Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 43, Number 122, Decatur, Adams County, 23 May 1945 — Page 1

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XLill. No. 122.

AMERICANS STEP UP OKINAWA OFFENSIVE

■irchill Is ■med To Head ■w Government ■esigns, Is Given ■Ring's Commission K o Form Cabinet K MI . May 23-(UP)-Prime BK pr Churchill resigned today cce pted an invitation to new government. Parliawas then ordered dissolved SgS j uht . 1.-, in a series of moves the way for a British l|lHal''b' l ' i 11,11 0,1 or a,)OUt July resignation formalizbreakup of the coalition which governed Britain years. It was precipitatthe labor party's rejection (9K proposal that the coalition until Japan is HHthin a few hours of his surSKr. Churchill was commis■Bl by King George to organH^K n interim cabinet to hold until the general election. thereafter No. 10 Downing announced that Churchill the commission and the king to dissolve the ■■nt parliament. This will be by royal proclamation as 15, the statement said. ■■iivltiH remained at Buckingpalace with the king for 50 ■■tes. ■ resignation was regarded as a formality to clear for a general election —Britain’s first in 10 .^■b— and for the appointment -caretaker" government to ■■e in the interim period under ■chill. new cabinet will exclude of the labor party, ■■it forced a showdown by reChurchill’s plea that it in the coalition until Japbeen defeated. the more prominent . who will be dropped be deputy prime minister . R. Attlee, labor minister Bevin. home secretary •Bim Morrison and first lord admiralty A. V. Alexander, men such as chancel|t^B: the exchequer Sir John Anwar secretary Sir James and supply minister Sir Duncan probably will be however. probably will com- , B the interim government becommons meets Tuesday. ■ Baps by this weekend. ■ himself is leader of the j^^fr rva, ive party, which holds a of the seats in parlia||R ri,a ' ns 10-year-old parliament ||B be dissolved to make way for HBfcneral election three weeks l ‘ le king issues a formal that the present govern>t has resigned. To Page 2. Column 4) ■Hillshire Flier Is )Meed From Germans kas been received by relal"iat Lt. Albert Wyer, son of • in d | Mrs. James Wyer of WillOhio, who has been a GerPffeoner of war. was liberated

a iP-5i Mustang pilot, IW lrs; - reported missing in acV over iFrance in May, 1944. 11 "' as announced that he was of war. He was attached a ’ r f° rce iti England ■.« a dozen missions to his t Wyer entered the army ■ anuury 13 1942, was commisa Mot on April, 1943 and W overseas in March. 1,944. His ■* lv es in Toledo, Ohio, and she K.,„ that her husiband would be »;;U s,,< “ in "■= very ■ S“* T the »mometer ■ e «perature reading K air t weather Extent niflht an d Thursday E 1 'i fl ht show■U°; hW 7 early ■tool tJ\ Continued rather K ton 'Bht. Warmer Thurs . - » S

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Graduate Speaker

MgSfelir Rj

W. C. Dickmeyer, of Fort Wayne, will deliver the commencement address at the 64th annual exercises of the Decatur junior-senior high school Thursday evening at the school auditorium. Graduate Exercises Here Thursday Night W. C. Dickmeyer Is Graduate Speaker W. C. Dickmeyer. president of the board of directors of Valparaiso University, civic and business leader of Fort Wayne, will deliver the address at the 64th annual commencement exercises of the Decatur high school Thursday evening at S o’clock at the junior-senior high school auditorium. Mr. Dickmeyer is widely known for his leadership in Lutheran church circles, civic enterprises and business. He is president of the Lutheran choral society and also a member of the board of directors of Fort Wayne Civic Symphony. He is president of Wayne Candies, Inc., one of the largest concerns of its kind in the middlewest. A class of 79 graduates, 10 of whom are already in the armed forces of their country, will be graduated. Diplomas will be presented to the graduates by Gerald Cole, president of the Decatur school board. The program follows: Processional. “Aida Triumphal March” Verdi. Invocation —Rev. R. R. Wilson, pastor United Brethren church. Music — “The Star Spangled Banner,” Smith; “I Heard a Forest Praying," De Rose; “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Arr. Waring; glee club. Address, “The Challenge to the Youth of Tomorrow,” W. C. Dickmeyer. Presentation of graduating class, W. Guy Brown, principal, Decatur high school. Presentation of diplomas, Ger(Turn To Page 2, Column 1)

Annual Poppy Day Here On Saturday Legion Auxiliary To Conduct Poppy Sales Mrs. Clinton Hersh, treasurer of the local unit of the American Legion auxiliary, explained in a statement today how the eale of the memorial poppies on Poppy Day next Saturday brings aid to the living victims of both World Wars as well as honoring the dead. “The sale is carried out entirely by volunteers, so that every penny that is received goes directly to the relief of disabled veterans and the families of the dead and disable. “The government spends billions of dollars to try to bring adequate aid to the disabled veterans and. their families, but the Legion and auxiliary are able to bring their personal attention and understanding to the many cases to which they bring relief. This is a big factor in rehabilitaion and in keeping families together until the veteran is able to return home and help in their suport. “When you wear a poppy, you show the world that you are saluting the war’s dead and doing your bit for the war’s living victims.”

Army Ready To Seize Control Os Truck Lines Army Troops Camped On Lake Shores To Take Chicago Lines Chicago, May 23.— (UP) —Army troops camped on the shores of Lake Michigan today as strikebound trucking companies expected to hear momentarily that President Truman had ordered seizure of the truck liens. The soldiers, the '7olst military police battalion from Fort Custer, Mich., presumably had been ordered here to take over the truck companies. They moved into Chicago in a 50-truck convoy. The strike of 6,500 independent truck drivers union members had crippled some war plants and left food shelves bare in many Chicago stores. The drivers defied a war labor board order to go back to work. The WLB yesterday referred the labor dispute to stabilization director William H. Davis. Chicago police were guarding non-striking drivers of trucks transporting war materiel and hauling drugs to hospitals. The strikers voted Monday night against bowing to a WLB demand that they return to their jobs or face army operation of some 10,000 trucks, loss of their draft deferments and cancellation of retroactive pay awarded them by the board. The WLB last week allowed the drivers a wage increase of $4.08 a week for 51 hours, but the men insisted upon a $5 boost for a 48 hour week. When WLB reconsideration of their demands , was denied they quit. Federal intervention was asked by an association of operators involved. The strikers also were sued by three trucking firms seeking total damages of $2,000,000 on charges that the work stoppage had clogged terminals and halted normal operations. As perishable foods and war-vital materiel piled higher, office of demise transportation officials here revealed that freight shipments had been halted as far west as Kansas

(Turn To Pag?e 2. Column 4) 0 Anthony Wayne Trails Commission Named Rep. Robert Heller Is One Os Members Indianapolis, May 23. — (UP) — Eight persons were named to the Indiana Anthony Wayne trials commission today by Governor Gates. The commission, created by the 1945 state general assembly, will preserve historical lines of communication in northern Indiana. Appointees were State Sens. Lucius Somers, Hoagland, and Charles Phelps, Fort Wayne; State Reps. Robert Heller, Decatur, and Paul C. Moellering, Fort Wayne; Herman Hartman, Wabash, member of the state highway commission; Benton J. Boone, Columbia City, member- of the state conservation department, and Ray Welty and Harry Hilgeman of Fort Wayne, representing citizens at large. Welty was made temporary chairman. Governor Gates said the commission would extend, determine and fix the routes of the historical Anthony Wayne, Josiah Harmar, Willian H. Harrison, Chief Little Turtle, and the William Wells trails across northern Indiana. The governor said that the trails followed by many early pioneers should be preserved as a lasting memorial to them. —o Bond Drive Movie Is Shown Decatur Lions

IA moving picture on the seventh war bond drive was shown at the weekly meeting of the Decatur Lions clulb Tuesday evening. Earl Caiston, co-chairtnan of the Adams county finance committee, also spoke briefly on progress of the drive in Decatur and the county.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, May 23,1945.

Cut Jap Cross-China Corridor

—xAa f • »m*hch»i0 100 J /7uktu imA .X jf ' & i - HAhSCKOTj— I '. « .--AUK -sSi Jyciu'xcMXfl J gzz C H I N U S L .....SJjJaUHMHA AHntiot r~- /<.•••;.•. f Tmumm I ' r-rr~ • icwiwah* . - t. ~ -Y ' ■ VITAL JAF TAICI 4 “UH UNI” 1 MOM MINCH T< : >> ■ J * >ONe — — Ar~~» ~ WhAINAN OFFENSIVE to cut the Japanese cross-China corridor to French fndoChina is underway as Chinese forces, supported by the U. S. 14th Air Force, captured the enemy supply base of Hochih (1) in Kwangsi province. Other Chinese forces (2), clearing the Min river shipping channel from Foochow to the East China coast, captured Mamoi, 18 miles east of the port city. At the same time, destruction of installations on Formosa (3), suggested as a possible American landing spot, continues.

Biddle Resigns As Attorney General Expect Announcement By President Truman Washington, May 23. — (UP) — President Truman has acepted attorney general Francis Biddle’s resignafion and is expected to announce his departure from the cabinet this afternoon, the United Press was reliably informed today. Biddle would be the second member of the Roosevelt cabinet to resign since Mr. Truman took office. Some others are expected to follow him out of the cabinet in time. Frank C. Walker resigned as postmaster general effective June 30. He will be succeeded by Robert E. Hannegan, of Missouri, who also is chairman of the Democratic national committee. The resignation of Biddle was not unexpected. Secretary of labor Frances Perkins, feecretary of treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr. and secretary of state Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., have most prominently figured in speculation about future cabinet changes. Stettinius’ cabinet position is jeopardized by the fact that he is next in line for the presidency in the event of the death or incapacity of Mr. Truman. Settinius is not regarded as a Democratic party organization man. White House press secretary Charles E. Ross refused to say that the president’s announcement later today will be acceptance of (Turn To Page 2, Column 5) Q Seventh War Bond Sales Announced E Bond Sales Are Leading Feature Bond Standing E Bonds Purchased Quota $232,487 $441,100 Individuals $100,112 $425,200 Corporations $ 25,679 $428,600 The mighty seventh war bond drive hasn’t yet developed the strength to put it over, a tabulation of sales from April 1 to last Saturday disclosed today, Earl Caston, co-chairman of the drive, announced. With a total of $358,278 in purchases, the amount represented only about 40 percent of the county’s $1,294,900 quota. The drive ends June 30. The most encouraging indicator in the sales chart is the amount of E. bonds sold. Compared to the quota of $441,100, the goal is beyond the halfway mark with sales of $232,487. The sale of other securities is about one-fourth of the quota, the chart showing purchases of 100,112, compared to the quoia of $425,200. Nearly all of the payroll deduction purchases are included in the above totals, Mr. Caston stated.

Contingent Ordered For Pre-Induction The Adams county selective service hoard today issued orders for a contingent of Adams county men to report next Tuesday, May 29, for pre-induction physical examinations under selective service. Notices have (been mailed to all those scheduled to report Tuesday, board personnel stated. o German Leaders In Flensburg Arrested s Token Into Custody As War Prisoners .BULLETIN Flensburg, Germany, May 23— (UP) —Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, alt members of his acting German government, and the entire German high command were arrested at 10 a. m. today by Allied authorities. Marshal William Keitel, dhief of the high command) was revealed to have beeh in custody as a war prisoner since May 14. ■Parte, May 23—(UP)—Supreme headquarters announced today that all members of Admiral Karl Doenitz’s acting German government and of the German high command in Flensburg had been taken into custody as prisoners of war. The Allies arrested 300 German officers and an unspecified number of other military and civilian personnel, an official announcement of 'the move against the temporary setup at Flensburg revealed. The arrest of the German leaders in Flenslburg collapsed the interim setup which succeeded the government of Adolf Hitler. 'SHAIEF has made it plain in repeated statements on the subject that the Allies tolerated the regime headed by Doenitz only as a temporary measure of expediency. They never recognized the Doenitz clique as a “government,” but worked with it as the test substitute for an organized authority capa’ble of expediting the German surrender. 2,600 Indicted London, May 23 —(UP) — The United Nations war crimes commission has indicted 2;600 Nazi and Japanese war criminate led by Adolf Hitler and Members of the German government, reliable sources reported today. The name® of the indicted criminate have .been turned over to military authorities, who are charged with arresting and holding them for trial. The were returned after the commission had sifted through literally tons of written evidence. The list of suspects probably included close to 100,000' names. The names were included in eight lis/te issued by the commission over a period of six months. The first list of indictments returned November 22, 1944, was topped by Hitler and th® members of the Nazi (Turn To Page 2, Column 7)

Threatening To Isolate Shuri, Smash Japan's Tough Defense System

Speed Return Home Os War Prisoners General Eisenhower Gives Assurances By Charles F. Kiley Stars and Stripes Staff Writer (Distributed by the United Press) St. Valery En Caus, France, May 23—(UP)—More than 40,000 repatriated American prisoners of war had direct assurance today from Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower that he is making every effort to get them home as soon as possible. The supreme commander, addressing the group over a public address system from a truck, said he had ordered Americanbound ships, carrying prisoners of war, to be loaded to capacity even to the extent of asking men to share beds and sleep in shifts. Gen. Eisenhower was accompanied here yesterday by Sens. Burton K. Wheeler, D„ Mont., Albert W. Hawkes, R., N. J., E. W. McFarland, D., Ariz., and Homer Capehart, R., Ind., Maj. Gen. F. E. Stoner, war ■ department representative with the federal communications commission, and Paul Porter, chairman of the FCC. The congressional group, in Europe to study the communications system, had called at the general’s headquarters and was invited to accompany him on the flying trip here. Eisenhower told the repatriates he felt sure there was none among them who had “forgotten we are still at war with Japan.” “We are doing everything in (Turn To Page 2. Column 5)

Bible School Opens Here Next Monday Faculty Announced For Vacation School The daily vacation Bible school, sponsored by the Decatur ministerial association, will open Monday morning at 8:15 o’clock at the Lincoln school, Fifth and Adams street. The school will continue daily until the close Friday, June 8. Classes will be held for children four years old through high school age. Materials and books will be furnished by the school. Mrs. Russell Owens will be dean of, the school. Other members of the faculty are as follows: Superintendent of nursery and kindergarten department, Mrs. Mervin Rupp. Teachers of four-year-olds, Mrs. Warren Lehman and Mrs. Lewis Butcher; assistants, Miss Jacqueline Warren and Miss Donna Jaberg. Teachers of five-year-olds, Mrs. Mervin Rupp and Mrs. George Roop; assistants, Miss Eileen Myers and Mrs. Roy Bixler. Primary department: superintendent, Mrs. Carl Fisher; teachers—grade I, Mrs. Milton Hoffman and Mrs. Robert Truesdale; grade 11, Mrs. Chester Mclntosh and Mrs. Walter Elzey; grade 111, Mrs. Carl Fisher and Mrs. Harold Idlewine. Junior department: superintendent, Mrs. S. E. Leonardson; teachers —grade IV, Mrs. Guy Agler; grade V, Mrs. Ray Heller and Mrs. R. O. Wynn; grade VI, Mrs. Philip Dolby and Mrs. S. E. Leonardson. Intermediate department: superintendent, the Rev. Glen Marshall; teachers —seventh and eighth grade girls, Mrs. F. H. Willard; seventh and eighth grade boys and high school, the Rev. Marshall. The Rev. William C. Feller will be director of music, the Rev. John W. McPheethens, Jr., director of boys recreation, and a high school girl will be in charge of girls recreation.

Pres. Truman To Speak To Peace Confab Chief Executive To Deliver Address At Closing Session San Francisco, May 23 —(UP) President Truman’s decision to come here to address the closing plenary session of the United Nations security conference was regarded today as highlighting the growing importance of postwar problems in Europe — some connected directly with the conference, some not so connected. The chief executive’s decision was revealed in Washington by secretary of state Edward R. Stettinius, Jr., after a morning talk with Mr. Truman. Stettinius flew to the capitol last night to consult with the president and with state department aides. He is expected back here tomorrow or Friday. Stettinius told reporters on leaving the White House that he had reported to the president on progress of the conference toward its goal of drafting the charter for a world organization, as well as other matters. He said' he could not give any exact date when Mr. Truman would address the conference, “but I am confident that it will be early in June.” Meanwhile, big four experts at the conference struggled to answer a series of technical questions posed by the "little” United Nations in their campaign to modify the almost absolute veto of the big powers in the proposed world organization. Here are some of the issues that do not bear directly on the drafting of a charter but are nevertheless threatening to take some minds off the basic joli here: 1. An intra - United Nations family squabble involving- delegates to this conference. Syria and Lebanon, having broken off negotiations with France on a new treaty, protested the French (Turn To Page 2, Column 5) . 0 Lillie Credence Is Given Here To Bill Federal Measure On Pollution Controls

Little credence is given here to the bill whiclr has been introduced in congress by Itep. Mundt, Republican of Minnesota, which would require certain Indiana towns and cities, including Decatur and Berie. to construct sewage disposal plan's within two to seven years after the war. The joker fe that Decatur has already been mandated by the stream pollution control board of the state board of health, to abate the alleged practice of polluting the waters of St. Mary’s river, with its raw sewage'. The state board fixed October 1. 1945, as the .deadline for city compliance, but recently, verbally at least, informed city officials that the mandate would not be enforced to the letter, if preliminary steps were taken toward the elimination of river pollution. This, the state officials said, meant the employment of an engineer to prepare plans for the sewage disposal system. The Mundt bill would create a national board of water pollution control, which would fix standards of cleanliness in all watersheds for navigable rivers. The bill would give cities and in(Turn To Page 4, Column 5)

Wo*

Price Four Cents.

Yonabura, Fifth Largest City On Okinawa, Falls To American Soldiers Guam, Thursday, May 24 — (UP) — Tenth army troops advanced southeast of Naha and fanned out beyond captured Yonabaru today in a developing offensive that threatened to isolate besieged Shuri and smash Japan's tough Okinawa defense system. Marines and soldiers drove forward at both ends of the enemy’s last-ditch line. Front reports indicated the possibility that Yanks may soon be able to sweep down the coastal flanks of Okinawa, leaving Shuri fortress behind for special siege treatment. The seventh division ripped through shattered defenses near Yonabaru. Reports lagging at least 24 hours behind actual developments placed elements of the seventh nearly a mile south of Yonabaru. east coast stronghold and Okinawa’s fifth largest city. At the opposite, western end of the five-mile battlefront, marines of Major Gen. Pedro De Valle’s first division drove south and east of Naha, rubbled capital of Okinawa. Slogging through ankle-deep mud, the leathernecks advanced to a point overlooking the NahaShuri road, which cuts diagonally across the island from a point near the end of Naha harbor. The gains beyond Naha and the Yonabaru break-through opposed the way to possible com. plete isolation of Shuri —by all odds the toughest island fortress which has yet come under American guns in the Pacific war. Tile Japanese still were resisting bitterly. In early stages of the Yonabaru battle. American Sherman tanks knocked out six of nine Japanese tanks on the outskirts of the city in the first armored battle of the Okinawa campaign. Infantry killed 1,000 enemy troops in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. Yonabaru lies at the southwest corner of Nakagusuku bay, an excellent naval anchorage. The bay soon will be open to American shipping. Four army and marine divisions tightened a pincers on Shuri. midway between Naha and Yonabaru. Operations there were slowed, however, by heavy rains and mud.

From 12 to 15 Japanese planes attacked American shipping in the Okinawa area at dusk Monday. Eight were shot down and the remainder fled without, causing damage. • (Turn To Page 2, Column 5) 0 Superforts Mine Straits Os Japan Northern Kyushu Reported Raided Guam. May 23. — (UP) — Radio Tokyo said 20-odd Superfortresses mined Kanmon straits between Japan’s home islands of Honshu and Kyushu and “ineffectively” raided northern Kyushu today. The attack was not confirmed by American quarters, but a Pacific communique said Liberators and Privateers of Fleet Airwing 18 shot down a glider and probably its tow plane and sank two small cargo ships south of Honshu Monday. Three fishing craft and a small cargo ship were sunk in the same area by naval planes Tuesday, the communique said. Search mariners of Fleet Airwing one damaged two small cargo ehips in the East China sea yesterday. Carrier planes from the British Pacific fleet bombed airfields, barracks, port installations and buildings in the Sakashima islands between Okinawa and Formosa Sun(Turn To Page 2, Column 6>