Small Electronic Fort Holds
Key to U.S. Air Defense
By Frank H. Bartholomew
President, United Presi
Copyright. 1958. United Press
Offutt Air Force Base, Neb
W The mightiest peace
:ompelling force in the world
is contained in a little elec
tronic fort of a room forty-
five feet below the surface of
winer-bleak Sarpy County,
Keb.
It is the absolute control
center of the ereat fleet of
American fighting aircraft
rarrying atomic bombs and
thermo-nuclear weapons in all
skies over the Western world,
ready for deadly reprisal
against any aggressor.
Absolute control, except for
the fact that only the Presi
dent of the United States can
order the release of the first
atomic bomb over enemy ter
ritory. General Thomas S. Power,
commander in chief of the
Strategic Air Command, the
long range nuclear striking
arm of the United States Air
Force, can get his bombers
into position over enemy ter
ritory with unbelievable
rapidity. But only the Presi
dent can authorize the first
airplane commander to touch
the first bomb release button.
Continually In Flight
Today's giant B52, B47 and
B 36 bombers no longer carry
conventional high-explosives,
nothing but atomic and
thermo-nuclear bombs.
Efficiency of the air cover
is such that a jet aircraft is
being refueled in mid-air
every three and one-half min
utes arrund the clock; an
American bomber, fully arm
ed, may be presumed to have
accepted additional fuel from
a KS97 or KC135 jet tanker
since you started to read this
dispatch.
Two hundred and fifty mil
lion gallons of fuel the jets
use a grade gasoline just a cut
above kerosene were trans
ferred in the skies over your
head in the last year alone.
"Our mission is to remain
on the alert 24 hours a day
and to maintain the deterrent
posture," General Power,
SAC's vigorous, youthful-ap
pearing commander in chief,
said.
Unprofitable Er Enemy
'Wo ro dedicated to
making it instantly unprofit
able for any enemy of tne
United States to resort to that
oldest military, tactic known
to man the surprise attack.
"We are today in position
to prevent any sane enemy
from testing us out, We can
not, of course, prevent an
enemy miscalculation or pre
vent a madman from pushing
a button.
"In such case, we fall back
upon our second responsibility
quickly to destroy the war
making potential and the
enemy's will for further fight-
in"
A guided missile, launched
within the limits of the
U.S.S.R. would take 30 min
utes to strike the United
States. The North American
radar and defense network is
such that SAC counts upon
having 15 minutes' warning,
o that the first flight of jet
bombers would be nine min
utes on its way toward the
enemy's cities before the
guided missile struck this
country.
"But the Soviet's wont
launch a single guided missile
in our direction," one officer
in this quiet underground
room observed. "They won't
trade a nation for a city."
Agree on Attack Route
The Air Force command is
agreed- that if an attack
against the United States is
made, it will probably be by
the polar route, in force
whether by missile or bomb
er, and will depend upon sur
prise. The military rates a
surprise attack as possessing
i.trt.1 advantage over
the
an
de-
equivalent force on
fensive.
"It will come from the mad
man impulse or from miscal
culation," General Power said.
"Goering told Hitler that
the Allies could never bomb
Berlin. Khrushchev says his
scientists tell him he is ahead
of us in aerial warfare. It is
always possible he will mis
calculate his own strength
and his estimate of our weak
ness. "We should never bluff,
with the peace of the world
at stake. But we certainly
should not invite attack by ap
pearing weaker than we are.
"I think if Khrushchev
thinks he can attack us with
impunity .he will do it in the
next minute."
Describes Operation Setup
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Johnston & Stewart
The United States Air
Force has revealed that it
now files approxima tely
twenty thousand first line
military aircraft of all types,
under a complement of 860,
000 officers and men.
Some 3,000 of these aircraft
are the long-range bombers
and tankers of the Strategic
Air Command, operated and
supported by more than 200,
000 officers and men. SAC's
force is grouped into three
numbered air forces in the
United States and one in
Spain, an air division in the
Mariannas and another in
England. Its planes operate
from nearly a hundred for
ward bases, with the central
control here at Offutt Air
Force Base in Nebraska.
What is this central con
trol room like and is it pre
pared at any instant to send
to war every American ' jet
bomber anywhere in the
world?
The room itself, 45 feet be
low a bluff along the Missouri
river, might easily be mis
taken for the control room of
a broadcasting studio although
considerably larger and filled,
except for the passageways,
with electronic gear.
Sees Map Layout
Similarity lies in the fact
that senior controllers set
there abreast, each wearing
headphones and facing a mic
rophone, looking through a
wide-view window down on
to a lighted stage like area
still deeper in the earth. In
this area are great panel maps
of the entire world with the
changing status of the force
continuously indicated.
Like every Air Force map
this correspondent has seen
in the war room at the Penta
gon or here at the solar plex
us of the Strategic Air Com
mand, these maps are based
on polar projection; looking
down on the earth from a
point above the North Pole.
The Air Force obviously be
lieves the great invasion route
of World War III will cross
the pole, coming or going.
High on one wall is a small
closed-circuit television set,
showing every person ap
proaching or leaving the area
through the concrete corridors
overhead.
On the opposite side of the
room is a device for firing
shut with a powder charge
each of the approach doors to
the whole underground com
plex, in event of an enemy at
t a c k, and for showing the
amount of radiation or pois
oned air outside.
Drawers of War Plans
Elsewhere there are draw-
ere of war plans each slide
when unlocked has a large
placard in front marked
"open" and most of them re
main so, for instant reterence
teletypes and telephones.
The communications . sys
tem is complex and impres
sive. In a cubbyhole of a room
outside this central control
point, this correspondent
stood behind a Negro sergeant
at a small switchboard and
heard him check every ad
vanced Air Force base in the
world, from Thule through
Africa to Hawaii, and heard
their voice responses "loud
and clear." This within a span
of less than five minutes.
The metallic communica
tions circuits radiating from
SAC run underground for
fifty miles before emerging
to connect with the conven
tional overhead circuits.
The United States if at
tacked will go to war by tele
phone. Dewline Detects Attack
Any transpolar invasion by
missile or bomber will be
picked up by the "Dewline"
distant early warning in Can
ada and flashed to the Air
Defense Command Head
quarters in Colorado Springs.
The Key Question
At the same time, another
controller would simultane
ously lift a second telephone
from a small container and
dial not a series of digets but
one of three colors red, yel
low or blue. This would start
an alarm throughout the vast
SAC headquarters establish
m e n t and summon General
Power and key officers to the
control room.. The color dial
ed would indicate the urgency
of the initial alert.
At the same moment Wash
ington would be notified that
SAC's bombers were on their
way. A three-way evaluation
of the alarm by Washington,
SAC and ADC would begin.
Key question to be deter
mined:
"Is the enemy attacking?"
Thus far there have been
numerous alarms and alerts,
numerous dispatch of bomb
ing stories, but always and in
time the final negative
answer; "no enemy attack."
Theyll Do It Every Time By Jimmy Hatlo
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Don't Delay Do If Today
Mail That Income Tax Now!
Washington (IP) If you've night, April 15, a week from
put it off this long don't de
lay further in filling out your
1957 income tax return. Per
sons who wait until the last
minute often make costly
mistakes.
That is the advice of the
Internal Revenue service to
taxpayers who still haven't
faced up to their - annual
reckoning with Uncle Sam.
This year more than 60
million persons are filing re
turns. Officials estimate that
more than two-thirds of them
have already mailed their re
turn. The deadline is mid-
Tuesday.
But taxpayers who wait
too long often slip up in their
haste and pay more than they
have to. Or they may under
state their tax and later have
to pay 6 per cent interest and
possibly a penalty for negligence.
And the longer you delay
in filing, the later you will
get a refund check if you
have one coming.
Common errors made by
those who file hastily the last
day or so are: mistakes in
arithmetic, failure to take all
Two Replaced in
Mutiny on Vessel
London IIP) The captain
and executive officer of the
mine-laying cruiser Apollo
were replaced today in a sur
prise follow-up to a "mutiny"
aboard her two weeks ago.
An Admiralty announce
ment shortly after midnight
said Capt. Stuart Lombard
Hobson and his first lieuten
ant, Lt. Cdr. Percy Brown
were being replaced "after
due consideration of all the
circumstances."
Both were transferred to
other commands. The Admir-
ATTENTION OLDER RESIDENTS
I would like to belong to a recreation club of men and women aged
SO years or more. I (can cannot ) attend the party and program
of the Rogue Valley Council on Aging Friday, April 11, 2 to 5 p.m.,
at the Red Cross auditorium on Hawthorne it. I will bring
friends with me.
I am also interested in your work on better low-cost housing, part
time employment after retirement, or anything that makes life
better and happier for elder people. '
Please keep my name,on file and notify me of council meetings.
Name --
Address Telephone
( Jo (J0 not . need transportation to the April 1 1 party.)
Clip and mail to:
FRANK GLONNING, Chairman
Rogue Valley Council on Aging
Camp White, Oregon
alty announcement said the
transfers were not a disciplin
ary matter.
The Apollo, flagship of
Britain's Home' Fleet, sails
from Portland Naval Base to
day for maneuvers in the Eng
lish Channel. Her departure
was twice delayed after crew
men complained she was a
"hell-ship" with too much
spit and polish.
allowable deductions, omis
sion of special sources of in
come, and failure to include
W-2 form estimate of 1958 in
Last year there were mis
takes in arithmetic in 1,705,
000 personal returns. Of
these, 1,090,000 taxpayers
shortchanged the government
and had to pay later.
Officials estimate from last
year's experience that the IRS
is helping one taxpayer in six
this year to make out his re
turn. To provide this service
some 8,400 regular IRS em
ployees spend part of the "tax
season" Jan. 1 through
April 15 'assisting taxpayers
who telephone or visit one of
more than 1,000 IRS offices
throughout the country.
To cope with the seasonal
tide of mail and paper work,
the 64 district offices put on
more than 4.500 temporary
employees. They open and
sort mail and perform book
keeping and other clerical
operations. On the average
they earn about $1.50 an hour
and are employed from 15 to
90 days.
Many are assigned to the
big job of getting out refunds
to taxpayers who overpaid.
Last year some 33 million tax
payers received the checks
for an average refund of $95.
As in the past.the IRS tries
to make refunds within 30
days and hopes to have all
refunds in the mail by May
31. Officials ask the taxpay
ers not to write in if they do
not get their checks within a
month. They invariably get
the check before the IRS can
answer the letter.
Photos Seek Clue ry-
In Death of Agent
MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Oregon, Monday, April 7, 1958 S
DIEFENBAKER FISHES
Hamilton, Bermuda OP)
Canadian Primp Minister
Tokyo- IR -Thirty-thous- John Diefenbaker today pUm.
ned some aeep-sea fishing as
he enjoyed a brief vacation
following his victory in last
week's elections. Diefenbaker
arrived here Saturday with
his wife.
and photographs of U.S. Army
intelligence Agent M.Sgt.
Emmett E. Dugan, 39, were
distributed today to hotels,
bars and restaurants fre
quented by foreigners in an
attempt to obtain information
about Dugan's death.
Dugan's body was found
floating in Tokyo Bay March
2. He had been missing since
Feb. 4. Japanese reports said
the agent was investigating
Communists. The U.S. Army
confirmed only that his work
was investigative.
The Army said the cause of
Dugan's death "may never be
known."
CHIEF IN QUANDARY
Rio De Janeiro (ff) Rio
Police Chief Danilo Sunei
said on Sunday that a court
order overruling the arrest or
der against Brazilian Commu
nist leader Luis Carlos Prestes
has made it impossible for
police to combat Communism.
Malaya became the 82nd
member of the United Na
tions on Sept. 17, 1957.
Twenty-six countries signed
the original UN declaration
in 1942.
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Celebrating our 50th Anniversary
frfi 32 West 6th Phone SP2-6251
A significant
anniversary
. . . and a word about
moderation
OLYMPIA BREWING COMPANY, Olympia, Washington, U.S.A.
m Mu m
April 7, 1958
Twenty-five years ago today beer returned to America. By an act of Congress,
the brewing and consumption of beer became legal and millions of temperate
people could once again enjoy the true beverage of moderation.
Since the dawn of recorded history, beer has helped fulfill man's desire for .
refreshment and pleasure. As civilization developed, beer accompanied the
migration to the new world and arrived in this country aboard the Mayflower
with the early colonists. Samuel Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jeffer
son, James Madison, and many others prominent in our early history en
couraged the formation of a brewing industry. Beer soon assumed the same
role of moderation and refreshment in the culture of the New World that it
had enjoyed for centuries in Europe.1
As our country grew, the brewing industry served and grew with it. Then,
for thirteen dark years, tradition was broken. An ugly, unwanted period of
prohibition was thrust upon the American people. On April 7, 1933, common
sense again prevailed.
Today the brewing industry is observing the 25th anniversary of the day beer
returned to America ... 25 years in which age-old traditions of brewing have
been fully restored ... 25 years of sound, sensible operation under Federal
and State laws which were wisely conceived and equitably administered . . .
25 years in which the brewing industry has generously contributed to the
growth and the economy of our country. '
The Olympia Brewing Company and our 550 employees are proud of the part
we have played in this quarter century. On this anniversary date, we repledge
our adherence, not only to the laws of the land, but equally important, to the
business precepts established by our founders to maintain the highest stand
ard of qualify, service and square-dealing with everyone be they customer,
buyer, seller, employee, government or competitor.
Sincerely,
OLYMPIA BREWING COMPANY
MM M
PEESIDENT
Since 1896... "One of America's Exceptional Breweries'
Main & Central
Medford