Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, April 23, 1945, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., April 23, 1945, Page 1, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Textm iss Nl Ul mm 5UV M Unittd Pre fortieth Year MiMWWftiifili fim Ahasaflafr ftff 0htU&tuL j li U . iBfiftWfc fliraafcMfclUftaM Early arrivals en the San Franctico scene war American delegate Cmdr. Harold Staitan (at left with Mri. Stauen); and (at right) Dean Virginia Gildersleeve and Sen. Arthur Vanden burg of Michigan. HIGH COURT NULLS TREASON PENALTY f . Washington, April 23. U.B The supreme court, ruling on a treason case for the first time in ita history, today set asroe the conviction of Anthony Cramer, German-born citizen of New York City, for giving aid to two of the Nazi saboteurs who land ed in this country in the summer of 1942. . The court found that the overt acts charged by the government against Cramer were not suffici ent to support a conviction for treason. The S to 4 decision was read by Justice Robert H. Jackson. Justice William O. Douglas' dis sent was signed by Chief Justice Harlan P. Stone and Justices Hugo L. Black and Stanley Seed. Cramer wai sentenced to a 45- year prison term by the federal district court at New York. It was charged that Cramer committed overt acts of treason by meeting with Werner Thiel nd Edward John Kerling two of the eight Nazis landed by sub marine at Florida and Long Island accepting money for safe keeping and concealing tneir identity from federal bu reau of investigation agents. COL MM LOCAL AIR BASE Lt. Col. William F. Kyle has . arrived in Med ford and today as sumed his duties as command ing officer of the Medford army air base. The colonel has been stationed at Spokane with the air technical service command head quarters. Capt. O. M. Smith, who 1ias been commanding officer at the base for the past 27 month, is leaving tonight for Spokane, where he will be stationed. He will be accompanied by Mrs. Smith and their son. Col. Kyle will bring his fam ily to Medford when a residence can be secured. T-5 WALTER L DYE IS WOUNDED IN EUROPE Walter L. Dye, technician Sth grade, has been wounded while serving in the European theater, according to the office of war in formation. He is the son of Ber nard L. Dye, 527 Mae street, Medford. SIDE GLANCES By TRIBUNE REPORTERS Anne Boitano deciding that the shortages of certain foods might be a blessing in disguise. Frank Humphrey compliment ing a friend on her cooking tal ents and declaring she made even turnips taste good. Paul Hanlin endeavoring to goad the Tribune reporters into action by passing along a few hot tips. Life Insurance owned per fam ily in the United States is now approximately $4,400, up almost 20 per cent ip the past live you . .. - j EDFORD Full Leased Wire IS. S. Delegation Holds First Meeting in Conference City San Francisco, April 23 U.R) The United States delegates to the Undo conference met for the first time here today as the Big Three Powers conferred at Wash ington in a last minute attempt to iron out the Polish dispute. Planes landing at nearby air fields and every train crossing the Sierras brought more dele gates and advisers to the confer ence. But most of the principals still were absent. French Foreign Minister George Bidault, chairman of his delegation, and French Minister of Public Health Francois Bil- ACTIVE IN CITY An epidemic of bad check passing has again hit this city and county with 15 cases report ed last week. District Attorney George W. Neilson reported to day. He admonished merchants and others to scrutinize the paper of all strangers, as the chances of recovery are slim. Wyatt Drennan, who is want ed in several Pacific coast cities on bad check charges, is now held in the county jail awaiting sentence, Neilson said. Several others are being sought on the same charge, the district attor ney added. The district attorney reports some of the checks are crudely drawn and easily detected. In several instances the handwrit ing is identical, from payee to indorser. Some of the check artists have departed and if caught, the cost of returning them would be more than the check amounts. Neilson said his office had been swamped with bad check reports most of last week with more coming in to day. BREAD AND WATER DISCOURAGE P-W'S Rupert, Ida . April 23 (U.R) German prisoners at the pris oner of war camp here prepared to return to work today after calling off their three-day strike started last Thursday when they refused to take orders from camp-appointed German non commissioned officer "straw bosses." By orders of Lt. Col. D. E. Smith, commanding officer of the camp, a bread and water diet was given the strikers fol lowing their action. The prison ers, 285 nazis, finding their bluff called, pleaded Sunday to re turn to work. Some of the striking- prison ers were placed in the guard house and slept on the floor Cots were removed. Others were placed behind barbed wires and quite a number of them had their sleeping quarters on the ground. WEATHER Northern California: Clear to day, tonight and Tuesday, warm- ex interior valley, today, - MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1945. loux, a delegate, were included in today s arrivals. Five of the seven U. S. dele gates met in an apparently rou tine preliminary session at their Nob Hill Hotel here. They were Sen. Arthur Vandenberg, R, Mich.; Rep. Charles A. Eaton R., N. J.; Rep. Sol Bloom, D. N. Y.; Cmdr. Harold Stassen, and Dean Virginia Gildersleeve pf Barnard College. Secretary of State Edward R Stettinius, chairman of the dele gation, was in Washington where he conferred with British Foreign Secretary Anthony Edenr and Soviet Foreign Commissar V. M. Molotov on the thorny Polish problem. He later confer red with President Truman at the White House. Netherlands Foreign Minister E. N. Van Kleffens, chief of his country's delegation, said the Dutch group would propose seven amendments to the Dum barton Oaks plan. One would be concerned with voting proced ure, and would be in opposition to the veto power now proposed for the five great powers the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia. 21 CALLED SINCE FIRST OF MONTH Twenty-one Jackson county men have been approved for service with the armed forces through Jackson county draft board No. 1 since April 1. Men approved for general military service at Portland on April 17 were Burr Edward Tye, Jack Hall Ghere. Berle George Thornton. Ausie Clarence Rock, Wilfred Scott Huffman, Robert Louis Higgins, Donald Edward Knips, George Frederick Davis, Leonard Robert McMahan, Rob ert Adrian Nelson, Harold Ernes son Archer, William Meyst, Jr., Donald Even Jones, Everette Lionel Hagbusch and Thomas William McFadden. Joseph William Roberts and Robert Howard Pof fenbarger were accepted at other dates. Edward Ralph Arnold was ac cepted for limited service and John Wally Smith for military service. Frederick Wilton Young er and Luke Erwln Lange were accepted for general service at San Francisco. . L. Brooks Hurt In Auto Smashup Z. L. Brooks, 57, night watch man for the Bear Creek Or chards, is recovering in Sacred Heart hosniUl from injuries sus tained in an automobile accident Sunrinv afternoon. Brooks was injured when his outomoblle col lided with a truck of the Oregon-Nevada-California fast freight line at the corner of North River side avenue and Edwards street. He was taken to the hospital after complaining of back in juries and hospital attendants this afternoon stated he was re covering satisfactorily. LAST FROM BERLIN Stockholm. April 23. U.R) The last German passenger plane from Berlin arrived at Stockholm today with only one passcfissf. Swedish couritt 126 JAP PLANED AND SIX VES Attack In Okinawa Area Costs 49 Airplanes More Islands Occupied by Yanks By United Press American Air Forces struck damaging blows against the Jap anese over the weekend. Marines landed on two more islands off Okinawa where U. S. Army troops battled with little success for the fourth straight day against Japanese defenses above Naha. the capital. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz disclosed that the airmen had wrecked 126 Japanese planes and six ships in two days of action along an 850-mile front from Japan to the southern Ryukyus, Rake Kyushu Additional planet may have been destroyed in two raids by Superfortresses on Kyushu air fields from which Japanese air men have been flying against ground and naval forces in the Okinawa area. Carrier planes shot down 49 Japanese aircraft from a force which attacked the Okinawa area Sunday afternoon. Four other Jananese nlanes were downed Saturday. Nimitz said the Jap anese sank one light fleet unit. Mustang fighters from Iwo Jima destroyed or damaged 47 enemy planes in an attack on su zuku airfield, 32 miles southwest of Nagoya on the Japanese home island of HonsHu Sunday. The Mustangs also swept Ise Bay south of Nagoya and sank two small oilers, a small tanker and a 6,000 to 8,000-ton cargo ship and damaged a coastal ves sel. Carrier planes raided enemy airfields at Amami in the north ern Ryukyus Sunday for the fifth straight day. In the last two days they shot dowi 16 planes, destroyed 10 on the ground and set a smell cargo vessel afire east of the Ryukyus. Nimitz announced that ele ments of the Third Marine Am phibious Corps occupied take Banare island east of Okinawa and had seized half of Sesoko island west of Motobu peninsula. Bitter fighting was reported continuing on southern Okinawa but Nimitz said there had been little change in American posi tions. He disclosed that Amer ican troops had killed 11,738 Japanese and captured 27 so far in the southern Okinawa of fensive. U. S. troops continued to push across Mindanao in the Philip pines against light resistance and were reported less than 50 miles from the large port of Davao. Strawberry Fields, Pear Orchards Are Now In Full Bloom Strawberry patches of the val ley are now in bloom, though in some areas they have been nip ped by frost. The crop will not be as large at last year, due to a reduced acreage, according to Assistant County Agent Clifford B. Cordy. Little of the local crop will be on the market before the first of June, and a week or ten days later in the hill sections. The fifth smudging of the season occurred in the pear orchards Sunday morning. The firing and the frost were light. Temperatures ranged from 28 to 34 degrees. The pear orchards are now in full bloom with the exception of a few Boscs. The warm weath er last week brought them out in a hurry. Judy Garland To Wed No. 2 in June Hollywood, April 23. U.PJ Judy Garland, singing screen star, disclosed today she and Director Vincente Minnelli would be married in New York City, probably in June. The place will be the Little Church Around the Corner in New York, she decided today. The exact date hasn't been set, but it will be soon after June 7, when her divorce from Com- ffOKt Dava Rom becomes. final,, Tribune United Preis jef Ceiling Boost Only Way to Gain Supplies, Is Word Washington, April 23 U.R) A spokesman for cattle pro ducers told the senate food in vestigating committee today that the only "sound way" to increase the meat supply is to boost ceil ing prices on top grades of beef. F. E. Molin of Denver, Colo., secretary of the American Na tional Livestock association, said the plan announced today by Economic Stabilization Director William H Davis does not go far enough.' Under the new plan the government will pump an additional $34,000,000 a year into the meat industry in an ef fort to kill the black market and increase supplies. Rome, April 23 U.R) Amer ican and British tanks neared the Po river today after surging 20 to 35 miles north from Bolog na in less than 48 hours. Eighth army units had smash ed within 2,500 yards of the air field at Ferrara, key road center three miles south of the Po. Modena, other Immediate ob jective of the northward push, also was directly threatened, but a partial news blackout hid the position of 5th army forces driv ing on the city. On Wide Front Allied force headquarters re ported that after "good prog ress," Sth and 8th army troops were nearing the river Po at several widely separated places an indication they had fanned out along a wide front after breaking loose on the Po plain. Measured due north of Bolog na, a 35-mile advance would put the Americans virtually on the banks of the Po, last big river barrier south of the Italian Alps, guarding the back door to Hit ler's Bavarian redoubt. The Germans were fleeing In disorder after the Bologna breakthrough, their retreating columns hammered and harried by allied air forces. Minefields, rather than enemy resistance, slowed American troops In the area northwest of Bologna and just south of the Panaro river. British Advance The British advanced toward Ferrara astride the Po di Prl maro river, which flows through the city. Adding to the German woes. Italian patriots were reported on the rampage behind the n a z i lines in northern Italy. A com munique from patriot headquar ters in occupied territory told of numerous successful ambushes throughout Piedmont. CANADIANS SWITCHED Ottawa, April 23 (U.R The first Canadian corps and attach ed troops which had been serv ing in the Italian theater of op erations since 1943 have been transferred to western Europe where they Joined the first Canadian army, acting Prime Minister J. L. Ilsley announced today. Congressmen and Editors Go To Eye Nazi Camp Horrors Washington. April 23. (U.R) A delegation of 30 congressmen and newspaper and magazine editors speeded toward Germany today to obtain for the Ameri can people more eyewitness evi dence of nazi concentration camp atrocities. Six senators, six members of the house and 18 editors com prised the delegation which left for Germany by air after a weekend of hurried preparation. The group made the trip un der war department sponsorship at the invitation of supreme al lied commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Meanwhile, Rep. Richard Har less, D., Ariz., told the United Press he had begun a drive to get at the truth regarding re ported coddling of German lris- Full Leased Wire NO. 27. BIG THREE ENVOYS IN ELEVENTH-HOUR EFFORTFOR UNITY Molotov, Eden and Stettinius Confer Before Leaving for San Francisco Conference Washington, April 23 U.PJ The urgent necessity of resolv ing political differences among their governments forced for eign ministers of the big three today to postpone departure for the San Francisco conference. The foreign ministers met again today for an hour and a half and scheduled another con ference for tonight. Washington, April 23.-(U.R) The foreign ministers of the United States, Great Britain and Russia conferred for an hour and a half again today in an eleventh hour attempt to straighten out big three disagreements before the San Francisco conference. At the conclusion of the meet ing, the second since Soviet For eign Commissar V. M. Molotov's arrival by airplane yesterday, Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., hastened to the White House. It was assumed he went there to report to President Truman on today's discussions with Molo tov and British Foreign Secre tary Anthony Eden. To Meet Again The foreign ministers, striving to achieve a united front on the organization of the Polish gov ernment and other problems, in dicated they would meet again later today. The three men ex pect to leave tonight for San Francisco where the world security conference opens on Wednesday. Eden talked with Stettinius alone before Molotov's arrival at the secretary's office and for five minutes after Molotov left the meeting. Stettinius refused to say whether the foreign ministers made any progress in today's discuss ions. Throughout the meeting, the corridors outside the secretary's office were pa trolled by both Russian and U. S. secret service men. The consultations were car ried out with the aid of English and Russian interpreters. JAMES WOLF ENTERS PLEA OF NOT GUILTY James A. Wolf, 63, charged with second degree murder for the slaying of Percy H. Ijames at Gold Hill last February, en tered a plea of not guilty in circuit court today. The trial was set for May 7. An early date was asked by the state but Attornew Don R. Newbury stat ed it would take that long for the defense to secure deposi tions. Wolf, held In the county Jail since last February 4, date of the affair, was re-indicted by the grand Jury last week after a defense demurrer to the original indictment was granted by Cir cuit Judge Herbert K. Hanna. Despite denials by Chairman Andrew J. May, D., Ky., of the house military affairs commit tee that German prisoners are receiving special treatment, Hnrless said he saw evidence In prisoner-of-war camps in his own state that prisoners not only are being pampered but that nazi military customs are al lowed to prevail. Just back from a visit to the Papago Park, Ariz., prisoner-of-war camp, Harless said: "I found pampered, well-fed German pris oners of war as fut as hogs there." "The people who have seen pictures of our own boys, ema ciated and mistreated in enemy camps, are in a frenzy over this matter, which has become a na Uuoai issue," bo dedaxed. -. Armored Spearheads Probe Berlin's Heart In Triple Onslaught London, April 23. (U.R) Russian armored spearheads were re ported probing into the heart of Berlin from three directions today, clanking along Unter den Linden and other famous streets within one to four miles of Potsdamer Platz. The German radio said Adolf Hitler was in personal command of the defense of Berlin. The red army had driven 10 miles deep into the enemy capital and held possession of a fourth of it. BATTLE SAID PRACTICALLY OVER A dispatch from Germany through Switzerland said "the battle of Berlin is practically over" and a United Press report from Mos cow said the plight of Berlin was becoming graver by the hour. The Luxembourg radio reported without confirmation that Rus sian and American forces had met south of Berlin in the area of Torgau, on the Elbe, but dispatches from the U. S. 9th and 1st armies said the historic junction apparently had not been made. A late Nazi broadcast said other soviet tanks were in the Marien dorf district, three miles south of Potsdamer Platz, and Licheter felde, four miles southwest of the famous crossroads in the heart of Berlin, from which Unter den Linden is a mile or so distant. CHAOS AND ANARCHY REPORTED IN CITY Swedish reports quoted one of the last air passengers out of ' Berlin as saying the city was in a state of chaos and partial anarchy. In many districts, he said, civilians were hunting down gestapo agents and dealing with them summarily. A Moscow dispatch said Russian siege guns lined up hub to hub from the northwestern to the southern fringes of the city, together with hundreds of Stormovik assault planes, had "pulverized vir tually the entire area toward the center of Berlin." ( Hitler Said Present OPEN FIGHT FOR LAST NAZI HAVEN Paris, April 23-XU.R) Three American and French armies opened the battle for Nazi Ger many's last retreat in the Bavar ian Alps today amid a flurry of reports that other American forces south of Berlin had linked up with the red army to merge the western and eastern fronts. Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's U. S. third army shot out in front of the Bavarian offensive with a sudden armored lunge south along the Czechoslovak border into the Danube valley 130-odd miles northwest of Berchtesgarden. Germans Stunned Patton's flying tank columns reeled off gains of as much as 32 miles in as many hours, sweeping up thousands of stun ned Nazi prisoners and liberat ing at least one enemy prisoner-of-war camp with hundreds of allied captives. Late dispatches said the third army crossed the Naab river on a seven-mile front after captur ing Nabburg and Schwarzenfcld and pushed southeast four to five miles to the Kemmath and Wilhof areas. At Kemmath, they were 23 miles north of the Danubian fortress of Regens burg, little more than 70 miles from Munich and 123 miles from Berchtesgadcn. Other third army forces were moving down on the Danube along a front of more than 30 miles extending west from the Naab river to Neumarket, 18 miles southwest of Nuernberg. Amberg, 14 miles west of the river, was captured by an un identified third army Infantry force. At the same time, tht U. S. seventh army broke across the Danube at Dillingen, 64 miles southwest of Nuernberg, and fanned out along a seven-mile stretch of the river's south bank to Hochstadt and Lauingen, about 53 miles northwest of Munich. Another seventh army column reached the Danube farther west at Ehingcn, moving within 10 miles of French first army troops who pushed 18 miles east ward from their Danube bridge head at Sigmaringen to Keppcl. SEEK FUNDS FOR T Portland, Ore., April 23 (U.R) Townsend groups and support ers throughout the United States will found a national daily news paper with which to fight for social security for uncmploy nblcs, if funds can be raised, Dr. Francis E. Townsend, national president, announced here Sun day. The new daily would supplant the organization's weekly, which hax a circulation of about 150, 000. Dr. Townsend blamed 'grudging publicity from radio and newspapers" as chief cause of defeat by voters last fall of the Townsend employment and irstyemwit propojal. - The German radio said Hitler was in the "main fighting line" in embattled Berlin and had thrown into the capital's defensa "all the military power avail able to Germany." Official American and soviet reports said the two armies still were 34 miles apart, however, and supreme headquarters said the Junction probably would ba announced Jointly by Washing ton, Moscow and London. The 10-mile soviet break through to the Unter den Linden from Berlin's eastern limits waa reported by the neutral Swiss radio and by Swedish corres pondents filing the first uncen sored dispatches of the war from the doomed capital. They said soviet tanks wera rolling along the broad tree lined avenue with guns blazing. White flags were flying in tha center of th. city, the Swis radie said. , Goebbels Flees Paul Joseph Goebbels, nasi propaganda minister and gaulei ter of Berlin, was reported to hava fled the capital less than 24 hours after promising to re main with the inhabitants In a stand to the death. More than 8,000 Germans r-ere killed or captured yester day, the soviet high command said. It reported that fighting continued "day and night with out a single hour's interruption. While the main Russian ar mies aimed at the heart of Ber lin, reserves of Marshal Greg ory K. Zhukov's 1st White Rus sian group swung northwest and southwest in a bid to encircle the capital and its defenders. Dorothy Jeanne Rees, 27. is lodged in the county Jail after being arrested Saturday by Juve nile authorities on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She has been resid ing as man and wife with a 16-year-old Medford youth sine early in 1944. They have been living In both Klamath and Jack son county. Mrs. Rees, who is dlverced from her husband, Is the mother of three children given to cus tody of her husband at the time of the divorce, accordnlg to Rob ert M. Elder, Juvenile officer. They are now with her mother in Josephine county. The youth has been "known" to local Juvenile officers In tha past, Elder said. . WAR BULLETINS' Washington, April 23 OJ.RJ The German government has offered to leave all allied pris oners of war In prison camps as the allies advance, the war department announced today. London, April 23 (U.R) Joseph Kramer, S3 command ant of the Belten "death camp." has been tried and executed, the Evening Stand ard said today London, April 23.x-0J.RW An Exchange Telegraph dis patch from tha northwestern front tonight said a question has been raised whether on of three bodies found in a wrecked car might be that of . Heinrich Himmler, gettapa chief and commander ot tha CaimtB bom urn !