Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-03-02
Both to Be Quizzed Regard
ing Use of Justice Depart
ment Code in Mclean's
Confidential Messages.
SEEK TRUTH OF REPORTS
PUBLISHER is U. S. AGENT
Post Owner Said to Be on Pay Roll
of Bureau of Investigation.
Major Says Private Wire Matter
Destroyed-Fall's Home Town
Telegraph Workers Called.

Telegraph Workers Called.
The long, long trail of the oil in
quiry led yesterday into the De-
partment of Justice.
A ciphe- message signed Mary
and found among the celebrated
Mclean kilograms carried it there
and the oil committee Immediately
made plans to follow it wherever j,
may go.
From William J. Burns, chief OF
the departments bureau OF investi-
CATION, Mrs. Mary Duckstein, spe-
Gil agent of the department, and
others, the oil investigators will seek
to learn:
The truth about reports that
Edward b. Mclean, publisher Of
the Washington Post, and a central
figure in the inquiry, is himself a
Department Of Justice agent, and
in possession of the departm ent's
CODE
Whether Burns directed Mrs.
Duckstein TO send a message to
her husband, who is one of the
Mclean employees. saying that the
Mclean investigation is under
way by special agents of the
Justice Department" and that he
believed the information is i'm
portant."
How Duckstein and other repre-
sentatives of the publisher CAME
into possession OF a copy of the
code.
Whether all of the code mes
sages found in the Mclean file OF
kilograms are, like the MARY"
message, IN a cipher code once
used by the bureau of investi-
cation.
Message Sent From Capital.
The Mary" message was sent froE
Washington on February 2 to W. o
Duckstei described Il the commit.
tee as one of McLean's confidentia
men at Palm Beach, ha. A para
phase Of 1t furnished to che oil com.
mittee reads:
Sent for by Burns, Mo told MI
to say Mclean Investigation is under
way by special. agents Of Justice De.
partment He believes Information I:
important"
The message was sent by Posta
Telegraph and at the bottom appeared
To,
Mr.. W. Q. Duckstein." Arthur D
Marks is business manager of the
Post.
The paraphrase furnished to the
committee bore the signature. Mary
(Quigley, chief telephone operator Of
Washington PosD.
Asked how her name became con
whose name appeared in one of tn,
Mclean kilograms. Mrs. Ducksteir
said:
"Oh, very few people know that m.
pet name is Mary" Her name i:
Mrs. Jessie Duckstein.
Declines TO Comment.
Mrs. Duckstein was then at the oil
committee hearing room in respons,
to subpoena and she declined q
discuss the reference to the "McLea-
investigation" in her telegram.
Expressing his willingness to tel
the oil committee all he knows, Burn.
said he understood the code employed
in the Mary" message was used a.
one time by agents OF the justice
Department.
"The Department of Justice" he
said, never had anything to do Will
the oil scandal or Teapot Dome.
never gave any tips to Mclean. The
only telegram to Mclean that know
about was all right. 1t contained nc
tips of any kind"
, Burns would not deny the report
that Mclean was on the roll of spe-
cial agents of the bureau of In
vestigation at a nominal salary OF
81 a month. and that he. had been
furnished with an official badge and
a pistol. There have been reports
that in the past number of persons
have been enrolled as agents. at such
a salary, with an understanding that
they would give only part of theii
time to departmental work.
Walsh Asks Code Copy.
After learning that the MAR
message was in a one-time Depart
ment of Justice cipher, Senator Walsh
democrat, Montana, the dominani
figure of the oil investigation, sent
to the department for an official copy
At first his request was refused OF
the ground that his agent was not
sufficiently identified and the senate,
then wrote a formal letter to the
department.
A formal subpoena for Burns was
withheld Senator Walsh saying tina,
he would be Invited" to appear in
the course customarily followed II
The case of government officials. He
will be examined after the committee
resumes its hearings next Tuesday.
Adverting to the code matter in the
Senate, Senator Caraway, democrat
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