Evening star. [volume], December 01, 1944, Image 1

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

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Weather Forecast
Clear, a little colder tonignt; low near
25. Fair, cold tomorrow.
Temperatures today—Highest, 38. at
1 p.m.; lowest, 27. »t 5:10 a.m. Yes
terday—Highest, 45, at 2:10 p.m.; low
est, 29, at 11:59 p.m.
Lflte New York Morkcts, Poge A-19
Guide for Readers
Page.
Amusements A -14
Comics_B-18-19
Editorials .A-10
Editori’l Art’les A-ll
Finance A-19
Lost and Found A-3
Page.
Obituary.A-12
Radio..B-19
Society_B-3
Sports _A-16-17
Where to Go B-14
Woman's Page B-15
An Associated Press Newspaper
92d YEAR. No. 36,738.
WASHINGTON, D. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1944 —FORTY PAGES. ★★★
City Home Delivery. Daily and Sunday m f'TPV'TQ
90c a Month. When 5 Sundays. Sl.OO. «* X O.
Solid American Assault Lines
Drawn Up Along Roer and Saar;
Welz is Seized by Ninth Army
, Patton's Tanks
Clear 2 Towns
In New Advance
(Map on Page A-4.)
Ey the Associated Press.
PARIS, Dec. 1.—Three Ameri
can armies today drew up solid
assault lines along both the Roer
and Saar Rivers, two of the most
important barriers to the Rhine.
Lt. Gen. William H. Simpson's
9th Army captured Welz, 1 mile
south of Linnich, and drew a close
arc around that town on the road
to the Rhineland city of Munchen
Gladbach as virtually the entire I
Army closed up to the Roer and its
tributary, the Inde. on a front of j
15 to 20 miles. Patrols stabbed j
across the narrow, but flood-swollen
Inde.
Lt. Gen. George S. Patton's 3d j
Army pressed against the west bank
of the Saar and the Siegfried Line j
almost along a front of 12 to 151
miles.
Patton's Tanks Advance.
Gen. Patton's tanks plunged for
ward a half mile today in their lat- i
est gains and reached the Saar bend
opposite Merzig, after clearing Hil- j
bringen and Battern.
The 3d Army was drawn up close
to Merzig on the northwest, west and
southwest. The Siegfried Line, w;ith
its forts, hundreds of pillboxes and
miles of wire and traps, comes down
to the river here, and beyond is the
Hunsruck range running northeast
between the Moselle and Nahe Val
ievs toward the Rhine and main
cities of Wiesbaden, Mainz and
Frankfurt.
As December came over the grim
gray battlefields, the Germans w»ere
pouring their final strength into the
desperate struggle for a winter line
west of the Rhine and were losing
3 000 men a day in prisoners alone.
In dead and disabled Hitler was
sacrificing more than that.
Allied Losses Not Disclosed.
Security and other regulations
lock the Allied casualties for indefi
nite periods after operations, and
the cost in American, British,
Flench, and Allied lives in the great
winter offensive, now in its 24th day,
had not yet been disclosed.
But a general rule of war is that j
assault costs more in blood than de
fense.
The Allied campaign, yet to reach
Its climax of fury, was shaping bit
by bit into three great wedges, each
forcing the Germans to throw in
thinning reserves to block the roads
to Berlin.
Tw’n American armies, the 9th
and Lt. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges’ j
1st Army, were hammering at three;
key towms along the Roer line in
the Rhineland—Linnich, Julich and'
Duren.
Linnich is 14 miles southwest of;
Munchen Gladbach. Julich, just j
across the Roer, is the junction of |
the roads to Dusseldorf, 27 miles to j
the northeast, and to Cologne, 23 j
miles to the east. Duren is on the
Adolf Hitler highway to Cologne,
20 miles to the east.
Curving Line Along Saar.
The 3d Army had drawn a curv
ing line along the Saar in Germany
and near the southern frontier of
the Saarland, threatening not only
that rich industrial and mining
basin, but also the historic guardians
of the roads to Coblenz and the
cluster of cities at the junction of
the Rhine and the Main.
The third wedge wras shaping up
northwest of Strasbourg, where both
the 3d and 7th Armies were pushing
past the lower end of the Eifel
range toward Karlsruhe on the
Rhine.
The whole operation was being
carried out amid ceaseless shellfire.
Armored forces and infantry were
handicapped by quagmires and the
weather was so bad that air force
Seven additional men from
the District area have been re
ported killed in this war. See
“On the Honor Roll," Page A-2.
(See WESTERN FRONT, Page A-4.)
Julian Smith to Head
Marines in Pacific
By the Associated Press.
Appointment of Maj. Gen. Julian
C. Smith as commanding general
of the Marine Department of the
Pacific, with headquarters in San
Francisco, was announced today.
The Marine Corps announcement
said Gen. Smith will assume com
mand about December 5, relieving
Maj. Gen. J. C. Fagan, now in the
Mare Island (Calif.* Naval Hospital.
Gen. Smith was in command of
the 2d Marine Division when it
launched the Central Pacific offen
sive a year ago with the assault on
Tarawa, in the Gilbert Islands. He
won the Distinguished Service Medal
for his part ni that invasion.
Recently he was commanding gen
eral of expeditionary forces in the
Palau Islands.
Gen. Smith has been a marine
since 1909 when he was commis
sioned a second lieutenant and has
seen service in a number of for
eign posts. He was elevated to
major general in October, 1942,
when he was named commanding
general of the New River (N. C.)
Fleet Marine Force Training School.
He became commanding general of
the 2d Division in the spring of
1943.
His wife lives at 5 Edgewood ter
race, Belle Haven, Alexandria, Va. |
Sinking of Another Jap Convoy
Raises Losses to 26,000 Men
American Flyers Destroy Transport and
Three Freighters Headed Toward Leyte
By the Associated Press.
GEN. MacARTHUR’S HEAD
QUARTERS, Philippines, Dec. 1.
—Japan’s disastrous attempts to
replenish her Leyte garrisons
have cost her 26,000 troops lost
at sea in the destruction of seven
convoys, the latest one yesterday
with 5,000 men and uncounted
supplies aboard.
Gen. MacArthur announced today
that low-flying American pilots sank
a 9,000-ton transport and three small
freighters headed toward the west
coast port of Ormoc on Leyte. In
addition, a 5,000-ton freighter and
a destroyer were hit and left ablaze.
"The transports were heavily
loaded with men,” Gen. MacArthui
said in his communique, "and the
enemy's loss of life is estimated at
5,000 men.”
It was the second convoy destroyed
I in two days. On Wednesday, 13
ships were wiped out, two at the
dock after unloading, but the rest
;sunk at sea with all hands aboard.
Gen. MacArthur said 29 trans
ports totaling 103,750 tons and 18
escort ships have been sunk in the
seven convoys knocked out.
Fighters, hitting at masthead
level, bagged the bulk of the care
fully dispersed convoy off Masbate
and Cebu, but one small freighter,
falling prey to a night patrol plane,
was sunk as far west of Leyte as
Mindoro Island.
Another freighter was sunk off
Borneo during continued widespread
bomber raids on the Central Phil
ippines and islands to the south, and
a bomber scored a hit on what was
described only as a. "large enemy
vessel.’’
A submarine was sunk off West
(See PHILIPPINES. Page A-3.V
RAF Night Armada Hits
Reich After Americans
Lost 40 Bombers
Allied Air Offensive Set
Record Last Month; 3,000
Tons Fall on Two Towns
By ’he Associated Fres*.
LONDON, Dec. 1.—Great waves
of RAF bombers raided Germany
during the night, sustaining the
record-breaking Allied November
air offensive which yesterday
cost the United States Air Force
one of its heaviest losses—40
four-engined craft downed by
ack-ack.
Thirteen American fighters also
failed to return to their British
bases after all-day pulverizing at
tacks by 3,000 planes on synthetic
oil plants in the Leipzig area and
-ailyards in the Saarbrucken sector,
rhe Tactical Air Forces supporting
’round troops lost three medium
bombers and one fighter.
Originally 56 bombers and 30
lighters had been reported missing,
jut a recapitulation showed that 16
oombers and 17 fighters have been
reported safe.
United States 15th Air Force
bombers today were reported strik
ing at Germany from Italy. Berlin 1
broadcasts warned the Germans of
the raiders over Bavaria.
Last night more than 500 Hali
faxes and Lancasters dropped 3,000
tons of fire bombs and explosives on
the Rhine-Ruhr city of Duisburg
and 2-ton blockbusters on Ham
burg. Four of the raiders were lost.
ack-ack is Heavy.
Not since 63 American bombers
went down to combined ack-ack
fire and fighter opposition over Ber
lin in April have Allied planes en
countered such concentrated defense
fire as they did yesterday, particul
larlv in a 40-mile square area near
Leipzig.
Tempering the heavy losses re
ported by an 8th Air Force com
munique was the belief that most
fighter pilots were grounded in
friendly territory.
The German air force refused to
come up in strength to oppose the
massive formations of Fortresses
and Liberators. Four enemy inter
ceptors were shot down.
Fortresses struck at Bohlen, Zeitz,
Merseberg and Lutzkendorf near
Leipzig, roaring over the targets at
25,000 to 30,000 feet with a full escort
of fighters. Results here were de
scribed as ‘‘very favorable."
10 Tons a Minute Dropped.
The blows topped a 36-hour con
tinuous aerial offensive which left
the Reich erupting from an average
of 10 tons of bombs a minute from
the 11,000 planes flying on seven
major missions in that period and
some 4,000 sorties in support of the
ground armies.
Over-all losses for the two-day
period, marked by the appearance
of less than a dozen German fighter
pianes, were 76 bombers and 32
fighters. These were 12 British
heavy bombers, four bombers and
two fighters of the continent-based
tactical air forces, and 60 8th Air
Force bombers and 30 fighters.
In the two days approximately
25,000 tons of bombs were dumped
on these targets:
Essen, Neuss, Dortmund, Bottrop,
Oberhausen and Duisburg—all Ruhr
targets smashed exclusively by
British bombers. Objectives were fuel
plants and railroad yards.
26 Colored Operators Hired
By New York Phone Firm
By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Dec. 1.—The first
colored telephone operators to be
hired by the New York Telephone
Co. will report in the next few days,
the company said today.
Employment of the group, 26 in
all, was in line with the firm’s policy
and not due solely to the Federal
Fair Employment Practices Com
mittee, the company said.
Malcolm Ross, FEPC chairman,
said the company’s plan “represents
the satisfactory and fruitful adjust
ment of complaints filed recently."
Russian Forces Push
Toward Austria in
Danube Offensive
Two Axis Strongholds
Guarding Routes Into
Central Slovakia Taken
Bt ’he Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Dec. 1.—Enveloping
50 more communities in their
new drive west of the Danube
in Southwestern Hungary, Rus
sian troops today moved north
ward to within ioo miles of the
Austrian border.
Moscow anonuuced a 9-mile ad
vance north along the west bank of
the great river yesterday. Northeast
of the besieged Hungarian capital
other Red Army troops seized the
Axis stronghold* of Eger and Szik
szo which guards invasion routes'
into central Slovakia.
Russian troops also cut the rail
way between Miskolc, Hungary's
fifth city, and Kassa i Kosice i, East-^
ern Slovakian communication hub
now threatened by Gen. Ivan Pe
trov's forces fanning out from cap
tured Ungvar. The line was severed
at Arnot. less than 3 miles north
east of Miskolc.
Gen. Petrov's troops, attacking on
a 30-mile front, captured 30 villages,
including Domasa, 20 miles east of
Presov; Moraviany, 23 miles east of
Kassa. and Zemplin, 7 miles north
east of the big north Hungarian rail
center of Satoraljaujhely.
In addition to capturing Eger and
Szikszo, Marshal Rodion Y. Malino
vsky's troops penetrated Kacs. 10
miles northeast of Eger and 25 miles
from the Central Slovakian fron
tier.
Using captured Pecs, in South
western Hungary, as a base, Russian ;
and Yugoslav partisan forces were
driving northward toward one of
the main railways which the Ger
mans use to supply their forces of (
occupation at Zagreb, in Northern
Yugoslavia.
The Red Army also swarmed
southward from Pecs, swooping
through villages which had been
pocketed by the advance across the
Danube. The triple Russian aim
appeared an attempt to force a de
cision in Hungary at Budapest, in
vade Austria, and cut off the retreat
of an estimated 100,000 German
troops now in Yugoslavia.
44 Vessels, Requisitioned
For War Use, to Be Sold
By the Associated Press.
Forty-four small vessels requisi
tioned for use of the armed forces
were offered for sale today by the
War Shipping Administration.
Declared surplus, they include
pow’er yachts, motor sailers, house
boats and sailing craft.
Bids, which must be accompanied
by 25 per cent of the price offered,
will be accepted by WSA until De
cember 22.
Security Parley
To Open Here
Early Next Year
'Big 3' Talks Wait;
Diplomats to Finish
Dumbarton Plan
By JOSEPH H. BAIRD.
Copyright by Evening 8ttr Newspiper Co.
The full-dress United Nations
conference to form an interna
tional security organization will
be held In Washington in Janu
ary or February, according to
present plans, it was learned au
thoritatively today.
Congressional sources understand
that because of military reasons the
planned meeting of President Roose
velt, Prime Minister Churchill and
Premier Stalin has been postponed
indefinitely. Consequently the points
left unsettled in the security organ
ization plan worked out at Dumbar
ton Oaks will be resolved by diplo
matic negotiations.
The State Department, according
to sources on Capitol Hill, already
has issued invitations to the Wash
ington conference, but left them un
dated due to the uncertainty as to
when complete agreement on the
draft plan would be achieved by the
"big three" powers.
Approval of Elan Expected.
One reason why Chairman Con
nally of the Senate Foreign Rela
tions Committee insisted on push
ing confirmation of Edward R. Stet
tinius, jr., as Secretary of State
through the Senate yesterday was
that he wanted Mr. Stettinius to
be in a position to work immediately
on organization of the conference.
Unlike the ill-fated plans of Wood
row* Wilson to have the United
States join the League of Nations,
which met defeat in the Senate, the
proposed United Nations organiza
tion has bright prospects of prompt
approval on Capitol Hill. Both Mr.
Stettinius and his predecessor, Sec
retary Hull, have consulted with
Senator Connallv and other mem
bers of the Foreign Relations Com
mittee on every phase of the pro
posed organization and have had
their complete co-operation.
The meeting here would be com
parable to the historic conferences
of Vienna and Versailles, which
sought to shape the future of the
Western World after the Napoleonic
and World Wars, respectively. There
is, however, this difference—the
Washington conference will consider
only plans for a postwar security or
ganization. leaving to another meet
ing the terms of peace to be im
posed on Germany and Japan.
Three Issues Unsettled.
Basis of the Washington confer
ence will be the draft plan worked
out at Dumbarton Oaks for an in
ternational security organization. It
provides for a general assembly of
all "peace-loving” nations of a gen
eral nature: a council dominated by
the big powers to use force, if neces
sary. in curbing an aggressor: and a
world court to settle disputes of a
judicial nature.
Three major problems were left
unsettled by the American-Brit
ish-Russian-Chinese conference at
Dumbarton Oaks last summer.
These were; 1. Whether a nation
represented on the council shall vote
on a dispute involving itself. 2. The
disposition of former League of Na
tions mandates. 3. The organization
of a world court.
These were the issues originally
slated for consideration by the
American, British and Russian
chiefs of state and which, it now
appears, will be worked out on a
diplomatic level.
When reporters asked the State
Department today for comment on
(SeelSECURITY, Page A-47)
Japs' Commander
In Burma Recalled
Bj* the Associated Press.
Japan is relieving Gen. Masa
kazu Kawabe as commander of army
forces in Burma and moving him
home to head the central army
command in Japan, a Tokyo wire
less transmission recorded by the
Associated Press said today.
Temperature Falls to 27 Here;
Storm Sweeps Northern States
Washington got its first real
j touch of winter today, the ther
I mometer dropping to 27 degrees,
and the Weather Bureau warned
that it may go to 25 tonight.
Cold and windy with some cloudi
ness was the forecast for today,
while clear but cold weather was
promised for tomorrow's Army-Navy
football game in Baltimore, with a
temperature in the middle 30s,
Other parts of the Nation were
hard hit by a storm which swept
rapidly across the northern half of
the United States from the Rocky
Mountains to the Eastern seaboard.
High winds in New England rang
ing up to 80 miles an hour caused
property damage unofficially esti
mated in the millions. Mountainous
seas lashed coastal areas from south
ern Rhode Island to Calais, Me.
Damage in some areas was reported
greater than in the September hur
ricane.
The Coast Guard revealed todav
the rescue of five men, a woman and
their pets, a dog and a cat. yester
day afternoon from two coal barges
in distress off Sandwich, Mass., in s
65-mile-an-hour gale.
With Syracuse reporting 19 inches
of snow, at least five deaths in up
state New York were attributed tc
the storm.
The Weather Bureau could not
promise any immediate relief from
the cold either here or elsewhere.
One of the Nation's lowest tempera
tures, 8 below zero, was recorded at
Atlantic, Iowa..
The cold extended into the South,
giving Atlanta, Ga., 28 degrees;
Tallahassee, Fla., 33; Asheville,
N. C., 22, and Memphis, Tenn„ 27.
New York City experienced a 57
mile wind which piled up high tides,
stalling railroad and ferry traffic to
Long Island and New Jersey, and
causing damage to some buildings.
BIG ENOUGH
To SlT WITH
iROWM-UPS!
jm I —--i
COMMlTtet ^
J Foreign A
fu
I
r~~
Lady Astor Will Not Run Again
After 25 Years in Commons
'Nobody Wanted Me,'
She Says of Her
First Election
By the Associated Pre s.
LONDON, Dec. 1.—Virginia
born Lady Astor. who 25 years
ago became the first woman to
take her seat in Parliament, will
not run for re-election, it was
announced today. She is 65.
For s quarter of a century she
has represented the Sutton division
of Plymouth.
At a dinner given in her honor
last night by the British Federation
of Business and Professional Wom
en, she said the "really terrible
thing” about her first appearance
In Commons in 1919 was that "no
body wanted me there."
"I wasn’t a bit aggressive in
; those days," she said.
Her husband, Lord Astor, the only
male guest present at last night's
dinner, said: "When I married
Nancy I hitched my wagon to a
star. When she got into the House
of Commons, I found r had hitched
mv wagon to a sort of V-2
rocket. * • •”
Lady Astor sat in Commons for
two years before the first British
born woman was elected to Parlia
LADY ASTOR.
ment. She was Mrs. Margaret
Wintringham.
Actually the Irish Republican
leader. Countess Markievicz. was
elected to Commons in 1918. but she
never took her seat.
In a joint letter today Lord and
Lady Aster said the strain of five
years of war made it impossible for
them to go through the stress of
another election.
Army Defends Loan
At Senate Inquiry on
War Surplus Board
Hurley's Firm Received
Guarantee for $2,000,000
Borrowed for Production
BULLETIN.
The Senate Republican
Steering Committee agreed
tentatively today to oppose
confirmation of two of Presi
dent Roosevelt’s appointees
to the Surplus War Property
Board. Chairman Taft said
it was his judgment most of
the 37 Republican Senators
would vote against confirm
ing former Gov. Robert A.
Hurley of Connecticut, slated
as chairman of the board, and
Lt. Col. Edward Heller, War
Department finance represen
tative at Boston. The de
velopment came as Gov. Hur
ley told the Senate Military
Affairs Committee he had “no
connection whatsoever’’ with
a $2,000,000 loan made to the
Narragansett Machine Co., of
which he is a vice president.
By the Associated Press.
The War Department today de
fended its guarantee of a $2,
000,000 loan to the Narragansett
Machine Co. before Senators
opening an investigation of two
Surplus War Property Board
nominees.
The Senate Military Affairs Com
mittee, considering the nominations
of former Gov. Robert A. Hurley of
Connecticut, and Lt. Col. Edward
Heller of California, was told that
the loan was essential to production
of tank gun mounts in 1942.
The testimony was given by Julius
Amberg, special legal assistant to
Secretary of War Stimson, while Mr.
| Hurley, vice president of the Nar
ragansett Co., at Providence, R. I„
and Col. Heller, an Army finance
officer, awaited calls to the stand.
The $2,000,000 loan was made
originally by the Industrial Trust
j Co. of Providence under a 90 per
cent War Department guarantee.
Later, it was transferred to the Fed
eral Reserve Bank at Boston under
a 100 per cent guarantee. It was
criticized last year by the House
Military Affairs Committee.
The second loan fell due today,
Mr. Amberg said, and there still is
$1,250,000 due.
While saying it was not what he
i (See SURPLUS.~Page~A-3T
Seven Killed, 16 Hurl
When Airliner Falls
Near Los Angeles
TWA Plane Crashes
In Heavy Fog on Flight
From San Francisco
By the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1.—Seven
persons were killed and 16 in
jured when a Transcontinental &
Western Airlines passenger plane
en route from San Francisco
crashed in a heavy fog as it was
nearing its destination at Bur
bank early today. The plane
carried 20 passengers and three
crew members.
City Manager Walter Cooper of
San Diego Was among the dead, and
Mayor Harley Knox of the same city
was injured. The pilot and co-pilot
were killed. The plane was in radio
contact with Lockheed air terminal,
Burbank, shortly before the crash.
Some of the injured passengers
told reporters the plane lost altitude,
began to jerk and then crashed.
First Reports Erroneous.
Officials said at first it was re
ported seven military personnel on
the plane were killed, in addition to
the two crew members, but the pilot
and co-pilot, because of their uni
forms. were erroneously reported as
military personnel.
TWA officials said the two crew
members killed were Capt. J. P.
Snowden, Burbank, and First Officer
T. L. Bamberger, Alameda, Calif.
The plane's hostess, Donna Marr.
Burbank, was taken to a hospital
with a leg fracture and other
injuries.
Other dead were listed as:
Lt. John Frankenthal, U. S. N. R.
Conrad Brinkman, 21. Wellington.
Mo.
Billy Jack Howard, U. S. N., of
Joplin. Mo.
Harold Muller. Indianapolis. Ind..
representative of the American
Paper Stock Co.
Police Sergt. W. E. Lund said the
plane cut through power lines and
disrupted service in the vicinity.
Lee Flanagin. acting regional op
erations manager of TWA at Bur
bank, said the pilot was in radio
contact with Lockheed Terminal a
few moments before the crash.
He said TWA officials were inves
(See AIRLINER, Page A-4.)
Moscow Has Taxis Again
MOSCOW, Dec. 1 (JP).—Moscow
taxicabs were ordered today to re
sume service, canceled at the out
break of war. Pleasure riding is
forbidden, however.
Sales of War Bonds
Fall Below Schedule;
Leaders Concerned
Purchases of 'E' Series
Lagging Several Days;
Report on Firms Awaited
Both sales in “E” bonds and
total sales to individuals—in
cluding “E” bonds and bonds of
larger issue — fell below the
schedule in today’s report of the
District’s Sixth War Loan drive.
The “E” bonds have been lagging
for several days, but today is the
first day that total individual
sales have not met schedule.
Sales to individuals rose $1,150,000
in reports of yesterday’s purchases,
making the new total $14,150,000. or
30.75 per cent of the $46,000,000
quota. ”E' bonds remained 20 per
cent behind schedule, although yes
terday's sales increased the total by
$500,000. giving a new high of $8,400 -
000. or 28 per cent of the $30,000,000
quota.
Drive leaders expressed concern
over whether the District can meet
its quota in the drive unless pur
chases increase quickly.
Announcement was expected to
day of the first sales of bonds to
corporations, and it is expected that
they will equal or top the total in
dividual sales to date. The quota
for sales to corporations is $48.
000.000—giving the District an over
all quota, including individuals, and
corporations, of $94,000,000.
Failure iniess individuals Buy.
However, leaders pointed out that
even if the corporation should insure
the drive making its overall quota
by oversubscribing their share, the
drive would be considered a failure
unless individuals also bought their
share of the bonds.
The situation in the District's
drive was paralleled in the Nation.
Sales to individuals since the drive
started have reached $1,211,000,000
of the $5,000,000,000 quota. "E” sales
lagged behind schedule, too. with a
total of $629,000,000 of the $2,500,
000,000 quota.
In an efTort to spur ' E" bond sales
the Treasury and the War Finance
Committee will stress purchases of
bonds through payroll savings—
which are exclusively in "E"
bonds. They also hold out hope that
“E” bond sales reports would be
given a large increase as pay roll
savings increases begin to show in
'See WAR BONDS7Page A~2.)
Japanese Radio Kills Story
Of Morotai Reinvasion
By the Associated Press.
The Japanese Domei news agency
today broadcast from Tokyo a "kill"
on a story it had circulated to the
controlled press of Occupied Asia
claiming Japanese forces had landed
on American-held Morotai Island.
300 miles south of the Philippines,
"without loss of a man.”
A Tokyo broadcast heard last
Tuesday night by the Federal Com
munications Commission made the
unconfirmed claim that a “powerful
Japanese unit” had landed on Mor
; otai. The only action at Morotai
; reported by Gen. MacArthur’s of
ficial communiques has been spor
adic enemy air raids.
Apparently the Morotai story was
not broadcast by Domei to Asia
until today. FCC said that one hour
after sending out the story today
the agency, without explanation,
advised editors merely to “kill our
story on counterlanding on Mor
otai.”
Meeting of 'Big Three'
In England Hinted
By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. 1.—Foreign Min
ister Anthony Eden told Commons
today in a reference to Prime Min
ister Churchill’s recent visit to Mos
cow:
"We hope in due course others will1
visit us here frequently as we have!
visited others.”
The British press speculated earlier
that the next “Big Three” meeting
might be held here.
Mr. Eden did not amplify his
statement. I
Sumners Backs
Pull Probe of
Littell Ouster
Promises Thorough
Job if Voorhis'
Resolution Passes
With a move afoot for a Hous«
rlquiry into the Justice Depart
nent row. which was climaxed
ry President Roosevelt’s ouster of
Vssistant Attorney General Nor
nan Littell, “a thorough job” is
promised by Chairman Sumners
>f the House Judiciary Commit
,ee in event the investigation is
tuthorized.
The resolution, providing for the
Judiciary Committee inquiry, was
introduced late yesterday by Repre
sentative Voorhis, Democrat, of
California, a New Deal supporter.
The action was taken a short while
after the Justice Department an
nounced the removal of Mr. Littell
for "insubordination” growing out
of a long-standing feud with Attor
ney General Biddle.
The resolution was sent to the
Rules Committee for approval—or
otherwise—and there was no indica
tion today when action would be
forthcoming.
Before the resolution was intro
duced, Chairman Sumners had said
"if my committee is called on to in
vestigate the Biddle-Littell contro
versy, it will do a thorough job,”
Series of Differences.
The trouble between Mr. Biddle
and the 45-year-old head of the
department’s Lands Division, started
when the Attorney General asked
Mr. Littell to resign after a series
of differences. In refusing to quit,
Mr. Littell charged the Attorney
General with conduct "contrary to
basic principles of good govern
ment.'’ and asserted that Mr. Biddle
had intervened in a Justice Depart
ment case in behalf of Thomas G.
Corcoran, one time New Deal brain
truster. now' in private law practice.
In announcing he W'ould press for
an inquiry, Representative Voorhis
recalled that, the reason given for
the Justice Department aide's ouster
is ‘Insubordination,” and then
added:
"However. Littell issued no state
ment himself, but on the contrary
the statement was requested of him
by the Senate War Investigating
Committee and released by that
committee.
"For these reasons I have todav
introduced a simple resolution pro
viding for an investigation of all the
circumstances surrounding Mr. Lit
tell s dismissal. My resolution pro
vides for the investigation to be
made by the Judiciary Committee,
since it is clearly a matter that be
longs within the jurisdiction of that
committee."
Senators Drop Inquirv.
Tire House is stepping into the
case after it had been dropped by
the Senate War Investigating Com
mittee which pursued its own in
quiry briefly because of a sugges
tion that the Biddle-Littell differ
ences had their origin in testimony
Mr. Littell had given to the com
mittee. After obtaining statements
from both men. Chairman Mead
said the committee had gone as far
as it could, and after Mr. Littell's
removal, he said his group “con
templates no further action.”
Mr. Littell was in the process of
moving from his Justice Department
offices today.
On his massive desk lay telegrams
which he said were “just beginning
to pour in" from friends and "from
manv persons I don't know at all.”
May Maintain Office Here.
He said it would require several
days to gather his belongings and
personal records together and much
longer than that to move from his
nearby Arlington. Va.. home.
"After all.” added Mrs. Littell. who
was helping him with the packing,
“we have a house to sell before we
leave.”
Mr. Littell said he might main
tain an office in Washington and
establish a residence in California
but his plans are not complete.
Dismissal of Mr. Littell recalled
two other instances when the Presi
dent ousted high Government of
ficials.
One* w*as the removal of William
E. Humphrey, former Republican
member of Congress, as Federal
~~ (See LITTELLTPage A-18.)
Late Bulletin
Senate Passes Flood Bill
The billion-dollar flood con
trol authorization bill passed
the Senate today on a voice
vote. It goes now to a con
ference committee for action
on changes made since the
measure passed the House.
(Early Story on Page A-19.)
Charles Town Results
FIRST RACE—Purse. *600: 3-year-olds:
claiming; about 4* furlongs.
Let Astray iTammaro) 6.SO 3.20 4.40
Arch McDonald (Coucci) 2.60 2.40
High North (La Voie) 5.40
Time 0:5)*,is.
Also ran—Louis L.. Valley Dtrk. Head
lock, Bad Lady, Edmar Jodan.
SECOND RACE—Purse. *700: 3-year
olds and uo: OVa furlongs.
Nick (Fiocchi) 4*60 2 So out
Queen s Wreath (Fitagera'.d) 5.00 out
Scotch Bennett (Coucci) out
Time. 1:263s.
Also ran—Caulkfleld.
(Daily Double paid *10.20.)
SHOP EARLY
Christmas is not far off.
Do your shopping early in
the season and the first
hours of the day, thus sav
ing yourself inconvenience
and disappointment later on
when you may not be able to
be waited on.
Christmas Will Soon
Be Here
Complete Equipment for a Battalion First Aid Station Overseas Costs $976—Buy It With Bonds