Evening star. [volume], April 12, 1948, Image 1

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

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______ I___
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96th Year. No. 103. Phone NA. 5000. WASHINGTON, D. C., MONDAY, APRIL 12, 1948—THIRTY-SIX PAGES. Sunday*”#?!!). Night Pinal Edition. #1.30 and #1.40 P«r Month. 5 CENTS
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Colombia Breaks Off With Soviet,
Arrests 15 as Foreign Plotters;
Parley May Resume in Bogota
U. S. Planes Take
86 to Canal Zone;
Marshall Stays
By Joseph F. McEvoy
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent
BOGOTA, Colombia, April 12.—
The government announced to
day that Colombia has broken
relations with Soviet Russia in
the wake of revolutionary riots
which killed 300 persons, smashed
at least 1,000 stores, set ablaze
40 major buildings and ruined
many of the city’s proudest
churches.
Two Russians described as Com
munists are under arrest, a govern
ment broadcast declared, along with
13 other foreign agents seized here
and in Cali. They are accused of
conniving in settling off the fury
which in three days devastated
much of this capital and forced a
revision in the government.
Women with baskets dared
snipers’ bullets to go marketing
today in this food-short city. Hos
pitals sent out appeals for serum
and penicillin.
The situation is still critical.
(Part of this dispatch was re
ceived by telephone and part of it
by wireless from Bogota. There
was no clear-cut indication,
however, that censorship had
been withdrawn by the Colom
bian government.)
Food Situation Serious.
The problem of getting food and
other supplies is serious. The main
bulk of food supplies must be
brough in from outside this capital
city, and transportation facilities
are in a snarl. Some food and milk
are coming in, but supplies now are
very limited.
The situation has improved slight
ly, however, from the virtual an
archy which prevailed for a time.
Army troops are on patrol, with
orders to shoot looters on sight.
Rescue squads are picking up
corpses amid heaps of rubble upj
to 10 feet high. Often there is a
stench of human flesh in the air.
As a result of the fighting, loot- )
Ing and burning, the heart of j
Bogota was reduced to a smoking j
ruin. Hardly a public building
escaped damage, and stores every- i
where were sacked by mobsters
wielding knives and machetes.
Trolley Cars Wrecked.
Today I was able to walk from
the United States Embassy, where;
t had been since Friday night, to
the Hotel Granada. There are no
taxicabs or buses. Every trolley car
in sight is a wreck. This hotel has
no lights.
But I have just eaten my first
solid meal since Friday.
No reports have been received of
injury to United States citizens. |
Secretary of State Marshall and his
staff, here for the disrupted con
ference of the Western Hemisphere j
nations, are safe. They are in the
residential district known as El No
gal. The Colombian government!
wants the conference delegates to
remain in session, to show that
"communism cannot triumph over
the Americas,” as a government ■
statement expressed it.
Conference Records Scattered.
The delegates want assurances
that they can stay in session if they
reconvene here. That may be dif
ficult to guarantee. The conference
hall was W’recked and the records of
the sessions were torn, burned or
scattered.
(High Washington officials
said the conference would be re
' (See BOGOTA, Page A-4.) !
Maurice Tobin Mentioned
For Top ERP Position
By the Associated Press
BOSTON, April 12.—Former Gov.
Maurice J. Tobin has been sounded
out on whether he would take a top
administrative job in the European
Relief Program, it was reliably re
ported today.
Friends said Mr. Tobin was con
sidering two offers—one as an ex
ecutive assistant under Paul G.
Hoffman at $17,500 a year, the other
a seat on the 15-man civilian board
to help direct ERP.
Both appointments would be for
five-year terms.
The 47-year-old Mr. Tobin, a
Democrat, is known to be sizing up
the Massachusetts political situa
tion on the possibility of running
against Senator Saltonstall, Repub
lican.
The two ERP jobs reportedly of
fered Mr. Tobin would mean he
would go either to Italy or Wash
ington. This may influence his de
cision.
He was reported in Cleveland on
business today. Friends said he plans
a trip to Washington, possibly to
see President Truman, later in the
week.
D. C. Rent Control Vote
Delayed by Morse
Senator Morse, Republican, of
pregon today temporarily blocked
a Senate vote on a bill to extend,
With some modifications, the pres
tnt District Rent Control Act to
March 31, 1949.
He delayed the vote by declaring
ftiat he did not understand the pro
posed extension as explained by
Chairman Buck of the Senate Dis
trict Committee.
Revolt's Key Question Is Extent
Of Communist Participation
Witness Presents Circumstantial Evidence;
U. S. Delegation Reserves Judgment
By Milton Bracker
Of the New York Times, for the Combined American Press
Distributed by the Associated Press
BALBOA, Canal Zone, April 12.—Since the key question of the
Bogota revolt—and one that may affect the entire foreign policy
| of the Western Hemisphere for years—is the extent to which the
Reds started, directed and continued the brutal orgy of burning
and looting, the following should be made emphatically clear at
the outset:
The United States delegation,
headed by Secretary Marshall,
who remains in Bogota, has not
made up its mind in any way.
An authorized spokesman for the
United States delegation emphasized
| this shortly before this correspond
ent left for the Bogota airport last
might to fly to Balboa. The plane,
I first of two United States Army
transport craft, landed at Albrook
| Field at 8:07 p.m. with the first
American. Mexican and Panamanian
evacuees.
Before going into details of the
story from Bogota, it must be stated
for the record that all press copy—
after a call by the New York Herald
Tribune fortuituously got through
from New York at 4 p.m. Friday—
One-Hour Red Strike
In Italy Is Reported
As Partial Failure
Communist Rally Bombed,
2 Killed and 22 Hurt,
Rome Newspaper Says
By the Associated Press
ROME, April 12.—A Nation
wide, Communist-called, one
hour general strike went off as
ordered in Italy this morning.
First reports, however, indicated
tire work stoppage fell far short
of achieving the general paralysis
predicted by its instigators, the
Communist-led General Confedera
tion of Labor (CGILt The strike
was called to protest the slayings
of 35 Sicilian labor leaders over the
last two years.
The pro-Communist newspaper,
II Paese, reported, meantime, that
new pre-election violence has been
instigated by the "Fascist terror" j
in the south.
Two Reported Killed.
Dispatches to the paper said two
persons were killed and 22 injured
; when a bomb was tossed into the
midst of a Communist-dominated
Popular Front rally at Lizzanello
near Lecce yesterday.
Giuseppe Calasso, front candidate
for the Chamber of Deputies in Sun
day’s national elections, was re
ported injured.
I Only the stoppage of srteet cars
and buses indicated to Rome resi
! dents that the general strike was on.
The CGIL had announced that the
j city's telephone service would be
suspended, but the phones kept
working.
Many Stores Remain Open.
Many stores remained open, the
employes apparently ignoring the
strike call. Government offices
said they were working normally.1
Factories, however, were idle.
The South Italy bombing, if true,:
would emphasize the growing hos
tility to the Communists demon-:
strated throughout Italy in the
closing week of the election cam
paign.
It was at Lecce earlier this
month that Communist Leader Pal
miro Togliatti was jeered for the
first time in the campaign.
Observers said the new violence
might give the Communists the
pretext to revert to their original
plan of a series of ftaily pre-election
strikes growing progressively longer.
Luciano Lama, of the CGIL secre
tariat, said, however, that this plan
had been abandoned because of the
coming elections.
And although this morning’s 10
o'clock strike had little visible effect,
■except that the cafes were crowded
with those who took the stoppage
as a rest period, Lama said he was
satisfied.
He said everything went off as
; expected and that the strike was
"effective.'' He said reports arriv
ing from other cities indicated that
order prevailed everywhere.
Premier Would Use Force.
Premier Alcide de Gasperi lashed
out last night at the Popular Front.
He warned there will be no coup
d'etat after the elections.
He said that if necessary, “I will
hold the power by force.”
Palmiro Togliatti, leader of the
Ttalian . Communist Party, accused
:the United States of trying to drag
Italy into a war with Russia. He
charged Mr. de Gasperi and his
|.supporters with being willing serv
ants of the Americans in such a
move.
i Club-swinging police broke up a
: ore-election rally of several thou
: sand Monarchists in Rome's central
Via del Corso last night. The Mon
archists carried the forbidden em
blem of the House of Savoy.
has been subjected either to direct
and severe censorship, or to under
standable restrictions. The censor
free pool established with the co
operation of high United States au
thorities, though it enabled pool
correspondents to file virtually com-1
plete factual information, was
obliged to avoid such comment and I
interpretation as a story of this
nature obviously requires.
Strong Circumstantial Evidence.
The point of view unquestionably
held by a majority of all observers—
diplomatic, journalistic and non
professional—was excellently syn
: thesized by Ricardo Alfaro, a mem
ber of Panama's delegation, who
was among those evacuated yester
day.
"If the Communists did not plan
it from the start,” he said, "they
certainly took advantage of it.”
There is mass, strong circum
stantial evidence to support this.
The incredible swiftness with
which an assassination by a single
shot spread and the revolutionary
strategy whereby all centers of com
munication were the first objectives
of the insurgents are primary indi
cators.
But there is a gruesome mystery
to be solved resolving the shot
which started the •trouble; and until
it is solved, it is the best judgment
in Bogota that conclusions stronger
than those of Dr. Alfaro ought to
be withheld.
A Face That Doesn’t Exist.
The mystery, concerns a man's;
face—and it is a face that no
longer exists.
It was savagely destroyed by
blows and kicks following the assas
sination of leftist Liberal Party
leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan. Pre
sumably Gaitan was slain by the
man to whom the face belonged.
The nature of the mutilation was
such as to make far from fantastic
the theory that it was calculated—
and that the obliteration of the
victim's identity was all part of a
master plan.
Herewith are the best available
facts:
On Friday mcrning Gaitan—a'
somewhat small man with a blunt
nose—secured the acquittal in a
homicide case of a young Army
officer.
Gaitan had a luncheon appoint
ment with a Liberal Party Congress
man.
At 1 o'clock, or a few minutes after
that. Mrs. Mary C. Welch of Raleigh.
N. C., a nurse attached to the
American delegation, was dining
with two other American girls at
the Monte Blanco restaurant near
Gaitan's office and across a park
from the Hotel Granda, Bogota's
finest.
Hears Sounds of Scuffle.
Mrs. Welch said she heard sounds
of a scuffle outside and on looking
down from the second floor said the
first thing she saw was the gleam
of a pistol in the hands of a young
man who, she thinks, wore blue.
Almost at the same moment, she
saw another man fall as if shot
while two policemen and a cfowd
closed in on the assailant.
The only other thing Mrs. Welch
saw' was the arrival of a police car
and the removal of the assassin’s
victim.
The nurse said there was no
question but that he had been
shot through the back of the head.
Shift the scene to the restaurant
in the Hotel Astor, directly across
(See BRACKERTPage A-2.)
Forrestal Warns
Long-Time Draft
Is UMT Alternate
House Hearing Told
Military Need Will
Remain for Lifetime
By Robert K. Wolsh
In the face of waning con
gressional sentiment for univer
sal military training, Secretary
| of Defense Forrestal warned the
j House Armed Services Commit-1
! tee today that failure to enact
UMT immediately would necessi
tate a draft ‘for an indefinite
period.”
Describing UMT and temporary {
selective service as "two segments
of the same picture,” Mr. Forrestal!
told the hearing:
“Not in our lifetime or in that of
the next generation do I foresee the
time when a strong military po
tential will not be needed to back
up our diplomacy."
Secretary Forrestal and Acting
Secretary of State Lovett were the
first scheduled witnesses at House
committee hearings on a standby
draft measure drawn by Chairman
Andrews, Republican, of New York.
The bill does not apply to UMT be
cause the House last July passed
legislation on that subject.
Wadsworth to Testify.
Chairman Andrews announced
that committee witnesses tomorrow
will include Representative Wads
worth, Republican, of New York,
author of the World War II Selec
tive Service Act. Maj. Gen. Lewis
B. Hershey, wartime Selective Serv
ice director, will testify Wednesday.
Opposition witnesses will be heard
Friday and Saturday. "
Noting that the House bill on
UMT has been in the Rules Com
mittee since last summer, Mr. For
restal said:
“Even though UMT is not now
before this committee I want to
emphasize that the nonenactment
of UMT at this time may make it
necessary to *maintain our regular
ibrces for an indefinite period at
a strength which can be reached
only through, selective service.
Turns to World Situation.
“The sooner UMT is placed in;
operation the sooner will come the
time when we may safely reduce
our regular forces to a level which
may no longer require selective
service.”
Turning to the international sit
uation, Secretary Forrestal asserted
i See DEFENSE, Page A-6J
Gromyko Ends Boycott
Of Palestine Talks
By th« Associated Press
NEW YORK, April 12.—Russia’s
Andrei A. Gromyko ended his boy
cott of informal Palestine talks by
Security Council delegates today.
The sessions are concerned with
a United Nations truce in the Holy
Land and the American proposal
for interim U. N. trusteeship. They
have been held in the offices of the
American delegation, and Mr. Gro
myko has spurned all previous in
vitations. .
Today's meeting was to attempt
to lay down terms of a cease-fire
order to the Jews and Arabs.
Delegates said afterward no de
cision was reached on a truce.
Another session was planned.
Mr. Gromyko told newsmen he at
tended because the meeting con
cerned a truce. He said he would
continue to boycott sessions having;
to do with the American trustee-1
ship proposal. j
Shame, Repentance Succeed
Anger in Bogota's Populace
By Charles Fernandez
Foreign Correspondent of The Star and
the Chicago Daily News
BOGOTA, Colombia, April 12.— |
Proud Bogota has the horrified look
of a bombed-out city today.
Churches, public buildings, schools,
hotels, stores and palatial homes
are fire and mob-swept—charred
monuments to a people's suicidal
anger.
Heavily armed troops patrol the
streets under martial law. but gaunt
faced civilians still venture out in
search of food which violence has
devoured.
From my hotel in downtown
Bogota, under virtual siege since |
Friday, •'Nazi-helmeted'’ soldiers
may be observed moving against
snipers with volleys of gunfire that
send all hands scurrying for cover.
At night my hotel is blacked out
and one may read and write only
by candlelight.
There is every appearance of war
as I remember it from Okinawa, but
the fight which stirred the people s
mobs to sack and bum whole square
blocks of this capital has gone out
of the vast majority.
Sunday was one of martial law,
intermittent gunfire and high ten
sion—but most of all, it was a
Sunday of popular repentance for a
crime against civilization.
Carrera Septima, Bogota's Fifth j
Avenue, was a ghost street of
burned-out buildings. Not even the
churches were spared. As shawled
women and ponchoed men passed
the latter, their hands high in the
air before menacing army guns,
more than one weather-beaten
cheek trickled with tears of re
pentance.
The muffled, mute attitude was
a direct contrast to the angry, shout
ing and fist-shaking people who on
Friday swept through the city un
der what the government charges
was Communist direction.
It is obvious that the people are
generally ashamed and horrified at
the destruction of this capital, which
had spent more than a million pe
sos preparing for the conference.
And what is more, they are hun
Igry. Every grocery was looted—as'
was commerce generally—and even:
the normally well-stocked hotels are
serving only the meagerest meals.
You have to see this ruined, rain
soaked metropolis to believe that
such wanton destruction is possible
in the civilized Americas.
Red Forces in Reich
Reported Reinforced
With Secret Police
New Troops Also Sent,
Germans Say, With Many
Mongolians in Leipzig
WESTERN BLOC pushes German
unification. Page A-2
By the Associated Press
BERLIN, April 12.—Allied in
telligence reports said today the
Russians have been increasing
their strength in Germany,
mostly with secret police units.
An informed United States source
said these increases had been "by
no means en masse but they have
been noticeable.’’
It was believed the police (MVT>>
increases were in connection with
Russian tightening of their occu
pation zone's borders with the west
ern zones.
The control measures also have
been linked with new travel and
freight restrictions imposed by the
Russians on the Western Allies in
Berlin.
Estimate Refused.
American sources would venture
no estimate of Soviet strength in
Germany. They said, however, there
had been increases recently in Rus
sian civilian personnel here.
German reports have claimed
that some new troop units have
appeared in the Soviet zone. The
Socialist press said considerable
numbers of Mongolian troops had
been brought into Leipzig.
A Russian-controlled newspaper
in Berlin recently confirmed reports
that the Russians were taking back
to the USSR many of the women
and children of families who have
been living in Germany. This re
patriation was attributed to econ
omy reasons.
Asked to Close Aid Stations.
Russian authorities requested yes
terday that tire British and Ameri
cans close their automobile aid sta
tions on the Berlin-Helmstadt high
way. American officials said their
station would be closed in two
weeks. The British said they would
draw up a reply.
Both aid stations are on the 125
mile stretch of roadway between
Berlin and Helmstadt in the British
zone. It Is the only road connec
tion of the Western powers with
Berlin.
Informed United States sources
expressed skepticism about a report
published in Copenhagen that Ger
man Field Marshal Friedrich von
Paulus, who surrendered to the Rus
sians at Stalingrad, and then headed
Moscow's Free Germany Committee
during the war, had returned to
Germany with 30,000 German troops.
The Danish report claimed Von
Paulus' forces were at Jueteborg, 40
miles southwest of Berlin in the
Russian zone.
British Train Is Detained
Four Hours by Russians
VIENNA, April 12 (.#).—A Brit
ish military train was detained four
hours at Semmering Pass checkpoint
by Russian guards today, British
sources said. The train was en route
from Vienna to the British zone.
Another military train from the
British zone to Vienna arrived at
the checkpoint, 50 miles from
Vienna, after the southbound train
had cleared and was held up for
an hour.
The incidents apparently were
part of a new campaign of Soviet
travel restrictions such as those re
cently put into effect in and around
Berlin.
British sources said last night
that Soviet troops at Semmering
Pass were demanding that auto
mobile travelers produce passports
or identity cards with photographs.
The informants said Maj. Gen.
T. J. Winterton, deputy British high
commissioner, was delayed more
than an hour at the checkpoint yes
terday. He was said to be making a
personal protest to the Russians.
»
Goldsborough Orders Lewis
To Go on Trial in Contempt
Miners' Return Has 'Absolutely Nothing'
To Do With Proceedings, Judge Says
John L. Lewis must go on trial
for contempt of court at 10 a.m.
Wednesday, despite the end of
the coal strike.
1 The trial was ordered at 11:25
a.m. today by Justice T. Alan Golds- J
borough who held that Mr. Lewis I
had not purged himself of contempt |
charges.
He declared the miners’ expected
I return to work has "absolutely!
j nothing" to do with the District
! court proceedings.
I United Mine Workers’ attorneys
j had suggested that since the walk
| out is over, the Government should
j drop its contempt proceedings. They
read to the court two telegrams
sent by Mr. Lewis to the miners
today.
One of the telegrams ordered the
men to "terminate” their "volun-:
tary cessation of work.”
The UMW asked for a week's delay |
before the trial, but Justice Golds
j borough emphatically refused the
1 request. Shortly afterwards he ad- j
jounred court, ending the day s pro
I ceedings.
i The court hearing began promptly
at 10 o'clock in a let-down atmos
phere because word of the settle
iment of the strike arrived shortly
before court opened.
| Seats open to the public were full,
as well as those reserved for the
press. Mr. Lewis did not appear in
! person and was not required to
I be in court, as he will be Wednesday.
Mr. Lewis’ chief attorney, Willy
Hopkins said he wanted to make a
statement which would 'completely :
TSee HEARING, Page-A-6J ;
President Nominates
Herschel Johnson as
Ambassador to Brazil
Veteran Career Diplomat
Is Austin's Chief Aide at
U. N. Security Council
Herschel V. Johnson, veteran
career diplomat now serving as
deputy American representative
to the United Nations Security
Council, today was nominated by
President 'Truman to be Ambas
sador to Brazil.
I Mr. Johnson will succeed William
ID. Pawley, who recently resigned
[because of ill health. Mr. Pawley
now is in Bogota, Colombia, as a
HERSCHEL V. JOHNSON.
—Wide World Photo.
'member of the United States dele
gation to the revolt-disrupted In
ter-American Conference there.
At United Nations headquarters
Mr. Johnson has worked as a chief
assistant to former Senator Warren
R. Austin, the American representa
tive to the Security Council, and
has acted for Mr. Austin when the
latter was absent from the Council
sessions.
A native of Atlanta. Mr. Johnson
is 53, and is a graduate of the Uni
versity of North Carolina and the
Harvard Law School.
He entered the diplomatic service
in 1920 after teaching in the Chanv
berlayne School for Boys at Rich
mond, Va„ and serving overseas as
an Army captain in World War I.
He was named deputy United j
States representative with the rank
of Minister to the U. N. Security I
Council after having served as Min
ister to Sweden during World War
II. Earlier he was counselor of the
Embassy at London. His career,
also has included service in Latin j
America.
Committee Prepares
To Act This Week on
Home Rule Measure
Dirksen Seeks Meeting
Wednesday or Thursday
On Auchincloss Revisions
By Don S. Warren
Arrangements for a special
meeting of the House District!
Committee about the middle of;
the week to act on the revised
plan for an elected city govern
ment here were being mapped
today by Chairman Dirksen.
The session probably will be held
j Wednesday or Thursday.
One question was when the bill1
and report would be available in!
printed form, as revised by the
House Home Rule Subcommittee,
headed by Representative Auchin
closs, Republican, of New Jersey.
Members of the legislative refer
ence and legislative counsel staffs
worked through the week end to
perfect the last language changes
In order to carry out the provisions
of the greatly revamped plan.
Fight Expected.
A determined fight both for and
against the limited home rule plan
is expected to develop in the full
committee. Sponsors of the bill are
predicting that it will be reported
to the House by a majority of the
committee. Opponents will seek to
bottle it up there.
A half-hundred changes were
written into the bill in recent weeks
by the Auchincloss subcommittee
as a result of testimony at the Feb
ruary hearings. Many are pf major
importance, although the basic plan
remains the same—calling for an
elected council of 12 members,
which would name a city manager
to take charge of all administrative
matters. School controls would be
placed in the hands of an elected
board of eight members.
Two of the most important
changes would provide for an
elected nonvoting District delegate
: in the House, and for submission of
1 the final legislation as it may be
passed by Congress to an official
referendum vote by District resl
1 dents.
Changes Supported.
These and other changes brought
comments of approval from many
students of the bill.
The Washington Home Rule Com
mittee, organized last winter to
make a detailed study of the home
rule proposals, issued a call for
general support for the revised bill.
It said every resident who sub
scribes to the American system
should support passage of the bill.
“Some of us may differ as to
what kind of home rule we want,"
said Charles C. Glover III. chair
man of the group. "But no one can
seriously urge that the people of
this city should not be allowed toj
' (See HOME RULE, Page~A-6.) “
A
Bridges Pension
Plan Accepted;
Men to Go Back
Van Horn, Operator,
Dissents, Indicating
Possible Court Test
By James Y. Newton
The 29-day-old soft-coal strike
was settled today after John L.
Lewis won $100 monthly pensions
for the members of the United
Mine Workers, but this failed to
save him from an order to stand
trial for contempt of court.
Mr. Lewis gave the word for the
400.000 striking miners to return to
work after the sudden and dramatic
announcement that a pension plan
had been worked out by the trus
tees of the UMW welfare and re
tirement fund. The dispute over
pensions touched off the strike
March 15.
A Lewis telegram to the miners
stated simply:
“Pension is granted. Agreement
is now honored."
Senator Bridges, Republican, of
New Hampshire proposed the
strike - ending pension plan. Mr.
Lewis agreed to it and the two
pushed it through a trustees meet
ing over objection of Ezra Van
Horn, the operators trustee. Sen
ator Bridges entered the dispute
only yesterday as the third and
“neutral” trustee.
20 Minutes Before Hearing.
Announcement of the plan and of
Mr. Lewis' message to the miners
came barely 20 minutes before Jus
tice T. Alan Goldsborough In Dis
trict Court—at 10,a.m.—began hear
ing contempt charges against Mr.
Lewis and the UMW. The charges
result from refusal to obey another
court order to call off the strike,
and the Government announced the
charges would be pressed regardless
of the end of the strike.
Most reports from the coal fields
indicated the miners would return
to work tomorrow? and UMW head
quarters here foresaw no trouble.
But, John Busarello. head of the
Pittsburgh union district, when
asked if the men would show up for
afternoon shifts, said “Well, well
have to wait and see what the court
does <on the contempt charge)."
Hugh White, head of the UMW in
Illinois, notified all members in the
State to report for work tomorrow,
and said he expected normal opera
tions. William J. Hynes, head of
the union around Uniontown, Pa.,
and leaders of Ohio’s 17,000 coal
diggers, all predicted immediate re
opening of the mines.
$100 Monthly Payments.
The plan provides for $100 month
ly payments to those UMW mem
bers who wish to retire at 62 and
w'ho have 20 years’ service in the
mines. It is retroactive and applies
to those who have retired since May
28, 1946, which is the date the Gov
ernment agreed to a miners’ wel
fare fund after seizing the mines to
end another strike.
There were some immediate indi
cations the coal operators may re
fuse to accept the Bridges’ plan
and possibly may institute new
court proceedings to prevent its ad
ministration.
Except for the retirement age, the
Bridges’ idea closely resembles Mr.
Lewis’ demands. He had asked the
age be set at 60 and that all UMW
members be made eligible to receive
regardless of when they retired.
Taft Act Violated, Van Horn Says.
Senator Bridges announced that
Mr. Van Horn had dissented. The
operators’ trustee then told the
news conference, hurriedly arranged,
that he thought that ages 60 and 62
are both “too low” and that he did
not think the income of the present
fund —about $50,000,000 a year —
would sustain the plan.
As he understood it, Mr. Van
Horn continued, the Bridges plan
provides for payments to miners
whose employers have not signed
the coal Industry contract. That,
the operators have contended, is
contrary to the Taft-Hartley Act.
Any new court action to halt pay
ments presumably would be taken
on that basis.
Mr. Lewis, after saying "we will
carry out unreservedly our part un
der the (Bridgesi resolution,” added
this to Mr. Van Horn's comment:
“The mine workers have nothing
more to add except to say they un
derstand the coal operators are still
against pension.”
Senator Bridges said that Mr. Van
(See-COAL, Page A-6.)
Late News
Bulletins
Jews Still Hold Kastel
JERUSALEM UP). — Kastel,
the hilltop village whicfl com
mands part of the vital Jeru
salem-Tel Aviv highway, is in
Jewish hands. This was con
firmed today by a party of
press photographers, including
Tom Fitzsimmons of the Asso
ciated Press, escorted to the
village by Hagana fighters.
(Earlier Story on Page A-5.)
Italy to Get Gold Back
Approximately $31,000,000 of
gold looted from Italy by the
Nazis during the war will be
returned to Italy under an
Allied decision announced by
the State Department today.
The department said that a
three-power gold commission
which is working at Brussels
to settle claims to Nazi-looted
gold has decided to allow the
Italian claim “almost in fulLM