Evening star. [volume], October 26, 1947, Image 1

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

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Sunny and warm, high about 75 today.
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TEMPERATURES. YESTERDAY.
Noon ... 66 6 p.m. ...65 11p.m. ...58
2 p.m. ...62 8 p.m. ...61 Midnight 57
4p.m. ...69 10p.m. .. 59 1a.m. .57
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An Associated Press Newspaper
No. J 2,221— No. 57,794
WASHINGTON, D. C., jOCTOBER 26, 1947-146 PAGES. *
Washington
and Suburbs
TEN CENTS. ÛUSKî?
Truman Aides
Mapping Rigid
Grain Controls
House Group, Back
From Tour of Europe,
Urges Immediate Aid
60-DAY LIQUOR Holiday Begins
With 95 Per Cent Co-operation.
•Page A-4.
White House advisers were re
ported last night to be working
on blueprints for rigid Federal
controls over grain and other
world-shortage foods, while a
predominantly Republican sub
committee of the House Armed
Services Committee, fresh from
a tour of Europe, declared that
"continued aid should be im
mediately furnished."
An informed official, who with
held use of his name, told an Asso
ciated Press reporter of the develop
ing controls plan.
Simultaneously, it. was learned
that a closed session of the foreign
aid committee headed by Secre
tary of Commerce Harriman heard
Chester Davis, wartime food admin
istrator, demand food allocations at
the producer and distributor levels.
By regulating the flow of wheat,
corn and other foods into the hands
of industry and exporters, the ad
ministration might hope to curtail
total demand and thus indirectly
Repress prices — while simultane
ously earmarking quantities for Eu
Sleelman Calls Conference.
In the wake of President Tru
man's plea for "prompt and cou
rageous action " by Congress to
combat inflation and provide an
estimated $1,072,000,000 program of
foreign aid this winter, there were
these developments:
1—More than 90 business, labor
and Government leaders—including
a high, porportion of advertising
men—were invited to an "off-the
record'' meeting at the White House
tomorrow by Presidential Assistant
John R. Steelman. The plan was
said to be to swap ideas on foreign
aid and discuss the economic effects
of the Marshall plan.
2—'The Harriman Committee,
working on the long-range Marshall
plan, was reported to be arriving
at the conclusion that it cannot
make any appreciable net cut in
the $22,400,000,000 request delivered
by 16 European countries.
Secretary Harriman, at the close
of the committee session, announced
that the group has decided that
"some of the requests of the Euro
pean nations should be modified,
some upward and some downward "
"In some cases the requests will
have to be reduced to accord with
the availability in the United States
of the commodities requested," his
statement said.
Wheat Price Props.
3. Three-dollar wheat fell off the
board -of the Chicago grain ex
change. in further apparent re
sponse to the President's special
session call and the threat of Gov
ernment control. Wheat for De
cember delivery dropped to $2.97 '/i
*4 at the close.
The nine-member House Armed
Services group, headed by Repre
sentative Short, Republican, of Mis
souri, asserted in its report that un
stable world conditions demand that
the United States maintain strong
armed forces. Despite its urging of
quick foreign aid, however, the sub
committee ^-warned that American
resources "are not inexhaustible."
In a more detailed report than it
gave on its return to Washington a
week ago from a tour of 12 European
and Near East countries, the group
urged economic aid to stimulate
"production as a means of resisting
Communism.
Joining with Mr. Short in the
report were Representatives Bates
of Massachusetts, Canfield of New
Jersey, Smith of Maine, Leroy
Johnson of California, Bishop of
Illinois and Gavin of Pennsylvania
Republicans, and Representatives
Sasscer of Maryland and Fogartv of
Rhode Island, Democrats.
"Communism thrives on chaos
misery, hunger and discontent,'' the
group said. While Italy gives "every
promise of preventing the spread oi
Communism," it added, the totali
~~ ( See"FOREIGN~AID7Page^A-4j
Cholera Toll Is 4,614
CAIRO, Egypt. Oct. 25 </P).—'The
daily communique from the Egyp*
tian Health Ministry reported to
night that 418 persons had died of
cholera in the last 24 hours, bring
ing the death toll since the epidemic
started more than a month ago to
4.614. The communique reported
904 new cholera cases today, as com
pared with 876 new cases yesterday.
WhattheRussians
Are Saying of Us:
The Moscow radio, broadcasting-in
French to Europe, said:
"The trade policy of the pres
ent French government is marked
by a predominantly American
trend which ignores all trade
relations with other European
countries. In order to justify such
v a policy * * * certain French cir
cles have resorted to a familiar
expedient by putting the blame
on some one else. Thus a new
fallacy has found its way into
the French pressr According to
those papers, an economic closed
bloc is "being formed in Eastern
Europe ruling out all trade with
the West.
"It is not difficult to establish
who is behind this opposition to
renewed trade with the remain
der of Europe. The much-vaunted
United States champions of free
trade are out to stop all trade be
tween Eastern and Western Eu
rope and. being at the beck and
call of Wall Street. French busi
ness circles are in no hurry to
restore their trade relations with
Eastern Europe."
Complete Index, Pg. A-2
^ Radio Programs, Page C-8
Food Prices Chief 1948 Issue,
Flanders Says, Prodding G. 0. P.
Party Urged to Have Constructive Ideas
Ready When Special Session Convenes
By J. A. O'Leary
Senator Flanders, Republican,
of Vermont, predicted last night
that food prices will· be the pri
mary issue of next year's cam
paign, and urged his Republican
colleagues to have their own
program for meeting the prob
lem ready when the special ses
sion of Congress begins Novem
ber 17.
Another Republican, Senator Fer
guson of Michigan, called prices
"the No. 1 problem" along with
foreign aid, and said he had no
doubt the Republicans will have
definite plans of their own when
the session gets under way.
Senator Flanders, chairman of a
subcommittee which held price
hearings all along the Eastern sea
board recently, was frank to say
he thinks "President Truman has
become convinced much faster than
has our side of the ^isle that food
is going to be the major question
in the coming campaign."
Listening to first-hand testimony
in many cities, the Senator said,
gave him a new impression of the
seriousness of the price situation.
In any listing of those who were
"asleep at the switch," he said, he
would have to include himself.
"I believe," he continued, "that
food prices will be the prime con
cern of that part of the electorate
makes it doubly necessary for Re
publicans to have some constructive
suggestions of their own."
The Vermont Senator explained,
however, he does not believe the
inflation problem should become a
"political contest, except to see
which side can come out with the
best solution."
With the special session still three
weeks away both the administra
tion and Republicans in Congress
appeared to be cautious about show
ing their hands until the solutions
they have in mind are worked out
in greater detail.
Senator Flanders Revealed that
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio,
has set November 14 as a tentative
date for a meeting of the Joint
j Economic Report Committee, to
I which Congress referred the price
ι rsee CONGRESS, Page A-8.) ~
First of War Dead Due
To Arrive in New York
From Europe Today
\
24 From District Among
6,200 Servicemen on
Army Transport
By the Associated Press
NEW YORK. Oct. 25.—The
first of the Nation's World War
II dead to be returned from Eu
rope will arrive tomorrow when
the Army transport Joseph V.
Connolly enters New York's flow
er-strewn harbor with the bodies
of 6,200 American servicemen.
Officials of the Federal, State and
city governments and the combined
military services will join with thou
sands of citizens in honoring the
dead and their relatives.
The Connally will be escorted up
the'harbor by Navy, Coast Guard
and Army craft and an air escort
will be provided by the Army Air
Force.
The coffin of one soldier, a Con- j
gressional Medal of Honor winner !
whose name, rank and organization j
will not be made known, will be j
borne on a caisson from the pier to I
Central Park for the memorial
service.
A funeral cortege of servicemen,
city police, firemen, sanitation em
ployes and delegations from veter
ans' organizations will wind its way
through the city, past the Eternal ί
Light, memorial to World War IJ
dead, in Madison Square Park, and
up Fifth avenue to Central Park.
Royall Among Speakers.
Three Army chaplains of the
Protestant, Catholic and Jewish j
faiths, will conduct the memorial!
services. Speakers will include sec
retary of the Army Royall, Gov.
Dewey and Mayor O'Dwyer.
The body of the unknown hero
will be reutrned to the transport
alter the ceremonies. On Monday
the Connolly will cross the bay to
the Brooklyn Army base where all
the bodies will be landed Tor ship
ment to next of kin.
Fifty-six hundred of the bodies
are of men who died in France,
Belgium and Holland. They were
removed from the Henri-Chapelle
Cemetery in Belgium at the re
quest ot next of kin. Six hundred
of the bodies were disinterred from
a cemetery in Newfoundland where
extensive service installations were
maintained during the war.
265 From D. C., Maryland
And Virginia in Group
\ The bodies of 24 soldiers and
sailors whose next of kin live in the
! District are among the first World
War II dead of the European cam
paign to be returned to the United
States aboard the Army transport
] Joseph V. Connolly.
A total of 122 whose next of kin
; live in Virginia and 119 in Mary
land also are among the 5,600 aboard
the ship which left Antwerp October
4 after one of the msot significant
ce-emonies ever to take place in
Europe.
Five of the bodies whose next of
kin live in the District are being re
turned from Argentia, Newfound
land. central assembly point for the
dead from Iceland and Newfound
land. The others are being returned
from Henri-Chappelle Cemetery at
Eupen, Belgium.
Servicemen Listed.
Those being brought back from
Argentia, followed by their next
of kin, are:
Pvt. Hugh C. Armstrong. U.S.A.,
'See WAR DEAD. Page A-57)
20 Injured as Fast Train
Is Derailed in Florida
By the Associated Press
ST. AUGUSTINE. Fla., Oct. 25.—
' At least 20 persons were reported
; injured today when the northbound
Champion, a Miami-New York
streamliner, was derailed within the
;city limits here.
The Florida East Coast Hospital
said "20 or 25 persons" were given
emergency treatment, most of them
j for superficial injuries. None was
I reported seriously hurt.
The last 11 cars left the rails one
half mile from the station.
George Beebe, Sunday editor of
the Miami Herald, a passenger
aboard the train, said the diner ap
parently left the rails first. *
"There was a sort of soft jump
ing and I knew we were off the
track," Mr. Beebe said. "There was
no panic, however and everybody
left the train calmly. I judge we
were traveling about 30 or 35 miles
an hour at the time."
None of the cars turned over,
but the double track was torn up
for a length of a dozen cars and all
traffic along the route was halted
temporarily. ^
Comintern Expected
To Be Formed Soon
For This Hemisphere
Montevideo Is Reported
Selected for Meeting Like
That Held in Poland
By Constantine Brown
A Comintern for the Western
Hemisphere, patterned after
that organized for Europe last
month in Poland, is expected to
be formed before the end of this
year.
This information, which reached
Washington last week, indicates that
the activities of Communist Party
leaders in North and South Amer
ica have increased considerably re
cently. They have had secret meet
ings and been visited by "special
ists" from Russia, Poland and Yugo
slavia.
Montevideo, Uruguay, has been se
lected for the reunion of party lead
ers and will occupy a place in the
Western Hemisphere comparable to
that of Belgrade in the European
organization, according to the re
ports received.
The removal of Nikolai V. Novikov
as Russian ambassador to the
United States is believed to have
been part of the arrangements for
this new setup and to have been
motivated by Moscow's decision to
renew an aggressive campaign in
this hemisphere.
Asia Organization Planned.
Mr. Novikov was a run-of-mine
government official and not a grad
uate agitator. His successor, Alex
ander Panyushkin, is of a different
type, however. Before his appoint
ment as Soviet Ambassador to
Ckungking in April, 1944, he was a
prominent memjper of the Com
munist Central Committee in Mos
cow, and in this capacity wa^ closer
to the Politbureau than most Rus
sian diplomats.
Mr. Pànyushkin left China be
cause of ill health — genuine not
diplomatic—and after his recov
ery he became liaison man between
the Communist Committee and the
Soviet Foreign Office. He has or
ganizational abilities for militant
communism which, as a rule, are
lacking in the ambassadors Russia
sent abroad during and after the
war.
Reports reaching Washington also
indicate that a Comintern is planned
for Asia and will be created early
next year for the purpose, princi
pally, of unifying the activities of
the well-organized and powerful
Communist Party in China with the
weaker organizations in Japan.
India, Indonesia and Indo-China.
Moscow is reported to believe that
the Asiatic organization must be
given more time than the Western
the handicaps confronting the Japa
nese and Indian Communists. The
Asiatic Comintern will be established
only after the Chinese Communists,
under the leadership of Gen. Mao
Tse-tung and Gen. Chou En-lai,
(See BROWN, PageA-8.)
Russia Tries 12 Nazis
In Killing of 14,000
By the Associated Press
LONDON, Oct. 25.—Trial of 12
former German army officers accused
of wartime Atrocities in the Don
Basin area has begun at Stalino, the
Moscow radio said tonight.
The broadcast said the officers arj
charged with responsibility for the
killing of 8.000 persons in- the town
of Makeyevka and 6,000 in Krema
torsk.
Russia Defeated
In 'Warmonger'
Resolution Test
» ».
Moscow's Key Plan
In U. N. Assembly
Receives Setback
BULGARIAN DECLARATION Says
Country's Place Is in "Anti-Im
perialistic Camp" Led by Russia.
Page A-4.
By the Associated Press
LAKE SUCCESS, Oct. 25.—The
United Nations Political Com
mittee tonight refused to . send
Russia's "warmonger" resolution
to a drafting subcommittee, thus
handing the Soviet Union a set
back in the first test bajlot on
Moscow's · key plafi before the
1947 General Assembly.
The vote was 29 to 12, with four
Latin American countries, India and
Ethiopia joining the âoviet bloc in
the minority.
As a result, the Soviet resolution
will now come before the 57-nation
; committee for vote Monday with
uuicKaLca saying Liieie wai no cnance
of passage.
Other ballots will be taken on the
Australian, French and Canadian
versions which run virtually counter
to the Soviet proposal.
Conciliatory Attitude.
Dr. Carlos Stolk of Venezuela,
sponsor of the subcommittee motion,
said he felt that delegations who
opposed the step did not wish to
conciliate the differences between
Russip and other countries,
Czechoslovakia asked for adjourn
ment immediately after the ballot,
Russia agreed and their appeal car
| ried over British objections, 36 to 9
In the last hour before the test
j vote, Russia took a conciliatory
i stand and appealed for a joint reso
lution acceptable to all. Pr&yiously
Russia had pressed strenuously fcr
adoption of its proposal with a series
of slashing attacks on "war propa
ganda" in the United States and on
the American press.
Andrei A. Gromyko, Soviet Deputy
Foreign Minister, slid into Russia's
chair in the closing moments and
called for passage of the subcom
mittee plan with this statement:
"We have never concealed the fàct
that the U. S. S. R. resolution bears
a political character. We want to
know whether it would be possible
to find common language for a reso
lution. It would be appropriate to
adopt the Venezuelan proposal for
a subcommittee to discuss all resolu
tions and amendments and try to
reach some agreement."
immediate vote sought.
American Delegate Warren R.
Austin unsuccessfully sought an
immediate vote on the Russian
resolution. The American delega
tion has indicated that it will op
pose any and all resolutions sub
mitted in connection with or as
substitutes for the Soviet plan. As
a reason for this stand United States
spokesmen have stressed that
Russia would be certain to claim a
victory regardless of the wording of
any "warmonger" resolution passed
by the U. N·
Today's second meeting adjourned
at 7:35 p.m., after nearly five hours
of speech-making and procedural
wrangling over how and when to
vote. The morning session ran more
than two hours.
Andrei Y. Vishinsky, Soviet
deputy foreign minister, spoke
nearly two hours in his last-ditch
fight for the Soviet proposal, re
peating many of his old charges
against "reactionary" circles in the
United States, Greece and Turkey.
Free Press Ridiculed.
In the 57-nation Social Commit
tee, meeting in a nearby chamber.
Russia's V. A. Zorin said "the time
has come for us to cease to believe
in the myth of the freedom of the
f>ress in America." He ridiculed
stories about "flying saucers" in the
American press and said they were
published by "American newspapers
as a part of their propaganda for
war."'
Mr. Zorin declared that "the
United States press is poisoning re
lations between the nations of the
world." He spoke in suDDort ci a
Yugoslav resolution calling on tf. N.
members to take measures against
those "who publish or spread false
and tendentious reports calculated
I to aggravate relations between
nations, provoke conflicts and incite
to war." (
British Minister of State Hector
McNeil, entering the debate for the
first time, said that Russia is "more
concerned over making political
propaganda" out of the debate
, "than to solve a dilemma." , He
added "they have poisoned the at
mosphere by the obviousness of
their propaganda."
Mr. McNeil then turned to an at
tack on the Soviet press, declaring
that there "seems to be some kind
of a policy of selection—some prop
i — <See U. N„ Page A-4.»
First Neighborhood Concert
At Central Hiah Tomorrow
Old favorites will predominate on
the program to be given tomorrow
night at Central High School by the
National Symphony Orchestra in,
the first of the 1947-48 series of
Neighborhood Concerts under the
sponsorship of The Evening Star.
Dr. Hans Kindler, who will con
duct, has turned to the works of
Bach, Tchaikovsky and Wagner in
building a program of varied and
wide appeal.
The only work which will be un
familiar is a Chromatic Fantasy by
Sweelinck which has been freely
transcribed by Dr. Kindler for mod
ern symphonic orchestra. This
work, whose composer died in 1621,
was very well received when it was
first performed at the opening of
the Wednesday evening series by
th orchestra on ©ctober 15.
The concert will start at 9 o'clock
I and will be broadcast in its entire
! ty by Station WMAL, The Evening
Star Station.
Invitations to the concertjhave
been distributed through schools in
the Central High School and Roose
velt High Schdbl areas and by the
Community Center Department.
Others were issued through the In
formation Counter in The Evening
Star building. ·
Invitations for the second concert
which will be held at Armstrong
High School on November 3 are now
ready for distribution and are ayail
able in The Star lobby. They will
be distributed to the schools tomor
row.
The complete program for tomor
row's concert at Central follows:
Chromatic Fantasy
Sweelinck Î1562-1621)
(Freely transcribed for orchestra by
Hans Kindleri
Sinfonia in Β Flat Major
Allegro assai, Andante, Presto
J. Chr. Bach
Polonaise, from Eugene Onegin
Tchaikovsky
Vorspiel and Liebestod.
from Tristan and Isolde. _-Wagner
Prelude to Act I, Die Meistersinger
ρο
Ηώ
OMEREXÎRA
JUST MY
&
Snowed Under
Army's 4-Year Unbeaten Record
Ends as Columbia Wins, 21-20
Rossides' Passes
Win for Lions
In Last Quarter
By Gayle Talbot
By the Associated Près»
NEW YORK, Oct. 25.—A daunt
less band of Columbia Lions
! scored one of the most stunning
upsetç in football history today
when' they sent Army's eleven
tumbling into defeat, 21 to 20,
with a spectacular passing at
tack which scored two touch
downs in the final period and
bi ought gasps from an in
credulous crowd of 35,000.
Unbeaten in their last 32 games
and unscored on previously this
year, the Cadets from West Point
found themselves helpless to halt
Coach Lou Little's team after Gene
Rossides, Columbia's brilliant quar
terback, began throwing bullseyes to
an equally brilliant receiver, End
Bill Swiacki.
Less than 7 minutes remained to
play· when the Lions drove 67 yards
down the turf of Baker Field to
score their third touchdown and
Ventan Yablonski, their fullback,
added the kick for extra point
which gave the Cadets their first
reverse since -Navy turned them
back in November, 1943.
A desperate attempt by Army to
drive to a score in the closing min
utes came to nothing when Lou
Illinois Also Upset;
Four Other Elevens
Lose for First Time
Along with Army, California,
Baylor, West Virginia, Illinois
and Wake Forest, were removed
from the ranks of football's-un
beaten yesterday, while Notre _
Dame, Michigan, Georgia Tech,
Pennsylvania, Texas and Penn
State retained their clean slates.
Penn defeated Navy, 21-0,
while Purdue beat Illinois in
an upset second only to Army's
defeat. Marvland finished strong
to nose out V. P. I., 21-19. Other
scores:
Notre Dame. 21: Iowa. 0.
Michigan, 13; Minnesota, 6.
Texas, 12; Rice, 0.
Southern California, 39; Cal
ifornia, 14.
Penn State, 21; West Virginia,
14.
Duke, 13; Wake Forest, 6.
Georgia Tech, 39; Citadel, 0.
Texas A. & M., 24; Baylor, 0.
(Details in Sports Section.)
Kusserow of Columbia intercepted
a pass by Arnold Galiffa near mid
fleld. When the game ended and
the crowd surged onto the field the
Lions were deep in Army territory
again and giving the rattled Cadtts
no surcease. «
Rossides, the individual hero of
(Continued on Page B-l, Column 1.)
Rented Plane Crashes
On Maryland Farm,
Killing Navy Officer
Companion Injured
In Accident Half Hour
After Craft Takes Off
BODIES QF 52 REMOVED Prom'
Utah Plane Crash Scene. P. A-3.1
A Navy officer was killed and
his companion seriously injured
when a Piper Cub plane they
had rented crashed at Travllah,
Md., about five miles west of
Rockville at 4:30 p.m. yesterdaj*.
Lt. Palmer D. Nycklemoe, 26, of
Annapolis, died at Bethesda Naval
Hospital an hour after the crash.
Sidney Mills, 33 of Travilah; was
seriously injured. He was taken to
Suburban Hospital at Bethesda,
where it was reported that he suf
! fered a possible fractured skull and
multiple laceratipns apd abrasions.
Plane "Practically New."
The crash occurred about a half
hour after Lt. Nycklemoe and Mr.
Mills took off from Congressional
Airport, where they rented the
plane. Officials at the airport said
Lt. Nycklemoe was at the plane's
controls when it left the field. They
said he frequently rented planes
there and added the ope he was
piloting yesterday was "practically
; new." They said both men had
private pilots' licenses.
The plane crashed on the farm
of Carlton Mills, a cousin of the in
jured man. Mr. Mills said the plane
Γδββ CRASH, Page A-5.) Γ
Paris Papers Report U. S.
Will Send Troops to Greece
By the Associated Press
PARIS, Oct. 25. — Three Paris
newspapers published dispatches to
day saying the United States Army
was planning to send troops to
Greece.
(These reports were denied
flatly at the State Department,
officials there said the only United
States Military personnel in
Greece is the advisory mission,
members of which went there
within recent months under the
Greek-Turkish aid program. This
' is a small group of officers and
technicians.)
The conservative newspaper Lln
transigeant's dispatch, which car
ried no dateline, said the Americans
had made plans to land In Thrace
and station troops at Salonika, sub
ject to Washington approval.
The other reports were less de
tailed. The pro-De Gauliist Paris
Presse carried an article signed by
• Pertinax" and attributed to "news
.received from Athens." The pro
Communist Ca Soir's dispatch was
under an Athens dateline. |
UPWA Group Charges
'Leff-Wingers' Tried
To 'Invade' Meeting
Police Called to Scene
Of Conference Held to
Protest Union Policies
A dissident group of CIO Unit
ed Public Workers of America
members charged yesterday that
the union's present leadership
tried to "invade" its conference
which was called, to protest
UPWA's present leadership and
policies.
The so-called right-wing members
moved their meeting to a private
residence after a group of UPWA
"regulars" appeared yesterday after
noon at the meeting hall at Kendall
House, 614 Ε street N.W., and an
nounced that they had a ripht as
members to attend the rump session.
The meeting had been called by
the Provisional Committee for Rank
and File Conference, UPWA, which
stated that the conference was
called to "change the policies and
leadership of the union."
Meeting Shifted to Home.
Joseph R. "Atiamaon, one of the
members of the conference and a
member of UPWA's Executive Board,
said the meeting was moved to a pri
vate home "rather than embarrass
the YWCA, on whose premises the
meeting was held."
Police were called to the original
meeting scence after leaders of the
conference disputed the right of the
UPWA regulars to attend the ses
sion, but it was reported that there
(See UPWA, Page A-5.)
Eric Johnston Urges
Congress to Abandon
Investigation 'Evils'
First 'Hostile Witnesses'
In Film Probe to Be
Called Tomorrow
Eric Johnston, president of the
Motion Picture Association of
America, last night called for an
"overhaul" of congressional in
vestigatiion procedure as he pre
pared to testify tomorrow before
the House Committee on Un
American Activities.
Mr. Johnston, "front man" for
most of the film industry, made
public a letter addressed to Senate
and House leaders in which he stated
he wished to raise "the serious ques
tion of evils inherent in^he existing
procedure of investigating com
mittees."
Mr. Johnsjpn is scheduled to be
the first witness when the committee
resumes its hearings on Communisl
activity in Hollywood circles at 10:3(
a.m. in the caucus room of the olc
Wnnco nffire "RinlHincr
Will Hear Hostile Witnesses.
He is due to be followed to th«
stand by Roy Brewer, internationa
representative of the AFL Interna
tional Alliance of Theatrical Stagi
Employes and Moving Picture Ma
chine Operators, and then, the flrsl
of the so-called "hostile witnesses,'
Screen Writers Alvah Bessie, Johr
Howard Lawson, Dalton Trumbo anc
Emmett Lavery, the latteft· now pres
ident of the Screen Writers Guild.
A chartered Constellation plane i;
due to leave Hollywood today with t
group of about 40 members of the
Committee for the First Amendment
coming here to protest the investiga
tion.
A group of film stars, supporter!
of this committee, will speak at f
o'clock tonight, during a network
broadcast to be carried by Station
WMAL.
In his letter to congressional lead
ers criticizing methods of investi
gating committees, Mr. Johnston
declared :
"The procedure lacks uniformity
It has developed more or less hap
hazardly. It can and sometimes
does deny the individual his full
measure of citizenship rights.
Unfairness Charged.
"Too often, individuals and insti
tutions have been condemned with
out a hearing or a chance to speak
in self-defense; slandered and li
beled by hostile witnesses not sub
ject to cross-examination and im
mune from subsequent suit 01
prosecution. Legal counsel cannot
be heard except at the committee's
pleasure. Too often, this protectior
is limited to advice on constitutional
rights. The committee can accept
or reject explanatory statements foi
the record."
Emphasizing he did not propose
that congressional committees ad
here to coutrroom practice and it;
prescribed guarantees to the ac
cused, Mr. Johnston said he wa."
suggesting "weaknesses and evils
In present procedure" and asking
steps toward "reform" in the nexi
session of Congress.
"I am thoroughly aware that ι
congressional investigation is a fact
finding inquiry afid not a trial
that a committee is neither a pros
ecutor nor a court; that it neithei
indicts nor convicts," Mr. Johnston'»
letter said. vBut, in practice, the
"(See UN-AMERICAN, Page A-6.)
Cancer Research Hit by Death
Of 90.000 Mice at Bar Harbor
By Newbold Noyes, Jr.
Star Staff Correspondent
BAR HARBOR, Me., Oct. 25—Of
all the losses in the catastrophe that
has struck this place, the greatest to
the world at large is that of the
Jackson Memorial Laboratory. Be
cause almost 90,000 mice died there
when the forest Are engulfed the
main building, many times that
many men may die of cancer who
might otherwise have been spared.
The mice, some of them pedigreed
through scores of generations and
the subjects of hundreds of experi
ments, were not burned to death.
They were in the laboratory's new
fireproof section, which remained
intact although the rest of the
structure crumbled. All but 150 or
more were killed by smoke, combus
tion gases and searing heat*-heat
that buckled steel guard doors.
The laboratory stall, headed by
famed Dr. Clarence C. jlttle, cannot
■f
be said to have been x>n the verge ol
discovering a cancer cure when th«
tragedy struck. They were not look
iing for a cure, except in the sens·
that all scientific research is inti
ι mately interconnected.
They were trying, however, to dis
cover what it is that makes som<
animals acquire cancer when other:
do not. The fact that they almost
had proof of the answer in the case;
of at least three important tyj5es oi
cancer made the group one of the
most Important in the world of medi
cal research.
It Is impossible to say how much
time will be lost as a result of the
destruction of the laboratory. The
work depended on breeding strains
of mice so pure that? they reacted to
the outside world with almost the
same predictable uniformity with
which chemicals react.
"I began developing these strains
(See I *BORATORY,fage Α~βΤΓ
City of 8,000
Periled by Fire
Sweeping Maine
Blaze Only 5 Miles
From Saco; Village
Of Dayton is Razed
By the - - -led Press
BOSTON, Oct. 25. —Flames
razed most of the tiny Maine
village of Dayton tonight and
swept on toward the industrial
city of Saco as forest fires raged
relentlessly across the North
eastern States.
National Guard officers said Saco
was in no immediate danger, but
the city's 8.600 residents were alerted
as the blaze reached within five
miles of the community.
President Truman has proclaimed
the entire State of Maine, where
eight communities have been wholly
or mostly destroyed, a disaster area.
Thirty-five homes were consumed
at Dayton and a dozen dwellings
were çazed at West Hollis, a short
distance up the Saco River.
Maine counted 13 deaths and 6.000
homeless or displaced persons. The
death toll for the Nation stood at
20 and the property loss $27,000.000.
As rapidly as weary fire fighters
checked a threatening blaze in one
section, new outbreaks bore down
on some woodland village in an
, rvtHer area
Rain in Quoddy Section.
ι Only in the Quoddy section of
Maine was there a semblance of rain
to aid in the battle to check flames
that moved toward Cooper and
' Calais.
j Maine suffered worst of the
! Northeastern States, but in New
York, Massachusetts. New Hamp
shire, all. through the tinder-dry
area, fresh fires were reported.
A blaze that caused $1,000,000 loss
in Rochester, Ν. H., jumped the
: Salmon Falls River into Maine and
was within a mile of the Berwick
town hall, but a favorable wind
heartened the firefighters.
The fires at Dayton brought new
worries to Maine's textile city of
Biddeford, which has been rimmed
for days by recurrently threatening
flames.
The tiny Maine village of Sprague
Falls was endangered by flames,
! which if the wind shifted, would
I threaten the larger community of
As fire fightets struggled against
new threats, National Guardsmen
patrolled the blackened, smoulder
! ing ruins of towns already razed.
Inrendiarie* Suspected.
Suspicion of incendiarism in
creased in some sections and Maine
State police sought a man seen
starting a quickly extinguished
woods blaze at Cooper's Mills.
The situation by States was this:
MAINE — Forest fires bearing
down on five more small communi
ties. Fires at fashionable Bar Har
bor which lost 300 homes and sum
mer residences, reported fcv State
police as "just smouldering row."
More than 100,000 acres of woodland
are blackened.
MASSACHUSETTS—Danger les
sened in Fitchburg, Falmouth and
Gloucester, where fires were out of
controll earlier. £>ne man was
jailed for setting a fire in leaves
•'on a dare." The fire for a time
threatened a hospital which had to
be evacuated.
New Hampshire Hard Hit.
NEW HAMPSHIRE — A million
dollar loss was reported in the city
of Rochester. Two fresh fires sprang
I up there today and one is still
! spreading.
NEW YORK—Fire fighters, bring
i ing under control seven major woods
I fires, were called to two new blazes
spotted in Southeastern New York
i (See FOREST FIRES. Page A-5.)
Firecracker Blast Hurts 7
In Stands at Grid Game
t
By th· Associated Press
ATHENS, Tenn., Oct. 25.—Seven
college students were injured, one
; seriously, when a large firecracker
j exploded in the stands at the Ten
jnessee Wesleyan-Brevard College
[football game today, Sheriff Knox
I Henry said. ,
The sheriff said he was investi
gating the incident, but believed "it
j was just one of those things, an ac
i rident. It wasn't Intentional."
A "rocket-type" firecracker wa«
j fired by someone during the half,
the sheriff said, but instead of flying
upward, the firecracker fell back
into the stands and exploded.
The injured, all Tennessee-Wes
leyan students, included Miss Na
dine Claiborne, 18, of Friendsville.
Tenn., who was under treatment
i tonight for a serious eye Injury and
Mystery Plane
Forces Student
Flyer to Crash
By th· Associated Press .
SHREVEPORT,. La., Oct. 15.—An
unidentified pilot whipped his light
plane against two others in a simu
lated attack today and forccd one
to crash into an 11,000-volt power
jline.
I Sergt. Tom McMillin, who soloed
only a few days ago, told Shirley
Field authorities he was making
practice turns near Forbing, La.,
today when the strange plane dived
straight at him. He sergeant said
the attack took place at 800 feet.
Sergt. McMillin, who is based at
Barksdale Field, said he made a
fast turn but the second plane fol
lowed and continued to do so on
two more turns. His evasive action,
the sergeant said, brought him so
close to the ground that or. the
third run by the unidentified' plane
he pulled up into the wires.
When the plane crashed, Sergt.
McMillin escaped with only a blow
I on the head.
Flyers at Shirley Field, a com·
jmercial base, said a strange plan·
also made combat runs at another
'i?ht plane there during the mora
I -