They Are Willing
Cma yam bm ran of itachlaf
1.00 aomea la uj her way
at mt of Ue thaa th Want
A4 Wit- cmalnlv, two eea
Ml. Oln tune mil Ad s
chance to kelp joa. They an
Willing.
Keep 'Em Flying
Buy Dtfenic Stamps er Bonds
from your bank, ftorea, paper
carrier.1, or post office. San
and aid.
Medford
Tribune
Full Associated Press
United Ptmi
Thirty-sixth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 1942.
NO. 257.
V
J
uuj
WW
i
News Behind
The News
by Paul Mallon
Washington, Jan. 17. Don
ald Nelson had no idea be was
to be made the Ion? fought
single head of
America I pri
mary war ef
1 o r t produc
tion. At noon
that day he re
ceived word
he would be
wanted at the
White House
some time that
night or next
day. About 3
Paul Mallon p. m. he was
Jphoned and told to come over
that night. Not until he walked
in with Vice President Wal
lace, was he aware he had
been chosen.
Mr. Roosevelt's decision ap
parently was so hastily made,
he did not have the customary
executive order prepared car
rying out his decision. Next day
his secretary, Steve Early, in
dicated Nelson would be allow
ed to write his own order.
P D R. had been working on
the reorganization question
about three weeks. He had
been closeted with Lord Beaver
brook on the subject for several
whole days. Beaverbrook and
Kelson had been in to see him
the night before the decision
was made.
The town had been full of
planted pressure stories favor
ing one man or another for the
Job the usual sign that the
president is cogitating an Im
portant appointment. Friends
nt Supreme Court Justice Wil
'iiam Douglas were passing
around the suggestion he had
been chosen an apparently in-
dispensible part of all presiden
tial cogitations.
Mr. Wallace, the V. P., was
pressuring a plan whereby his
friend and former secretary,
Milo Perkins, would get half of
another two-headed OPM, with
Nelson the other half, one to
handle production, the other
materials. This, too, had been
printed.
Yet Wallace was not disap
pointed with the choice of Nel
son. No one could be. Nearly
everyone else wanted one-man
control and everyone agreed
Nelson had more experience for
the task than any man in the
country.
7HA1
7HAT caused Mr. Roosevelt
" to
rush his decision is not
entirely clear. Most government
associates suspect he suddenly
said "to heck with the prob
lem," and decided to act. Some
outsiders believe he wanted to
smother a speech Wendell
(Continued on Paj Nine)
E
PENDLETON AREA
Fort George Wright, Wash.,
Jan. 17. (JPy An army bomb
ing plane crashed in the rolling
country 2'.i miles north of the
Pendleton, Ore., air base today,
killing its crew of three officers
.and five enlisted men.
' Second air force headquarters
aid little information was avail
able on the accident, other than
it occurred at 11:30 a. m. and
crews from the Pendleton base
were sent to the scene.
The f.ead all were Identified
but their home addresses, and in
some cases the full names were
lacking.
ONE SlPAFIRE,
Washington, Jan. 17. (AP)
Two American freighters collid
ed off the New Jersey coast to
night, the navy department an
nounced, one of them sinking
tnd the other catching afire.
The United Fruit steamer San
Jose, of 3.358 gross tons, was
sunk. The 7,600-ton Santa Elisa
of the Grace Line, built only
last year, was ablaze off Atlantic
City, N. J.
v 1
vlt t
10
E
On Land Battles In Philip
pines and Malaya Reach
Critical Stages.
By Associated Prats
A United States submarine
has carried the war to . the
stronghold of the enemy and, in
the fleet's most audacious oper
ation of the war to date, has
sunk three Japanese merchant
ships off Tokyo bay, the navy
department announced last (Sat
urday) night.
Coming on the heels of the
report on Thursday that an
American undersea craft had
torpedoed a 17,000-ton enemy
liner and yesterday's reported
sinking of three transports and
two cargo ships, this raised to
27 the total of Japanese ships
sunk by U. S. naval or marine
action since the attack on Pearl
harbor.
The navy's communique gave
no details of this 'latest blow
at Japanese shipping, first to
see the United States take the
war into enemy coastal waters.
But it was perhaps no coinci.
dence that in the same com.
munique Washington disclosed
officially that Admiral Thomas
C. Hart has assumed command
of all allied naval forces in the
southwest Pacific.
The fact that the navy said
the submarines successful at
tacks took place "off" Tokyo
bay was taken as an indication
the vessel had been dperating
within striking distance of the
Japanese capital itself. For it Is
navy custom to locate any such
action by the nearest port.
Try Flanking Movement
Word of this newest smash at
the Japanese on the sea lanes
came at a moment when, in the
land of fighting, the armies of
the rising sun were forcing the
battle of Malaya and the Phil
ippines into new and more crit
ical stages.
The war department told of
the Japanese onslaught against
General Douglas - MacArthur's
forces in the Philippines, an
attack, which was encountering
stubborn resistance.
Aircraft and artillery are
supporting the assault which it
was believed here is aimed at
turning the flank of the out
numbered American-Filipino
troops and preventing any
eventual retreat to Corregidor
fortress.
Tokyo radio broadcasts, sub
ject of course to discount, said
MacArthur's men were finally
retreating down the peninsula.
There was, however, no con
firmation of this here.
The British command in Sing
apore acknowledged that on
the western flank the Japanese
had broken through to establish
a foothold on the south shore
of the Muar river, some 90 miles
northwest of the island base.
A Tokyo broadcast placed
this spearhead well past the
river, in the Batu Pahat area,
and declared the invaders
would be "knocking at the
gates" of Singapore within 24
hours.
Jap Lines Blasted
Even the Japanese, however,
were forced to admit "surpris
ing resistance" farther east,
where the bulk of the battle
hungry Australians had been
pitched into the fight.
Along the Gemas-Tampln rail
way line, 110 to 120 miles north
west of Johore strait, British
bombers blasted troop concen
trations and trains while fighter
planes, roaring down on a two
mile long truck convoy, strafed
it from end to end.
At the same time other RAF
units rained destruction on
troop-laden barges and small
ships near the mouth of the
Muar river.
But Singapore itself suffered
its heaviest blows of the air
war. Two flights of Japanese
bombers seventy In all rock
ed the island base throughout
its length and took their heav
iest toll of civilian casualties,
with at least 150 civilians either
killed or wounded.
Portland, Jan. 17. W The
demand was active for carrots
on the East Side Fanners' whole
sale market today.
Carol Lombard. 15 Army
This Type Jap Ship Sunk
-- -M.t jf-"'-m
!
This is the Japanese llntr Yawata Maru, owned and operated by the Nippon Yuten
Kaiaha lines and probably convertible into an aircraft carrier. The U. S. navy announced that
a 17,000-ton Japanese merchant liner of the Yawata class had bean sunk by an American
submarine.
CHURCHILL HOME,
E
Premier Uses Flying Boat
For Return British Irked
By Far East Reverses.
- By the Associated Prase
London, Jan. ! 17. W Win
ston Churchill came safely home
by flying boat today from his
historic trip to the new world,
and the happy cries of "Good
old Winnie" which welcomed
him subdued, for the moment
at least, British recrimination
over Singapore's plight.
It was apparent that - the
prime minister would lose no
time in moving to assuage the
distress of both nation and par
liament over the humiliating
defeats in Malaya. Most of the
newspapers looked for some
sort of a cabinet reconstruction,
but their speculation as to its
nature was very vague.
Churchill and his entourage
Arrived by train from Plymouth,
the terminus of his flight, in an
American-made flying boat.
from Bermuda.
Week-e n d i n g travelers at
once spotted Churchill's famil
iar reefer Jacket and nautical
cap and descended upon mm
with un-British abandon. The
official welcoming party had to
form a bodyguard to clear a
path through the cheering
crowd, and black hats went fly
ing from ministerial heads in
the cheery jostling.
Manchester. England, Jan. 17,
(IP) Declaring that Britain
has been "caught napping in
every theatre of war" so far,
Emanuel ShinwelL labor mem
ber of the house of commons,
told an audience today:
"We are watching the British
empire breaking up before our
eyes, yet the men responsible
remain in power and we have
no guarantee that worse will
not befall us."
Shlnwell's speech coincided
with reports that a drastic cab
inet shakeup was Imminent be
cause of dissatisfaction caused
by British reverses in Malaya
For Art's Sake
Portland, Jan. 17 APV
Charles Voorhles, Portland
art museum instructor, who
had only a few hours left In
which to enter a drawing in
a contest, set to work tn the
early morning on a waterfront
scene.
"Sketching factories, eh"
asked a passerby.
"Yep," said Voorhles.
The passerby, a civilian air
raid warden, called cop and
the next thing Voorhles knew
he was en route to police
headquarters where lengthy
explanations won his freedom.
Charles Voorhles is the son
of Mrs. Gordon Voorhles of
this city, who Is now visiting
her son in Portland, and the
brother of Mrs. Sprague
RelM.
nan iimn.iiM.tVr
Interpreting
The War News
By Klrke L. Simpson
Wide World War Analyst
Six weeks from its grim open
ing in the Pacific, that war area
still grips major American at
tention; but the most important
and possibly decisive front of the
axis-allied conflict still Is in Rus
sia.
The Red armies opened a new
and little publicized offensive on
a wide front northwest of the
Moscow sector last week which
could prove more disastrous for
Hitler than any other phase of
his great winter retreat. His
whole grip on northwestern Rus
sia, from the great bend of the
Dnieper west of Smolensk to the
Baltic, 1 menaced by Russian
thrusts.
Lake Ilmen, southwest of Len
ingrad, the Valdai Plateau, south
of the lake, and the springs of
the Volga river on the southern
slopes of the plateau, are vital
strong points for the whole
northern flank of the German
winter line. Down the Volga the
northern flank merges with the
Moscow central sector in the
Rzhev region.
That upper sector, from Rzhev
to the Volkhov river north of
Lake Ilmen, is the most rugged
and difficult for military opera
tions in all western Russia. De
spite that and the added handi
cap of a Russian winter, Red
armies have developed within
the last week attacks of even
greater strategic potentialities
than the grinding battle of the
Mozhaisk bulge before Moscow.
A deep Russian break-through
either above or below Lake Il
men,. down the Lovat valley
south of the lake, or along the
southern flank of the Valdai plat
eau would leave the whole Ger
man line about Leningrad up In
the air. It could force nazi re
treat from all northwestern Rus
sia Into Esthonia through the
narrow land corridor between
Lake Peipus and the Baltic at
the Russian-Esthonian border.
The first Russian step in a
northern offensive of still undis
closed scope was a drive down
the Volkhov toward Novgorod,
near the north rim of Lake Il
men. A companion drive from
the Msta river, due east of Nov
gorod, is also Indicated. The east
bank of the Volkhov is now re
ported cleared of Germans and
Russian crossings of the river
make the nazi hold on Novgorod
insecure.
South of Lake Ilmen but north
of the Valdai hills, the Russians
have surged westward to Invest
If they have not taken Staraya
Russa, where they suffered a
crushing defeat last September,
They are also reported swinging
aloVig the Lovat toward Kholm
from east of Staraya Russa. With
Kholm retaken they would be
within striking distance of Ve-
likie Luki and Nevel.
From the Volkhov front and
the Staraya Russa drive. Red
forces appear converging on
Shlmsk, Junction west of Lake
Ilmen, or in a position to by-pass
it to the south toward Pskov,
100 miles or so westward.
i Whether these complex opera
i tloJ are a full scale offensive or
designed primarily to exert add
: ed pressure on the Mozhaisk
bulge is not clear. It Is certain,
: however, that they imply an even
' greater threat to the German
I winter line program than do
those operations farther south.
by U. S. Sub
- ";ll . ,
-
raj
TOF
WILL GET RELIEF
'resident To Send Message
To Congress Soon On
New Problem.
Washington, Jan. 17. IP)
Planrfof fe $400,000,000 to $000,-
000,000 relief appropriation for
workers temporarily displaced
by the shift to war time produc
tion came out of a White House
conference today, while plans
progressed for expediting the
conversion process. -
President Roosevelt discussed
the relief problem with congres
sional leaders and obtained
their agreement with apparent
ease. The shift to war produc
tion, it was estimated, would
throw 4,000,000 men out of
work for varying periods of
time.
While they are laid off they
will receive 60 per cent of their
normal salaries, to a maximum
of $24.00 weekly. If they re
ceive state unemployment com
pensation, the government is to
make up the difference between
that and the 60 per cent of sal
ary standard. To be eligible for
the payments, displaced work
ers will have to enroll for train
ing in needed new skills.
Mr. Roosevelt, it was said, will
transmit a message to congress
on the subject next week, and
legislation, originating in the
house appropriations committee,
will be Introduced and pushed
through as swiftly as possible.
GUILD CONTRACT
Portland, Jan. 17, ;P -The
Portland chapter of the Ameri
can Newspaper guild yesterday
signed an IB-month contract
with the Oregonian, calling for
a 10 per cent payroll increase.
The contract alio provides a
five-day week, cash payment at
time and one-half for overtime
and a maximum of 28 weeks
severance pay.
LADY SWINDLER PLEADS
Newark, N. J., Jan. 17. OP
Prosecutor William A. Wachen-
feld said today Mrs. Amelia
Mildred Carr, whom he has
identified as a million-dollar
swindler, had waived Jury trial
and offered to throw herself on
the mercy of the court on a
charge of obtaining $4,700 un
der false pretenses.
COAL NEEDS SURVEY
Salem, Jan. 17. Of) Gov.
Charles A. Sprague asked Roy
Mills, manager of state institu
tions, today to make a survey
of Oregon governmental units'
requirements of coal and coke,
If any, at the request of Secre
tary of the Interior Ickes, na
tional solid fuels coordinator.
Pilots Die in Plane Crash
LEWIS PROPOSES
A.F.L.-C.I.0. UNITY
FOR WAR EFFORT
Green Agrees To
Peace
Talk To Adjust
ences Between
Rivals.
By James J. Streeblg
Washington, Jan. 17. (AP
John L. Lewis called tonight for
a joining of the CIO and the AFL
under "unified and competent
leadership" and met a ready re
sponse from President William
Green of the AFL.
In an open letter to Green and
President Philip Murray of the
CIO, Lewis said, "labor Impera
tively requires coherency In or
der to give maximum assistance
to the nation in its war effort
to defend American liberties and
American institutions."
He proposed a resumption of
the negotiations between stand
ing committees of the CIO and
the AFL which he himself caus
ed to be broken off in April,
1939.
"Our peace committee stands
ready to meet with a committee
from the CIO at any time,"
Green replied In a statement.
"We regard Mr. Lewis' letter
as a partial response, at least,
to the ..repeated appeals we have
made tlnce 1939 for resumption
of conference to adjust differ
ences between the CIO and
AFL.
There was no Immediate state
ment from Murray, but since he
Is vice president of Lewis Uni
ted Mine workers and relations
between the two men are close
it was believed probable he had
given his approval in advance.
E
TROOPS CUT OFF
E
(By The Associated Press)
London, Jan. 17. Striking
hard at both the rear and flanks
of imperilled Germans before
Moscow, the Russians were re
ported dropping clouds of para
chute trooos behind the Mozh
aisk wedge tonight as red forces
surged forward in a new and
smashing gain' northwest of the
capital.
The parachutists were de
clared to have virtually cut off
the nazi forces perhaps 100,000
men holding Mozhaisk, 87
miles west of Moscow. German
lines on both sides of this sali
ent have been bent far back, ex
posing this last remaining ad
vance position which has held
out against the soviet onslaught.
Northwest of Moscow, the Rus
sians announced their forces
have smashed German counter
attacks and recaptured Lata
shlno In an advance that car
ried almor,t to Rzhev, German
strongpolnt on the north shore
of the Volga. Latashlno Is some
130 miles northwest of Moscow
on the high road to Rzhev.
Shakhovskaya, another region
al center on the Moscow front,
was declared also liberated along
the numerous other populated
centers.
To the south, heavy fighting
was reported continuing around
Kursk, Kharkov and Taganrog
with the Russians driving hard
to win back the important indus
trial districts of the Donets
basin.
War Bulletins
Chunking, Jan. 17. UP)
American pilots, guarding the
vital Burma Read, wiped eat
force el three Japanese war
plana today la a dog fight
ever Mengtsa In southeast
Yunnan previa.
Dies in Crash
t w
:- It A t -
Carole Lombard
Indianapolis, Jan. 17. UP)
"Carole, don't take that plane."
Those were the words Mr. and
Mrs. James C. Todd of Indian
apolis heard Movie Star Carole
Lombard's mother say to her at
the Indianapolis municipal air
port early yesterday morning.
The blonde screen actress
boarded the plane, however, and
she and her mother, Mrs. Eliza
beth Peters, presumably rode to
their death in a crash la the
Nevada mountains.
LATIN AMERICAS
AXIS RELATIONS
Hope To Complete Deal
Monday Argentina
Ready Enter Agreement.
Rio De Janeiro, Jan. 17. (IP)
Brazilian Foreign Minister Os-
waldo Aranha said tonight that
the conference of American
foreign ministers was "near
agrement" on accepting . the
proposal for severance of
lations Including diplomatic
with the axis..
A proposal to this effect of
fered by Mexico, Colombia and
Venezuela has been opposed by
Argentina.
Aranha, who la chairman of
the Pan American conference,
told the Associated Press he
was surprised the proposal had
been published.
"I hope to have statement
Monday," he said. "I am not
sure we will succeed by Mon
day but we hope to put It
through."
(Acting President Ramon S.
Castillo of Argentina told the
Associated Press in Buenos
Aires last night that Argentina
was prepared to impose rigid
restrictions upon axis nationals
and diplomatic representatives
to prevent their sabotaging the
American war effort.
(He said his government was
ready to subscribe to "any
agreement to safeguard the
common interests tn America.
Many private talks outside
the conference rooms were di
rected toward swinging Argen
tina to approving severance of
diplomatic relations.
Earlier, Chile appeared veer
ing toward Argentina's previous
stand against a complete break,
OREGON FIRST TO
TOP RED I QUOTA
San Francisco, Jan. 17. (TV
Oregon today became the first
state In the Pacific area and the
second state in the nation to ex
ceed its American Red Cross war
fund campaign quota, A. L.
Schafer, Red Cross area man
ager, announced.
Oregonlans contributed $393
089 In the current Red Cross
drive to exceed the quota of
$381,750 allotted to their sUte
when the drive opened, Decem
ber 12.
E
Skyllner Hit At Full Speed-
No Comment On Causal
Army Takes Charge,
By the Associated Press
Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 17,
Blonde, carefree Screen Actress) '
Carole Lombard, her mother and
20 other occupants of a luxurious
TWA Skysleeper crashed to
flaming death last night on 8,500
foot Table Mountain, 33 miles)
southwest of here.
Searchers on horseback reach
ed the scene today, nearly 18
hours later, and found the shat
tered wreckage, with bodies scat
tered for hundreds of yards up
the mountain's face.
Undersheriff Glenn Jones re
ported from Jean, Nev., that th
big 21-passenger craft apparent
ly hit at full speed. Many of the)
victims were burned beyond rec
ognition. Thus ended the idyuie mar
rlage of the actress and Claris
Gable, idol of thousands of fern
lnlne moviegoers. When word
came, a distraught Gable was on
his way Into the mountalna taj
Join personally in the search.
Because 13 army pilots were)
aboard, army guards were sent
to the scene to take charge, A
patrol also barred the highway
Into the mountalna to sightseers.
Pending on the spot lnvestlga
tiona by army and coroner's of
fleers, there was no indication)
how or when the bodies would
be brought out. A gruelling, 11
mile hike to Goodsprtngs, at the
base of the mountain, would be)
necessary to bring the victims to)
hearses.
Gable Distraught
For hours Gable had paced
hotel room, refusing to be con
soled by friends. Soon after noon)
he announced he could wait no
longer. He and Sheriff M. E.
Ward headed into the mountalna,
His face was drawn and lined.
Dark glasses hid bloodshot eyes.
Accompanying him were How
ard Strickling. publicity chief at
his studio, M-G-ld, and A. T. G.,
Steffes, Las Vegas attorney.
Gable, who learned of the
crash as he waited for his wife)
to return from an eastern de
fense bond-selling trip, had
flown here early today today
from Hollywood.
Aboard the west-bound craft.
which left Las Vegas at 7:07
p.m., were three civilian passen
gers beside Miss Lombard, IS
soldiers attached to the army fer
ry command, and three crew
members.
With Miss Lombard were her
mother, Mrs. Elizabeth K. Pe
ters, and Otto Winkler, M-O-M
publicity man and close friend
of the Gables. Winkler drove the
couple to Kingman, Ariz., to be
married two years ago.
The air corps ferry command
at Long Beach, Calif., said the
soldiers were returning to the
coast for new assignments. All
boarded the plane at Albuquer
que, N. M., where four civilian
left th plane to make room for
the military party. -
rilm Queea Popular
Miss Lombard, 32, one of the.
most popular and successful ac
tresses in Hollywood, was re
turning from a defense bond
sales trip to Indianapolis. The
former Jane Peters of Fort
Wayne, Ind., had sold nearly $1,
300,000 worth of bonds Thurs
day. From scanty repo-ta reaching!
hero, the big 21-passenger Douglas-built
liner apparently crash
ed in snow at an elevation eg
about 8,000 feet on Table Moun
tain. Neither TWA, army or civilian
aeronautics authorities would
comment on the cause of the
probable explosion,
A veteran pilot, CapL Wayne
Williams, 41, was in charge. Hla
co-pllot was Morgan A. Gillette,
29. Alice Gets, 23, was steward
ess. The other passenger was
Mrs. Lois Hamilton of Lincoln
Park, Mich., a Detroit suburb,
enrout to visit her husband,
Lieut. Al D. Hamilton, in California.