Evening star., 1926-12-06
Would Have "D0ne Lots" Had
He Known Magnate Ex-
pected $100, 600, 900.
QUESTION ABOUT FALL
100000 LOAN BLOCKED
Government Charges Defendants
Ignored Arms Farley to Push
Own Project.

Testifying that if he had known
Edward l.. Doheny had predicted a
profit for himself of $100,O0O,00O out
of the. lease of the naval oil reserves
there are a lot of things I would
have DONE" Capt. J. h. Robson, u.
S. N, retired, principal witness for
the defense in the Fall-Doheny con-
spiracy trial, declared, however,
under cross-eXamination by Govern
ment counsel this afternoon that the
Navy would realize more than $780,
100000 out of the contract with the
Pan-American Petroleum and Trans
port Co.
In the closing minutes of his cross
examination Of the witness, which be-
gan shortly after court convened this
morning, Owen ]. Roberts, special
Government counsel, asked the wit
ness if he had heard Doheny predict
that his concern would make $780,
100000 out of the lease If obtained on
naval oil reserve No. I.
Fall Loan Taken Up.
The witness replied he did not know
,of that forecast, and when asked if he
had what he would have done, Capt
Robson replied: There are a lot of
things l would have done"
Mr. Roberts however, did not pur-
sue the question further, but sought
to find out what Capt. Robson, as
Secretary Denby's special representa-
tive in the oil lease negotiations,
would have done if he had known Do
heny had loaned Albert b. Fall, Sec
retary of the Interior. 100000. De-
fense objected, and Justice Hoehlng
would not permit the witness to an
swer the question.
Later on Capt. Robson was given
an opportunity 10 get back to the
$100,000,000 profit story of Doheny.
and he testified he would not have
sold it unless I'VE got it, too" Mr.
Roberts told him this would be i'm
possible. but the witness declared,
I'VE Will get 8 lot yet. / think we
will get more than $50,000,000."
He began to figure out the Gov
ernment's profit from the transac-
ton, but his answer was lost in a
maze of argument, which was
climaxed by Roberts shifting the
subject to a quotation of Denby's
on october Is, 1921, when he APP
pointed Robson to look after the oil
matters for the Navy.
Denby's Words Quoted.
That quotation was: The matter
of lease is dangerous. Oilis full of
dynamite and l don't want to have
anything to do with it. Robson re-
called Denby having said this and
then Mr.. Roberts asked:
But he did have something to do
with it later. didn't he?'
The witness replied:
"He did, and l am proud of it,"
Among the advantages named by
Capt. Robson in his unsuccessful
attempt to show Mr. Roberts that the
Navy would get more than SoO,O0o,O0O
profit in return for the Doheny con-
tract were: Storage of 3.500.000 bar
rels of oil in Hawaii: purchase by
the Government of oil from Doheny's
company at q price 10 per cent
cheaper than any one else could offer.
and storage of oil in New York that
doesn't cost anything. and where we
cannot buy the land
Meanwhile the court decided against
holding a night session this evening.
Roberts, when Robson returned to
the stand at the opening of court
this morning, emphasized to the jury
that while the arms limitation confer
ence was being held here in 1871 ana
negotiations for the settlement OF ar
fairs in the Pacific had been or were
i'm process of cOnSummatiOn, Secretary
DENLY. Robson and Doheny ignored
the proceedings and sought to develop
their own, plans for the national de
fense and the security of the Paclhc
Coast.
Mr.. Roberts opportunity to place
this idea before the jury came when
Robson, now a captain on the retired
list and a principal defense witness
was turned over to the Government
for cross-eXaminatiOn after Frank D..
Hogan and Wilton j. Lambert, attor'
news for the defendants, had exam
mod him directly for a few minutes
after court convened this morning.
Attack On "War Scare"
The cross-eXamination about the
arms conference was undertaken by
AR. Roberts with the view of dispel'
ling the "war scare" which has been
raised at the trial. Defense counsel
in opening statements. had told the
Jury that the fuel storage tank prof.
ect in Hawaii was the direct result
of confidential advices received from
Admiral Gleaves of the Asiatic Fleet
to the effect that Japan was mobiliz
ing for an attack on the Philippines
and Hawaii.
Robson, under direct examination,
had alluded to this fact, but omitted
direct reference to any nation only
as a compromise after he had been
ordered by Secretary Wilbur not to
reveal any confidential information in
his testimony obtained while he was
in the active naval service.
Mr.. Roberts, without word of
warning as to that he was about to
discuss. and after he had laid the
foundation by questioning the witness
at length on the negotiations late in
1921 and early in 1922 for construc.
ton of fuel storage tanks at Pearl
Harbor. Hawaii. opened up a barrage
of questions concerning the interna
tional conference. He asked the wit
ness if he knew such a conference
was sitting here: the date the treaty
was signed by the delegates, the rati
fication of it, by the Senate and the
general facts surrounding the settle
ment of affairs in the Pacific. To all
of these questions the witness replied
that he did, but said nothing further