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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1942)
Ik Journal 'Buy Defense Bonds' 'Em Flying II r i l : 54th Year, No. 84 SSffJ'JES&SS Salem, Oregon H fl 1L Kgfil . B Wednesday, April 8, 1942 Price Five Cents Marshall and Hopkins Reach London by Plane o To Discuss Strategy Axis Drive on 'Egypt Looms London, April 8 (fl3) The United States army's chief of staff, General George C. Marshall, and Harry Hop kins, chairman of the Brit ish-American munitions as signments boards, arrived, in London today for talks with Britain s leaders, presum ably on the grand strategy of the United Nations' 1942 campaigns. General Marshall's arrival was reminiscent of that of General John J. Pershing,- who reached London on June 8, 1917, two months kafter the United States entered ifthe first World War, - (In Washington, the White House ' tersely described General Marshall's visit as a "perfectly normal war time mission," while London sour- ces said the U. S, chief of staff was expected to confer with Britain's leaders on questions of high stra tegy.) . Accompanying the army chief of staff and Hopkins were Col. How ard A. Craig of the air corps, Col. A. - C. Wedemeyer of the general staff and Lieut. Commander J, R. Fulton of the United States army. It was announced that they would be in London for a "short stay."'' ..:-' '-' ' Came by- Bomber T.! ;' It was, understood the party made the trip to Britain by bomber. The arrival of Gen. Marshall comes on the heels of reports cir- culated in London that the bulk of the American army is training for - a mass invasion of the continent. These reports, published in Lon don newspapers only yesterday. said the Americans and British eventually would strike together at the heart of Industrial' Germany through France. Thousands of Americans already are training in northern Ireland. Axis Drive in Egypt Axis forces numbering 126,000 desert-wise troops were reported In motion across the Libyan desert today against British lines in what may be the opening of a spring drive to conquer Egypt and smash through east of Suez towards Rus sia's southern flank. The action not yet told in de tail came as the German air force lashed with rising fury at Malta and Alexandria with fire and ex- Viloslve. The tiny island, fortress , and Egypt's chief port and base of the British Mediterranean fleet keys to Britain's dominance of the Med (Concluded on page 10, column 7) Marshall Tells U.S. Objectives London. April 8 (IP) The purpose of United States forces in Europe Is to "expand," General George C, Marshall, chief of staff of the U. S. army, declared tonight. Harry Hopkins, lend-lease expe diter who came to London with Marshall, seconded the general's thought, saying that production aioi ft111' Ma alone is not going to win the war rut that "soldiers under General ilarshall and sailors under Admiral King" would be the deciding fac tor. Admiral Ernest J. King, to whom Hopkins referred, is chief of all American naval operations. Gen. Marshall and Hopkins ar rived in London only this morning out already have managed to "spend a few hours" with Prime Minister Churchill, Hopkins said. Discussing his mission, Hopkins added that President Roosevelt had entrusted him with some confiden tial matters on which to confer with Churchill. His mission, he said, was "to see the development of the British forces herr in the British Isles and to talk things over In general with the British chief of staff." . O Replying to a question, the gen al said that he did not know whe ther he would return directly to Washington, but that he would cer tainly visit American troops In Northern Ireland. (Concluded on pate 10, column 6) Yank Flier's Life Saved By Crucifix Somewhere in North Australia, April 8 (IP) Clarence Sanford, an Alabama university graduate from Auburn, N. Y., reported today how his life was saved by a silver cruci fix he habitually wears' around his neck. Chasing Japanese planes over the Pacific, 8anford's fighter plane ran out of fuel and he had to ball out, drifting into the water three miles from a small Island. - He had to strip off all his cloth ing In order to swim to shore, where he collapsed. - He was aroused by three aborigi nes, one of whom held a spear to his chest and accused, "You Jap." Sanford said he was about to be impaled when the native spied the crucifix and exclaimed, "Jesus num ber one mant?' The nowMriehdly natives led the nude flier 25 miles afoot to the Bre mer Island mission, and a pearl lugger brought him back to Australia. Alexandria Bombed Heavily Alexandria, Egypt, April 8 (IP) This Mediterranean naval port was bombed again early today after its worst air attack of the year yester day when 52 persons were killed and 80 injured. ' The follow-up assault was light, however, the government said, with only a. few bombs dropped, no cas ualties and only insignificant dam age. , As the government acted quickly to care for the, rjctimsof, the $Kfr. iler"1-bomb'ihg,:'- 'Premier'"' Mustapha Nahas Pasha broadcast to 'Alexan drians that "this Is a day of na tional mourning . for the : whole country," The public, works minister visited the wounded at a hospital, giving each two Egyptian pounds (about (8). An estimation committee re ceived orders to estmate property losses quickly, so the government could pay in full from credits of enemy property seized In Egypt. Trucks Used to Bring Gasoline Portland, April 8 U.R Big tank trucks roared south from the north west today toward refineries in California and the intermountain region, where they will pick up gas oline for delivery in Oregon, Wash ington and Idaho under terms of recent ICO action to combat motor fuel shortages, William B. Adams, Portland at torney, who represents most of the truckers, estimated that between 16 and 25 trucks left Portland for refineries at Sah Francisco. Routes will be determined by the oil com panies, but Adams said he expect ed initial tank-truck deliveries from San Francisco to be made In south ern Oregon and southern Idaho. Shipments from inland refineries will be delivered in eastern Ore gon, eastern Washington and west ern Idaho, which have been cut off from pacific coast seaport deliveries because of the coastal petroleum shortage Norwegian Pastors Defy Quiz ling Regime London, April 8 (U.R) The Axis puppet regime headed by Vidkun Quisling in Norway isi resorting to drastic meas ures in an effort to crush opposition led by clergymen and teacners, a Norwegian refugee gov- ernment spokesman said tonight. "Nazi storm troopers were report ed ready to aid in preventing dem onstrations scheduled for next Sun day, according to Intelligence re ports received here, and Quisling has Issued a proclamation permit ting "laymen" to take over the duties of some 1100 clergymen who resigned in protest against gov ernment dictation. The Intelligence reports to the refugee government said that Nor wegians had declared their read iness to "fight with our clergy even from the catacombs." The Protestant clergymen re signed en masse and Intended to test the Quisling regime by preach ing as "free clergymen" in defi ance of authority -next Sunday. It tu aald the clergy probably , Soviet Forces Smash Across Dnieper River Pinch Off Nazi Bulge Toward Moscow Halt German Drive in Crimea London, April. 8 P) Sov iet forces have smashed across the upper Dnieper river in a furious final drive to pinch off- the Vyasma- Ghatsk-Rzhev bulge toward Moscow, Soviet dispatches re-? layed by Stockholm said to day. This crossing, between Do- rogdbuzh' and Durovo, was a striking achievement, these dispatches said, since the Germans had established vast for tifications along the river. The red army appeared intent up on utilizing the brief period re maining before the spring thaw to crush nazl armies within the cen tral front sack and to prepare to meet later German offensive frdm the direction of Smolensk which Is 50 miles west of the point where the Dnieper was reported crossed. The German corridor of escape from Vyasma to Smolensk now has been narrowed to 30 miles with so viet guns raking the main highway and rail routes, Stockholm inform ants said.. In addition, the Russians were reported threatening Durovo. vital rail Junction' about, midway between Smolensky and - Vyasma( from its southern and southwestern suputDs. ... s. f Tank Drive Halted Moscow, April 8 (IP) The Gcr mans attacked soviet positions in the Crimea with 100 tanks today but were trapped by furious Russian artillery fire and eventually turned back, the Moscow radio announced. After several hours of vain at tempts to break through the bar rage, the German tanks still in op eration retreated, leaving 32 ma chines and hundreds of dead the battlefield, the radio said, - The soviet Information bureau's mid-day communique repeated its familiar "no significant changes occurred at the front" but told of past operations in which 1,675 Ger man's were killed or wounded in various sectors of the long battle- front. In one day's fighting alone to the northwest of Moscow, it said, the enemy lost 1,125 soldiers and offi cers in dead and wounded; 300 were killed In a day's fighting on a sec tor of the Kalinin front, also north west of Moscow; and 250 were killed on the southwestern front in the recapture of "a strongly fortified populated place." Soviet troops routed the Germans from an important village on the southwestern (Orel-Taganrog) front yesterday despite a hurricane of machine-gun fire and captured sev en nazl tanks, the Russians said. The soviet information bureau emphasized the quickening aerial warfare with a report 79 German planes were destroyed Monday against 19 Russian aircraft lost, in- creasing its totals for nine days to 494 German machines and 103 Bus slan. would operate outside the church es, arranging private or secret meetings. The action, according to officials here, was the greatest aid in the fight against Germans in Norway since the Nazis Invaded the country two years ago to morrow. -. Informants suggested, as had Swedish advices direct from Nor way, that the Germans might be forced either to declare a state of siege throughout Norway or to re move puppet leader Vlrkun Quis ling. They said about 1100 clergymen, or nearly all in Norway had re signed and that the Germans were threatened with the spread of re volt and passive resistance to the entire country which never, on the darkest' day, has knelt to the Nazis or their Quislings. , r ni v "' 7Tr 1 ( ' ' """"7 j Where Japanese Intern American Prisoners This is a view of the Japanese town of Zentsuji, on the island of snikoxu, wnere the International Red cross reported 305 American prisoners of war were being held by the Japanese. Photograph was copied from a Japanese geographic reference book. (Associated Press Photo.) ' Allied Planes A itack Koepang General MacArthur's Headquarters, Australia, April 8 (U.R) United States and Australian air forces reported new successes in their unrelenting offensive today as United Nations supreme leaders met in the first of a series of major war conferences. Allied planes fought through three sepa- Subs Sink 2 More Jap Ships Washington, April 8 (U.R) An American-submarine cruising in the dangerous water .of ' the China sea sunk two more Japanese merchant ships totaling 15,000 tons, the navy announced last night. The ships, traveling Japan's vital supply line through the southwest Pacific, were a passenger-cargo ves sel of about 10,000 tons and a cargo ship of 6,000 tons. Announcement of the success brought, to at least 53 the number of Jap ships sunk or damaged by American' submarines since the start of .the war, . Since Saturday alone 12 vessels have been sunk or damaged lndl eating' a stepping-up of submarine activity. The subs' share of ships definitely known to have been sent to -the bottom .was 31, against 75 for all other branches of the armed services. Another Cut in Gasoline Looms Washington, April 8 (IP) A fur ther sharp cut In the amount of gasoline available for motorists In the east and Pacific northwest was forecast today, pending development of a card rationing system. Ralph K. Davles, deputy petro leum coordinator, said It was clear that the recent 20 per cent reduc tion in filling station supplies was not sufficient, and that "the cur tailment will have to go deeper than that." Oil industry surces said it was probable that the supply for filling stations would have to be cut to 3314 per cent below normal, and that the new cut would be effective within a week. "When moving oil into this mar. ket means the loss of life and the loss of ships, we are not Justified In providing anything more than the essential minimum,". Davles said in an Interview yesterday,. To meet the transportation prob lem caused by submarine sinkings and diversion of tankers, the pe troleum coordinator's office is re newing Its efforts to obtain prior ities on steel to start building an oil pipeline east from Texas, Port of Acajufla Destroyed by Fire San Salvador, El Salvador, April I VP The coffee port of Acajutla, 2,500 population, was almost des troyed yesterday In the greatest fire this country has experienced in a century. The post office, military headquarters, telegraph office, bar racks and customs officers were among the buildings destroyed In the four hour fire. Damage was estimated at about II.600.000, but no loss of lite was reported. rate screens of crack Japanese fighters yesterday to attack Koe- pang, the Japanese invasion base in Dutch Timor, 330 miles northwest of Australia,; a communique .announ ced; Only one -allied lighter -plane was lost, .' And a plane previously reported missing was found and re turned to duty. . It was announced also that in their raid yesterday on Lae, In the New Guinea Invasion zone; the al lied planes, in addition to smashing five to six grounded Japanese fight ers and starting fires, snot down the only Japanese fighter plane which challenged them. This plane was caught In concerted fire and torn to bite. It was known that some Jap anese bombers were hit at Lae, but no estimate was made of the num ber. A Port Moresby dispatch esti mated that in all 118 Japanese planes had been destroyed in the New Guinea and Timor Invasion zones against the loss of 14 United States and Australian planes. Crews of six of the allied planes were saved. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Prime Minister John Curtln, Lieut. Gen. George H. Brett; commanding Unit ed Nations air forces; . Lieut, Gen. Sir Thomas Blarney,- Australian commander of ground forces, and Vice Admiral Herbert F, Leary, United States navy commandor In the Australian-New Zealand zone, conferred for two hours today, Claim 6 Norse Vessels Sunk Berlin (from German broadcasts), April 8 (IP) Six out of 10 Norwe gian vessels which attempted to break out of the Swedish port of Goteborg last week were sunk by German naval and air forces and two others fled back to Swedish ter ritorial waters, official German1 quarters announced today. (This report indicated that two ships eluded the German blockade. Tho Vichy radio said Saturday that two vessels had reached Britain and a terse British announcement Sun day that "certain ships have ar rived safely in this country," but did not give tho number.) It said light German naval forces Intercepted the ships, which were reported under command of British captains. Five ships aggregating 36,000 tons were sunk by German outpost boats, the announcement said, while one 6,000-ton ship was sunk by the German air force. Fred Peters, Can by, Fatally Injured Canby, April 8 VPy A tractor slip ped off a truck while being un loaded yesterday, and fatally crushed Fred Peters, 27, route 3, Canby, and seriously injured his 2-year-old ion, Larry. The boy was taken to' a Portland hospital, suffering from a fractur ed skull. How to Write War Prisoners : Washington, April 8 (U.fi) Amerl cans who wish to correspond with relatives and friends interned in Japan were offered help today by Rep. Compton I. White, (D Ida.) He recently released an Interna tional Red Cross report of the prls. oners of war who were captured at Guam, Gilbert and Wake islands. Upon advice of the navy , depart ment,.'. White, said . ' the internees should ' be addressed through ;the Red Cross committee, prisoners of war bureau,. Geneva, Switzerland, It was emphasized the sender should note on the envelope . the place where the prisoner' was be lieved to have been, captured. The International Red Cross reported 366 Americans, taken on the three islands, were held at Zentsuji, Ja pan. The majority of them were civilian .workers, on defense pro Jects. It was explained when White re. leased the prison report that many of the Internees were from Idaho and other northwest states. Japs Land on Manus Island Sydney, Australia, April 8 VP)- The Japanese have landed a small occupation force at Lorengau,. Manus island, .one of the largest of the admiralty group above New Guinea, dispatches from New Gui nea reported today. Lorengau- Is about 350 miles north of Lae, New Guinea port occupied by the enemy, and the Sydney Sun's New Guinea correspondent said this new base and another at Bougainville, In the Solomon is lands, could be used by the Japan ese for dispersion forces. It had been anticipated that the Japanese . would occupy Manus, which lies on the main Japanese supply route to Rabaul, In New Guinea. The present Japanese plan, it was believed here, may be to protect Rabaul, which Is assuming ever. greater Importance In the entire Pacific war, through seizure of out posts for sea and air reconnais sance. Heaviest A Of War on Valletta, Malta, April 8 pounding on round-the-clock British island stronghold its yesterday and touched off the 2000th air raid alarm in Malta since Italy entered the conflict, Four German planes wcro report ed destroyed two Junkers dive bombers and two escorting Mos serschmltt fighters. Another Junk ers dive bomber was said to have been probably destroyed and two planes were damaged In the hours of Intense raiding. Preliminary reports indicated the casualties were "not heavy consid ering the scale of the bombing," an official said. The Germans struck from any di rections to confuse the alert ground crews and the chain of Nazi planes penetrated Intense high and low- New Formula Considered for India's Defense Johnson Plays Role of Mediator as Moslems Reject Cripps' Offer New Delhi, India, April 8 UP) A new formula for han dling Indian defense was re ported worked out today at an all-India congress party committee session and semi official sources declared tha the way might yet be cleared for a settlement under which India would attain a national government and take up her full part in the war. It was intimated that Louis Johnson, former United States as sistant secretary of war who came here as President Roosevelt's pers onal emissary, had played a promi nent part as mediator in averting a deadlock on Britain's offer to the Indians. Demand Changes Tonight, however, the working committee of the All-India Moslem conference, big Moslem organiza tion, adopted a resolution declaring the Cripps proposals unacceptable in their present form. The commit tee stated that the proposals must be modified so that no province would be permitted to remain out of the proposed Indian .union. The Moslems contended that the Cripps proposals as they now stand would impair, the solwjarlty and unity of the inaian people. ... Meanwhile the situation as regards tho Hindus seemed brighter. The new plan for dealing with re sponsibility for defense, heretofore a stumbling block In the way of congress party acceptance of tne autonomy proposal, was said to have developed at a morning ses sion of the partys working com mittee. , Up to Party Leaders The plan was said to have been turned over to party leaders, and the committee continued in session. Earlier a deadlock had threaten ed to wreck Sir Stafford Cripps1 mission to India as Britain's am ended offer to appoint an Indian as the country's defense minister fell short of nationalist demands. Only two possibilities, apparently, remained to give the negotiations for post-war Indian dominion sta tus a new lease on life that tho eagerness on both sides for an ag reement might produce satisfactory terms or that United States influ ence might be brought to bear on the involved situation. (JAW Ask Limit On War Profits Detroit,' April 8 (U.R) The United Automobile Workers (CIO), having accepted abolition of double pay for Sunday and holiday work, asked to day that profits be limited to three per cent of Invested capital, and asked President Roosevelt to soo that they were. An emergency UAW conference approved by volco vote lato yester day an executive board "victory through equality of sacrifice pro gram," which union leaders had urged becauso of rising anti-labor sentiment in congress, ir Raid Malta (P) Massed German bombers relays gave this bomb-shaken heaviest air attack of the war level anti-aircraft barrages to un load bombs on airdromes and the harbor. Even tho hardy residents of Malta, who aro confident that their patron, Saint Paul, still protects tho island on which he reputedly was shipwrecked, noted tho unpre cedented ferocity of tho raid as bomb explosions shook buildings and echoed through tho centurles oid rock caves Used as shelters. Thero was no indication of tho number of planes but observers ex pressed belief that somo Nazi crews are making three or four daily trips across Malta channel. The British Island Is only 60 miles south of air fields based on Sicily. Retire to New Prepared Posts To Prevent Rout Accomplished in Orderly Fashion Before Superior Forces of Japs (By the Associated Press) Out - numbered American and Filipino defenders of Ba taan peninsula have effected a general withdrawal to new defensive positions because of Japanese penetration of their line, the war department said today. Offcial quarters in Wash ington said there was no im mediate indication of the ex tent of the withdrawal, but that it was apparently ac complished in orderly fashion de spite the ferocity of the Japanese assault. Five Days of Attack It was the fifth day of intensive attack by Lieut.-Gen. Yamashlta's numerically superior Invasion forces, which have been constantly ham mering at the American-Filipino lines with tanks, heavy artillery ftre and aerial bombardment since Sat urday. The war department bulletin said Lieut.-Gen. Jonathan M. Wain wright's troops withdrew, last night to "a previously prepared defensive position." . , : ; . The present retirement was car rled out to "prevent the enemy from converting the break into : a j astrbus" rout, it' was uriderstoodV As a last extremity, the defenders could withdraw entirely from Ba taan peninsula's shot-torn- jungles and foxholes to the rocky Corregldor island fortress in Manila bay. No Aerial Support The little army of Lieut.-Gen Jonathan M. Walnwright, weary, outnumbered and with no aeslal support to challenge the Japanese dive bombers, was pressed hard perhaps so hard that it will be un able to hold out for the critical two or three weeks ahead. "Superior enemy forces, support ed by tanks and artillery, continue to attack the center of our line in Bataan," said a U. S. war depart ment communique. "The Japan ese have thrown fresh reserves into the fighting and have made some additional progress. Heavy losses have been sustained by our forces and by the enemy." Military men expressed belle! Yamashlta had massed at least a full army from 110,000 to 138,000 men of his 200,000 or more troops In the Philippines against the Walnwright units, which have been estimated to total 20,000 to 30,000. From his United Nations head quarters in Australia, Gen. Douglas MacArthur was reported In frequent touch with the battle-stained de fenders of Bataan, where Lieut. Gen. Yamashlta apparently was gambling on victory no matter what the sacrifice In lives before the start of the rainy season. Only Two Addresses For Navy Abroad Washington, April 8 (UP.) The navy today asked the public to use only ono of two designated post office addresses in writing to naval personnel afloat and overseas in order to conceal the location of ships from the enemy. There are only two post office addresses that should be used In writing any person aboard a sea going ship. Tho aro c-o Postmaster, New York, and c-o Postmaster, San Francisco, depending upon which is near the addressee, "Even If you know that a sea going ship of the U. S, navy is at a certain harbor, dont' address mall to her there," tho navy said. "To do so may reveal her position to any person who sees or handles the let ter, and this Information may fall into the hands of tho enemy." Soldier Liked Book, So He Typed It Camp Davis, N. C, April 8 VP) The librarian had a hard time try ing to get a soldier to return a long overdue book. Finally the soldier showed up with It. "I liked the book so much that t typed a copy of It," he explained.