Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 43, Number 176, Decatur, Adams County, 27 July 1945 — Page 1

tWintheWar. se Is Chores!

ill. No. 176.

WAN REJECTS SURRENDER ULTIMATUM

Of flPlanes Kd Japan ■T®e Jap Cities Rad By Fleets BULLETIN Saturday, July 28.— /UfflßAinerica's 20th air force putfß teeth into the Potsdam isitirKum, today told the Jap- • •■ißlhc names of the next 11 fßponese cities which will ij 8 Kned out by superfortBraids, in a move unprei n an 7 war> more of Japan's fllffisKwar centers were still ftanßo from the last B-29 innsnMry raid, six superforts over the 11 targets-to-:-i- jS&hidnight, dropping 60,000 leafKl warning civilians to ;-.-Bye or be burned out. GuainJ July 27.—(UP)—Three more ■jailin'.- flimsy war centers seiitß in flames today as linnS. army superfortresses anf’|®'.'l raiders picked up the pi»t4Hi<>n bombardment i'r >m AdO® William F. Halsey's blackfleet. Hgßaiiiig with bombs ami gtinrender ultimatum broadctelwßapan by the United States. t Ilina, the army's raiding from tile Marianas and. Binawa stoked new fires 300-mile belt of Honshu, iiStß and Kyushu islands. broadcasts said an Allied shelled Kiukazen island. coast of Hon‘h'j, ■terday afternoon. Tnß big B-29 task forces, more llianH) strong, kicked oft' the atlackßon after midnight witli a vtpißlow at Omuta, Matsuyama ana ■tuyama. wEng in through light Japani«e opposition and sporadic lire, the Giant bombers HilloKd over 2,200 tons of gasoline ®eti diaries on the three en“’myWlcs. clouds of smoke and thousands of feet into the tires took hold and "■■'<■ inio roaring conflagrations in cities’below. suiterfortress crews heat, blast rushing up from cities could be felt planes, thousands of and the flames W"re visiM*r more than 100 miles on ' journey. üßinain target apparently was OaiH, a Kyushu city of 177,000 witßlie biggest artificial harbor ia ■pan. Matsuyama was the city and .seaport on ami Tokttyama’s burning L i:1 areas on southwestern ■ housed thousands of war I m='®buildings and “shadow fac-'-:W I,ef °re the B-29s struck. OB s uperfortress was lost in the i a itß, which raised to 49 the numJapanese cities gutted by ? '•f'B. S. 20th air force’e supers*llce H’e obliteration : began on March 10. : the first blow at TokuJ ■?'■ ninl Matsuyama proper, al--7 had visited Tokyo i naval fueling station ami > , ' c oil p,ant antl t he Matsui •'“■beiore. , broadcasts said another ; “ s ® ln d-based planes, apparently ■iJ. Okinawa, followed up the ’’•■trike with a three-hour attack , ■'' Kobe and Osaka areas be--0:30 and 9:30 this morning ■ u tin.e). , ■''• the enemy said, 90 more •"■lean planes flew over south- : Honshu, but there was no ■‘■■diate word of their targets. i heavier blows from Okinawa : ''■foreshadowed with the arrivJ ■ kt. Gen. James H. Doolittle | "■lat blood-bought island base. f° rma Hy established the I ■urn To Page 5. Column 2) ■ o 1 ftjOCRAT THERMOMETER [ BMPERATURE READING ! 8 00 a.m 65 f ■°o a.m 70 ! - 78 P-m 86 B WEATHER i B a,r nort h, partly cloudy j V portion tonight and SatJ scattered light showers i ■‘‘* n ’ ,e south portion; little • ff nfle ,n te, npsrature. s r

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Rosenman To Join Big Three Confab Washington, July 27 —(UP) — Samuel I. Rosenman, special counsel to the president, left Washington yesterday to join the big three conference at Potsdam, the While House disclosed today. 0 Japs Attempt Withdrawal On Part Os Borneo Australian Troops Pursuing Fleeing Units Os Japanese Manila, July 27—(UP)— Australian troops pursued,fleeing Japanese units today along the main highway northeast of Balikpapan, after RAAF Spitfires had intercepted the column and straffed 16 vehicles. -Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s communique revealed that the enemy withdrawal apparently is being attempted by separate small groups rather than in one mass movement. 1 Seventh division Aussies killed eight of the enemy carrying explosives along the coastal road near Batakan-Ketijil, a few miles east of Balikpapan. Japanese Domei news agency, elaborating on yesterday's claim of an -Allied landing Wednesday on Puket Island off the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, said today that the landing was preceded on Tuesday ;by an attack by 20 Allied carrier-based planes. This was followed the next morning by a naval bombardment. Domei made no mention of continued action today. There still was no confirmation of this report from Allied headquarters. ■RAAF Spitfires knocked down one two-engined Japanese bomber when eight or 10 tried unsuccessfully for two hours on Tuesday to destroy installations in the Balikpapan area. The planes dropped their bombs, but no damage was reported. Twenty-two enemy junks were bombed and strafed near Hongkong on Tuesday. 1 Far eastern airforce planes dropped over 400 tons of bombs on enemy airfields and shipping in the Shanghai area starting huge fires at Kiangwan, Woasung, Lunghwa and Tachang airdromes. Damaging (Turn To Page C. Column 5) ——— O Mrs. Oliver Mills Dies Last Evening Funeral Services Sunday Afternoon Mrs. Viola: M. Mills, 64. wife of Oliver P. Mills, died suddenly at 7:30 o’clock Thursday evening at her home, 127 North Tenth street. Death was caused by a heart attack and was unexpected as she had been in her usual health. She was born in French township July 26, ISSI, the daughter of Vincent and Sarah AlexanderBell, and had resided in Decatur for the past 42 years. She was a member of the First United Brethren church, where she had been a teacher in the Sunday school for 25 years. Surviving in addition to the husband are one daughter, Mrs. Margaret Radkey of Fort Wayne, three sons, Robert L. Mills of Decatur, Charles A. of Fort Wayne and Richard W., with the army in Germany; and the following brothers and sisters: Mrs. Ocie Zerkel of Decatur, Mrs. Mary L. Parrish of Muncie, H. H. Bell of Cralgville, William J. J. Bell of Decatur, O. G. Bell of Indianapolis and V. D. Bell of Fort Wayne. Three sisters and one brother preceded her in death. Funeral services will be held at 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon at the home and at 2:30 p. m. at the First United Brethren church, with the Rev. R. R- Wilson officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemetery. The body will be removed from the Gillig & Doan funeral home to the residence, where friends may call after 8 o’clock this evening.

Forger’s Arrest Clears Man Falsely Imprisoned . ....w,. w.. ~.. VWVMW A n nny?.. ■ y ■ i.i.ij. w* *T ' V-. • P* iiW****B| 4 Y t ■ . bi J - MBh < Bl . Bb As I BMtafe b B JI ■ 'Rhiß ! < ■ PRB?'- V / i J ESESS&S& ' •* BECAUSE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY, one man went to prison for a forgery crime he didn’t commit, while the real forger went free, it was revealed in New York with the arrest of Alexander D. L. Thiel, one of the country’s slickest forgers, who is pictured at left above. The innocent man, Bertram M. Campbell, 59, a bookkeeper of Floral Park, L. 1., is shown with his wife and son, Bertram, Jr. Thiel, upon arrest. admitted that he had committed the forgery for which Campbell served three years and four months in Sing Sing, completing the sentence in 1941. Several bank tellers and other witnesses had mistakenly identified Campbell because of his resemblance to the forger. He is expected to ask Gov. Dewey,for a full pardon and to seek legislative permission to sue the state for false imprisonment.

Strikes Cut Output Os B-29's Engines Endangering Aerial Blows Against Japs BULLETIN Chicago, July 27. —(UP) —• Twenty thousand strikers at the Chrysler Corp’s Dodge Chicago plant agreed to return to work next Monday. (By United Press) Striking employes in B-29 engine plants in Chicago and Paterson, N. J., were warned today that superfortress attacks against the Japanese homeland would be reduced “within a few days” unless production was resumed immediately. Fifty thousand away from their jobs at aircraft engine plants operated by Wright Aeronautical and Chrysler corporations, made up the bulk of the nation’s 70,000 idle workers. Acting Secretary of war Robert P. Paterson said in Washington last night that the two work stoppages, if continued, could accomplish what the Japs had failed to do—halt raid's on enemy industry. “These two plants manufacture four-fifths of all B-29 engines,” Patterson said. “The supply of these engines is so short that the B-29 attacks on Japan will be reduced within a matter of days if these strikes continue.” The Chrysler strikers, totalling approximately 20,000, put down their tools at the giant Chicago plant to protest a multitude of unsettled worker grievances. The strike began last Saturday on a minor scale and spread despite back to work orders from international and local United Auto Workers (CIO) officials. In the Wright strike, 30,000 (Turn To Pag« 5, Column 4) _ O i Says Jap Troops In China Discuss Peace Japanese General Quoted By Chinese Chungking, July 27 —(UP) — A Chinese military spokesman declared today that a Japanese brigadier ■general, in a -broadcast to his own people said it is “an open secret that Japanese troops in China are discussing peace overtures.” The spokesman also quoted field marshal Ream’ ra, commander of the Japanese > < peditionary force in South China, is saying, "If the Japanese withdraw from China with arms, it will take two years, and one year without arms.” Two weeks ago Tokyo radio, in a broadcast rceorded by United Press, San Francisco, quoted Akamura in Nanking as discussing the “possibility of a Japanese with drawal” from China. « At that time Okamura, according to Tokyo, decided that .’t was ”‘use(Turn To Pa»a «, Column 7)

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Friday, July 27,1945.

Quits Welfare Post, Joins School Staff Mrs. Lawrence E. Linn has resigned as investigator and visitor for the Adams county welfare department and accepted a place us a teacher in the Pleasant Mills schools. Mrs. Linn taught a number of years before beginning her welfare work. — o Blum Terms Marshal Petain A Traitor Former Premier Os France Is Witness Paris, July 27— (UP) —Former Premier Leon Blum charged today that Marshal Henri Philippe Petain destroyed France’s republican institutions by force and substituted a “despotic power the like of which never was seen in the orient.” “That was treason,” Blum, leader of the pre-war popular front, shouted at the peak of his denunciation of Petain. Occasionally Blum sobbed so heavily that it was hard for him to speak. Blum testified for almost an hour. Petain, listless and drooping after a fitful night, listened impassively, one leg crossed over the other, his face as bleak as a mask. Blum worked ’aboriously through a narrative ot the scheming and turmoil of the government’s flight from Paris in 1940 and eventual establishment, at Vichy. Coming to the issue of Petain's (Turn To Page 5, Column 6)

Sensational Fleet Raid Into Tokyo Bay Related By Officer

With Adm. Halsey’s Third Fleet Off Japan,| July 26—(Delayed)— (UP) —On the dark and windy night of July 22 nine destroyers of the third fleet catfooted into Tokyo Bay and blew hell out of a Japanese convoy in an operation comparable to a Jaanese sea raid on Alcatraz island or a Nazi swoop around the statue of liberty. Capt. T. H. Hederman, Washington, D. C., commanded the sensational operation, which was carried out without the loss of a single ship or a single man. This was disclosed today by Lt. Haddeus R. Beal, 28, Lakeville, Conn., an officer on Hederman’s staff. The Japs would have been less surprised by an earthquake, Beal told correspondents. "The sea was choppy, and a typhoon was blowing up not far away,” Beal said. “We moved in off Oshima island and saw the twinkling lights along the little island chain at the entrance to the bay. We thought hell would pop then, but it didn’t.” Oshima island lies directly

Blue Ration Poinl Values Are Changed Changes Announced Effective Sunday Washington, July 27 — (UP) — The office of price administration today cut the blue ration point values of grapefruit juice, orange and grapefruit juice blends, tomato catsup and chile sauce. It raised the values of six other canned foods. All the changes are effective Sunday. The new values will last until Saturday, Sept. 1. The foods on which the blue values w*cre raised are canned spinach, asparagus, applesauce, apples, apricots and grape juice. The increases were ascribed to the necessity of conserving dwindling supplies. Conversely, the lowering of values on grapefruit juice, catsup and chile sauce were to speed up movement of these products. Values of other canned foods were not changed. Ten points were added to these popular size canned foods: spinach and asparagus, No. 2 cans, both increased to 30 points; apple sauce and apples. No. 2 can, will be 20 points; grape juice, pint, will be 40 points. Twenty more points were placed on spinach, No. 2Yz can, and apricots, No. 2% can, will be 50 points; and grape juice, quart size, will be 70 points. A reduction of 10 points was made on: grapefruit juice, 46ounco can, dropped to 10 points; (Turn To Page 2. Column 2)

athwart the entrance to Tokyo Bay. It is Japan’s Corregidor. The nine “tin cans” running in a column at high speed swept into the mouth of the bay about midnight. “Suddenly we picked up targets in the vicinity of Norkima Saki peninsula,” Beal said. “At that range, we knew they were bigger than picket boats or destroyers. It was a big convoy trying to sneak out by night along the coastline. “We closed to 10,000 yards and opened fire with our torpedoes.” It was so quiet Beal said he could hear down the line as' the tin fish hit the water exclamations of “two torpedoes away” and other signals from other destroyers. In less than four minutes 18 silver fish were streaking through the water at the same time the tin cans opened up with their fiveinch guns. It was apparent that not until that moment were the Japanese aware of the destroyers' presence. (Turn To Page 2, Column t).

American, British And Chinese Ultimatum Is Rejected By Japanese

Truman And Stalin Waiting For Attlee Mark Time Waiting Confab Resumption Potsdam. July 27 —(UP) — President Truman and Premier Stalin waited today, apparently just marking time, for word of when Maj. Clement Attlee would join them and resume the Big Three conferences. There was nothing but silence from Potsdam today and nothing to indicate that Mr. Truman and Stalin had done any business. Secretary of war Henry Stimson went to Frankfurt where he conferred with Gen. IDwight D. Eisenhower. Stimson then left by plane for an unannounced destination and it was believed he may be returning to the United States. -London has issued no official statement concerning the sudden situation created by yesterday's resounding defeat of the conservative party, and Winston Churchill’s resulting resignation as prime minister. The best bet appeared to be that Attlee will take time out to appoint only the key members of his new cabinet and then will return to the Potsdam discussions. Some British observers still insisted that' Churchill might return to the Big Three meetings, while still others believed that Anthony Eden, as foreign secretary, would be the man to complete British affairs at Potsdam. Most observers got a great deal of satisfaction out of the fact that Churchill was able to join in with Mr. Truman and Marshal Chiang Kai-shek in their ultimatum to the Japanese either to get out of the war or be destroyed. They felt it only just that the grand old warrior got to take at least one more crack at the enemy (Turn To Page 6, Column 6) o Plan Establishment Os Limberlost Park To Discuss Plans At Geneva Meet Monday Representatives of civic and service organizations in this community have been invited by a newly formed Jay-Adams county committee to attend a meeting at Geneva Monday night in regard to the proposed establishment of a park in the Limberlost region near Geneva. The meeting probably will be held in the Geneva school, but information may be obtained from the town hall at Geneva. It is scheduled for 8 o’clock. Historical and site committees, appointed recently, are expected to make a report on their activities. Nothing but tentative plans have been made as yet in regard to the proposed recreational area. The committee is receptive to all suggestions which can be made. Interest in the proposed park has been widespread among citizens of Adams, Jay and Wells counties, which now lack good recreational space within easy motoring distance. Conservation club leaders in particular have been in the forefront recommending positive steps be taken at this time in formulating plans for better postwar recreational facilities in this territory and many of them have attended the preliminary meetings at Geneva. o - Civic Projects Are Discussed At Rotary An informal discussion of several projects aimed at civic improvement was held at the ■weekly meeting of the Decatur Rotary club Thursday evening. Joseph Globig. chairman of the program committee, conducted the meeting, with Cal Peterson, president, in charge.

Attlee Tackles Job Os Naming New Cabinet Reports Persisting Churchill To Retire Into Private Life London, July 27—(UP)—Prime Minister Clement R. Attlee tackled the job of forming Britain’s new labor cabinet today on a rush basis in hope of naming his key men within a few hours and clearing the way for his return to the big three conference at Potsdam by tomorrow. Winston S. Churchill was packing up at No. 10 Downing street and easing reluctantly out of the role as Britain’s warrior-states-man in the nation's wartime era of blood, toil, sweat and tears which culminated in the defeat of Germany. There was every sign that Churchill would not return to Potsdam, and reports persisted that he was retiring to private life to write his memoirs, perhaps even surrendering the parliamentary seat to which he was returned in the balloting which gate the laborites a landslide victory. Atlee conferred for more than five hours with labor party leaders. including Sir Stafford Cripps, Hugh Dalton, Ernest Bevin, Arthur Greenwood, and Herbert Morrison, all of whom were expected to hold posts in the government. It was believed he hoped to pick the key men of the new cabinet in time to return to Potsdam this weekend. The Potsdam conference added a note of urgency to Attlee's cabinet discussions. Premier Josef Stalin and President Truman were waiting impatiently to finish up the talks begun with Churchill. A foreign office commentator said that, “there is a lot still to be discussed at Potsdam” and that it was not just a matter of finishing up discussions already initiated. Attlee was expected to name Ernest Bevin, the tough labor minister of the Churchill coalition government, to the foreign secretaryship held by Anthony Eden. If possible, , Attlee and Bevin will probably leave for Potsdam (Turn To Page 6. Column 5)

Golllieb F. Gerber Dies This Morning Funeral Services Sunday Afternoon Gottlieb F. Gerber, 87, a resident of Adams county for more than 60 years, died at 3:20 o’clock this morning at his home four and one-half miles southeast of Berne following a heart attack. was born in Canton Berne, Switzerland, March 23, 1858, and came to Adams county in 1881. He was a member of the Cross Evangelical and Reformed church at Berne. Surviving are the wife, formerly Mary Amstutz: three sons, George Gerber of Magley, Abraham 'of Craigville and Paul, at home; and three daughters, Mrs. Bernice Wells of Marion, Mrs. Earl Chamberlain of Rushville, and Mrs. Marion Michaels of Monroe. One son is deceased. Funeral services will be held at 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon at the Trinity Evangelical church at Berne, with the Rev. C. A. Schmid officiating. Burial will be in St. Luke's cemetery at Honduras. The body will be removed from the Yager funeral home to the residence''Saturday morning.

' N Buy War Savings Bonds And Stamps

Price Four Cents.

Ignores Warning Os Utter Destruction By Powerful Land, Sea and Air Forces Washington, July 27. — (UP)— Japan rejected the American-Brit-ish-Chinese surrender ultimatum today despite the clear warning that ehe now faces “prompt and utter destruction’’ by the mighty Allied land, sea and air forces assembled in the Pacific. The Japanese stand was announced by the government-con-trolled Domei news agency in. a dispatch saying that Japan would ignore the Allied ultimatum issued yesterday in Potsdam and would fight on “to the bitter end.” Domei said the Japanese cabinet held a special meeting this after, noon (Tokyo time) to hear a report from foreign minister Shigenori Togo on the terms on which the Allies would agree to halt hostilities. The decision to take no action on the ultimatum apparently was made at that meeting. By its stand, the Japanese government itself rejected the last opportunity to halt the war without ending Japan's national existence and without bringing untold misery and suffering to her people. President Truman, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek made clear yesterday what Japan would receive if she rejected their Anal terms for ending the war. Pointing out that swarms of Allied aircraft and hundreds of thousands of new troops were moving into the Pacific from the European theater, the three leaders said: “The might that now converges upon Japan is immeasurably greater than that which, when applied to the resisting Nazis, necessarily laid waste to the lands, the industry and the method of life of the whole German people. “The full application of our military power, backed by our resolve, will mean the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland.” Japan laid herself open to that devastation and that destruction by rejecting the Potsdam surrender terms. Before the Japanese decision was revealed. Chairman Tom Connally, D., Tex., of the Senate foreign relations committee and other prominent Senators warned that the alternative to the Potsdam surrender terms was “national hari-kari.” They expressed hope that Japan would be sensible and accept the three-power offer instead of continuing a struggle that could bring only certain and crushing defeat. But while the hope prevailed, military leaders were preparing for the worst by speeding plans to take the reasonable step now made possible for them, began by radio late yesterday. The Japanese were being "bombarded” by radio with texts of the three-power offer. T ii e American-British-Chineso surrender ultimatum surprised even some high circles here. But there was immediate and unanimous agreement that “this was it”; the Japanese must accept this and, bring the war to a speedy end or face inevitable and complete destruction. If the Japanese are to avoid that Sunday punch, they must agree to unconditional surrender of all their (Turn To Page 3, Column 5)

WASTE PAPER and Prepared Tin Can monthly drive TOMORROW Help make it the largest collection ever held. Please, have ready for the pick-up by 8 o’clock a. m.