Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-07
GOVT. COUNSEL IN
QUIZ OF ADMIRAL
IN OIL LEASE TRIAL

| washington, Dec. - up The
| commonplace courtroom where AL
bert B. Fall and Edward L. Doheny
| are on trial for a criminal conspir-
acy was rocked today by rumbline
| exchange between pugnacious ad-
miral and a quick-spoken and deter
I mined prosecutor.
The admiral witness. John K.
Robson. storm center of the oil
controversy ever since the senate
committee discovered three years
| ago that he approved on behalf OF
] the navy the oil leasing policy OF
| 1922. His cross examiner was Owen
]. Roberts. member of the govern
ment's special oil counsel.
Many Of the verbal depth bombs
| launched by Roberts served the pur-
pose of increasing the intensity OF
| the broadsides that came back ir
| reply. But once or twice the adj
miral showed signs of losing his sea
legs. He conceded he had been
wrong in testifying previously that
| he had not talked to Doheny in New
York about the Elk Hills lease. He
| permitted Roberts to correct from
| the official record what he had said
about navy department confer
ence. In one quick exchange he
| agreed that he might have taken a
different attitude had he known al
/ the time that Doheny had advanced
Fall 100000 while Fall was in the
cabinet.
| The engagement lasted most of the
day. and while at it's height the
l., vn,.,,r, 81 re-
ceived word of a major victory in
another quarter. UNFOLDING the ac-
ton of the lower courts, supreme
court ruling threw out the protests
! of Fall and Harry F. Sinclair
against their indictment for crimina
| conspiracy, and ordered them tC
trial. Roberts said he would ask fol-
trial date Immediately following
the conclusion of the present hear
ing.
In many ways the two cases run
parallel. Fall and Sinclair must
face jury as an outgrowth of the
award of the Teapot Dome lease tc
Sinclair oil interests, just as Fai
and Doheny now are on trial as a
result of the Elk Hills lease to Do
heny'S Pan-American Company. In
the Fall-Doheny case, the govern
ment hinges it's hope of conviction
on the 100000. In the Fall Sinclair
case it will hinge on allegations OF
the passage of smaller sum be-
| tween the principals.
Secretary Wilbur of the navy de-
partment did not testify today and
Frank j. Hogan, chief of the defense
attorneys, said he might not be
called at all. Hogan originally sub
poenaed the secretary to explain
why he had warned Robson not tc
disclose Confidential information
to the jury but the defense chief de-
clared he was well satisfied with the
admiral's testimony. and might lei
the matter rest there.
The navy officer said over anG
! over from the witness stand today
that the then Secretary DENLY ant
his subordinates in the navy depart
ment not only approved the leasing
policies attributed by the prosecu-
ton to Fall, but We're anxious thai
some arrangement be made speedily
to have q supply of storage oil OF
hand at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, IL
case of emergency.
Roberts developed that the Pear
Harbor plans were under secret dis
cusSion at the moment the Washing
ton arms conference was formulat-
ing new peace deal in the Pacific
He also asked the witness whether
it was not a fact that in contradic-
ton of the defense explanation thai
p, state secrets" compelled secret ne
gotiations for the leases, construc-
! ton work at Pearl Harbor was &C.
tually done by foreign labor Ad-
! miral Robson said he did not know
You were anxious to conclude the
! negotiations before congress might
| learn of the plan?" pursued Roberts
"Well, we felt the thing was ur-
!, gent" replied the witness, "and that
congress might delay completion OF
the Pearl Harbor storage plant"