Evening star. [volume], February 25, 1940, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Weather Forecast
Cloudy and colder, preceded by light rain C«n <tl a C*
today, colder tonight; tomorrow fair. kJ 111 S' 1C VjUUV
* * Temperatures yesterday—Highest, 49, at ° 1 '
3:30 p.m.; lowest, 32, at 5 am. -| /w .
From the United States Weather Bureau report. A \/ C H- l 3
Full details nn Pace A-2.
No. 1,823—No. 34,998. a^ISSS^. WASHINGTON, D. C., FEBRUARY 25, 1940-120 PAGES. ** EVENING AND SUNDAY 75 CENTS
_______’_ delivered in city and suburbs month
Three Fortified Finnish Islands
Reported Taken in Viipuri Drive;
Hitler Revives 'Gott Mit Uns Cry
12 Big Tower Guns^
Captured, Russian
Communique Says
ALLIES’ CONFIDENCE IN ITALY
shown by troop dispositions, says
Maj. Eliot; forces weakened at
several points to put 250,000 in
Syria. Page A-3
MUSSOLINI EXPECTED TO DE
LAY giving Welles views on war;
may wait until American has visit
ed London, Paris and Berlin.
Page A-4
FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTROL
is projected by Sweden; Riksdag
meeting today to act to halt flow
of gold abroad. Page A-7
"PARALLEL” ACTION on neutral
ity seen for Scandinavia; Nor
wegian and Danish Ministers hold
preliminary talks. Page A-7
By the Associated Pres*
MOSCOW, Feb. 25 (Sunday).—
The occupation of the strongly for
tified islands of Koivisto, Tiurin
saari and Piisari, with the capture
of 12 heavy coastal tower guns, was
claimed today by the Russian Army
in a communique issued by the Len
ingrad military headquarters.
The communique said that while
. fighting yesterday Soviet troops "oc
cupied the islands of Koivisto
(Bjorkoea), Tiurinsaari and Piisaari.
strongly fortified with iron and con
crete forts.
“Twenty-two guns, including 12
heavy coastal 10 and 6 inch tower
guns and field and zenith guns and
a great number of heavy machine
guns and dumps of munitions, were
captured on these islands.”
(Finland's communique covering
fighting on last Friday said the
Russians had launched attacks from
the regions of Koivisto, the western
anchor of the Finnish Mannerheim
Line, and Kaishlahti against Fin
nish positions on islands in the Bay
of Viipuri.)
28 Fortifications Captured.
Russian troops captured 28 Fin
nish defensive fortifications on the
Karelian Isthmus, the communique
added. However, a strong snowfall
and fog handicapped operations, it
asserted.
. Unfavorable weather held the
Soviet airplanes to reconnoitering
flights, the army reported.
The communique:
“February 24. Strong snowfall and
fog handicapped operations of Soviet
troops on the Karelian Isthmus.
Soviet troops occupied on the front
, 28 of the enemy’s defensive forti
fications. including 19 iron and con
crete artillery forts.
Artillery Reported Taken.
“While fighting, the Soviet troops
Occupied the Islands of Koivisto
(Bjorkoe), Tiurinsaari and Piisaari,
etrongly fortified with iron and con
crete forts. Twenty two guns, in
cluding 12 heavy coastal 10 and §
Inch tower guns, field and Zenith
guns, a great number of machine
guns and dumps of munition were
captured on these islands.
“On other sectors of the front
nothing of importance. Owing to
unfavorable weather Soviet avia
tion made only reconnoitering
flights.”
Finns Report 6,000
. Russians Killed
8> the Associated Press.
HELSINKI, Feb. 24.—A strategi
cally spread Red Army, its dead re
ported littering the snow at the
rate of 6.000 in two days, was said
tonight by the Finnish high com
mand to be striking massively at
, the island environs of Viipuri from
a captured coastal base only V/2
miles away.
From Kaislahti, nestled on the
war-wTecked Gulf of Finland Rail
way just below Finland's erstwhile
second city and from Koivisto, 17*/2
miles further south, once the west
ern anchor of Finland's Mannerheim
Line, the Soviet offensive stretched
out over the gulf ice to hammer at
(See FINLAND, Page A^3.)
Face-at-Window Mystery
Solved by Burglar Killer
By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.—Mrs. Ben
jamin Hebald saw a grinning face
pressed against the window of her
fifth-floor apartment in Brooklyn
tonight.
When police arrived the face was
Still grinning. They opened the
window and a man toppled in from
the Ore escape, dead.
' In an adjoining building Patrol
man Herbert Miller started for
his precinct station to report hav
ing fired at a burglar. Noticing
fellow-patrolmen at the Hebald
apartment, he went in and identi
fied the dead man as the one he
shot. Mr. Miller thought the bur
glar had escaped.
Berwyn Man Is Killed
By Car on Boulevard
A man, identified by a cousin as
Charles Haker, 32, of Berwyn, Md„
was killed early today when he was
struck by an automobile on the
Washington-Baltimore Boulevard
near Berwyn.
Mr. Haker, who had been em
ployed by the Smith Gravel Co. at
Berwyn, formerly lived four miles
from Laurel, Md.. on the Laurel
Bowie road. He is survived by his
father, Henry Haker; two brothers.
Jerome and Fred Haker, and a sis
ter, Miss Sophie Haker, all of near
Laurel.
Radio Programs, Page F-3
Complete Index, Page A-2
%
' --- — 4
Trapped in a Red Air Raid
Reporter on Back in Snow Stares
Death Full in Face as Bombs Fall
By LELAND STOWE,
Chicago Dally News Foreign Correspondent.
SORTAVALA, Eastern Finland, Feb. 23 (Delayed).—What does
it feel like to look a falling bomb straight in the face?
I have wondered about that for several years, and especially
for the past six months. No need to speculate about my possible
reactions any more. With the vividness of a nightmare, I know
how it feels to look a bomb in the face—certainly all that I ever
cared to know about it. By the exact margin of 71 very short paces,
I can sit here, wiser, but unscathed, and still tingle with a series
of sensations which will be quite enough if they come only once
in a lifetime. •*
until today i was one oi tnose
who rather marvelled at the seem
ingly unnecessary’ speed with which
people in the small Finnish towns
always dash for the shelters, or the
neighboring woods, when the air
alarms sound. Tonight I am cured
once and forever of my ignorant
boldness and my studied casualness.
Hereafter, the only thing that will
annoy me about any tody's air alarm
conduct will be if he can hike for
safety faster than I can. Even if
remarkably educational, it is ex
tremely unpleasant to lie ' on the
ground looking up at a bunch of
five bombs which are apparently
coming directly down upon you.
160 Bombs Poured on Town.
This was not the official schedule
of the Odyssey upon which Wade
Werner of the Associated Press and
myself unwittingly embarked when
we set out from Helsinki for Sor
tavala. After two nights and one
day, it looked as if the Russian
bombers had us boxed for good. This
morning, when at last our train
crawled into the village of B near
the western coast of Lage Ladoga,
we saw some of the explanation. The
Soviet planes had raided B five times
in three hours last night and had
poured down 160 bombs upon it. The
station was a sad-looking spectacle,
and many of the streets too.
At 11 o’clock this morning we were
sitting in the Sortavala train; had
been sitting there for an hour, in
fact, waiting for it to start. Then
the engine whistles began shrieking,
one after another for miles along the
track. It was another air raid warn
ing, the second of the day. Every
| (Continued on Page A-3, Column 2.)
Chamberlain Bars
Peace With Present
German Government
Pledges Allied Fight
Until Satisfied
'Freedom Is Safe'
B* the Associated Press.
LONDON, Feb. 24.—Prime Min
ister Chamberlain today flatly ruled
out any peace with the present Ger
man government as incapable of
guaranteeing future security to
Europe.
As he pledged a fight to the finish
“until we are satisfied that freedom
is safe.” the conflict with Germany
produced th|se results:
The naval trawler Benvolio, 352
ton vessel engaged in mine sweeping,
sank after hitting a mine, with 10
of her men lost. The vessel was
the 30th of the British Navy to go
down since the war began.
R. A. F. Planes Over Prague.
The air ministry announced Royal
Air Force planes scouted deep into
greater Germany for the second
successive night, ranging as far
afield as Prague, capital of dismem
bered Czecho-Slovakia. Officials
said besides Prague, points scouted
included Kiel, Hamburg and
Bremen. One plane made a forced
landing in Belgium; the crew of six
was arrested.
The British press reported, witii
ou tofficial confirmation, that Royal
Air Force planes had sunk three
German submarines and a mer
chantman had rammed and sunk
another.
The toll of merchantmen victims
of the war rose with the foundering
of the British steamer Royal Archer,
2,266 tons, while being towed after
striking a mine.
Address Sharp.
Winding up a series or pep meet
ings by cabinet ministers with an
address in his'home town of Bir
mingham, the gaunt, 70-year-old
Chamberlain delivered one of his
sharpest fight talks of the war.
Mr. Chamberlain decried Nazi
aims as destruction of Britain and
“domination of the world.”
Britain, on the other hand, he
said to the cheers of the crowd,
is fighting a "crusade” for freedom
and to abolish "the spirit of mili
tarism and accumulation of arma
ments which is pauperizing all
Europe, and not in the least Ger
many herself.”
"How in concrete terms are these
aims to be secured?” he asked, and
answered:
"First, independence of the Poles
and Czechs must be assured.
“Secondly, we must have some
tangible evidence that will satisfy
us that any pledges or assurances
given will be fulfilled. Under the
present German government there
can be no security for the future.”
He called Finland’s fight against
invading Russia a “heroic struggle”
against "a gigantic and unwieldly ad
versary” and in an incisive passage
on the British raid into a Norwegian
(See CHAMBERLAIN, Page A-3.)
A. F. L. Ready to Resume
Peace Talks, Green Says
President William Green reiter
ated yesterday that the A. P. L.
was ready to resume peace negotia
tions with the C. I. O.
In a letter to a group of clergy
men who had urged renewal of
peace negotiations, Mr. Green said
the A. P. L. Peace Committee
“stands ready to accept and con
sider any proposals designed to
bring about a settlement of existing
difficulties.”
His letter was addressed to Msgr.
John A. Ryan, director of the de
partment of social action of the
National Catholic Welfare Confer
ence.
*
Turkey Mobilizes
Civilians in New
\
Emergency Plans
Newspapers Predict
That War Is Certain;
Russian Oil Target
3r th» Associated Press.
ISTANBUL. Feb. 25 (Sunday).—
Taking steps amounting virtually to
civil mobilization. Turkey today ap
plied new emergency measures as the
possibility of war in the Near East
was regarded with Increasing ap
prehension in this country.
The Government Co-ordination
Committee, which was formed to
place industry and commerce on vir
tual wartime basis, inaugurated
obligatory labor system in the Eregli
coal basin.
Under the plan, expected to be
extended quickly, workers in all in
dustry would not be permitted to
leave their jobs.
Staff Officers Arrive.
General staff officers arrived from
Ankara for final steps in organiz
ing Istanbul's defenses against any
possible air and sea bombardments.
More British and French techni
cians arrived to help make the coun
try ready for war.
Turkish newspapers predicted
that war between the allies and
Soviet Russia was certain, espe
cially if Russia becomes an impor
tant source of supplies.
It was asserted that in such case
the allies would move immediately
against the rich Baku oil fields of
Russia, on the Caspian Sea.
Ready to Defend.
The newspaper Yeni Sabah,
closely connected with the Turkish
government, declared: “Both the
logical and legal justification al
ready exist for Britain and France
to declare war on Russia.”
Official quarters reiterated that
Turkey was ready to fight to defend
her own security.
Turkey earlier had been virtually
isolated by a storm which swept
across Southeastern Europe, and
Turkish officials had denied rumors
of impending war which circulated
in anxious Balkan capitals as the
result of a prolonged interruption of
communications.
Belgian Loan Forecast
BRUSSELS, Peb. 24 'The Bel
gian Chamber of Deputies was told
today by Deputy Charles Jansse it
must borrow about $490,000,000 next
year to finance mobilization and
other expenses.
Blue Plains Inmates to Get
Better Food After March 1
An egg a day, "heavier soup” and
hot meals are on the menu of the
Home for the Aged and Infirm be
ginning March 1, it was announced
last night by Frank B. Haskell,
superintendent.
The revised and more nutritious
menu, Mr. Haskell intimated, is the
result of the recent unexpected visit
to the institution by Mrs. Franklin
D. Roosevelt and the subsequent in
vestigation of the home by the Pub
lic Health Subcommittee of the
House District Committee.
Mr. Haskell said that in the past
the more than 700 old and almost
helpless inmates, because of the
stringent allowances for food and
maintenance at the institution, had
been allowed an egg at every sev
enth meal and have not been served
"heavier soups” at supper.
“What do you mean by heavier
soup?” asked a reporter. "Do you
serve these old people consomme?"
“No,” said Supt. Haskell, “I mean
that when we have bean soup there
will be more beans in it; when we
have pea soup there will be more
peas In It.”
Complaints had been.made before,
I
the House subcommittee that meals
had been served cold to the in
mates. Mr. Haskell said this was
more or less true because the meals
were served first and the inmates
were called in afterward to take
their seats at the table. When they
reached the table, he said, the meals
were usually cold.
But, beginning March 1, Supt.
Haskell declared, there will be a
new order of procedure. First of
all, he declared, eggs are to be
served at every breakfast. Scondly,
he pointed out, the old folks at the
home must be seated /before the
meals are served so that no matter
how slow an inmate is in reaching
the table, he will have a hot meal.
Mr. Haskell explained that Health
Department physicians as a result
of recent orders had already ex
amined about 60 of the 130 bed
ridden patients in the infirmary at
the home and had failed so far to
find any cases of contagious diseases.
He added the doctors had found two
or three "doubtful” cases of in
sanity and expressed the opinion
(Bee BLUE PLAfr8, Pa«e A-lO
k
Friendship With
- Soviet, Italy and
Japan Reaffirmed
(Text of Adolf Hitler’s speech
on Page A-4.)
By the Associated Press.
MUNICH, Feb. 24.—Adolf Hitler
cried out tonight that Germany will
fight “until the terror of the plutoc
racies has been broken,” declared
the "three mighty states” of Russia,
Italy and Japan to be his friends
and proclaimed his trust that God is
with him and his Nazi Reich.
To his old guard, in an hour’s
speech broadcast over the world,
the Fuehrer asserted “the hand of
Providence” saved him from death
in a bomb explosion in this very city
last November 8 and declared the
same Providence “has especially
blessed us” for six years.
Sounding the World War battle
cry of Imperial Germany—“Gott
mit Uns”—the Fuehrer shouted that
Germany was fighting against “the
idea that one or two peoples of
the earth should have everything.
God didn’t make the world for Eng
lishmen alone * *
uo you tnrnit providence would
have blessed' us only to drop us
now?” he asked. "• • • There is a
God—he creates people with equal
rights.”
“Stronger Than 1914 Reich.”
Today's Germany, he said, is
stronger in every way than the im
perial Reich of 1914—but, especially
in its leadership.
Preceded by the blood-stained
flag which headed his marchers in
the beer cellar putsch of 1923 and
surrounded by old party fighters.
Hitler came to Munich's Haufbrau
Hall tonight to commemorate the
founding of the Nazi party and its
adoption of a 25-point program 20
years ago.
It was his first speech in Munich
since the Burgerbrauhaus explosion
wrecked the scene of the original
beer cellar plot and killed eight per
sons shortly after Hitler had left.
On the eve of United States Un
dersecretary of State Sumner
Welles’ arrival in Europe for a
feeling out of possible ways to peace,
the Fuehrer gave a defiant war
message to his nation and to the
world—threatening to smash any
one who seeks to deny Germany
her rightful living space, leering
at “these Chamberlains and their
top hats,” sneering at Winston
Churchill and disdaining to reveal
specific war aims.
He did mention his terms prior
to the start of the war and de
scribed them as modest—“security of
our living space, return of our
colonies.” But his present price for
peace went unnamed.
“Not Destined to Be Slaves.”
"What we are fighting against,”
he shouted admist cries of approval,
“is the idea that one or two peoples
of the earth should have everything.
God didn't make the world for
Englishmen alone * • * it simply
cannot be that the German people
are destined to be slaves of the
English and French.”
Significantly, Hitler reverted to
his early-war practice of leaving
France almost out of his strictures
Coming back to 1914, he intimated
Germany would have won the World
War had he been at the helm. The
nation's leaders then, he declared,
were “second rate.” But today—
“we all know that neither militarily
nor economically can Germany be
defeated. The decisive thing is
leadership.”
More than in any recent speech,
the. Fuehrer claimed God as his ally
—the ally of the German people.
An awed hush fell over his fre
quently noisy listeners when he took
them back to the night of the blast
in the Burgerbrahaus and told them
solemnly:
“Only a few months ago, in a
very special way, I experienced the
hand of Providence.”
Invokes Friendships.
Again Hitler invoked his friend
ship with Soviet Russia and Italy,
and this time he spoke in the same
breath of Japan.
"Three mighty nations” which
were Germany’s enemies in 1914 now
are friendly, “benevolently neutral,”
he said.
This was just one of the reasons
he gave why “It cannot be otherwise
(See HITLER, Page“XT)
/jOWN, Dow IN TAnnCKTe)
J LEARNM To SWOT STRAW* N
WHAT MW GOIN'To 00 WITH
v^TWATMAU- sack * J
s 4 f,
J RECIPROCAL TRAPC
No Accurate Figures Available
On Relief Needs, Bondy Says
Welfare Chief Doesn't Know How Much
Money He Needs for Adequate Program
First of a Series.
By JAMES FREE.
No one knows how many Washington residents are destitute
and in need of public or private agency relief.
No one knows how many persons on public relief rolls in the
District are no longer eligible for such aid.
No one can give the District taxpayer assurance that he is
getting his money’s worth so far as expenditures for public relief
are concerned. <►- — --- ■ — -
No one knows how much money
would be required to provide an
“adequate" public relief program In
Washington.
In short, things that are not
known about the public relief sit
uation here present as great a
problem as do the sober facts that
are on the record.
These assertions do not come
from uninformed critics or carping
outsiders. They were made by Rob
ert E. Bondy, director of the Dis
trict's Board of Public Welfare.
“If." said Mr. Bondy, "congres
sional authorities were to ask me
tomorrow to fill in a figure on a
blank check they would give me. if
they should say to me. You are the
new director of public welfare
and we are prepared to back you up
on any amount you need—just say
how much,’ I would be forced to
say, 'I don't know.’
"I don't know.” he explained,
I
8,C J Longshoremen
In Southeast Ports
Stage Walkout
Last-Minute Mediation
Fails in Fight for
10-Cent Wage Boost
By the Associated Press.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 25
(Sunday).—A strike of 8.000 long
shoremen asking wage increases went
into effect at eight Southeastern
ports last midnight as last-minute
mediation efforts failed.
James L. Bernard, mediator from
the Maritime Labor Board at Wash
ington, said V. E. Townsend, vice
president of the International Long
shoremen’s Association, would ar
rive today and a conference had
been scheduled for the afternoon.
The walkout, affecting coastwise
shipping only, was voted Friday
after several months of negotiations
between wharf workers and ship
ping interests on a new contract.
The old agreement expired last Oc
tober.
Mr. Bernard said Mr. Townsend
told him in a telephone conversa
tion from Charleston that many
ships due in ports today would not
be unloaded.
Ike Grayson, leader of the long
shoremen’s local, an American Fed
eration of Labor affiliate, explained
the longshoremen who work coast
wise ships want a wage boost of 10
cents an hour so their pay will be
in line with that received by wharf
workers who load and unload deep
sea and intercoastal vessels.
Union longshoremen in Wilming
ton, N. C.; Charleston. S. C.; Savan
nah, Ga.; Jacksonville, Fort Pierce,
Port Everglades, Miami and Tampa,
Fla., are involved.
Sailings Are Canceled
As Strike Goes Into Effect
NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (&).—Several
coastwise sailings were canceled to
night and one shipping company
placed an embargo on cargo mov
ing out of the port of New York as
8,000 longshoremen in eight South
ern ports walked out.
Clyde-Mallory Line canceled sail
ings of the Seminole, scheduled to
leave Tuesday for Charleston and
Jacksonville, and the Irlquols for
Miami and Galveston on Wednes
day. It also put an embargo on
cargo from New York. 1
The new shipping impasse came
slightly more than three months
after the International Longshore
men’s Association (A. F. L.) in New
York signed an agreement ending
a widespread coastal dock strike.
John E. Craig, vice president of
the Clyde Line, said revenues on
coastwise ships had declined seri
ously, partly because of the poor
fruit season in the South.
“Freight and passenger business
are both poor,” he added. “The
lines cannot afford new expenses,
any more than they could last fall."
"because our public assistance divi
sion staff has had neither the time
nor the facilities to obtain a compre
hensive picture ©f the local needs.
Our case workers are handling an
average of 190 cases each, as com
pared with the Social Security
Board's recommendation of an av
erage case load of 100, so naturally
they cannot do as complete an in
vestigation and advisory job as would
be desirable in all cases.”
Known factors in the current pub
lic welfare situation include:
In January public assistance was
given in 6.235 cases, most of which
involved family groups; 1,987 of these
cases came under general relief,
the remainder under Federal-local
social security programs of aid to
dependent children (909 cases*, old
(See RELIEF, Page A-10.)
U. 5. District Attorney
Gets Dies Evidence
On Pelley Letters
Pine Urged to Present
Documents to Grand
Jury for Action
toy the Associated Press.
The Dies Committee yesterday
turned over to the United States
District Attorney all its information
concerning allegedly forged letters
which purported to link its chair
man, Representative Dies, Democrat,
of Texas, with William Dudley Pel
ley, the leader of the Silver Shirt
legion.
Mr. Dies himself transmitted the
committee evidence to District At
torney David Pine, and asked him
td present the documents to the
grand jury for “appropriate action.”
Meanwhile it was revealed that
Attorney General Robert H. Jack
son has agreed to turn over to the
Dies Committee a copy of the Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation's report
of its inquiry last May into- the ac
tivities of Mr. Pelley.
Mr. Jackson emphasized, however,
that the reports should be kept con
fidential in a letter to Representa
tive Starnes of Alabama, acting
chairman of the Dies Committee.
(See UN-AMERICAN, Page A-14.)
Roosevelt Tops Garner, 841 -18,
In Unofficial Georgia Primary
By tht Associated Press.
DONALSONVILLE, Ga., Peb. 24.
—President Pranklin D. Roosevelt
received a vote of “landslide propor
tions” to head again the Democratic
ticket in a make-believe Seminole
County preference primary here
today.
The President was the first choice
of 841 voters, with Vice President
John Gamer second with 18. Sec
retary of State Cordell Hull re
ceived three votes. Postmaster Gen
eral James A. Parley, two; Senator
Burton K. Wheeler of Montana, two;
Federal Security Administrator Paul
V. McNutt, two, and Senator Walter
P. George of Georgia, one.
The George vote was a "write-in"
on the printed ballot.
As a second-choice candidate, in
case Mr. Roosevelt should decline
a third term. Secretary of State
Hull was given a substantial lead of
245. The President received only
1 vote for second choice, Mr. Parley,
154; Mr. Gamer, 78; Senator Wheel
er, 11; Mr. McNutt, 9; Senator
George, 3, and former Gov. Eugene
Talmadge, 1, a write-in.
The vote, although unofficial and
not binding in any way, attracted
attention in that it was the first
public expression by actual ballot
cm potential Democratic presidential
candidates. So keen was the local
interest at 868 of the 1,500 eligible
voters marked the printed ballots, a
number equal to the average regu
lar primary.
"There was as much interest as
in a regular election,” said Chair
man Joe Johnson of the Seminole
Democratic Executive Committee,
whc arranged for the vote. "There
has been so much talk about a pri
mary in Georgia we thought we
would give our people a chance.”
The President received 330 votes
in the four rural precincts of the
county, and 511 in the Donalson
ville town precinct.
Mr. Johnson recalled that in past
elections here Seminole has proved
to be a sentiment sounder for the
entire State.
"In 1936 when we held the first
primary the county voted 661 for
Roosevelt and 120 for former Gov.
Talmadge,” he said. "Then last
year Seminole lined up for Sena
tor George, first; Talmadge, second,
and Lawrence Camp third in the
United States Senate race. They
finished in that order.” Mr. Camp
had the backing of President Roose
velt in that race.
Mr. Johnson said there was con
siderable local campaigning, espe
cially far Mr. Roosevelt and Mr.
Oamer,
m
Sea Scouts Rescue 4
When Army Plane
Noses Into River
Flyers Extricated
From Amphibian
In Anacostia
(Pictures on Page B-l.)
An Army amphibian plane nosed
over in attempting to land on the
Anacostia River off Buzzards Point
yesterday, but its four occupants
escaped with minor cuts, bruises
and a wetting when five Sea Scouts
took their 16-foot whaleboat, supplied
by the Red Cross, on its first rescue
mission.
The Sea Scouts had just launched
a catboat at the Corinthian Yacht
Club when they saw the plane strike
the surface. They manned the
whaleboat under direction of Scout
master Frederick Tilp and reached
the stricken craft ahead of Navy
crash boats dispatched from the op
posite shore.
Extricated from the cabin of the
sinking four-place OA-9 type amphi
bian were Maj. Thomas D. White
of 4514 Connecticut avenue N.W.,
attached to the office of the chief
of the Army Air Corps here; Capt.
G. W. McCoy, Bolling Field; Tech
nical Sergt. W. E. Langston, also of
Bolling Field, and Sergt. W. K. Ett
linger, Arlington (Va). Cantonment.
Plane Towed to Base.
The Sea Scouts transferred the
flyers to a Navy craft, and crash
boats later towed the plane, which
had settled by the nose, to the Naval
Air Station.
. Those participating in the rescue
were Richard A. Winfield, 20, Sea
Scout mate, of 1020 Irving street
N.E.; Phillip Osborne, 16, of 1617
Seventeenth street N.W.; Joseph
Tevls, 16, of 2518 Seventeenth street
N.W.: Jaok Gager, 18, of 5301 Mas
sachusetts avenue N.W., and Ray
Theiss, 15. of 903 Flower avenue, Sil
ver Spring, Md.
Maj. White was at the controls
when the mishap occurred at the
end of a routine training flight. He
is well known in service circles here,
having had several tours of duty in
the Capital prior to his present as
signment.
Went to Russia In 1934.
In 1934 he became the first as
sistant military attache to be sent
to Moscow after diplomatic relations
had been established with Soviet
Russia. Subsequently, he served for
several years as assistant military
attache to the United States Em
bassy in Rome and as assistant mil
itary attache for air in Greece.
He is a descendant of Gen. Fran
cis Marion, "the Swamp Fox,” and
John C. Calhoun.
Maj. White declined to comment
on the mishap last night, but a
Bolling Field spokesman termed it
"a minor accident in landing.” The
latter officer added a board of in
quiry to attempt determination of
the cause probably would be ap
pointed from among officers at the
field, pointing out this was merely
a routine procedure.
Roosevelt Race
With Garner in
Illinois Assured
Bankhead Urges
President to Reveal
Third-Term Plans
By G. GOULD LINCOLN.
Roosevelt against Gamer—Presi
dent against Vice President—in the
Illinois presidential preferential
primary on April 9 was assured
when the deadline for withdrawals
passed at midnight last night. No
word came from the President or
his backers, according to dispatches
from Springfield, 111.
Unless the decision of the Illinois
Secretary of State should be upset
by action of the State Certifying
Board, last night stands as the last
moment for withdrawals. The
board will meet March 5. Included
in its membership are the Governor
and attorney general.
While Illinois presents this con
test in the Democratic preference
primary, Thomas E. Dewey of New
York remains the sole outstanding
figure in the Republican race there.
Neither Senator Taft of Ohio nor
Senator Vanderberg of Illinois was
willing to enter the primary. Mayor
La Guardia of New York, whose
name was entered by a mysterious
"client” of the Ross Federal Re
search Corp. of New York, with
drew at the 11th hour.
Dewey’s Following Large.
Mr. Dewey, according to reports
brought here by Republican leaders
from Illinois at the time of the
G. O. P. National Committee meet
ing a week ago. has a large follow
ing in the State.
"Dewey would defeat any of the
other presidential aspirants 3 to 1
in the Illinois primary.” was th<$
comment made by one of these
party leaders.
Mayor La Guardia, whose with
drawal statement in New York in
dicated he was again backing Presi
dent Roosevelt in a presidential race,
would have been snowed under by
the Dewey vote in Illinois, it was
predicted. His declaration for Mr.
Roosevelt in the primary appears to
have removed him effectually from
any further consideration as a
Republican candidate—if he ever
had any chance for such considera
tion.
Representative Hamilton Fish. Re
publican, of New York advised Il
linois officials yesterday that he did
not “choose to run" as a presidential
candidate in the Illinois primary.
His decision was announced in a
telegram to Edward J. Hughes,
Illinois secretary' of State.
Third-Term Mystery.
Senator Bankhead of Alabama
yesterday joined other Democrats
during the week in urging that
President Roosevelt make some
statement regarding his political
plans. Speaker Bankhead, brother
of the Senator, is a favorite-son
candidate in Alabama.
Senator Bankhead told reporters:
"The President should give ex
pression to what he is going to do.
I don’t think there is much dis
agreement on the point that he
should make his intentions known.
It would be better for all concerned,
including the President, if he would
make a statement.”
Senator Bankhead asserted that
if Mr. Roosevelt should seek re
nomination, “then he can have it
without much question.” The Ala
bama Senator added:
"People don't like second choices
and as long as Mr. Roosevelt is at
large in the situation there is no
way for the people to make up their
minds on other candidates. There
can be no test of sentiment so long
as the President remains silent.”
First New Deal Plea.
Senator Bankhead is the first New
Deal Senator to suggest that Mr.
Roosevelt declare his Intentions.
Similar suggestions were made last
week by Senators Johnson. Demo
crat, of Colorado and McCarran,
Democrat, of Nevada.
The President's silence has effec
tively hog-tied all other Democratic
presidential possibilities — except
Vice President Garner. That goes
for Postmaster General James A.
Farley, even though his name has
been entered in the Massachusetts
primary. The Democratic leaders
in that State insisted they were
"for Roosevelt first,” if the President
should become a candidate.
Neither Paul V. McNutt of Indi
ana. Federal Security administrator,
nor senator Burton K. Wheeler of
Montana, for example, have entered
any contests for delegate support.
Only the Vice President has turned
up as a bona fide, open and above
board contestant against Mr. Roose
velt.
In vain have the Garnerites en
deavored to stiffen the backbones of
other potential candidates. It was
the hope of the Garner supporters
(See POLITICS, Page A-5.)
Grocer Rings Up
Dollar Profit
On Holdup
Harry Abelman, a grocer at 1200
G street S.W., is a good business
man. He surpassed himself last
night, however, by turning in a
profit on a holdup—of his own store.
Mr. Abelman was alone in the
store shortly before midnight when
two colored men entered, ordered
some groceries and handed him a
dollar bill. He turned to the cash
register, rang up the sale and
started to hfmd the men their
change.
At that point a gun appeared in
the hand of one of the men and
Mr. Abelman ducked behind the
counter, yelling for help. Members
of his family hurried into the store
and the robbers fled, leaving their
groceries behind.
Policemen R. C. Redding and C.
K. Talley arrived to ask:
"How much did you lose?”
"Lose?" replied Mr. Abelman,
T made a dollar profit.**
h