Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-03-12
Says His Second Story Told
Senator Walsh in Janu-
ary Was Correct
SAYS HE TRUSTED FALL
Tells Oil Committee He Gave
Misleading Information
About $100, 900 Loan


WASHINGTON, March L.
Edward b. Mclean told the OIL
committee today that he had
given it misleading information
about the celebrated $10O,OOO
loan because he trusted and de-
sired to help his friend Albert
Fail.
The publisher insisted that
his second story about the loan,
told to Senator Walsh in Janu-
ary at Palm Beach, Fla. was
correct. He said he had loaned
the former secretary $1OO,OO0
in checks for ranch enterprise,
but that the checks were return
ed to him uncashed.
His previous assertion that the
loan was made in cash, he SAID.
was made at Falls request. The
latter appeared to be in trouble,
he added, but had represented
to him that it had nothing to
with oil.
The publisher also asserted tnat
he himself had no interest In the
Sinclair or Doheny companies ana
knew nothing about the Fall oil pol
icies, except what he had read IN the
newspapers.
Asked about the code messages ex-
changed between Washington and
his cottage at Palm Beach. he was
unable to decipher or explain many
of them. He said William j. Burns
had given one of his employees a De-
partment of Justice code, but that
he himself never had coded a mes
sage. ~.
He became a secret agent of the
Justice department, he continued
shortly after the beginning or the
Harding administration, largely De-
cause the official badge would make
II easier for him to get through
lines when travelling with the Presl-
dent.
The "principar' referred to in one
of the kilograms sent by MS eni-
ployes, Mclean said, appeared 10
him to refer to Attorney Generai
Daugherty and did not refer TO
president Coolidge. He identified
the attorney general as the author
of the message assuring him not TO
worry because everything that couid
be done will be done by us
Led into n long discussion OF MS
relations with Mr.. Daugherty. he
said the attorney general had lived
in one of the Mclean houses here Tor
seven or eight months after coming
.< Washington and that Fall had
visited there often. But he added
that Daugherty wouldn't do any
thing wrong for me-" even IL he nad
been asked.
At the outset Mclean read to the
committee this prepared statement:
"Having in mind the subject OF
this investigation and having also IN
mind the widespread use in the
nlibllc press of my name as one VINO
might have had some connectlno
with the naval oil leases, or with
the companies, individuals, govern
ment departments or public oill-
ciaIs who did have connection with
the leases of the naval oil reserves
7 want to make now the following
details and emphatic statement OF
facts:
at have absolutely no knowledge
regarding any leases upon naval
reserves made at any time to any
personor any company except sucn
person or any company except sucn
the rest of the American public nave
received from newspaper reports.
"I do not know Mr.. Harry f.
Sinclair and have no recollection oil
ever having met MS even III d Sas
nal way | have never had any IN
terest of anything directly or IN
directly for myself or any other
person in any of the so-called COM
panies
II did not even know that there
was such a thing as the Mamoth Oil
Company until I saw 1t mentioned II
the press reports in connection with
this investigation. I did konw. as
anyone who reads the newspapers
would have known. that was a COM
(Cont'nu On page 2.)