Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-30

ny Oil IiAe oAlppuAoAtiB CVnApaItoo.
when did you meet the first repre-
sentative of the shipbuilding compa-
tnies?" asked Shortridge.
1.-THE first one I met" said the wit
ness, was Charles M. Schwab (presi-
dent of the board of the Bethlehem
Steel Corporation, which owns the
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation)
in the grill room Of the Ritz-Carlton
Hotel in New York. was informed
received a letter from A. B. Homer,
Wakeman's handyman. think they
call him the sales manager"
The letter from Homer was intro
duced. It was dated November Is, 1925.
1t requested Shearer to write Homer
/ with reference to our conversation, "
in which Shearer had outlined pro-
| jected tour for stirring up interest in
shipping.
The witness testified that the next
representative of the shipbuilding COM
pany he had talked with was Frederick
p. Palen, vice president of the Newport
News Co. He said he had talked with
Palen at the Marine dinner and after
ward.
II called on Homer at the Office Of
the Bethlehem Co., IS Broadway" said
Wakeman." (Wakeman was president OF
the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corpora
| tion)
Shearer said that he explained his
projected advertising campaign through
the New York Commercial.
Says Wakeman Lauded idea.
"Wakeman said it was q good idea,' -
said Shearer. but added, but we want
action"
Shearer said that Wakeman had said
] that the shipbuilding company repre-
sentative had had conference and
I'VE think you should go to washington
and help get through the three-cruisei
building bill"
Shearer said that an agreement had
been reached to pay him $500 to work
in Washington during the rest OF the
Sixty-ninth Congress in the interests OF
| the cruiser bill.
Shearer was asked how he was paid.
He said he was paid by Hunter, the at
torney for the American Shipbuilders
| Council, in cash and by check.
I'm only interested in getting cash, y
said the witness tersely, and not IN
the method Of receiving it,"
He said that all that he had received
| for this particular work was the $500.
Shearer testified that Wakeman.
PaIen and Hunter had been present
when he was hired; that Bardo, presi-
dent Of the New York Shipbuilding Co.,
was not present, and that Wakeman
had said it was not necessary for
Bardo to be there, and that Bardo
would trail along"
had any dealings with these men be-
| fore, although six or seven years earlier
| he had tried to get Mr.. Schwab to back
"a project never revealed"
ShipbuiIders Pleased, He Testifies.
The witness testified that after his
work in Washington he returned to New
| York, and that the shipbuilders had
been delighted at the turn Of events /"
He said that they wanted him to go
| to Geneva as quickly as he could. An
agreement was entered into for this
employment in Hunters office In New
York, with Wakeman, Palen, Bardo,
Hunter and Shearer present. he said:
He said that the agreement was that
he should be paid $4,000 and that his
employment was to be continuous, and
by the year. He said the amount OF
conversation was not definitely set.
| MY purpose in going to Geneva,
which they understood" said Shearer,
was to see that the United States got
out its side Of the story; that there
should be treaty Of parity, or II there
was no parity, then there should be no
| treaty"
The witness said that he had received
at that time, which was March II.
1927, letter OF credit for $500. He
| had already bought his ticket, he said,
| to 90 to Geneva, out of some Of the
money he had received from his earlier
contract. He also said that the ship
builders representatives had told him
| that he was the only one who had
gotten any results. Shearer added that
| he was told that the shipbuilders had
paid Ivy Lee, a publicity expert, $50, 900.
The name of Alvin e. johnson was
injected into the testimony by Shearer
during a discussion of his five-month
stay at Geneva. He referred to john
son as an "internationaliSt, a cores
pondent for the New York World and
tool of the British Secret Service"
Shearer charged that in 1925 Johnson
! tried to sell him British information.
The man frequently came to his house,
he said, and introduced him to mem
berS of the Chinese Nationalist delega-
ton and to members of the Druisis, who
then were engaged in fighting.
Object to Dragging in King.
After a while, Shearer testified, john
son asked him about his own connec-
tons, and he showed him the indorse-
ment Of the heads of various patriotic
organizations, including the Society of
the Sons of Natives of California. john
son wanted to get in. touch with Senator
King of Utah. he claimed.
Members of the committee objected
to Senator Kings name being dragged
| into the testimony, and Shearer cut
the controversy of by offering an
apology.
Pressed by Senator Shortridge to tell
about the secret information offered
him for sale, the witness said that john
son had come to him at that time,