MEDFOleliifcsTRIBUWE
Weather
roracuti Krtly cloudy to
night and Thursday. Llttla
enanffl In temperature. Temp.
Rtghett yesterday
Lowest ttlll morninr . H
mtlpltauoo pest S4 hra. -
Use The
KAIL TRIBUNE
Want Ad Way
Quick - Results .
At Si 01 Coat ,
Untied Praai fail Loosed Win
United Preae full Leased Wit
Thirty-eighth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 194?
NO. 237
m
3E
HOLDOUT GROUPS
JOIN OMR. IN
RESCINDING CALL
Announcement By Stimson
Comes Only 18 Hours Be
fore Deadline Thursday.
Washington, Dec 29 (U.B
The threat of a crippling war
time strike of railroad employes
ended today when the three
holdout unions assured the war
department that they "will take
no action that will imperil the
successful prosecution of the
war and that they will immedi
ately cancel the strike order."
r The unions' promise was an-Inounced-in
that language by
' V Secretary of War Henry L. Stim-
' son after their presidents had
spent 50 minutes in conference
with Lt. Gen. Brehon B. Somer
vell, federal operator of the
railroads.
Refuse to Follow
The unions firemen and en-
- glnemen, switchmen, and con
ductors had precipitated feder
al seizure of the railroads on
Monday by refusing to follow
the suit of 17 other rail unions
In accepting presidential arbi
tration of their wage dispute.
With only 18 hours remaining
before the deadline at 6 a. m.
tomorrow, the three unions re
scinded their strike call as the
army prepared to keep the rail
roads going with soldiers If
.necessary v , ,, . , V,
T Control Continues "
The question immediately
arose as to how long the govern
ment will retain control of the
carriers. It was assumed that
federal operation, technically
peaking, would continue until
the wage dispute is finally set
tled. ' President Roosevelt said at his
news conference yesterday that
federal - operation would last
only until the emergency- was
aver. He added that he wanted
to restore the roads to private
management as soon as it be
came certain there would be no
trtko
Inasmuch as he already has
embarked upon arbitration oi
the wage issue, however, it was
believed he might wish to settle
It finally before relinquishing
federal control.
SPECIATSESSION
' Salem, Ore, Dec. 29 (U.B
VAMlKllltv f m crwtal session Of
4hs Orpcnn State Legislature
faded today following a state-
Man nt Rnv Karl Knell tn a
ViiHrnimah Mimtr Hf1pCfntion
nylng such a session would not
answer Oregon s post-war proo-
Although the governor com-
menaea me aeiegauon tor us in
terest in Oregon's post-war era
h. wine than 1 0 HOf!
servicemen are expected to be
seeking work, he told them that
the proposed ' special session
would probably not result in a
satisfactory adjustment of state
tax problems.
U. S. Marines Land Again on New Britain
A
m
"7 C110WX UJNG
M C NFWRtllhlEA-..
.Ket
If
British Sink Three Nazi Destroyers;
Yanks Bomb Airdromes ' Near Rome
CITY IS SPARED
MBURBS
Assault Coincides With At
tacks On Northern Italy
And German Raids.
London, Dec. 29 (U.PJ Strong
forces of American medium
bombers blasted German airfields
in the northern and southern
suburbs of Rome yesterday, an
Algiers communique announced
today, and a German broadcast
reported a heavy death toll and
considerable damage. '.
The basilica of San Paolo Fuori
le Mura (St. Paul Outside the
Walls), one of the five patriarch
al churches, in the southern out
skirts of Rome, was hit and dam
aged seriously, the German DNB
agency claimed.
Rail Yards Hit
The assault on the Roman air
fields coincided with attacks by
Mediterranean based heavy
bombers on strategic railway
yards in northern Italy and a re
sumption of raids by British-
based bombers on Germany after
four-night Christmas lull. -Two
waves of Mitchells with
an escort of Invaders heavily
bombed two landing grounds at
Clampino, 12 miles south of
Rome, setting tire to hangars and
damaging six grounded aircraft,
an Algiers dispatch said.
Marauders dropped fragmenta
tion bombs on Guidonia airfield,
IS miles northwest of Rome, and
Centocelli airfield, three miles
south of Rome.
LI
IS MADRID CLAIM
Madrid, Dec. 29 (U.B A
non-Spanish diplomatic source
raid today that Benito Mussolini
died in a clinic in Germany 10
days ago as result of "old stom
ach ulcers and mental derange
ment."
(The report was received with
caution in London. Mussolini has
been reported dead on several
crevious occasions.)
Following . Italy's surrender.
Mussolini was rescued by the
Germans and put at the helm of
the Nazi-sponsored "Fascist Re
publican government" of Ger
man-occupied Italy.
He had not been active, how
ever, presumably because of a
prolonged illness.
Ace of Luftwaffe
Killed in Action
London, Dec. 29. (U.B Cspt.
Wilhelm Lamke, 23-year-old luft-
I waffe fighter ace. who has been
credited with the destruction of
12S allied planes, has been killed
in action against Great Britain,
according to a Radio Oslo broad
cast recorded in London today.
Bismarck Sea ujeeap1
WvrrlP NEW W$F
W. "TT BRITAIN ra'&iJ'
mm pm .w J sr.
TOUKMBY
Hum Gulf
Vatutih's Army Takes
Korosten, Rail Center
London, Dec. 2. (U.B Gen.
Ukraine captured the five-way rail junction of Korosten on the
Leningrad-Odessa trunk line and more than 250 other towns and
villages today, while to the southeast the Russians launched a new
offensive in the Dnieper bend.
The Moscow communique announcing the capture of Korosten
indicated the German defenses of the whole northwest Ukraine
were falling apart and the .Russians were sweeping triumphantly
westward toward the pre-war Polish frontier some SO miles away.
The new Soviet drive in the
the suburbs of Zaporozhe on the
places, including the island of Khortitn, the communique reported.
Far to the north, the Baltic front army of Gen. Ivan C. Bagra-
mian smashed at the gates of semi
Russia Nazi bastion, capturing Losvida, eight mUes to the north
west, and a number of other strong
SEA, AIR UNITS IN
London, Dec' 29 (U.B Gen.
D wight D. Eisenhower's Allied
invasion command neared com
pletion today with the an
nouncement that two Britons r
Admiral - Sir Bertram Ramsay
and Air Chief Marshal Sir Traf
ford Lelgh-Mallory had been
appointed naval and air commanders-in-chief
respectively.
Another in the alternate series
of announcements in London
and Washington revealed that
Eisenhower'! deputies for the
naval and air phases of the
European invasion would be
British veterans renowned tn
their fields and tempered by
long experience. .
Ramsay experience
Ramsay, an amphibious ex
pert since early in this century,
supervised Allied landings in
Sicily and the Salerno beaches
of Italy, and took a prominent
role in the plan of the enure
Mediterranean operation.
Lelgh-Mallory has shouldered
a large share of the responsi
bility for the organization of
Britain's fighter offensive for
the past two years, and is an
expert in the synchronization
of fighting services. He laid out
the aerial operations Incident
to the Dieppe attack.
. Balanced against the delega
tion of the two key posts to
Britain were Eisenhower's ap
pointment as supreme com
mander and the assignment of
high aerial posts to 'Lt Gen.
Carl A. Spaatz and MaJ. Gen.
James H. Doolittle.
F.D.R. HAS HEAD COLD;
ORDERED TO STAY IN
Washington, Dec. 29 0J.B
The White House announced to
day that President Roosevelt is
suffering from a head cold and
will remain in his residential
quarters today.
His physician. Rear Admiral
Ross T. Mclntire, said the presi
dent has no fever, hut he thought
it best for him to stay away from
his offices today.
Marinas km laaaea- agaai aa toth skies at Cava
Oi acntr, Kfw Britain, ana aa Lang Island, enly
as saiiaa frees aif .(aaaaaar ease at Maaaaf, New
Oiiteaa. New kea-hbeada paaa aaM IkmU te
BfiBial, sraaay menaces by 0n earlier, taatjon
Nikolai Vatutln's army of the
nose of the Dnieper bend overran
west bank and a number of other
- enveloped Vitebsk, upper White
points. 1
JAP INTERNMENT ;
IS
Washington, Dec. 29 (U.B
An investigation by Spanish
diplomatic officials of - condi
tions in camps where disloyal
Japanese' have been 'Interned,
such as Tula Lake,' Calif; has
revealed "very satisfactory"
situation and a report along this
line will' be made to Tokyo, a
responsible diplomatic source
said today.
The. investigation was under
taken at the request, of the
Japanese government '
- Kay - leeed Exchange
The satisfactory report, it It
hoped, ; will . expedite negotia
tions for a future exchange of
Japanese nationals in this coun
try for Americans held In the
far east i
Japan halted negotiations for
the third exchange, in which
the Swedish liner Gripsholm is
expected to be used again, until
Spanish authorities had made
an investigation. The action was
inspired by disorders at Tula
Lake and widespread criticism
of the handling of the Japanese.
The report will be made di
rectly to Tokyo and will not be
given United States officials, it
was said. . '
ONE MAJOR STRIKE
LEFT IN COUNTRY
Br United Praia -
With the railroad strike threat
removed, only one major labor
controversy remained today to
plague the war effort That was
a strike by 79 office and com
missary workers at Birmingham
which threatened the pas supply
of 18 Alabama war industries,
About 3.200 employees of the
Sloss-Shef field Steel and Iron
company were forced into id'e
ness by the strike of members of
district SO of the United Mine
Workers in an attempt to force
the War-Lsbor -Board to make
new work refutations retroactive
to Oct. 20, 1942. Because of the
strike, the company banked four
blast furnaces and shut down
coke ovens supplying gas to
Birmingham homes and
factories.
TARZAN'S THIRD MATE
FILES DIVORCE PLEA
Hollywood, Dec. 29 U.B
Tarzan's third mate sought a
divorce from Johnny Welimuller
today on grounds of extreme
cruelty.
- Mrr. Weismuller, the former
Beryl Stott, also sought a share
of the 1200,000 she claims the
former swimming champion
earned during their marriage by
swinging from tree tops on movie
sets.
They were married at Oar-
field, N. J., Aug. 20, 1939, and
sepnrated "for the final time"
it Oct 20, Mr. Weismuller
SHIPS AND PLANES
COOPERATE TO NIP
PERIL T0C0NV0YS
Axis Blockade Runner Also
Destroyed In Bay Of Bis
cay Action, British Word.
London. Dae. 29 (U.R) A
British task force, guided by
U. S. navy scout planes, sank
three Carman destroyers and
a blockade runner in the Bay
of Biscay early this weak. In
a two-day air-sea battle.
London, Dec. 29 tt).B Brit
ish warships and planes, in a
smashing follow-up to the de
struction of the scharnborst,
have sunk three German destroy
ers and a homeward-bound Axis
jblockade runner in the Bay of
Biscay, a communique announced
today.
"Some other" destroyers were
damaged, the Joint announce
ment of tne admiralty and the
air ministry said, thus nipping
what may have been a Herman
attempt to resume surface raids
on Allied convoys pouring men
and arms across the Atlantic for
the coming invasion, of, wester
Europe.
. Desperate Gamble
The sudden reappearance of
German destroyers in the Bay of
Biscay, coupled with th emerg
ence of the Scharnborst from its
Norwegian hideout last week
end, was Interpreted by so
sources as evidence that the
Nasi command had decided to
risk its shrinking fleet In a des
perate attempt to throw the in
vasion off schedule. '
The task previously had been
entrusted to submarines and
planes, but their apparently to
tal defeat left only German sur
face warships to deal with Al
lied convoys.
From French Ports
The destroyers nresumablv
came rrom ports on the French
west coast which rims the bay.
ine two-sentence communique
gave no date for the sinkings.
out indicated they constituted
two operations. British casual
ties, if any, also were not given.
INVASION NEEDS
Washington, Dec. 29, U.B
Secretary of Treasury Henry
Morgenthau, Jr., said today that
the anticipated "all-out attack
against the enemy will be "the
greatest attack in history" and re
quire tremendous quantities of
lighting equipment
This equipment Is "the kind
that war bond money buys," he
said' in a radio address in con
nection with the fourth war loan
drive for $14,000,000,000 In Jan
uary.
His broadcast was addressed
primarily to owners, managers
and employes of the nation's re
tail stores who, Morgenthau said,
-are among the treasury's best
salesmen in our war bond cam
paigns." Ted R. Gamble, national di
rector of the treasury's war fi
nance division, speaking on the
same program, said that drive
plans call for sale of $5,300,000.
000 worth of bonds to lndivid-
Wake Commander
Write Hit Son
Burllngame, Cel., Dee. 29
(U.B-Lt CoL James -Patrick
Devereux, commander of the
heroic marine garr jon on Wake
Island, has written his 10-year-old
son from a Japanese war
prisoners' camp in Shanghai as
suring him that "everything is
going quite well here."
The letter was dated June 22.
Devereux still signed the rank
major, indicating he was un-1
aware of his promotion to the
rank of lieutenant colonel.
Steel Plant Idle During
ir . ,;T" 4T i s .....
a al miii'i i..aJi,hMa,n7Hi,wi:n,iiJ vi,.)i,i f'fi.i)YUiaiiMrSnt ,i,iTii,fli,Y,ri'T,.r-iBa, '
(4cm Itltphoio)
Republic Steel open hearth plant at Cleveland remains smokeless
FDR plea to return to work, pending arbitration. .
Japs Plan Mighty Of fensive
In 1944, Spokesman Reveals
San Francisco, Dec. 29 (U.R) Japan will open a "mighty of
fensive" against Anglo-American military power In the Pacific
and Asiatic theaters of war during 1944, Sadao Iguchl, spokes
man for the Japanese Board of Information,' ibid' His' nation In
a broadcast reported today by Tokyo radio, ,
TANKS, RIFLEMEN
GLOUCESTER MPS
By United Press
Marine tanks and riflemen
converged on the Cape Glouces
ter airdromes in northwestern
New Britain today as veteran
Australian Jungle fighters, burst
ing suddenly out of the Ramu
river- valley in New Guinea,
massed for an assault on the im
portant Japanese coastal base of
Medang. .
An allied communique r
vealed that marine forces fan
ning out from their twin beach
heads in the Cape Gloucester
area had driven through the Jun
gles to within IV miles of the
strategically-important air
dromes.
. Arawe Drive Resumed
Fifty miles across the tip of
the mountainous island. U. S.
6th army troops beat off enemy
counterattacks and resumed
their drive inland from the
Arawe peninsula, after having
been forced back momentarily
from some of their advanced po
sitions. Fierce fighting flared in the
New Guinea Jungles where an
Australian column that had been
slogging slowly northward
through the Ramu valley for the
past two months, stormed and
captured the B, 800-foot "snaggy
ridge" overlooking Madang and
its supporting outpost of Bogad
Jim. '
Anon Suspected
. . In Frisco Blaze
San Francisco, Dec. 29 (U.B
Fire Marshal Frank Kelly said
today an arsonist probably start
ed a fire which killed three per
sons and Injured five others, all
guests at the El Rosa hotel on
Turk street, last night
Ha said the three-alarm blaze
spread too quickly to have been
accidental.'
The dead were: Evelyn Bray,
18; James Jones, 32, employe of
the State Belt Line railroad, and
George Hackett operator of a
parking lot
MO PAPER JAN. I .
. In order to conserve paper
under the government's ra
tioning program, the Mail
Tribune will not publish on
Bunds?, Jan. I.
"The third year of the war,"
Iouchl said, "will see Japan com
bining the victorious achieve
ments of the past two years for
the launching of an all-out of
fensive to drive the last vestige
of the ' American-Anglo Influ
ence from East. Asia."
. Tokyo . radio's summary of
Iguchi's speech was recorded by
United Press.'
' Allied aalas Blight
Iguchi said the allies, despite
"huge sacrifices" extending over
a period of a year and a half,
"have only been able to retake
but one hundredth of the terri
tories Japan took In halt a
year." . .
"In spite of the Anglo Amer
ican nations' boasting that 1943
was the year they would un
dertake the counter offensive
against the Axis nations, they
have shown no notable gains.
"In the first year of the war,
Japan swept like an avalanche
over - enemy territory in east
Asia, and In the second year
she has achieved unparalleled
political and economic victories.
"Starting with the independ
ence of Burma, she has con
structed a greater east Asia in
sphere of mutual prosperity
and cooperation. She has con
structed in the political, eco
nomic . and cultural sense an
Invincible sphere."
T
E
London, Dec. 29 (U.B Prime
Minister Winston Churchill Is
"now able to transact business
fully" and la leaving the place
In the middle east where he war
stricken with pneumonia for an
undisclosed destination, It was
announced today.
"I have not at any time re
linquished my part In the direc
tion of affairs, and there has not
been the slightest delay in giv
ing decisions which were re
quired of me," Churchill said In
a message published at No. 10
Downing street, his official resi
dence. He himself gave the assurance
that he now was able to handle
all of his duties.
"I. feel a good deal better than
at any time since leaving Eng
land, though of course a few
weeks of sunshine is needed to
restore my physical strength,"
his message said. , . . .
JAQOERS DIVORCED
Hollywood, Dec. 29 (U.B
Staae and Screen ctor Dean
Jaieer was awarded a divorce
today from Antoinette Jaggeri
after he complained of her "ro-j
mantle interest in another man." I
Walkout
as iteelwerkon fall to heee)
T
PROGRAM HALTED
AS NEED DECLINES
Vsnport City,' bre,, Dec, 29-i
Aim i ,t . . . .
u.nj um inamuon mat rurF
land's war boom had passed Its
peak was confirmed today In the
federal housing authority an
nouncement that the 19,000 unit
construction program of. East
Vanport City had been stopped'
on orders rrom naanuigwn.
Since the peak of war employ
ment was estimated to have
passed In the final quarter of
1943 and since, mora than 1,000
housing units are available tn the
Portland area, It was question
able whether th East Vanport
homes would be completed. -
Following a conference hero
sometime in January between
Rear Admiral Howard L. Vlck
ery of the maritime commission
and officials of the national hous
ing authority will announce a
decision on the East Vanport
area.
U a reduction In Portland war
Industries results from the pro
posed January conference and
from the six-day work week in
the Portland area shipyards, it
was believed certain that work
on the housing pro)ecttwould not
be completed.
Ground for the 848 unit cap
able of housing more than 5,000
workers was broken last Oct. 18
and was scheduled to be com
pleted next Jan. 15. At the pres
ent time, halt ot tne nomes nave
been roofed.
Paul Smith Waite
. Front Assignment
Admiral Halsey'i Headquar
ters, South Pacific, Wednesday,
Dec. 29. (U.B Marine 2nd Lt
Paul C. Smith, edltor-on-lcave of
the San Francisco Chronicle, la
at this base awaiting assignment.
probably to a forward area, the
navy revealed today.
Smith resigned a commission
as a navy lieutenant commander
in the Washington Press rela
tions office to enlist as a private
lit the marines. He later won hit
commission at officers' training
acnooi.
SIDE GLANCES
By
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
. W-WI-ll..,l-H - M MMlS
Frank Pur) feeling a bit weary
and contemplating the Idea of
writing up his own obituary in
advance.
Lucille Lenox deciding, after
10 loaded busses had left Rose
burg without her,- to travel by
train.
Gene Thomdlke sighing over
the business ot a bank with too
much money. . .
Lt Gordon MacCracken
de-
scribing the accuracy and rang
of American artillery without
giving sway aojr military tecrtti..