R.i Ark. it.1 eight-engined sweptwing bomber is the weapon Ithat is "going to keep that red fellow in his place " An undisclosed number of the bombers will be built at Seattle for the Air Force, Gen Curtis Lemay's Strategic Air Command. Two experimental models were built and tested previously (AP f 11 CfJllUlU. j . . Lemay who was chosen to head the U. S. Air Forces there. He scored perhaps the. greatest of the cold-war victories with the Berlin Airlift It was a precision air opi eration that kept the Allies in Ber lin and finally broke the Red blockade. ; " Fight With Navy - Example: Late in 1948. the Air Force was in a hitter fight with the Navy over strategic air policjr. The Air Force felt the future pi its strategic air program was at stake. ' i ' ' i - i ' Lemay was given the command. Today, the long fight seems to have ,been won. The Eisenhower administration's "new look" at military strategy has put main re liance on strategic aitpower to keep the peace -4 and JhKsmash an enemy in another war. This policy has shifted the military spotlight to Lemay and his atom bombers. ' i! Since taking his SAC command, Lemay. has fought to achieve the goal of an intercontinental bomb ing force capable of carrying out its war mission. The mission: De stroy the enemy's bomb bases, smash the enemy's war-making power by destroying his industries and communications and support the ground forces. I Brought Realism; !. One Air Force general looking back at that beginning says: "Le may bought realism and hard- driving objectivity into SAC." I Today Lemay commands rough ly 150.000 men. His command ex tends over the Fifteenth Air Force at Riverside, Calif.; the Eighth Air Force at Fort Wrorth. Tex.; the Second Air Force at Shreve port. La. ; the Seventh Air Division at South Ruislip, England; and the Fifth Air Division at Rabat, French Morocco. .1 ; -:: .' t Day after day, week after week, the bombers roar, into the strato sphere on missions to: "bomb" targets in Denver, Seattle, Tampa. Salt Lake City or Birmingham. Ex cept for the bomb itself, every phase of the operation so far as possible is carried out 1 precisely as it would be in war. Then the names of Denver, Seattle, and Birmingham would be changed to names like Sevastopol, . Moscow, Stalingrad. Crews Organized! ? : Here s how Lentay has organized his operation: ' j: Readiness Crews and planes stay on a ready basis around the clock. It is hammered into the men that the loss of one hour; in another war might be fatal. Their flight bags are packed for takeoff DISTRICT! AGENT For nationally advertised item Dealing Good Housekeeping seal of approval wanted for Salem; a ree small investment required chance for salesperson to make big money this. - Hem was shown at home show-recently: fa Portland and the : acceptance was . terrific exclusive franchise to . agent elected write: : 1 j . SUPERIOR DISTRIBUTING CORP. 206 VVeatheriy Bldg. Portland 14, -Oregon. jpjrt wn.9t.tw .mw fifi 0 Uhoat when i you . Mi . k it.. : mie eotr to "''T ,;. Z with V CAPITOL 2SC9 N. Cherry Ave. ! ft 5 Combined Ai B-52 Off Production Line mrdel of the Bioein B-52 jet bomber, described hv in Air.rnr at anytime. Their planes are un der! constant care.' Plans have been made and there are repealed drills for movement to foreign bases. Each crew knows its war target. r ' The men have spent hours and weeks studying where the bomb would be dropped the exact cor ner of a building or the cross roads which would be the aiming point. They know the pattern their targets make on radar screens bet ter than they know their own home towns. Some of this information on targets came from old German Luftwaffe photographs. Other in formation has ben added from other intelligence sources. Bombing accuracy Here is the payoff for the whole operation. Le may asks there no longer is any from 40,000 feet in any kind of weather. Accuracy has improved better than 400 per cent due- to improved electronic equipment and bomber efficiency. Mnch Statistics Efficiency Each month the SAC comptroller feeds facts and figures into tabulating machines, facts and figures on how person nel and equipment are used, how many flights are made by celes tial navigation, how well the sup ply system works, the number of bombs dropped visually ; and by radar, the bombing accuracy, etc. Out of this mass of statistics Lemay can tell at a glance the efficiency rating? , of each wing, group, squadron ' and crew. The record is based on performance. Machines take no excuses.' jOnce a colonel complained to Le may he had been "marked down" inl efficiency because an eagle flew into one of his planes and damaged it The general said: "We can't af ford to distinguish between the un fortunate and the inefficient The result is the same." Learn Survival Survival training Lemay insists every , crew learn how . to survive in hostile country or in the Arctic if shot down. They study the find ings of experts, and then go into wild mountain country, to live with their "survival kits" as best they can. This training' has brought some interesting results. The plane commander, absolute leader in the air, is not always the leader on the ground. Prhaps it is a sergeant raised in the hill country to whom the men look for leadership. Thus the men get to know each other better. . . ,-. As for their -"get home chances in case of war with Russia Le may : is highly optimistic. He is planning - no kamikaze attack in which -.men and - machines are 0 0 need ........ von t - -; Sorje" iu.v.:si CO. I. Ph. S-SSS2 er t-4431 les hurled at their target and certain death. The figures are secret but Le may is sure all but a remarkably small percentage of his bombers would return from atom bombing attacks. His command figures the defenders haven't yet narrowed the margin of advantage held by of fensive attackers. Bomber crews Lemay says: "There is as much difference be tween the SAC crew today and the World War II bomber crew as there is between a bush league baseball team and the New York Yankees." J You wouldn't recognize in these crews the wild-blue-yonder boys of a few years ago. Each, crew is carefully handpicked. and works from that time on as a team. The crew that climbs to the select list has to fight to stay there. The competition is terrific be cause reaching the select : list means better pay, privileges and greater prestige. 1 Previous Combat The average aircraft command er today is a mature 32 years old. He is married, and has at least one child. He has been a member of a SAC crew for 33 months. He has had nine yars of service in the Air Force. He has an average of 39 combat missions either in World War II or Korea. He is a major and his monthly pay is about $750. Lemay gives you the .impression that he walks a lonely life in which there are onjy a few people with whom- he can feel completely at ease. Except for occasional es capes, he is the prisoner oi his work. t Sometimes he gets away for three or four days of hunting or fishing. "I like to throw a line in the water and then just sit and look stupid," he said. But there is no real escape. His office must know every move he makes and where he is at all times of the day and . night "I just don t remember the last time I had a real vacation," he said. ? 6 mmmtm mmmmmmmtmm mm m mmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmKmmmmmmmmm I' I.I I ' i Imar.1 i rti it it a nrMiiu . r "Only thing I can figure Is. somebody just made a bee-line for General Finance Corp." , Good idea for yen, toe. When yea need cash in a ' harry, 'phone first so the money will be ready when ; yea buzz is. ; . - GEnenhi nnnncE corp. -UceneNei.$-13t M-33t 1 36 SO. COmICIAL ST. PHONS 3-91 61 TeacIiersElect Mrs, Crater Of Newberg PORTLAND OB Mrs. Antonia Crater,; Newberg, was elected Fri day vice president of the Oregon Education Assn., and will become president by automatic progression next year. Warren H. Tinker of Portland became president Mrs. Agnes Booth, i Salem, was one of the trustees installed. - ' The association ended its annual convention Saturday with a series of ' discussion and .workshop meet ings.:,'' . f I . Speakers Friday stressed the importance of improving relations between schools and the public. Dr. William G. Carr,: executive secretary of the National Educa tion Assn., said schools "need the help of the public desperately." Portland School Supt. J. W Edwards said good teaching in the classroom is always the best public relations." . Dr." Richard R. Powell, Columbia University law professor, said the American heritage cannot be saved by persons fearful of change. He said the need is to keep a "nice balance" between tradition and change." Bellingliam Area Plane Crash Kills 2 BELLINGHAM, Wash. .On - Two men were killed in the crash of a j light plane near the Mount Baker Highway 25 miles northeast of Bel lingham Saturday afternoon. They were tentatively identified as Rollin Wood, Bellingham, and Wayne W. Craig, Route 1, Everson. The two had left Bellingham in a two-seated Piper Cruiser in an at tempt find a trace of Howard F. Johnstone, Bellingham, who has been missing since March 6. John stone's car was found in the Nook sack River near Maple Falls, on March 10. First reports indicated the plane had taken off from a field near the community of Maple, Falls. It went into a sharp bank at a low altitude while attempting to clear trees at the edge of pasture and nosed into the ground. Wood was a brother-in-law of the missing Johnstone. Wood had been employed as an assistant engineer at the Pacific American Fisheries here and was piloting the plane when it took from the -Bellingham airport at 10 a. m. The plane was owned by the Bellingham Flying Service. Craig, a flier with the Air Force in World War II, was employed by the Columbia Valley Lumber Co. of Bellingham.' Ronald Chase, 29, Dies, Funeral Set Monday at Lyons Statesman News Serviea LYONS Funeral services will be held Monday at two" p.m.. at the Lyons Methodist Church for Ronald C. Chase, 29, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clem Chase of Lyons, who died Thursday in Eugene. He was born at ; Springview, Nebr., May 9, 1924- and came to Oregon about eight years ago. He is also survived by his wife, Jean, of Eugene, a sister, Mrs. El sie Tepton, Payette, Idaho, three brothers, Floyd, Bernard and Wil lard,. all of Lyons. Heatform Fireplace I Unit Heatform has all the good qualities of ether fireplace units, pins these exclusive advantages: jr More heating surface ic Larger air inlet and outlet ; j capacity ic Ribbed reinforced boiler plate firebox ic' Masonry downdraf t shelf i seals exposed metal beneath j chimney j For Complete Fireplace T Supplies PUMILITE BLOCK & aurrti v.u. - L Italy Foreign Son Termed ROMEB j A letter calling the son of Italy's Foreign Min ister ine -assassta for f dope ring threw the sensational Wil ma Montesi scandal triaHoton uproar aaruraay. The explosive letter,- signed by pretty Anna Maria Moneta Caglio, rocked anew the hard pressed government of Premier Mario Scelba. or ges Loses Ground The State of Oregon's $282, 000 suit for damages in the 1951 Sardine Creek fire took a set back this week end. Circuit Court Judge George It Duncan sustained a demurrer, filed by three of the five de fendants, which in effect torn pels the statej to re-file the suit against either the defendants who were successful on the de murrer or against the other two. The demurre? was sustained on the grounds of a, misjoinder, "of causes of action. f The .suit grew out ofa fire on state and other lands in the San tiam Canyon! between Aug. 20 and Sept. 2 1951. The state charged the defendants did not exercise sufficient caution. Defendants! prevailing on the demurrer were Ford M. Con verse and Edith Converse, own ers of land onto which the fire spread, and Russel L. Halecox, who at oee time managed log ging operstions on the Con verses' land, j The other i defendants in the suit are the Vancouver Plywood Company and Jess Lee, doing business as , the Lee Cogging Company, who had a contract with the Vancouver Plywood Company to operate on the land. The State of Oregon, as plain tiff, is acting for the Clackamas Marion and Linn County Fire Control Associations. Plaintiff now will have to file an amend ed complaint to resume action in the case. Attorneys for the three de fendants who prevailed on the demurrer are Allan G. Carson and Wallace P. Carson. Attor neys for the state are Manley B. Strayer of Portland and District Attorney Kenneth E. Brown of Marion County." I mint 'sm mmiih 1 atateuitt AL LAUE TRADES EVEN UP FOR THE OLDEST REFRIGERATOR AI Laue Gives Prizes For All Refrigerators Over Twelve (12) Years Old : ; "OLDEST REFRIGERATOR ROUND-UP" . CONTEST REGISTRATION FORM BELOW AL LAUE will trade without cost a brand new Inter national Harvester Refrigerator to the person registering the oldest electrically-operated refrigerator presently in daily use in a home or household (commercial equipment excluded) within the geographic limits of a 20-mile radius of Salem, Oregon. All refrigerators, registered, which are elder than twelve (12) years will entitle the registrant to a free gift, if entry is brought in to our store., f USE THE REGISTRATION FORM BELOW And Deposit Same in the "Oldest Refrigerator Round-Up" t; . Bex in the Appliance Department ef AL LAUE REFRIGERATION . 2350 State St., Salem, Oregon . r.M................M............. . ,. ... , : DEAR. MR. LAUE v I j T - , ': :. S I wish to register my refrigerator described below la year! "Oldest Refrigeration Round-Up contest. - v j : I believe that the refrigerator described beatw and pres-1 j ently in use in my home, Is Manufactured by Model Number Serial Number Registrant's Name Address ... AL LAUE will gire all registrants fair consideration and registrant must agree to inspection ef - registered suit. Decision of the contest Judges shall be final. All entries must be received by us before C pjn, Saturday, March 27. AL LAUE REFRIGERATION :. YOUR INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER , ' J. ' REFRIGERATION HEADQUARTERS : 2350 STATE STREET - SALEM, OREGON j Minister's j Assassin NaUonal Police Chief Tomaso ,y .VUilMJ i Pavone resigned recently , after oeia g mentioned m testimony Jn the case. . ' Only last Tuesday Scelba and his Cabinet expressed thir nii. parity" with Foreign Minister Attilio Piccioni, who reportedly had offered to resign. The Com munist press has Jed the attack on Scelba's egime, saying the trial disclosed, scandal .in high government circles. -Sensational Testimony -miss iaguo t letter was p duced at the trial of Silvano Muto, 25-year-old magazine edi tor accused of "'false and alarm ist reporting of the death of party girl Wilma Montesi. While testimony has been sensational, Muto is the only one facing , criminal charges. The letter said: " ;"I have known that Ugo Mon tagna is the chief of a dope ring with the consequent disappear ance of mady, women. . He is the brains of the ring while Piero . Picconi is the assassin." "Knew Toe Much" , . ;Both Piero Piccioni, son of the Foreign Minister, and the self styled Marquis Montagna were mentioned by "Miss Caglio in di rect testimony as "knowing too much" about Wilma's death. She alleged that they had sought out Pavone to "hush tip"' the case. ! The shapely 22-year-old Wil ma was found dead on the sands of Ostia beach, 15 miles from Rome, last April Police ruled she died of accidental drown ing. - . ' 'Muto wrote that she had. been dumped on the beach and left to die after being given too much drugs at a wild party attended by social and political notables I Muto gave Anna Maria, admit- ted one-time $800 a month mis tress of Montagna, as one of his sources for his magazine, article. 17 - A Day Delivers this new 1954 "Royal" Porta ble or any o t h e r make on our exclu sive RENTAL PURCHASE PLAN CALL 3-8095 1 . Free Immecfiate Delivery v Kay Typewriter Co; " 223 N High 'j 1 f ... about ....Years Old. j :,:':.' r- . - Name ef Manufacturer V X
