BIG 3 WIND DP
ATOMIC TALKS;
1NITIALJREATY
Byrnes and Bevln Expected
To Leave Moscow Thurs
day Meet Here Next
Moscow, Dec. 28 U.R
The Big Three foreign ministers
held their last formal meeting
of the 11-day atomic bomb and
peace treaty conference today
to ratify the draft of a final
communique covering all the
Issues on which they have
reached agreement.
The three principals and their
f" delegations went into confer
ence at 2:30 p. m. to wind up
their business and initial the
communique on which a draft
ing committee had worked all
day yesterday and again this
morning.
Leave Thursday
Weather permitting. U. S.
Secretary of State James F.
Byrnes and British Foreign Sec
retary Ernest Bevin were ex
pected to leave Moscow by plane
tomorrow. Contrary to earlier
reports, Byrnes was scheduled
, to fly directly to the United
States without stopping off in
Paris to discuss France's role in
the eastern European peace
treaty negotiations.
Byrnes tried unsuccessfully
to reach French Foreign Min
ister Georges Bidault by tele
phone Monday,
t Diplomatic sources in Moscow
aopeared confident that France
would adhere to the peace treaty
proposals outlined by the Big
Three.
Meet At Palace
Byrnes, Bevin and Soviet For-
elen Commissar Vyacheslav M
Molotov held a 6-hour meet
ing in the Spiridonovka palace
last night, their longest session
of the conference.
(Meanwhile, it was disclosed
In Washington that Byrnes had
invited the British and Russian
foreign ministers to hold their
next three-way meeting in the
United States capital, around
March 15).
COAL PIT DEPTHS
Pineville, Ky., Dec. 26 !U.R)
An undetermined number of
miners possibly between 30
and 50 were trapped in a deep
drift mine of the Kentucky
Straight Creek Coal Co. today
when an explosion rocked the
operation shortly after the men
went to work in the Icy dawn.
W. E. Lewis, company opera
tor, shouted over a humming
rural telephone wire that the
explosion blasted through the
mine, two miles from the mouth,
about 8:30 a. m.
"About 50 of our men were in
there when it happened," he
said. "I don't know yet what
caused It probably gas or dust.""
V He said it would be "two or
three more hours" before any
accurate estimate of the situa
tion could be obtained. He ord
ered five rescue crews into the
shafts to try to reach the
trapped men who might still be
alive despite fumes.
The isolated little community
perched in the southern Ken
tucky mountains just north of
the Tennessee state line was
shaken by the disaster that came
as the men went back to work
after the most cheering Christ
mas holiday in years.
FINALlllNTS
IN TATSUO TRIAL
Yokohama. Dec. 28 (U.R)
Final arguments were made to-
day in the trial of Tatsuo (Little
Glass Eye) Tsuchiya. the former
Japanese prison camp guard
accused of killing an American
prisoner of war and committing
atrocities against other allied
nationals.
Chief Prosecution Counsel
Major Louis Often. Atlanta, Ga.,
closed his argument by demand
ing the death penalty for Tsuchi
ya who he said "enjoyed seeing
American prisoners suffer in
agony and torture."
The eight-man military com
mission which heard the seven
day trial first war crimes
trial to be held in Japan proper
was expected to give its ver
dict tomorrow (Thursday)
possibly at 10 a. m. when court
reconven ;s.
London. Dec. 26 'U.R) Prime
Minister Willem Schermerhorn
of The Netherlands arrived by
plane at Croydon airfield today
for discussions with British of
ficials of the Indonesian situation.
470 VIOLENT
MEDF0RD'J.
United Press
Fortieth Year
Heidelberg
i-. i-v Mrf.?rL -J warn T'W..'. -T. ".--.v v..,.vv:.l-V' ,r,!iF.JIj rssviii Y.1 .
(A 'me Iclt'fihoio)
Half-track bearing flag-draped coffin of Gen. George S. Pattc.i, Jr., rumbles through streets of Heidelberg,
Germany, on way to railroad station after funeral services there. Train later carried him to Luxembourg for
ervlces and burial beside one of the privates of his beloved Third Anny who helped him forge a brilliant vic
tory at Ardennes bulge. Photo by Reg Kenny, Acme photographer, radioed from Paris to New York.
Moral Collapse of German People
More Discouraging Than Physical
Destruction Says Captain Kelly
. The psychological and moral
collapse of the German people
is even more discouraging to ob
serve than is the physical de
struction of their cities and in
dustries according to Edward C.
Kelly, Medford attorney who re
turned home Monday after two
years in England and Germany
with the army military govern
ment branch. The attorney, who
held the rank of captain, was
released from service at Ft.
Lewis Sunday.
Kelly reports that the Ger-
DEATH BY HANGING
FOR JAP OFFICERS
Kwsjaleln, Marshall Islands.
Dec. 26 (U.R) Two high-ranking
Japanese naval officers and
nine co-defendants were sen
tenced to death by hanging by
a U. S. naval court today for
executing 96 American civilians
on Wake Island in 1943.
Five other Japanese were sen
tenced to prison terms of five
years to life.
Rear Admiral Shlgematsu
Sakaibara. former Japanese
commander on Wake, and his
executive officer, Lt. Commndr.
Soichi Tachibana, stood at at
tention as interpreters read the
sentences.
Before the verdict was an
nounced. Sakaibara defiantly
demanded that Americans who
conceived and carried out the
atom bomb attack on Japan be
tried.
The 16 Japanese were con
victed of machine-gunning the
Americans on a lonely beach of
Wake Island on the night of
Oct. 7. 1943. The victims, em
ployes of Pan American Air
ways, had been forced to work
for the Japanese for 22 months
after invasion of the island.
Chiang's Son Goes
To Russian Capital
Chungking. Dec. 26 'U.P
Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek's
Russian-speaking son. Chiang
Chung-Kuo. has departed for
Moscow for new negotiations
concerning the occupation of
Manchuria, it was learned reli
ably today.
Chiang's trip also was believ
ed to be connected with the
Moscow conference of Big Three
foreign ministers. i
Meantime Central News agen-
cy said Gen. Tu Li Ming's na-'
tionalist forces have recovered
Tahushan dnd IIei?han. 70 miles;
west of Mukden, in tl.e continu-j
ing penetration of Manchuria.
TRAINS COLLIDE !
Bemidji. Minn., Dec. 26 U.R'.
At least 12 persons were injured!
today whe:i two Great Northern!
passenger trains collided. At
tendants at the Bemidji Luther-1
an hospital said Rudolph Ander-
son. Trail. Minn., and Joseph j
Swainc. Grand Forks, N. D., a:
baggageman, were seriously I
hurt. '
Full Leased Wire
Pays Tribute to General Patton
mans "feel terribly sorry for
themselves" and instead of en
deavoring to better their condi
tions, spend their time bemoan
ing their conditions and grumb
ling at the fact that the occupa
tion armies are better fed and
better housed. He agreed with
previous statements to the ef
fect that the Germans feel no
regret at having started the war
but only regret at having lost it.
The former captain believes
that within a few months trans
portation and public utilities will
be operating fairly efficiently
and that industries will build
again but that it will be at least
a generation before the hates
and distrust resulting from the
war are overcome, This will
come only through education, he
believes, and added that the oc
cupation armies can do much to
re-educate the German people
along democratic lines.
' Kelly stated that he would
spend a week or two merely
resting and enjoying his return
to his family and civilian life but
that he hoped to reestablish his
law practice in the near future.
Mrs. Kelly and their three chil
dren have been residing at 430
Haven street while the officer
was in service the past two and
one-half years.
He returned home with the
36th division, serving as com
manding officer of headquarters
and headquarters company of
the 142nd regiment during the
past two and one-half months.
In recent months Kelly had been
stationed at Wiesbaden.
S WIDOW
LOSES APPEAL
San Francisco, Dec. 26 lU.Ri
The federal circuit court of ap
peals today reversed a previous
decision and denied a new hear
ing to Edna Ballard, widow of
the leader of the "I Am" cult,
and their son, Donald, convicted
in Los Angeii..! in 1942 on
charges of using the mails lo de
fraud. The Ballards were accused of
selling books by mail, which de
scribed their relationship with
"the ascended masters" and re
ceiving "love gifts" from their
300,000 followers.
In view of today's decision.
Mrs. Ballard must pay an S8.0U0
fine and her son. $4,000. Mrs. I
Ballard also has been given a '
one-year suspended sentence. ;
Frank Perl Santa
At Kiwanis Meet
Frank Perl acted as Santa
Clatis at a Christmas gift ex-:
change at the noon meeting of
the Kiwanis club held at Hol
land hotel today.
Dr. O. J. Halboth and Eugene
Orr, former members of the
club, were welcomed back into'
th ; organization. i
Each Kiwanian received a
memorandum pad as a gift from
the crippled children's class of
the Medford school ijilem. ' I
DEATH
S
MEDFOKD, OREGON,. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1
-as
A
M'ARTHUR 'PLOT
QUEER TWIST
JAP PHILOSOPHY
Tokyo, Dec. 26 U.R) The
"plot" to assassinate Gen. Mac
Arthur turned out today to be a
strange twist of Japanese philo
sophy. The soeallcd plot originated
In the office of MacArthur's
military aide Col. Herbert B.
Wheeler last Saturday when
Toichlro Arakl presented a pe
tition with 86.000 signatories
asking the Americans to spare
the life of Gen. Yamashita, sen
tenced to death for responsibil
ity for Philippines atrocities, or
give him a chance to commit
hari kiri. -
Too Good To Die
In the course of hrs speech
presenting the petition, Araki
said some of his signatories had
said that Yamashita was too
good a man to be killed and
that, therefore, if he Is killed
MacArthur should be killed,
also.
Counter-intelligence Corps
Chief Brig. Gen. Elliott Thorpe.
Westerly, R. I., told the United
Press:
"That Is the way some of
these Japanese think, but as far
as we are concerned the so
called threats do not mean a
thing. "That 'plot' was originat
ed by a newspaperman who just
happened to be in Wheeler's of
fice when the petition was pre
sented. I was there, too. I
cculd just see the gleam In this
man's eyes when he heard
'killing' and 'MacArthur' in the
same sentence."
Quiet Christmas
Things were quiet as Christ
mas around MacArthur's head
quarters today.
There was no noticeable In
crease In military police guards
there Is one M P. at each of
the building's four entrances
and the usual crowd gathered
In front of the building to
watch MacArthur walk to his
automobile enroute to lunch.
The two M P.'s who stand
guard outside MacArthur's pri
vate office said they had not
yet been given any new special
orders as a result of the so
called "plot", but that they have
always scrutinized closely any
one approaching the Inner sanc
tum. Ceilings Fixed
On Retail Lumber
Washington. Dec. 28 'UP)
The Office of Price administra
tion authorized its regional of
fices today to establish dollar
and cent eeilinr? prices for oft
wood lumber, shingles and hard
wood flooring sold by retail
dealer.
Such prices. OPA said, will
permit home owners, repairmen,
and building contractors to know
more readily what the ceiling
prices for these items are. Pre
viously prices were set up by a
formula that was difficult for
consumers to understand.
The principal source of In
come in Wyoming is agriculture.
COUNTED OVER
TALK TO NATION
EARLY JNJANUARY
Denies Address Will Be Anti
Labor Ret liming to
Washington Friday
Kansas City, Mo Dec. 26
flJ.Rl President Truman said to
day that his major pronounce
ment of the new year would be
a "state of the nation" radio
address early in January on his
over-all legislative program.
Mr. Truman made the state
ment to correspondents who met
him in his federal building of
fices after he had made his
second Christmas visit in 18
hours at the home of his 93-year-old
mother, Mrs. Martha
Truman.
Not Anti-Labor
A correspondent remarked
that he understood the address
would be "anti-labor" and asked
the president whether such an
understanding was correct.
The president replied it would
not be that, at all. dismissing anv
such possibility with that brief
remark.
The president said he would
return to Washington in accord
ance with his original schedule,
which calls for him to leave here
at 8:30 a. m. (CST) Friday.
rie was returning, he said
with a grin, not because there
were any particularly pressing
matters awaiting him but simply
because he knew his desk would
be piled high with work he
wanted to get out of the way.
Mother Visited
Mr. Truman reached the fed
eral building at 12:10 n. m.
(CST) following the drive - In
Grandview, where he had a
turkey sandwich and a piece of
cake while he visited with his
mother and his sister.
He'd found them just fine, he
added. He explained he'd made
the morning trip to take along
some presents which hadn't ar
rived at his Independence home
in time for delivery on the first
trip last night.
As he entered the federal
building, the chief executive
gave 12-year-old Henry C. Jef
ries, Jr., his biggest thrill. He
posed with the boy, who had
waited two hours for him to
arrive, while the cameras click
ed. "Gee," the son of a navy vet
eran breathed, "wait till I tell
the kids at school!"
Friends Gresttd
The president shook hands
around with a group of old
friends and then went to lunch
with Tom Evans, Kansas City
drug chain operator and life
long friend. This afternoon he
said he was going back to the
ice-festooned "Little White
House" to unwrap some more
presents and then he just wanted
to sit with his family and enjoy
himself.
There were no definite plans
for tonight. He said he probably
would have some Christmas
visits with friends and there was
the possibility of a third trip to
Grandview. He said he'd return
to Kansas City tomorrow morn
ing and will have an "off the
record" luncheon as guests of
correspondents covering h i s
Christmas visit.
235,000 GIS OUT
IN SINGLE WEEK
Washington, Dec. 26 (U.R)
A total of 235,000 army person
nel were released during the
week ended Dec. 21. This
brought the total of releases
since V-E day May 12 to 4,466.
000 the War department said to
day. The total released during De
cember through the 21st was
832,000 and the total from V-J
day, Sept. 2 through Dec. 21,
3,874.000.
Since V-E day 18 493 doctors,
4.375 dentists and 27.S28 nurses
have been returned to civilian
life from the army.
CVA HEARINGS SOON
Washington, Dec. 26 (U.R)
Sen. Hugh B. Mitchell, D.,
Wash., said today he expects
hearings to begin early in
February on his bill to create a
Columbia valley authority. Hear
ings in the senate will l.e held
by the commerce committee. j
RIBUNE
United Pratt Full
Winter Relaxes
Grip On Midwest,
Northeast Areas
By United Preii
Heavy snbws and icing con
ditions which prevailed through
out much of the midwest and
northeast over the Christmas
holiday abated today, with tem
peratures expected to be normal
in most parts of the nation.
The U. S. weather bureau In
Chicago reported that while
snow was forecast for some
areas of the midwest, a north
west wind of 20 to 30 miles an
hour which piled up towering
drifts had diminished.
Slightly colder weather was
predicted for Wisconsin, Michi
gan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio,
bjt temperatures were slated to
remain well above zero. Minne
sota will have a minimum of 5
to 10 above.
TO HOMES AFTER
SMALLPOX SCARE
Portland, Ore., Dec. 28 flJ.R)
All but one of 1,773 soldiers
from the troop transport Grundy
were headed homeward today
after being quarantined aboard
ship In port here because of a
contagious disease.
The only one not homeward
bound was T5 Francis R. Price.
30, Wheeling, W. Va., who died
of smallpox and whose Illness
made It necessary to quarantine
the ship.
The quarantine was lifted
Christmas day and the troops
were transported to the Van
couver barracks staging area
where several trains took them
to separation centers.
Chrlstmiis dinner was served
aboard the ship Monday and
gifts were given to all.
The smallpox victim was
taken ashore when the vessel
arrived here Friday. He died
Monday. Ho is survived by his
widow, Nellie, of Wheeling.
The Grundy Is scheduled to
return to the Orient for more
troops after she undergoes re
pairs here.
COASfGUAl TO
FORMER STATUS
Washington, Dec. 26 (U.R)
The coast guard, which played
an Important war role as part
of the navy, will be returned
next month to Its peacetime posi
tion as a branch of the treasury
department, It was learned to
day. Preliminary details of the
transfer already have been work
ed out by the treasury and navy
departments. The shift will be
announced formally by Presi
dent Truman.
The coast guard was transfer
red from the treasury to the
nnvy by an executive order of
President Roosevelt on Nov. 1,
1941. Since that time, the coast
guard participated in every ma
jor amphibious operation, sup
plied invasion troops, directed
air-sea rescue operations, guard
ed ports and supervised loading
of munitions.
The coast guard's peak war
time strength was 172,000 per
sonnel, including Spars the
women's auxiliary organization.
By Dec. 18, however, coast guard
personnel totaled little more
than 100,000.
English Professor Spends Christmas
In Boxcar With Two Horses and Cat
Greeley, Colo., Dec. 28 (U.R)
George C. Gates, professor of
English, arrived cold but happy
today, after spending Christmas
in a boxcar with two horses and
a cat.
Gates, the horses and the cat
made the boxcar trip from Cedar
Falls, la , so that Gates could
join the faculty at Colorado
State College of Education.
Their private car, part of a
string of regular freight cars
which left Cedar Falls on Dun
day afternoon, pulled up to an
unloading ramp in the Greeley
railroad yards today and the be
spectacled, 41-ycar-old professor,
stepped out the door.
Christmas, he said, was a
pleasant day. He spent It
quietly, smoking his pipe and
reading yoelry. Even the twiics
YULE HOLIDAY
Leased Wire
NO. 235.
T
E
AT G1GARAGE
Unofficial Holiday Labor
Truce Ended By Force
Case Strike Scheduled
By United Press
CIO United Auto Workers
pickets barred a General Motors
executive from a company gar
age at Flint, Mich., today as nn
unofficial holiday labor truce
came to an end.
Another executive managed to
drive through the picket lines
and into the garage on the third
try. No one was injured in cith
er incident.
Some Cross Lines
The company announced,
meanwhile, that about 25,000 of
its 50,000 non-striking office
workers had crossed picket
lines and reported for work.
The UAW resumed negotia
tions with the big auto manu
facturers over demands for a 30
per cent wage increase.
Heading the schedule was a
meeting with officials of the
strikebound General Motors
Corp., which administration
leaders hoped might affect a set
tlement applicable to the indus
try as a whole.
Today's conference, dedicated
to discussion of local plant griev
ances, also was expected to con
sider the question of higher
wages, basic issue in disputes
keeping 498,000 U. S. workers
away from their Jobs.
Friday Deadline
President Truman's fact-finding
committee last week gave
the parties until Friday to settle
thoir dispute without govern
ment Intervention.
Similar wage negotiations
with the Ford Motor Co. were
recessed until Jan. 8.
In Washington, the administra
tion reportedly had advanced
plans for overhauling its em
ployment, wage stabilization and
labor conciliation services to fa
cilitate handling of postwar
work stoppages.
For the most part, the labor
scene was characterized by a
post-holiday letdown. However,
J. I. Case Co. employees In four
cities were scheduled to go on
strike today, culminating a long
dispute.
DAR PARLIAMENTARIAN
SUCCUMBS AGED 69
St. Louis, Dec. 26 (U.R)
Mrs. John Trigg Moss, 69, na
tional parliamentarian of the
Daughters of the American
Revolution, died at her home
here today. She had been ID
from the effects of high blood
pressure for the past several
m.'inths.
Mrs. Moss, past vice president
general of the DAR, was also
active in civic and educational
organizations.
TWO AT CAMP WHITE
ADVANCE TO CAPTAIN
Camp White, Dec. 26 Two
first lieutenants stationed at
Camp White have been promot
ed to the rank of captain, the
news being received the day be
fore Christmas. Advanced in
rank were Frank S. Prime, post
exchange officer, and Foute
Eagleton, post signal officer.
Capt. Prime and Mrs. Prime,
the former Jane Moffitt, reside
at Holly Court.
had a good time.
"They seemed to enjoy the
trip," Gates said. "After their
initial surprise, they became ac
customed to the ride, even brac
ing themselves every time the
engine signaled two whistles for
the takeoff."
Gates' wife arrived In Gree
ley yesterday. She made the
trip from Iowa in the more con
ventional style of railroad pas
senger service.
The professor said he couldn't
understand what "all the fuss
was about."
"I'll admit that my mode of
transportation was a little
unique, but I wouldn't have
thought of coming west without
my horses," he explained. "Be
sides, the trip had economical
advantages."
TRAFFIC MISHAPS
ACCOUNT FOR 248;
CALIFORNIA, LEADS
Cold Weather Causes Heavy
Loss Shootings, Sui
cides, Falls Account 222
Santa Barbara, Calif., Dec.
28 (U.R) Three persons
were killed and fire seriously
Injured today when an explo
sion and fire, believed set off
by butane gas In a truck,
wrecked a bottling works and
the 20 apartments on the
second floor of the building.
Windows three blocks from
the blast at the Pepsi Cola
Bottling Works were shatter
ed and the force of the ex
plosion was felt ten miles
away.
The three dead were Mr.
and Mrs. John Johnson, and
Caroline Sue Stovall, 10,
daughter of Mrs. Josephine
Stovall, who was Injured ser
iously. By United Press
The nation counted a total ol
470 dead today in the wake of
the Christmas holiday.
At least 248 persons were
killed In traffic accidents over
Ice-coated highways, and an
additional 222 met violent
deaths In shootings, suicides,
falls and other mishaps.
California led the rest of tha
country with 47 traffic and 24
miscellaneous deaths for a total
of 71 In the four-day holiday
period. In the Los Angeles area
alone, 33 persons died on tha
highways.
Texas Second
Texas, biggest state geograph
ically, had the second highest
violent death toll. Twenty-six
of the state's totnl of 46 deaths
were traffic fatalities. Fifteen
of Texas' 20 other accidental
deaths were described officially
as murders.
Other states with high num
ber of holiday deaths Included
Pennsylvania with 44, Connecti
cut with 27 and New York and
Missouri with 24 each.
In the upper half of the na
tion, where freezing rains and
slippery highways took a high,
(oil of holiday dead, stnje police
reported fewer accidents with)
gradually rising temperatures.
Five Children Burn
Tragedy hit hard at Fayette
vllle, W. Va., yesterday when
five of the 10 children of Mr.
and Mrs. George Sodder burned
to death In an early morning;
fire. The parents and four other
children narrowly escaped when
the blaze completely leveled
their two-story frame home.
One fireman was killed and,
another Injured last night when
flames destroyed the Commer
cial National bank at Anniston,
Ala. The dead man was Burt
Coles, 55, a veteran of 20 year
with the department. Fire Chief
Emmctt White was treated for
Injuries.
OF 17 MD FOLK
Hartford, Conn., Dec. 26 U.R
State Fire Marshal Edward J.
Hickey said today that a panicky
nurse at the Nilcs street hospital
dropped a fire extinguisher in
attempting to put out a blazing;
Christmas tree on Christmas)
eve and fled the building, leav
ing an outside door open. Hickey
said flames were driven into tha
upper floors by the draft of air.
The nurse discovered the fira
In the hospital office, he said,
and took one of the four avail
able fire extinguishers, all o(
whirh were in working order.
"She lost her head," Hickey
said and dropped the container,
turned and fled to summon help.
"When she went out the front
donr she left the outside door
open and that draft of air from
the outside just whipped tha
flames and smoke up the stair
way and the people upstairs
were suffocated before help
could get to them."
Hickey's disclosure came as
an official investigation into tha
fire, which caused the deaths of
17 aged men and women, waj
interrupted by a summons from
Gov. Raymond E. Baldwin who
said he had talked with Hickey
and State Health Commissioner
Stanley H. Osborn about "what
steps we could take to organize
a stale-wide survey and study of
safety regulations and precau
tions." FAMED 28TH COMING
San Diego, Cal., Dec. 26 (U.R)
The famed 28th marine regiment
of the fifth division, which rais
ed the U. S. flag on Mount Surl
bachl on Iwo Jima, was enroute
home today and scheduled to ar
rive here within a few days.