Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 43, Number 190, Decatur, Adams County, 13 August 1945 — Page 1

Must Win the War! || Else Is Chores!

XLIII. No. 190.

WORLD AWAITS JAP REPLY ON SURRENDER

BCenl Boost ||roposed in M Tax Levy J gounty Taxes Will ? Each New High If { Edgets Approved j (Buy taxes will skyrocket to tjhigh in 19-16 if the budgets :, a ßtiniate<l levies as submitted ' M Bli]ication are approved by MgHx governing bodies, it was I today. Tm preliminary estimates list for the county govK' and its subdivisions, the and welfare departments, of which $183,547 raised through local tax...B)ii a ley y totaling 64 cents SIOO of taxables. proposed rates are 20 cents Hie 44-cent levy applying taxable property in the >y>B this year. The highway seeks a tlve-cent levy Uj Blenish depleted funds; the (freße department wants a 16and it is estimated that take a 43-cent levy for the general fund. /d Rate Comparisons I (Spared with the levies in MMatthis year and those sought Hie rates on each SIOO ? 1945 19J6 fcAsß 31c 43c None 5c r®Be 13c 16c j-TM.sH 44c 64c I 1B is the first time that a |B levy for the highway dehiißnt has been listed. The ifor this department totals hl«Br*' Estimated revenue from hsßn*' gasoline t,ax for the opof the department and f.Wßna"<’<‘ of 750 miles of mactWwroads in the county is pllß4. The additional five-cent produce approximately ifH®. Expenditures for new laDß 6 ' purchase of equipment of removing snow from -iißkhways last winter depleted isSHtpartment’s funds, officials (■wß explaining the request for t BtSßprecedented levy. $15,402 which the wcl- ■ f?Bepartment lists in its bud- " 2 Kit;-, ent levy will be necesKi ” Bas on the county’s valuai, $28,(187,661. This is an inj WM nf Ho'ee cents over the 13Br, ’* , nt rate. * ' more than $123,502. j costs of government, in- ! : salary advances made by j To Page G. Column 3) ; sW o tMEr Os Hiroshima j wgd By Atom Bomb L United Press i 7# Japanese Domei news agj 2pß iui| i today that the mayor t shima and two other high officials were killed ?' Au "- 6 atomic bombing of r ’‘'’-gßPanese city. r j-W dispatch, recorded by the '-I communications coinmis“Bdcnfified the victims as ’ ’Bii Awase, mayor of Hiroi). m3 | Kunio Kawamoto, of the ‘^B’' 1 superintendent general's , / B ria L and Tadasahi Yoshi- ; d '<B^ Ct ° r ° f tbe Hiroshima precommunications bureau. o Youth PlHdentally Slain IgHera, Ind., Aug. 13—i(UP) — !’ ,: ‘Btere arranged today for B Roscoe Beadle, 15, who ■j?"' l fatally Saturday by 15?J Bd Perry Bose. Bose told poB a t the shooting was acci- ■ - “'W sa >d pujted the trigshotgun by mistake ' i: B squirrel hunting trip, beit was his own gun which jy unloaded. ! t4 ®° CRAT THERMOMETER ■RPERATURE READING I S '-Ba.tn, 66 ! !g y a.m. 75 ' 61 W> -m 87 weather ’ tonißht ’ Tuesday, par-tiy tt=2*/° llowed by local thuncler ' Tuesday afternoon or ' north an 's west portion. warm and humid.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Strike Ends Sunday At Fort Wayne G. E. Fort Wayne, Ind., Aug. I'3—(UP) —Striking employes from the General Electric plants in Fort Wayne, members of the International Association of Machinists, local 70 (AiFL) returned to their jobs last night. Union President August Wiegand said that WEB has promised a speedy settlement of their 20month old wage dispute, which caused the walkout of more than 1000 employes in the three plants on Aug. 7. o Red Amphibian Forces Land On Sakhalinjsland Russia Orders Far Eastern Armies To Speed Up Invasion London, Aug 13—(UP)— Tokyo radio said Soviet amphibious troops landed today at two points 60 miles apart on the Japanese halt of Sakhalin islandfl, which stretches within 20 miles of the enemy's home island of Hoaido. The Soviets went ashore at Anhet su. on -the west coast just below the Soviet-Japanese border of Sakhalin, and at Esutoro, 60 miles farther south, radio Tokyo quoted the northern army district command as announcing. Tokyo reported last Friday that some Soviet troops had crossed from the Soviet-owned northern half of Sakhalin island into the Japanese-held section, but these apparently were only on reconnaissance. The Japanese half of Sakhalin is known as Karafuto. With the invasion of the southern half of Sakhalin, red armies now were across all common frontiers with Japan or Japanese-occu-pied territory—Manchuria, Korea and Sakhalin. Russia ordered her far eastern armies to speed their already deep invasions of Manchuria and Korea. Changchun (Hsinking), the Manchuria capital, already had been partly evacuated, Tokyo said. Soviet amphibioue forces were revealed to have captured the Korean ports of Yuki and Rachin, 12 and 10 miles south of the Soviet border, in twin landings yesterday under cover of a bombardment by the Russian Far Eastern sheet. A third port, Seishin, 3S miles CTurn To Page 6, Column 4) Churches Plan For Victory Services Thanksgiving And Prayer On V-J Day Services of thanksgiving and prayer will be held In most of the churches of Decatur following the expected announcement of the surrender of Japan. No union service is being planned, with each individual church to conduct such services as desired. Protestant churches in which special services are planned include the First Evangelical, Zion Evangelical and Reformed, First Methodist, Church of God and the First United Brethren. In these churches, if the official announcement comes before 6 p. m., the services will be held at 7.30 p. m. the same evening, but if announced later than 6 p. m., the services will be held the following evening at 7:30 p. m. ’ , ~ No special service will be held at the First Presbyterian church, but the church will be opened for private prayer immediately following announcement of the end of the war. The Zion Lutheran church will hold a service of thanksgiving at 7-30 p. m. in the evening of the announcement, providing such is. made before 6 p. m. O tb e rwi ®®’ the service will be held the following evening at the same time. A special service will be held at 7:30 p. m. on the evening of the announcement at the St. Mary s Catholic church. Other churches of the city ha not made any announcement of plans for special services.

American War Veterans Praying For Peace

WBH WHK mEEEmIb ' Me ly ' -MJ V . , W ••• * E Jif: F I. ■’* I - B I ‘ b -J - 1 BMr L, ' A, -NJ bWt v* ','<7 >.■ f r’ J -.

THIS IS A SOLEMN SCENE in a New York church after reports of the Japanese offer to surrender — conditionally—had been received in the city. Kneeling in prayer are Pacific and European veterans. In front row (1. to r.) are August Jacobsen, who just returned from Europe’s battlefields; Pfc. Patrick Foster, who spent 39 months in the Pacific, and Col. Clinton B. F. Brill, who was 13 months in the E.T.O. Second row (I. to r.): T/Sgt. Mario Santagelo, who spent 14 month in a German prisoner-of-war camp; Mrs. Helen Brady, who has two brothers in the Pacific and three in Europe, and Pfc. Rossiter, who spent a year in Europe. Rossiter's mother is beside him. She has two other sons in the service.

May Repeal Normal Tax For Incomes First Postwar Step To Reduce Burdens Washington, Aug. 13 —(UP) — Cancellation of the three percent normal tax was viewed today as a likely first postwar step to reduce the individual income tax burden. This could be done easily and could be in effect by Jan. 1 while congress considered more thoroughgoing tax revisions. Repeal of the normal tax would eliminate income tax obligations of persons npw paying up to $39 annually under the present structure. It would mean a reduction for all the remainder of some 50,000,000 taxpayers. Still standing would be the heavy surtax which starts at 20 percent and graduates tb 91 percent, according to income. The house ways and means committee, where tax bills originate in congress, had planned to take up tax matters late in the year. In view of war developments it may go to work earlier. The present income ’tax law as it affects the individual is made up of the normal tax and surtax. These are based on percentages of income but with different rates and exemptions. For the normal tax an exemption of up to SSOO is allowed only for those members of a family who actually receive income. For instance, a married man with wife and two children gets only a SSOO normal tax exemption (unless the wife and children have income of their own.) For the surtax, however, the wage earner may take a SSOO ex•aiouniM uj TOius xtreM ’saw ‘aa wife, and each other dependent relatives. If the normal tax is repealed, a family consisting of man, wife, (Turn To Page 6. Column 3) — oHusband Os Former Local Girl Missing Mrs. Minnie Wilkinson of this city received word today that Roy Lee Hopper, aviation metalsmith, first class, U. S. navy, and husband of her granddaughter, the former Dora Wilkinson, had been reported missing in action since July 30. Mrs. Hopper, a daughter of the late Walter Wilkinson, was graduated frqm Mooseheart several years ago. She has one son, David Lee, eight months old, and resides with her husband’s mothFrank Smith in Muncie. Details were not received. The navy telegram, requested that the name of the ship or Its location not be divulged.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, August 13, 1945

Over Million Vets Back From Overseas (Washington, Aug. 13 — (UP) — The number of soldiers returning to the United States from all overseas theaters .since May 12 will pass the millionth mark today. The War Department said arrivals today would send the total to date to 1,011,432. This figure includes wounded men and those returning for discharge and redeo Urge Draft Ending On Jap Surrender Solons Urge End To Selective Service Washington, Aug. 13 — (UP) — Members of the Senate Military Affairs committee today joined House demands for an end of selective service immediately upon Japan’s surrender. They proposed that the army use voluntary enlistments for its occupation forces. ■Chairman Elbert D. Thomas, D'„ Utah, said that “something obviously inuet be done” to the Selective Service act as soon as Congress reconvenes in September. ‘“lt will be foolish to keep on drafting boys into the army after the war ends,” he said. Draft Di(Turn To Page G, Column 8)

55,000,000 Casualties Cost To Date Os Second World War

By RALPH HEINZEN (United Press War Analyst) World War II has cost the peoples of t'his earth no fewer than 55,000,000 dead, wounded and missing by the most conservative but tentative.and incomplete estimates from official statistics. Behind barbed wire, as prisoners of war, are an additional 12,000,' 000 and they will be joined as soon ae hostilities end by the rest of the Japanese armed forces—an additional 4,000,000. By today, World War II has dragged tb within 19 days of a full six years. Great Britain has been in it actively for that whole time. The United States has been at war with the Axis for 3 years, 8 months 6 days since Pearl Hffrbor. China, at war with Japan, continuously, since July 7, 1937, has been fighting for 8 years, 1 month, 6 days. This war, almost twice as costly as World War I in lives and money, has cost the peoples of the earth at least a trillion dollars in monies actually''spent, plus many times that in lost work-hours and property destruction. The United States alone has spenj $300,000,000,000 so tar and

Petain Trial May Be Ended Tuesday Counsel Declares Petain Scapegoat Paris, Aug. 13—(UP)— Defense counsel in the trial of Henri Philippe Petain charged today that the fallen leaders of the Third Republic were seeking the aged Marshal’s death to cover their own responsibility in the defeat of France. Opening, the defense’s final summation, Chief Counsel Jacques Payen declared Petain was being made a scapegoat for former Premiers Edouard Daladier, Paul Reynaud and Leon Blum, ex-comman-der in chief Gen. Maxirae Weygand and other chieftainfl of prearmistice France. “Those were the people who prepared, fought and lost the war,” he said. “Isn’t it possible that here are the people who want this old man to go to the firing squad so they can be exonerated and even returned to power?” Payen asked the jury‘“Tomorrow,” he added, “I will show who are those really responsible for the war.” Payen read off a number of lettens written by Petain to leading French politicians before the war in which the aged Marshal stated .(Turn To Page 6, Column 5)

even if all war contracts are cancelled as soon as hostilities end, our total war bill will exceed $350,000,000,000 when ail costs are paid. It will be at least a year before the total cost of World War II can be known. There is great variance between estimates by various departments of the same government. Hitler himself, last Feb. 24, estimated Germany’s war losses at 12,500,000 of which 6,300,000 had been killed. Yet on July 29 a captured document which is now accepted as official and almost accurate lists Germany’s war losses at 4,064,438 up to Nov. 30, 1944. The casualties of all belligerents in World War I amounted to 29,750,000 of Which Germany lost just under 7,000,000 dead and wounded. Nor do the German lists give the number of civilian casualtiefl in air raids and invasions. The following table shows the first available, minimum and conservative estimate of civilian and military dead, wounded or miesing. exclusive of prisoners of war: Soviet Ruseia, 21,000,000 (Turn To Page #, Column 6)

Tokyo Says Allied Reply To Surrender Offer Not Received Until Monday

More War Contract Slashes Impending Navy Planning Big Aircraft Cutback Washington, Aug. 13 — (UP) — Further slashes in war contracts to clear the decks for industrial reconversion were in prospect today with the navy getting ready to trim aircraft orders by as much as $2,300,000,000 (B) The war department was prepared, too, for wholesale cancellation of contracts as soon as V-J day is proclaimed. Oth-er government Bgencies were geared to place their reconversion programs into action. A war production board official said that if the Japanese surrender becomes official within a week, it might be possible to produce as many as 550,000 new automobiles by the end of the year. The previously authorized quota for this year was 250,000. The official said a quick end of the war would eliminate the -sheet steel shortage, principal obstacle to increased auto output. Orders for cancellation of navy aircraft contracts are ready and probably will go out this week, under present plans, which are subject to downward revision, the navy intends to retajin approximately present pane contracts. The remaining cover experimental type planes, aircraft in the very final stages ' of construction and planes which will be needed for the postwar fleet. Late last week, after the Japanese offered to surrender, the army and navy ordered contract cancellations aggregating nearly $4,000,000,000. Os these, $1,200,000,000 (B) were navy ship contracts. Within the next two or three weeks, both armed services are -expected to order cuts in contracts for ordnance, food and clothng. Though some government officials still felt concern over the impact of a sudden Japanese surrender on the National economy (Turn To Page 6, Oolumn 3) —o Airport Dedication Held Here Sunday Large Crowd Visits At Local Airport Interest in aviation was demonstrated by the large crowd, estimated up to 5,000 persons, that visited or drove past McComb Field, Fifteen visiting pilots, including Mire. Helen Montfcomety of Auburn, visited the local field and later circled Decatur in salute to the new landing port, which was named for Robert Me Comb, pilot Instructor and manager of the airfield. The breakfast for visiting fliers and local guests, including a half dozen former army pilots and army air force veterans who have been placed on the inactive list, was attended by about 30 persons. Poor visibility up to 11 o'clock in the morning prevented other planes from coming to the airport, Mr. Me Comb stated. Joseph Globig, assistant superintendent of the General Electric plant and a member of the Decatur Aero club, made the dedicatory speech at the short ceremony held at 10 o’clock on the field. Mr. Globig outlined the history of the local project and stated that it wag being promoted as a first step in the development of a more adequate airport. George Roop, of the CAP. invited recruits to sign up for flying instructions at the meeting of the organization Tuesday night. Waymon Patrick was master of ceremonies. During the morning and after(Turii To Page «, Column 2)

Allied Carrier Planes Resume Japan Assault Tokyo Speculates On Allied Landing On Japan Homeland Guam, Aug. 13—(UP)—Carrier planes from the third fleet destroyed or damaged several score enemy aircraft parked on airfields in the Tokyo area today and pilots reported only light Japanese anti-aircraft fire. Striking while Japan still debated whether to surrender, hundreds of American and British carrier planes also bombed, rocketed and strafed a submarine base, railway targets and other military objectives in a sudden resumption of their assault on the enemy homeland. A Japanese announcement said 800 carrier planes attacked the Tokyo-Yokohama area for 12 hours and caused “some damage.” The broadcast claimed 17 planes had been shot down and at least 25 others damaged. Radio Tokyo said the third fleet was cruising off the Tokyo area and speculated that the Allies were preparing for landing operations in the “near future." (As quoted by the Exchange Telegraph agency in London, the ■broadcast said the landing might come “at any moment.”) More than 400 Allied ships have been concentrated at Okinawa and ground forces there have been “drastically increased” by the transfer of troops from Leyte in the Philippines, Tokyo said. South and Central Japan also were under attack by Okinawabased planes of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s command. fl'okyo said 30 Allied planes, presumably from Okinawa, raided Wakayama and Nara, 35 miles south and 20 miles east respectively of Osaka, and other areas of southwest Honshu about 11 a. m. A dispatch from Admiral William F. Halsey’s third fleet quoted pilots who participated in the day’s raids as saying that the Japanese were not putting up anywhere near so much opposition as in the past. Neither were any Japanese planes seen in the air over Japan. However, a number attacked the (Turn To Page 6, Column 4) o ____ Reward Offered In False Peace Flash False Dispatch Is Sent On U. P. Wire New York, Aug. 13 —• (UP) — Hugh Baillie, president of the United Press, last night offered $5,000 reward for the identification and conviction of the person who fed into the (UP) wire system shortly after 9:30 p. m. a false flash saying Japan has accepted the Allies’ surrender terms. The (UP) immediately reported the case to the federal bureau of investigation and the federal communications commission. Charles R. Denny, a member of the F., C. C. said he would be glad to have all available information on the case. The flash was fed into the (UP’s) southern wire system at 9:34 o’clock last night. It carried a Washington dateline and said th© Japanese had accepted the surrender terms. Within two minxes the (UP) ascertained that the flaeh had not originated in its Washington Bureau. A kill on the flash was then sent, but the erroneous informa(Turn To Pa<« ». Column t)

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No Time Limit For Japanese Answer To Terms Set In Reply From Allied Leaders BULLETIN Bern, Aug. 13 —(UP) —An authoritative Swiss source said tonight that the Japanese statement that the Allied reply had been received in Tokyo only today was not correct and that the reply actually had been In Japanese hands since yesterday morning. The Swiss statement indicated that the Japanese may be sparring for time in an effort to decide on the Allied terms. The Swiss source said that in the first place the Allied reply was turned over to the Japanese minister in Switzerland on Saturday. Tokyo had said it was delivered by the Swiss minister in Japan today. The Allied answer, the Swiss source said, arrived in Bern Saturday at 9:05 p.m. from Washington. It was turned over to the Japanese minister at 9:22 p.m. The Japanese minister’s telegram to Tokyo was sent from Bern at 11:24 Saturday night. It was repeated again, at Japanese request, at 8 a.m. Sunday morning. At 9:35 a.m. Sunday the Japanese station confirmed the receipt of the message. Washington. Aug. 13 — (UP)— The hours—and the war—dragged on today. At 1:10 p. m. nearly hours after the Allied reply to Japan’s surrender offer had been dispatched, the White House had received no official word of acceptance from Tokyo. White House secretary Charles G. Ross said the Allies had placed no time limit for an answer te their note dispatched at 10:35 a. m„ EWT Saturday. Asked whether a third atomic bomb would be dropped on Japan if no reply were forthcoming soon, he said: “I do not know. It 1 did, 1 wouldn't say.” The Chinese ambassador, Dr, Wei Tao Ming conferred with President Truman briefly, shortly after 10:30 a. m., (CWT) and mid reporters later he personnally believed that the “good news will come at any moment.” Asked on what he based his belief, he replied: "On many things, but I’d better not say. But it will come—l believe it will come.” Ross noted a Tokyo broadcast that the Allied communication arrived in the enemy capital on, Monday, Japanese time. (Monday in Tokyo begins when it is about, noon Sunday here.) “If that is true,” he said, “they have had our terms only 12 hours.” “But,” he added in apparent reference to the fact that the Allied reply has been repeatedly short-waved to Japan, “they certainly knew what was in our terms.” Meanwhile, a Japanese Domei news agency broadcast said it was cancelling certain regularly scheduled transmissions to the orient for the next 12 hours. No explanation was given. The Tokyo radio said the official Allied note, transmitted through the Swiss government, arrived in the enemy capital on Monday, Japanese time. That apparently explained the Japanese delay in replying — if the Japanese were telling the truth about its arrival. There was no explanation, however, of the delay in transmission. The original Japanese surrender offer arrived here 11 hours after its broadcast by Tokyo radio. Today’s Japanese broadcast said Emperor Hirohito, who has become a sort of pawn in the exchange of messages, received foreign minister Shigenorl Togo at the imperial palace this afternoon. Presumably they were consulting on a reply. (Turn To Page 6, Column <)