Medford mail tribune., October 26, 1944, Page 1, Image 1

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Thirty-ninth Year
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" ' - I 1 1 III
This Is the 10,000-ton American light aircraft carrier Princeton, sunk by Jap shore-based aircraft supporting
lor Philippine waters in which American Third Fleet has sunk at least one Japanese carrier, two cruisers,
other warships. Including; five or six battleships.. Bomb damage caused Princeton's magazines to exolode. but
1227 enlist! men were saved.
Allied Landing on Dutch Island
EFFORT TO OPEN
SEA TO ANTWERP
SEEN BY BERLIN
Supreme Headquarters, A. E.
T., Paris, Oct. 26 (U.P.) Allied
amphibious forces were re
ported by Berlin to be landing
on Walchcren and Beveland to
day in a bid to open the sea
lanes to Antwerp, while to the
east a German general retreat
In western Holland was becom
ing disorderly in some sectors.
British and Canadian armies,
pinning more than 50.000 re
treating Germans against the
Maas, had neutralized 'S Herto
genbosch and Tilburg as com
munications centers. 'S Her
togenbosch was almost mopped
up, two spearheads were In the
outskirts of Tilburg, and the
Canadians were closing against
Bergen op Zoom and Roosen
daal. Germans Cracking .
United Press Correspondent
Walter Cronkite reported from
the Dutch front that the Ger
mans showed signs of cracking
and some disorder was becom
ing evident in the retreat
around Herlvoirt. midway be
tween Tilburg and 'S Hertogen
basch. The Berlin report of amphibi
ous invasions of Beveland and
Walcheren, north of the Schelde
estuarv where German batteries
had blocked the way to Ant
werp, lacked confirmation by
the Allies.
After the DNB news agency
had reported a landing attack
against Walchcren, apparently
in the Flushing area, a Nazi
communique said a like assault
was made on Beveland to"
east, into the neck of which'
Canadian forces were driving
from the mainland.
Another DNB report said
strong American forces were
concentrating north and soutn
of Metz, at the opposite end ol
the western f-ont, and "the Ger
mans expected a new offensive
in this area, the objective of
which will be the Saar."
UBORlEftET
ELL
Congressman Harris Ells
worth, who is in Mcdford today
and tomorrow in the interest of
his campaign for reelection, will
meet with the executive board
and legislative group of the
local labor union Friday at the
Labor Temple, at 8 o'clock.
(Also see Ellsworth story on
page 7.)
Radio Highlights
Today: William L. Hutcheson.
vice-president American Federa
tion of Labor, from New York.
7 15 to 7.30 p. m., PWT, over
MBS.
FriHav Gov. Tiricker. from
Kansas Cilv. Mo., 7.30 to 8 p. m., I
FWT, over NBC.
EDFORD
United Press Full Luud Wire
Small U. S. Carrier Lost
Military Sources Estimate
Jap Strength at 3,000,
London, Oct. 26 flJ.B Auth
oritative military sources esti
mated today that the Japanese
army numbers more than 3,000,-
000, Including 75 divisions at a
wartime strength of 20,000 dis
tributed outside the Japanese is
lands and Formosa.
Distribution was given as fol
lows: New Guinea and the Bis
marck archipelago, eight divis
ions which have been bypassed
or severely mauled by Amen
cans and Australians and are
virtually lost:
Burma, 10 divisions, all of
which have been in action dur
ing the past year, five of them
suffering severely particularly
three which attempted invasion
of India last spring;
China. Korea and Manchuria,
40 divisions:
Malaya, Indo-China, Siam and
COROELL HULL IN
PRAISE OF F. D. R.
Washington. Oct. 28 4U.P)
Secretary of State Cordell Hull,
in a statement praising Presi
dent Roosevelt's leadership in
foreign affairs, said today that
he was a statesman "equipped
by nature and by experience" as
few statesmen have been equip
ped in the nation's history.
The statement did not men
tion directly the forthcoming
presidential election but it ob
viously was an endorsement of
Mr. Roosevelt's bid for a fourth
term.
The statement was Issued
through the state department.
Hull is in the naval hospital at
Bcthesda, Md., for a physical
check-up following a tenacious
cold which kept him home more
than two weeks.
Former FDR Backer
To Support Dewey
San Francisco, Oct. 26 (U.R)
A. P. Giannini, chairman of the
board of the Bank of America,
who supported President Roose
velt In two elections, today an
nounced that he will support the
Dewey-Brickcr ticket in the No
vember 7 elections.
Giannini, at a luncheon for
Edward Corsi, industrial commis
sioner for the state of New York,
said that he felt "President
Roosevelt had been in office long!
enough, and that it is time to in
stall a new team to carry on the
difficult tasks ahead. "
$22,500 To Widow
Of Wreck Victim
Portland, Ore., Oct. 26 -(U.R)
The widow of Loren A. Cosner.
navy fireman second class, killed
in a train wreck near Castle
Rock, Wash., today was in re
ceipt of full settlement for her
$22,500 damage suit filed in fed
eral court.
Cosner was In a passenger
train struck by the Dewey cam
paign special on Sept. 18. Gov.
and Mrs. Dewey wired their
vmnntV-v nftnr hit intnrv He
died several dayi after the acci
dent
MEDFORD OREGON, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26,
in Philippine Sea Battle
the Dutch East Indies, about 10
divisions;
Philippines, seven divisions.
The other million and one
half men were said to compose
garrison, fortress, and Indepen
dent troops distributed among
these divisions or to be held in
reserve in Japan.
DIE WH
Reno, Nov., Oct. 26 (U.R
Twelve men were killed when
two C-46 transport planes col
lided above Reno army air field
today while returning from a
routine training flight, air base
officials announced.
Cause of the mid-air collision
has not been immediately de
termined because there were no
eye-witnesses to the early morn
ing accident, the first falnl acci
dent in more than 85,000 hours
of flying at the base.
TO BERLIN
By United Press
The shortest distances to
Berlin from advanced Allied
lines today:
Western front 296 miles
(from point near Nijmegen.
Unchanged in week.)
Russia 315 miles (from
Warsaw. Unchanged in
week.)
Italy 535 miles (from
point south of Ravenna. Gain
of four miles in week.)
Truman Declares KKK Charge
Is "Lie Out of Whole Cloth"
Peoria, 111., Oct. 26 (U.R)
Sen. Harry S. Truman, Demo
cratic vice presidential nominee,
today described as "a lie out of
the whole cloth" a charge that
he was a former member of the
Ku Klux Klan.
At a news conference shortly
after his arrlvel in Peoria, Tru
man was told by a reporter for
the Chicago Herald-American
that there was a report that he
once was a member of the klan.
"I am not a member of the
klan and never was," lie said.
The reporter asked Truman if
he knew a man named Harry;
Hoffman, and Truman replied
that he knew the man and that j
he "helped beat" him when Hoff-1
man was a candidate for Jackson
county marehal in 1922. j
The reporter then said that;
Hoffman had signed an affidavit ,
that as grand kleagle of the
klan he had sworn Truman in as
a member in 1922.
"That's a lie out of the whole
cloth," Truman said. He said the
report "started In the campaign
of 1922 and was nailed as a lie
then."
Truman said he was a candi
date then for county Judge in the
eastern district of Jackson coun
ty, Mo.
"That lie was nailed in 1922
and Is now out in- the same
form," he laid.
in.'g:. a-
(Acme lelephato)
enemy fleet In showdown oaiile
a destroyer and damaged a dozen
hex captain. 133 other officers and
Reported
BRITISH EIGHTH
DRIVES THROUGH
BOLOGNA FLANK
Rome, Oct. 26 (UP.) British
eighth army forces drove more
than five miles through the left
flank of the German defenses
before Bologna, a communique
reported today, menacing the
highway center of Forli and
reaching within about 26 miles
of the American fifth army
troops stnlled below Bologna.
Moving up the Rimlnl-Bolog-na
highway hRainst light cover
ing forces left behind by the re
treating enemy, the British ad
vanced rapidly from their
bridgehead across the Ccsena
river and captured Forlimpolol.
Forward elements pushed on
northwestward to the Hnco
river, barely three miles from
Forli, and may already have
reached that town today. In
view of the spotty enemy re
sistance. On the American fifth army
front, however, the Germans
were putting up fierce opposi
tion and official sources said the
enemy was working feverishly
to complete trenches and forti
fications "to defend the city of
Bologna at all costs."
INSTANT STARTERS
A postwar feature, "instant
starting" for fluorescent tubes
when they are turned on, will
be available for homes and of
fices. At present, it Is confined
to war plants.
Kansas City. Mo., Oct. 26
(U.R) Bruce Trimble, member
of the University of Kansas City
faculty, today emerged as the
man who started an investiga
tion into charges that U. S. Sen.
Harry S. Truman, democratic
vice-presidential nominee, once
participated in meetings of the
Ku Klux Klan.
Trimble said he received his
initial "bit of information" a
month ago and began checking
it.
A fortnight ago, he said, a
New York reporter called on
him and together they recheck
ed "five or six affidavits" rela
tive to the alleged appearance
of Truman at Klan meetings In
a pasture south of Independ
ence, Mo., In 1922.
"We had no trouble getting
20 affidavits for the matter,"
Trimble said.
From a former Cyclops of the
organization here came at) ear
lier charge that Truman Joined
the klan in 1922 at a meet
ing in the Jackson County pas
ture. He was Lee M. Allen, now
a farmer living near Klngsvillc,
Mo.
300 PRODUCTION SPEEDUP
X-raying of airplane propel
ler blades by electronic control,
to find dcfpctr, s ;crds up inspec
tion time 300 per cent
Tribune
United Press Full
1944
PROSECUTION IN
TRIAL OF KRESSE
ENDSJVIDENCE
Attorney George Roberts In
dicates Defense Presen
tation Will Be Brief.
Dr. A. F. W. Kresse tool: the
witness stand in his own behalf
this afternoon after three char
acter witnesses, C. E. Gates, H.
S. Deuel and George Porter, had
been called and after brief inter
rogation had testified that so far
as they knew the accused was
a law abiding citizen.
United States Attorney Wil
liam Langley rested his case
at noon today in the trial of Dr.
A. F. Walter Kresse, Medford
physician, and first witnesses
for the defense were called
when court reopened before
Judge James Alger Fee at 1
p. m. The doctor is charged
with violation of the federal
narcotics' act.
George Roberts, defense at
torney, indicated that the de
fense case would be brief, in
forming the Judge that his case
might be completed by 4 o'clock
this afternoon.
Mrs. Marrett Quined
Margaret Maxine Marrett,
34, underwent exhaustive cross
examination by Attorney Rob
erts yesterday afternoon after
she had stated in direct exam
ination that she was not addict
ed to morphine before first con
sulting Dr. Kresse and that he
had written her prescriptions
for morphine on her first two
visits when she complained of
"abdominal pains." Mrs. Mar
rett, who had identified about
195 prescriptions which she
said the doctor wrote for her
between the iatter part of Feb
ruary in 1043 and late summer
of this year, said that she had
made many trips to the doctor's
residence and "remained all
night."
Mrs. Marrett further said
that upon her third visit to the
doctor's office she inquired if
she could take the morphine
in any other way than orally
and that the doctor replied by
asking her If she had ever taken
It hypodcrmically. The witness
then said she purchased hypo
dermic equipment and used it
thereafter. Mrs. Marrett is be
ing confined to the county jail
awaiting trial on a charge of
robbing Dr. R, W. Clancy's of
fice. Yesterday afternoon Carl Mc
Kenney and Wlllnrd B. Perry
Identified prescriptions for
drugs written for them by the
defendant, the latter stating that
he had been an addict for abouk
15 years.
D. J. Bolton, laboratory tech
nician, identified x-ray pictures
of Perry's chest.
Joseph E. Goode, federal nar
cotics' agent, told of securing
prescriptions from Dr. Kresse
for morphine and Walter G.
Graven, narcotics' Inspector,
told of calling upon Dr. Kresse,
accompanied by Arnold Renner,
another federal agent, and dis
cussing with him his narcotics'
records and the case of Fred
Shattuck, who previously had
testified to securing prescrip
tions for drugs through Dr.
Kresse. This visit was shortly
before the doctor's indictment.
This morning Graven under
went cross-examination and Dr.
A. Erin Mcrkcl, county health
officer; Dr. Norman David, pro
fessor of pharmacology at the
University of Oregon medical
school and Dr. Joseph Bceman,
also on the staff of the school,
were on the stand. Dr. Merkcl
and Dr. Bceman told of exam
ining witnesses while they were
In the county Jail and Drs. Bce
man and David gave expert tes
timony about drugs and drug
cures. Dr. David told of the na
tions two federal "narcotics'
farms" where addicts may go
for cures.
96TH ARCHBISHOP OF
CANTERBURY PASSES
London, Oct. 26 (U.R) Dr.
William Temple, 96th arch
bishop of Canterbury and pri
mate of the Chnn-h of r.- 'lnnd
I died this morning after a heart
I attack.
Leased Wire
NO. 184.
E
ISLE,
. LUZONBARRIER
Other Forces Extend Gains
On Leyte; 31 Towns- Six
Airfields Under U. S.
Gen. MacArthur's Headquar
ters, Leyte, Oct. 26 (U.R)
American troops have landed on
Samar and seized the southern
coast of the island, last barrier
in the Philippines before Luzon,
while other forces extended
their gains on Leyte to bring
31 towns and villages and six
airfields under U. S. control.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur an
nounced today.
MacArthur also disclosed that
American troops had driven 10
miles inland to capture the road
Junction of Buraucn, splitting
the Japanese forces on northern
Leyte. He reported that Field
Marshal Count JulchI Terauchi's
forces in that sector were "dis
integrating." The invasion of Samar, third
largest island in the Philippines,
was made by MaJ. Gen. Verne
D. Mudge's 1st dismounted cav
alry division, which made a 17
mlle amphibious drive up the
eastern coast of Leyte and
crossed over the narrow San
Juanica strait.
Although MacArthur's com
munique said the landing was
made on the southern coast of
Samar, which gave the Amer
icans control of the eastern
shore of the strait, the cavalry
men apparently landed at a
point about 90 miles southeast
of Luzon.
London, Oct. 26 (U.R) Tha
captura of Munkais, Csacho
lovakla, was announced to
day by Pramtar Josef Stalin
In an order of the day.
Moscow, Oct. 26 U.R) The
Soviet Arctic offensive today
was driving the remnants of the
German Lapland army back
across the Norwegian barrens
where it faced disaster, with
winter gales already howling
and virtually all the Nazi sup
plies of its lost Kirkenes base
In the hands of the Red army.
With winter already at hand
on the bleak Varangerfjord of
Norway's northernmost tip the
routed Germans faced annihila
tion at the hands of Soviet
forces. The alternative was a
starving, freezing retreat across
the almost trackless wastes.
Supplies Seiztd
Front dispatches to the Soviet
Press reported today that the
Red army had seized a full year's
stock of Nazi Lapland army sup
plies when It captured Kirkenes.
The booty Included three enor
mous ammunition and fuel
dumps and dozens of warehouses
loaded with food and winter
equipment.
The combined Russian assault
from sea and land trapped the
Germans, compelling them to
flee so rapidly they neither had
time to destroy their stores nor
to attempt to cart them with
them.
With the capture of Kirkenes
several large Nazi air bases and
submarine Installations which
the Germans had used to attack
allied Arctic convoys fell Into
Russian hands.
EX-KLAMATH NEWSMAN
KILLED IN JAP RAID
San Francisco, Oct. 26 (U.R)
Asahel Bush, 31,' Assoclntcd
Press correspondent from Salem,
Ore., was killed In a Japanese
air raid on Tacloban airfield in
the Philippines, the army an
nounced today.
Bush. 10th civilian war cor
respondent killed in the Pacific
war, is survived by a widow
and an 8-year-old daughter. He
formerly was telegraph editor
of the Klamath Falls, Ore.,
Herald.
Am "an Ships Pursue
Ba' ed Remnants Of
0 Powerful Fleet
o arbor, Oct. 26 (U.R) The American 3rd and 7th fleets)
have . or damaged at least 30 Japanese warships, including
10 battleships and three aircraft carriers, in the Philippines to
win one of the greatest and most decisive naval battles of the war.
It was announced today.
Pursuing American surface ships and aircraft were attacking
the fleeing, batered remnants of the enemy fleet at midnight
the fleeing, battered remnants of the enemy fleet at midnight
likely that the final toll would be still greater than the nine
enemy warships already known to have been sunk, three prob
ably sunk and 18 damaged.
U. S. LOSSES TWO LIGHT CARRIERS
The only American losses announced and these figures ap
parently were complete for the action to date were the 10,000
ton light carrier Princeton, and an escort carrier sunk, several
destroyers and escort carriers damaged and several P-T boats sunk
or damaged.
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz confirmed in his second communi
que of the battle that American surface ships, as well as carrier
aircraft, had engaged the enemy fleet, firing broadsides of shells
ranging up to 14 and 16 inches into the first Japanese warships
to come within range of their guns In two years.
The victory smashed an all-or-nothing Japanese bid to wreck;
the American invasion of the Philippines and, by the same token,
dealt the enemy fleet a blow from which naval observers believed
it may never recover. Virtually the whole Japanese fleet partici
pated in the abortive three-way assault and at one time its sur
face units were within 70 miles of the American beachhead ot
Leyte.
COMMUNIQUES LIST HEAVY TOLL
Communiques from headquarters of Nimitz at Pearl Harbor
and Gen. Douglas MacArthur at Leyte itself gave the following
toll of enemy ships to date: -Sunk
9
1 Battleship of the 29.300-lon Yamashlro class
2 Aircraft carriers
4 Cruisers
Unspecified number of destroyers, but at least two
Probably sunk 3
Battleships
Large carrier
Damaged 18
Battleships
Cruisers
Unspecified number of destroyers, but at least 5
Four of the damaged battleships were hit heavily with bombs
and when last seen were retiring at low speed and trailing oil,
while one of the damaged destroyers was left dead in the water.
All five vessels should prove easy prey to the pursuing American
planes and warships.
AIR LOSSES OF LATER STAGES NOT TOLD
Nimitz said "further details" of the battle would be announced
as they became known. Though he announced yesterday that 150
Japanese planes had been shot down in the early stages of the
battle, his latest communique mentioned neither Japanese nor
American nlr losses. MacArthur similarly was silent on the air
losses, but said 53 enemy aircraft had been shot down during ait
enemy attack on American shipping In Leyte gulf Tuesday pre
ceding the naval battle.
Japan herself acknowledged In an imperial headquarters com
munique that one of her battleships, two cruisers and a destroyer
had been sunk in the two-dny melee and another battleship "sub
stantially damaged," but claimed In return that 77 American
warships and landing craft had been sunk or damaged.
Directly contradicting Tokyo's propagandists, a naval spokes
man on Admiral Thomas C. Kinkald's 7th fleet flagship in the
Philippines told United Press War Correspondent Ralph Teatsorth:
"The enemy has been decisively defeated with heavy losses.
Our fleet Is without serious losses and fit to fight tomorrow."
Admiral William F. Halsey, commander of the far-reaching
3rd fleet, echoed the optimism prevailing throughout American
forces In the Pacific with this formal report to President Roose
velt: "The Japanese navy In the Philippines area has been defeated,
seriously damaged and routed by the U. S. navv In that area."
MOST CRUSHING DEFEAT OF WAR
MacArthur Issued a formal statement proclaiming that the
enemy fleet had been dealt "its most crushing defeat of the war
. ... its future efforts can only be on a dwindling scale."
The Japanese flight from the area indicated that the enemy
high command had decided to abandon the Philippines to their
fate, at least temporarily, without hope of more than a trickle of
reinforcements through the American air, sea and submarine
blockade.
Nlmitz's communique for the first time revealed the full scale
of the stunning defeat inflicted on the Japanese carrier task force
which sailed down from its home waters into the Philippine sea
to challenge Halsey 's 3rd fleet from the north.
Halsey hurled his surface forces, submarines and a great fleet
of carrier-borne aircraft against the approaching enemy armada
Wednesday (Tuesday, Pearl Harbor time) and in the ensuing day
light hours and last night blew up and sank a large carrier, sank
a light carrier and two light cruisers, and probably sank two bat
tleships and a large carrier.
The battleships, three heavy cruisers and a number of destroy-,
ers withdrew to the north in a damaged condition.
Pearl Harbor Repaid
Washington, Oct. 26 (U.R) Japanese losses in recent Pacific
naval action exceeded the damage done to the U. S. fleet In the
sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
A comparison of Japanese ships sunk, probably sunk and dam
aged as announced by Admiral Chester Nimitz and Gen. Douglas
MacArthur with announced U. S. navy losses at Pearl Harbor
follows:
U. S. NAVY LOSSES AT PEARL HARBOR
Sunk Two battleships, two destroyers.
Damaged six battleships, three cruisers, one destroyer, five
miscellaneous ships..
Total 19 ships.
JAPANESE LOSSES IN PHILIPPINES NAVAL ACTION
Sunk One battleship, two carriers, four cruisers and at least
two destroyers.
Probably sunk Two battleships and one large carrier.
Damaged Seven battleships, six cruisers and an unspecified
number of destroyers, at least five.
Total 30 ships.
BRITON WHO REFUSED
ORDERS IS SENTENCED
London, Oct. 26 (U.R) Brit
ish Capt. William Douglas-Home,
who refused to carry out orders
to continue In battle at Le Havre,
has been dishonorably discharg
ed from the army and Imprison
ed for a year, it was revealed
today.
Douglas-Home made his case
public when he wrote to a news
paper at Maidenhead explaining
that he refused to attack because
he could not conscientiously
take part in operations against
troops who did not want to
fight, but whose commander
would not let them quit.
PHONE SERVICE IN CHINA
Before China's modern tele
phone system was instalk-d, the
service was so slow that it took
twenty minutes to complete each
call.
ELECTRONIC ROLE ON SHIP
More than 1.600 electronic
tubes serve a battleship, and an
aircraft carrier must have 1,500,
according to the navy. -