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MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1943.
NO. 230.
MEL TB
mm
News Behind
The News
By Paul Mallon
. Washington, Dec. 20. No one
here has exhibited more than
casual diplomatic politeness to
- conceal the
displeasure of
State Secre
tary Hull and
our foreign
policy makers
(possibly In
lucluding Mr.
Roosevelt him
self) over the
treaty Stall a
has concluded
with Benes of
C z e choslova
kia. real MalloB
You may have noticed the
state department gave out inocu
ous comment when asked about
the matter, saying it was some
thing that long had been under
consideration and was not un
derstood to be in conflict with
, general post-war security. They
would have put a question mark
after that comment if they had
been expressing sincerely their
doubts.
" Truth is, before Tehran, Hull
Intervened and held up conclu
sion of the treaties. Indeed, no
other position is possible here in
view of Mr. Hull's assurance to
congress in his report after his
Moscow conference, that there
would be no alliances and no
spheres of influence or balance
. of power in the future world.
The agreement, therefore, can
not be interpreted as one of the
deeper meanings of the Tehran
nt K,.f 1 must ha anpnnlorl na
the first public indication of
what Jtussiq. wants fpr( post-war
Europe. :
. Indeed, the treaty itself says
It is offered as a pattern to other
adjoining nations, meaning cer
tainly Poland (not this exiled
Polish government, however),
Hungary, even Austria and pos
sibly Rumania, but not the Bal
tic states which Stalin intends to
take over as part of Russia, pre
sumably along with Finland..
r'S language sounds generous,
promising "non - interference
in the inner affairs" of either
nation by the other, and "mutual
respect for. their independence
and sovereignty."
Probably no stronger promise
could be written in reasonable
(Continued on Pig Four)
L
Washington, Dec. 20 (U.R)
Lt. Gen. Brehon a. somerveii
chief nf the nrmv service forces,
told the senate's Truman com
i A
w
mittee today that rresmem
Roosevelt has approved the ar
my's $134,000,000 Canol oil de
. velopment program.
T Somervell made the statement
Mn reply to questions by Sen.
Harley M. Kilgore, D., W. Va,
during a committee hearing on
the much-criticized Canol proj
ect Somervell said he wants to
expand it, despite recommenda
tions by the navy, the War Pro
duction Board and Petroleum
Administrator Harold L. Ickes
that it be abandoned.
"Did the president ever ap
prove this project?" Kilgore
asked.
"Yes," Somervell replied. -
"When?" asked Kilgore.
No Commercial Future
"I don't know just when,"
Somervell said, "but I do know
that St-cretary Ickes answered a
letter from the president on the
subject June 22. 1942."
f ' Somervell admitted that the
V- project never could be Justified
as a commercial venture and was
launched solely on the basis of
military strategy while the Japa
nese were threatening the west
coast.
He justified its post-war value,
however, with testimony that in
stead of the originally-anticipated
2.000.000 barrels, the poten
tial production of the normal
wells fields is between 58.000,
000 and 100.000.000 barrels,
making it the biggest oil discov
ery la toe world In 13 yean, -
F
AFTER SMASHING
NAZI "IRON WALL"
American Forces Burst Out
Into Liri Valley on Road
on Rome Reich Blasted.
Moscow, Dec. 20. (U.F9 Gen.
Ivan K. Bagraman's Baltic front
army of Siberian veterans
swung south westward and out
flanked Vitebsk today after
crashing the German "iron
wall" line below Nevel In a
great break-through touching
off the long delayed Russian
winter offensive.
Paced by powerful armored
units and ski detachments, tough
Red shock troops who fought
at Stalingrad, before Moscow,
and on the Don, chopped a hole
30 miles wide and 19 miles deep
in the thick network of de
fenses in which the Germans
had set themselves up for the
winter.
(By United Press)
A massive Red army winter
offensive ripped through the
northern flank of the long Rus
sian front today and American
troops and tanks burst out into
the broad Liri valley on the
main road to Rome, while con
verging American bombing
fleets from Britain and . the
Mediterranean blasted enemy
targets deep In western and
southern Germany.
500 Towns Taken .
' More than BOO-'towns and
villages--were engulfed in the.
Soviet advance and Swiss re
ports said the Nazis had ordered
the evacuation of all civilians
from the Polish - and Baltic
border regions in the path of
the onrushing Red army now
only 61 miles from northeastern
Poland and 70 miles from Lat
via. Berlin, admitting its forces
were in retreat before the new
Russian offensive, said the Red
army had hurled 250,000 men
and huge tank forces into the
Nevel front.
20,000 Killed
Moscow reports said 20,000
Germans had been killed in the
five-day advance and that the
Soviets had taken 2,000 prison
ers and destroyed or captured
106 tanks, along with huge
quantities of German war ma
terials. ' The offensive appeared de
signed to clear the way for an
all-out blow against Riga, 230
miles to the northwest, and the
encirclement of perhaps hun
dreds of thousands of Nazi
troops drawn up below Lenin
grad and in the Baltic states.
On the Italian front, Ameri
can infantrymen -and armored
forces drove past captured San
Pletro and advanced two miles
Inter the Liri valley to throw a
siege line around the town of
San Vittore.
Front reports indicated that
German resistance in the area
was cracking, after one of the
bloodiest battles since the land
ing at Salerno. The Nazi re
treat from San Pietro, - which
opened the gateway to the Liri
valley and the main Invasion
highway to Rome, was said to
have been so precipitate that
the enemy had no time to bury
his dead.
Blast Augsburg
United States heavy bombers
lashed out from their bases in
Britain by daylight today to
batter unidentified targets In
northwest Germany, after Mediterranean-based
American
heavies bomber Augsburg, in
their second raid of the war on
southern Germany, and Inns
bruck, at the Austrian side of
the Brenner Pass.
Eleven Fortresses and Libera
tors were lost in the twin at
tack, but some were believed to
have landed safely In Allied ter
ritory, and the Augsbiirg raid
ers and their fighter escorts de
stroyed 37 to 50 of 100 a tuck
ing enemy fighters.
Medford district Community
Chest subscriptions up to last
eight wares
840,063.29
Quota Is S43.71t.4a.
i -
Pro-Ally Bolivian Government
Overthrown In Bloody Revolt
nciioiis
H1YHN,
E. Finton, Millworker, Jailed
on Charge of Mistreat
ing Wife's Sister's Son.
' Earl Finton, 30, Prospect mill
worker, was to be arraigned in
the court of Justice of the Peace
W. H. Coleman at two o'clock
this afternoon on charges of
"cruelty to a child not his own."
The child In question is six-year-old
Terry Prather, a nephew of
Mrs. Finton, who had been left
in the Flnton's care by his par
ents, neither of whom juvenile
authorities have been able to lo
cate as yet.
Finton was arrested in Med
ford yesterday by Robert Elder,
county juvenile officer, who
stated this-morning that Finton
had admitted using both a strap
and a piece of electric light cord
to whip the child "because he
wouldn't mind," but added that
"he was sorry he lost his tem
per and knocked the boy off the
porch." Elder stated that the
child's body was a mass of
bruises and welts, some evident
ly Inflicted a considerable time
ago and others appearing to be
recent, and that he was appar
ently suffering from malnutri
tion. v
Beatings Told
The Juvenile officer investigat
ed the case Friday upon word
from Prospect school authori
ties. Terry was brought to Med
ford for questioning and Mr. El
der stated that the little fellow
was so badly frightened that it
was some time before a coherent
story could be obtained. He told
of the beatings. Mr. Elder said,
and stated that Mr. Finton had
threatened to kill him the night
before. A mark on his neck, Ter
ry told the officer, was made
when Finton wrapped the elec
tric cord around his neck and
threatened to hang him but
"choked me instead."
Mr. Elder stated that teachers
of the Prospect school, where
the boy Is In the first grade, had
suspected for a considerable time
that he was being abused, but
that Terry had refused to answer
questions, and apparently was
thoroughly intimidated. How
ever, his condition Friday morn
ing upon arrival at school was
so bad that his teacher sum
moned Mr. Elder. When brought
to Medford the boy wore nothing
but a cotton shirt and a pair of
overalls, the officer said, and
pointed out that the weather in
Prospect has been very cold.
Five of Owa
The Flntons have five children
of their own, the eldest seven
years old. Part of the children
are in Klamath Falls with a rela
tive and Mrs. Finton, confined
to a Medford hospital last week,
was taken to Klamath by her
husband Saturday upon her re
lease, upon his return to Med
ford. Finton was arrested by Of
ficer Elder and lodged in the
county jail.
Terry's parents are said to be
Mr. and Mrs. James Prather and
Elder was informed that the
mother was thought to be in
Portland and the father some
where in Montana. Mrs. Prather
and Mrs. Finton are sisters and
Mrs. Prather had left her son in
the Flntons care.
Terry, placed temporarily In
a foster-home by Mr. Elder, was
more cheerful today and is hop
ing some kind person will tell
Santa Claus where to find him.
CHURCHILL'S PROGRESS
CARRIES PAST CRISIS
London, Dec. 20. AJ.FD A
brief official bulletin said today
that Prime Minister Winston
Churchill is "making satisfac
tory progress" in his fight
against pneumonia. It was Indi
cated that he had successfully
weathered the crisis and if on
tb way to Kfoyery,
Med ford Marks
' 60th Birthday
The city of Medford Is to
day celebrating its 60th birth
day, it was pointed out this
morning by city officials. The
original plat of the city was
filed in the county clerk's
office Dec. 20, 1883, by P. P.
Prim. At the time the city
was founded, it was estimated
that about 300 or 400 people
maejipJhjopiUUion
TALKS MAY BRING
IN RAIL DISPUTES
Washington, Dee. 20. (U.R)
The House Interstate Commerce
committee today voted tenta
tively to strip Stabilization Di
rector Fred M. Vinson of all
authority over railroad wages,
but postponed final action until
Jan. 10.
The house committee decision
came - as indications Increased
that President Roosevelt's con
ferences with rail management
and representatives of 330,000
strike-threatening operating em
ployes, might result in a blanket
solution of all rail-wage griev
ances. The president's efforts,
begun at a White House confer
ence : yesterday, were urmer
stood to center on an overtime
proposal to boost earnings. -.
The threatened strike of the
operating employes, set for Dec.
30, ' resulted from Vinson ap
proving a wage increase of only
four cents an hour for them.
In another phase of railroad
labor disputes, Vinson refused
to approve a labor-management
agreement " for an eight-cent
raise for 1,100,000 non-operat
ing employes. The senate
passed resolution to validate
this agreement despite Vinson.
Washington, Dec. 20 (U.R)
After 350 days of political rebel
lion, the first session of the 78th
congress will adjourn tomorrow
having substantially repudiated
administration leadership on do
mestic issues.
Legislators will have a three-
week holiday with the voters
back home. The second session
will convene Jan. 10 to continue
the domestic front battle into
the presidential election year.
President Roosevelt, dikewise, is
taking a holiday to be at his
Hyde Park estate for Christmas.
The congress adjourning to
morrow was elected on Nov. 3,
1942. Its successor will be elect
ed next November. Republicans
insist and some others agree that
the next congress will be Repub
lican, at least in the house and
possibly In the senate.
Russians Cheer as Germans
Hanged for Mass Butchery
Kharkov, Dec 20. (U.R)
Amid cheers from some 50,000
Russian men, women and chil
dren, three German army offi
cers and one Russian traitor
convicted in the first war crim
inal trial of World war II
were hanged today in the mar
ket square of this war-bUfted
city. ' w
At 11:13 a. m., four Cord
trucks moved away from the
gallows, leaving the condemned
men dangling at the end of the
nooses to which they were
sentenced for participating in
the mass butchery of thousands
of Russian prisoners and civi
lians. Stand Oa Stools
A vengeful crowd pressed
against a cordon of Red army
officers as, the doomed men a
GeUjo can tain. storm troop
IN SODDEN COUP
Nationalistio Group Pledges
Continuance of Support
For United Nations. s
La Paz, Bolivia, Dec.' 20 (U.R)
The pro-ally Bolivian govern
ment of President Enrique Pena
randa was overthrown today In
a bloody four-hour revolution of
young nationalistic army offi
cers who announced at once that
they would continue to support
the united nations in their fight
against the axis.
Indicating that the overthrow
of the Penaranda government
left Bolivia's relations with the
united nations unchanged, the
central 'revolutionary command
proclaimed by radio:
Will Support Allies
"The new government, which
has the sympathy of a majority
of the nation and the army, will
respect the International situa
tlon, supporting the united na
tions in their fight against the
axis." " .
The spark plug of the revolu
tion was 36year-old Victor Paz
Estensoro, lawyer and, politician
who became chairman of the
committee which took over from
Penaranda. ' The, outgoing gov
ernment signed a pact with the
united nations last May and de
clared war against the axis two
weeks ago. ......
(A British broadcast quoting
advices from Bolicia said Pena
randa had been arrested, along
with two cabinet ministers an$
number of army officers.)
The full extent of casualties In
street fighting in the capital was
not available at once. An an
nouncement said only that some
fatalities occurred.
PULL UP STAKES
Stockholm, Dec. 20 (U.R)
German authorities are on the
noint of ordering complete evac
uation of Berlin to avert total
destruction of the city by bomb
ing, neutral diplomatic sources
said today. t .
Only dissension between Ger
man Minister - of the Interior
Heinrich Himmler and Propa
ganda Minister Josef Goebbels
was delaying a final decision on
whether to evacuate, it was re
port ed.
Goebbels reportedly has' de
manded that the bomb-wrecked
capital be evacuated immediate
ly to avert a threat of wldespreaa
epidemics. For unknown reasons,
diplomatic sources said, Himm
ler opposed the move.
commander, a police corporal
and a Russian chauffeaur for
the Nazis were driven into the
square in closed trucks.
Youngsters sat on the roofs of
nearby buildings and others
watched from the windows as
guards made the four stand on
stools mounted on the trucks,
tied, their hands behind their
backs and fitted the nooses.
The Russian traitor, Mikhail
Petrovlch Bulanov, 26, lost his
nerve and almost lost conscious
ness. Guards supported him on
his stool.
The Germans, wearing the
uniforms of their rank and over
seas caps and decorations, ap
peared more composed.. They
were Capt. William Langheld,
52, of the Gestapo, Hans Ritz,
storm troop commander, and
Police Corporal Bernhardt Ratx
Iw, 38.
New Yank Invasion: It's New Britain This Time
jlfifijp
. ",m , .
Mem Ittmphoto)
A new digger was pointed at the heart of Jap-hsld Rabaul when American forces under General Douglas
Mac Arthur landed on Cipe Merkus, Mew Britain island, and the Islands of Arawa and Pllell, thus cutting
the vital supply Una from Qasmata and Caps Gloucester. Mapped here are the new landing points and .
general view of the area.
Allies Use New Torokina Air Field
To Challenge Defenders of Rabaul
AMERICAN DRIVE
NEARS AIRFIELD
By United Press
Gen.. Douglas MacArthur's
headquarter announced today
that U. 8. 6th army troops were
driving rapidly inland ' from
their bridgehead on the south
west coast of New Britain, and
were nearlng the enemy airfield
four miles east of the Arawe
peninsula.
While the airfield had been
rendered useless to the Japanese
by the month-long allied aerial
bombardment that preceded the
invasion of New Britain, it was
believed the Americans could
restore it quickly and use the
strip to aid their advance toward
Rabaul, 250 miles to the north
east. .. i
Widen Beachhead
On Bougainville Island, Unit
ed States marines and army
troops extended their arm of the
allied pincers on Rabaul, moving
across the Torkina river in force
to widen their beachhead to
eight miles. A heavy artillery
barrage preceded the American
thrust, and the advancing troops
found only dead Japanese troops
and wrecked pillboxes on the
north bank of the stream.
: Australian tanks and infantry
operating on the Huon peninsula
hi northeastern New Guinea
moved northward across the
Sanga river, 15 miles above
Finschhafen, and advanced on
enemy troops entrenched along
the Maseweng river, a mile fur
ther north.
Dr. Soule't Auto ,
Narrowly Miste$
200-Foot Tumble
Dr. A. A. Soule will probably
take great care in the future to
see that the brake on his car is
properly set. Sunday evening
the physician parked his car at
the Sacred Heart hospital, while
he called on patients, but failed
to set the brake tightly. The
car, fluid driven and having no
gears, rsn away. It backed
through the parking lot near the
entrance to the hospital, nar
rowly missing other cars, ran
over a small tree, uprooting it
and finally came to rest against
a six-inch tree Just over the
edge of a 200-foot embankment
with one door hanging open.'
A wrecker from a Medford
service station was summoned
to pull the run-away car from
Its resting place against the tree
and It Is now In the shop for
repair of the slight damages.
Bf James T. Lowsry
United Press Staff Correspondent '. 1
Torokina Air Field, Bougainville, Dec. IT. (U.R) Nearly 100 '
navy, marine and New Iceland pilots .challenged the Japanese ,
in meir own backyard' today. ln"therflrst landbased fighter sweep-x
over naDBiu naroor, dui mo iiaps
Only ten enemy planes Iefti
the ground to defend the Nip
ponese ' Pearl Harbor" of the
South Pacific. Thirty to forty
others were seen sitting idle on
one field 'alone.
' .' 81m Shot Down
Indicating what might have
happened, bad the Japanese
fought In full force, a hi of the
ten Nipponese planes which took
to the air were shot down. Only
two allied planet were lost.
The fighter sweep was not
only the first from the newly
constructed Torokina air field In
the Empress Augusta bay bridge
head on Bougainville island, but
it was the largest of the south
Pacific campaign.- Perhaps it
was timed to prevent tho Nip,
ponese from hitting the Ameri
can sixth army which Invaded
the Arawe peninsula at the op
posite end of New Britain Island
Dee. 15.
(Tokyo radio, In a broadcast
heard by United Press in San
Francisco today, claimed that
Japanese planes bombed the
runways and ground defenses of
the Torokina air field the night
of the 17th. Such an attack, If
made, was carried out under
cover of darkness in retaliation
for the fighter sweep over
Rabaul.)
GULF OF MEXICO
Washington, Dee. 20, U.R)
A new foray by a German sub
marine Into the Gulf of Mexico
was revealed today when the
navy announced that a medium'
sized United States merchant
vessel was torpedoed and sunk
there early In December.
' Only one other ship hss been
reported sunk In the gulf area
this year. That was a small
Norwegian ship lost In April.
Prior to that the last sinking In
the gulf was In September, 1842.
The latest ainking brings to
40 the number of ships sunk in
the gulf since the submarine of
fensive started.
The navy gave no details
about the latest sinking except
to say that the ship was tor
pedoed by an enemy submarine.
. MO PAPER DEC. 21
In order to conserve paper
under the government's ra
tioning program, the Mail
Tribune will not publish on
Srndaypcembe26
reiusea lo Hgnc
Washington, Dee. 20 (U.R)
New and more stringent meth
ods of determining quotas of ra
tloned foods for such establish
ments as hotels and restaurant
were announced by the Office
of Price Administration today in
a move presaging larger supplies
of meat and processed foods for
those who dine at home.
Price Chief Chester Bowles
said the new program would go
into- effect March 1 and would
add to the supply of foods for
householders by trimming down
on the rations of soda fountains,
roadside stands, night clubs and
similar establishments which In
some Instances have been re
ceiving larger allotments than
restaurants and cafes dealing
solely In food.
Service to Decide
At the present time food quo
tas for commercial and institu
tional establishments are deter
mined by the total number of
customers, whether they buy
food and refreshments, or re
freshments alone. But after.
March 1. quotas will be based
only on the number of persons
to whom food is served.
Meanwhile Sen. Alexander
Wiley. R., Wis., announced he
had written to Bowles In favor
of an Immediate lifting of pork
rationing to relieve a glutted
market and put an end to wast
age In stockyards and in farm
ers' pens.
SIDE GLANCES
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
John Mann all worn out from
the excitement of the arrival of
hi first grandchild.
Justin ("Doc") Smith recom
mending some of the more bril
liantly colored pills In case of
flu. - .
Arnold Green taking to hi
bed to avoid giving a news hawk
a munch-wanted story.
L. C. Taylor making plan to
trim the overhanging bough of
his trees, at the request of J.
W. McCoy.