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Phone NA. 5000. sund«w. goo, wi«nt nn»i wmon,*1.30*ndgi.top«rMonth. — President Asks 725 Million More For Air Forces Appropriations Group Calls Special Session Today on Proposal President Truman today asked Congress to appropriate $725, 000,0000 for expansion of the Air Forces in addition to funds included for the air arms in the $11,000,000,000 military budget for the next fiscal year. - The House Appropriations Com mittee, to which the President's re quest was directed, called a spe cial meeting for this afternoon to consider the request. It plans to report to the House next week a bill carrying the new funds. .The President last week notified Congress that such a request would be forthcoming. It Is part of an additional $3,000,000,000 to be sought for overall defense purposes for the .next fiscal year. Of the $725,000,000 requested.; $195,000,000 would be in cash and $530,000,000 in contract authoriza tions for which cash must be fur-; nished later. All Funds for Construction. ! The Air Force would receive $135.-1 000,000 of the new cash and the| Naval Bureau of Aeronautics, $60,-! 060.000. The Air Force would receive $315,-1 000.000 and the Naval Bureau of; Aeronautics $215,000,000 of the new; contract authority. All of the funds were earmarked; for airplane construction and pro-! curement. The extra $3,000,000,000 asked by! Mr. Truman for defense purposes for the new fiscal year would in crease the total defense outlay for the year to $14,000,000,000. Forrestal to Open Hearing. Secretary of Defense Forrestal Is scheduled to open the committee's closed hearing this afternoon. The bigger-and-better Air Force drive temporarily has shunted aside plans for universal military train ing.. A temporary draft plan, however, continued to move forward. Chair man Andrews of the House Armed Services Committee said he expected to introduce a selective service meas ure in the House today or tomorrow. He indicated it would differ from; the administration’s version, prin cipally by lowering the top registra tion age from 45 to 30 or 35. Both Senate and House Armed Services Committees showed in creased Interest in requests by Sec retary of the Air Force Symington and others for stepping up the Air Force strength to 70 groups. Two-Year Project. Such a program, even if adopted immediately, would require almost two years before the additional forces could be fully trained and equipped, some Air Force officials said today. The time would be needed, they explained, to train members of air and ground crews, perfect units in plane and unit operations, and provide the additional airplanes. A House Armed Services Subcom-j mittee, headed by Representative I Clason, Republican, of Massachu setts, announced it would begin hearings soon on several bills al ready introduced to expand the Air Force to 70 groups. The Senate committee, which yes terday heard Air Force officials es timate probable manpower increases and costs'necessary for such an ex panded (program, conferred with Army chiefs later yesterday and will call in Navy officials tomorrow. Chairman Gurney said the com mittee wants a “well-rounded pic ture” from the three services. Be fore deciding on proposed expan sion of the Air Force, he said, the committee intends to determine what additional expenditures would have to be provided for "support ing” elements in the Army and Navy to assure an "integrated de fense setup.” Forrestal Attends Sessions. Secretary of Defense Forrestal at tended the committee's closed ses sions with Secretary Symington, ; Secretary of the Army Roy all, Gen. Bradley, Army Chief of Staff, and Gen. Spaatz, Air Force Chief of Staff. Mr. Forrestal commented later that, so far as he was concerned, his statements on the 70-group ex pansion “did not necessarily take the form of an indorsement, but was Just a comment.” Committee members disclosed later that Secretary Symington specif ically requested a 70-group au thorization. In testimony at Senate commit . tee hearings two weeks ago, Secre tary Forrest dl estimated that an in crease from 55 to 70 groups in the (flr Force eventually would cost from *15,000,000,000 to $78,000,000,000 on top of the $11,000,000,000 recom mended for the military next year. The $18,000,000,000, lie explained today, would be an over-all figure covering not only a 70-group Air Force, but alao whatever correspond <See~DEFENSE, Page A^5.) Nine Chinese Red Divisions Seek to Seal Off Mukden By Afttociotod Pr*ts PEIPING, April 8.—Nine divisions of Chinese Communists were re ported striking southward today in a new assault on the government's battered corridor in Manchuria. Pro-government dispatches said the Red forces were moving along a branch of the Manchurian Railway. That line joins the Peiping-Mukden line at Tahvlshan, 65 miles south west of Murkden. Communist capture of Tahushan would doom the government's efforts to reopen the vital rail line to Muk den. A campaign to open the line to the isolated Manchurian metrop olis has been bogged down nearly a month after it was proclaimed on the verge of completion. Mukden has been supplied by air transport for months. A highway route has been opened, and then cut rtf, with such frequency that Its ■t&tus is doubtful. J 20 Revolt Aboard Czech Plane, Force Landing in U. S. Zone , Former RAF Flyer Takes Over Controls After Pilot Is Locked in Compartment at Gue Point •y the Associated Press MUNICH, Germany, April 8.— Twenty non-Communist Czechs revolted Tuesday aboard a Czechoslovak National Airlines plane, took over and flew it to the American zone of Germany, it was revealed today. "We wanted to get away from the Communist regime,’’ one of the group said. Seventeen passengers and three crewmen seized the transport! hold ing at gunpoint a fourth crewman who objected. Five other passen gers were aboard but didn’t fully ' realize what was going on. The plane carried 26 persons in all. “It was all so smooth,” one of the five said, “those of us who didn’t want to come here didn't know about it.” The plane landed without warn ing at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the United States Air Force fighter base in Neubiberg, near Munich. It had left Prague on a regularly scheduled flight to Bratislava, Slovakia. "The pilot said he knowingly brought the plane to the American zone and landed,” a brief United States Army Air Force anouncement said. Acting Czech Consul Karer Dvorak said the plane's original pilot was forced at pistol point to leave the controls and was locked in the plane’s toilet. A former Czech pilot who once flew with the British Royal Air Force took over the controls. He turned the plane about and headed it for Germany. The original pilot and five pas sengers told the United States Army they want to go back to Prague, j The others want to stay. Mrs. Beatrix Chladek, one of the : passengers, gave this account of the swift stroke: “It seems three of the crew and; 14 of the passengers were in on the • See PLANE, Page A-5.) Britain Again Weighs Fighter Escorts for Transports in Reich Russian Reply to Protest On Monday's Collision Declared Unsatisfactory ly the Associated Press BERLIN, April 8.—Britain Is again considering use of fighter planes to escort its transports to Berlin, a spokesman said to night. The spokesman said Russia had replied unsatisfactorily to British protests over Monday's collision of a Soviet fighter and a transport arriving from London. Marshal Vassily D. Sokolovsky blamed a British traffic violation for the col lision. and said the British version of the incident was a slander. The spokesman said the tone of Marshal Sokolovsky’s reply in dicated the Russians were not giv ing any assurances of safety for planet entering Berlin. He said it seemed Marshal Soko lovsky’s written reply appeared to weaken or erase oral assurances which had been previously given by Sokolovsky to British Gen. Sir Brian Robertson when the latter visited him Monday night to make a per sonal protest on the crash incident. U. S. May Fellow Suit. When asked in what light the British government comfWered the Soviet reply to. Gen. Robertson’s note, the spokesman said: “I cannot answer that. There are ladies present.” American officials said the United States will follow suit if the British establish fighter escorts. The Russian military commander said that unless he was assured British planes will observe four power flight rules, he intends to "take measures for the protection of the safety of air traffic over the Soviet occupation zone.” He turned down the Idea of a four power investigation of the crash, which occurred on Berlin's outskirts and killed 15 persons. He favored an inquiry by a Soviet-British com mission. Replies to Robertson. Marshal Sokolovsky stated his po sition in reply to communications on the crash from Gen. Robertson. His letter was published in Taeg liche Rundschau, official newspa per of the Soviet military adminis tration. Gen. Robertson said on his re turn here this morning from Dues ; seldorf that he intends to deal im mediately with the Russian reply. Arriving in Berlin at about the same time was Maurice Couve de Murville, one of France's top' diplomatic negotiators. He is to meet ranking officials of the West ern Allies and many believe negoti ations for a closer linking of the French zone with the British American zone are on tap. Gen. Robertson, who delivered an address sharply critical of com munism yesterday in Duesseldorf, refused direct comment on Marshal Sokolovsky's note on arrival here. Position Is Reversed. The marshal’s letter reversed the position he took Monday after the accident. At that time he ex pressed regret and assured Gen. Robertson the Russians did not in (See BERLIN?-Page A-5J Canadian Students Wreck Leftist Office ■y Associated Pros* WINDSOR, Ontario, April 8.—A group of angered students, who objected to their high school being used for Labor-Progressive Party meetings, wrecked the party head quarters last night, Windsor police reported. Officers said three party officials were hurt slightly as more than 500 young people paraded through the downtown area and smashed : through barricades to invade the (second-floor offices. There they pushed over furniture, dumped files on the floor, and tore up papers. They were dispersed by 25 city police and five Royal Canadian Mounted police who rushed to the scene to rescue the party members. No arrests were made. Police said the students and other youths had gathered first near the Patterson Collegiate, a high school, where a Labor-Progressive meeting was reported scheduled. The meet ing was not held, however, so the crowd headed for the party head quarters. Reporters from the Windsor Star said they carried anti-Communist banners and placards bearing slo gans such as "Who sent ya, Joe?,” and paraded through the streets crying “Give ’em back to Uncle Joe.” Arab Forces Reoccupy Strategic Hill Held For 6 Days by Jews Chief of Holy Land Army, Cousin of Exiled Mufti, Is Killed in Battle By the Associated Press JERUSALEM, April 8.—Arab forces drove Hagana fighters off Mount Kastel today, six days after the Jewish milita occupied the hill in an effort to keep open a highway to Jerusalem. Abdul Khadder Husseini, cousin of the exiled Mufti of Jerusalem and commander of the Arab Judean Army, was killed in the operation, Arab officials said. He had led the assault on the Jewish position. Arab officials said 40 Jews were killed and 70 were wounded in the fight, but the British Army’s report said casualties were 30 Jews wounded and six Arabs injured, one fatally. Site of Roman Fortress. The six-day battle for Mount Kastel was one of the most bitter in the four-and-one-half months of strife which began with the United Nations vote to partition Palestine. The Jews rushed the hill Satur day before dawn end held it. They hurled back almost constant Arab counterattacks on the position, site of an ancient Roman fortress. Hussein!'s forces were reinforced by units from dozens of nearby villages. They broke through a barrage of mortar and automatic weapon fire today. Jewish occupation of the hilltop was a first step in an attempt to blast open the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway so that much needed food for Jews of Jerusalem might get through. Water Shortage Threatened. Jerusalem also is threatened by a critical water shortage. An official announcement said one water supply source, “for the time being, is interrupted.’’ British Mayor Richard Graves appealed to the city’s 160,000 inhabitants to use tap and cistern water sparingly. An unofficial but reliable source said Arab attackers had severed a water pipeline from Ras el Ein, 15 miles northeast of Tel Aviv. Jeru salem’s second water source, Ain Farah Springs, is restricted by lack of fuel oil for pumps. The pipeline parallels the moun tainous Jerusalem-Tel Aviv high way, scene of bitter fighting for three months. Second Convoy Arrives. A Jewish convoy of about 50 trucks, the second in three days, arrived over that highway today with food for Jerusalem's 100,000 Jews. The Jewish militia Hagana provided the escort. By unofficial tally, 2,428 persons have been slain in Palestine since the United Nations voted for par tition last November 29. Hagana sources said Jewish forces had killed seven Syrian fighters and wounded a score or more in attacks on war parties crossing the border of northern Palestine near the Jordan headwaters. In Tel Aviv, Dr. Emanuel Neu mann, American Zionist leader, said yesterday the American proposal for a Palestine trusteeship is in some ways worse than the 1939 British white paper limiting Jew-j ish immigration into the Holy Land, j Archbishop Favors Troops. In the British House of Lords/ the Archbishop of York said last night the United States should see that troops are sent, “if necessary (See PALESTINE,"Page A-5J I Heavy Penalty, Or Backdown, Lewis Choice Signs Now Indicate Miners Plan Fight To Finish in Court By James Y. Newton John L. Lewis was faced today with the decision of calling oft the 25-day soft coa^ strike, which he says he did not start, or tak | ing the chance of heavy con tempt of court penalties for himself and the United Mine Workers. There was no sign that he and the union intend to comply with the back-to-work District Court order which yesterday brought a contempt citation from Justice T. Alan Goldsborough. In fact, all signs indicated that Mr. Lewis was preparing for a fin ish fight in court with the Govern ment, which is attempting to use Taft-Hartley Act machinery to end the economy-crippling strike. Mr. Lewis hates the labor law with a passion and has told friends he would never heel in to any of its provisions. New Injunction Threat. Meanwhile, the UMW faced the j threat of an injunction from an-j other direction, one charging re fusal to bargain with an accredited representative of the coal industry. Joseph E. Moody, president of the Southern Coal Producers’ Associa tion. said he will ask Robert N. Denham, general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, to obtain a mandatory court order directing the union to bargain with him. The association claims to rep resent operators producing a third of the total national soft coal tonnage. Representatives of. the UMW and operators spent five hours late yes terday and more time today wran gling over Mr. Moody's authority to speak for the Southern mine owners in negotiations under way at the Shoreham Hotel. The union chal-j lenged Mr. Moody on the grounds that neither he nor his associates signed the present coal contract^ Until the situation is clarified, pos-; sibly by the NLRB action, Mr. Moody will stay in the conference as ne gotiator for a single coal company. Little Hope in Meetings. The meetings, which promise nothing toward settling the dis pute over a pension for the mine workers that touched off the strike, are being held in accordance with the restraining order of Justice Mat thew F. McGuire. It directed both sides to settle their pension contro versy and ordered Mr. Lewis and the union not to permit the strike; to continue. Mr. Lewis was conspicuously ab-1 sent from the meetings of yesterday! and this morning. There was some hint that he might show up this | afternoon. Mr. Lewis stayed away yester i day because two top industry officials refused to attend. They are Benjamin F. Fairless, president . of the United States Steel Corp., and George M. Humphrey, chairman of the ’huge Pittsburgh Consolida tion Coal Co. Mr. Fairless and Mr. Humphrey were instrumental in ne gotiating the present contract with its provision for pensions and Mr. Lewis says negotiations without them are "forlorn gestures.” Court Fight Set for Monday. The next phase in the court bat tle over the strike is scheduled for Justice Goldborough’s court on Monday at 10 a.m. He is the judge who in December, 1946, fined Mr. Lewis and the UMW $3,510,000 for ignoring a similar strike-restraining order. The Supreme Court later reduced it to $710,000. Justice Goldsborough signed an order prepared by the Justice De ; partment calling on Mr. Lewis and i the UMW to "show cause" Mon-; day why they should not be held i See COAL. Page A-5.1 Van Fleet Escapes Attempt To Wreck Train in Greece ly the Associated Press ATHENS, April 8.—A security train preceding the Greek royal train was derailed in the Pelopon nesus yesterday, apparently due to j sabotage. The royal train carried King Paul and Army officials, including Lt.; Gen. James A. van Fleet, American ; military chief in Greece. It stopped j just in time to avoid an accident. The derailment occurred halfway i between Argos and Tripolis. King Paul and his party left Piraeus for Argolikos (Naupliat last night board the Greek destroyer I | Adrias. He wants to visit all army ! units fighting Greek guerrillas. Two in U. S. Embassy at Prague Are Shifted at Czechs' Request j By Garnett D. Horner Two members of the Ameri can Embassy staff in Prague have been transferred at the re quest of the Czechoslovakian government, it was learned to day. State Department officials refused to disclose the names of the men : involved, but said they were ad ■ ministrative personnel and not high ranking diplomats. Their recall from Prague was said to have been asked by the Czech government without any reasons given. This action occurred about three weeks ago, it was said. The men involved already have been trans ferred to other posts. Although their transfer preceded the State Department's request last week for the withdrawal of two members of the Czech Embassy staff here, officials would not admit any connection between the cases. They said the department acted on the merits of the cases in asking Prague; to recall Theo H. Florin, first secre«] tary of the Czech Embassy and Dr.1 Ezzen Syrovatka, attache. The department did not disclose! the reasons for asking the removal of the two Czech diplomats, and; Acting Secretary of State Lovett1 refused to give any details when; asked about the case at a news j conference late yesterday. Mr. Lovett said, however, that facts and circumstances had come to this Government's attention which made it appear wise and in the national interest to request their withdrawal. He said the same thing applied i to a similar request for the with-! drawal of a Romanian Embassy chauffeur. The department has not yet been informed of the departure of the persons that have been asked to be withdrawn from this country. Mr. Lovett said no deadline had been set and that the men would be permitted reasonable time to settle their affaire here. Mac Arthur Delays His Decision On Race Until Nebraska Test Vote Tuesday to Pit Dewey Against Taft For First Time Gen. MacArthur indicated to day that he would await the results of the Nebraska primary election next week before clari fying his position in the Repub lican presidential race. This indication came from Tokyo as politicians, sizing up the shut out of Gov. Dewey in the Wisconsin primary in which the general rani second to Harold E. Stassen, waited for the Nebraska vote to bring the ! situation into possibly sharper focus. Mr. Stassen, on the basis of nearly complete unofficial returns, was assured of 19 of Wisconsin’s 27 con vention delegates, with the remain ing eight going to Gen. MacArthur. The general issued a statement which was as unrevealing of his own intentions as it was brief. But ob servers in Tokyo, the Associated Press reported, saw in it no hint of a withdrawal from the presidential race. It§..generalized nature con tinued the aloofness Gen. Mac Arthur has maintained since he announced his availability for “any Surprised Japanese Agree MacArthur Has 'Lost Face' ly the Associated Press TOKYO, April 8.—Japanese appeared surprised today that Gen. MacArthur ran second in the Wisconsin presidential pri mary. They conceded that the supreme allied commander had lost face in Japan. “His reputation in the United States does not correspond with his reputation here,” said one Japanese editor. However, Nip ponese newspapers have not yet commented editorially. The general’s self-appointed Japanese campaign drum beat er—Poet-Contractor Toshiyo Oda—seemed undaunted. "The idea that they need Gen. MacArthur soon will seep through to Americans,” said Qda. public duty to which I might be called by the American people.” The statement said; "One of the things which have (8ce POLITICS, Page A-S.) U. 5., Britain to Give! Limited Control Over Trieste to Civilians Move Slated for Monday; Communists Are Barred From Participating By Associated Pr#st TRIESTE, Free Territory, April 8—Limited power will be trans ferred to local civilian hands in the Anglo-American zone of the free territory Monday, the Allied military government announced today. Communists will be barred from taking part. A military government official; denied a Trieste newspaper com-j ment that the move is designed to' pave the way for handing over thej free territory to Italy. The western: powers have proposed to Russian an! Italian treaty revision to permit j Trieste's return to the Italians. j The military government will re-; tain such functions as direction of police, handling of applications for public meetings and demonstrations and the allocation of sports arenas. Civilians will replace British and Americans, in zonal and communal office throughout the Anglo-Ameri jcan zone except in the small town ! of Muggia, where the majority of I the population is Communist. Free \ territory flags will fly on zonal and; i communal offices instead of Ameri- ■ can and British flags. The military government has been i working with a citizens' advisory ’ committee for some time on the ! program. Undersecretary of State Lovett yesterday held open the possibility that the Western powers might take independent action on Trieste if Russia refuses to agree to return the free territory to Italy. Mr. Lovett told a news conference the Russians have not responded yet to the American-British-French proposals to give Trieste back to Italy. D. W. Rentzel Named As New HeadofCAA President Truman today nomi nated Delos Wilson Rentzel, presi dent, of Aeronautical Radio, Inc., | of Washington, to head the Civil Aeronautics Administration, suc ceeding Theodore P. Wright, who has resigned. Mr. Rentzel, 38. lives at 1106 Val ley drive, Alexandria. He came here from New York four years ago. He has been Identified with avi ation since 1930. During the war he was director of communications for American Airlines in New York and served also as a consultant to the Secretary of War on electronics. He also did some work for the Secre tary of the Navy. Mr. Rentzel’s company, with of fices at 1108 Sixteenth street N.W., furnishes communications facilities to commercial airline*. Mrs. Georgiana Joyes, General's Widow, Dies In Plunge ai Hospital Victim, 67, Had Been Treated at Walter Reed For Meningitis Attack Mrs. Georgiana B. Joyes, 67, widow of Brig. Gen. John W. Joyes, plunged t« her <)eath early today from the third floor of a Walter Reed Hospital ward, where she was recovering from an attack of meningitis. Police said she left a short note to her daughter, Mrs. Oliver Durant, giving ill health as the reason for her act. Coroner A. Magruder Mac Donald said he would issue a cer tificate of suicide later today. Mrs. Joyes’ body was discovered by Pfc. William E. Hindmen, who was returning to his quarters from night duty at 5:15 a.m. Body Found on Grating. The soldier said he found her body on a grating outside the communi cable diseases building. The screen of a window on the third floor of the building, where she was a pa tient, was ajar. Hospital authorities said the last check of the ward had been made at 1:30 a.m. Mrs. Joyes was pronounced dead by Lt. John B. Zaontz, assistant medical officer of the day. According to Mrs. Durant, Gen. Joyes was at onetime assistant chief of ordnance here, and the family had a home on Waterside drive. He retired before World War II and died two years ago. While the fam j ily lived here, Mrs. Durant said, Mrs. Joyes was active in the Gray I Ladies. Stricken Last Month. Mrs. Joyes has been living in Charlottesville, Va. Her daughter said she was stricken with men ingitis last month and came to the hospital March 18. Mrs. Durant said she visited her mother yesterday. Although Mrs. Joyes aiqxared depressed, the daughter said, she was able to walk around and spoke of coming home. The other patients, Mrs. Durant said, remarked to her mother on her improvement. Mrs. Durant lives in Culpeper, Va„ with her husband, an Insurance broker with offices in the Ban Building. Since her mother's ill ness, Mrs. Durant has been stay ing with a friend, Mrs. F. J. So botka, at Clifton Terrace to be near Mrs. Joyes. In addition to Mrs. Durant, Mrs. Joyes is survived by another daughter, Mrs. Mason F. Stober, Seattle, Wash., and four grand children. A son, Capt. John W. Joyes, jr„ was killed in a train ac cident shortly before World War II. Odom Reaches Chicago fty the Associated Press CHICAGO, April- 8—Pilot Bill Odom, at the controls of the Jinxed Reynolds exploration plane, landed at the Chicago Orchard Place Air port last night after a flight from San Francisco. Size of D. C. Budget To Be Fixed Before Study of Tax Bill Horan and Bates Agree Needs Must Be Known Ahead of Revenues The District’s 1948-9 budget will be fixed before any study of revenue and new taxes is started, It was announced today by Chairman Horan of the House Appropriations Subcommittee handling the District supply bill. j This was explained by Represent-1 ative Horan as he continued hear ings on section of the bill pertaining to District National Guard and wel fare agencies. The agreement to consider the budget first apparently closed a dis pute between Mr. Ho’-sn and Chair man Bates of the House District Subcommittee handling the city’s tangled revenue problem, Including the taxation issue. Mr. Bates. In a letter made public today by Mr. Horan, declared that the fiscal subcommittee would con sider ways and means of meeting the District budget as soon as it was i known how much the budget would bd. Had Sought to Fix Amount. Earlier, Mr. Horan had hoped that the revenue problem could be worked out before the budget was decided so the Appropriations Com mittee would know how much money was available. The cuts in the budget, Mr. Horan said, would be made "consistent with the proper operation of ihe District government.” Mr. Horan sent Mr. Bates a letter today saying that the appropriations unit would make its recommenda tions at the earliest possible moment so that the Fiscal Subcommittee could go ahead with the problem of raising revenue to meet it. The record-breaking District bud get of $101,400,000 is $6,OOO,O0O above the amount of revenue in sight from estimated District taxes. The Com missioners have recommended a sales tax to take care of this deficit. Mr. Horan also has backed a sales tax. , Armory Control Discussed. The dispute between the District; Commissioners and the National i Guard over control of the Armory; here was discussed today by the Horan subcommittee at an execu tive morning meeting. But Mr. Horan said he preferred not to dis close what went on. It will be made : public, he said, when an official re ! port is filed with the House. Postponed to a later date were hearings previously scheduled for this morning on estimates for the office of National Capital Parks, the National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Zoo. Monsanto fo Ask 50 Million Of U. 5. in Texas City Suit •y the Anocioted Press ST. LOUIS, April i.—K *50,000, 000 damage suit will be filed at Gal veston, Tex., today against the United States Government by the Monsanto Chemical Co. A company spokesman said the suit will charge that Government negligence in falling to insure proper handling of an explosive was re sponsible for the disaster at Texas City, Tex., a year ago. Monsanto's Texas City plant was wrecked in the succession of ex plosions which started aboard a j freighter in the harbor. More than 500 persons were killed and about 3,000 injured. The damage suits raises to more ! than *75,000,000 the total claims already on file. The Liberty Mutual' Insurance Co., which handles Mon santo's compensation insurance, has i filed two suits for a total of *10,- j 700.000. The Texas City Terminal Railway Co., owner of docks and warehouses, seeks *8,000000. 16 Killed on Korean Isle; U. S. Blames Communists ly the Auaciatcd fmt SEOUL, Korea, April 8—Pour; Korean police and 12 civilians were killed in a series of 10 attacks on police boxes and conservatives’ homes on Cheju Island, the United States Army reported today. Offi cers here blamed Communists. Five policemen and 16 civilians were reported wounded in the fight ing, April * to S, and three police and four civilians are missing. Hoffman Begins Selecting Staff; 7,000 Ask Jobs ERP Chief Has List Of 250 'Specialists' For Key Positions By Chalmers M. Roberts Paul G. Hoffman established temporary headquarters In a ho tel suite today as he began the job of selecting the staff which will help him run the European Recovery Program. More than 7,000 persons—some already in the Government, others in private industry—already have applied for jot* through the State Department. Mr. Hoffman also has before him a list of about 250 persons, mostly businessmen de scribed as “specialists” in various fields, from which he could select men for the top 25 or so ERP Jobe. The Studebaker Corp. president, who was confirmed yesterday by a unanimous Senate vote for the *20.000-a-year post, has not yet been sworn in but is expected to take the oath shortly, possibly later today. Space Not Yet Ready. While the new Economic Co operation Administration, as the agency will be called, will occupy five floors in the Maiatico Building at Connecticut avenue and H street N.W., the space is not yet ready for occupancy. Mr. Hoffman will be given a desk and room for his immediate staff in the Old State Department Building, next door to the White House, for the time be ing. He was working today in his Statler Hotel suite. It will take about two weeks to prepare the new offices in the Maiatico Building, according to the Federal Works Agency. The agency is ready to begin the work as soon as Mr. Hoffman names an adminis trative assistant to handle office space and personnel problems. About 45,000 square feet will be available on five floors. First problem for Mr. Hoffman is selection of his deputy adminis trator, a $17,500 post, and the roving ambassador who will represent the agency abroad. This post pays the salary of a top-ranking ambassador, $25,000 a year, $5,000 more than Mr. Hoffman will receive. Both posts are to be filled by the President and the appointees must be con firmed by the Senate. Mr. Hoffman is expected to have his own way In selecting the men for the Jobs, however. The new agency will be Independ ent of the State Department, as provided by Congress In voting the $5,300,000,000 aid program to help 16 Western European nations help themselves to economic stability. 7,000 Job Applications. The State Department, however, has been the only place to which job applicants could tum up to now. Hence the more than 7,000 persons who have’ indicated their interest have had their applications taken by State, but only with a promise of "we’ll turn them over to the ad ministrator when he’s appointed.” Mr. Hoffman is not expected to go over any of these names per sonally, however. That presumably would be left for his personnel ad ministrator. The ERP law provides that either Mr. Hoffman or Secre tary of State Marshall must certify in writing that any ECA employe— except those confirmed by the Sen ate—“is loyal to the United States, its Constitution, and form of gov ernment, and is not now and has never been a member of any organ ization advocating contrary views.’’ An FBI investigation of each em ploye is provided for Employes may be kept on up to three months while such a loyalty procedure is under way. The list of 250 names submitted to Mr. Hoffman was made up by variety industry leaders, some of (See FOREIGN”AID. Page A“57)~ Molotov May Be Ousted, British Magazine Says ly the Associated Press LONDON, April 8.—News Re view, a weekly magazine, says tha ouster of V. M, Molotov as Rus sian Foreign Minister “may shortly have to be considered as a possi bility.” There was no confirmation of this report in other quarters today. Some* students of Russian politics classify Mr. Molotov as the No. 1 candidate for Prime Minister Sta lin’s job when Mr. Stalin dies. News Review said Mr. Molotov's program was criticized at a Feb ruary meeting of the Politburo, but the Foreign Minister later received a vote of confidence. The Polit buro, headed by Mr. Stalin, includes the top leaders of the Soviet Union. News Review gave no source for its information, but said “not much reliable information seeps through the iron curtain.” Truman Gels Report In Packinghouse Tieup A Special Board of Inquiry today reported to President Truman on the packinghouse strike which has kept from 60,000 to 80,000 men idle since the middle of last month. Nathan P. Feinsinger, chairman of the board, who brought the re port to the White House, described it as "comprehensive,” but would not discuss any aspect of the find ings. He said he did not know whether the President planned to make the report public. The board was set up under the Taft-Hartley AcVto study facts In volved in the ^.Ikout, which was caused by a dispute between pack ers and CIO workers on wages. Other members of the board are Pearce Davis, chairman of the de partment of economics of the Illi nois Institute of Technology, and Walter V. Schaefer. Northwestern University law professor.