,I,L
FORECAST ' REMEMBER
r . PEARL HARBOR
p' _' I AND BATAAH
-— _ WILMINGTON, N. C„ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1944 FINAL EDITION
[.A. Matthes,
If P Official,
lies At Home
hcSw1,Fo"
Civic Leader
rt,d A3WthX 74; chair
11 the board of directors
ft Tide Water Power Co
of the owners of
fd(fnrd Cotton mills, died at
B m. yesterday at his
5:40 198 Forest Hills drive,
Sing a short illness.
was stricken with a heart at
.ftftoon Saturday and suffer
d another Sunday night from
hirthe never rallied. .
Mr Matthes had been in declin
, ftalth which had forced semi
bf/'nt from business and civic
1£ tor the past several
aC Previous to that time, he
fas president of the utilities com
1 v havmg been associated with
f, since May. 1922, when he came
Wilmington from Laredo, Tex
8 Formerly active in many phases
of the community s civic life, he
as a past president of the Rotary
club had served in past years as
an officer of the Wilmington Cham
ber of Commerce and was immedi
at» past president of the Surf Club.
ge' aiso was affiliated with the
Cape Fear club the Cape Fear
Country club, the Frying Pan
Boa: ciub and Carolina Yacht club.
During the Feast of Pirates obser
vance, he was one of the leaders'
0? the organization and was vice
president of the Wilmington Base
ball Association when the city was
represented in professional base
ball,
The development of Greenfield
Late into one of the South’s out
standing beauty spots was another
of Mr, Matthes’ interests. During
the height of the depression, he
was a leader in establishing and
maintaining a work-relief program
fiat resulted in the construction
of the scenic driveway around the
lake.
Mr. Matthes also was active in
fee Masonic Order, having been a
member of the Blue lodge and
Royal Arch organizations, in addi
tion to the 32nd degree, Scottish
Bite Consistory, and a member of
Sudan temple of the Shrine.
He was a member of the First
Presbyterian church. „
Bom on a farm near Illinois
Grove, Marshall county, Iowa, on
February 8, 1873, he attended
school in Iowa and New Mexico
and completed his education at the
University of New Mexico and Le
lad Stanford University at Palo
Alto, California.
He began his career with the
Santa Fe Pacific, at Albuquerque,
J'U After serving with a number
d Western railroads, he entered
fee public utility field in August,
(Continued on Pag2 Ten; Col, 4)
-V
mm heads
REAPPOINT ALL
OFFICE HOLDERS
•AH officers under the jurisdic
tion of the Board of County Com
missioners were reappointed for
! months term at the annual
^organization meeting of the
«rrl yesterday.
Taey were: Addison Hewlett,
“airman of the board; James M.
™11, vice-chairman; Thomas K.
woody, clerk; Marsden Bellamy,
county attorney.
G. Long, superintendent of the
Waty home and farm; Geo. I.
tfandal,, keeper of Oak Grove
cemetery; W. a. Whitney, care
*?.o£ courthouse clock; J. W.
"“me and H. C. Garrison,
“ortaouse janitors: F. Porter Da
^raham Koonce, special
i ^ ^solution was passed by the
“d asking that tax listers be
(vTet* ta,*oing a farm census,
“fflmissioners Hewlett and Har
;; Gardner said that census in
c eres with the tax lister’s work,
missicmer Lewis Coleman said
,, e thought the farm agent
‘ d handle the census.
• Moody added that the re
Is inaccurate when filled out
Page Three; Col. 1)
Joseph C. Grew Named
State Undersecretary
WASHINGTON, Ded. 4.—(£>)—Direction of the Na
10ns foreign affairs, already under a new Secretary of
State, was put almost entirely in new hands today by M
sweeping top-level shakeup.
The resignation of three old-line officials were acceptt
with regret but without explanation, and President Roose
f annm'ntorl —_
Joseph C. Grew
Adolph Berle
RIVER AND PORT
BILL PASSAGE IS
BELIEVED LIKELY
By ALLEN J. GREEN
Star-News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 — Pros
pects for the $498,000,000 rivers and
harbors bill, which contains $1,
500,000 for Wilmington harbor im
provements, brightened today as
the Senate deleted, 37 to 31, the
once-rejected $66,000,000 Tennes
see Tombigbee project.
Sponsors of the bill, however,
heard a threat by Sen. George D.
Aiken (R. Vt.) to filibuster the
rivers and harbors bill into obliv
ion Unless he is allowed to attach
his St. Lawrence Seaway amend
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 2)
DeMiUe To Quit Air
Before Paying Union
Political Assessment
HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 4.— UP) —
Cecil B. De Mille, movie and radio
producer, said in a statement to
day that he will give up his week
ly radio program “rather than
pay one single dollar in political
tribute which acknowledges that
I am no'longer a free man.”
The American Federation of Sa
dio Artists assessed its members
$1 to oppose proposition 12 on the
November California ballot. The
proposition, which was defeated,
was described on the ballot as
being the “right of employment,
free from interference because an
employe does or does not belong
to a labor organization.”
The director has another week
—the deadline is one hour before
his coast-to-coast show goes on
the air—to pay the assessment.
to aid Secretary Edward R. Stet
tinius.
Under Secretary — Joseph C.
Grew, blue - blooded Bostonian,
career diplomat and first-hand
student of Japan, where he was
ambashador for nine years prior
to Pearl Harbor.
Assistant Secretary—William L.
Clayton, of Texas, who rose from
an $8 a week stenographer’s job
to the world’s largest cotton mer
chant.
Assistant Secretary — Archibald
MacLeish, poet, soldier, and editor
who now is librarian of Congress
and once headed the Office of
Facts and Figures, forerunner of
OWI.
Assistant Secretary — Nelson
Rockefeller, grandson of “John D.”
and now coordinator of inter-Am
erican affairs.
The appointments put heavy em
phasis on economic affairs in for
eign policy. The only experienced
diplomatist in the list sent to the
Senate for confirmation is Grew.
Clayton, who formerly headed
the cotton brokerage firm of An
derson, Clayton and Co., Texas
until recently was surplus , war
property administrator, but serv
ed notice he would not take charge
of the job of disposing of such
property under a newly-enacted
law, which he considered inade
quate. Tn his State Department post
he will be in charge of economic
affairs.
MacLeish will have charge of
cultural and public relations. Rock
feller will oversee Latin-American
relations, with an assignment also
to integrate the work of his pre
sent office into the State Depar
ment while terminaing its strictly
wartime activities “as war condi
tions permit”.
The three assistant secretaries
whose resignations were accepted
are Adolf A. Berle, Jr., 49, Breck
inridge Long, 63, and G. Howland
Shaw, 51.
-V
SOONG IS NAMED
CHINESE PREMIER
Brother Of Madame Chiang
Assumes Duties Of
Regime
CHUNGKING, Dec. 4.—UB—For
eign Minister T. V. Soong, brother
of Mrs. Chinag Kai-Shek, assumed
the duties of Premier of China to
day in a popular move apparently
paving the way for a working
agreement between the Central
Government and the Communists
of North China.
Soong’s attitude toward the Com
munists is known to be moderate,
and his accession to greater influ
ence comes coincidentally with
unconfirmed reports of an agree
ment in principle between the two
parties to wage a common war
again:'. Japan.
Soong, who stepped into his new
post with his appointment as act
ing president of the Executive Yu
an in succession to his brother-in
law, H. H. Kung, is regarded in
Washington and London as posS
sibly China's most, capable dipfo
mat and statesman. ?
Kung previuosly had resigned is
finance minister and had been suc
ceeded by O. K. Yui, former mayor
of Shanghai. Kung retains his jfost
as head of four Chinese govern
banks.
Although Chinag Kai-shek re
mains president of the Executive
Yuan, and, therefore, actually the
country’s premier, it was felt that
the appointment of Soong as his
“right-hand man” would enable
the commander in chief to concen
trate more fully on his military
tasks.
Soong is popular throughout the
country, and his appointment will
strengthen the Central government
immeasurably in the present criti
cal military situation.
Navy To Honor Drydock
Builders At Rite Today
Four Navy captains ana a com
mander will arrive here by plane
at 11 a. m. today to participate in
ceremonies at which the Tidewater
Construction Co. of Norfolk, - will
receive a Navy certificate of com
mendation from Vice Admiral Ben
Morrell, (CEC), U. S. Navy chief
of the Bureau of Yards and Docks,
Navy Department, Washington, in
recognition of outstanding work in
the construction of drydocks heVe.
The ceremonies will be held at
noon at the construction site on the
Northeast Cape Fear river.
John S. Gregory, executive vice
president of the firm, will accept
the certificate from Capt. Kirby
Smith (CEC) U. S. N. R„ acting
for Admiral Morrell.
•
The eighth and last drydock to
be built here, the ARDC-12, will be
christened by Mrs. L. U. Noland,
Jr., of Baltimore, daughter-in-iaw
of Tidewater Board Chairman L.
U. Noland. Her matron of honor
will be Mrs. Jessie Stocker, daugh
ter of Tidewater President H. D.
Hinnan, of Newport News, Va.
Attending from Washington will
be Captain Smith, director of con
struction department, Bureau of
Yards and Docks; Captain Philip
Lemler and Captain Bernard E.
Manseau, Bureau of Ships; Cap
tain Emil H. Praeger, Bureau of
Yards and Docks; and Command
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 2)
,-U
t
Soviet Army
Stanfe^ At
vC«.<W0oiA11
^laiaton
*<*f --
.ier Forces Are Only 37
Miles From Besieged
City Of Budapest
LONDON, Tuesday, Dec. 5.
—(JP)—Storming over smash
ed strongpoints littered with
enemy dead, the Red Army in
gains ranging up to 17 miles
drew up last night on a 42
mile front in western Hunga
ry before the flat, south shore
of Lake Balaton, guarding the
approaches to nearby Aus
tria.
Early today a supplementary So
viet bulletin said Russian forces
advancing up the west bank of the
Danube were only 37 miles south
of besieged Budapest.
In some sectors the Germans and
Hungarians were in disorganized
flight, Moscow declared.
/vi iNagyuajom, me soutnwesiern
end of the lake front, Marshal Fee
dor I. Tolbukhin’s racing columns
were only 60 miles from the Aus
trian frontier—12 miles closer than
on the previous day.
At Sagvar, the northeastern end
of the front, his forces were five
miles from the waters of the lake.
They reached Sagvar in a 17-mile
advance from Tamasi.
From Sagvar, Tolbukhin’s line
runs back east through Eloszallas.
taken in a six-mile stab northwest
of captured Dunafoldvar. on t h e
Danube’s west bank below Bud
pest. Eloszhs is about 30 miles
southest of the big city of Szekes
fehervar. which lies 15 miles above
the lake and 32 miles southwest of
Budapest.
The midnight communique broad
cast from Moscow and recorded by
the Soviet monitor said more than
100 towns and villages in southwest
Hungary fell before Tolbukhin’s on
slaught. They were northeast, west
and south of the communications
hub of Kaposvar, captured Satur
day.
"The Germans are abandoning
their military technique, their
arms and military equipment,”
Moscow said of the fighting in this
sector.
ah <tuuuiuucu o,uuu pxxsunexs
were captured in three days of
fighting ending Sunday, the com
munique declared. Incomplete re
ports said 2,000 enemy soldiers
were killed in Monday’s fighting.
Nagybajom is about 25 miles east
of the rail junction of Nagykanizsa
on the Budapest - Zagreb - Tireste
railway. An eight mile advance
along that railroad enlarged the
Soviet hold to 44 miles on that
line, which connects German de
fenders of Budapest with Nazi
forces in Yugoslavia and northern
Italy.
From Nagybajom, Tolbuhkin’s
front extended 12 1-2 miles north
east to Osztopan, thence 22 1-2
miles in the same direction to Bal
vanyos, 5 1-2 miles from the wa
ters of Lake Balaton.
JAPANESE CROSS
CHIALAO RIVER
NEAR KWEIYANG
CHUNGKING, Dec. 4.— (#> —
Japane.: forces driving westward
through Kweichow province have
forced a crossing of the Chialao
river, about seven miles south of
the railroad town of Tushan* 75
miles southeast of Kweiyang, Bur
ma Road junction, the Chinese
high command said tonight.
The communique said Chinese
forces repulsed two enemy col
umns Saturday morning at a pass
17 miles south of Tusahn and that
more than 400 Japanese were kill
ed and large quantities of supplies
captured.
Sunday morning, the communi
que said, the Japanese, after be
ing heavily reinforced, smashed
through the Chinese defenses and
across the Chialao river where
heavy fighting still w a s in pro
gress.
The high command acknowledg
ed last night thac the enemy had
invaded Kweichow province as far
as the Tushan area. Capture of
Kweiyang would place the Japa
nese in a position to strike either
toward Chungking, 200 miles
northwest, or toward Kunming, 300
miles southwest, and would be a
serious blow to the supplying of
China via the Ledo-Burma road.
-V_
JAP BASES BOMBED
U. S. Continues Attack To
Stop Raids< On B-29 Ports
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4. — (£>) —
United States planes are continu
ing to attack enemy bases in the
Pacific from which Japanese bom
bers take off to bomb American
Superfortress fields in the Mari
anas.
A Pacific fleet communique to
day reported Seventh Army Air
Force bombers and Navy planes
raided enemy bases in the Bonins
and Volcano islands on Friday and
Saturday.
Yank Artillery Pounds
Vital Saar Basin City;
U.S., Jap Warships Sunk
-- w -:-----★ --
TWO DESTROYERS
LOST IN BATTLE
Another Enemy Vessel Be
lieved Damaged In
Engagement
GENERAL M’ARTHUR’S
HEADQUARTERS, PHILIP
PINES, Tuesday, Dec. 5.—(/P)
—American and Japanese
naval forces each lost a de
stroyer in a sea and air clash
in Ormoc gulf off Leyte Sat
urday night, headquarters
reported today. In addition,
another enemy destroyer was
believed damaged.
The majority of the American
crew members were rescued in a
daring action by far-roaming Cat
alina patrol planes with fighter
protection. The engagement mark
ed a major action in the expanding
battle for the Ormoc corridor.
uren. Douglas Mac Arthur s com
munique said the American de
stroyer probably was sunk by a
floating mine. Seamen voiced the
belief the vessel was hit amidships
by an aerial torpedo.
The American naval force
steamed into the gulf in the face of
air attacks and shore fire. Ameri
can destroyers daringly penetrated
Ormoc bay for the first time last
week, shelling the enemy supplv
and reinforcement port of Ormoc.
To reach Ormoc, the vessels had
to skirt Leyte island stealing along
the enemy-held shorelines and slic
ing through narrow passages and
daring mine-sown waters.
The enemy force engaged Satur
day night was believed to consist
of three destroyers. Six Japanese
planes were downed by anti-air
craft fire in the operation.
Allied air attacks, in which Roy
al Australian Air Force planes par
ticipated, were stepped up in con
continued on Page Thrr ; Col. 5j
-V
YANK SUBMARINES
SINK JAP CRUISER
AND A DESTROYER
WASHINGTON, Dec. 4. — (A5) —
Japan, on the losing end of a war
of attrition, has lost another light
cruiser and a destroyer to the
far-ranging United Sates submarine
fleet.
A Navy communique, reporting
this today, also announced that 18
enemy merchant type ships—cargo,
tanker and transport vessels —
were included in the latest bag
by submarines operating in the dis
tant Pacific.
To date 12 enemy cruisers and
40 destroyers have been sent to
the bottom by American subma
rine action. Japan has suffered
heavily in losses of cruisers and
destroyers types critically need
ed by the Nipponese navy to
screen and support the movement
of its batlteships and aircraft car
riers.
These are sinkings only by sub
marines, they do not include others
accounted for by surface ship gun
fire and aircraft attacks. In the
second battle of the Philippines,
nine Japanese cruisers were sunk
and six others so badly damaged
they may have gone down. Of the
nine sunk, three were sent down
by submarines, the rest by air
and surface attacks.
Of 82 Japanese warships sunk
by submarines since Pearl Har
bor, 52 have been in the cruiser or
destroyer categories.
Japan entered the war with about
45 cruisers and 125 destroyers. She
has lost to Allied submarine, sur
face and air action about 200 de
stroyers and approximately 70
cruisers.__ '
FOE HURLED BACK
IN BOLOGNA AREA
Counterattacks Repelled
With Heavy Losses To
Germans
ROME, Dec. 4.—UP)—Fog-shroud
ed German counterattacks against
American positions south of Bolog
na have been knocked back with
haeavy losses to the enemy, it was
announced today simultaneously
with the disclosure that the Nazis’
employment of Italian Fascist
foops on this front had proved a
dismal failure.
JL XlC CUCIIIJ 3 J. a. U V- O L vuumvi
thrusts were launched yesterday
in the Bombina and Monte Bel
monte areas in the central sector.
Despite the fact that fog and rain
grounded Allied aircraft and
enabled the Germans to press
home their attacks, they were in
each case hurled back before they
reached the Yank lines.
Allied headquarters disclosed
that Italian fascists who were tak
en to Germany for training and
then thrown into combat in Italy
a month ago had been surrender
ing by the hundreds. Additional
hundreds were said to have desert
ed to Italian patriot forces operat
ing in northern Italy, while others
simply went home, taking their
German - made equipment with
them.
The failure of t h e experiment
has increased the already grave
manpower problem of the Ger
mans in this theater. They are
confronted with the necessity of
bolstering their depleted divisions
facing the Bsitish Eighth Army
around Faenza and Ravenna near
the Adriatic and at the same time
keeping a sufficient force south of
Bologna to prevent an American
breakthrough to the Po valley.
-V—
Army-Navy Football
Game Souvenirs Held
Product Of Japanese
WASHINGTON. Dec. 4. — (JP) —
Souvenir footballs sold at the Ar
my-Navy game last Saturday, the
House heard today, were stamped
“Made in Japan.”
The disclosure was made by Re
presentative Anderson (R-Calif),
who wanted to know “how come?”
What organization or individual,
the Californian asked, had “the
intestinal fortitude” to handle the
ribboned minatures.
“Let’s start another scrap drive,”
he suggesed, and dump all such
souvenirs into it.
GERMAN AVIATION
SCHOOLS CLOSING
Gen. Eaker Says Bombing
Has Destroyed Nazi
Oil Supply
ROME, Dec. 4.—UP)—Germany is
suffering such a drastic fuel short
age as a result of Allied bombing
attacks on her refineries that some
Nazi pilot training centers havei
been closed down and the enemy’s
bomber force has been "practical
ly abandoned,” Lt. Gen. 1 r a C.
Eaker, Mediterranean Air Force
commander, declared today.
An increasing numoer or uraiian
tanks and trucks are being cap
tured in perfect condition, but with
their gas tanks dry, as Allied ar
mies press across the enemy’s
western border. Berlin physicians,
except for a few in outlying dis
tricts of the Geiman capital, were
given no fuel allowance in August,
Eaker said.
Disclosing that he now had more
big bombers at his disposal in the
15th U. S. Air Force than ever
before, Eaker said that “German
targets are due for the greatest
weight of bombardment they have
e~'er received, and the winter
weather will not protect them.”
While conceding that opposition
over Germany was stronger lhan
ever before, he said he thought it
would be possible to maintain a
loss rate of less than two per cent
on bombing runs to the Reich. Eak
er made it plain that his force was
prepared to wage a long and re
lentless battle to smash German
industries and morale.
The experience of one captured
German student pilot was offered
as typical of the enemy’s fuel short
age.
“At his trainng school of 600
students. 30 aircraft were avail
able,” Eaker said. “Because of
lack of fuel, however, the number
of daily flights was restricted to
1C. At the end of August training
was suspended.
-V
AIR STRIP SEIZED
Chinese Complete Canture De
spite Enemv At Bhamo
————— 9
WITH CHINESE TROOPS AT
MOMAUK. North Burma, Dec.
3.—(Delayed)—(Jf)—Chinese infan
try, inching forward with heavy
supporting artillery fire, has com
pleted ci pture of the air strip out
side Bhamo, 170 miles northeast of
Mandalay.
Despite six-foot ditches and glid
er blockades, the First American
liaison plane landed-to bring out
casualties.
’ATTON DRIVES
DEEP IN ICH
liegfried Line’s Big Guns
Fail To Shake Ameri
can Grip
PARIS, Dec. 4.—(/P)—The
J. S. Third Army lashing out
ilong a 21-mile front drove
orward today more than two
niles to within six and a half
niles of the Saar basin’s
greatest industrial city of
saarbrucken, and hammered
t with eight-inch artillery.
The French cities of Forbach
.nd Saareguemines, screening this
Jerman city of 135,000 population
ive miles to the southwest and
iighty miles southeast, also were
ihelled as the lines tightened in
ide and around the vital basin
md its war factories.
The 00th Infantry Division was
iriving on Saarbrucken from the
iouthwest, the Fifth Division was
ittle more than four miles from
he Saar river eight miles to the
vast, and the Sixth Armored enter
id Die'oling, five and a half miles
fotn Saareguemines.
Beating off counterattacks by an
;nemy alarmed at the rising men
ace to his coal mines and factories,
;he Third hurled mere tanks and
nfantry into its expanding Saar
river bridgehead at Saarlautem
and fought deeper into the Sieg
fried line.
The line’s big guns blazed away
at Saarlautern and tried in vain
to knock out its captured Saar riv
er bridge. But Lt. Gen. George
3. Patton's troops seized control
Df most of the Saar’s second city
against staffer resistance and ex
tended their grip on the west
bank of the river to 16 miles.
As the mighty Allied win-the
war winter offensive thundered in
to another week, the Germans were
driven across two other river bar
riers farther north.
The U.S. Ninth Army drove to
the Roer river at Julith as all or
ganized resistance in that strong
hold west of the river collapsed.
The British in eastern Holland
crushed the last German salient
across the Maas river opposite
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 6)
-V
SOMERVELL FAVORS
POSTWAR BONUS TO
LOYAL WAR WORKERS
WASHINGTON Dec. 4. — (IP) —
Endorsing a postwar bonus for
war workers who stay at their
posts, Lt. Gen. Brehon Somervell
warned Congress today that the
manpower problem “must be lick
ed this month.”
The Army’s chief of Service
Forces told the Senate War Inves
tigating Committee there has been
no suffering yet by boys on th«
front because of the production
lag, “but we are apprehensive for
the future.”
Conceding that there have been
instances when troops have suffer
ed from lack of ammunition, hn
said these were due to transportae
tion and other difficulties.
“But, unless manpower is found
to meet deficiencies in critical i
items like tires, ammunition, hea
vy artillery, radar, batteries and
bombs, textiles and assault wire,
we have every reason to expect
a shortage at the front,” the gray
haired general declared.
Somervell expressed hope that
the agreement of the American
Federation of Labor and the Con
gress of Industrial Organizations
to aid the Army in recruiting work
ers on a Nation-wide basis would
provide the answer.
By this means, coupled with
prohibitions against increased ci
vilian production in critical labor
areas, and the scaling down of civil
an production in some factories,
le declared, “I anticipate we can
ick this thing.”
■ ■■ ■ "
x* t
“Boy! You should see the secre
ary I got with a STAR-NEWS
iVant Ad!”
\
y
4,000 Allied Planes Hit •
German Railway System
• t
LONDON, Dec. 4.—<fl—In the
most concentrated attack of
the war on Germany’s rail
way system feeding the West
ern Front, more than 4,000 Al
lied planes today blasted eight
rail arteries with nearly 12,
000 tons of bombs in 12 hours.
In a follow-up to blows by
some 2,200 American planes
and about 800 British aircraft
in daylight assaults on six rail
centers situated in a great
semi-circle around the Rhine
industrial capital of Cologne, a
force of nearly 1,000 RAF
heavy bombers tonight rain
ed explosives on the key com
munications hubs of Karl
sruhe and Heilbrownn.
The paralyzing aerial assault
followed a systematic plan an
nounced today by the aid min
istry to isolate Nazi front line
troops by cutting their supply
lines stretching out from the
Reich’s main industrial cen
ters. .
The industrial city of Karl- *
sruhe is on the No. 1 trans- l
portation line between Stras- j
bourg and Frankfurt. Heil- j
brownn is another rail hub 40 j
miles farther east.
Thus in 12 hours, the huge ]
fleets of Allied planes have ;
ripped some of the most im- 1
portant communication and
rail centers supplying the Wes- <
tern Front along its entire *
length.
(Continued on Page Ten; Col. 4) <
Greek Crisis Mounts With Violence;
Elas Ordered To Leave Athens Area
ATHENS, Dec. 4.— UP) —An ulti
matum to quit the Athens area
was served on armed men of the
Leftist Earn (National Liberation
Front) today as the bullet punc
tuated Greek crisis mounted with
a general strike and open battle
in one section of the capital.
Violence spread after thu bloody
Sunday demonstration in which 21
persons were killed and 140 in
jured. Martial law and a curfew
were imposed by Premier Georg
Papandreou’s British - supported
government.
(The British radio in a' broad
cast recorded by OW1 said the
strike in Athens calleo by the Left
Wing EAM party had spread to
government employes.
(A Leopoldville broadcast re
ported by CBS said the Greek un
der-secretary of war, General Sar
igiannis. had resigned as a result
of EAM demonstrations in Athens
Sunday.)
The crisis was precipitated by
EAM refusal to disarm and dis
band its militia, the Elas. The
EAM insisted that the mountain
brigade formed in exile under Pa
pandreou’s regime be demobilizd
simultanously and charged it had
right-wing tendencies.
Royalist and Elas troops battl
ed in the Thesseum district near
the Acropolis with machineguns
and rifles. Elas seized two police
barracks in Praeus. the port of
Athens. The strike called by the
EAM cut off all electricity, gas,
and communications, and stopped
even the unloading of relieft sup
plies.
Gen. Catsotas. acting military
governor of Atnens, gave Elas for
mations until midnight Wednesday
to leave the Athens area of At
tical province and immediate sur
roundings. Any Elas attempting to
enter the Athens city zone after
then would be “treated as ene
mys.”
Greeks paraded before the Brit
ish embassy with signs reading:
“British soldiers: L e t us choose
our own government ” Outside the
American embassy, crowds shout- i
ed “Long live Roosevelt.’’ '