20 Aug 1961
Page 1
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Newspaper
Middletown Journal
Location
Middletown, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Aug 20, 1961
Page
1
The Commerce Department reports the GNP rose from 500.8 billion to 516.1 billion in the April-June quarter, marking a faster postwar rebound. Auto production spurred much of the gain, exports-trade surplus fell to 3.9 billion, with personal consumption rising and private investment increasing to 68.8 billion.
Washington AP reports Cuba formally asked the United States to return the 3,800 ton freighter Santa de Nipe seized by 11 Cuban defectors who sailed into Chesapeake Bay seeking asylum. The ship was boarded by U S immigration Coast Guard and Navy intelligence. State Department relayed that Cuba asserts ownership and wants the vessel back with crew replacements to be arranged. The freighter was seized to settle claims by two Philadelphia longshoremen.
MOSCOW AP Francis Gary Powers completed his first full year in prison after being sentenced on August 20 last year to 10 years deprivation of liberty for spying. He is imprisoned at Vladimir about 100 miles east of Moscow and reportedly works in a paper shop making envelopes. The U S embassy has received no replies to repeat requests to see Powers and US officials doubt transfer to a labor camp within three months.
Moscow reports spaceman Ghermann TitoV said on a Moscow radio broadcast that long living artificial satellites will soon exist and that moon expeditions would follow. He predicted future flights would lead to expeditions to Venus Mars and other planets with these projects now real and near.
In Cincinnati a potential debate between International Brotherhood of Teamsters President James R. Hoffa and James T. Luken of Dairy Drivers Local 98 looms if ground rules are met. Luken demands a studio audience of his drivers, broadcast by a local station, with AFL-CIO leaders Kircher and Presser to participate, insisting on a fair, nonrigged setting for the local issue.
Senate rackets panel opens hearings Tuesday on organized crime, tracing crooked gambling devices that keep players from beating the house. Witnesses from from New York to Hot Springs appear, including Owen Madden. McClellan questions adequacy of new anti racketeering laws to curb the underworld.
President Kennedy praised Secretary of the Treasury Douglas Dillon for his work at the Inter-American Alliance for Progress conference in Punta del Este Uruguay. Kennedy said aid to Latin America must be strong and fully funded while noting a House Senate aid bill split over a five year plan and a conference committee will reconcile differences.
The United Auto Workers said early returns from General Motors plants show about 9 percent in favor of a strike if needed to back contract demands. Voting continues at Ford and Chrysler and across GM plants nationwide, with results due before the August 29 executive board meeting as the Big Three contracts expire August 31. Early figures from 11 GM locals show 13,078 in favor and 1,310 against strike action.
A major earthquake hit central Japan with a 7.2 magnitude, triggering landslides and rail disruption. Police report 5 killed, 30 injured, 4 missing as hardest-hit Fukui Gifu and Ishikawa prefectures suffer damage. quake also felt in Tokyo and Osaka where Anastas Mikoyan was visiting.
Official reports indicate about 5,000 Maltese want to emigrate to the United States as Malta sets an annual quota of 100. The item notes strong emigration interest among Maltese nationals seeking opportunities abroad.
AP reports U S plan to orbit a band of copper needles around Earth draws protests from world astronomers who fear it could dim telescopes and interfere with radio instruments. Committees of American scientists approve the test, arguing the 75 pound needle ring will fade within two to three years.
The United Auto Workers and automakers say they hope to settle before the August 31 contract expiry. Local unions and plants at GM Ford and Chrysler report 90 percent voting power to strike if needed, with plant level contracts adding pressure. GM faces 16 000 local demands as discussions continue. Some sources predict no strike while others warn a walkout could be possible.
A Saturday release from Ohio's Department of Highway Safety reports improvements in traffic safety. In the first half of this year compared with 1969, there were 190 potential deaths avoided, 2,201 injuries prevented, and 5,981 auto owners spared from accidents. Deaths fell 22 percent with a rate of 3.1 deaths per 100 million miles traveled versus 4.0 last year.
Spade Cooley, 50, famed as the king of western swing, was found guilty by a Bakersfield jury of murdering his wife Ella Mae, 37, at their Willow Springs ranch. Jurors deliberated 21 hours. Cooley claimed innocence. A sanity verdict and potential penalty of life imprisonment or death await separate verdicts.
Baltimore AP Gen Curtis LeMay Air Force chief of staff and bomber veteran told Jewish war veterans that missiles cannot replace humans. He argued machines lack judgment and flexibility, noting missiles work only in war and cannot substitute for manned aircraft capable of showing force and adapting to unrehearsed situations.
A light humor item notes why Cupid misses with love lines. he aims for the heart while admiring hosiery, delivering a playful double entendre in a brief, old‑school column style.
Moscow rejected Western protests by the United States Britain and France over East Germany closing Berlin’s border. The Soviet note blamed Western deception bribery and blackmail for refugees and claimed West Berlin as an espionage den. It argued for a peace treaty with Germany and said East Germany had the right to act.
Middletown Journal preview notes transportation progress from Indian trails to six lane highways linking Cincinnati and Dayton. It highlights canals interurbans passenger trains and modern road growth, with travel times dropping from days to minutes. Also features Herbert Hoover with a profile on page 16 and a lighter piece on doing nothing on page 21.
West Berlin greeted Vice President Johnson with fervor as a 1,500 man U S unit from the 8th Infantry Division moved toward East Germany to reinforce Berlin garrison. Another 1,500-strong unit moved from West Germany toward Berlin while a train carried British troop carriers and scout cars into the city. Johnson pledged unity with the free world and predicted Communist failure to split Germany.
French military sources say the National Defense Council ordered strengthening of manpower and equipment for the land and air forces in Germany to full strength. A second large unit will be brought back from Algeria after a division was recently withdrawn. Details on numbers or timing were not disclosed.
President Johnson landed in overcast weather for a Western Berlin morale boosting mission amid Communist travel restrictions. He praised Kennedy’s pledge to maintain Berlin’s freedom and access while noting new strength to Western forces in West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds near City Hall Square exceeded 120000 as Johnson urged Berliners to lift their eyes from barbed wire and walls and recognize Germany’s natural unity. Continued on page 2.
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