Died. Maurice Petsche, 55, able career man in French governments since 1920, Finance Minister in four of France's revolving-door cabinets between 1949 and 1951; of uremia; in Paris. A wealthy conservative, whose long cigarette holder became a trademark, Petsche was an active anti-Nazi during the German occupation of France in World War II. In postwar years, he fought vigorously for economy, successfully used Marshall Plan aid to strengthen France's sickly economy.

Died. Arthur Szyk, 57, Polish-born miniature painter and caricaturist, who came to the U.S. in 1940; of a heart attack; in New Canaan, Conn. Fascinated by the manuscripts of medieval monks. he made a career of the lost art of manuscript illumination. During World War II, he turned his hand to anti-Nazi political cartoons (for PM, Collier's, LIFE), later collected the best of them in a book, The New Order. Coming out next year: his edition of Arabian Nights.

Died. Fritz Busch, 61, conductor at the Metropolitan Opera (1945-51) and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera Company; of a heart attack; in London. Member of a notable musical family (brother Adolf became a famed violinist and cofounder, with brother Hermann, of the first-rate Busch String Quartet), he played the piano at four, conducted at 19. As conductor of the Dresden Opera he spoke out boldly against state-controlled art ("I am a man, I hope, of a little bit of temperament, so I told everyone frankly what I thought about the Nazis"), left Germany in 1933 after Storm Troopers broke up a performance of Rigoletto.

Died. Alvanley Johnston, 76, for 25 years Grand Chief Engineer of the 80,000-member Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; of a heart attack; in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Born in Canada, Johnston became an engineer at 22, as a labor leader took the stand that "it takes guts and skill to run a locomotive, and there's risk, and that's worth money." In 1946, the President's threat to draft striking railroaders into the Army so angered Johnston that he broke all relations with the Administration, supported Dewey in 1948.

Died. William J. Klem, 77, "baseball's greatest umpire," a favorite of sentimental sportwriters and unsentimental players alike; after long illness; in Miami. Starting out in baseball as a bush-league first baseman in Rochester, N.Y., when the game was still a rowdy, brawling affair, he became a National League umpire (1905-41) and eventually the league's honorary umpire in chief, officiated in more World Series (18) than any other umpire. A man who always called them as he saw them and claimed he never saw them wrong, he once proclaimed his faith: "Baseball is the greatest thing that ever happened to this country."

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