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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1942)
apital Joiuiiriial Palestine In Miniature proclaimed the "eighth wonder of the world," showing dally afternoon and evening at Court and Commer cial streets, for the benefit of tht American Red Cross wax relief fund. Continuous show. Buy Defense Bonds 1 Wednesday, January 21, 1942 54th Year, No. 18 matter at Salem Oregon Salem, Oregon P! TUnn rn. Stand Fire Onto m. IIIICB On Train, .nfl K,wm Q tga xa AiBKin o jo n a g ops Torpedoed in Atlantic ore ill til r n i m U.S. Sh Nelson Starts o To Reorganize War Industries Abolishes OPM Creat es 6 Divisions Auto Branch Established Washington, Jan. 2l (P) Donald M. Nelson announced today he would abolish the office of production man agement and bring all its functions and activities un der his authority as chairman of the new war production I board. Nelson told a press confer ence he was setting up six major divisions under the board, eliminating the old contract distribution division entire ly, and incorporating the priorities and allocations system under a new division of Industry operations charged with lull responsibility for the conversion of all possible Amer ican industry to war production. Requirement Head He said an Important branch of the new. set-up would be a require ments committee, headed by Wil liam L. Batt, Philadelphia indus trialist, and composed of representa tives of the army and navy, lend- lease adminstration and all other agencies concerned with production of raw materials. The reorganization, "effective as I soon as the orders can be drawn," was described by the war produc tion chief P-s an interim plan sub ject to possible ftitUrerevlsioit ' ' k "Any revolutionary changes would only bring delay," he commented. Kanzlcr Named As a first move in- the conversion program, Nelson appointed Ernest Kanzlcr, long time associate of Henry Ford and formerly in charge of Ford production, to head up the automobile conversion program with "all the authority I've got to get that job done." Last night Nelson commanded the automobile industry to halt produc tion February 1 and turn its full power to war production. Kanzler, as chief of the OPM au tomotive branch, will move with "as much of a staff as he needs" to Detroit where he wilt set up a head . quarters and direct the conversion f at the scene of operations. Nelson said that Kanzler would have ample authority "if he needs it" to compel autcmobile plants to pool their machinery or to take any other cooperative action which might be necessary to assure suc cess of the conversion effort. The reorganization will strip Sid ncy Hillman of his title of associate OPM director but will leave him as director of the WPB labor division one of the six major board (CniH'luilrU tin Page 7, Column 8) Celebes Seized By the Japs Batavla, N. E. I., Jan. 21 W) The Dutch high command reported to day that "according to reliable re ports" Japanese forces have occu- picd all of Mlnahassa, the north eastern arm of the Island of Cele bes, but "paid dearly for this con quest." The invaders used parachute troops in their attack on the nar-: row peninsula, it was announced through Aneta, Netherlands news agency. The general attack on Mlnahassa was said to have been preceded by a series of air raids directed chiefly at the airdromes. The parachutists began to arrive at the same moment as the first landing of Japanese troops from the sea, and within two hours landings were being made in force in five or six places. Japanese planes, a communique said, staged three bombing attacks yesterday on Belawan, seaport for the town of Medan on the east coast of Sumatra; against a light chip in Malacca strait, near Medan. and on an airdrome in Dutch Bor neo. Three persons were reported kill ) Mi and seven wounded In the raid on ' Medan, while an unspecified number of planes were damaged in the as sault on the airdrome. The bomb ing and machine-gunning attack on the lightship, carried out by three plane.1;, was said to have caused no damage. I ' -'-jrv -: Prisoner of Japs? Nathan Dan iel Teters (above), head of civil ian workers on Wake island was reported in an official Tokyo broadcast to be a prisoner of the Japanese. Teters, a son of Mrs. Mary Teters of Wood bridge, Calif., attended Wash ington State college prior to joining, the staff of the Morrl-ison-Knudsen company at Boise. Ida. Associated Press -Photo." 4 Japanese Raid New Guinea Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 21 (&) Japanese bombers raided the key ports of eastern New Guinea and the Bismarck archipelago for hours to day in strength which the Austral ian air command said suggested that "major attacks in this area can be expected." Principal targets of the raiders were Kavieng, at the north cape tip of New Ireland where the Bismarck archipelago juts closest to the Japanese-mandate Caroline islands; and the east coast New Guinea cities of Madang, Sa la mail a, Bulolo and Lae. The bombers were supported by strong fighter groups. Forty bombers escorted by 20 fighters attacker Kavieng in the first of the raids, early this morn ing, an Australian communique said. A short time later three raiders bombed Madang. Strong Japanese aerial forces were sighted at a number of other places along the northern coast of New Guinea and over the Bis marck archipelago. More than 50 Japanese bombers and fighters were observed flying In the direction of Salamaua, south of Madang, and shortly after noon a small group of raiders attacked Salamaua airdrome. Reopen in Portland Washington, Jan. 21 (A) The of fice of government reports said yes terday that It planned to reopen. probably in February, its Portland office, closed this fiscal year because of lack of funds. Fewer Insane Since Nation Went to War Since America went to war, the populations of the state hospital and the state penitentiary have decreased, the board of control was advised today. Dr. J. C. Evans, state hospital supci iiui-iKicm, ioia uie ooara mat he had 2,630 patients, whereas he had expected the population to be more than 2.900. "The population drop was caused by a dearth of commitments," he said, "and not by our curing any more patients than usual. Since the nation mobilized most people arc angry and are keeping busy working, so that It keeps them from becoming subject to severe mental strains. "But when people are thrown out of work when tho war ends, and they thus begin to pity themselves, then our population will Increase." Dr. Evans said that Insane hos pitals In England also reported few Russians Pursue Fleeing Nazis From Mozhaisk Key Point of Hitler's Line Taken with Many Prisoners and Supplies (By the Associated Press) Russia celebrated her greatest victory of the war today as the red armies drove six miles beyond fallen Moz haisk, 57 miles west of Mos cow, in pursuit of Adolf Hit ler's battered invaders along the Napoleonic road of retreat to Smolensk. London military quarters estimated that 200,000 Ger mans had been forced to with draw toward the narrowing Vyazma gap as a result of Mo zhaisk's capture. Vyazma is about half way be tween Moscow and Smolensk. Donets River Break Simultaneously, a bulletin from Hitler's field headquarters acknowl edged that Soviet troops had broken through German lines' on the upper Donets river presumably in the fierce battle for the big doncts rivet- steel city of Kharkov, Russia's "Pittsburgh" in the Ukraine. The high command asserted, how ever, that nazl counter-attacks had thrown the Russians back. No hint of the defeat on the cen tral (Moscow) front was given the German nation. . While , Hitler's winter ' scourged armies fell back along the 70-mile- wide "escape corridor" from Mo zhaisk, threatened by Russian flanking thrusts on both sides, the Berlin radio broadcast this version of the struggle: German Version "The German line on the eastern front, reaching from the sea of Azov to encircled Leningrad, is in tact in spite of many and heavy So viet attacks. "These attacks resulted in heavy losses being suffered by the Soviets but without achieving the occupa tion of any important points.' The fall of Mozhaisk, climaxed by bloody street fighting in the glare of burning buildings, was announced in four words by the Russian com mand: "Our units captured Mozhaisk," Key of Nazi Lines The city, forward anchor of Hit ler's winter defense front, was oc cupied by triumphant red army forces at 8:30 a. m. (12:30 a. m. EST) Monday. It had been captur ed by the Germans just three months ago ip the heyday of their now broken offensive against Mos cowthe drive which Hitler pro claimed would be "the last great, de cisive battle" of 1941. In London, Soviet quarters de clared that the fall of Mozhaisk would signal a "titanic continuation of the battle" and that the Russian army now had hundreds of thou sands of completely fresh reserves ready to hurl into a giant offensive along the entire 1,200 mile front, Enormous Losses rass, the official Soviet news agency, said the Germans suffered enormous losses In an attempt to obey Hitler's order to hold Mozhaisk at all costs. Tass said red army troops, storm ing into the city after smashing earth-and-timber forts 50 to 100 (Concluded on Vnuc 7, Column ft) er patients after Britain went to war. The state prison population Is down to 979, about 50 less than nor mal. The reason probably Is that criminals arc finding defense work moro profitable than crime. Dr. Evans told the board that Oregon has a high percentage of insane because the state has high standards. Many patients consid ered insane In Oregon would not be considered so In other states. "A hill-billy in a southern state who Is a little queer is permitted to run at large. But in Oregon, we lock him up," the superintendent said. Tanker Crew Cheer After Craft Limps to Tort Members of the crew of the SS Malay with their cap tain, had a cheer after they brought the craft into Newport News, Va., after it had been shelled and torpedoed off the Carolina coast. The seamen are grouped about a hole in the deck made by the blast from the torpedo. Associated Press Photo. Argentina Asks For Compromise Rio de Janeiro, Jan. -21 (U.R) Argentina was reported today to have agreed to a compromise on the resolution for a joint severance of all relations with the axis nations by 21 American republics. The compromise, it was understood, was drafted by Foreign Minister Oswaldo Aranha of Brazil War Plan for 1 Hemisphere Washington, Jan. 21 tP) A gigan tic war production plan for the western hemisphere which in cludes abolition of all trade bar riers, establishment of a common currency for all anti-axis nations and use of United States naval and air units to convoy hemispheric shipping was disclosed today by a high commerce department official. The program, drawn up by the United States, was expected to be agreed upon at the American con ference of foreign ministers, now In sesssion at Rio de Janeiro. The com merce official, who declined use of his name, predicted it would be applied to all nations subscribing to the plan. If Argentina, Chile, or any other nation, does not enter the hcml sheric collaboration plan, he said, they will be ignored and the plan will be pursued by the remaining American republics. Argentina and Chile were report edly holding back on one of the major aims of the conference total severance of diplomatic and econ omic ties with the axis. The plan known as the Joint war production plan is being out lined at Rio by Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Wayne C. Taylor and Warren Lee Plerson president of the Export-Important bank. Silver Replaces Nickel in Coin Washington. Jan. 21 (U.R) War and priorities have finally caught up with the nickel the magic touchstone that operates the tele phone, the subway turnstile, the juke-box, the vending machine and other prime essentials of American civilization. The old nickel was three-fourths nickel and one-fourth copper; the new nickel will be one-half silver and one-half copper. The famous 5-cent piece has been taking up an average of 435 tons of nickel a year. This Is one-fourth of the amount consumed by the en tiro civilian economy. Russian Envoy to Japan Going Home Tokyo. Jan. 21 'Official Broad cast Recorded by AP) Constantin Smetanln, Russian ambassador to Tokyo, will leave for Moscow Sat urday, Domei news agency reported today. "Smetanln Is returning to report to his government on various mat ters as well as to recover his health' the report said. !wlth, the approval oi the United States delegation, to permit -Argentina lo "save her face" in the light of her strong opposition to the re solution. The compromise, it was said, would permit the American Repub lics to submit the severance resolu tion to a referendum of the cabin ets and congresses of their respec tive countries, thus giving each country freedom of action but ach leving a unanimous vote on the measure in the conference of for elgn ministers. One conference source explained that the original resolution would have required the approval of the American governments anyhow. It was believed that Chile also would agree to the reported com promise rather than remain the lone holdout, inasmuch as Chilean objections to the original resolution were similar to those of Argentina, In Chile's case the domestic poli tical situation is complicated by the presidential campaign terminating with the Feb, 1 elections. Before the compromise was ported, drastic attempts were made by some delegates to force a show down on the resolution. Both Ar gcntlna and Chile had joined, with reservations, In the economic and solidarity projects while holding out against a break In relations with the axis. Expect New Jap Thrust at Burma Rangoon, Burma, Jan. 21 (U.R)- New Japanese thrusts into Burma during the next 10 days almost certainly may be expected, an offi cial announcement warned today. "During the next 10 days ... it is almost certain that the Japan ese will make thrusts into Burma territory," the director of news ser vices said In a bulletin. He added that enemy activity in Burma de pends "on the fortunes In South Malaya" where the enemy "has made remarkable progress." Burmese territory already has been penetrated by both Japanese and Siamese forces. Big Navy Bill Passed by House Washington, Jan. 21 (P) A $3, 300.000,000 authorization for con struction of 1,799 minor auxiliary, combatant and patrol naval vessels and authorization for expenditures or $750,000,000 In additional ship building facilities were passed swift ly by the house today. Action came on voice vote, Just two days after the legislation was introduced. Chairman Vinson (D., Ga.), of the naval committee told his colleagues that specification of the number of ships to be con structed, rather than the total ton nage, marked a departure from the usual custom, and was done to hide their type "lor military reasons." Deserf Storm Slows Clean-up Cairo, Egypt, Jan 21 () The worst sand and rain storms seen in Libya in 10 years are hampering the movements of British land and air forces attempting to strike at Gen. Erwin Rommel's axis forces along the Gulf of Slrte, British headquar ters said today. As a result, much of the region has been rendered Impassable, i communique said, and the axis for cos have taken the opportunity to mine heavily the restricted areas over which the British might press the advance. This has made operations doubly difficult, the bulletin declared. Tho announcement said, however, that collection of equipment in the Halfaya (Hellflre) Pass sector along the Libyan-Egyptian frontier wrest ed from the axis last week was con tinuing and that the final count of prisoners captured there was 5,026. The prisoners were said to include 57 German officers and 2,069 men, One hundred and 78 officers were listed among the Italian captives, Captured equipment, the British said, included 16 German and 44 Italian field pieces "In first class condition" and large quantities of oiher arms, munitions and supplies of all kinds. German Soldier Shot in Paris Vichy, Jan. 21 (U.R) The shooting of a German soldier outside ai amusement center in Paris was dls closed today when German authori ties advertised In newspapers for aj witness. The authorities said through the newspapers that a number of su spects had been rounded up. They asked a girl who was believed to have witnessed the shooting to pre sent herself to identify the assail ant from among the suspects. The shooting occurred outside Luna park near the Maillot gate. Jap Ship Torpedoed By Mosquito Boat Washington, Jan. 21 (Pj For a daring exploit bril liantly accomplished, the navy wrote a new name on tho role of its war heroes today and added one more ship to Japanese josses lor the Philippines invasion. The name belonged to 30-ycar- old Lieutenant John D. Bulkcley of Long Island City, New York, who rocketed a swift motor torpedo boat into enemy-held Blnanga bay and torpedoed a 5.000-ton Japanese ves sel, despite a storm of enemy fire. Thus did the navy's new "P.T." boat make its spectacular debut in the Pacific war theatre and the ac tion undoubtedly heralded many similar attacks in the future. The nocturnal assault, suggest ing anew the steadily wider opera lions of Admiral Thomas S. Hart's far eastern command, was reported by the navy department In a com munique last night which said that Bulkeley "has been commended for executing his commission success fully." Bulkeley had eight seamen, as yet unidentified, In his crew, but the mat ter-of -fact navy statement hard Japan io Bring Allies to Knees Declares Tojo Premier Reports on War Claiming Unbroken Suc cession of Victories Tokyo, Jan. 21 (Official Broadcasts Recorded by Unit ed Press in San Francisco and New York) Premier Hidcki Tojo warned the 79th session of the diet today that Japan "must be prepared for diffi culties of various tasks that may arise in the future so that the present war will be come a successful one." Speaking1 at the opening session of the diet, called to vote more war funds, Tojo said that although the United States and Bri tain had suffered early set-backs, "It is not difficult to imagine that they will stubbornly resist and try to turn the tide." llroughl to Knees He said Japan, working in close cooperation with Germany and Italy, was prepared to fight until the United States and the British empire "are brought to their knees.' A full report on the conduct of Uie war and Japan's intentions to ward interested nations was deliv ered to the diet by Tojo and Foreign Minister Shlgenori Togo. Togo said that American and British "bases of aggression in east Asia arc crum bling one after another." Of Japan's relations with other nations, the diet was told: Australia: "Japan will show no mercy if they continue resisting." Other Relations Netherlands: "Japan harbors no enmity toward the people of The Netherlands East Indies. Now, how ever, that America, Britain, The Netherlands and Chungking in col lusion have turned their countries into a military base, and tho NEI itself has embarked on a course of flagrant hostilities, we have been compelled to commence armed hos tilities against that country." The Philippines: "Japan will glad ly enable the Philippines to enjoy the honor of independence and to further cooperate with us as one of the partners toward the estab lishment of greater east Asia." China: "There still exists elements in Chungking that rely upon Amer ica and Britain, but the day Is not far distant when they, too, reflect ing on the entire mission of greater cast Asia, wilt cooperate in the con struction of the new order." Russia: "The relations between Japan and the Soviet Union . . are regulated by the neutrality pact.' South America: "We are prepared to respect fully the position of the South American countries so long as they are not misled by American and British machinations and do not adopt a hostile or unfriendly at titude toward Japan." Germany and Italy: "However frantically America and Britain may endeavor to alienate Japan, Ger many and Italy and their allies, there Is no room for such imagin ings. The Iron will of the axis pow ers Is not to be compared with that of the so-called allies." ly hints at the nerve-racking peril of their mad dash. It reports mere ly that "this small boat carried out its difficult task while under fire of machine guns and three-inch shore batteries." Tlie greatest protection the men had was the speed of their powerful craft, whose 4,200 horsepower en gine Is capable of producing a max imum of of about 70 knots, or 80 miles an hour. Besides speed, there was the ele ment of surprise in the night-sur- prLse Increased by the fact that Blnanga bay, tucked away Inside Sublc bay on Luzon Island, Is far from any known baso of allied op erations in tho far east. The Jap anese might reasonably have ex pected An. lean submarines In that vicinity but they apparently were not on guard against a lightning at , lack by a lone small boat. City of Atlanta And Ciltvaira Sunk by U-Boats 44 of Crew of Atlanta Lost MacArthur Re pels Assault in Luzon Washington, .Tan. 21 (P) The navy department an nounced today two more at tacks on steamers by enemy submarines off the Atlantic coast with one ship sunk, the other believed sunk, and a loss of 4fi men dead and miss in fc. The steamers were the American ship City of Atlan ta, which was sunk cither by shell fire or torpedoing, and the Latvian steamer Cilt vaira. Both ships were at tacked January 19. The attack on the City of Atlanta occurred in the morn ing of that day off Cape Hat teras, N.C. The Ciltvaira was torpedoed "off the Atlantic coast," the navy said, and 21 members of the crew arrived at the coast guard base at Charleston, S. C, yesterday aboard an American tanker. The heaviest loss was aboard the City of Atlanta. The navy report ed 43 missing and one dead out of a crew of 46. Two survivors are in a hospital In New York. Two men were reported to have lost their lives aboard the Ciltvaira and survivors included, in addition to the 21 members of the crew taken Into Charleston, nine officers and crewmen picked up by another rescue ship and now en route to port. (Associated Press War Editor) Allied warships were reported shelling Japan's invasion armies swarming down the Malay jungle coast 60 .miles north of Singapore today, and the United Nations were further heartened by President Roosevelt's disclosure that "the Yanks are coming!" with A.E.P. vanguards already in action or en route to far-flung battle zones. Singapore's defenders shot down 13 Japanese raiders over the Singapore Island citadel today, and RAP bomb ers wore officially reported to have launched "heavy and successful at tacks" against Japanese held air dromes in Malaya during the night. An official Tokyo broadcast claim cd without confirmation elsewhere that Japanese spearheads had thrust within six miles of Johore strait, mile-wide water barrier to Singapore, and asserted that large Japanese forces were moving up for a direct assault on the Island stronghold. Heavy Fighting British headquarters, however, de clared that the main battle sector was still many miles away, witli heavy fighting raging in northwest Johore state, in the Bakri and Bu hit Payong areas, where British ar tillery Inflicted bloody losses on the Invaders in close-range firing. In the Philippines, a war depart ment bulletin said Gen. Douglas MacArthur's valiant Amecican-Fili-pino defense forces had driven back the Japanese invaders with heavy lasses "in particularly savage fight ing" on the Batan peninsula. The communique said Japanese troops had gained "sonic initial suc- (roiirliHlnl tin 1'iicn R. ('Milium 4) Guard Against Typhus Spread London. Jan. 21 (U.R) Health Minister Ernest Brown today an nounced the government had taken special precautious against spread to tho British Isles of typhus, dread disease creeping through eastern and southeastern Europe and which has readied North Africa. The war office has consulted Russian specialists in London on means to check the spread of ty phus to British and Brllisli-con trolled arras. Brown said that the ministry of health had also taken precautions against tho spread of typhoid fever from enstern Europe and that lo cal authorities would be able to ef fect Immediate large scale lnnocu Jatlon whenever advisable.
