Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, December 08, 1949, Page 24, Image 24

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24 Capital Journal, Salem,
Gen. Graves Testifies The hearing room is jammed to
the walls as Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves (center, holding paper)
testifies before House Un-American Activities committee in
Washington, regarding wartime atomic deals with the Rus
sians. Groves, who ran the wartime atomic bomb project,
testified that Russia got some atomic material from this coun
try during the war, but he doesn't know how many shipments
"because we don't know how itiany leaked through.'' No other
persons identified. (AP Wirephoto)
Claim No A-Bomb Savy
Or Materials Available in '43
By JOHN L. MYLER
, Washington, Dec. 8 (U.R) Whatever Russia got from the United
States in the spring of 1943, it was not information on how to
make an A-bomb or materials with which to do it.
The House Un-American Activities committee has produced
evidence that Russia, a wartime ally, flew 1420 pounds of uran
ium compound out of this coun-
try by way of the Great Falls,
IMont., lend-lease depot in March-
April, 1943. V
; But the official Smyth report
on the U. S. atomic project shows
that this country was not pro
ducing atomic explosives, ex
cept on an infinitesimal labora
tory scale, until 1944.
i It was not until the spring of
1943 that the U .S. bomb science
laboratory was set up at Los
Alamos, N. M., and it was not
until the summer of 1945 that
the first atomic bomb was put
together there.
Although the basic scientific
knowledge involved in the bomb
had been known to the world
since 1939, the detailed data es
sential for actual production had
hot been amassed when the Rus
sians got their shipments of uran
ium oxide and uranium nitrate.
': The Russians said they wanted
the material for medical and
metallurgical purposes. What
ever their real reason may have
been, here is what the Smyth re
port says on the status of U. S.
atomic knowledge at that time:
. "In April, 1943, the available
information of interest In con
nection with the design of atomic
bombs was preliminary and inac
curate. Further and extensive
theoretical work on critical size
(of the bomb's explosive mater
ial), efficiency, effect of tamper,
method of detonation, and effec
tiveness was urgently needed.
"Measurements of the nuclear
constants of uranium-235, Plu
tonium, and tamper material
had to be extended and im
proved. In the cases of U-235
and plutonlum, tentative meas
urements had to be made using
only minute quantities until lar
ger quantities became available.
"Besides these problems In
theoretical and experimental
physics, there was a host of
chemical, metallurgical and tech
nical problems that had hardly
been touched. Examples were
the purification and fabrication
of U-23S and Plutonium, and the
fabrication of the tamper.
"Finally, there were problems
of instantaneous assembly of the
bomb that were staggering in
their complexity."
Fortune Left
To Democrats
Of His Family
Sacramento, Calif., Dec. 8 (U.R)
Relatives of Harvey B. Whitten
who are members of the demo
cratic party are due for a share
In his $750,000 estate, attorneys
said today but no republicans,
Whitten, pioneer northern
California orchardist, died here
Nov. 17. He was a leading peach
grower, owning ranches in San
Joaquin, Sutter and Yuba coun
ties, and was a founder of the
Bercut-Richards Packing Co.
His will, as filed for probate
hers, read in part:
' . . My estate was accumu
lated solely under the democra
tic administration. It is, there
fore my desire that no republi
can party member receive any
thing from the distribution of
my estate."
" Whitten's will did not sped
fie ally disinherit republican
members of his family, but lt
aid:
. ' "I have specifically request
ed my brothers and sisters to re
Bounce the republican national
party, Its policies and platform
and to vote henceforth a straight
democratic national party tick
et."
Newspaper Editor Dies
. Kansas City, Mo., Dec. 8 U.R)
Robert W. Reed, assistant man
aging editor of the Kansas City
Oregon, Thursday, Dec. 8, 1949
Longview Port Sent
Geiger Tubes to Russ
Longview, Wash., Dec. 8 (U.R)
The manager of the port of
Longview, Wash., said today
"Geiger tubes" and "registers"
had moved across the docks here
to ships carrying the Russian
flag.
Port Manager Harvey Hart
stated a shipment to Russia from
here was aboard the S.S. Suri
kov, destined for Moscow via
Vladivostok.
The shipment included items
marked "310-A Geiger tubes"
and "401-A registers' purchased
by the Soviet government from
the Cylotron Specialities Co.
The shipment was made In
May, 1947. Hart said the ship
ment was made with the full
knowledge of the U.S. govern
ment because it was covered by
an export license.
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'
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uiiHituni
Acheson Cool to
Jordan Charges
Washington, Dec. 8 (U.R) Sec
retary of State Dean Acheson
threw cold water Wednesday on
many of the charges made by
George Racey Jordan, former
air force officer, concerning
wartime shipments to Russia.
Acheson told a news confer
ence he had no knowledge that
any state department documents,
"secret or ctherwise," were
made available to Russia with
out "proper authorization, as al
leged by Mr. Jordan."
He also said that a search of
lend-lease files showed nothing
to confirm Jordan's charges that
he found U.S. radar devices on
Russian lend-lease planes and
ripped them out.
Jordan charges that while he
was lend-lease expediter at the
Great Falls, Mont., air base dur
ing the war he tore out the radar
from four C-47 planes bound for
Russia, but missed a fifth.
Acheson also said that the
Manhattan engineering district,
army-operated A-bomb project,
approved all licenses for war
time uranium shipment to Rus
sia.
Chest Fund Short
Portland, Dec. 8 W) Com
munity chest directors reported
the $1,194,000 now in the fund
about 8 per cent short of this
year's goal is about all the
money they can get. President
Ben H. Hazen said the social ag
encies must trim their budgets.
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Atomic Secrets Withheld
From Wallace by Groves
By W. R. HIGGINBOTHAM
(United Presj Stall Correspondeqt)
Washington, Dec. 8 (U.R) Lt. Gen. Leslie R. Groves, chief of the
wartime A-bomb project, said today he deliberately withheld
several secret reports on atomic development from former Vice
President Henry A. Wallace during the war.
He made the statement in an interview when asked to clarify
his testimony before the house
unAmerican activities commit
tee concerning Russian attempts
to spy out U. S. atomic secrets
in 1943 and 1944.
Groves also called on congress
to delve deeper into charges by
George Racey Jordan, one-time
army air force major, that top
U. S. officials helped Russiai ob
tain secret materials and docu
ments in this country during
the war.
Saying his testimony should
not be construed as discrediting
all of the ex-major's story, he
added that "I think it would be
criminal negligence if Jordan's
charges were not explored to the
utmost."
Groves had testified that Wal
lace, who bolted the democratic
party last year to run for pres
ident as the left-wing progres
sive party's candidate, only saw
one of about five secret atomic
reports which were distributed
among a limited group of the
highest ranking officials. He did
not elaborate.
Interviewed later at the Army
Navy club, Groves was asked
why the other reports were not
shown to Wallace,
"Throughout by conduct of
the Manhattan project, my de
cisions were based on what I
though were the best interests
of the United States," the gen
eral said. "I decided I wasn't
going to show any more reports
to Mr. Wallace."
Asked if that meant he de
cided it would be against the
best interests of the country for
Wallace to see the documents,
Groves replied:
"I dpn't see how anything
could be more positive than what
I said before."
Radio Commenator Fulton
Lewis, Jr., who first aired Jor
dan's charges, has accused Wal
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lace of putting pressure on some
officials to obtain approval of
uranium shipments to Russia.
At the time, Wallace, as vice
president, was a member of Pres
ident Roosevelt's top policy com
mittee to oversee development of
the atomic bomb.
Wallace has denied Lewis'
charge and has demanded the
right to "meet by traducers face
to face" before the house com
mittee as soon as possible. He
notified Chairman John S. Wood,
(D., Ga.), that he would be
ready to testify either on Mon
day Tuesday, or Wednesday of
next week.
Rhodes Scholarship
Nominees Named
Portland, Dec. 8 W) Students
from the University of Oregon
and Reed college were nominat
ed yesterday as the state's two
candidates for Rhodes scholar
ships.
Glenn G. Morgan, Astoria,
who was graduated from the
University of Oregon last June
and is working on a master's de
gree, and B. Gale Dick, Portland,
a Reed physics student, will take
examinations at Spokane Satur
day. Quake in Nevada
Carson City, Nev., Dec. 8 (U.R)
A sharp earthquake tremor jolt
ed residents of Carson City at
10:45 a.m. (PST) Wednesday
but no damage was reported and
no one was injured. The shock,
described by a great many per
sons who felt it as "very sharp,"
was accompanied by a loud
rumbling sound, similar to that
created by an explosion in the
distance.
WAR SURPLUS SENSATION!
BEDTcOMPUTTwrrH 2 IN
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WAR SURPLUS
Albany Starts
State Building
Albany, Dec. 8 Construc
tion will start immediately on a
$10,000 building to house the
department of state automobile
registration office and tourist in
formation center at Lafayette
street on highway 99, the Al
bany Chamber of Commerce
announces.
G. C. Knodell, local oil prod
ucts distributor and former Al
bany mayor, signed a construc
tion and lease contract with a
department of state representa
tive here Tuesday. Knodell is
owner of the property involved,
which is on the north side of
the highway at the east end of
the Pacific highway ramp, ad
joining state highway depart
ment land, between Madison
and Jackson streets.
A Chamber of Commerce
spokesman reported that Kno
dell will start construction on
the concrete building immedi
ately. Knodell will lease the
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building to the state department.
Secretary of State Earl New-
bry recently announced that a
smaller registration office and
tourist center would be con
structed in Lebanon, thus giv
ing Linn county two of the cen
ters. Linn county now has
nearly 30,000 automobiles, and
has prospects of having 35,000
within the next few years.
The decision to locate the au
tomobile registration office in
a separate building here is not
expected to affect the consider
ation of Albany as a possible
site for the headquarters for the
state department of higher edu
cation, the chamber spokesman
indicated.
Daughter Opera Singer
Brush College Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Kron and Donna of
Brush College and Albert
Schindler of Orchard Heights,
accopmanied Mr. and Mrs.
George Meiers to Portland the
past week end to attend the
Grand Duchess opera in which
their daughter Myrtle Helen
Dororbaugh sang. Mrs. Doror
baugh was formerly Myrtle Hel
en Meier of Brush College.
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Seaman on Theft
Charge Held on Ship
Vancouver, B. C, Dec. 8 VP) A
A seaman, wanted on a charge of
theft from interstate shipment,
was chained to his bunk today
aboard the SS. American Mail.
Federal Bureau of Investiga
tion agents awaited the ship's
arrival in Portland, Ore., first
U. S. port of call for the vessel
which is inbound from Japan.
The crewman, making his
first trip aboard the vessel, was
identified as Rodney H. Regan.
He is accused, the FBI said, of
stealing nine boxes of electric
toasters in Chicago Sept. 15,
1948.
The American Mail is expect
ed to reach Portland late to
night. Gates The annual bazaar
sponsored by the Gates Wom
en's club was held at the social
rooms of the high school.
Though a small crowd was in
attendence, the money raised
was to be added to the building
rimd.
j
Sr1 RINGS
W 1 M ""-rK
"T VlMPERlAl
I e.f 0 I .
12 pint l3
Star, died at 6:20 a.m. today at
t. Luxe s Hospital bare.