The Daily Alaska empire. [volume], March 26, 1942, Image 1

About The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964

Image provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections

                
THE DAILY ALASKA
“ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME”
EMP1 RE
VOL. LVIII., NO. 8992.
JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1942
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICE TEN CENTS
Battle Of Burma Now At Critical Stage
JAPAN NOW
THREATENS
CALCUTTA
Crippsin Effort to Mobilize
India Forces for
Allies
(BY ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Japan’s capture of the strategic
Andaman Islands has sent a tongue
of flame leaping into India, spur
ring negotiations for the mobiliza
tion of India's millions of fight
ing men on the side of the Allies.
Meanwhile, the situation in the
Battle of Burma grew more criti
cal. Burma is the eastern gateway
to India. Attempting to relieve
the pressure on the Allied forces
in Burma, two strong Chinese col
umns were reported to have invad
ed Japanese-occupied Thailand
where two points of Thailand ad
join Northern Burma.
And at Tokyo, a broadcast em
phasized the importance of the An
daman group as a naval and a:r
base for attacks on the sea lanes
which link India with Britain, in
dicating the possibility of an at
tempted blockade.
The Japs declared the seizure of
these islands put Japan “within
dangerous striking distance" of the
vital British military bases of Cal
cutta, Madras, the Ceylon Islands
and the Bay of Bengal. The An
damans are 650 miles from Cal
cutta, 850 from Madras, 800 from
Ceylon.
While Japan thus aimed a direct
threat at India, Sir Stafford Cripps
sped through a series of confer
t Continued on Page Six>
WASHINGTON — One amazing
incident of the Pearl Harbor at
tack can now be told. Already an
nounced in the Roberts Report was
the fact that a small Japanese sub
marine was sunk off the entrance
of Pearl Harbor at 6:33 A. M.,
about one hour before Jap air
planes came over.
The submarine has since been
raised, and its navigation chart log,
translated into English, showed a
remarkable voyage .
The submarine had actually made
a complete tour inside this vital
naval base, had escaped unseen,
and the captain had noted the lo
cation of each U. B. vessel together
with the time he passed it.
The chart showed the Jap sub
had arrived off the entrance of
Pearl Harbor at 1:50 A. M., Dec. 7
—a few hours before the air attack.
It waited at the harbor's mouth
until 4:20 A. M., when the net was
lowered to let a garbage scow out.
Then the sub sneaked in. The
commander noted the location of
the battleships Utah and the West
Virginia—the former announced as
sunk. He marked down the posi
tions of twelve destroyers, which
he said were huddled close to
gether: also three gunboats, and
the cruiser Trenton. In another
place he noted "large white man’s
house.”
The chart showed that he passed
out of the harbor unseen at 5:25
A. M. and apparently lay off the
harbor’s mouth for the next hour
while he radioed the exact location
of each ship to the awaiting Jap
air carriers.
About the only thing the Jap
commander failed to put in his
log was that at 6:33 A. M. he was
sunk.
BIKE-GO-ROUND
At a cocktail party the other
day, Leon Henderson and Senator
Burnet Maybank of South Caro
lina demonstrated how to ride the
iContinued on Page Four)
Beauty to Wed Actor
Holly wood's newest romance blossomed into an engagement when
George Montgomery, rising yoarg actor, Hedy Lamarr, dark
haired screen beauty, announced they would be married some time
this year. They met several months ago on a badminton court.
Madrthur Gives Pledge
Of No Compromise; Says
Ultimate Victory Sure
BOOM? —Sir Stafford Cripps
(above), former British ambas
i sador to Moscow, is. mentioned
■ as a possible successor to Wins
ton Churchill—if and when the
latter loses premiership.
i NO FOOLIN'
—
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., March 25—
April Fool's Day usually is a date for
tomfoolery and merrymaking at
j Springfield High School. But not
i this year. The senior class voted to
forego fun and instead its members
I will canvass the city for volunteer
defense workers.
CANBERRA, Australia, March 2G. :
—CJen. Douglas MacArthur lias giv- j
en his pledge there “can be no
compromise. We shall win or we
shall die. To this end I pledge you
full .resources of an all-mighty pow
er of my country and all of the blood
of my countrymen."
The pledge was given at the height
of a historic dinner in the House of
Parliament by the first American
Commander to lead the united forces
of the United States and Australian
troops.
Gen. MacArthur declared his con
fidence in the 'unbreakable faith of
a free man" {or ultimate victory.
The American Commander further
declared: "There is a link that binds
our countries together. I come as a
•soldier in a great crusade of per
sonal liberty as opposed to perpetual
I slavery. My faith in our ultimate
victory is invincible.”
COAST GUARD
(UTTER IS SENT
DOWN AT SEA
Shelled Presumably by En
emy Submarine-All of
Crew of 55 Rescued
WASHINGTON, Mar. 26 — The
Navy Department today announced
that the Coast Guard Cutter Acacia
was recently shelled and sunk in
the Caribbean Sea area presum
ably by an enemy submarine.
All of the 55 officers and men
aboard were rescued.
The Acacia is described as a
“small unarmed ship of the tender
class used to provide services and
aids to navigation" and was built
in 1919, displaced 1130 tons and
was 172 feet long.
MR. AN1> MRS. GROHNERT
AND FAMILY IN CITY
Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Grohnert and
their three children have arrived
here from Anchorage and are stay
ing at the Baranof Hotel while
awaiting transportation to Seattle.
BUY DEFENSE STAMPS
JOEE.BOWN,
MOVIE STAR,
IS IN JUNEAU
_ i
World Famous Comedian
Arrives During After- j
noon from Sitka
Joe E. Brown, world; famous |
comedian and motion picture star
arrived here from Sitka this after- j
noon at 2:30 o’clock, in a U. S. j
Navy plane and is at the Baranof j
Hotel during his stay here.
The famous star has been in
Alaska for the last month visiting
I various military pasts throughout
the Territory. He flew to Anchor
age by way of Fairbanks and was j
accompanied by Miss Edith Rich- (
ards, of Los Angeles, who made j
the trip to visit her fiance, Lieut. |
Arthur E. Reichle.
Lieut. Riechle, who is based at I
Fort Richardson, knew Joe E.
Brown when the former played j
football for UCLA and later coached j
for the same team. Brown, former- j
ly a member of the New York |
Yankees, is famed for his sports,
(Continued on Page Six)
BOTTLENECK
ONSYNTHETIC
RUBBERTOLD
Government Official Ex
plains Why There Is
Shortage in U. S.
.
WASHINGTON. Mar. 26—'Thur-1
man Arnold, Assistant Attorney
General, testified today that the
Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey developed synthetic rubber
cheaper, better and more plentiful
than any the Nazis had and turned
it over to German interests before
the United States entered the war.
Arnold told the Senate Defense
investigating Committee that until
a consent decree was entered yes
terday, the Standard Oil Company I
"held back even in this rubber
shortage,” in making patents on
synthetic product available to the I
American rubber companies.
Arnold also testified that cartel
arrangements between the Stand
ard Oil and I. G. Farben Industries
of Germany, were the “principal
cause of present shortage of syn
thetic rubber."
SMALL FIRMS
GET HELP BY
ORDER OF FDR
President Authorizes Fi
nancing of Contracts
Through Loans
WASHINGTON, March 26—Pres
ident Roosevelt today authorized
financing of war contracts to small
business through guaranteed loans.
Under the Presidential Executive
Order, the War and Navy Depart
ments and Maritime Commission
may guarantee or even make loans
necessary for war production to
stimulate participation by small
business firms.
These agencies may enter con
tracts through any Federal Reserve
Bank, the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation or “any other financ
ing institution," guaranteeing them
against lass of principal or inter
est. loan discounts or advances or
commitments in connection with
them for the financing of war out
put.
Admiral Gets Medal for Raid on Japs
i
At ceremonies aboard an aircraft carrier in Pearl liar..3,- Hawaii, Admiral Chester W. Nlinltz pinned a Dis
tinguished Service Medal on Vice Admiral W. F. Hal ~v. Jr. fer the latter's successful raids on Japanese
bases on the Mar-hall and Gilbert Islands.
Gels Navy Cross After 34-Day Voyage
MHKi'
Harold F. Dixcn of Lc Mesa, Calif., got a handshake from Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Cornmander-in
Chief of the Paeifie Fleet, and a Navy Cross during ceremonies at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Dixon and his two
ecmpanicns (left to right), Gene Aldrich of Sikes ton. Mo., and Anthony Pastula of Youngstown, O., drifted
for 34 days in the South Seas in a rubber raft after their land plane came down at sea.
Blackout in Washington
Good in One Respect; Is
Failure of Real Purpose
Medal of Honor
Is Awarded
Gen. MacArthur
WASHINGTON, March 26.—
The War Department announces
that President Roosevelt has
awarded a Congressional Medal
of Honor to Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur for conspicuous gallantry
and intrepidity in the Philip
pines.
Roosvelt Will
Register April 27
WASHINGTON. March 26 Presi
dent Hoosevelt is going to register,
along with other Americans forty
five to sixty-four years old, Inclusive,
on April 21.
Even though he is commander-in
chief of the armed forces and tech
nically not required to register, he
told a press conference he intended
to do so anyway. At sixty, he is well
within the age limits.
In early Rome the wedding ring
was made of iron.
By JACK STINNETT
WASHINGTON, Murch 26 — The
capital in wartime:
The "District" and adjoining
counties in Maryland and Virginia
had their first all-night blackout
the other night, and officials said it
was practically a 100 per cent suc
cess—if you can call row after row
of darkened residence and business
buildings a success.
Fact is, the blackout failed in
two important respects:
1. Government buildings (ex
cept the White House!) were ablaze
with light.
2. Many people simply turned
out their lights and went to bed
or the movies. Thus, while their
homes were dark, they weren’t
doing what civilian defense offi
cials wanted them to do, and that
was to make real preparations for
a real blackout—like putting up
black curtains and such.
By and large, lights from homes
were so scarce that they drew
special comment from air raid
wardens when a few did pierce the
gloom. But Chairman McCarran of
the Senate District Committee, on
an inspection tour with James M.
Landis, national director of the
Office of Civilian Defense, com
I
'Continued on Page Three)
ALASKA FISH
REGULATIONS,
MORE DETAILS
Restrictions on Nets,Taking
of Shrimp and Crab
Explained
The Empire printed parts of the
1942 Alaska fishing regulations re
lating chiefly to salmon and her
ring fishing on Tuesday, received
from the Associated Press. A fur
ther report of the regulations were
received here today from the Fish
and Wildlife Service and include
the following additions to the reg
ulations.
In the Southeast Alaska area,
the Prince William Sound area, the
Alaska Peninsula between Castle
Cape and Cape Pankof, the max
imum depth of salmon purse seines
has been increased to 350 meshes.
A minimum length of 50 fathoms
lias been fixed for salmon gill nets
in all sections of the Southeastern
Alaska area except the Yakutat and
Stikine districts. The size of the
mesh of such nets has been fixed
at not less than 5 and % inches.
Wrangell Narrows, in the Sum
ner Strait district, will be closed
to commercial fishing from August
22 to October 5.
In the Southeast Alaska area,
(Continued on Pa^e Three)
AERIAL BLOWS
STRUCK; WIDE
SECTIONS HIT
Sixty-six Nazi Planes At
tack Murmansk in North
-Eleven Shot Down
INDUSTRIALRUHR IS
ALSO UNDER ASSAULT
Germans Roar Over Dover
While RAF Smash at
Industrial Paris
(By Associated Press)
Tempestuous aerial blows, raging
from the Arctic port of Murmansk
to Germany’s industrial Ruhr and
the White Cliffs of Dover are re
ported today in communiques from
various battle sectors.
On the Russian front, Soviet dis
patches tell the story of mounting
German slaughter along the vast
battle line while the bulletin from
Hitler's headquarters acknowledges
fresh waves of Red Army assaults.
War Founderies Raided
During the night Royal Air Force
warplanes "very heavily bombed”
German war founderies in the Ruhr,
the London Air Ministry said. The
muiplanes also pounded the German
U-boat base at St. Nazaire, on the
Nazi-occupied French coast. The
magnitude of the offensive is indi
cated by the Air Ministry's report
that 11 bombers were lost.
Paris Also Stormed
A bulletin from Vichy reports that
Royal Air Force planes stormed
Paris for 90 minutes. Pamphlets
were also dropped during the raid
warning that the planes were re
turning to bomb French factories
working on Hitler’s military ma
rines.
Dover Under Attack
German night raiders attacked
Dover’s area on the southeast Eng
lish coast, "inflicting great damage,”
according to the Berlin report. Mili
tary installations were among those
damaged, the report states.
Raid on Arctic Circle
Soviet dispatches report that 66
German planes raided the Arctic
Circle port of Murmansk, key Soviet
base for war supplies from the
United States. More than 100 planes
of raiders and defenders fought over
the city at one time, the Soviet re
port declares, further stating that
11 German planes were shot down.
MANILA BAY
FORTS UNDER
ENEMY RAID
Fifty-four Heavy Japanese
Bombers Make 6-Hour
Attack Is Report
WASHINGTON, March 26. — The
War Department, in the daily com
munique issued this morning, reports
that 54 heavy Japanese bombers
participated in a six-hour attack on
the island forts at the entrance of
Manila Bay.
The attack was concentrated on
the fortress of Corregidor.
Defending anti-aicraft batteries
downed four planes of the enemy.
Defending forces suffered few cas
ualties and damages to the fortifica
tions is reported slight.
Skirmishes are also reported along
the entire front on Batan Peninsula.
KO INCOME TAX
BUTTE, Mont., March 26. — A
miner sought the help of a deputy
in the internal revenue bureau with
his Income tax.
"You don’t owe any tax," the de
puty replied after a little figuring.
"Well, that’s too bad," replied the
miner. “This is a pretty good coun
try. So here’s 20 bucks, a present
for Uncle Sam. ’