davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1949-03-06

League. His record was forwarded by the
GPU to the Commissar aboard the October
Revolution, on which battleship Ustnoff was
then stationed. The GPU notation on the
record read: I'VE are informing you of the
above for the purpose of his exposure and
discharge from the Red Fleet"
Ustinoff must have been good officer
Or perhaps, as rumored, there was hostility
between the Russian armed services and the
GPU. The directive was not acted upon.
Six Agents On His Trail
PERHAPS it would have been better for
Ustinoff if the GPU had won its point The
GPU did not like to be crossed, but this is
pure conjecture. What is not conjecture is
that this order came from GPU headquar-
tiers, marking Ustinoffs case for special
attention:
Supplementary Operational Measures in
the Case of No. 876.
!. Establish investigation of compromis-
ing data on parents and close relatives
z. With the sanction of the Chief of the
Third Division, establish contact with
'Ysoh' and assign him to Ustinoff
3. Obtain archives on case, list them and
attach to record.
4. Establish place of residence in Leningrad
and make placement in apartment house
s. Establish where Ustinoff intends to
spend vacation in order to arrange for agency
surveillance there"
This was in 1928 Ustinoff was shadowed
through l941. Thirteen years! At one time,
as many as six agents were assigned to his
trail
For a long time, these agents must
have been frustrated. A cautious citi-
zen, this Ustinoff.
We find the agents clutching at straws:
Extraordinary Report: While Ustinoff's ship
was in port, he and shipmate, one Masloff,
had few too many and wandered through
the streets of the town singing at the top of
their lungs. The shore patrol warned them
with the Russian equivalent of pipe down."
Masloff drunkenly protested: 1--WE are
happy. that is why we are singing"
The patrol then tries to drag him off to
the ships guard. whereupon. says the Ex-
traordinary Report quantity. ''Masloff be-
came riotous, fell down and broke his head"
No Shoxe Leaves
MAsLoFF was taken to the hospital; his
subsequent fate is unknown. For his role in
the affair, which seems to have been no more
than an effort to extricate shipmate in
trouble, Ustinof received the harsh but
suspended sentence of three years.
Sabotage: During the tea drinking" re-
ports the GPU agent, "Ustinoff arranged to
play concert of records on the electric
phonogaph .. The small control motor was
overloaded and broke down. Now the relay
system of the ship is out of order"
Anti-social conduct: On March a. 1910,
the representative of the machinists aboard
the minelayer Gnerny complained to Ustinoff
Evening star., 1949-01-21
The InuuquroI Boil

The Inaugural Ball last night in the
Armory was q happy revival of historic
fun.
The panorama of chivalry and beauty
was reminiscent Of pictures of 10th CEN
tury Washington events.
Civil War Photographer Brady's lens
could not have encompassed it-and
neither could today's press photographer
Speed Graphics. The Armory is more than
1000 feet across and it was filled with
dancing couples.
A gracious President stayed late to wit
ness the dancing in his honor, and Cliff
Berrymans John Public was able to COM
pare the steps OF hirsute Senator Con-
nally and an otherwise James A. Farley.
They were only two of the celebrities who
danced to the name bands.
There were lineups at the boxes to pay
respects to Cabinet officers. But none was
as long as the line to get the autograph
Of Miss Margaret O'Brien, now grown to
something of young woman
AS in the case of the new Smithsonian
Building which provided room for the Gar
field inaugural of 1881, the Armory proved
itself a Washington asset. Among the
events Of an inaugural under clear skies,
last nights ball was happy one.
Evening star., 1949-01-21
A Job Well Done

A week after last Novembers election
nothing had been done to plan for the
unofficial parts of the Presidents inau-
guration. Congress had set up congress
sional committee, dominated by Repub-
licans, to arrange the ceremonies at the
Capitol and had made the necessary ap-
preparations for the stands on the Capitol
Plaza and other such expenses.
But with less than three months to do
1t in, the vast amount of detailed planning
for the unofficial part of the ceremony
the parade, the invitation to Governors,
the erection of stands along PennSyl-
vania avenue and in front of the White
House. the gala" and the inaugural ball
and the housing for thousands of dis
tinguished and ordinary visitors-remained
to be set in motion by the appointment
of q committee of Washington citizens.
Tradition has always left this task to
Washingtonians.
The chairman, Melvin D. Hildreth, was
appointed by the President toward the
middle of November and he got the other
committees set up and working. The ex-
traordinarily fine results Of their labors
have been shown within the past three
days and the hard-working volunteers
who headed and stated all the planning
committees deserve congratulations.
The one sour note has been injected by
the Senate Republicans. Their defeat
with the assistance of a few Democrats,
of the hastily prepared but customary
legislation to exempt from the amusement
tax the tickets to the unofficial parts OF
the Inauguration ceremony, was an un-
gracious and most unfair performance. II
it has established precedent, the char
acter of future inaugurationS may change.
Up to this time the onerouS work OF
detailed planning, done by hundreds OF
volunteers, has been regarded as part OF
the responsibility of private citizens, acting
with the President as hosts to the thou
sands of visiting Americans. If the Sen
ates action is to stand uncorrected, or If
the view is to prevail that the inaugura
tion of the President of the United States
is an amusement" in the accepted sense
of the term, there is no point in having
future inaugural committees of volunteer
citizens to underwrite the expense in ad-
vance and stand any ensuing losses, with
any profit going to charity.
The Government may as we'll take over
the whole thing or else farm out to the
highest bidder the sale of such "conces-
sions" as the parade stands and the
inaugural ball.
Evening star., 1949-01-21
Saving the Freedom Train

The Freedom Train, back in Washington
after visiting 325 cities in 4S States, has
been inspected by hundreds of citizens of
the Nations Capital and its environs. Still
other crowds will make pilgrimage to 1t
before II p m. tomorrow. Then unless pres
ent decisions are altered, 1t will be dis
assembled, its documents dispersed, its
personnel disbanded.
But the purpose of the Freedom Train
cannot be said to have been fulfilled COM
pletely. True, more than 3,500000 people
have passed through its cars and briefly
viewed its displays. This number, how
ever, is small in comparison with that of
and therefore have not seen the exhibition
of its assembled historical material.
Meanwhile, need for effective dramatiza-
ton of the grand traditions of the United
States has grown rather than diminished.
If the Freedom Train was called for thir-
teen months ago, it certainly is wanted
now.
Possibly there is some compelling rea
son why the Freedom Train must cease
to exist as an instrument of embattled
democracy. If so, it is a matter of regret;
If not, there certainly will be many Amer
leans of every class, creed and condition
who will rejoice to learn that 1t has been
decided to carry on" to make another
tour of the Nation, to stay on the job as
long as prevailing turmoil in the world
continues
Evening star., 1949-01-21
To Reduce 1t to q Minimum

In an address in New York the other
night Frederick Osborn deputy American
representative on the United Nations
Atomic Energy Commission, reminded
everybody that there is no way OF estab-
fishing an absolute, foolproof guarantee
against the danger of war with A-weapons.
The same point has been made before,
but it is worth repeating, If only to Illus
trate the difficulties involved in the prob
lem of setting up effective control even
under the best of circumstances
The best of circumstances do not exist,
of course Alone among the great powers,
and backed only by its little bloc of satel-
lites, the Soviet Union has frustrated the
will OF the overwhelming majority Of ma
tions by putting thumbs down on the
American plan to create an unprecedented
international authority to own, operate
and otherwise control all dangerous
nuclear- -fission activities throughout the
globe In rejecting such an authority
which would be armed with a vetoleSS
inspection system and vetoless punitive
powers against possible violators-the Rus
slams have driven the U. NJ Atomic Energy
Commission into a fearful stalemate; and
unless they have change of heart and
decide to cooperate, the world will be
able to look forward to little more than
the deadliest ornaments race in history,
a race almost certain to explode eventu
ally into a war with A-weapons.
1t is true. as Mr.. Osborn's reminder
makes clear, that such a war would be
possible even If the Soviet Union Joined
the rest of the world in a control system
of the sort advocated by the United States
and supported by most of the U. N. This
lis 30 because in some future crisis any
nation in that system could defy the inter-
national, authority, seize the nuclear-
fission installations within it's own borders
and in neighboring countries, and then
convert them to the production of A
weapons But the important point is that
under vetoless inspection, the seizure
would be instantly known to all other
powers and the conversion to military
output in significant quantity, would take
time-perhaps a year or more. And in
that time, the other powers having been
fully alerted, would have a good chance
to take united action to prevent the viola
tor from launching atomic attacks.
In other words, although the majority
control plan would not eliminate the pos
sibility of war with Aweapons, it would
make the possibility remote. 1t would do
so by placing potential aggressors in the
inhibiting position of inviting the rest of
the world to strike swiftly to stop them
from attacking with the atom. Contrari-
wise, without effective control, the posi-
Evening star., 1949-01-21
Letters to The Star
Inaugural Traffic Editorial

inaugural lrah1c Editorial
70 the Editor Of The Star:
For the past several weeks, every one in the
District engaged in trafic control has been
busy in whole hearted effort to cope with the
tremendous influx of visitors for inaugural
week
Frankly, 1t has been q back-breaking job
and thus it was with a great deal Of pleasure
that and many others, I'm sure, read your
editorial. Inaugural Traffic Problem" Janu-
ary 18.
AS you so well know, Washington has many
traffic problems aside from those connected
with this weeks celebration and the recogni-
tion and support we receive from the press
and other international media IL not only
gratifying but serves as a stimulant to our
activities.
Your timely editorial taking cognizance OF
the traffic problem is, in my opinion, just an
other example of the cooperation which often
spells the difference between success and de-
feat in our program.
GEORGE E. KENEIPP,
Director of Vehicles and Traffic.
Evening star., 1949-01-21
The Asian Conference at Delhi

The international conference which
opened yesterday at New Delhi, capital of
the Dominion of India, is noteworthy
event. Called on the initiative of the
Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru,
it is primarily concerned with the issue
raised by the Dutch police action" against
the Indonesian Republic, but there is the
possibility that, once the conference gets
under way, 1t may broaden the scope of its
deliberations.
Invitations were issued to virtually all
the nations of the Middle and Far East.
And, with the notable exception of Turkey,
these were accepted. The "Asiatic" char
acter of the conference is slightly modified
by the presence of delegates from Australia
and New Zealand, British Dominions geo.
graphically reckoned as Pacific powers and
overwhelmingly AngloSaxon in blood.
Besides India itself, two other non-British
Dominions of the Commonwealth-Pa
istan and Ceylon-are in attendance, to-
Evening star., 1949-01-21
White Russians in China

| TO the Editor Of The Star
| With the near fall OF China to the Com
munists there exists a problem that should
be brought to the attention of your readers.
| Today in Shanghai, China there are 1890
people who at this time are desperately
| afraid. They are q lost colony, lost from the
| hope of a future peaceful life. In city of
teeming millions of every nationality on earth,
they fear the dread of the Communist on
| slaught
They are only handful of people compared
| to others now shadowed by the hammer and
sickle. They are people without country.
They are White Russians.
| There has been little written about these
people and very few know the origin of the
| White Russians. Their present condition dates
back just 81 years when the Marxists in Russia
rose against the government of the Car and
| brought about the revolution of 1917 This
was the start of the present Soviet Union; at
the same time it was the end of the followers
of the Gar. The military men who were
| opposed to this new political regime were
slaughtered, as were the Gear and his family
But the nonmilitary and their families fed
in terror
These refugees spread all over the world
taking up homesteads wherever possible. But
the majority braved the barrenness and cold
of Mongolia and Manchuria and finally settled
in the international city of Shanghai Here
these people without country" were able
| to work and rear their families. They even
| formed an organization known as the Associa-
| ton of the Stateess White Russians. It had
no diplomatic standing, but it gave them
| feeling of unity of purpose
| White Russians never forget for moment
| that they are White Russians. They are proud
| of the reasons that led them out of Russia
| years ago. But they are remembered by the
| Communists.
Today the chief problem is the 1890 White
| Russians who are frantic in their desire to
leave Shanghai. Among these are the families
Of wives of American military personnel who
were married while on duty in China. re-
| Gently received letter from Nina Kavaleva,
| mother of one of these wives states: I'VE may
| be caught in Shanghai by the Communists,
and then good-by, darling, forever. They will
send all the White Russians to the Soviet
| Union and some will be shot. Others will be
| sent to Siberia for hard labor"
When 4 White Russian spokesman was
| asked If he believed such treatment would
| come from the Chinese Communists or a
possible follow-up by soviets, he shrugged his
shoulders and said, There Is no difference to
Evening star., 1949-01-21
gether with independent Asiatic states

gether with Independent Asiatic states
from Egypt to the Philippines.
There can be no question that the Delhi
Conference is overwhelmingly sympathetic
with the Indonesian Republic and antag-
onistic to the Dutch. Jawaharlal Nehru
left no doubt as to where he stood when
he condemned the Dutch action as naked
and unabashed aggression" and an at
tempt to revive dying imperialism and
colonialism." The Indonesian representa-
tive, DR.. Soemitro, has presented memo
randum calling for the strongest measures
in support of the republic and against the
Dutch
Under these circumstances, the attitude
Of the conference Is foregone conclusion.
The chief interest lies in the question as
to whether the conference will endeavor
to implement condemnatory resolutions
against the Netherlands and moral support
of the 1ndonesian Republic by concrete
action. Economic boycotts against the
Dutch and severance of diplomatic rela-
tions are distinct possibilities, but direct
material aid to the 1ndonesians would
seem to be impracticable. Neither indi-
vidually nor collectively do the Asiatic
participants possess naval strength suffi-
cient to challenge Dutch sea power, to say
nothing of the fact that such action would
legally constitute aggression, alike in inter-
national law and under the u N Charter.
Indeed, only one spokesman, Burmese,
has even suggested an "expeditionary
force" and he has been promptly dis
avowed by his own government.
Politically and psychologically, however,
strong stand by the Delhi Conference
in favor Of the 1ndonesians and against
the Dutch could have widespread roper
cussions. 1t is to be hoped that the
participants in this assemblage will be
guided by sense of reality and not allow
themselves to take an attitude whose con-
sequences might be unfortunate for all
concerned
Evening star., 1949-01-21
Questions Retroactive Raise

Questions Retroactive Raise
To the Editor Of The Star:
read in the Bible that a little yeast can
multiply and leaven the whole loaf; and again
that salt that doesn't taste salty would be use
less to the consuming public. With Holy Writ
to back me. I, therefore, throw the fat into
the fire
say, as . District employe, let us have our
pay raise ($330) II Providence and Congress
see At for adjustment Of wages to match
prices seems proper However, ask, by what
devious reasoning can the proposed provision
be justified which would make such an increase
retroactive to July !, 1948? The sum involved
for about 1900 District employees Is about
$500 900 rs I understand It, This sum would
pay for the repairs on the White House or for
some other unavoidable Government expense
If my beloved confreres have survived to this
date without the increase in pay, that is
merely one of those triumphs Of the survival
instinct. What q crazy businessman it would
be who would hold the public responsible for
the failure of anticipated profits last year and
try to gouge this year to make up.
Why be . hog?
A COWARD AND LUNKHEAD.
Evening star., 1949-01-21
Coffee a Loss at s Gents

TO the Editor Of The Star:
Reference is made to letter captioned "A
Simple Plea for Sc Coffee" printed January 49,
run the restaurant just above the ball park
on Georgia avenue-sell q cup Of coffee for a
nickel, and it's as good q product as can be
sold at this price under todays conditions
I could sell a perfect cup of coffee for q
dime, but, for the edification of your coffee
drinking constituents, here is why you can't
sell 1t for nickel:
First of all, your writer mentions Mocha
and Java" and Brazilian" in the same letter
as though referring to the same thing That
shows his ignorance. M 6z j is good coffee, but
you won't get it in any commercial coffee
Brazilian (Rio) is the cheapest grade obtain
able 1t is used for blends in the cheaper
qualities-no self-respecting coffee roaster uses
any quantity of it.
We pay 49 cents q pound for coffee-that
comes to about l cent 6-ounce mug. Cream
is $256 q gallon, and must be diluted in order
to bring your cost per serving down to ~
cents. Sugar averages " cent cup. Thus we
have food cost Of 2A cents per serving. Now,
q mug makes about so trips through the wash
ing machine before it Is Clipped or broken,
and spoon replacement also enters into the
picture. These add another cent to the costs,
making 81 cents that must be charged to
every cup of coffee that Is sold for q nickel,
or 67la per cent There Is an overhead of rent,
wages, heat, light. gas, insurance, taxes, ETC.,
amounting to approximately 36 per cent in
the average small store, and we thus have
31a per cent loss on every cup of coffee we
sell for q nickel.
I stay open "a hours . day to feed the
bakers and bus operators who work in my
vicinity-they consume hundreds OF gallons
of my coffee every week-and defy the writer
OF the letter you printed to buy a better
product at this price. My customers average
from $40 to $50 week income; they cannot
afford q 10-cent coffee.
Restaurateurs serve the best quality they
can for the prices they get-and when prices
come down the quality will go up
EDWARD B. RANSOHOFF.
Evening star., 1949-01-21
Letters for publication must bear
the signature and address OF the
,ortter, although 1t Is permissible for
aDriter kno11n to The Star to use
nom de plume. Please be brief.

u.s. They believe Communists are Communists
all loyal to Moscow.
According to them, death at the hands of
the Chinese Reds is the best they could hope
for. But in all probability they will be re-
turned to Russia to answer old scores in
accordance with an agreement between the
Chinese and Soviet Reds
Many of this group held official and political
posts some 80 years ago. Now they believe
their position is dangerous because the Soviet
government is fully aware of their active
opposition to them in the past.
Very little has been done to date to evacuate
these people without country" Americans,
married into their families, have sent afldavits
of support hoping that they can come to this
country. But White Russians are considered
citizens of the Soviet in our quota of entry.
The International Relief Organization is
attempting to devise some plan of evacuation
before it Is too late Mrs. Kavaleva's letters
explain: They start first with the Russian
Jews. They want to send them to Palestine.
have applied, but am afraid they will force
me to change my religion and don't want to-
Then again Palestine may not allow us to
immigrate to the States after We get there.
We will then be stuck. But we must 60 away"
Frightened and bewildered the 1890, which
mclude 1,5Ob men, 2,02l women ana S63 chill
dren, have little hope. Many are provided with
poison which they carry with them and which
they claim they would rather use than be
taken when the Communists come. Others
talk of hurting themselves from high buildings.
Whether these people without hope will or
will not take these drastic measures when the
time comes is a matter of speculation. What
Is real and horrible fact is that they con-
template such action now; that they are
frightened and distraught; that in this day
Of the United Nations, following war fought
for freedom, apparently nothing is planned to
save this group from their own fears.
The enemy big cruel enemy
wants to grab us and I hope he will
not succeed. We hope that Americas heart will
open for us poor forsaken people out here in
China" MALCOLM RIDDLE,
Capt, U. S. A.
Evening star., 1949-01-21
Let Winter Fields Rejoice

Da,pn 1ualks in silence up the. frozen
streams
Meeting limpid light ascending from
the sno1D;
Stirring the little turred ones from their
dreams
1t gro,os in brightness as the SHADOWS
grO1D.
The stiffness Hfts-a 1Dinter song untolds-
Somewhere tpig snaps like fiddle
string;
Deep underneath, the sno,o-fred blanket
holds
Kernel of life and gro,oth, essence OF
spring.
Let ,pinter fields rejoice this time OF grace,
As bitter wirads unleash their cruel spark:
This Is the challenge: For little space
The roots and seeds must tolerate the
dark:
From out the transmutation, day-lono,
night-long,
Shall rise the stem OF hopes triumphant
song! LEILA PIER KING.
Evening star., 1949-01-21

bility must become less and less remote
as the nuclear armaments race gains
momentum. That is why Mr. Osborn and
others emphasize the urgency of affirma-
tive and unanimous action in the u N
Atomic Energy Commission. Such action
cannot end the danger entirely, but it
can reduce it-as nothing else cah-to a
safe minimum.