Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-26
WILDER TESTIMONY
REVEALS SHEARER
AS MARINE PAINTER
Employed by Transoceanic
for Oil Pictures Depicting
Proposed Liners.
WITNESS OPPOSED BARDo
ON MISSION TO GENEVA
Says He Favored Open and Pub
lie Announcement on Send
ing Observer to Farley.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

William B. Shearer, center OF an IN
Vestigation by the Senate to determine
whether American Shipbuilders sought
to prevent an agreement at the Geneva
naval limitation conference in 1927, was
revealed today to the Senate committee
as a painter of marine pictures.
Laurence r. Wilder. former presi-
dent of the American Brown-Boveri
Electric Corporation, and president of
the Transoceanic Corporation, testified
that in the six months from January to
June. 1928, Shearer had been employed
by him to paint three or four oil calnt-
1ngs depicting the proposed four-day
liners to Europe which the Transoceanic
hoped to build.
Shearer, he said, was paid $4,000 for
this work, and also for his information
regarding shipping, which Mr.. Wilder
said he considered valuable.
Sent to California.
Shearer also was paid, Mr.. Wilder
testified, TO make a trip to California
to see William Randolph Hearst to in
terest him in the Trans-Oceanic Cor
poration. In all, Shearer was paid
$4,000, Mr. Wilder testified.
The witness told the committee that
he had known nothing of Shearer's
being sent to the Geneva conference
by the shipbuilding companies until
January, 1928, when he first met
Shearer. He was president of the
American Brown-Boveri Electric Corpo-
ration which owns the New York Ship
building Co., one of those which en-
ployed Shearer to go to Geneva. Mr..
Wilder said he had been told nothing
about the matter at the time of
Shearer's employment. He said he re-
signed as president of that corporation
in June, 1927.
Mr.. Wilder, he said differed with
Clinton L. Bardo, president of the New
York Shipbuilding Co., over the matter
of an open and public announcement
of the employment Of Shearer to go to
Geneva. Mr.. wilder said he had told
Mr.. Bardo he thought the shipbuilding
companies should have announced they
were to be represented at Geneva by
Shearer.
The witness also told the committee
he recollected conversation at lunch
con with Mr.. Bardo in which the latter
had told him that the American Ship
to Geneva" The mans name, Mr..
Wilder said, was not mentioned.
Cohalan Submits Questions.
Henry C. Hunter, counsel for the
council yesterday testified that the
council had nothing to do with Shear
er's employment, although he. Mr..
Hunter, acted as paymaster for Shear
er's services at Geneva.
Before the morning session of the in
vestigation ended Judge Daniel F.
Cohalan, counsel for Shearer, submitted
a number of questions which he desired
the committee to ask Mr.. Wilder at the
afternoon session.
1t developed at the morning hearing
that Shearer was asking further pay
from Mr.. Wilder, although Mr.. Wilder
said that he considered he had paid
Shearer for all of his employment by
him.
It also developed that Mr.. Bardo had
strongly recommended to Mr. Wilder
not to employ Shearer or to have any
relations with him during the early
part of 1928, which was after the ship
building companies had broken with
Shearer.
A letter written by Shearer to Bardo,
president under date of February 81,
1928. was read into the record. In this
the opposition of Mr.. Bardo to Shearers
further employment by Mr.. Wilder. In
the letter Shearer said:
Explains Issue.
"The issue is not whether I am
German, which has been disproved. or
whether I am socially qualified to asso-
ciate with shipbuilders or something
worse The issue is whether the Amer
the Bethlehem 'Shipbuilding Corpora
ton and the Newport News Shipbuild-
ing Co. benefited by my campaign In
their interest. for which my expenses
were paid and acknowledged.
"Your superior officer, Mr.. Wilder,
Justly acknowledges my services and
my Just claim against the Bethlehem
Shipbuilding Corporation and the
Newport News Shipbuilding Co.
therefore assume he will acknowledge
my just claim against your company
as it benefits proportionately in ship
construction as a result of my cam
paign. o
an observer only. Every member of
the shipbuilding group. including Mr..
Hunter, received my releases before.
during and after the Coolidge naval
conference at Geneva. and at no time
was I instructed to change or stop my
tactics which demanded naval parity
for the United States.
"At the close of the conference, the
European press announced the follow
ing: The triumph of the theses of
William Shearer, the American. gave
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