The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-09-28
Propagandists in Uniform

Thanks to testimony OF a newspaper correspondent,
Drew Pearson the senate investigation of efforts to
wreck the Geneva disarmament conference will in
clude American admirals. From this correspondents
statement 1t is increasingly clear that the arch
proagandist Shearer was only the bass drun"-as he
called himself-for hidden forces of dsruptve mill
tarism.
shearer is relatively harmless compared with ship
building company officials who confess to hiring him.
and the naval clique alleged to have used him. How
ever dumb newspaper men may be in some things.
they know propagandists from long experience, and
are accustomed to spotting poison.
shearer long had been one of the most notorious
big navy propagandsts operating in Geneva and
Washington, and known such by the cor
respondents at the conference. Therefore he was
suspected.
But his power consisted in his close contact with
naval delegates. He had information which the pub
lie wanted to know and which the correspondents at
times could not get elsewhere. 1t was their job to
CLEAN the facts and to discard the shearer propa-
ganda. They succeeded pretty we'll Considering
Shearers privileged position with officials, surpris-
tngly little Of his propaganda filtered through the
cables into the American press
But that apparently, not the fault Of certain
American naval officers. To what extent they tried
to prevent cruiser limitation agreement is for the
senate committee to find out
Meanwhile, it is no secret that there two
types of navy and army officers in Washington and
elsewhere one type constantly agitang under cover
for bigger army and navy despite the avowed and
official governmental policy of reduction.
1t will be recalled that several times during the
Coolidge administration the propaganda and lobbying
inspired by army and navy groups became so vicious
that the President had to public warning against
If military the civil all
thority of the government
And President Hoover in his disarmament efforts
has been faced with the same of disloyalty not
to say mutiny from certain officers who have for
gotten that he is their commander-n-chief Indeed
the plausible suggestion has been made that the
Presidents reason in part for forcing the Shearer in
vestigaton was to put the fear of punishment into
commercial and naval interests trying to sink the
present cruiser negotiations and projected limitation
conference
Obviously army naval officer who sincerely
believes that Britain Japan is plotting to invade
this country soon, and believes that unlimited arma
nent is the only preparedness against that menace
is sorey tempted to sabotage the official American
policy of arms reduction But apart from his oath of
allegiance decency should restrain him. If his
science or patriotism him to be propaganda
Instead of an officer, he should resign his commits
SIGN and hire hall
The conduct of the two chief naval delegates at
the Geneva conference Adnirals Jones and Long in
contrast that of certain others. apparently
model for army and navy men serving under demo-
cratic civil government
They let the constitutional authorities of the civil
government determine the policy; they acted as
trusted technical advisers They did not try to usurp
the powers Of the President the secretary of state
or the senate. They did not use Shearer, the paid
agent of the armament makers neither did they per-
NIT him to use them.
Others should be made to conform to that high
standard of the naval service or get out.