Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-06
PUBLISHER ENJOYS !
ACCESS TO SECRET
CODE. BURNS SAYS

WASE11NO lON, NdICu f.. hSio
was another series of bomb explo-
sions today in the oil scandal.
Here are some of the things the
oil committee was told when it re.
sumed it's hearings:
That E. l.. Doheny tried unsuccess-
fully last December to interest Sen
ator Thomas J. Walsh, chief prose
| cutor of the oil inquiry, in an oil
venture in Montana.
That the senator replied he would
| have nothing to do with an enters
prise where he might appear to be
using his official position for his
own profit.
That Edward B. Mclean, publish
err of the Washington Post and a
central figure in the oil scandal,
has been carried on the government
rolls as a secret agent of the depart
ment of justice.
That Mclean had a copy of the
departments secret code, and that
some Of the messages sent him and
his employees in Florida were in a
cipher once used by the department.
Burns On the Stand
The testimony regarding Mclean
was given by William J. Burns.
chief of the departments secret
agents, and Mrs. Mary Duckstein.
former Burns secretary. They both
confirmed that the publisher had
been enrolled on the force of the
bureau of investigation.
Burns said Mclean was appoint
ed before he became director of the
bureau of investigation but added
that he must have been appointed
in this administration.
Mclean was placed on the roll as
a special agent because the depart
ment obtained information through
him and his newspaper. the Wash
ington Post, Burns testified. His
salary was 81 year.
Mrs. Ducksetin testified that the
famous "Mary" code message she
oCllI " Il lOIlutt WIS lulSnuSu u COH-
vey the information that McLean'sa
connection with the department was
under investigation. She said it had
no other connection with oil.
Burns told her, Mrs. Duckstein
sad, that Mclean might wish to
resign if he thought his position
would be embarrassing to Attorney
General Daugherty
Chief Sleuth GrilIed
When Burns took the stand he
was asked by committee members
why he had not himself sent the
message to Mclean.
Il have no right to ask Mr.. Me-
Lean to resign" he replied.
Burns said there were aoout eight
dollar-a-year men in the department
THE last administration hal
thirty" the witness added.
The witness said Castor B.
Means, as a special agent of the
department of justice, may have"
through him, done some work for
President Harding.
NO, he hasn't resigned" Burns
said, wren asked if Mclean had
given up his post as special
agent
The evidence regarding Doheny's
oVertuIes to Senator Walsh was in
an exchange of letters and tele.
grams put into the record by the
senator himself. He said he submit
ted them be2ause word Of the cor
respondenCe had been Whispered
about" in an effort to discredit him
and the oil committee.
Dohenys suggestion that the sena-
tor or his brother take interest"
in the Montana project was made
|
loaned 100000 to A. B. Fall. bur
long after the senate inquiry into
the Doheny and Sinclair contracts
had tegun.
Francis McAdoo Heard
Francis III. McAdoo, son of Will
liam G. McAdoo, was called to the
witness stand. He said that in 1919
the 1rm of which he and his father
were members was retained by e.
b. Mclean in relation to the will
of the publishers father, John r.
Mclean. Two years later the wit
ness said, this relationship ceased.
Then Mclean retained him again
in 1928 but not his father.
McAdoo said Mclean had wired
him that A. Mitchell Palmer, attor-
ney general in the Wilson admins
tratiOn, represented A. B. Fall and
Harry f. Sinclair
This was why the publisher want
ed him to approve the statement
Palmer prepared for the committee
last December, McAdoo said
McAdoo agreed to produce the tel
egram sent to him by Mclean with
respect to Palmer, but he declined
to furnish others, saying they were
confidential as between lawyer and
client.
The witness denied the statement
in one of McLean's kilograms that
he or his father had been counsel
for the publisher "for seven years
In reading his messages refusing
to take an interest" in one of f. l..
/ Doheny's oil projects into the rec
ord Senator Walsh said efforts
had been made Ito discover some
thing that might be urged felonjons-
| ly or otherwise against re"
That end would be served" he
said, IF it could be whispered
about that there had been an ex-
/ change of kilograms between Do
heny and myself"
/ The committee devoted another
| session today to the kilograms ex-
| changed between Edward B. Nc
/ Lean, publisher Of the Washington
/ Post, and his employees, while ne
was in Florida in December and
| January.
A war department code expert
| gave the committee translations OF
/ the cipher messages found among
the kilograms, and William j.
Burns, chief Of the justice depart
| ments investigation bureau, and
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