Arizona Daily Star from Tucson, Arizona • Page 1

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AiU. TUCSON, ARIZONA, FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 15, 1939 PRICE FIVE CENTS TWENTY-TWO PAGES rinns Blast In Northern Retreat 1 if i FINNS CONTINUE fO HOLD ON IN RUSSIAN DRIVE garelian Front Is Static Despite Attempts to Crack Defense FORESTS Defenders Say Enemy Is Wasting Ammunition In Wild Shooting By LYNN HEINZERLING WITH THE FINNISH ARMY ON THE EASTERN KARELIAN FRONT, Dec. 14. Several battalions of 'fierce fighting Finns clung stubbornly today to their portions on the Taipale river Eear Lake Ladoga in the face I j. I KIRKENES, Norway, (at the Finnish Frontier), Dec.

14. jp) Norwegians mined the frozen Pas-vik (Pacific) river a precaution-ary detfense measure tonight as Russian troops, invading the Finnish nickel producing district just across the frontier river, neared the burning town of Salmijarvi The Finns, in their systematic, orderly withdrawal from this northernmost fighting sector, the Petsamo district 200 miles above the arctic circle, left behind burning towns and habitations. Small Finnish detachments remained to dynamite the rich nickel mines around Salmijarvi tonight when the Russians are expected to arrive. Salmijarvi is close to the Norwegian border, about 32 miles Results Of Sea Fight Are Called Uncertain I lt i Air Battle Reported As Continued and Germany Sends Out Planes To Fight With Royal Airf orce Men By KIRKE L. Associated Press The fact that the German night was licking her wounds the first real sea fight of the European war, has been identified as the Admiral Graf Spee makes it somewhat difficult to say just what effect the battle will have on the Franco- British effort to choke Germany BRITISH CRUISERS ENGAGE Nazi "pocket battleship" Graf Spee in war's most thrilling naval encounter.

Top: 'The fast cruiser Exeter; middle: The cruiser Achilles; bottom: The cruiser Ajax. The Exeter was reported put out of action. The Graf Spee, seeking safety in Montevideo's harbor, is reported badly damaged. URUGUAY GIVING AID TO BLASTED GERMAN RAIDER Will Permit Repairs on Graf Spee as British Warships Wait PRISONERS RELEASED More Boats Are Brought Up to Guard Against Any Escape MONTEVIDEO, Dec. 14.

(P) The shell-battered Nazi pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, playing a danger ous game of cat and mouse with a gathering British bat tle-fleet, tonight won Urguay- an permission to remain in this neutral port until she can repair the damage suffered in the war's first great sea fight. The Uruguayan foreign minister, Alberto Guani, announced that, "in accordance with the Uruguyan neutrality law and international law," the Graf Spee could stay in Montevideo harbor, on request of the German government, pending repairs. Time Uncertain The announcement was made shortly before the 24-hour time limit, normally permitted for the stay of a belligerent ship, which would have expired at midnight, Uruguayan time, or 8:30 p. MST. Guani declined to say how long this extension of time would run, but explained that the German captain would be given sufficient time to make his warcraft seaworthy.

Close inspection of the crippled ship indicated the need of extensive repairs. Meanwhile, the British cruiser Exeter, damaged and forced out of the battle which drove the Admiral Graf Spee to refuge here last night, was approaching the Argentine naval base at Puerto Belgrano, seeking to drydock for repairs. One hundred hospital beds were prepared there for her wounded. Dash Delayed The Uruguayan decision meant that the Graf Spee, still at anchor in the bay with her 36 dead and 60 wounded on board, need not immediately attempt a suicidal dash through the reinforced British warship patrol outside the harbor. Shortly after the crippled Nazi floating fortress had surrendered 62 British seamen taken from nine raided merchantmen, British diplomatic authorities indicated that the British cruiser Cumberland had joined the "death watch" flotilla outside the harbor.

The same sources also said that it was very likely the great battle cruiser Renown and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal would rush here from South African waters. Cumberland Ready The Cumberland mounts eight flinch guns and has a speed of 31.5 knots. Already, the light cruisers Ajax and Achilles, which drove the Graf Spee into this barbor after a daylong battle yesterday, were on watch, along with the crippled British cruiser Exeter. Reports from the Ajax and Achilles said that they had no dead and only a few wounded. There were unconfirmed reports, however, of some dead aboard the Exeter.

The Renown, last reported on guard off Capetown with the Ark Royal for other German pocket battleship raiders, has six 15-inch guns. Prisoners Released The seamen surrendered today by the Graf Spe had huddled K-gether in the brig of the pocket battleship while yesterday's battle raged for hours above their heads. Under the direction of British legation officials, a tugboat pulled alongside the pocket battleship and the seamen emerged from their prison. They clambered happily into the tug for the trip ashore. Headed by five merchant captains, the men mounted the same gang-plank over which Captain Hans Langsdorff of the Graf Spee a half hour earlier had led half a dozen smartly clad Nazi officers on nis way xo mane a lormai uu in port Assorted Ages The prisoners ranged in from a man 72 years old to youths (Continued to Page 16, Column 4) British Navy to Push Pocket Warship Hunt Identity of German Ship Questioned As England Hints It May Actually Be Another of Nazis' Naval Triplets LEAGUE OUSTER IS PLEASING TO ALL BUT RUSSIA Neutrals Cautious About Statements Against Moscow Power NINE FAIL TO VOTE Germans Believe Action Will Force Soviet Toward Them GENEVA.

Dec. 14. Soviet Russia, which in years past used the League of Nations as a forum for SDeeches against "aggression" in Spain and Uzecho Slovakia, was thrown out of that council to day for having waged unprovoked war on Finland. Seven out of the 14 mem bers of the league council voted to expel the U.S.S.R. government after the assembly had condemn ed tne boviet as an aggressor and urged league members to eive Fin land all possible material help.

Four Finland. China, Yugoslavia and Greece, abstained. Three were absent. First Expulsion The Job was done In a dar. aft er less than a week of Dolitical preparation here in Geneva.

It was the league's first expulsion of a member. Tonight a telegram informing Russia of the action was sent ta the Kremlin. Nine of the 39 states Dresent ab stained from voting in the assembly on the preliminary resolution marking the Soviet as an aggres sor, mey were the three Scandinavian countries. Norway, Sweden and Denmark: three Baltic tries, Lithuania. Latvia and Esto nia; Switzerland, China and Bul garia.

All Pleased But in spite of abstentions, ev eryone but Russia seemed to be pleased. Latin American delesates eniov- ed prestige because they took the initiative in the matter. Great Britain, which never so. peared enthusiastic about expelling Russia, nevertheless was for help ing the Finns and believed the action would please neutrals, particularly the United States. The Finns were delighted "so far." but pointed out that material help was more important to them than league resolutions.

Neutrals Wary European neutrals were Dleased. although most of them were too frightened to back the leazue ous ter themselves and warily made it clear they were entering no "blocs" against anyone. German observers and German newsmen even were satisfied, they said, "for Russia will work with us now, perhaps." Italians, too, like it, although they still have not forgiven the league for imposing economic penalties against them at the time of the 1935 invasion of Ethiopia-Disagreeable features of the action, however, were noted unofficially in league quarters where it was remembered that the Soviet has aeen contributing about or about 11 per cent, of the annual league budget. India Watched Britain's general ack of enthusiasm for the ouster was attributed to her consciousness that the nation of 180,000,000 population against whom she acted borders India. France, too, remembered that this nation of huge manpower is close to part of her own colonial possessions.

The text of the council resolution said that body associated itself (Continued to Page 2, Column 1) The 16th Annual HOLIDAY BARGAIN SUBSCRIPTION OFFER of The Arizona Daily Star OPENS TODAY This Is Your Opportunity To Take Advantage of A Good Investment That Will Pay A $3.25 Dividend In One Year $95 Pays for (0j a Whole Year Clip the Coupon On Page Section 2 During the Holiday Season Only And Burn southwest of the Finnish port of Liinamahari. arctic (Some of the raining properties belong to the International Nickel company of Canada.) Dispatches received at Bergen tonight from the Finnish border said two violent explosions were heard at Salmijarvi. at 9 o'clock. It was presumed the Finns had blown up the nickel mines preparatory to abandoning the region. Finnish troops were withdrawing in good order, most of them in lorries.

It could not be learned where they were planning to check the Russian advance. There was no information as to the strength of the Russian force penetrating Finland from the north- east. Patrol Over North Sea Is SIMPSON Staff Writer pocket battleship which last in Montevideo harbor after into submission by a sea blockade. There had been no previous intimation that the Graf Spee was at sea, roving the flanks of the allies' transatlantic supply lines, like her sister ships, the Deutschland and the Admiral Scheer. Despite the brilliant feat of a trio of British cruisers in driving their powerful antagonist to refuge in a neutral harbor, the other two Nazi 11-inch gunners remained to be reckoned with.

No Letup There can be no letup in British naval prowling in the far north and south Atlantic in search of the Graf Spee's companions, unless they also ar driven off the seas or sunk. Yet the thrilling story of the hounding of the Graf Spee to her refuge in Montevideo came at a time when it was most needed by the allies, to bolster public morale and restore British naval prestige. A long succession of successful German raids to sink or damage British naval craft, a mounting toll of merchant shipping losses, and the daring successes of Nazi sailors in eluding allies patrol lines with such ships as the $20,000,000 liner Bremen, all were affecting public opinion at home and abroad. "Myth" Destroyed Against that, the battle off Montevideo sent a new thrill of confidence through Britain and France. It destroyed at a blow the "pocket battleship" myth, built up laboriously by Nazi propagandists.

Setting aside conflicting stories from London and Berlin as to what happened, eye witness accounts by neutral observers make it clear. The Graf Spee if it is, in fact that one of the German naval trip-(Continued to Page 5, Column 1) GAS BILLS FOR STATE ASSAILED Auditor States Some Money Is Spent Illegally of PHOENIX, Dec. 14. (JP) State auditor Ana Frohmiller threw consternation into the ranks of traveling state employes today when she issued notice that after January 1, 1940, bills for oil, gasoline and automobile supplies purchased on state credit cards would not be honored by her office. The auditor's notice, coming close upon the heels of a plea to Governor "Jones a week ago to assist in reducing the $50,000 to $60,000 mnnt), ctato travelinff bill, was addressed to all oil companies and tn state derjartments, boards ana commissions.

Action Explained Explaining her action, Mrs. Froh miller said: "It is impossible to audit prop- I erly claims presented for purchases made with credit cards. Use of them in my opinion at least stretches a point of law prohibiting state agents from incurring indebtedness of this nature The proper method, she suggested, was for state agents to pay cash for their purchases and then make claim upon her office. "I am convinced," she added, "that a great amount of travel money is spent wrongfully On i be found I Sundays, state cars can everywhere carrying officials and everywnere thev their families on outing trips; they can be found parked at churches, and many are used to carry officials back and forth to work, while these officials' private cars are parked at home. Illegal Use Seen "Tt ie mv hplipf that it was not intended by the legislature that the automobiles or even permit state automobiles to be used for these purposes." With regard to Mrs.

Frohmiller letter to the chief executive, his office reported him as still studying it and undecided as to whether an answer i necessary. LONDON, Dec. 15. (Friday) (IP) British airmen Just returned from a smashing: air battle over the North sea reported today they had seen a section of the German fleet near the scene of the World war battle of Jutland. "Fliers said the saw a Nazi battlesip, a cruiser, some destroyers and a submarine," the air ministry announced.

LONDON, Dec. 14. (IP) Great Britain's admiralty poured mighty men o' war into a redoubled hunt tonight for the two German pocket battleships still at sea and counted out the troublesome raider Admiral Graf Spee, lying crippled in Montevideo harbor with a reinforced British warship NAZIS CHARGING GAS WAS USED Graf Spee Escape from Harbor Expected to Be Difficult BERLIN, Dec. 14 HP) German authorities, convinced that the raiding pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was the victim of British mustard gas in yesterday's battle with three cruisers, tonight said they would invite a neutral commission to substantiate the charge that gas was used. At the same time, informed sources predicted dramatic moments ahead for the Admiral Graf Spee, already hailed in Berlin as heroic victor in the war's first great naval battle.

Informed sources pointed out that since the British base at the Falkland Islands is comparatively close, the British fleet could make escape from Montevideo extremely difficult. These sources said that no one need be surprised if the commander chose internment. German authorities based their charges of the use of gas on reports received from the German minister in Montevideo. Authorities later said they believed the gas was contained in explosive shells so timed as to explode only after the projectile had pierced armor and entered the Interior of the ship. They said such shells would he more effective in putting a battle-sli'p crew out of action than a dozen ordinary shells.

Loud ejaculations of "What do you think of that?" were heard i everywhere as tne newspapers ex-I ultpH ovpr the Graf action" in "fighting down three British cruisers." The extent of damage done to the Graf Spee remained undis- closed, the high command, in a communique, saying merely that LABORER IS FOUND rrc UtiAU riLAl, HvlClVo The body of Manuel A. Diaz, 831 South Eighth avenue, employed by the Southern Pacific, was found lying near the old coal chute in the Southern Pacific yards about 11:30 clock last night. Offkrers were un able to determine whether he had been struck by a locomotive or whether he had fallen from the 100 foot tower. Diaz had been off duty at the time, having finished his shift at I 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Acting Captain Roy Robinson of the Tucson police found indication that someone had been at the top i of the tower a short time before, i ine Doay was Detween a narrow platform and the chute only a few feet from the tracks so that officers believe he could have been struck by a locomotive.

Coroner J. W. Gardner conducted an investigation, but early this morning was unable to say whether an inquest would be called. Diaz had been employed by the railroad for about eight years. Other employees believe that be leaves a wife and family.

i'A of heavy artillery fire. For more than a week they h3ve ien holding out against the Russians, writing a new chapter of Inland's struggle for independence. Today I stood in a first line Finnish trench and watched with a group of Finnish soldiers as Soviet artillery sent shell after shell jcreaming 3cross the winding stream into a forest about half a mile way. Finns Hold On When the day v. as over theRus-lians bad blackened the snow for acres and blasted the woods around Jbut the Finns still were holding the river positions.

(In another southeastern section ef their country, the Finns announced officially today they had tamed the tide of the Russian in-tasion and forced the Red army Into retreat in an extensive rea around Tolvajarvi, which is 40 miles west of eastern frontier and the same distance north of Lake Ladoga. In the north the Russians, penetrating the Finnish nickel mining district, neared the Mazing town of Salmijarvi while the Finns retreated in orderly fashion, burning towns and rural buildings behind them.) Forests Destroyed Acres and acres of stately pine and spruce trees, agleam with winter's frost, have been cut down in this Taipale river area by tons of 3-inch, 6-inch and 8-inch Russian hells. But since the attack began in this lector December 6 the Finns haven't yielded an inch. They have nipped a dozen attempts by the Russians to throw I pontoon bridge across the river. The furious artillery attack, of which the Finnish officers speak naturally has caused some casualties among the FiiK nish troops.

Troopers Killed One shell early this morning itruck a farmhouse where five troopers were billetted All were I tiled. Perhaps a dozen farm buildings were wrecked and a considerable number of horses and cattle were killed by the shelling morning. The road over which I approached the front line trench was blocked in many places by felled trees and rutted by shell holes. But despite almost constant shelling in this sector by the Russians today, the Finns didn't fire an angering shot. "We don't shoot unless we have to." one officer said.

"The Russians are just spoiling our forest with their kind of shooting." Col. Toivo Sarparanta, whom I encountered on today's tour, said fee Russians were using ten times as many shells as the Finns. I saw many unexploded Russian shells. The colonel said some Finnish batteries in this sector had not been used at all and their positions ere entirely unknown to the Rus-'-ans. The Russians began their heavy attack on the Finnish independence December 6, and the same day to send one pontoon boat after another across the river.

Each one was shelled away by me Finns. Losses Heavy Officers estimated the Russians st 2,000 killed and wounded, amce then there have been more to cross the river "nder rtillery fire but the Finns have underground, bombproof e'ters and shrapnel flies overhead "OUe the troops in the foremost Positions concentrate on attempts to cross the river. One Red Cross officer said about Finnish soldiers had been funded in this region since the on n- No figure was available tne number killed but officers aid was small. tarfc the day at-vanr Russians attempted to ee days in succession, 1TlS December 9. All the at-Ps failed.

oners Sarparanta sail Russian pris-r jelated they were from behind when their at. Ias faltered. I GOLDWYN PLANS CAVALRY FILM Adventure and Romance of Indian War Period to Be Produced Here By JACK WEADOCK A stirring page from the early history of the western plains country will be the background for the motion picture "Seventh Cavalry" which will be made in the Tucson area sometime in March or April by Goldwyn Pictures, it was learned last night from John Miles. Based on the history of the famous "Garry Owen" regiment which was organized in 1866 for the purpose of conducting a campaign against the Cheyennes in Kansas and which 10 years later saw its commander and its first squadron wiped out at the Little Big Horn, the picture will be a stirring history of the cavalry campaigns against the Indians. Nearly will go into the picture, it is estimated.

An original plan to make the picture in Kansas where the regiment was organized was discarded in favor of Tucson due to the more economical schedule which can be followed here, Miles said. Cooper to Star Gary Cooper, now starring in Goldwyn's film, "The Westerner" will be cast "as a lieutenant in the Seventh Cavalry while Walter Brennan, now portraying the colorful character of Judge Roy Bean, "The Law West of Pecos," in the same film, will be cast as plainsman and scout with the cavalry seeking Sitting Bull and his Sioux warriors. The remainder of the cast has not yet been selected. Miles said, but work on the story has been underway for a number of months. Cooperation of the war department was obtained and the files searched for every reference to the Indian battles of the period, particularly those in which the Seventh Cavalry was engaged.

Other historic books and records were checked regarding personnel with a particular view to recreating the type of soldier of the period. More research went into the background of the colorful plains Indians, the Sioux and the Cheyennes. They were daring fighters, natural tacticians in their own type of warfare and ably led by Sitting Bull, the chief and medicine man of the Dakota Sioux who from the time of the Civil War until his death on Grand river, in 1890, was the scourge of the frontier country. Orgav-ed At Ft. Riley It was Sitting Bull, the story will recall, that caused the Seventh Cavalry to be born in 1866 in Fort Riley, its home post which regiment, as a whole, has seen only a few times since.

The depredations of the Sioux and Cheyennes caused the regiment, under Lt. Col. George Custer, to be sent against them. Custer, who came out of the Civil War with a reputation as a dashing cavalry commander, who served with distinction under Gen. Phil Kearney and with General Phil Sheridan, added to his laurels in the Kansas campaigns.

He routed the Cheyennes and the Seventh Cavalry tacked the first (Continued to Page 9, Column 3) GERMAN SHIP IS DARING BLOCKADE VERA CRUZ, Mexico, Dec. 14 ijp The German liner Columbus, fueled and provisioned for a 50-day voyage, slipped out to sea today apparently attempting to dodge British warships on the high seas and run the allied blockade to Ger- mAyrich prize if captured at sea, the 32.581-ton liner had been in Vera Cruz since Septemoer day after Britain declared war. pairoi waning waicmuny ouisiue. The admiralty announced the two British light cruisers, Ajax and Achilles, which chased the Graf Spee into the neutral refuge late last night, had been "strongly reinforced." At the same time authoritative sources disclosed the battle cruiser Renown, mounting six 15-inch guns and twelve 4-inch guns and displacing around 37.000 tons fully loaded, and the 22.000-ton aircraft carrier Ark Royal, have reached waters near Capetown to hunt the raiding German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer, Speedy Boat The Renown is one of the few British warships deemed capable of "catching and killing" a German pocket-battleship single handed. Her speed is 29 knots.

Patrols of British men war also were keeping a wary eye upon the North Atlantic on the chance of catching the Nazi pocket bat- tleship Deutschland intense 24-hour Jm force THE WAR At A Glance By ASSOCIATED PRESS MONTEVIDEO British mass reinforced warship patrol to prevent escape of German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee; Nazi rad-er frees 62 British seamen seized from nine merchantmen. A nels Russia for invading Finland; urges immediate help for Finns. LONDON British report four Nazi and three British planes were downed in 24 hours of fierce battles over Helgoland; definite British-Russian break seen in Britain's condemnation of Finnish invasion, and pledge to help Finns, BERLIN Germans reiterate that Bif tish warships used mustard gas against Graf Spee, despite London denials; say eight British bombers and one German fighter downed In X'nrtti Spa. air firht. PARIS German patrols increase attacks on western front.

iin sivSKl Winn hold Rus i i squadrons over "tee North Sea and received hits" after northwest German estuaries and is- verely damaging her three an-lands was disclosed to have re-! tagonists. Before the battle the suited in fierce air engagements mZ pJ Se cv sians in south, but fall back in far over Helgoland Bight. Four Ger- I sanVf, rltlsh merantman Ta-north. Iman Messerschmidts and three ltons- and the StreonshalL VERA CRUZ German liner Co-j British fighters were shot down, i lons- Big Brothers Ready On Biggest Fund Campaign the air ministry said. i Names7 Changed Raiding activities by the Admiral Scheer have been reported off! South Africa.

Naval sources, how- ever, said that the three pocket I battleships, with identical specifi- cations, had changed names fre- quently and that it was hard to i distinguish between them. The elation of British public, of- ficials and press over "bottling up' of the Graf Spee overshadowed the loss of 120 men aboard the British destroyer Duchess, sunk yesterday in a collision with another unidentified warship. Only one officer and 22 men were saved- The 202-ton British minesweeper William Hallett struck a mine today and sank with the loss of all but one of her crew of nine. Tanker Damaged The British tanker San Alberto was damaged "by enemy action" off the southwest English coast. Both the prime minister and the admiralty indignantly denied Nazi charges that the British cruisers had used mustard gas shells.

Neither Chamberlain nor other offi- Iumbus sails in attempt to run tne British blockade. Head Newsboy, Harry Embleton, stated that a tremendous gain in the showing of need, over last year, was indicated. Daily this increased demand upon the resources of the Big Brothers is mounting, Embleton said yesterday. For example, as of yesterday noon requests for 897 toys for boys and 717 toys for girls. "This makes a total of 1614 requests," Embleton said, "and we have nowhere near enough toys to meet these." In fact, the Big Brothers need toys right now as much as anything.

Tucson DeMolays will call at any home for discarded toys, and members of the Tucson fire department are hard at work re painting and repairing these, to go With the roster of Tucson Big Brothers at the 200 mark, with 100 Big Sisters pledged to follow through on the Big Brothers fund Rising campaign saiuraay, very little of organization work remam- ed unfinished last night. And, at 10 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning these 200 Tucson Big Brothers take to the city's highways and byways with a special Big Brother edition of the Arizona Daily Star, pledged to sell out their issue for an excess of $2500. will go to provide Christmas bas kets, toys, clothing, shoes and a variety of real necessities for the needy children and their underprivileged families in Tucson and environs. Demands Increase A few days ago the Big Brothers in some needy child Christmas-; cials, however, gave any mforma-basket next week-end. A call at tion as to British casualties in the (Contniued tq Page 4, Column 1) battle..