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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 1952)
1 TWELVE MEDFORD (Ox Auguii 19, 19S2 Disappearance of Japan Treasure Points Toward Native Officials Tokyo U.R) The disap pearance from Japan's World War II military treasure chest of a fortune in precious metals and stones", including some crown jewels, is the nation's biggest mystery Tuesday. Japanese and foreign news re ports have accused U: S. Army occupation officials of removing some of the valuables. But a special Japanese parliamentary investigating committee has pointed suspicion at a number of Japanese officials, including persons in the-Emperor's house hold. Preliminary Report The Japanese Diet Committee made a preliminary report last week on the details surrounding the treasure's disappearance. The fortune was collected by the Japanese government during the war. Gold was obtained to fi nance purchase of war material, platinum was stockpiled to spur research in electronic" weapons and diamonds were gathered for use in cutting tools. Empress Nagako donated a diamond encrusted gold and plat inum crown and this is among the missing items. Story Obscured The treasure was entrusted to the Koeki Eidan, a government agency. Allied bombings, dis persal of people, the burning of documents and transfer of the treasure from place to place in the closing days of the war have obscured, the story from the time the Eidan took charge of the chest until the fortune finally wound up in the safety of the Bank of Japan vaults. The Eidan, the Diet's prelimi nary report said, was so loosely organized as to "facilitate wrong doing if a 'member had evil in tentions." When the Allied' occupation began in, 1945,' the Eidan turned the war chest over to U. S. offic ials. Last April, the U. S. turn ed the treasure back to the Jap anese. Amounts Fail to Balance Recently a Finance Ministry report showed the amount of gold listed by. Eidan as turned over to the Americans failed to correspond to the amount re turned to the Japanese. Since then rumors of all natures have cropped up until the Diet step ped in to make an official in vestigation. The Diet Committee thus far has reported: 1. Both American occupation personnel and Japanese officials had opportunity to loot the treasures. 2. The Japanese official in charge, of a hoard of diamonds kept in the Matsuya department store vault'burned all documents relating to their transfer 4o the Allies. His assistant is dead and the chief of the Eidan account ing section at the time has re fused to meet the investigators. Receipts Conflicting . 3. Receipts for gems handed over to the Allies by Eidan are "unclear and conflicting." 4. Palace officials are "un clear" about five large diamonds from Empress Nagako's crown which were supposed to have been returned to the imperial . flk . . yVi FRLAK STORM WREAKS HAVOC One of two homes swept from their foundations by a flash flood near Yakima, Wash., floats downstream after a freak storm struck the area. A mother and her son ara missing in the debris. household minister. 5. The Japanese Finance Min istry's list of gold and diamonds returned by the Allies is "ex tremely inaccurate. There is a great . difference between the actual goods and the . original records. ." Use Mail Tribune Want Ads CHI ft a A MEDFORD FURNITURE STORE 9 a m to V.I I IXVSIVIE. IH Reg. $34,95 - NOW 9 D.m. API C WITH THE PURCHASE OF FOUR CHAIRS BEAUT FU LLY STYLED - TWO PIECE K ME SHI Available In All Colors Regular $289.50 SPECIALLY PRICED - LARGE SELECTION OF fl TRB) TABLES and LAMPS U2L CbU Use Our Lay-Away Plan or Easy Payment Plan MEDFORD Fit N COMPANY o o Free Delivery Service Everywhere SIXTH and BARTLETT PHONE 2-4848 Two Pretty Witnesses Put in Safekeeping In Call Girl Probe New York (U.R) Detectives j took two pretty "mystery wit-j nesses" in the $500-a-nieht call girl scandal to secret safekeep ing Tuesday as a handsome Hol lywood actor moved into the sor did picture. Assistant District -Attorney Anthony J. Liebler refused to identify the women, indicating they might turn over more evi dence in the case against young oleo heir Minot (Mickey) Jelke III, charged with mastermind ing the expensive prostitution racket. "If I gave their names, it might ruin something we are working on," Liebler said. Women Snicker The women one a dark blonde wearing a pink suit and the other a brunette dressed in black snickered while detec- Army Reserve Unit Completes Summer Camp at Ft. Lewis , " Col. Thomas F. Gunn, com manding officer of the 304th logistical command, which Sun day completed the unit's second two-week summer camp at Fort Lewis, Wash., today termed the encampment highly successful The army reserve unit was a command and administrative headquarters for 15 attached units from Oregon, Washington and Utah. The local unit was personally commended for its efficiency by Brig. Gen. John J. Burns, commanding general of Fort Lewis. Personnel of the unit comes from Medford, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls, Lakeview and Glendale, Ore. The 304th was activiated in Medford on Sept. 1, 1950, and the bulk of the headquarters sections are sta tioned here. Officers Commended Maj. George K. Bruse, Med ford, is chief of staff. He and Maj. Glen Allen, Medford, were commended for performances far above that usually consistent with their respective positions. Allen is supply officer for the command. "The personnel of this com mand have demonstrated their admirable capabilities and have clearly indicated the high poten tial quality of our organization,'" Colonel Gunn said following the summer camp. This year's camp placed the 304th in the position of carrying on its basic mission serving as parent unit to various service units, he said. tives led them past photogra phers to a taxicab. They attempted to hide their faces behind newspapers through which they had punched holes to watch the popping of flashbulbs. The entry of the mystery wit nesses on the. scene temporarily took the spotlight away from Richard Short, 39, a movie "bit" player who also is known as Richard Wallace. Short was cast as a villain in this real-life detective story when plainclothesmen brought him into night court Monday night for arraignment on charges of receiving a $300 weekly al lowance from an upper bracket call girl. His alleged benefactress was identified as Pat Thompson, 23, a blonde "model." She was named in the complaint against Short, who had an obscure role in the Danny Kaye show, "The Kid From Brooklyn:" The charge against the six foot, blond actor said he receiv ed money from the lithe Miss Thompson, described as being a prostitute of the $500-a-night va riety, for his devotion to her. . Short, neatly dressed and aloof at his arraignment, was ordered held in $25,000 bail for hearing September 3. Miss Thompson was detained in $10, 000 bail as a material witness. Liebler said Short was a cafe society acquaintance of Jelke, who was arraigned in felony court Monday on charges of pro curing women . for compulsory prostitution. Jelke's case was held over until next Monday. Liebler also disclosed he had questioned at least 25 witnesses, including a "mystery" teen-aged girl whose tip' had led to the ar rest of Jelke,, who will inherit $3,000,000 in 1955. Bandit Scatters Cash in Getaway Waterville, Minn. (U.R) A bandit robber 'the Citizens State Bank of $6,500 Monday but scat tered more than $2,500 of the loot in his getaway. An employee of the town's other bank found $2,500 outside the bank shortly after the ban dit had forced four Citizens em ployees and two customers into a vault and fled. Another roll of loot, this time 25 $1 bills, was found by 14-year-old Lowell Hadley a block from the bank. London (U.R) Advertise ment in the personal column of the Times of London: "Tutor with Scottish accent urgently required for intelligent parrot. 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