Monday, April 29, 2013

April 29, 1945; PEACE IN EUROPE IS CLOSE:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, 1PRIL 29, 1945:


BIG SPRING, TEXAS, SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 1945

Himmler Rebuffed
When Reds Left
Out Of His Offer
By The Associated Press
Heinrich Himmler, Nazi Gestapo chief and German interior minister, has offered to surrender Germany unconditionally to Britain and the United States but was rebuffed because he did not include surrender to Russia, Moscow announced officially early today (Sun).
The fact that the offer was made and spurned was reported by Tass, official Soviet news agency, in a Moscow broadcast. This was the first official word that Germany, in a states of military collapse, was ready to quit.
Previously reports to the same effect had circulated around the world, and from San Francisco, where the United Nations Conference was in session, came word last night (Sat) that a surrender had occurred and was expected to be announced at any moment.
President Truman, however, told White House correspondents that actual surrender was a rumor without foundation.
The San Francisco report that a surrender had been made with "no strings attached," originated with Senator Tom Connally, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee and vice chairman of . the American delegation to the United Nations Conference.
The San Francisco report that a surrender had been made with "no strings attached," originated with Senator Tom Connally, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee and vice chairman of . the American delegation to the United Nations Conference.
This information, given at first with the stipulation that Connally not be identified, was carried by the Associated press at 6:55 p. m. Central War Time.
One hour and forty minutes later President Truman told an extraordinary press conference at the White House in Washington that he had gotten Admiral
Leahy to telephone General Eisenhower in Paris "and there is no foundation for the rumor."
The president authorized direct quotation of his statement—an un usual procedure.
Learning of the presidential statement, Senator Connally au ihorlzed identification of himself as source of the surrender report and told a reporter that he still expected the surrender announcement to be made "momentarily.'
He said he believed the official news would be forthcoming in a matter of hours.
White House Press Secretary Jonathan Daniels, however) told reporters, "the lid's on,'' signifying: that nothing more was expected last night.

Armies Near
Revolt-Torn
Nazi Cradle
By JAMES M. LONG
PARIS, Sunday, April 29
(AP)—As American armies pressed for a quick cleanup of Germany's Alpine fortress,- reports avere received here from San Francisco quoting, a high United States official,  as saying that the German government had agreed to unconditional surrender.
The U.S. Seventh and Third armies rolled an unstoppable wall of tanks to within 22 miles of Munich, cradle of Nazidom that already was reported torn
by revolt.
Supreme headquarters said n German capitulation offer had been received here but that did not mean none had been made directly to one or more Allied capitals.
The Allies- were reported have said Germany must surrender completely to the United States, Russia and Britain or face intensified destruction of her re maining physical assets and military forces.

Parley Assumes
New Harmony
By DOUGLAS B. CORNELL
SAN FRANCISCO, April 28 (AP)— Hopes of the United Nations Conference for a speedy German surrender rose and fell like a tide tonight and through the confusion delegates saw their peace-shaping task growing more difficult.
They cheered at word that an American delegate, Senator Tom Connally of Texas, had declared that the Nazis had surrendered and the announcement would come "momentarily." They heard with dismay that President Truman, in Washington, had pronounced the surrender report unfounded.
But most of them felt that a Nazi collapse, if It does not come now, can't be long delayed. Connally repeated, after the Washington denial, that he expects the announcement of surrender "momentarily."
Two different possibilities lay ahead of the delegates:
1. A shift to high speed to accomplish as much as possible toward molding the pattern of a peaceful world before top statesmen have to leave San Francisco
2. A longer and more complicated job if such men as Eden of Britain, Molotov of Russia and Stettinius of America have to rush to their capitals in the hour of
victory.
Thus far the major accomplishment of the conference, which opened last Wednesday, has been the attainment of harmony on the surface Looking ahead, representatives of 46 nations are focusing on an old issue now assuming greater prominence — a demand of smaller countries for a bigger break in' shaping peace.

Summer Capital
Of Philippines
Falls To Yanks
(See THE WEEK, ft. 11, Col. 4)
By RAY CRONIN
Associated Press War Editor Baguio, once-beautiful summer capital of the Philippines in the rugged Benguet mountains of northern Luzon, fell to America
doughboys Friday, Gen. Douglas MacArthur announced today (Sunday). The lengthy encircling campaign cost "amazingly light" Amer ican casualties.
Other Yanks, meantime, reache the shores of Davao' Gulf in ther drive access southern Mindanao Island from Moro Gulf, and were just 25 road miles south of thebig hemp port of Davao—last major stronghold in the Philippines
On Okinawa, in the Ryukyus, doughboys pressed slowly forward through pillboxes, caves and strong points while U. S. artillery was "employed against
troop concentrations in rear areas.
Japanese planes raided U. S warships off Okinawa Friday night sinking an auxiliary craft and causing some other damage. Twenty-five of the attackers were destroyed and two others probablyshot down.



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