Japs Lose 204 Planes In Third Attempt To Smash Okinawa Invaders
Weather
forecast! Partly elondy to
cloudy tonifht and Wednes
day. Occasional light showers
Wednesday. Warmer tonUht,
Cooler Wednesday.
Temp.
Hlrnest yesterday 71
Lowest this morning 33
Precipitation to ft a, m., none
Tribune
FORD
POTTING
ATTAWPILOTS
Blazing Aerial Battles Rage
Over 360-Mile Front; Big
gest Hunting for Yanks.
U-lted Press Full Leased Wire
United Press Full Leased Wire
Fortieth Year
MEDFORD, OREroN, TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1945
NO. 22
Med
7
n
Guam, April 17 U.PJ The
Japanese air force lost 204
planes yesterday in a third un
successful attempt to smash the
American invasion forces off
Okinawa, and today a huge
fleet of Superfortresses blasted
six enemy aircraft staging
bases on the home island of
Kyushu.
Blazing aerial battles were
fought between American and
Japanese pilots in the skies
along a 360-mile route between
Okinawa and Kyushu. Navy
gunners on ships ranging from
gunboats to carriers of the Es
sex class joined in the fight,
front dispatches reported.
All-Day Battle
The battle lasted all day.
Japanese planes trying desper
ately to reach the U. S. fleet
were sent hurtling in flames in
to the sea.
A United Press dispatch from
Vice Ad.n. Richmond Kelly Tur
ner's flagship said yesterday's
battle offered some of the great
est hunting of the war for Amer
ican fighting men. It was Jap
an's third try in 11 days to crip
ple the U. S. fleet in the
Ryukyus.
In hitting Kyushu, southern'
most of the enemy home islands,
the B-29's sent the rapidly
mounting aerial offensive
against Japan into the sixtn
straight day.
Airfields Hit
Splitting into six groups, the
Marianas based Superfortresses
plastered a half dozen airfields
in northern and southern Kyu
shu with demolition bombs rath
er than Incendiaries which were
heaped on Tokyo twice in the
last 72 hours.
The targets were the airfields
at Kanoya, East Kanoya, Izumi,
Kokubu and Nittaoahara, all in
southern Kyushu, and Tachiarai
in the northwestern section of
the island. - ...
All the airfields were known
to have held planes which have
been hitting at the U. S. sea,
land and air forces In the Oki
nawa area, some of them in
suicide attacks.
IN WLB DECISION
Portland, Ore., April 17 U.B
Northwest Pacific coast lumber
workers will have no general
wage Increase but they gained
other important concessions to
day in a decision by the west
coast lumber commission of the
national war labor board.
The decision affected the Industry-wide
case of the Interna
tional Woodworkers of America,
C. I. O.
Thirty-five northwest pine
lumber and logging employers
situated in the Klamath Falls
area in Oregon and in the Inland
empire region of Washington.
Idaho and western Montana,
were affected. The decision
granted union demands for
check-off of dues, Initiation fees
and assessments, a two-week va
cation after five years employ
ment, the contract clause re
quiring 'contractors to comply
with the principal employers'
collective bargaining contract
and provision for a 40-hour
work week for all but power
house employes and watchers.
The wage rate for power-saw
fallers and Juckors was set by
order at $1.75 an hour in Klam
ath Falls vicinity, and S1.67V4 in
the Inland empire region. Cer
tain Individual wage rate adjust
ments In individual companies
were allowed.
Union demands denied Includ
ed a general wage Increase,
union hiring. Three-men crews
for power saws, abolition of
piece rates for power saws, com
pulsory state workmen's com
pensation and certain Individual
Job classification wage rate In
creases. LAKE CREEK MAN HURT
AS TRACTOR EXPLODES
A tractor being operated by
Robert Lucas, 35. Lake Creek
farmer, exploded yesterday
afternoon, seriously Injuring
Lucas He was brought to Sacred
Heart hospital last evening and
treated for second and third de
gree burns.
Lucas' attending physician
stated this noon that he was rest
ing fairly well and was expected
to recover.
j-,-r jb . ..
(Acme Telephotot .
President Harry S. Truman, In his first appearance before the Congress, assures the nation and the world that
be will suDDort and defend the Ideals ot President Roosevelt "with all my strength and with all my taenn '
F.D.Rs Foreign and Domestic Policies
Endorsed By Truman In First Conference
Hrhlnolnn Anril 17 (IIP)
President Truman in his first
press conference today gave
whnle-hpateri endorsement to
tVii fnroitm and rinmestie nolicies
prevailing at the time 'he took
office.
He said that he would not
lift thn hnn nn horse racins and
that he thought the midnight
curfew had done a lot ot good
for the morale ot tne country.
He endorsed the Bretton
Woods Inte. rational Monetary
program that had been sent to
Congress by the late President
Roosevelt for approval.
He also voiced full support
for the Reciprocal Trade pro-
eram. with its accompanying ex
port-Import bank.
To See Moloior
w riicrlncpd that he planned
n .on Snvlpt Fnreien Commissar
V. M. Molotov while the Russian
leader is en route to the united
Nntlnnt meetine In San Fran
ce,! Mr. Truman said Molotov
was going to stop in Washington
to pay his respects to tne presi
dent of the United States. And
Mr Truman added, he should.
The president would not dis
cuss any official appointments
imrnWintf the cabinet or other
top government personnel.
Ha said, under Questioning
that James F. Byrnes, former
Wnr Mnhili7atlnn Director, was
not going to the San Francisco
conference.
He's going back to South Caro-
2.400 STARVING
L
With 30th U. S. Division on
the Elbe, Germany, April 17
CUR) More than 2,400 starving
men, women and children
mostly Jews were rescued from
a prison train by the 30th divi
sion near Farsleben, 10 miles
north of Magdeburg, this week.
The 30th overran a prison
train of 48 boxcars In which the
Germans had been transporting
their slave laborers from Hann
over towards southern Germany
Sgt. Harold Jnntzen, New Al
bany, Ind., and his squad killed
or captured the nazis manning
flak guns on the train, and then
opened the boxcar doors.
The prisoners poured out, hys
terical in their freedom.
They said they had eaten noth
ing for six days ind had been
penned In the packed cars with
out food or water.
Some already were dead in the
cars, others were too weak to
move. Some hobbled painfully
on swollen feet as they staggered
toward a nearby stream and be
gan washing.
Thirty-four of the prisoners
claimed American citizenship.
'I'll Support F. D. R. Ideals-Truman
. tr.,s-
TRUMAN EARLY BIRD
Washington, April 17
(U.R) President Truman is an
early bird who goes to work
when most of official Wash
ington is reaching for orange
juice.-- - -
This was a sad fact for a
lot of the White House person
nel (and for some reporters
too).
Mr. Truman's work day
starts about 8 a. m. The late
president Roosevelt rarely
started doing business before
10:30 or 11 o'clock.
Una, Mr. Truman said of Byrnes,
adding that when he needed
Byrnes' advice he would send
for it. In response to a further
question, Mr. Truman said he
had no plans for bringing Byrnes
into the government.
No Meeting Planned
Mr. Truman said he would be
very happy to meet the leaders
of the fighting Allies, including
Prime Minister Winston Church
ill. Premier Josef Stalin. Gener
alissimo Chiank Kai-Shek and
Gen. Charles DcGau lie. He said
however, that he had not initiat
ed any steps toward any meet
ings with them.
His conference drew an all-
time high number of reporters
348 into the circular presi
dential office. The crowd over
flowed out onto a side terrace
and the room within 20 minutes
became almost unbearably hot
Mr. Truman stood up during
the conference and answered the
questions with a straight-forward
directness that twice moved a
number of the reporters to applaud-
loudly a rare occurrence
in a White House news confer
ence.
Mr. Truman said that he had
asked Mr. Roosevelt's three sec
retaries Stephen T. Early, Wil
liam D. Hassett and Jonathan
Daniels end Judge Samuel I
Roscnman to stay at their posts
and help train Truman's White
House team.
No S. F. Plans
Discussing the United Nations
LEND-LEASE ACT IS
BY
Washington, April 17. (U.R)
President Truman today signed
the lend-lease extension act. He
said the lend-lease program "will
be carried on until the uncondi
tional surrender or complete de
feat of Germany and Japan.'
The president signed the legis
lation shortly after he had con
ferred briefly with members of
the American delegation to the
United States conference at San
Francisco.
'Lend-lease,' ha said in a
statement, "has been an effect
ive instrument to help assure a
complete united nations victory
with the least cost in American
and allied lives."
conference that begins at San
Francisco next week, Mr. Tru
man said he had no plans to at
tend the conference at any time
He said he would stay at his
desk here where he belonged.
He said he planned, however, to
welcome the delegates through
a brief radio address on the
opening day.
In hard hitting phrases Mr.
Truman said he had a compe
tent delegation going to San
Francisco to represent the Inter
ests of this nation and that he
would back them up from his
desk at Washington.
The questioning veered Into
the domestl- field and Mr. Tru
man was asked about reports
that he would lift the ban oi
horse racing.
The president said flatly that
he did not Intend to lift the ban
Then someone In the rear jf
the room wanted to know wheth
er the same thing applied to the
curfew, the brownout, and a
number of other similar restric
tions. Truman answered this by say
ing that he thought they had
done a lot of good for the morale
of the nation and ought to stay
in force.
STAGE
T
London, April 17 (U.R)
Stockholm dispatches today car
ried the first authentic reports
of mutiny in the German navy,
whose revolt in World War I
led to the Reich's capitulation.
The mutiny apparently was on
a comparatively small scale for
the moment, but observers be
lieved it may spread as Allied
armies move to cut off the Bal
tic coast from the rest of the
country.
The Stockholm Newspaper Da
gens Nyheter said 12 German
sailors arrived at the Swedish
port of Strocmstad on ihe Katte
gat aboard a naval patrol vessel
and surrendered for Interment.
The sailors told Swedish au
thorities they lad overwhelmed
their two officers, locked them
up and fled from a Norwegian
harbor, Dagens Nyheter said.
SIDE GLANCES
By
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Claud Hoover coining a few
new ones while extricating him
self from a hip-deep barnyard
mudhole.
The draft board galsclimblng
on the city hall roof for the
'steenth time to rescue a wren
when trapped in the skylight
Verl "Marconi" Walker let
ting a little information on
"FM" radio from a source that
didn't know much about it.
GRISLY EVIDENCE
OF JAP SAVAGERY
IS
Massacre of Men, Women
and Children Set New
High in Wanton Sadism.
Washington, April 17 (U.PJ
Hundreds of men, women and
children were massacred by the
Japanese in Manila in an in
credible wave of terror during
the first two weeks of February
the War Department said today.
The Japanese killed their vic
tims by shooting, bayoneting,
burning, starvation,' suffocation
and beating, the department
said.
Incredible Evidence
The War Department released
sworn first-hand accounts of
American army officers and en
listed men who saw and exam-
Washington, April 17 (U.R)
The Tokyo radio is broad
easting stories of "Ku Klux
Klan" tactics against Japanese-Americans
in the west
coast in attempts to discredit
the coming San Francisco con
ference and the proclaimed,
principles ol the United Na
tions, it was learned today.
Dillon S. Myer, director of
the was relocation authority,
told the United Press by tele
phone from San Francisco that
"some damage already has
been done" by the Japanese
propaganda among the world's
non-white population.
ined 'hundreds of victims. Sworn
statements of mutilated surviv
ors, and captured Japanese docu
ments obtained by Gen. Douglas
MacArthur s headquarters.
"This evidence proves the
Japanese campaign of terror in
Manila so Incredible by all civ
ilized standards that the most
thorough verification and docu
mentation were necessary," the
War Department said.
Brig. Gen. Carlos P. Romulo,
resident commissioner of the
Philippines to the United States
described the massacres to Con
gress as the War Department
was releasing its information.
A captured Japanese battalion
order dated Feb 8 said:
How to Kill
"When Filipinos are to be
killed, they must be gathered
into one place and disposed of
with the consideration that am
munition and manpower must
not be used to excess. Because
the disposal of dead bodies Is a
troublesome task, they should
be gathered into houses which
are scheduled to be burned or
demolished. The) should also be
thrown Into the river."
Such orders "unleashed wan
ton savagery upon defenseless
Manila," the War Department
said.
"Men between the ages of 15
and 60 were ordered seized and
shot down," it said. "Execution
parties moved from house to
house with hand grenades, Dayo
nets and torches. Hundreds were
packed Into dungeons to perish
of starvation and suffocation.
Patients Bayonetted
"Japanese soldiers massacred
without mercy at Concordia
College and De La Salle College
and at the Red Cross building,
where doctors and nurses and
patients were indiscriminately
bayoneted," the War Department
said.
"The evidence Includes grisly
exhibiU of sadism. Babies were
repeatedly stabbed and slashed
with bayonets, even In their
mothers' arms. Women and
young girls were violated, their
breasts amputated, and their
genitals stabbed with bayonets.
"Hundreds were bound and
soaked with gasoline, or enclr
cled with blazing fuel, Survlv
ors report that the Japanese
mocked and laughed at their vie
tuns."
One witness said ha discov
ered the bodies of 70 men, wom
en and children near the home
for Catholic brothers.
Women Mutilated
"Soma of the women were
Ike To Proclaim
V-E Day Only On
Job Completion
Paris, April 17. (U.R) Gen
Dwight D. Eisenhower will pro
claim V-E day only after the last
important German pockets on
the western front have been
wiped out.
He served notice to this effect
yesterday at an interview at his
field headquarters with a group
of visiting American radio corre
spondents.
The war in Europe is not like
ly until allied troops, have occu
pied Germany completely, he
said. He doubted there ever
would be a formal Nazi surren
der. ILL
F.D.R. FAILING AT
YALTA MEETING
London, April 17. (U.R)
Prime Minister Churchill' told
commons today that he noticed
President Roosevelt was ailing
at Yalta, and left him at Alexan
dria with an "Indefinable sense
of fear that his health and
strength were on the ebb."
At the Crimea conference,
Churchill said In a tribute to Mr.
Roosevelt, "his captivating smile
and his gay, charming manner
had I not deserted him, but his
face had a transparency, an air
of purification even. There was a
faraway look In his eyes."
Churchill spoke In commons
of his personal regard and af
fection beyond my power to ex
press" for Mr. Roosevelt after
attending memorial services at
St. Paul's, where he wept open
ly. Churchill said he received his
last messages from Mr. Roose
velt last Thursday. They "show
ed no falling off In his accus
tomed clear vision and vigor
upon perplexing and complicat
ed matters."
Altogether, he said, he and
Mr. Roosevelt had exchanged
more than 1,700 messages. On
the basis of these and his per
sonal association with the presi
dent, he "conceived an admira
tion for him as a statesman, a
man of affairs, and as a war
leader. I felt the utmost confi
dence In his upright, inspiring
character and outlook."
pregnant," his affidavit de
clared. "On the body of one
woman the breasts had been cut
off. All of the bodies found
were pierced by several bayo
net wounds."
Another witness, Identified as
a captain In the medical corps
discovered 48 bodies strewn
along a small stream.
Most of the dead had their
hands tied behind their backs, he
said.
The affidavit of a sergeant
who discovered the corpses of 45
women declared that evidence of
assault was apparent.
His affidavit also disclosed
that children were found among
this group of dead, all of whom
had been cruelly bayonetted.
Wallace Gives "Hell of an Answer"
Says Sen. Wiley in
Washington, April 17 (U.R)
Secretary of Commerce Henry
A. Wallace today told Sen. Alex
ander Wiley, R., Wis., that he
was "Just talking for a third
world war" when Wiley object'
ed to renewal of the Trade
Agreements act.
Wiley told Wallace that was
"a hell of an answer."
The clash occurred during
Wallace's testimony before a
senate small business subcom
mlttce after the secretary had
with continued authority for the
called for renewal of the act
President to reduce tariffs SO
per cent.
Wiley asked how Wallace
would apply his theories to a
specific instance such as shoe
TWAR FLEET
OF 1,191 SHIPS
IS NAVTC PLAN
Public Given First Glimpse
of Blueprints in Appropri
ation Recommendations.
Washington. April 17. (U.R)
A tentative navy plan for a post
war fleet of 1,191 combat ships
almost three times the size of
the pre-war fighting fleet was
presented to congress today.
The public was given Its first
glimpse of the navy's postwar
blue-print as the house appropri
ations committee recommended
a $24,879,510,548 navy depart
ment budget for the 1948 fiscal
year Btarting next July 1. This
was a slash of $452,655,104 from
estimates previously approved
by the budget bureau.
Too Many In Navy
Vice Adm. Frederic J. Home,
vice chief of naval operations,
was revealed to have told the
appropriations committee that
the navy expects to end tha war
with 1,528 combat ships, rang
ing down In size to destroyer
escorts and submarines. Of these
337 obsolescent craft would be
scrapped or used as target ves
sels. While tha commutes
mended approval of most of the
navy'a requests, it sharply criti
cized personnel doIIcv and ax-
pressed the belief that there was
entirely too much" commission
ed and enlisted personnel "In Jobs
normally filled bv civilian, hnth
In Washington and throughout
me country.
It ursed Rerrtni-ir nl tha
Navy James Forrestal to "take
immediate measures to effect
such curtailment both of white
collar and servlcn nprnnnl a
would bring the number of each
wunin essential bounds."
GEORGE JANTZER SELLS
PROSPECT LUMBER MILL
The Jantzer Lumher rnmnnnv
mill at Prosncct hpffan niviri.
tions yesterday under new own
ership. Thomas Ross of Grants
Pass and James f!ushlntf r,t nnlr.
land, Calif., purchased the mill
irom ueorge L.. Jantzer and Ed
ward Pease and wlllmaniirar-t.
ure fir and pondcrosa sugar
nine. Annttt 2.1 mjn .Dr. Mnn nv.
ed at the mill, which will be
known as the Ross-Cushing Lum
ber company.
SGT. JACK YOUNG IS
SAFE, FATHER LEARNS
Sgt. Jack E. Young, who was
reported shot down over Ger
many recently, has been released
from a hospital and Is in good
health, according to a message
received by his father, Ray
Young, 327 North Grape street.
No further details were given in
the message, Young said.
Sgt. Youngs' mother resides at
329 North Riverside.
Wild coffee plants grow In
southern and western Abyssinia
in extensive forests, the supply
being practically unlimited.
Hearing Gash
factory. In his home town of
Chippewa Falls, Wis., Wiley
said, a manufacturer told him
that if tariffs wore reduced he
could buy shoes abroad and re
sell them here cheaper than he
could make them.
"How do your theories apply
to that?" Wiley demanded
"Won't they result In throwing
American workers out of their
Jobs and hurt American produc
tion?" "Senator," Wallace replied.
"I hate to hear you talking like
that. You're Just talking for a
third world war."
"That's a hell of an answer,"
Wiley snapped. "You're getting
cockeyed, that's what's tha mat
ter with you."
In
LTti
E
RIPS NEW HOLES
IN NAZIDEFENSE
Germans Say Large -Scale
Offensive on South End of
Front to Link With Yanks.
London, April 17. (U.R) Red
armies perhaps 2,000,000 strong
tore new holes In the eastern de
fenses of Berlin along a 150-mile
front today and one column was
reported only 17 miles from tha
Nazi capital.
While armored forces fought
near Eberswalde, 17 miles
northeast of Berlin, two mora
tank-supported Soviet divisions
plunged' through the Nazi Una
east of Letschin, 26 miles to tha
southeast and 30 miles from tha
capital, tha Germans said.
Another German broadcast
said tha Soviet attack at tha
southern end of tha new assault
front 'had "assumed the charac
ter of a large-scale offensive" in
itself, apparently aimed at link
ing up with the American third
army 80-odd miles to the west.
Soviet paratroops dropped
even closer to Berlin, but wera
encircled and wiped out, Nazi
broadcasts said.
SAVAGE BATTLE,
FOR MAGDEBURG
Paris, April 17 (U.R) Amer
ican 9th army tanks and Infan
trymen broke Into Magdeburg
from three sides today In a sav
age battle for the last four Elba
river bridges still standing on
the road to Berlin, 60 miles to
the northeast.
United Press War Correspond
ent Robert Vermillion reported
In a dispatch from Magdeburg
this afternoon that the Ameri
cans were advancing rapidly
through the flaming city after
having broken tha back of tha
nazi defenses In a fierce street
battle.
By la'.e afternoon the enemy
defenders, 2,000 to 4,000 strong,
had been herded back almost to
the river edge and their resist
ance was beginning to crack.
Bridges Remain
Vermillion said the nazis still
had not blown up the four key
bridges, raising the possibility
of a major break-through that
would spill the 9th army's full
striking power across the Elbe
on the direct road to Berlin.
The battle for Magdeburg
raged under an enormous pall of
smoke and flame created by a
four-hour American aerial and
artillery bombardment. Long
columns of American heavy
tanks were rolling in toward
the Elbe bridges, smashing down
nazi barricades and clearing the
way for the Infantry.
The assault coincided with
equally heavy American attacks
on Leipzig and Nuerenberg,
where other United States
troops were striking furiously
In the east and block the nazi
to link up with the Red armies
escape roads into the Bavarian
redoubt.
MORE CATTLE
Denver, April 17 (U.R) There
wera approximately 150,000
more head of cattle on feed for
market April 1 in tha eleven
corn-belt states this year than
last, it was shown today in a
survey released by tha federal
bureau of agricultural econom
ics. BASEBALL1
National
St. Louis 1 T 1
Chicago S 4 0
Wilks and W. Cooper; Derring
er and Livingston.
American
Boston 4 9 4
New York 8 J
Cecil and Walters; Donjld and
Garbark.