The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-07-06
Peace Talk Enuoys Receiue Safe Conduct
LEGION
 LEADER ARRIVES
 JUNEAU SUNDAY

Sunday, July should prove to be a milestone in the affairs of The American Legion of this community, and of its Auxiliary. for on that date the national commander. Erie J. Cooke, Jr. youngest man ever to hold this high office, will visis Jun eau on one of three stops of a fly ing trip through the far North.
 Plans have been announced by the committee of Legionnaires headed by Vern Harris, commander of the local post. The national commander will be met at the municipal air port by the committee which in cludes, in addition to Harris, Waino Hendrickson, Homer Nordling and Harold Dawes, past commanders of the Department of Alaska.
 Included in the itinerary of the national commander are Anchorage and Fairbanks winding up at Jun eau, whence he will fly via Pan American on Monday, June g, to Seattle enroute to national head quarters in Indianapolis. The route to this point will be covered by military planes.
 After a sightseeing trip through the Glacier and Aux Bay region, the group will gather at the Bar anof hotel, where a no-host dinner will be held with Commander Cooke as guest of honor. This will be held in the Gold room. and the commit tee desires to have reservations made as soon as possible. These should be telephoned to Saxon Snow, lst vice commander of Juneau Post No 4.
 The dinner hour has been an- nounced for 6:30 Sunday evening Following this event there will be a reception in room POT of the hotel, for those wishing to personally greet the national commander.
 Commander Cooke is an Eagle Scout. and plans have been made by the committee to have him award Eagle Scout badges to three out standing young men of the com munity. These are the first to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout in Juneau. They are Wayne Powers, Eddie Dull and Arthur MacKinnon, members of Explorer Post 7l3, spnosored by voiture 1l26, Society of Forty and Eight. Wayne Powers was first to complete the requirements for advancement to Eagle Scout having qualified at the 1851 Eagle River Scout camp of the Gastineau Channel region about 30 days ago.
 Objective of the national com mander's Alaska journey is to alert Legion membership to critical prob lens which face America today, Il has been reported by the organiza- tion's national headquarters. With that objective in view, the commit tee is desirious of large attend ance at the Sunday evening dinner by members of The American Legion and The American Legion Auxili- ary, and their guests.
 A dynamic and untiring worker Commander Cooke recently com pleted a trip of more than 30'ooo miles around the world. He visited outpost positions in the front lines of Korea, held conferences, wltr Gen. Douglas Macarthur a short time before the return of MacAr- thur to the United States; paid a visit to Chiang Kai-Shek at the headouarters of the generalissimo on Formosa. and quite thoroughly cov- cred the Balkan regions including Turkey Greece and Yugoslavia.
 Thus the welcoming committee Chairman Harris said, feels that Legionnaires from the various com munities of Southeast Alaska snouio avail themselves of seeing ana near ing their national leader. It iS 'o facilitate this that the reception mas been planned, following the dinner.
 Monday has been reserved for the convenience of National Commander Cooke, and to provide time TOT COT ference with the Governor oi Alas ka. Dr. Ernest Gruening.
 With Alaska a pivotal factor III defense of America and the western Hemisphere. leaders Of The Aneii can Legion in Alaska feel the Ter ritory is fortunate in having the oi ficial head of the nations largeS. veteran organization gather iirs' hand knowledge of this region ~ present to his huge audiences n, the continental United States oi America.
 That he will do that job dramatic- ally and effectively and thus priiie about a better understanding ~ large of Alaska's problems of the day are the convictions of the Wel-