UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
PAGE EIGHT
MONDAY. DECEMBER 5, 1949
Hopkins Gave Russia A-Bomb Ex-Major Says
Washington, Dec. 5—U.(P.)—George Racey Jordan, former air force major, today challenged the experts to dig into musty lend-lease records and "disprove" his charge that Harry L. Hopkins and two state department officials "gave Russia the A-bomb on a platter."
He said investigators who compare his diary entries with data on wartime aid to Russia will find that "they fit like a well-cut picture puzzle."
Jordan's charges against Hopkins the late White House intimate, and two unnamed state department officials have been branded as "incredible" by Mr. Hopkins' friends and relatives. They nevertheless have touched off two Congressional investigations with promises from the air force and atomic energy commission to give their "full cooperation."
The story told by the 51-year-old former army air force liaison officer rivalled any of the Communist spy thrillers which have been unfolded since the war. He said some 1,650 pounds of raw uranium—the stuff from which atomic bombs are made—and literally tons of secret papers were jammed into black suitcases and flown to Russia in lend-lease planes.
Mr. Hopkins, he said, once told him by long distance telephone to "rush two shipments through as speedily as possible" and say nothing about them. Once, he added, the air force tried to stop the ships but got a blunt "hands off" warning from the state department. He said he discovered the ships while stationed as a liaison officer at the Great Falls, Mont., air base on the Alaska lend-lease supply route to Russia.
The F.B.I. has refused to comment on the case, but it was learned that its agents have questioned Mr. Jordan and examined his diary. Jordan, now assistant to the president of a New York construction firm, first told his story to radio commentator Fulton Lewis, Jr., in an interview December 2. He filled in some of the blanks in another interview with a United Press reporter who found him visiting at Mr. Lewis' farm estate near Hollywood, Md., over the week-end.
Jordan said he "sat" on the story for six years because "no one ever asked me about it before" and because the reported atomic shipments were "common knowledge" in top American military circles. "If they didn't want to howl about it, why should I?" he asked. He said he finally told the story to the F.B.I. after Mr. Lewis got wind of it and "hunted me out."
Young Hopkins said his father, while aware of Russia's tremendous contributions to the allied cause during the war, also "was well aware of the threat of future world Communism. . . and was very outspoken against it." e
Jordan said the uranium shipments passed through the base in February, 1944. "Hopkins told me in a long distance call from Washington to rush these two shipments warned me not to make any record of it or anything about it or my superior officers," he said.
David Hopkins' reply to that was: "Actually, from Jan. 1 until after July 4 of that year, my father was critically ill and almost completely inaccessible. The possibility of telephone conversations during the month of February is completely out of the question."
Meanwhile, in fairbanks, Alaska Brig. Gen. Dal V. Gaffney says he was "completely surprised" by MajGen. Racey Jordan's claim that plane loads of atomic secrets were transported to Russia through Alaskan air bases.
Gen. Gaffney, who was Jordan's superior officer as commander of the Alaskan division of the air transport command, denied yesterday that any suspicious reports regarding the Russian shipments had come to him.
Political Broadcasts On BBC Determined By Party's Seats
In England the amount of time a political party can get for radio broadcasts is determined by the party's strength in Parliament, Rhys Hopkin Morris, former Independent-Liberal member of the British parliament, said Dec. 2 in an interview at the University.
Allen Starting Tallest Squad
By BOB NELSON
Omaha, Nebr., Dec. 5—Special to the University Daily Kansas—Coach Forrest C. "Phog" Allen will start the tallest Jayhawk five ever to represent K. U. basketball when it clashes with the Creighton university Bluejays here tonight at 8:45 in the Creighton gymnasium.
With big Gene Petersen moved into the starting lineup, replacing either Bob Kenney or Bill Hougland, the K.U. starters will average six-feet five-inches in height and offer the Jays plenty of trouble in trying to control the boards.
Coach Allen and his cagers arrived here yesterday afternoon via bus from Kansas City and spent the night at the Fontenelle hotel. This morning the Jayhawkers went through a light workout.
Both the Bluejays and the Jayhawkers will be out after their second straight win of the young season. Kansas encountered little trouble in rolling over Rockhurst college 55 to 34 Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo., while Creighton eased Colorado college 58 to 51 here on Friday night.
Coach J. V. "Duce" Belford's starting five, all lettermen averaging only six-feet in height, expect to encounter plenty of trouble from the skyscrapers from Kansas as did Rockhurst in going down before Dr. Allen's charges.
Last year's Kansas-Creighton contest in Lawrence's Hoch auditorium turned out to be a record breaking affair. Allen's offensive minded cagers established a new team scoring mark by rolling over Creighton 79 to 50.
Gene "Promation" Petersen, six-foot seven-inch forward formerly of Omaha and a starter tonight, set a new individual KU. scoring mark by burning the nest for 34-point total on 15 field goals and four free throws in last year's encounter. Dr. Allen expects ete to be through his brightness in the "homecoming" performance before me of his Omaha friends.
Coach Belford has built this year's club around six lettermen, three juniors and three seniors, but the team's core has been women. It does, possess, adequate experience,
The return of senior Donald
*Pinky* 'Knowles to the squad
9 Mr. Morris, now regional director
Mr. Morris, now regional director of the Welsh division of the British Broadcasting company, is on a lecture tour of the United States. The tall, greying Welshman, a lawyer by profession, said that "in the United States you have several large radio networks and, as a consequence, have five or six broadcasting stations in many of your large cities. In England we have only one radio network and so have only one station in each large city.
"The B.B.C. is divided into five divisions which adapt their programs to the particular section of the British Isles which their division includes. One division broadcasts in Welsh to their territory of Wales. Another broadcasts in Gaelic and is sent to Scotland."
Mr. Morris said that the amount of time a political party has for broadcasts is determined by the party's strength in Parliament. Mr. Morris declined to make any comparison between the type of program carried by the networks of the two countries for he said he had not heard any American programs.
B. B.C. is not supported by advertising but by a tax paid by the owners of radio receiving sets. Like our system it is independent of the government.
"Devaluation of the pound has raised the cost of living in England," Mr. Morris said. "The trade unions have agreed not to demand higher wages. Since the people now have to spend more of their incomes to get the necessities of life they have less to spend for imports. Thus the amount of imports will decline and England's finances will be strengthened."
Mr. Morris will spend six weeks in this country. He arrived Nov. 3 and will leave Dec. 16. During that time he will speak at colleges and universities in different parts of the United States.
may be the deciding factor in several games this season. Knowles, a deceptive guard and a flashy crowd-pleaser, recently was named captain for the Jays and is expected to give the Jayhawkers a busy evening with his fine all-around play.
Following tonight's game, the Omaha K.U. Alumni association will honor Coach Allen and his basketball squad with a dinner.
The Jayhawkers will return to Lawrence late tonight by bus in order that they may attend Tuesday classes and begin preparations for Saturday night's important home cage opener against the always dangerous Purdue Boilermakers.
Pi Lambda Theta will grant two research awards of $400 each on or before Aug. 15, 1950, for original research papers on the professional problems of women.
The professional women's educational group will accept any unpublished study of such problems. Those who enter need not restrict themselves to the field of education, nor need they be actively engaged in the field now.
Pi Lambda Theta To Sponsor Contest
The study may deal with women's status, professional training, responsibilities and contributions to education and society.
Three copies of the study must be submitted to the committee on studies and awards by June 1, 1950. The money for the awards comes from the Ella Victoria Dobbs Fellowship fund.
Manuscripts and inquiries should be addressed to Alice H. Hayden, University of Washington, Seattle 5. Wash.
Chiang Resumes China Command
Hong Kong, Dec. 5.—U.(P.)-General alissimo Chiang Kai-Shek resumed direction of China's Nationalist government today while officials already began to flee Chengtu, threatened by Communist forces only 92 miles away.
Chiang took over after Li Tsung-Jen, acting president, left Hong Kong on the first leg of a flight to the United States, ostensibly for medical treatment. Reports from Chengtu said Premier Yeh Hsi-Shan threatened to resign when Li refused his entreaties to return to Chengau and take over active direction of the government.
As a result the Kuomintang central standing committee met over the weekend and approved a motion to the effect that Chiang will resume the presidency while Li Tsung-Jen is in the United States. The remaining Nationalist officials in threatened Chengtu began a lightning evacuation when Communist forces marching from Chungking captured Neikiang, 92 miles Southeast of Chengtu.
The Communist drive on Chengtu was paralleled by other Communist drives through Southwest China which apparently were speeding forward without opposition. A report from Chengtu said the last 100,000 Nationalist troops on the mainland had been withdrawn into Southern Kwangtung province and Lichou peninsula preparatory to evacuating the mainland for Hainan island. The headquarters of the Southwest China commander, Gen. Pai Chung-Hsi, already has been established on Hainan, this report said.
Sellards, Straight To Be Soloists
The University Symphony orchestra will present its fall concert at 8 p.m. today in Hoch auditorium. The orchestra, under the direction of Russell L. Wiley, professor of band and orchestra will play "Third Symphony" (Brahms) and waltzes from "Der Rosenkavalier" (Strauss).
Solists with the orchestra will be James Sellards, education senior, playing "Concerto for Trumpet" (Haydn), and Willard Straight, fine arts junior, in "Variations Symphony-ques" (Franck) for piano and orchestra.
Solo work is "old stuff" to Sellards, who plays first trumpet in the orchestra. Although it will be his first appearance with this group, he has performed many times with the University band in the past two years. He took his way through war as a field musician with the marines before he came to the University in 1946. His home is in Osage City.
Tonight will also mark Willard Straight's first appearance with the orchestra. He is a student of D. M. Swarthout, dean of the School of Fine Arts. Straight, whose home is Kansas City, Mo., has also done some
JAMES SELLARDS
composition work. One of his numbers, a chorale, will be presented by
WILLARD STRAIGHT
his church in Kansas. City during its Christmas services.
Coffee Prices Rise As Result Of 'Shortage'
Bv FRANCIS KELLEY
A study of Lawrence retail and wholesale grocery firms the past few days make the alleged "coffee shortage" appear more rumor than fact.
The rumored "shortage" is reported a result of a "failure of coffee crops in South America." Coffee stocks in Lawrence are reported normal by Lawrence retailers and wholesalers.
But this hasn't kept the prices the same. Prices of all coffees have jumped during the past two weeks. Popular brands now selling from 79 to 85 cents a pound were selling for 74 cents in Lawrence two weeks ago. This marks a price increase of about 9 per cent. The average price of these coffees is 81 cents.
Cheaper grade coffees are now selling in Lawrence for 47 to 75 cents a pound. The average price for these "cheap" coffees, 61 cents a pound. These are the coffees sold in paper bags. A year ago these cheaper coffees were selling for 40 cents. The increase of 21 cents a pound for the year is an increase of 52 per cent.
Some Lawrence firms do not distinguish between the "cheap" coffees and national brands of coffee now. They sell all coffees at the same price.
They said they have not been told of any shortage or proposed cut in coffee stock by wholesalers' supply houses.
Coffee stocks reportedly are moving more slowly in Lawrence now because of the higher prices. Spokesmen for two Lawrence wholesale grocers firms said they are now carrying the same brands in normal amount as they did before the "coffee shortage."
Housewives in Lawrence are showing great interest in the present situation. Most of them are of the opinion that there is no real coffee short of someone it's taking advantage of a situation in hiking coffee prices.
Mrs. Mary Hastert, 639 Vermont street, is not buying any more coffee now than she normally has. She is owner of a Lawrence rooming house. "I think people are hoarding coffee," she said. "If people wouldn't buy more than they need, we wouldn't have these high prices. I don't believe there is any coffee shortage."
Mrs. John L. Kennedy, 769 Maple street, uses about a pound and a half of coffee a week for her family. She can't see the need for high prices, either. "The coffee scare has thrown people into a buying panic," she said, "but we haven't had any trouble getting coffee."
Mrs. Clarence Wilson, 624 Kentucky street, is not buying as much coffee now because of the higher prices. She is one of two widowed sisters keeping house together. "I think these houses are outrageous," she said. "It costs so much to live now—about twice what it did before the war."
Mrs. B. F. Hammel, 1500 E. 23rd street, is another housewife still buying a normal amount of coffee. "We use about a pound of coffee a week," she said. "I like coffee and will keep on buying it regardless of the price."
Music Professors Conduct Clinics
E. Thayer Gaston and James Nickerson have returned from western Kansas, after directing music clinics for high school students the past week.
Mr. Gaston, professor of music education, was in Goodland supervising a band clinic for students in that area. He conducted a concert Dec. 2, by a band composed of 400 musicians attending the clinic.
Mr. Nickerson, associate professor of music education, directed a chorus of 700 voices at Garden City, Dec. 2 as the finale of a two-day vocal clinic held there. High school students from Garden City, Houston, Syracuse, Liberal, Meade, universities, and Cimarron took part in the concert.