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

Geneva. Snearer SAID CnaG WdS MAJ.
Bray, but that johnson had not used
Bray'S name.
Shearer said that he still had the
document and that he would bring 1t to
the committee. This is the document
which, 1t is said, suggests that Shearer
had been spy in 1920 and that ne
had been involved in jewel robbery IN
Europe and had stolen a check.
Shearer denied that he had ever been
a spy. He said that he did not know
for what country he was charged with
having been a spy. He said that he
was accused of being held as a spy in
the United States in 1920.
Senator Shortridge, chairman Of the
comittee, asked Shearer if he could go
back to Great Britain, saying:
Don't you know you couldn't put
your foot in Great Britain again?"
mo, I don't know it," said Shearer
He said that he had never asked for
passport to go to England again and
that he had not been there since 1913
He declared that he had never been
charged with stealing or arrested or
taken into custody in that country. The
| alleged Scotland Yard record, he said
laid no such direct charges but merely
said, 1T is thought and it is said" that
Shearer did so-and-so.
DcHicS DOOtAeSBHS NHdESc'
Weren't you arrested for bootlegging
in New York;" demanded Senator
Shortridge. Didn't you put up a
bond?"
Shearer fatty denied that he had
ever been a bootlegger. He said that
along with SO or 60 other people he
was taken up by the police at New
Rochelle in 1920. He said that he was
questioned, but no charge had been
placed against him. He put up $500,
he said, and was allowed to go.
The witness insisted that he was not
being treated fairly.
Chairman Shortridge. ".You have con-
victed me before I am heard"
A moment later the witness ironically
agreed that the committee had made
no statement that he. was guilty.
But you bring in this new charge"
| said Shearer, "of bootlegging. A charge
| never made before"
Shearer said that word had been
passed out at New Rochelle that boat
was unloading Scotch. A big crowd
I went down to the dock, he said, includ-
| ing persons with automobiles.
THE police took everybody who was
down there" said Shearer. They also
got the Scotch. I put up $500 and for
| feited."
The committee asked why he didn't
go back.
Shearer. When you put up $500 they
| hope you'll never come back"
! Shearer explained to the committee
how he had come to be called the
bass drum" The name, he said, had
come out of "Morgan'S office" He said
that when he went there, he had been
asked if he was spy and that he re-
| piled that he would not be making as
much noise as bass drum If he were.
Again and again the witness declared
that he had made no claim that he
had broken up the Geneva conference.
| Such a claim, he said, would be r1dicu-
lous. if made by any man.
| Did you contribute to breaking up
the conference them" asked Senator
| Shortridge.
II brought out the facts" said
Shearer.
Reeves Denies Charge.
Rear Admiral Reeves, the first wit
ness heard today, declared that he had
| never expressed hope that the naval
| limitations conference at Geneva should
! fail.
Admiral Reeves was called to the
stand to reply to testimony given last
week by Drew Pearson, newspaper
correspondent, to the effect that he,
Pearson, had heard Admiral Reeves
frequently express a hope that the
conference would not succeed, while
both were in Geneva.
The witness said that at the time OF
the naval conference in Geneva he was
a captain in the United States Navy
and one of the naval advisers to the
American delegation. He said he had
been connected with the Navy since
$780,
Chairman Shortridge read from the
testimony given by Pearson before the
committee and Admiral Reeves made
the following statement:
IT would like to state that never
expressed a hope that the Geneva con-
ference in 1927 would fail. I never en-
tertained such hope. It is impossible
that thinking naval officers of the
United States Navy should wish there
would be no agreement at naval liml-
tation conference, for very simple
reason. American naval officers desire
that the United States Navy shall be
the equal in strength with that of the
enemy. They want an agreement be-
cause it is the only means by which it
can be secured"
Says Officers Wanted Agreement.
Admiral Reeves said that only through
naval limitation agreement could
there be stability and certainty. There
fore, he said, American naval officers
desire a naval limitation agreement.
He said that they hoped for an agree
ment at Geneva. There were three
principles that they desired that he
recognized One was the recognition
of the United States to have Navy
equal in strength to that of any other
nation, limitation sufficiently low to
make it sure that the United States
would build up to its quota strength,
and, third, that each nation should be
allowed to build the kind of cruisers
required to meet its own needs.
"An agreement on such terms" said
Admiral Reeves, "was the only means
by which our country could be assured
of equality-of a Navy necessary for our
security. For such limitation each
member of the delegation worked.
"To represent our naval officers as
big Navy advocates is unjust and illog-
ical. I have never entertained or ex-
pressed hope of failure at the Geneva
conference"
C1.akor DnI;s.o,, n,,~r&,o~o<S xt,a 81