Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, December 19, 1945, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., December 19, 1945, Page 1, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextTruman Asks Service Merger i To Convince World That U. S. Prepared For Atomic Bomb Washington, Dec. 19 U.R) President Truman asked congress today to merge the army and navy into a single department of national defense to convince the world we "mean business" in our determination to be prepared in this age of sudden, atomic warfare. Warning that any future war will erupt "more suddenly than .(he last," with the United States very likely the first target, he told the lawmakers that unification of the services was the most effective preparedness insurance. "I urge this as the best means of keeping the peace," he said In a 6,000 word special message to the house and senate, TRUMAN SIDES WITH ARMY IN CONTROVERSY Mr. Truman's unequivocal recommendation for a merger was a clear-cut victory for the war department, which had advocated it, and a defeat for the navy, which had opposed it bitterly. The president offered a seven-point program to carry out the merger. He coupled it with an urgent plea that congress also ap- prove his request for compulsory military training for 18-20 year old youths. This is necessary, he said, to provide a reserve "upon which we can draw if, unhappily, it should become necessary." "A grave responsibility will rest upon the congress if it con tinues to delay this most important and urgent measure," he said. Legislation for universal training has been languishing in com mittee since the president first proposed it October 23. Mr. Truman's merger proposal, almost identical to the plan advocated by the war department, raised the possibility of navy resignations. Navy Secretary James V. Forrestal and his assistant, H. Struve Hensel, who have been outspoken against a merger, " now must cease opposition or clash openly with their commander-in-chief. FORRESTAL OUTSPOKEN IN OPPOSING MERGER Forrestal fired his latest anti-merger salvo only last night. He made public a letter from former war production chief Donald M. Nelson, who said unification would not be in the best interest of all services. Under the president's proposal, the new cabinet department of national defense would be under a single civilian secretary. Air powers for the first time would enjoy equal status with land and sea forces, all three being under separate assistant secretaries. The navy would keep its carrier and water-based aviation but not land-based units. It would also retain the marine corps. I Noting that congressional committees have held extensive hearings on merger legislation, Mr. Truman said: "Further studies of the general problem would serve no use ful purpose. There is enough evidence now at hand to demonstrate beyond question the need for a unified department." PROGRAM ADVOCATED FOR CONGRESS ACTION He therefore asked congress to adopt this program: 1. Creation of a single department of national defense "charged with the full responsibility for armed national security" and con sisting of the trmed and civilian forces now included in the war and navy departments. 2. A civilian, nominated by the president as a .cabinet mem ber, would head the new department as secretary of national de fense. Under him would be a civilian undersecretary and several civilian assistant secretaries. 3. There would be three branches of the new unified depart ment land forces, naval forces and air forces, each under an assistant secretary. This would result in creation of a separate air force, although the navy would keep its separate carrier and water-based air units. 4. The undersecretary and the assistant secretaries would be available at all times for assignments by the president or the secretary of national defense. 5. The president and the secretary should be given authority to set up central coordinating and service organizations in the rrmed services, principally in the scattered field of procurement. - This would reduce costs of operation by eliminating duplication. 6. There would be a chief of staff for the overall department with subordinate commanders for each of the component branches army, navy and air. 7. The chief of staff and the commanders of the three coordi nate branches would make up an advisory body to the president and the secretary. CHIEF OF STAFF POST WOULD BE ROTATED As "an added precaution" against overemphasis of any one branch of service, Mr. Truman recommended that the post of chief of staff be rotated among the services at least every two or three years. No one officer should serve as chief of staff for more than a single term except in case of war emergencies, the president said. "Unification of the services must be looked upon as a long term job," he said. "But in the comparative leisure of peacetime, and utilizing the skill and experience of our staff and field com manders who brought us victory, we should start at once to achieve the most efficient instrument of national safety." In his message, the president took note of the opposition to merger not only from Forrestal and Hensel but also from such uniformed navy leaders as Adm. Ernest J. King, former chief of ' naval operations, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, present operations chief, Adm. William F. Halsey and others. "I can assure the congress," the president said, "that once uni fication has been determined upon as the policy of this nation, there is no officer or civilian in any service who will not con tribute his utmost to make the unification a success." MILITARISM FEAR DECLARED WITHOUT BASIS He also rejected arguments that creation of a single cabinet post of national defense would place too much power in the hands of one man and possibly lead to militarism. "There is no basis for such fear," Mr. Truman said, "as long as the traditional policy of the United States is followed that a civilian, subject to the president, the congress and the will of the people, be placed at the head of this department." In a clear reference to rocket bombs and atomic weapons, Mr. Truman said that "technological developments have made the armed services much more dependent upon each other than ever before." "If there is ever going to be another global conflict, he said "it is sure to take place simultaneously on land and sea and in the air with weapons of ever greater speed and range. Our com bat forces must work together in one team as they have never hrpn renuirpd to work toeether in the past. "We must assume, further that more suddenly than the last, and that it would striKe directly at the United States." Therefore, he said, we must maintain in constant readiness unified and effective strength to convince any future porzential aggressor "that this nation, in its determination for a lasting peace, means business." PLAN PARALLELS LEGISLATION ALREADY OFFERED Mr. Truman's merger plan closely paralleled legislation al ready introduced by Sen. Lister Hill, D., Ala. Merger proponents greeted the president's message warmly and said it more than fulfilled their expectations. Mr. Truman started out in his message by admitting that dur ing the war just concluded, this nation paid a "high price" for the lack of central direction and unified command in Washing ton. The Joint chiefs of staff set up during the war, he said, was a form of coordination and "better than no coordination at all, but it was in no sense a unified command." Warning that national security was being gravely "risked" if present imperfections in the American defense organization were not corrected "now," the president raid: "However great was the need for coordination and unified command in World War II, it is sure to be greater if there Is any future aggression against world peace." Mr. Truman hammered repeatedly at his underlying reason for unification: To be prepared in event of another war. i "Among the things that have encouraged aggression and the spread of war in the past," he said, "have been the unwillingness of the United States realistically to face this fact, and her refusal to fortify her aims of peace before the forces of aggression could gather its strength. "The future peace of the world will depend in large part upon whether or not the United State shows that it is really determin ed to cocUuue ia i'.i xoig is i another war would strike much lender ajnucs nation;." I Medford United Prest ' Fortieth Year U. S. Battleship Ston E E SPRING OF 1941 Investigating Committee Told Nazi Spies in U. S. Tipped Off Axis Partner. Washington, Pec. 19 U.R) Japan learned from nazi spies in the spring of 1941 that the United States had broken some of its codes, the Pearl Harbor investigating committee was told today. Committee Counsel William D. Mitchell introduced messages exchanged between Berlin and Tokyo which revealed that Ger man espionage agents in this country tipped Japan off about U. S. code-breaking. The intercepts were introduc ed as Vice Adm. Theodore S. Wilkinson, former chief of naval intelligence, was recalled for further questioning about events leading up to the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Nail Spies Effective The first message, taken from army files, was dated April 16. 1941. It was front, Tokyo to Berlin and said JapaVsuspected "that codes" were being read "by foreign powers." The next dispatch, from Ber lin to Tokyo on May 3, was more definitive. It advised the Japa nese government that the nazis were maintaining an effective espionage system in the United States which had "quite reliably established" that this country was reading diplomatic messages from Washington to Tokyo. Despite this and other mes sages of similar import, evidence before the committee indicates that Japan never changed her codes to an extent sufficient to make them unbreakable by the United States. Gen. George C. Marshall, for mer army chief of staff, testi fied recently that the United States continued to break Japa nese codes throughout the war. He said Information gleaned from such interceptions made possible some of the greatest allied victories of the Pacific war. Speedup Eyed Committee members were weighing the possibility of speeding up the hearings by calline Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short and Adm. Husband E. Kimmeli to the stand Immediately after the Christmas recess. Short and Kimmel, army and navy commanders at Pearl Har bor when the Japanese blow fell, have been accused of dere liction of duty. Chairman Alben W. Barkley, D., Ky., planned to call an exe cutive session late today to con sider the future course of action. ARMY POINT COT ELIGIBLE DEC. 31 Washington, Dec. 19 0J.R) The army today liberalized its discharge provisions to make an additional 600,000 men and women eligible on Dec. 31 to re turn to civilian life. It lowered the point discharge score from 55 to 50 points for enlisted men and from 73 to 70 for male officers other than those in the medical services. At the same time, it reduced the length of service requisite to separation on Dec. 31 from 42 to 36 months for enlisted men and from 48 to 45 months for male officers not in medical de partments. The army, also, for the first time, made length of service a criterion for discharge of Wac personnel. Enlisted Wacs will be discharged after 30 months and Wac officers after 39 months of honorable service. Wac officers and enlisted per sonnel married to a discharged World War II veteran may be separated on application with out other qualification. Other married Wacs who enlisted be fore May 12 are eligible for dis charge on application. The dis charge scores for Wacs remains unchanged 32 points for en listed Wacs and 37 points for officers. Full Leased Wlr BY NAVY COURT Capt. McVay Should Have Ordered Zig-Zag Course Is Decision; Was Efficient Washington, Dec. 19 (U.R) Capt. Charles B. McVay III to day was found guilty on a navy charge that he was "negligent" in failing to order the cruiser Indianapolis to follow a zigzag course before her sinking last July 30. The cruiser was sunk by a Japanese submarine in the Philippines sea with the ultimate loss of 80 lives. McVay was found Innocent on a second navy charge that he was guilty of "inefficiency" in failing to order the crew to abandon the ship promptly. Adm. Wilder D. Baker, presi dent of the court, said that the specifications in the charge that McVay had not issued "timely" orders to abandon ship "was not proved." McVay, who testified in his own behalf yesterday, said he did not order the ship to pursue a zig-zag course because he did not believe it necessary in view of cloudy weather conditions. Washington, Dec. 19 U.R) Winston Churchill, former prime minister of Great Britain, will come to this country lor. .a. vaca-. tion late in January. The White House said that Churchill was acting on a rec ommendation of his physician, Lord Moran, that he have a com plete rest and spend at least a month in a warm climate. He will go to Florida during February to stay at the home of Col. Frank Clarke of Quebec. Churchill has accepted the in vitation of Westminster College, Fulton, Mo., to deliver an ad dress on world affairs on next March 5. The White House said Presi dent Truman had endorsed the invitation and would introduce Churchill to the college audi ence. CHAMBER BALLOTING ON BOARD DIRECTORS Balloting on Jackson County Chamber of Commerce directors will take place during the next several days, with ballots con taining the names of 18 persons nominated by the general mem bership going into the mails to day. Nine will be elected from the list. Marked ballots are to be re turned to the Chamber of Com merce not later than Dec. 27 at 2:30 p. m. according to Frank Hull, manager. More Display Company Latest Addition to City's Industry Newest industry, for Medford and Jackson county is the More Display company, operated by Cecil Ray More, who within the past week moved his business from Santa Cruz, Calif., to the Rogue River Valley. More will begin operations on a limited scale tomorrow in the old dance hall at Four Corners and Is now negotiating for a site within the city limits upon which to con struct a permanent building. When permanently establish ed, More states he will probably employ 18 or 20 persons on a year-round business. The firm supplies designs and material for advertising displays for some of the nation's largest firms. As a basis for these More uses such materials as lodgepole pine boughs and cones, manzanita branches, mullrn plants, grape vine trunks, fir boughs, drift wood and sea shells. These ar ticles will be assembled, treated and shipped from the Medford plant. Orders being filled now are for spring displays, More said, and he is also now work ing on plans for next year's Christmas displays. Among the firms which used Morc's displays for the present Chriitnias season wcr Is'ciman JImTribune MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1945 Big Three M E&.tot-A 13.'A..Awft.-.. Envoys of the B1r Three nations (left to r!pht, ForolRii Minister Bcvln. Orcnt Britnin: Foreign Commissar Molotov, U. S. S. Ft., and Secretary of Stnte Byrnes. United Stutes, stand for opening of current conference at Spirldunovka Palace. Moscow. Russia. Big Three Conference Gains With Return of Josef Stalin Moscow, Dec. 19 flJ.R) The Big Three foreign ministers conference gained momentum today with the return of Gen eralissimo Stalin to the Krem lin. The talks were known to be proceeding In an atmosphere of cordiality and earnestness. There was no mistaking the zeal with which the conferees were attacking their problems so that the Big Three can attend BRITON JEME DIES ON GALLOWS London, Dec. 19 (U.R) John Amery, 33-year-old renegade son of former India Secretary L. S. Amery, was hanged in Wands worth prison today for high treason and confessed treachery to King George VI. Amery broadcast for Germany during the war and tried to en list British prisoners of war in to a "free corps" to fight beside the Germans against the Rus sians. He died on the gallows of the drab southwest London prison, barely a mile from his wealthy father's town house. He had been estranged from his family for several years, but they had sought evidence to save him. Amery pleaded guilty before an astonished courtroom at the Old Bailey on Nov. 28 and re ceived an automatic death sen tence in a trial lasting only eight minutes. Yoscmite Park derived Its name from the Yoscmite tribe of Indians, whose name meant "grizzly bear." & Marcus, Dallas, Tex.; Marshall Field company of Chicago, Bul locks, J. W. Robinson company and the May company, Los An geles, and Roos Brothers of the Bay area. Building Planned Morc's permanent building will be erected of pumice blocks in U-shape, with two buildir.gs 80 by 28 feet and one building 50 by 28 feet. More began business with his father, L. R. More, Florida, who pioneered in the display busi ness, supplying firms with the first preserved palm trees ever used for display purposes. The elder More still operates a Flor ida branch, supplying tropical material for firms throughout the nation. Advantages Her Medford's climate, availabil ity of natural materials, and ac cess to air lines and express and freight facilities influenced Morc's decision to move his op erations from Santa Cruz to the Rogue River valley, he declares The Mores purchased the resi dence of Dr. and Mrs. Walt Hoppc at 1806 East Main street and arrived in the city lat week. They have two children, twu and five J cars of age. a -Periled Off ters Begin Moscow MiiftoiY-ShihltjnllrfVii the forthcoming meeting of the United Nations assembly with substantially unconflicting if not identical views. News Blacked Out With a fourth session listed today, the foreign secretaries have spent more than eight hours in intensive round table discussions in the mnrblc-lincd conference room of Spiridonov ka palace. Not a word of their progress or topics has been re vealed. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes nnd Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin looked a bit worn out when -they emerged from the Tuesday afternoon session with Molotov which lasted three hours and 20 minutes. They had Just .tackled the first concrete problem. The news blackout will be continued, all parties having agreed that they can seek a more effective understanding without a preliminary public airing. During the London council of foreign ministers in October, it was recalled, the Soviet press was highly critical of foreign' news commentators, whom it charged with helping to complicate the Issues. In Clot Touch Byrnes and Bevin are In dally touch with the White House and Whitehall, cither by radio or direct telephone. British air couriers make daily flights to London, weather permitting. IS HOPE OE London, Dec. 1!) 4J.R) Re ports that atomic problems had been relegated to a secondary position at Moscow encouraged United Nations delegates today to note that Russian may have agreed in principle to an Anglo American plan for setting up a UNO atomic commission. The plan of the western allies would establish an atomic com mission at the January assembly meeting of the UNO in London. The atomic bomb problem would be turned over to the security council and its military staff committee. Military Control They will have control over all military matters, and are allowed under the charter to study and plan the regulation of armaments. The security council is the only body of the UNO which wojld be able to fulfill the Truman-Attlee suggestion for outlawing the atomic bomb. UNO delegates were divided shiirply over whether the or ganization in the future should accept gifts of land, libraries, money and the like from In dividuals, private organizations or governments. Part of the opposition to gilts stems from the United States reputation for hospitality and lavish gifts. Many delegates fear the wealth of the United States might add to the influence that country will have by virtue of having tile UNO permanent headquarters. United Press Full Conference ( Armm Rnrfuhl clvnhoto) Momentum to Kremlin Bevin has been keeping the dominions envoys fully inform ed, while the French nnd Chin ese ambassadors enjoy free access to both him and Byrnes. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes and Bevin were expected to call upon Generalissimo Stal in on or before Friday, his 66th birthday. Stalin returned to his desk In the Kremlin yesterday after a Black sea vacation last ing more than two months. SEEK WlACT ON NORTH FIR SI, Request has been made that the city sell four lots adjoining the north end of the city equip ment yards at Fir and Jackson streets and that permission be given to install spur tracks on Evergreen street next to the property. City Superintendent Frank Rogers announced to the council last night. The matter has been refered to the land appraisal committee for investigation. Lots 24 and 25, Emlgh divi sion, on 12th street were voted changed from a residential to a light industrial zone in order that a nursery can be built there. The property is owned by J. Vernon Marshall who plans to establish three green houses. He will .specialize in growing ca mellias. Lot Sales Approved Sale of the following lots was approved: Lots seven and eight, Block three, West Walnut Addition to Phyllss and Lois Simmons, price $200; Lot 11, Block two, Tultles Third Addition to Richard I. Simmons, price $100; Lot four. Block three. West Walnut Park to George W. Sim mons, price $100; Parts of Lot eight, Block three. Medford Heights Addition and of Lots three, eight and nine. Imperial Addition to James Chamberlain, price $350; Lot seven, Block seven, Med ford Heights Addition to Helen M. Bullis. price $175; Lot eight, Block seven, Med ford Heights Addition to Seth M. Bullis. price $175; Lot 11, Block one, Kenwood Addition, to Ralph McGonagle, price $160; Lots 17 and 18, Block six. Siskiyou Heights Addition to Edward W. Drennan, price S200: Lot 17, Block one, Kenwood Addition to O. D. Tucker, price $150; Lot seven, Block four. Mary Place Addition to II. F. Girard, price $:)00; Lot four, Block two, Summit Avenue Heights Addition to Earl II. Johnson, price $275. ELEVATOR BURNS Kalispell, Mont., Dee. 19 (U.R) A fire of undetermined origin completely destroyed the Kalis pell Mercantile company's grain elevator and warehouse here last night. Harry Keith, company manager, climated damage be tween $90,000 and $100,000. Leased Wlr NO. 230. Azores LISBON DISPATCH SAYS WASHINGTON BATTLINGJVAVES Report Received as Cruiser, Carrier Prepare to Dock in England For Repair. London. Dec. 19 U.R) . An unofficial and unconfirmed report from Lisbon today said the American battleship Wash ington was in danger off the Azores, presumably from gales sweeping wide reaches of tha Atlantic. A United Press dispatch from Lisbon said the U. S. embassy was checking with the Portu guese navy department on tho report circulating there that the 35.000-ton Washington was in danger. The navy department said It was unable either to confirm or deny the report immediately. No details were available, tha Lisbon dispatch said. Other Craft Damaged Tho report of danger to tha Washington came as tha Ameri can cruiser Augusta and aircraft carrier Wasp prepared to dock in South England for rpnnira nf storm damage that delayed tha nomewara voyage of some 6,500 U. S. troops. The Washington, which with, the sister ship North Carolina make up the Washington clasi battleships, was completed in Mnrch. 1942, at a cost of $76, 885,750. Her normal comple ment Is about 2,000 men, By United Press A paralyzing blizzard bora down on the New England state today, Its tail flicking across New York City, whlla new heavy snows spread an eight to 12-Inch blanket over much of the eastern half of tha country. A special weather bureau bulletin said that gale wind bearing six Inches of snow would sweep Into New England! from the south during the day. Northeast storm warnings flew from Eastport, Me., to Rock Island, R. I., for winds of 50 to 60 miles per hour, with 70-mila gusts expected to knife across the southern portion. Entire Area Hit The entire eastern seaboard was hit, the precipitation taklnsj the form of rain in the southern coastal states. The city's transportation de partments fought to keep tha lines operating. Surface trans portation was reduced to half speed. In the face of the approaching! blizzard, New Englanders wera warned to leave their automo biles at home. The snow brought some relief from the frigid tem peratures in most sections of tho east, but the thermometer con tinued to dip below zero in New England. The low during tha night was nine below zero at Caribou, Me. BLASTS LA JOLLA La Jolla, Calif., Dec. 19 U.Ri One thousand persons were left homeless today by the flaming explosion of a loaded navy am munition truck within 100 yard! of a crowded navy housing pro ject. Rockets, depth charges anit shells ripped through the Tor. rey Pines and Camp Callai housing centers, smashing every window and leaving BO per cent of the homes uninhabitable. There were three blasts, sa severe they rocked downtown) San Diego, 14 miles away, but no deaths resulted. Civilian hospitals reported nine injured but said only threa were held for treatment late last night. Sixteen marines at Camp Matthews, flanking the highway, were treated for cuts. The civilian truck driver, John Ayala of Fallbrook, was not injured. He leaped out of tha big truck when its gas tank exploded.