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SENATE 

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~endar No. 835 

{ Bmro:n 

No 792 

CAPT RUSSELL WILLSON, UNITED STATES NAVY 

MAY 13 (calendar day, JlJ'Nll 6), 1936 --Ordered to be printed 

Mr HALE, from the Comnuttee on Naval Affaus, submitted the 

following 

REPORT 

[To accompany H R 5564:) 

The Comnuttee on Naval Affmrs of the Senate to whom was 

referred. the bill (H R 5564) for the rehef of Capt Russell Wlllson, 

Umted States Navy, havmg considered the snr• e, report it to the 

Senate without amendment with the recommendation that the bill 

do pass 

The purpose of tlus blll is to give Capt.am Willson $15,000 m full 

settlement for a certam mventl.on of lus used m connection with the 

secret commumcatlon faelh.tles of the Navy Tlus bill, if enacted, '\\ou]d mvolve an additlonaJ cost to the Government of $15,000, but the bill is recommended by the Navy Department and the committee feels that this lS a Just clarm m Vlew of the 

great '\alue lus mvent1on has been to the Navy The House report, which e"tplams tlus btll m detail, JS hereby made 

a part of this report 

IB Rept No 28«, 74th CoDI! lit 1e1111 J 

The Committee on Naval Afl'aira, to whom 11aa referred the bill (H R 6564) for the rehef of Capt Russell Willson, United States Navy, having considered the 

aame, report 1t to the House \\1th the recommendation that it do~ 

The purpose of the proposed legislation 1s to give Capt Russell Willson, United 

States Navv, '515,000 ID full settlement for a certam 10vent1on of his used ID con- nection 111th the secret commumcat1on fac1ht1es of the Navy The value to the Na\y and to the Government of this invention cannot be 

measured in dollars and cents Its value to t'he Go\ ernment may be JU~ by the fact that it was used dunng the World War lD all dispatches betVteen the Navy Department and naval headquarters in London, mcludmg those concerning move- ments of transports, where its secrecy protected thousands of lives and milbona 

of dollars worth of property Being aware of comparative ease with Vthich confidential and secret messages were intercepted and decoded hr unliuthorized persons, Captam Willson con- ceived and perfected this mvent1on while on a tour of sea duty !n 1916 For 
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ID :=Jf'to·-'1133---0----*-··---·--...... ~ ·-·-.......... -........-__ 

c c2 CAPT UUSSFI.L \\II LSO'-, l NITI ll 1:-f.\1 I"" '- \\ 1 

Captam Willson to have patented t111 .. 111\ ent1011 \\ ould h 1' l' rlestrU\ l'd its 11scf11lne11S m th.i.t 1t \\Ould tlu.n June been open to puhhc 111111)(.ct1un, lll'ltcnd, he p;avc 

1t to the Nan 

The cfhc1l'nC\ of the dl.\ il't. m:l\ he more fulh 'IJ>prec1'lted from 'I statement 

made before the comnuttce durmg the hc'lrmg'! on tlu"I !nil \\Inch 1s quoted as follol\s 

"To\\ ard the cud of the \\ orld \\ ar a d1spakh from a chplo1111t1c up;ent m Copenhagen reported that copies of all cablci. \\ uc re 1chmg Bcrlm und all \\ere 

bemg deciphered e"cept thobc m '\a\\ c11>hcr 

Tins bill pro\ ides for lonp;-dcl I\ cd cmnpensahnn fur n de\ ice \\Inch durmg the 

\\ orld \\ ar \\US the bablS of tht. ~a'' s b\ btun of secret commumcat1ons 

The ?I.a\\ Department fa\ors tlus proμo11cd leg1t1lat1011 n11 is md1cated b~ the 

letter of the. Secrcta11 of the l\a \ ' to the Speal..cr of the House of Representatives 

'\\h1ch is hereb\ made a part uf tins report 

'l'AVl DEPARTME,T, 

JJ a1.h1ngton, Frbruarg 4, 1995 

The SPEARER OF THE HOUSE OF REIRESE}l.TATl\ES, 

n ashu1gton, D C 

MT DEAR :Ma SPEAll:ER There 111 tra.11i.m1tted here\uth a draft of a propo1ed 

bill for the relief of Capt Russell Wilt.1011, Uiuted l::!tatcs "Ila\' The proposed legic:;lation provide.~ that the ScC'rl.t&r\ of the Trcasur' 1., 1111thor1zed and directed 

to pa\ Capt Ru .. sell \\ 1ll~on, Umted bta.tc ... "-a'', out of am mone\ in the 

Treai.un not other\\ 1sc approp11n.ted, the .. um of $15,000 111 full RCttlemcnt for a certam fn\ ent1on of his used m C'onnel'tum 11 ith the secret eommumcahon fac1hhes 

of the Nav) 

Captam '\illson while 11en111p; at sea 111 1916 concened and de1ng11ed this m- - vention relatmg to the se<'recv of na\ al commumcations, and de\ eloped it m 1917 

\\ithout suggestions, idea.~ or help from &II\ other pen.on 'l.t am tune He submitted the mvention to the ~a\' Department, \\Inch acrepted it m 1917 The 

m\ention h&fl been used b\ the ~&\' umtmuoush i.mce that tune For reasons of pubbc pohcv, it has ne\ er been patented Captam W1l111on has not Ill am wav, 

dl.rectlv or mdirecth, recel\ed an\ compensation for hlb worl.. m producing this 

invention, nor for its use In the N'av) dunng and smce the 111-ar 

The sum of $15 000, "luch tht. Na\\ Department belle\ es should be appro- priated, 18 modest m co~anson w1.th the \aluc or the m'ention to the Government dunng the World War and dunng the 16 \ears thereafter that it has been m contmuous use The Nav;) Department recommends that the propo .. ed legislation be enacted 

Smcerely yours, 

CL.t.UDE .\ Sl\ A'801' 

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[PJUVATE-No 79-74TB Co'll'GREbS} 

[II R 5564) 

AN ACT 

For the relier of Captain Ru1111t.ll \\ allson [mated 'Jtat.ea Navy 

Be •t nlfl.rfed by tl1e 8e11nff' nnd l/ouJ.I' of Hf'1we11••11f11f11 'B of tAe 

l"mf~tl ,~faft'B of Almiorrui in fJong1eMH 11Membl,,/, fhnt the Secret.ti') of the Irea .. 1.1 y be •• 11111 he lt11 lu• c b), autho111Pcl an1l du-ected 

to 1>ay to <.'aptam U1 .. -.en 'Vrllc,un, linrted btate .. Nu v out of an! 

mom•\ 1n the T1e l- ny 11ot otlH•r\\l'-e app1opr1 ited the .. unl of 

1-1; 000 m full o,c ttl1•11 .•nt for Jue, mvent1on \\ h1ch ha., been aCt'epted 

bv the Xc1\\ I>tp.ut1m•nt for u&e m cormett un with naval <.omnmmcat10n f u 1bt1e" 

.\J1Jlro\ecl, Juno lJ, 1035 

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