Weather
Y
LAbk
:43 at t Ij
Warmer
Editorial
Price Ceiling
Structure Crumbles
VOL. LII No. 42-S ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1942
2:15 AM. FINAL
--- -
Midwest Blackout
Finds Ann Arbor.
Very .Cooperative
Mortenson Declares Effort 'Better Than
Ever'; Main Street Completely Dark;
Scattered Lights Found On State Street
By BOB MANTHO and HENRY PETERSON
"Better than ever," Chief of Police Sherman Mortenson said last night
shortly after Ann Arbor had lighted up after an Army-ordered blackout,
second for the city in a month and the first covering an extended area
of 50,000 square miles which includes the vital war production aircraft
plants, tank factories, steel mills and munitions plants of the Midwest.
"State Street was much better than the last time and Main Street
was completely dark," Mortenson reported.
The blackout-most extensive yet undergone by the United States
Violence Is Decreasing
In Riot-Scarred India
Occasional Gunfire Still Disrupting Return To Quiet;
Four Killed At Poona Where Gandhi Is Interned
H. R. TIMSO
U.S. Marines Consolidate
Positions Around Tulagi;
9
to prepare against a possible enemy a
ern Michigan and lasted from 10 to
10:30 p.m. Eastern War Time.
One hour later under Central War
Time 36 counties in northern Illinois,
nine Wisconsin counties bordering
Lake Michigan and three townships
in Lake County, Indiana, also ob-
served their half-hour trial blackout.
Deputy Sheriff Thomas Fitzgerald,
observing the city from a county ci-
vilian defense plane, said that "un-
identified scattered lights were bare-
ly visible throughout the south-cen-
tral portion of the county. I could
see construction lights along Michi-
gan Avenue which made the entire
approach to the Willow Run bomber
plant visible."
Wardens Alert
A Daily reporter riding in Police
Car No. 2 through the western part
of Ann Arbor said that the air raid
wardens were especially alert in
preventing unauthorized automobile
traffic. They stopped police cars in
every district and required identi-
fication, he reported.
Some lights were left burning dur-
ing the entire blackout period. Ob-
servers reported a light on 4th Ave.,
which "made a solid lighted block
plainly visible from the air."
Police were informed of the light
scant minutes before the sirens
screamedtihe blackout warning.
They checked and discovered that
the night watchman of the building
had no keys and was locked out.
An officer patrolling State Street
reported five lights which were burn-
ing in his district would have made
it possible "for bombers to dump ex-
plosives right on people's doorsteps."
A light in a restaurant on State St.
made the whole campus visible, he
said.
'V'-For-Victory
A State Street dress shop had a
large "V"-for-Victory sign in the
window which showed plainly during
the blackout, reporters observed. A
men's clothing store made every
preparation against an air attack-
everything inside the shop was care-
fully covered up-but neglected to
turn out a small light.
A store on William Street and a
parked car left their lights burning.
Near the city hall, an insurance
company showed a bright light
for the full half-hour 6T the air alert
and policemen stationed at head-
quarters to take all incoming tele-
phone calls could not locate the pro-
per authorities to . get the light
turned out.
After twenty minutes of the black-
out, Sergeant Hitchingham brought
in an unidentified man who had bur-
glar tools in his possession. The
man pleaded innocence, claiming
that he "had trouble with his car"
and wanted to fix it. He was locked
up and will be arraigned before the
court today.
Truck With Lights
A truck coming in from Dixboro on
Plymouth Road passed a patrolman
with its lights on and was immedi-
ately reported at headquarters be-
fore it reached the Ann Arbor, city
limits.
At 814 Sybil Ave. amiddle-aged
lady was reading in the front, room
by a dim light near the window. A
police cruiser stopped outside and a
patrolman went to the door. As soon
as he rang the bell the light went out
and the lady appeared at the door to
explain she "had just forgotten the
blackout." She had made apparent
preparations, however, and the pa-
trolman was satisfied.
All of the local war plants except
one made efforts to dim-out and still
continue normal operations. Al-
though they could be seen from ob-
servation planes in the air, from the
ground they showed little light.
The police department's radio man
worked at the controls for the full
ir raid-covered 41 counties in south-
UA14W Heads
Send Appeal
To Roosevelt
Wire Charges Distortion
By Press; President
To StudySlow-Ups
By The Associated Press f
MUSKEGON, MICH., Aug. 12.-A
union request that President Roose-
velt order an investigation of work-
ing conditions at the Muskegon,
Mich., branch of the Sealed Power
Corp. today followed the disclosure,
in the President's press conference,
that he would study war plant slow-
ups attributed to labor organizations.
In a telegram addressed to the
chief executive, Local 637 of the
United Automobile Workers-CIO
said it "urgently requests you to or-
der investigation of the entire situa-
tion at the Sealed Power Corporation
in Muskegon."
"Press distortion and management
misrepresentation are creating a ser-
ious situation with workers' morale,"
the message asserted.
The telegram, signed by Roy S.
Pettit, President of the local union,
and Leonard Woodcock, UAW re-
gional representative, said a similar
request was being forwarded to Don-
ald M. Nelson, chairman of the War
Production Board.
At his White House pess confer-
ence yesterday, President Roosevelt
demanded reports from federal au-
thorities on slowdowns which a re-
porter told him existed in Muskegon
and in Flint, Mich.
South Atlantic
Raids Expected
Loss Of Carrier 'Eagle'
Revealed .By British
By The Associated Press
LONDON, Aug. 12. - Indications
that the Axis is starting a strong
surface-raider and submarine cam-
paign in the south Atlantic was re-
ported by informed British naval
sources today while the Germans
said a great British convoy was now
under attack in the western Med-
iterranean.
The British Admiralty announced
loss of the 22,600-ton aircraft carrier
Eagle in the Mediterranean and said'
at least one enemy submarine oper-
ating in the same area already had
been sunk, but did not refer to a
convoy attack.
Later the Admiralty said 930 sur-
vivors including Captain L. D. Mack-
intosh, the commander, had been ac-
counted for. Apparentlynmost of the
men were saved, for the normal com-
plement of the carrier was only 748.
The Germans, reporting they sank
the Eagle Tuesday with four torpedo
hits, said she was a member of the
convoy escort, which included the
bulk of the British Mediterranean
fleet and was enroute east from Gib-
raltar.
The Italians claimed they had
hit another warship in convoy.
Britain is left with five carriers.
Two more, the Implacable and In-
defatigable, are due for completion
this year.
Nervous Clark Gable
Enlists As Private
r nq A~fT1rRRSAwx 19_0_ ,L
H. R. STIMSON
Associated Press Correspondent
BOMBAY, Aug. 12.-The upheaval
of riot and bloodshed which; has
marked Mohandas K.dGandhi's do-
or - die independence movement
showed signs of wearing itself out in
its fifth day today, although gunfire
twice resounded through Bombay's
streets where violence has been at its
height.
There was marked improvement in
the attendance of millworkers in the
factory area, train and tram services
were fairly normal again, barricades
erected in the streets by rioters were
being pulled down, and the mill area
presented an appearance of compar-
ative quiet except for scattered inci-
dents.
Violence still flared in many of
India's cities, however, and at Poona
where Gandhi is interned four per-
sons were reported killed by gunfire
late this afternoon. Ten were injured.
Police said the mobs appeared to
be getting tired of their activities.
The bulk of the rowdyism in Bombay
could be traced to not more than 50
persons using students and others to
keep it going, officers asserted, and
so far -few members of Gandhi's Con-
gress Party had taken part.
The congress party press also as-
serted the rioters contained few if
any genuine congressmen, and the
Bombay Chronicle castigated the;
Hooligan, element, telling the rioters
that they were betraying Gandhi who,
said last Saturday that if the public
resorted to violence they might never
see him alive again.
The paper warned the rioters that
Gandhi might start another of his]
fasts as a. protest against the vio-
lence,
So far the toll of violence stoodat
31 dead and 250 wounded in Bombay
alone, but incomplete reports from
other places in India indicated that
at least 56 had been killed and prob-
ably 300 injured.
At the moment the unrest in New
Delhi appeared to be more intense
than in Bombay.
A large crowd put the torch to the
town hall there and burned the in-
come tax office, and most serious of
all a Moslem sub-inspector of police
was slain by the crowd.
***
U.S. Forces A void
Indian Conflict
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12.-(P)-
American armed forces are in India
solely to prosecute the war against
the Axis and have been warned to
avoid scrupulously any participation
in internal troubles there, the State
Department said tonight.
The presence of American Forces
in India, the department revealed, is
primarily to aid China.
In the event of disturbances where
they are stationed they are author-
ized to resort to defensive measures
only, "should their own personal
safety or that of other American citi-
zens be endangered."
The announcement pointed out
that the policy of the United States
Government in this emergency al-
ready had been made part of the or-
ders issued to American Forces who
have been in India for some time.
. I
Germans Break Through
Rostov-Baku Railway Line
Russians Still Hold Firm At Approaches
To Stalingrad But Retire In Caucasus
7 Face
Justice Departnment Seeks
Criminal Indictments
Against Saboteurs' Aides
Biddle Will Seek
Severe Penalties
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12. - The
Justice Department disclosed today
that it would ask grand juries to re-
turn treason indictments against at
least seven persons alleged to have
aided the eight Nazis who came by
submarine to wreck America's war
production program.
Attorney General Biddle an-
nounced that, in all, criminal indict-
ments would be sought against 12
persons, while the remaining two of
the 14 originally seized as alleged
accomplices have been interned as
dangerous enemy aliens. Evidence
against the latter two does not war-
rant criminal prosecution, Biddle
said at a press conference.
The Justice Department intends to
ask the strongest charges warranted
by the evidence available, the Attor-
ney General said. He said in response
to a question that it was believed the
evidence would justify indictment for
treason-the most extreme crime
and one which carries the death pen-
alty-in "more than half" of the
cases.
Other Statutes
Where the evidence does not justi-
fy a treason charge, indictment will
be sought under other statutes, Bid-
dle said.
The 14 persons have been in cus-
tody a minimum of six weeks. Four
are held as enemy aliens without'
criminal charge. Two of these, Mrs.
Marie Kerling, widow of Edward
John Kerling, leader of one group of
four saboteurs, and Ernst Herman
Kerkhof, have been ordered interned
for the duration of the war. Indict-
ments will be sought against the
other two, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Jaq-
ues, the Justice Department said.
The 12 persons against whom evi-
dence will be placed before grand
juries are:
At Chicago-Mr. and Mrs. Jaques;
Mr. and Mrs. Hans Max Haupt, par-
ents of Herbert Haupt, who was one
of six saboteurs executed Saturday;
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Wilhelm Froeh-
ling, uncle and aunt of Herbert
Haupt and whose home allegedly was
to have been a clearing house and
hideout for the saboteurs; Mr. and
Mrs. Otto Richard Wergin, described
as close friends of the Haupt family.
At New York
At New York City-Helmut Leiner
of Astoria, Long Island, alleged to
be a closefriend of Kerling; Anthony
Cramer, a friend of Werner Thiel,
one of the executed saboteurs; Miss
Hedwig Engemann, the only native
American in the group, alleged to
have aided Kerling.
At Brooklyn - Herman Heinrich
Faje of Astoria, Long Island, de-
scribed as a friend of Heinrich
Heinck, one of the executed sabo-
teurs.
Biddle said that arrangements
have been made to turn over to the
Federal Prisons Bureau George John
Dasch and Ernest Peter Burger, con-
victed saboteurs whose lives were
spared because they assisted the gov-
ernment.
[reasonCharges
By EDDY GILMORE
Associated Press Correspondent
MOSCOW, Aug. 13 (Thursday).-
German troops have punched an-
other hole in Russian positions
astride the Rostov-Baku railroad in
the Cherkessk area, but the Red
Army is holding .firmly on the ap-
proaches to Stalingrad, the Soviets
announced early today.
"In the area of Cherkessk our
troops have retired to new positions,"
the Russian communique said.
Cherkessk is.-70 miles southeast of
Armavir and about 200 miles from
the rich Grozny oil fields, and the
Germans thus are continuing their
hard drive southeastward along the
northern fringe of the Caucasian
Mountains.
The Red Army was still fighting
heavy defensive battles in the Mai-
kop oil fields west of Cherkessk, and
also at Krasnodar on the Kuban
River, 60 miles northwest of Maikop.
Nearly 2,000 Germans were re-
ported killed and 22 tanks destroyed
during the last 24 hours in Nazi ef-
forts to bridge a waterline (probably
the Kuban) in the Krasnodar sector,
the Russians said.
The apparent German goal in the
west is twofold: to reach the Soviet
Black Sea ports of Novorossisk and
Tuapse. A railroad from Krasnodar
leads to the former, and another
spur from Maikop goes through
3,000-foot mountains to Tuapse.
Northwest of Stalingrad in the
Don River bend the Red Army was
reported to have fought off repeated
German attacks at Kletskaya and
south of that city, which is 75 miles
from Stalingrad. (The Germans
claimed on Wednesday the capture
of 57,000 Russians in this area, in-
cluding most of the 62nd Red Army.)
South of the Don in the Kotelni-
kovski sector the Russians reported
offensive successes. The communi-
que said the Germans- in some re-
gions had been forced onto the de-
fensive and added:
"Our troops launched a series of
successful attacks and are mauling
the enemy, not giving him a chance
to consolidate."
Far to the north on the upper Don
the Russians said their troops fight-
ing on the west bank of the river in
the Voronezh sector had killed an-
other 500 Germans in two days.
On the Germans' exposed upper
Don flank before Voronezh, the Rus-
sians recrossed the river to the west
in several more places and captured
at least five villages on the west
bank in 24 hours. South of the city
German counterattacks were report-
ed generally halted, although the
Nazi tanks wedged themselves into
one Red Army position. At one or
two places the Germans still were
entrenched in the city's approaches.
Pelley, Fellow
Defendants Get
Prison Terms
Silver Shirt Head Draws
15-Year Penalty; Aide
Brown Given Five
By The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 12. - Wil-
liam Dudley Pelley, spruce little
goateed founder of the Silver Shirts
of America, only shook his head in
Federal court today when asked if
he had anything to say in his own
behalf and then drew a 15-year pri-
son sentence on charges of criminal
sedition.
"I don't kndw how long the war
will last," Judge Robert C. Baltzell
said in pronouncing the penalty;
"but the sentence should be such
that we will be assured that no fur-
ther harm will be done for the dura-
tion."
Pelley's secretary and co-defen-
dant, Miss Agnes Marian Henderson,
sobbed out a promise to disassociate
herself from the Pelley activities and
received a two-year suspended sen-
tence. Lawrence A. Brown, associa-
ted with Pelley in his Noblesville,
Ind., publishing firm, Fellowship
Press, Inc., was sentenced to five
years' imprisonment and the firm it-
self was fined $5,000.
All were convicted a week ago-
Pelley on eleven counts and Brown
and Miss Henderson each on one
count of conspiracy-in the govern-
ment's first major sedition case since
Pearl Harbor.
RAF Watchers
See Bombers
Wreck Mainz
New Observation System
Brings Raid Description;
Warned Of Nazi Revenge
By The Associated Press
LONDON, Aug. 12.-Picked bomb-
er crews who circled over the Ger-
man city of Mainz from start to fin-
ish of a heavy raid last night in a
new technique of RAF observation
described tonight how the bursts of
hundreds of tons of bombs flickered
across the target like "lights of a pin
table" and started more fires than
they could count.
The Air Ministry news service's re-
port of the stories related' by these
specially chosen observers said the
bombs, including more than 50,000
incendiaries, blasted and enflamed
the city, an important center and
river port which handles most of the
grain traffic in the Rhine-Mainz
area.
An RAF commentator said the
raiding force was made up of "be-
tween 250 and 400 bombers." Hun-
dreds of high explosive bombs and
thousands of incendiaries left a 15,-
000-foot pillar.of smoke over the city
as a testimonial of havoc.
The observation crews hovered
over the city for 46 minutes while
plane after plane roared in, dumped
its bombs and streaked for home.
"Ordinary" British raids by no
more than 200 planes now are drop-
ping a 'greater weight of bombs on
Germany than the Germans man-
aged to hurl in their heaviest night
assaults on Britain, an RAF com-
mentator declared, although he
warned that by pulling planes from
the Russian front the Nazis could
make 1,000'-bomber attacks on Brit-
ain if it suited their policy.
Orient Is Topic
Of Panel Group
Assistant-Dean Lloyd S. Wood-
burne of the Literary College will be
chairman of this week's session of
the Post-War Council to be held at
7:55 p. m. today in the Grand Rapids
Room of the Michigan League.
Confirmation Of Landings
On 3 Islands Received;
Details Still Unavailable
Solomon Action
Still In Progress
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12. -The
Navy reported tonight that marines
have landed on three islands in the
vicinity of Tulagi, in the Solomons,
and are now engaged in consolidat-
ing their positions.
A communique said:
"1. Operations in the Solomons are
still in progress.
"2 It has been confirmed that the
United States Marines have landed
as scheduled on three islands in the
vicinity of Tulagi. The marines are
engaged in consolidating their posi-
tions. Supporting Naval forces have
been engaged in bitter fighting, de-
tails of which are not yet available.
United States Army and Australian
aircraft are continuing attacks on
enemy landing fields and shore-
based aircraft.
Japs Planned Base
"3 'T'here is substantial evidence
that the Japanese had planned and
had well under way the development
of an enemy base in the Tulagi area.
"4 Until more details are available
it is impossible to elaborate further
on these operations. All available
communication facilities are over-
taxed by urgent messages concern-
ing operations."
The Navy did not identify the
three islands on which landings
have been affected.
The town of Tulagi itself is on an
island bearing the name Tulagi and
that island is practically a part of
larger Florida Island
Between Two Islands
Florida lies between two larger is-
lands in the Solomons group, Guad-
alcanal and Malaita.
The disclosure of evidence that the
Japanese had well under way the
development of a base in the Tulagi
irea recalled to Naval men the fact
that Tulagi offers one of the finest
naval base sites in the southwestern
Pacific and a major installation there
would have constituted a direct
threat to Australia and islands
guarding the United States-Australia
supply line.
Used As Base
This was brought out by Admiral
Ernest J. King, Commander-in-Chief
of the U.S. Fleet, in a statement
earlier this week in which he said
that the enemy "have been in process
of consolidating their positions" in
the Solomons with the purpose of
using them "as a base of offensive
operations against our positions
which cover the line of communica-
tions to Australia and New Zealand."
The Navy gave no information as
to the sequence of landings on the
three islands or whether they were
carried out simultaneously.
Previously disclosures on landing
operations had been given out here
only in King's statement which said
merely that "planned landings" had
been accomplished,
WLB To Open
Miner Wages
Hearings Soon
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12.-The
National War Labor Board announc-
ed today it would consider the wage
and union shop demands of 20,000
copper, lead, and zinc miners and
smelter workers on an industry-wide
basis, with hearings to open in Wash-
ington a week from today. t
The announcement indicated the
Board hoped to help solve the man-
power shortage in copper mines
through its wage determination, not-
ing that "lack of manpower in the
mines has been mentioned as a major
obstacle to increased production."
WLB acted in -consultation with
four other agencies, all of which have
been working on methods of increas-
ing output of copper and other non-
ferrous metals, it was stated.
The agencies are the War Man-
power Commission, the Army Ser-
s
I
Interpreting The War News:
Chances Of Victory In Tulagi Area
Are GoodAccording To NewsAnalyst
By JOHN M. HIGHTOWER
Wide World War Analyst
The chances for a successful con-
quest of the Tulagi Area of the Solo-
mon Islands appear better than even,
despite probable heavy American
losses, but even a complete victory in
that section at this time should give
rise to no wave of optimism about
the progress of the war.
For great issues which bear direct-
ly upon the final outcome of the con-
flict are now being decided on the
battlefields of Southern Russia, and
from there the news is grave.
A victory in the Solomons would go
a nnor wyo tnorei (1) epitri -ngthe
the battle of the Caucasus are far-
reaching and, at worst, may decide
the ability of the Russians to keep
the main strength of Adolf Hitler's
armies engaged until the crushing
weight of British and American pow-
er can be thrown into decisive action
against them.
A Russian defeat in the Caucasus,
probably would mean that a large
part of the Red forces would with-
draw north and east of the Volga
River, where their position would be
almost entirely defensive, for the
time being at least. The Germans,
having gained a huge wealth of nat-
ural resources, would need compara-
ern Egypt or by moving through the
Island of Cyprus into Syria, the con-
quest of Cyprus being necessary to
give them secure supply lines across
the eastern Mediterranean.
It seems obvious that if the Ger-
mans pressed these possible develop-
ments of their strategy to successful
conclusions, the difficulties in the
way of a final, smashing United Na-'
tions victory would be immeasurably
increased, and the conclusion of the
war would be indefinitely delayed.
Yesterday's news, insofar as it
bears on these long-range possibili-
ties, was not good, on the whole. Al-
though British military men said
Rfl CC.c c rPCifitnhnr.P wn o fi ffpnin Er nnf