MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE
Mystery Man Freed by Soviets Identified; Nationality Unknown
Tuesday. September 6, 1955
Ex-Prisoner Says
Russians Insisted
He Was American
G
Berlin (U.R) A mystery man
released by the Soviets as an
American said today his real
name was Klobitz and that he
only posed as an American be
cause the Soviets insisted he
was one.
The mystery man, with pierc
ing blue eyes and a small mus
tache, was turned over to U. S.
authorities yesterday under the
name of Frederick M. Hopkins
of New York City. Two Ameri
can soldiers were released at the
samectime.
Hopkins told army authori
ties todayhe was not American
but an Army spokesman said he
"tells conflicting stories and we
cannot determine what his na
tionality is."
Told He Wat American
He told Army interrogators:
"The Soviets called me in, ad
dressed me as Hopkins, said I
was an American and that I
would berreleased to the Americans.
1 toia mem 1 was not an
American but they insisted I
was."
p American officers questioned
nim for five hours yesterday.
"He fooled the Soviets but he
could not fool us," an American
spokesma said. "We do not
know who he is. All we know
is that he is not an American.
Perhaps he is a German. He is
an enigma."
American authorities said
Hopkins, who speaks fluent
English, German and "several
other languages," insisted he
was an American citizen and re
fused to give them any help in
determining his true identity.
The two U.S. soldiers released
were Pvt. Michael Feingersch,
36, also known as Murray Fields,
of New York City, and Wilfred
Cumish, 39, of Newburyport,
Mass.
Both Soldiers Tanned
Both complained they needed
medical attention although they
were tanned and appeared in
good health. An Army spokes
man Said their cases would be
investigated to determine
whether they would be tried by
court martini.
Cumish disappeared from his
intelligence unit in Vienna
Match 24, 1948. Feingersch dis
appeared from his constabulary
unit in Nurnbeeg, West Ger
many, June 2? 1948. They had
been in Soviet prisons more than
seven years.
The Soviets' also released 24
other prisoners Monday. They
included two Frenchmen, six
Dutchmen, two Danes, two
Swiss, eight Belgians and four
Germans, three of whom posed
as citizens of other nations.
Matter of Fact b,
Stewart Alaoy
according to a
Ashland Firm Low
Bidder on Project
E. G. Dodson, Ashland, was
the apparent low bidder on con
struction of a water intake con
trol structure at Big Butte dam,
according to Robert L. Lee, as
sistant city water superintend
ent.
Dodson s bid of SZ.263 was
$376.20 less than another bid
received from Myron pCorcor-
ran, Medford. The award will
be made tomorrow, Lee said.
The work, to be done on the
north intake of Big Butte reser
voir, is designed to fill to capa
city bth lines going to Medford
"even in the driest years," Lee
said. The intake's construction
was begun in 1951 but was de
layed as Medford had no real
need for the extra water, Lee
added. Oci. 7 has been set as
the completion date for the job
Citv workmen tomorrow will
replace an 8-inch steel pipe on
the Table Rock rd. creek cross
ing, Lee said. The pipe will be
hung under the Table Rock
bridge.
'THE WAR FOR
NORTH AFRICA'
Casablanca, Morocco At the
Geneva conference, French
Prime Minister Edgar Faure
sought out
President Eis
enhower to
talk to him
about the
night - marish
problem faced
by France
here in North
Africa. The
President lis
ened court
eously for
awhile, and
French account,
horrified the French Premier by
asking a question: "But why
don't you just free all your colonies?"
Certainly this would be the
simplest solution, and also the
solution which springs most
readily to the American mind.
But unfortunately the problem
of North Africa is not quite so
simple as all that.
It is complicated in two
ways: For one thing, some 400,
000 Frenchmen live here in Mor
occo, and there are some 2,000,-
000 in all French North Africa.
France cannot simply abandon
these people entirely, leaving
them to the mercies of the North
Africans masses which are
by no means always tender, as
the terrible massacre of Oued
Zem has demonstrated.
For another thing, a total
withdrawal of French influence
from North Africa would be an
unmitigated disaster for France.
The loss of the enormous French
investments in North Africa
would equally enfeeble French
military power.
It is fashionable here in Mor
occo to say that the loss of
North Africa would make France
another Spain. This is nonsense,
if only because the loss of North
Africa would not destroy the
fertility of the French soil. But
it is certainly true that France
would cease to have the shadow
of a claim to the status of a
great power, if the essential
French influence in North Afri
ca were destroyed.
This is an aspect of the North
African tragedy which Ameri
cans would do well to ponder.
It is- all very well to bait the
French for their colonial pol
icy, which, God knows, is far
from brilliant, but it is also well
to remember that the United
States has a stake in what is
happening here.
INHERE, are, of course, the Am
erican air bases here. As of
this writing, the bases are a vi
tal element in American air-atomic
striking power. When the
bases in Spain become fully op
erational and even when the
intercontinental B-52 bomber
replaces the medium range B-47
the bases here will remain most
useful. But they will no longer
be essential.
The" really essential American
stake in the struggle here is
not in North Africa at all, but
in France and in Europe. One
of the highest French officials
here remarked the other day:
"The war for North Africa has
already begun." If he was right
and he may be North Africa
will siphon French power from
the Continent until there is noth
ing left but a great mushy va
cuum. " The ' recent transfer of
two French NATO divisions
from Europe to North Africa
was a portent of things to come.
The real danger, in short, is a
final crumbling away of French
power in Europe. Americans
like to think that French power
is a myth anyway. But the stra
tegy of the NATO alliance is
squarely based on the existence
of a reasonably strong France.
If France is to become a mushy
vacuum,. Western strategy will
be knocked into a cocked hat.
Theoretically, it should be en
tirely possible to ' avoid "The
War for North Africa" while
safeguarding the really essen
tial French interests here. The
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rs
i v f
i t
Stewart Alsop
most striking thing about the
Moroccan Nationalist movement
is the moderate and even conser
vative nature of its leadership.
Men like Bouabid, ben Barka
and Belafrej have no lust for
French blood. They are them
selves products of French cul
ture, and what they really
want is recognition and author
ity for the Moroccan middle
class, which is itself largely a
creation of the French.
The fact that the Nationalist
leaders were prepared enthus
iastically to accept the propos
als of the deposed French Resi
dent General, Gilbert Grandval,
is proof enough of their moder
ation. For, as a practical mat
ter, the Grandval plan fell very
far short of real Moroccan in
dependence, and in no way gen
uinely threatened French inter
ests here.
THE moderation of the Nation
alist movement here actually
presents France with a great
but fleeting opportunity. It is
not difficult to imagine how the
British would exploit such an
opportunity. Every moderate Na
tionalist leader would be loaded
with medals and probably a title
to boot. The Nationalists would
also be given real power, not
sham power. If the French ex
ploited their opportunity in such
a way, the Nationalists would
certainly rely heavily on French
capital, and French skill, as all
the Nationalist leaders say free
ly and repeatedly they must.
Of course it is silly to imagine
that the infinitely complex prob
lems here could be solved by
simply bestowing medals on the
moderate Moroccan Nationalist
leaders. Yet the problem is by
no means insoluble far less
than in Indochina, for example.
Meanwhile, time is rapidly
running out. Premier Faure may,
to be sure, find a compromise
that will fit, at least for a while.
But here in Morocco, the auth
ority of the moderate Nation
alists is being more and more
seriously threatened by the ex
tremists and the terrorists. If
Morocco plunges again into an
other and greater bloodletting
as it may, as soon as Sept. 12
the extremists on both sides
are sure to take over. Then, "The
War for North Africa" could
fatally weaken the Western Al
liance, and in the long run, it
could be the prelude to a
Communist Africa. Such are the
stakes in the struggle here. '
(Copyright, 1955. New
York Herald Tribune Inc.)
TRIBUTE TO DOWNED FLYER This strik
ing photo, just released by the Department of
Defense, shows a Marine guard of honor fir
ing a salute as officers and men of the USS
Hornet pay tribute to a flyer lost at sea dur
ing a landing accident. At the time the photo
was taken (July, 1954) the Hornet was oper
ating with the 1st Fleet in Far East waters.
(U.S. Navy photo)
Just Trying To Get Even With Women Drivers
McPherson, Kan. vU.R) Here's She gunned the motor,
one woman driver who didn't swerved adroitly and angled past
Ellsworth Speaker
At Roseburg Meet
Congressman Harris Ellsworth
will speak at a combined meet
ing of three sections of Profes
sional Engineers of Oregon to be i
held at the Umpqua hotel in j
Roseburg, Friday, Sept. 9, at'
6:30 p.m..
Attending will be members of
the Mid-Willamette, Rogue Val
ley and Southwestern sections
of the group.
Congressman Ellsworth will
speak mainly on national high
way legislation but is also ex
pected to discuss any federal
legislation affecting engineers
and to answer questions on
power legislation.
He will be introduced by
George Neuner, Roseburg attor
ney. Lester Stinson, Medford
member of PEO, today remind
ed local members to make their
reservations for the dinner with
Tom Edwards, highway division
office, Roseburg. It is expected
25 or 30 engineers from the
Medford area will attend.
OLD HOME WEEK
Willimantic, Corm. '(U.R)
When Marcel St Denis of Fall
River, Mass., stopped to ask di
rections of Policeman Edmund
Haddad they realized they were
Army buddies who hadn't seen
each other since 1945.
panic in a pinch.
Idled at a railroad crossing,
Mrs. Marvey Jantz' car was sud
denly pushed onto the tracks
while the red signal light flashed
and guard arms were lowered.
Another car driven by you
guessed it a man, had bumped
Mrs. Jantz machine into dan
ger as the train approached.
the signal arms to safety. The
maneuver blew out two of her
tires.
The man driver? The sheriff
got him for not decreasing
speed.
Michigan has 11,037 lakes
which are 10 acres or larger in
size.
ACTRESS SEEKS JOB
London (U.R) American
actress Joan Diener, fired last
week from her sexy harem role
in the musical "Kismet," was to
fly to Rome today to look for a !
new job. Before she left here,
Miss Diener said she would dis
cuss a film job with John Mather,
head of Musical Corporation of
America, who "has offered me
the star role in a new musical
film."
Today the Navajo Indians
numbers more than 70,000 com
pared to 7,000 in 1867.
HARDY
EVERGREEN
AZALEAS
(in containers) v
to Plant now
LORNA
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Large Double Tyrian Red
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each 15.00
Garden Center Nursery
(Formerly NEWHALL'S)
Va Mile So. of Phoenix
Pacific Hiway
Christian Churches
Hold Meeting Here
Christian churches of south
ern Oregon and northern Cali
fornia held a fellowship confer
ence at the Medford Central
Church of Christ yesterday.
Ellmore J, Gilstrap, minister
of the local church, spoke at the
morning session, chairmanned
by O. Wendell Herhison, pastor
of the Ashland church. Franklin
Gage, evangelist for the north
ern California association of
Christian churches, spoke last
night.
Don Whitney, Central Point:
Leo Horner, Klamath Falls, and
Dewey Arnold, Tulelake, Calif.,
were ministers conducting a se
ries of afternoon forums on
church life.
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