Evening star., 1927-09-29
MAGRUDER EPISODE
REGARDED CLOSED
Admiral at Conference With
Wilbur Regrets Having
Caused Embarrassment.

Unless certain factions in Congress
deem otherwise, the controversy
aroused by Rear Admiral Thomas =.
Magruder's magazine article criticiZ-
ing the conduct of the Navy is now a
closed incident, so far as Secretary
Wilbur is concerned.
This was made known after a con-
ference late yesterday between the
two principal actors involved in the
latest naval episode, arranged at the
telephone request of Admiral Ma.
gruder, in which he expressed regret
to his chief if the criticism had caused
Mr.. Wilbur any embarra ssment. Sec.
retary Wilbur made no cOnCealment
of the emharra sSment the criticism
had caused him, but as a result of the
conference the Navy has abandoned
any idea of disciplning the admiral.
The latter made it clear that he had
no thought of CriticiZing any official of
the department and had written the
article only with view to disseminat.
ing useful information.
Holds Interview Misrepresented.
The conference served also to clear
up another misunderstanding between
Mr.. Wilbur and Admiral Magruder
the admiral printed in the New York
Times, in which he was represented as
backing up the magazine story with
vigorous, even undiplomatic, language.
Admiral Magruder filed with the de-
partment a statement which was said
to state his views more correctly, and
this apparently was acceptable to Sec
retary Wilbur. Although the latter
declined to make the statement public,
he said later that his understanding
was that Magruder had been misrep.
resented in the interview.
THAT interview did not properly
represent my position" the admiral
said after the conference. 1T was
ridiculous when it said that / scowled
and used gestures, because it was
given late at night over the tele-
phone"
While apparently this incident, too,
is considered closed, Secretary Wilbur
indicated that the admiral's interviews
with newspaper men will be studied
with a view to determining whether
any regulations had been violated. He
added, however, that Admiral Ma
gruder had assured him Of his readi-
ness to cooperate with the Navy in
it's policies and had sought the confer
ence In order to make plain that his
attitude had not been correctly pic.
tured in newspapers.
Pleased with Conference.
The result of the conference un-
Guestionably was pleasing to Admiral
Magruder. He announced afterward
there was no chance Of his being
court -martialed as a result of the
magazine article because he had VIC.
la ~ Iaf hat ed n
copy of it with the department.
My article may have been lurid
in spots" he said. but it was funda-
mentally correct"
Referring to the admirals charges
Of too much red tape in the depart.
ment, Secretary Wilbur recalled that
in July, 1925, he had asked the
various departmental chiefs whether
there was not an unnecessary amount
Of correspondence on the conduct Of
the Navy's business, and that a year
later Rear Admiral Plunkett again
brought up the subject in letter
through official channels.
The Secretary said the matter
again was called to the attention Of
the chiefs and that some changes
had been made which reduced the
amount Of work.
Scowling Reference Denied.
The New York Times, in state
ment issued at New York, denied that
the story it printed contained the ref
ence that the admiral "scowled and
used gestures" and. ''in fact. there
was no indication whatever that the
interview was not obtained over the
telephone. The Times added that it
was not aware of the manner of OBJ
tanning the interview at tn: time .t
was p-.ited, disclosing that the story
came through its alliance with the
Philadelphia Inquirer. The admiral
must have been referring to an inter.
view in some other newspaper" con.
cluded the newspapers statement.
The Navy Department will continue
its study Of Admiral Magruder's criti-
cisms, not, however, with view to
inflicting any punishment on the au-
thor. but solely for the purpose of
awaiting itself of anything constructive
which they may contain. it was stated.
Members Of Congress also are study
ing the article. Despite the fact that
the tempest has susided. it is almost
certain to be. reflected in the consid-
Grafton of the naval appropriations for
1928 when Congress convenes in De-
cember.