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Dotted Press full Lnnd Wit
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Thirty ninth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1944
NO. 223.
in
ui
ml
1APAH PRFPARF L
jni mi i iil.1 niii.u i S'ifjuuto
FOR FULL SCALE
AERIALATTACKS
Yamashita Line on Leyte
Collapses Before Ameri-
can Offensive.
By United Press
The Japanese acknowledged
that they are evacuating civil
ians from Tokyo! and preparing
for large-scale air raids on their
homeland today, while on Leyte
Island in the Philippines the en
tire southern flank of their
boasted Yamashita line collapsed
under a crushing American of
fensive. The threat of disaster for the
Japanese also was shaping up in
another quarter. Adm. Sir Bruce
' Fraser, commander of Britain's
new Pacific battle fleet, revealed
in Australia that he will confer
shortly with U. S. Adm. Chester
W. Nimitz on combined Anglo
American naval operations " to
shorten the war against Japan.
Frazer expressed the convic
tion that the Japanese imperial
fleet would retire still closer to
its home bases to avoid a deci
sive engagement, thereby adding
greatly to the ' enemy's present
supply difficulties.
Many Leave
Word of the Tokyo evacuation
came in a German Transocean
News agency dispatch from the
Japanese capital. Transocean
said a large number of the city's
5,875,000 residents, already, had
been shifted to rural areas and
that houses were being torn
down to create fire breaks.
There also was a possibility,
not suggested in the enemy ac
counts.that the evacuation was
linked with the severe earth
quake that struck central Japan
last week. Seismologists in Al
lied countries around the world
recorded the shock as of "catas
trophic" proportions, perhaps
even more disastrous than the
1923 convulsions that wiped out
Yokohama and three-fifths of
Tokyo.
On the Philippines fighting
front, doughboys of the Amer
ican 77th division jonied forces
with the 7th division south of
Ormoc, wiping out thousands of
Japanese caught in a vice be
tween them. The 77th's north
ern wing simultaneously pushed
up from Ormoc, whose capture
Sunday, coupled with the de
struction of the pocketed enemy
force, carried away the southern
flan kof the Yamashita line.
Troops Trapped
The surviving Japanese on
Leyte, now considerably fewer
than the 40,000 4o 50,000 men
they mustered a week ago, were
penned into a narrowing corner
of the Island between the 77th
and the U. S. 32d division mov
ing down from the Tolibaw area,
18 miles north of Ormoc.
American airmen pounded
Japanese bases and shipping
throughout the Philippines and
the southern islands and touched
off spectacular fires in the great
Borneo oil depots at Balikpapan
and Tarakan. . ,
Cinderella- Tale
Hollywood, Dec. 12 0J.R)
Warner Bros.' studios today an
nounced signing of a seven-year
contract with Rory Mallinson,
31, of Atlanta, Ga., who was dis
covered working on a studio lab
or gang.
Mallinson's real name is
Charles Joseph Mallinson, and
his first role Is that of a doctor
who treats marine hero Al
Schmidt on Guadalcanal in "This
Love of Ours."
A former player in the At
lanta Little theater, Mallinson
said he got his first acting op
portunity from his commercial
high school dramatics teacher,
Miss Gwynne Burroughs.
SIDE GLANCES
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Darrell Huson astounding a
customer by producing a pack
age of cigarettes.
Maurine Shearer admitting
that she was guilty of squander
ing a few minutes time. .
California .produces 93 per
cent of the nation i grape.
Double Blow
;J4m JAP
JAPAN
nanpo
, 'SHOTO
BONIN ISLANDS
(00A8AWRA CVNTO)
.Volcano is;
WO JIMA
A8UNCI0H
MARIANAS .
ISLANDS f0"
, -MMOIMN
KOTAvW
CUAM
(Acmt TtUphoto)
Earthquakes and yam waves joined
Yanks in Blasting Japan while
units of the Pacific Fleet, and other
pianea Dlasted iwo J Una (arrow i, oe
Ueved to oe base tor Nip pianea
which have hit Salpan, -
BRITISH FORCES
IN ATHENS LOSE;
WATER SHUT OFF
Athens, Dee. 12-(U.R) The
water mains, of downtown
Athens went dry today, prompt
ing speculation that anti-govern
ment forces may have wrecked
vital installations or the water
supply was cut off by fires.
Censorship or other restric
tive measures . apparently pre
vented Roper from explaining
what had happened since 9:40
o'clock last night, when he filed
a dispatch reporting that British
forces and Roper himself
were surrounded in the heart of
Athens and the situation was
'critical.")
(Athens broadcasts today said
the insurgents appeared to be
intensifying their efforts to force
a decision before the British
could move up reinforcements.
They were' reported blowing up
buildings in some parts of the
city, while the British and Greek
government forces were losing
ground in others.)
The approaches, to the Acro
polis were under the machine
gun fire-of ELAS units of the
EAM. But the British apparent
ly held the dominating height
itself, and were not hesitating to
make more or less complete use
of the advantages it afforded.
The ELAS forces yesterday
captured or destroyed 200 drums
of British gasoline, and set fire
to several buildings In southern
Athens.
ALLIES TO SEIZE
NAZIS' LOOT SAYS
By United Press
A supreme headquarters proc
lamation served notice on Ger
many today that all property of
the Nazi party, its leading of
ficials and supporters would be
blocked by the Allied military
government pending a settle
ment of the issues of "rightful
ownership."
The proclamation was broad
cast in the name of Gen. Dwlght
D. Eisenhower. It was the ninth
of a series directed to Germany
on Allied plans for occupation
of the country.
"Attempts to conceal such
blocked property or to hinder
the military government in pre
serving It for determination of
its future use will result In
severe penalties being imposed
upon all persons who take part
in such transactions," the procla
mation said.
HINT CHURCHILL
GRECIMPOLICY
State Department Nominee
Questioned on Influence
of British at Session.
Washington, Dee. 12 (U.R)
The Greek civil war came brief
ly under discussion at a senate
foreign relations hearing today,
when a committee member ask
ed one of six new state depart
ment nominees whether Prime
Minister Winston Churchill was
"forcing the American state de
partment to play second fiddle
in this Greek thing.".
' Fuller discussion was reserved
for a closed session of 'the com
mittee after Chairman Tom Con
nally, D., Tex., remarked that:
. "It seems to me that for a
senator to call on a state depart
ment witness to discuss back
stairs gossip about Churchill is
of very doubtful propriety.1'
The interchange about Greece
was between Sen. James E. Mur
ray,' D., Mont., and James C.
Dunn, veteran state, department
official who has been nominated
to a new assistant secretaryship.
Previously, Secretary of State
Edward R. Sttrttinius, Jr., had
asked prompt senate confirma
tion of the new appointees to
speed departmental reorganiza
tion and formation of postwar
peace machinery.
In response to a question by
Sen. Hiram JOhnsonr R.. Calif;
Dunn said this government
agreed with Churchill's state
ment that the Greeks should be
permitted to choose their own
government.
Murray , asserted that "when
you read the entire statement,
it seems that Churchill is against
the people of Greece." '
. .Dunn said he was in no posi
tion to discuss the subject, and
Murray added:
"There is an opinion by many
people in this country that men
in the state department largely
are under the influence of the
British."
Dunn replied that he had
never seen such influence at
work.
Stettlnlus endorsed the quali
fications of all of the appointees,
who subsequently were called to
the stand individually.
ROOSEVECTPLEA
FOR ST. LAWRENCE
POWER IGNORED
Washington, Dee. 12 0J.R)
Despite, a telegram from Presi
dent Roosevelt supporting the
project, the senate today reject
ed an amendment to the rivers
and harbors bill to authorize a
$285,000,000 power and naviga
tion project, on the St. Lawrence
river. ;
The amendment, which
brought the seaway project be
fore the senate for the second
time in a decade, was defeated
by a vote of 56 to 25. The pro
posal was defeated ln l934 when
offered as a treaty between the
United States and Canada. To
day's amendment proposed that
the project be undertaken
through executive agreement be
tween the two countries.
About an hour before the sen
ate voted, Sen. George D. Aiken,
R., Vt., leading proponent of the
project, released telegram in
which Mr. Roosevelt said the
seaway was "logical and inevit
able" and that the sooner it was
authorized "the better."
The senate's decision followed
nearly a week of debate. The
opposition, led by Sen. John N.
Overton, D., La., maneuvered
energetically for the project's
defeat.
SINGER DIVORCED
Reno, Nev., Dec. 12 (U.R)
Diana Uttal Altar, former New
York supper club singer, today
was granted a Nevada divorce
from Isador Alter of New York
City. r
HEART OF REICH
Huge Allied Air Fleet From
Italy and England Hit All
Rail Centers.
London, Dec. 12 (U.R) A
huge allied aerial fleet, includ
ing almost 1,500 American
heavy bombers, delivered a
smashing assault at the heart
of the German war machine
from Britain and Italy today,
hitting . the big synthetic oil
plants at Mersebudg and Blech
hamer, and rail yards and in
dustrial targets throughout the
Reich.
The big , aerial force was
paced by an armada of more
than 1,250 American heavy
bombers and 900 fighters which
hammered the Leuna synthetic
oil plant at Merseburg and rail
yards at Hanau, Aschaffenburg
and Darmstadt. .
At the .same time, Flying
Fortresses and Liberators from
Italy struck through bad weath
er to blast the Blechhamer oil
refineries in southern Silesia,
the largest source of Nazi syn
thetic oil production within
range of the 15th airforce.
The RAF followed with an at
tack on the Industrial city of
Wittem, in the Huhr, by four
engined Lancaster bombers, es
corted by Mustangs, six German
planes were destroyed by the
British raiding force wich lost
one' Mustang fighter; , ,
The daylight- bombardment
deep in central Germany ap
proached the scale of the attack
yesterday by a record fleet of
1,800 Flying Fortresses and Lib
erators on the Frankfurt area.
Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle
dispatched both Fortresses and
Liberators escorted by Mus
tangs, Thunderbolts, and Light
nings In today's assault on a
major source of fuel for the
German war machine and trans
port centers feeding the fighting
front.
The daylight attack followed
stabs by British Mosquito bomb
ers last night "at "Hannover,
Hamburg and other targets in
Western Germany.
39 PERSONS DIE
By United Press
The season's first general
snowstorm moved Into the east
today, crippling traffic, closing
schools and war plants in some
areas and bringing full gale
warnings to the New England
coast.
A United Press survey showed
at least 39 persons died as a re
sult of the storm, most of them
in traffic accidents.
Snow was filling in Ohio and
Indiana, but the storm appeared
to have passed over the rest of
the midwest.
The coldest spot In the nation
was Yellowstone national park
with 17 below, but the coldest
city was Mason City, la., with
a reading of one above, the
weather bureau reported. Kan
sas and Missouri had sub-freezing
temperatures.
Eastern states had tempera
tures in the 30s, midwestern
states from 27 to 32, and the
plains states from 10 to 20
above.
The south reported unusually
low temperatures with freezing
on the east gulf coast and be
low freezing in northern Flori
da. It was 21 above In parts of
Texas, but the fruit region
escaped the cold wave. Louisi
ana reported a low of 34, un
usually low for that state.
There were 15 Inches of snow
in the Great Smoky mountains
in North Carolina, while the
weather in Georgia was reported
clearing after snow flurries.
The storm forced the closing
of war plants at Pittsburgh,
some plants at Buffalo and dis
rupted public utility services in
Ohio and Indiana.
I f4 -
By!" , :l
- - . 3? IB ,
(Aem RadioTelephoto)
German prisoners are searched and relieved of all weapons and sharp possessions such as nail files, scissors,
mirrors and knives as they enter prisoner-ol-war camp m BarrelDourg area, France.' Signal Corps radio-
telejhoto.
CEILING
OF HOGS
FEED
Washington, Dec. 12 (U.R)
The office of price administra
tion today raised the celling
price of all live, barrows and
gilts to $14.75 4 hundredweight,
Chicago basis. .
The new ceilings, which al
ready prevail for hogs weighing
under 270 pounds, become ef
fective tomorrow. Ceilings on
sows, stags and boars will con
tinue at $14 per hundredweight,
Chicago basis.
The OP A said the new price
should have the effect of en
couraging farmers to feed hogs
for a longer period, thus increas
ing the volume of pork and lard
per animal.
Price differentials were orig
inally established last May be
cause of the shortage of corn
and a generally adverse feed
situation, OPA said, and today's
action follows the harvesting of
a record corn crop and Improve
ment in the supply of other types
of feed. ;
OPA hoped another result of
its action would be a more even
marketing of hogs by farmers.
CONGRESS OKAYS
FUNDS FOR POST
WAR ACTIVITIES
Washington, Dec. 12 U.R)
The senate today passed unani
mously by voice vote and sent
to the house for conference a
rivers and harbors bill authoriz
ing nearly $500,000,000 worth of
post-war navigation and power
projects.
Meanwhile, the house approv
ed a conference report on the
$1,000,000,000 flood control bill
which contained the same Dro-
tectlve water-right amendments
lor the western states as were
approved in the rivers and har
bors bill, as well as an amend
ment authorizing the appropria
tion of $400,000,000 to begin
construction of projects embod
ied in a comprehensive plan to
develop the Missouri basin.
Neither passage of the rivers
and harbors bill nor of the flood
control bill Is regarded by its
sponsors as prejudicial to estab
lishment of a proposed Missouri
valley authority. Construction of
the many Missouri valley pro
jects authorized In both bills will
not begin until six months after
the war; MVA sponsors said that
the overall plan for the valley
has already been comprehensive
ly worked out by the Interior
department and war department
An MVT, they said, would take
over administration of the plan.
New York, Dec 'i 2 (U.R)-
Cotton futures opened three to
eight point higher.
o man Prisoners Frisked for
1 "."
W l mim . -
VjS-
War Bulletins
Paciflo Fleet Headquarters,
Pearl Harbor, Dec. 12 (U.R)
Two new American air raids
on the' Japanese staging bases
in the Volcano islands, 750
miles souiheast of Tokyo, and
other strikes on enemy Island
bases from the Marianas to
the Marshall! were revealed
in communique today. ,
Southeast Asia Headquar
ters, Kandy, Ceylon, Dec. 12
(U.R) East African troops, ad
vancing down the Kalewa-Yeu
road near the Chindwin rivet
In western Burma, have
reached points within 500'
yards of Shwogyln, a commu
nique announced today.
By United Press I ' '
A Japanese unit which
Tokyo radio claimed has made
repeated "daring raids" inside
American lines guarding air
fields on Morotai island was
credited with causing 195 U.
B. casualties since its counter
landing October 26, in a broad
cast recorded today by United
Press in San Francisco.
ELLSWORTH SAYS
NO CHANCE FOR
Washington, Dec. 12 (U.R)
Rep. Harris Ellsworth, R., Ore.,
said today House action was un
likely at this session on his bill
to make the department of the
Interior sole administrator- of
the 1,500,000 acres of the so
called Oregon and California
land grant.
If the House should meet next
week, Ellsworth said, there was
a "slim chance" that his ' bill
might again come- up for consid
eration. -
The legislation settles an old
controversy between the interi
or department and the agricul
ture department's forest service
over administration of the 460,
000 forested acres of the land
grant. The bill was brought up
on the floor yesterday but Im
mediate passage was blocked
by Rep. John J. Cochran, D.,
Mo. .
NEVADA NEAR QUOTA
Rena, Nev., Dec. 12 (U.R)
Nevada neared Its $11,000,000
sixth war loan drive quota to
day as the campaign's end ap
proached.
BUS SKIDS, 21 HURT
Bakersfield, Cal., Dec. 12
(U.R) A north-bound Greyhound
bus early today skidded in the
heavy fog on the Golden State
highway about 16 miles south of
Bakersfield, and crashed into a
ditch Injuring 21 persons.
MEN REBUKE A. F. L.
Washington, Dec. 12 (U.R)
The Mine, Mill and Smelter
Workers (C. I. O.) told the na
tlonal labor relations board to
day that a petition by the Amer
ican Federation of Labor for a
bargaining election at the Phelps
Dodge corp. mine and smelter,
Morenci, Ariz., wm "untimely
and inappropriate."
Weapons
Ik o M
7
- 3gv
Washington, Dec. 12-(U.K)
Rep. Carl Vinson, D., Ga., today
introduced a bill to Increase the
salary of the president from
$75,000 to $100,000 and. to give
substantial salary increases to
all cabinet members and mem
bers of congress.
. Vinson, chairman of the naval
affairs committee, said the presi
dency is the highest and most
Important job in the nation, "but
the salary is less than the in
come of Frank Sinatra." v
. Because of federal taxes, he
said, the president's $75,000 sal
ary is a net $27,000 at the end
of the year. Salaries of all high
ranking government officials
have been similarly hit, he said.
Vinson's bill would increase
the salaries of the vice-president,
speaker of the house and cab
inet members from $15,000 to
sz9,uuu a year and false the
salaries of senators and house
members from $10,000 to $15,
000. LIFE TOO EMPTY,
SHE KILLS SELF
Chicago, Dec. 12r-(U.R) The
body of Virginia Thompson, 25,
a radio entertainer, formerly of
Pasadena, Cal., was found by a
maid today In an apartment
where her flnace, Lt. J. C.
"Clint" Stanley, navy public re
lations officer, lived.
Police said Miss Thompson
apparently committed suicide
and ordered an analysis of liquid
found in a drinking glass beside
the bed.
A note dated last Sunday say
ing "without you life is too
damned empty," was found.
' Stanley, 44, former Chicago
radio producer, Is in Great
Lakes Naval hospital with pneu
monia. LOWER 13 SLAYER
FIGHTS FOR LIFE
Portland, Ore., Dec. 12 -(U.R)
The defense for Robert E. Lee
Folkes, convicted in Oregon's
faned "Lower 13" Pullman car
murder, will resort to an appeal
for a governor's commutation,
rehearing by the United States
supreme court, and failing those,
an appeal to President Roose
velt, it was learned today by the
United Press.
The Negro dining car employe
was denied an appeal to the high
court recently and Is scheduled
to die In the lethal gas chamber
January S. He was convicted in
Linn county for slashing the
throat of pretty. Mrs. Virginia
Martha James, bride of four
month.
6
ACT WOULD HIKE
PRESIDENT'S PAY
TO $100,000 YEAR
TOPPLE 7 TOWNS;
NAZIS CRUMBLING
Near Duren Fortress City of
Roer Cologne Progress
Excellent.
Paris. Di 19 AIM ri,-
American First army drove
through' seven German towns to
within half a mile of Duren on
the Roer river todav nnH tn th.
southeast the : Seventh army
slashed ahead eight miles
through the Maginot pillboxes
of northeastern France to Seltz,
two miles from the Rhine.
uerman - resistanrA mi
ported crumbling both on the
oi me coiogne plain west
of the Roer and in northeastern
FrancA whpra a i
plunge toward' the Palatinate
was snreaamg the Nazi left
flank of the entire western
front.
Paris, Dee. 12 (U.R) Ameri
can First army assault forces
drove within n half M . -m
Duren, key fortress city astride
mo noer river west of Cologne,
and tonnloH nwm it. i
towns today in an eastward
ourge mrougn crumbling Ger
man resistance.
Dispatches from Lt. Gen.
Courtney H. Hodges front said
the German defenses west of the
Roer river were falling apart be
fore the eastward charge of the
doughboys, closing -against the
Nazi winter defense line on a
10-mile front.
Cologne-bound troops of the
First army captured Pier, Mer
ken, Hoven, Mariaweller, Kozen
dorf, Derichsweiler, and Gey in
what field reports described as
"excellent progress" today that
carried them from 300 to 600
yards of the Roer along a four
mile front above Duren and gave
them control of some three miles
of the - western bank of the
stream below Duren. '
The clearing of Mariaweller
tipped over the last strongpolnt
before the northwestern out
skirts of Duren, and the Yanks
pushed 'on to within less than
1,000 yards of the Roer citadel.
me most formidable barrier
blocking the way to the Rhine
land and Cologne.
Pier, Merken and Hoven are
In the Mariaweller area. Derich
sweiler is a fraction over a mile
west of Duren on the Eschweiler
railroad. Kozendorf Is a trunk
highway hamlet slightly to the
west. Gey lies four miles south
west of Duren.
A staff officer of the First
army compared the situation
west of the Roer with that on
the Cherbourg peninsula in
July, when the Americans were
"chewing up" enemy divisions
and grinding down the defenses
before the big Normandy port.
The bitterest resistance was
found in the area of Schophoven,
five miles northwest of Duren,
where self-propelled guns, a few
tanks and well placed machine
guns- late today held up the
Americans along a ridge a few
hundred yards easi of the town.
The Germans also were throw
ing in fanatlc.paratroopers fight
ing as infantry in the Gey-Strass
sector below Duren, struggling
desperately to prevent the
Americans from establishing
themselves on the Roer bank
and expanding their foothold on
the river east of the Hurtgen
Gergstein area.
NOT COURT MATTER
Los Angeles, Dec. 12 (U.R)
The American Federation of
Radio Artists today contended
that a dispute over Cecil B. De
Mtlle's refusal to pay a $1 as
sessment Is strictly a union mat
ter and not subject to court
Jurisdiction. .
ITALIAN SPIES
Rome, Dec. 12 (U.PJ An al
lied firing squad today executed
eight Italians convicted of espio
nage on behalf of the Germans.
Jackson County sales to date
In the Sixth War Loan are
"E" Bond .........$427,927
Total Sale
Sl.945,231