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Weather Forecast Pair, not so cold tonight; low, 27. Tomorrow fair, warmer. Temperatures today—Highest, 35, at 1:3C p.m.; lowest, 22, at 7:20 a.m. Yes terday—Highest, 36, at 2:55 p.m.; lowest, 28, at 8 a.m. Late New York Markets, Page A-11, WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION Guide for Readers rage. Amusements . B-16 Comics _B-14-15 Editorials .A-6 Edit! Articles...A-7 Finance A-ll Lost and Found A-3 rage. Obituary . A-8 Radio ._B-15 Society _B-3 Sports .A-12 Where to Qo_B-2 Woman's Page.B-8 An Associated Press Newspaper 92d YEAR. No. 36,419. WASHINGTON, D. C., MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 1944-TWENTY-EIGHT PAGES. *** * •nV'subtjrb* THREE CENTS. E*h“r™ Soviet Paper Reports Peace Bid Extended to Germany by British; Allies Batter Nazi Line in Italy - * - —— --—♦ ■■ . Cairo'Rumor' Says Officials Met With Von Ribbentrop BULLETIN. Lord Halifax, the British Ambassador, declared today “there is no truth” to the re port published in Pravda that two English officials had con ferred secretly with German Foreign Minister von Ribben trop on terms of a separate peace. "There is no truth to this story,” he said. "People who believe it will believe any thing.” By the Associated Press. MOSCOW. Jan. 17.—Pravda published a Cairo report today that two English officials had conferred secretly with German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop to find terms for a separate peace with Germany, and added: "It is understood the meeting did not remain without results.” The 10-line dispatch, published at the top of Pravada’s foreign news page under the heading. "Rumors from Cairo,” said the meeting “had the aim of finding out the condi tions of a separate peace with the Germans.” Officials Here Amazed. It took place "in one of the sea coast cities of the Pyrenees Penin sula"—apparently Spain or Portugal —according to the official Commun ist party newspaper report. (In Washington, the first re action of officials was frank amazement that such a report should have been published in a paper which usually speaks w’ith such authority as Pravda. In a less authoritative publication, the report would have received little or no attention. (Concern ran less to any pos sibility of truth in the report, since the British have com mitted themselves on many oc casions against a separate peace, than it did to the Russian pur pose in giving the report circu lation.) The text of the dispatch: “Cairo, Jan. 12 (By Special Cor respondent of Pravda).—According to information from reliable Greek. and Yugoslav sources, a secret meet-' ing took place recently in one of the seacoast cities of the Pyrenees Peninsula between two English officials and Von Ribbentrop. "The meeting had the aim of find ing out the conditions of a separate peace with the Germans. It is un derstood the meeting did not remain without results." (Tass broadcast the report, say ing the meeting was in a "coastal town on the Iberian Peninsula.” This was picked up by the Soviet monitor in London from a Mos cow long-wave telegraph trans mission. It was not included in the usual news voice broadcasts. 'There was no elaboration or comment on the dispatch. (British reaction to the Pravda story was to reiterate the re peated British declaration that no peace would be negotiated with the Germans without full accord of all the Allies, including the Russians and Americans. (A British spokesman, whose name cannot be used, was in clined to regard the story lightly, raising the question that if it originated in Cairo, why was it not circulated by Brtiish and American news agencies as well as Pravda? He expressed doubt that any such report passed the Cairo censorship.) Pacts Ban Separate Peace. The original Soviet-British agree ment on joint wartime action against Germany and their later 20-year alliance both provided that neither side would make a separate peace. Pravda’s dispatch amounted to an accusation that Britain, at least, was sounding out Germany on the possibility of a separate peace. The concluding sentence that the secret parley did not remain with out results, carried for Russians the positive sense that it had at least partial success. There was no official Soviet com ment. and British officials in Mos cow said they could not understand either the report or its publication. They said they did not believe it. < Although there was no do mestic censorship ban on its pub lication, no mention had been made of the Pravda article in London newspapers up to mid afternoon. The British news service Reuters carried a brief story attributed to a Moscow broadcast.) There were two interesting points about the dispatch: 1. Although it appeared in the organ of the Communist party, it was not official and did not even bear the weight of a dispatch of the official news agency, Tass, but was labeled plainly as from special Balkan sources. The newspaper itself labeled the story as among "rumors.'’ 2. The mere fact of publication of the story was of considerable im portance at a time when the United Nations appeared to have been in dissolubly joined after the Moscow and Teheran conferences. While Pravda’s back page carried the Cairo story of separate peace negotiations, the front page dis played the Polish government state ment, asking the United States and Great Britain to arrange Soviet Polish negotiations, and the Soviet reply that negotiations with the present Polish government were im possible. Work on Invasion Is Far Advanced, Eisenhower Says Wilson Hints New Mediterranean Blows; Bradley Gets Post Ey theAssociated Prers. LONDON, Jan. 17.—The pre invasion task in Britain already is far advanced. Gen. Dwight D Eisenhower disclosed today a; Gen. Sir Henry Maitland Wilsor hinted at new blows in the Medi terranean, possibly into Southern France. This picture of Allied might men acing Hitler from the west anc south, as well as the east, waf thrown into sharper focus with an nouncement that Lt. Gen. Omar N Bradley, veteran of Tunisia, has become senior American general under Gen. Eisenhower In this theater. Gen. Eisenhower, in his first press conference as western .invasion commander in chief, warmly praised naval, air, supply and other forces for "the work that has been done in advance of my coming.” and lauded infantrymen in the United Kingdom who "are getting them selves ready and toughened for any job that lies ahead.” He recently arrived there after a visit to Wash ington, during which he conferred with President Roosevelt and Gen George C. Marshall, United States Army chief of staff. Gen. Wilson, the new Mediter ranean commander in chief, in his first press meeting at Allied head quarters in Algiers, declared his front extends from the Maritsa River in the Balkans to the Pyrenees and “we’ve got to hit home wherever we see the opportunity * * *. If we saw an opportunity for going • See INVASION, Page A-4.) U. S. Willing to Help Settle Polish Row, Hull Tells Russia Step Follows Soviet's Statement Attacking Exiled Government By the Associated Press. The American Government has advised Russia of its willing ness to work for restoration of good relations between Russia and Poland, Secretary of State Hull disclosed today, and is hope ful that such relations may be resumed. The Secretary told a press con ference that a dispatch to that effect had been sent to Moscow. Reds Interpret Reply As Rejection of Offer LONDON, Jan. 17 OP).—The Soviet government, interpreting last Fri day's Polish statement as a rejection of its offer to negotiate a new Rus sian-Polish border on a Curzon line basis, emphasized today it could not “enter into official negotiations with a government with which diplomatic relations have been Interrupted.” Moscow’s short sharp reply also raked up the Katyn Forest mass graves accusation by Nazi Propa ganda Minister Paul Joseph Goeb bels last April with a reminder that Polish recognition of the charge caused the diplomatic break. Hard on the heels of this re sponse, Moscow announced in another broadcast—both of which (See POLAND, Page~A-10.) Move Expected Today To Oust Tammany Chief Ey the Associated Press. NEW YORK, Jan. 17.—Opponents of Michael J. Kennedy, New York County Democratic leader, were ex pected to ask today that an Execu tive Committee meeting be held this week to consider ousting the Tam many Hall chieftain. Assemblyman Patrick M. Sullivan committee member and one of the leaders of the anti-Kennedy bloc, claimed his group had enough votes to depose Mr. Kennedy. Friends of the leader, however, denied the opposition had a major ity. Mr. Kennedy had no comment on the developments. A petition to call the Executive Committee meeting was slated to be presented to Representative James H. Fay, committee chairman. Reds Hurl Back Nazis in Drive Toward Latvia Gains Along 9-Mile Front in New Soviet Offensive Reported (Map on Page A-2.) By the Associated Press. LONDON, Jan. 17.—A powerful ;new Soviet offensive was sweep ing toward the 70-mile distant | Latvian border today, hurling i the Germans back along a 9-mile . front, while in old Poland far to ' the south Red Army spearheads Jwere driving toward the big rail land highway junction of Rovno. ! Asserting last night that the new , drive to the north of Nevel already had swept up 40 localities and cut the important Novosokolniki Rail way below Lake Ilmen, Moscow an nounced at the same time that Gen. Nikolai F. Vatutin's 1st Ukraine Army had killed 100.000 Germans and captured 7,000 in three weeks of : the massive offensive which has car ried the Russians 55 miles inside old Poland. The Rea Army also forged ahead in White Russia, crossing the Ippa River to capture Novoselki, 17 miles north of Kalinkovichi in the Pripet i Marshes, and reaching a point 47 : miles from the old Polish border in a drive toward Pinsk, about 100 I miles away Cold Wave in White Russia. Moscow dispatches said a cold wave accompanied by sharp frosts had returned to White Russia. Hard freezes in the Pripet Marshes would afford firm terrain for tanks. The Russians told of repulsing heavy tank and infantry counter attacks yesterday in the Vinnitsa and Uman sectors to the south, kill ing 2,000 Germans and destroying 136 tanks. Stockholm dispatches quoted a Berlin military spokesman as saying some Red Army units had crossed the Bug River, near Vin nitsa, only 20 miles from the vital Warsaw-Odessa Railway which sup plies the Germans in the Dnieper Bend. The new Soviet offensive north of ; Nevel apparently caused German propagandists some anxiety. One German broadcast declared the Rus sians were ready to throw 1,000.000 men in a major sweep toward the j Baltic states. The Nazi-controlled Scandinavian Telegraph Bureau quoted a Berlin military spokesman as saying, “We are convinced some of the bloodiest battles between great bodies of troops are about to be fought on the northern front.” Reds Cut Highway Line. A Moscow bulletin said the Red ! Army had launched the drive three days ago, pushing a wedge 9 miles j wide and 5 miles deep into the Ger man lines and seizing Nasva to cut the Novosokolniki-Dno railway “over ! which the Germans had transferred their troops along the front line.” The communique said Gen. Va tutin’s forces driving through old Po land captured Vladimirets, 23 miles i northwest of Sarny, and Antanovka. 15 miles west of Sarny, while his units farther south drove to within 19 miles of Rovno by occupying Kos I topol, 35 miles inside the old border. Besides killing 100,000 and captur j ihg 7,000 Germans in the period be ] tween December 24 and January 13, a Moscow announcement said, Gen. Vatutin’s forces swept up tremen dous quantities of booty and de stroyed 2,204 German tanks and 1,174 guns. Army Bans Opinions Of Soldiers on Vote By the Associated Press. ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Al giers, Jan. 17.—Soldiers will not be permitted to express their views for publication on the subject of the soldiers’ vote, under a War Depart ment ruling. Correspondents of this theater were told they might write their own impressions on the attitude of military personnel on this issue, but might not quote individuals or take polls. The ruling was based on a per manent Army regulation which for bids officers or men from ente*ng into public debate on controversial political issues or matters pending before Congress. Nazi Aircraft Plant in Austria Battered by Flyinq Fortresses By the Associated Press. A UNITED STATES 15th AIR FORCE BOMBER BASE IN ITALY, Jan. 17.—Flying Fort resses of the 15th Air Force struck a savage blow yesterday at the highly-important Klagen furt aircraft works which Hitler tucked away in Northern Austria to safeguard it from attack. Fortresses from Italian bases, co ordinating their crushing force with that of the Britain-based 8th Air Force in the rising campaign to pul verize the Nazi aircraft industry, struck through heavy antiaircraft Are and a few fighter planes to score many direct hits on the factory. Returning crewmen said great clouds of smoke hovered over the plant and part of it was in flames as the Portress turned away. The Klagenfurt Railroad yards also were attacked. Plant 75 Miles From Trieste. The Klagenfurt works, 75 miles northeast of the Italian port of Tri este, is a subsidiary of the huge Messerschmitt plant at Wiener Neu stadt outside Vienna, which has also beert attacked by the 15th Air Force. Aircraft parts essential to produc tion both at Wiener Neustadt and at other German aircraft works, such as Regensburg, north of Munich, are manufactured at the Klagenfurt plants. Targets for yesterday’s attack in cluded machine shops, workshops, precision parts shops, power houses and offices. While this force of bombers was attacking the source of Hitler’s aerial defenses, other Fortresses un (See KLAGENFURT, Page A-10.) Step Up Attack on Enemy Defenses Near Cassino By the Associated Pro«:s. ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Al giers, Jan. 17.—Attacking along a 30-mile front. American and French troops of Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark’s 5th Army reached the steep banks of the Rapido River which runs through Cassino, and have begun battering assaults on the Gustav defense line, main barricade to Rome, Allied head quarters announced today. The exact penetration where American troops finally pushed up to the Rapido, which runs almost due north and south at Cassino, was not announced. Previously, however. American infantrymen had stormed and captured Mount Troc chio. the last high ground before Cassino. whose peak is but 2 miles from the town, and it was possible that they had thrust on down the slopes to Cassino itself. French Reach Upper Rapido. The French of Gen. Alphonse Juin also smashed through pecipitous I hills and mountains in the Apen nines to reach the Upper Rapido, having previously captured the vil lage of Cardito and another of the many Mount Croces which dot the ; Italian terrain. At Cardito and Mount Croce the French were 9 to 10 miles north of Cassino and only slightly east. Lower down the line, however, where[ they had reached to within 2 miles' of the mountain village of Sant' Elia, they were but 5 miles from | Cassino. The Rapido’s high banks have been converted by the Germans! into one of the main features of [their Gustav line. It has been ! studded with guns, weapon pits, dugouts and traps, as have the hills and rocky ledges behind it. The Americans launched their final attack against the 1.475-foot Mount Trocchio at dawn Saturday and by nightfall had cleared out the enemy except for isolated pock ets. These were attacked yesterday. Although the victory placed Gen. Clark’s troops only two airline miles from Cassino, the Germans were expected to fight desperately to re tain this base, for Its fall would open up the possibility of a swift Allied advance through valley land toward Rome, some 70 miles away. Yesterday's communique an nounced that Gen. Juin's French troops, fighting in difficult moun tain terrain, had occupied Cardito, which is 3 miles northwest of cap tured Acquafondata, aud seized the village of Vallerontonda. Drive Toward Junction. The French also were driving to ward the highway junction of Atina, miles north of Cassino. < Gen Clark has sent congratu lations to Gen. Henri Giraud on the performance of the French troops in Italy against resolute German resistance “despite un favorable weather and in ex tremely difficult terrain," Radio France of Algiers said last night. The broadcast was recorded in New York by FCC monitors.) Action along the 8th Army front on the Adriatic end of the Italian battle line remained at a virtual stalemate except for patrol actions and raids on enemy outposts in the Orsogna area by 3ritish troops. Allied Tribunal Dooms Supporter of Fascism By the Associated Press. ALLIED HEADQUARTERS. Algiers. Jan. 17.—An Allied military tribunal has imposed the death sentence on an Italian convicted of trying to revive Fascism in Italy and ordered a woman colleague im prisoned for a year, it was an nounced today. Eleven others involved in the plot discovered by the American Counter intelligence Corps were given sen tences of from one to 10 years. Salvatore Bramante, 24, received the death sentence on three charges of possessing guns illegally, damag ing communication lines and attend ing meetings of the outlawed Fascist Party. The confessed leader of the group, Cataldo Grammatico, 20, was sen tenced to 10 years. I Colombian President Signs United Nations Declaration Alfonso Lopez, President of Co lombia, today signed the declara tion of the United Nations at the White House. His nation thus be came the 34th signatory to the pact. President Lopez and the new Co lombian Ambassador, Dr. Don Gabriel Turbay, later were luncheon guests of the President. Dr. Turbay presented his credentials to Presi ! dent Roosevelt this morning. The luncheon was informal and was held in the President’s study. Undersecretary of State Stettinius also was a guest. Berlin Claims Sinking Of 5 Allied Transports Ej the Associated Press. LONDON, Jan. 17.—The Berlin radio asserted today that German submarines had sunk five transports totaling 36,500 tons, three destroyers and two submarines in recent at tacks on Allied shipping in the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The broadcast, recorded by the Associated Press, said the destroyer sinkings brought to nine the num ber of these Allied craft destroyed so far this month. 'SIR, MAY I TURN THIS THING LOOSE k NOW, AND GET v ON WITH THE uk' ) WAR Marines Take Hill 660 In Fierce Battle to Dominate Borgen Bay Fighting Described as Among Bloodiest of Southwest Pacific By the Associated Press. ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD QUARTERS, New Guinea, Jan. 17. —American marines, in what some of them termed the blood iest battle of the Southwest Pacific, have captured Hill 660 to dominate the Borgen Bay area of Western New' Britain, Gen. Douglas MacArthur reported to day. Australians kept pace by sweeping on through Sio, on New Guinea's northeast coast, and advancing 3 miles farther, clearing more of the coast, preparatory, perhaps, for a big Allied push against Madang, farther northwest. “Direct hits and damaging near misses.'’ said Gen. MacArthur’s com munique, were scored on a Japanese cruiser, a destroyer and seven cargo ships in the harbor. Returning pilots said the destroyer and one merchant ship were possibly sunk. The Navy planes shot down 29 of 60 to 70 Japanese fighters at a cost of 2 bombers and 8 fight ers, raising the enemy’s loss in planes at Rabaul alone to at least 124 since January 1. Four pilots of the downed Ailed aircraft were saved. Nine Ships Damaged. The attack was the first blow to be delivered against Rabaul shipping by Allied dive bombers and torpedo bombers from the new Bougainville Island airfields in the Solomons, only 250 miles from the enemy base. These fields were recently put into operation after consolidation of the American beachhead and hold ings at Empress Augusta Bay on the southwest coast of Bougainville. Much of Simpson Harbor at Ra baul was hidden by clouds, yet- the bombers landed damaging blows on nine ships. One of the merchant men was described by a pilot as of 10,000 or more tons. Another pilot said he saw “the whole stern'’ blown off a cargo ship of 8.000 to 10,000 tons. Marines have been fighting on both sides of New Britain’s west ernmost tip, Cape Gloucester, since shortly after their December 26 landing, and the Japanese defend ers sacrificed nearly 3,000 men in their effort to retain control of the area. American dead and wounded in the invasion total 400. Americans took the Cape Gloucester airdrome December 30 and soon thereafter began their bitter fight for Hill 660, dominating the Borgen Bay sector east of the cape. Deluges of rain and deeply-em (See PACIFIC, Page A-10.) Serb Force to Relieve Nazis in Yugoslav Port Bj the Associated Press. LONDON, Jan. 17.—The German radio said today that a "Serb na tionalist” force, composed mainly of students, had arrived in the Ger man-occupied Yugoslav port of Sibenik, apparently to relieve Nazi forces for use on the active battle front. At the same Ane a communique from Marshal Josip Broz’ (Tito’s) headquarters announced that bitter fighting continued in Eastern and Central Bosnia—labeled by the Ger mans as a projected Allied “inva sion corridor into the Balkans — where the Nazis latest drive has been reported smashed by the Partisans in some sectors. A German broadcast asserted that the Patriots had been cleared from Solta (Sulet) Island off Split. The broadcast Yugoslav com munique also said guerrillas at tacked a strong German column on the Kocevje-Rakek road in Slo venia, inflicting “great losses” in men and material on the Nazis. The bulletin said that 60 Ustachi soldiers were killed and many wounded in an attack on their garrison near the Croatian town of Karlovac. In the Gorica area of Montenegro an enemy garrison was wiped out, the bulletin declared. The Parti sans were said to be pressing their offensive in the Novo Mesto area of Slovenia. President Loses 10 Pounds as Result of Flu President Roosevelt has lost about 10 pounds as the result of the attack of flu with which he was stricken nearly two weeks ago, Press Secre tary Stephen T. Early said-today. The President has his good days and his bad days, Mr. Early said, and he is continuing to take it easy on the advice of his physician, Rear Admiral Ross T. McIntyre. Mr. Roosevelt remained at the White House again today instead of coming to his office and kept a few engagements. Ceremonies at Airport To Mark Opening of Bond Drive Tomorrow Dedication of Fighter Bought With District Money Is Slated The first of the special fleet of carrier-based planes, bought with $32,600,000 of War Bond money furnished by Washington citizens during a one-month drive last fall, will be dedicated to the District at ceremonies at the National Airport at 11 am. tomorrow, coincident with the opening of the Fourth War Loan Drive. The plane, a Navy Hellcat, will be the first of a fleet which will go into battle from aboard an American carrier with the seal of the District of Columbia embossed on the fuse lages. Special authorization for the Dis trict War Finance Committee to sponsor a drive to purchase the planes was obtained from Secretary of the Navy Knox last fall. The campaign was carried on between September 9 and November 8. All the funds subscribed came from small individual buyers of War Bonds. During the new campaign, which gets under way tomorrow, in dividual buyers will be asked to meet a quota of $53,000,000 out of the Dis trict's total goal of $95,000,000. Hero’s Mother to Preside. The Hellcat will be dedicated by Mrs. C. H. Young, 2700 Connecticut avenue N.W., mother of the late Capt. Cassin Young. U. S. N., one of the District’s greatest heroes of the war. Capt. Young was in command of the U. S. S. Vestal, which lay along side the battleship Arizona in Pearl Harbor when the Japs attacked on December 7. 1941. The Washington officer beached his vessel in order to save it. Later he was given com mand of the cruiser San Francisco and was killed in action while lead ing an attack against superior enemy forces near Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942. Capt. Young was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross for his heroism. Commissioners John Russell Young and Guy Mason, along with Treasury officials, will also be present at the dedication ceremonies. Admiral Land to Speak. Meanwhile, a departmental rally in connection with the bond drive was scheduled for 4 p.m. today by the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration in the Commerce Department auditorium. Madeleine Carroll, former screen actress, who is now training as a Red (See"WAR BONDSl PageXHT) Hungarian Radio Denies Mass Evacuation of Sofia By the Associated Press. , NEW YORK, Jan. 17.—The Hun garian radio said today it had been announced “officially that Sofia con tinues to be the seat of the Bul garian government.” The German-language broadcast, recorded by United States Govern ment monitors, declared that "this disposes of all rumors alleging move ment of the government to one or another provincial town, which are thus exposed as untrue.” •A German broadcast last Friday said the Bulgarian government had ordered immediate total evacuation of the city’s 300,000 inhabitants as a result of devastating Allied air raids. - 1,4C0 to 1,600 Killed As Earthquake Hits Argentine Section Thousands of Others Injured in Andean City of San Juan (Picture on Page A-3.) B> the Associated Press. BUENOS AIRES. Jan. 17.— Rescue workers today dug among the ruins of the picturesque Andean city of San Juan for ad ditional bodies of victims in the week-end earthquake which struck the mountain town, cut ting it “at the roots as if by a scythe.” By official count 500 bodies already have been re covered. and conservative esti mates of the death toll mounted to between 1,400 and 1,600. Thou sands more were injured. Moises Rudman. one of the first survivors to reach Mendoza, said the quake came without warning and in an instant plunged the city of 30,000 into total darkness. Hundreds of survivors huddled in the city square and open spaces, he added, while others sought to extri cate the dying and the injured whose screams were heard in the darkness. Nation Mobilizes Aid. While troops and others rushed rescue work today, the nation mobilized aid for the survivors ol Argentina's worst earthquake in 83 years. (President Ramirez of Argen tina has called an emergency cabinet meeting to consider ad ditional measures for relief and reconstruction of the city, the Buenos Aires radio said in a broadcast heard by United States Government monitors. Ramirez and a party of officials planned a personal inspection of the city, the broadcast added, i Authorities said 90 per cent of the buildings in San Juan, which was jolted by four shocks Saturday night and Sunday morning, were destroyed and none of these left standing was habitable. The quake crumbled modern, steel-reinforced structures such as the city hall and other gov ernment buildings, as well as the twin-spired 19th century cathedral and other more ancient buildings. The injured—one estimate placed the number as high as 13.000—taxed the hospitals of Mendoza, 75 miles south ol San Juan, and authorities ordered school buildings converted into temporary hospitals. Physicians and nurses worked without rest amid the debris of the stricken city, ad ministering to the injured. Addi tional doctors and nurses and blood plasma, medicine, food and clothing were being rushed by train, plane and truck. Chile Offers Help. Offers of help came from all sec tions of the nation and from Chile. Within 24 hours after the disaster, mere than 500,000 pesos (about $125, 000) were contributed by Argentines and government officials arranged a meeting of bankers and industrial ists and other businessmen to plan for large-scale belief work. By gov ernment order all amusement places in Argentina—dance halls, movies and theaters—were closed in respect for the victims. The loss of life and the large num ber of, injured were attributed tc the suddenness as well as the in tensity of the temblor. Thousands (See QUAKE, Page A-loT) Derailed Freight Grazes Passing Passenger Train B> the Associated Press. LANCASTER, N. Y., Jan. 17. Twenty-two cars of a Delaware Lackawanna & Western freight train plunged off the tracks here yesterday, grazing a passenger trair and piling up in a nearby field. Nc one was injured. The last two coaches of the Nevt York-bound passenger train passing on a parallel track received a glanc ing blow from the freight cars as they hurtled by, but railroad officials said the only damage to the passen ger train was broken windows. Westbound tracks were tom up for 200 feet and traffic on both lines was halted for several hours. A preliminary investigation indi cated the derailment was caused bj a broken axle on one of the freight cars. Supreme Court Will Review McNabb Ruling Mitchell Case Used In Test of Decision Barring Confession The Government was success ful today in an effort to obtain a clarification of the Supreme Court ruling in the McNabb case. The tribunal agreed to review the decision of the United States Court of Appeals setting aside the conviction of James P. Mitch ell, so-called “society burglar’* here, whose reputed confession was held invalid because he wa3 held eight days before arraign ment. The Mitchell case was one of a number in which prosecution has j failed because the lower courts felt I bound by the principle laid down j by the Supreme Court last spring in | reversing the murder convictions of Ihrec Tennessee mountain youths by the name of McNabb, on the ground that they had been held too long for questioning before arraignment. In using the Mitchell case for a test the Justice Department asked if, under the McNabb ruling, "a subse quent delay in arraignment pre cludes the admission in evidence of a confession given while detention without arraignment was proper, and which was not in response to interrogation, and to which the de lav in arraignment bore no causative relation?" Admitted .{0 Housebreakings. Mitchell was arrested October 12, in connection with a theft at the home of Harry G. Meem, and before his arraignment, reputedly confessed to some 30 housebreakings. According to the prosection, the Time of arraignment had no bearing on his statements, which were said to have been made almost immedi ately after his apprehension. In the McNabb case, the defend ants were held for varying periods up to 48 hours. In outlawing the re puted confessions the Supreme Court said the youths should have been arraigned with “reasonable prompt ness." Tire Court of Appeals contended that this ruling would bar the ad mission in evidence of statements attributed to Mitchell, because the District code provides for arraign ment “immediately and without de lay." Mitchell repudiated the confes sion attributed to him and said he ;was mistreated by the police. Challenged in Congress, i In asking a review, the Justice Department said that the facte in the McNabb c*s*«and the language of the majority opinion, read by Justice Frankfurter, are consistent with the understanding “that for the confession to be rendered in admissible by the ooeration of this rule, it must have been given in the course of the unlawful detention and in response to interrogation." The McNabb ruling also is being I challenged in Congress. Representa jtive Hobbs. Democrat, of Alabama, having introduced a bill that would validate confessions in criminal cases without regard to passible de lay in arraigning a defendant. Zoning Board Denies Plea For Housing Restrictions (Mrs. Roosevelt's Comment on tha Zoning Situation on Page B-l.j A petition of the Congress Heights Citizens' Association, asking S that part of the Congress Heights 1 area be semirestricted to prevent construction of multiple-family low icost housing for Negroes, was re jected today by the Zoning Com mission. Action on a similar petition from the Bradbury Heights Citizens’ As sociation was deferred. The commission's action leaves the way open for private construc tion of apartments to be rented to colored families. The action came as a climax to a controversy which developed be tween Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and leaders of the two citizens' asso ciations, after the President's wife discussed the petition of the Brad bury Heights group in her "My Day’’ syndicated newspaper col umn of January 5. Kearny Yards Launch Two Heavy Destroyers Py the Associated Press. KEARNY, N. J„ Jan. 17.—The Moale and the Ingraham, heavy weight destroyers, slid into the Hackensack River yesterday in the first launching of the year from the Kearny yards of the Federal Ship building & Dry Dock Co. Schmefing Leaves Service , STOCKHOLM. Jan. 17 <flY—Max Schmeling. former world heavy weight boxing champion, has been released from German military service and has retired to a farm outside Cologne. Aftonbladet's Ber line correspondent reported today. Some Calendars Mark Wrong Day For Thanksgiving By the Associated Press. Now it's the calendars which have lent some confusion to the date of the Thanksgiving Day observance, once settled in all minds as the last Thursday in November. By congressional will, turkey day will be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November henceforth, the lawmakers setting aside Presi dent Roosevelt's idea that it should be the third Thursday. However, the vagaries of the calendar in 1944 bequeath five Thursdays to November. So Thanks giving Day, by act of Congress, by terms of the calendar and by every other sign, will be on November 23— the fourth Thursday, and not the fifth and last as some calendar* show it to be.