Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-25
SHEARER REVEALED
AS PROPAGAND|ST
/. At GENEVA PARLEY
Letter to Attorney Acting for
Ship Concerns DiscIoses
Activities Abroad.
TEXT ADDED TO SENATE
INVESTIGATION RECORD
Gibson Referred to in Correspond.
ence Understood to Be Ambas-
sador to Belgium.
Ely G. GOULD LINCOLN.

- u
William B. Shearers activities as a
propaganda at the Geneva naval
limitation conference, were brought di-
rectly into the Senate investigation Of
Shearer's employment by three Ameri-
can shipbuilding companies to repre-
sent them at Geneva, at todays hear
ing.
Letters written by Shearer to Henry
G. Hunter. who acted as paymaster and
go-between for the companies. and
Shearer we're read into the testimony,
showing Shearer's claim that he was
influencing the press In it's reports of
the conference. and public opinion.
Text of Shearer Letter.
The following is a letter which was
sent from Geneva on July IL, 1927 by
Shearer to Mr. Hunter, which was read
at the hearing by Senator Robinson.
Dear Mr.. Hunter: Many thanks for
letter with inclosure.
This show may end abruptly. Glib
son has handled our case admirably
This will be the only conference Amer
lea ever won. Gibson gives the credit
to the American press; we, had been
able to defeat the British propaganda
machine and get the figures out. The
inclosed is the shot l issued on the
date of the plenary session which was
postponed. The Chicago Tribune,
Col. Mccormick of the Chicago Tri-
bune. sent word to Wales, the CORE
spondent here to shoot all my stuff.
Sent out $50 copies of the Marine Fol-
lies. I issue a statement daily to the
leading American correspondents here,
including the A. P. and the U. P.
Yours very truly,
wv. B. SHEARER."
The Gibson referred to in the letter
Is understood to have been Hugh Glib
son, the American delegate to the naval
limitation conference at Geneva and
Ambassador to Belgium.
Acted Merely as Friend.
Mr.. Hunter is the counsel for the
Council of American Shipbuilders. He
told the committee that he acted mere
ly as friend of representatives OF the
three shipbuilding companies-the New
port News Shipbuilding & Drydock
Corporation, the Bethlehem Shipbuld-
ing Corporation and the New York
Shipbuilding orporation-when he
handled the payments made to Shearer,
both for his work as a lobbyist for the
merchant marine and his work at the
Geneva conference.
Members of the committee sought to
draw from Mr.. Hunter an admission
that he or the organization of ship
builders. which he represents had some
interest IN the employment OF Shearer
at Geneva. The witness denied this
fatty. He said that he had been re-
uuested by Vice President Frederick P.
Palen of the New Port News Co.. to
handle the payments and that he had
agreed to DO so. 1t was brought out
at the hearing that although Mr..
Hunter had no agreement to receive
reports from Shearer about the Geneva
Conference, he did receive them and
had copies made of them and trans
mitted them to the representatives OF
the shipbuilding companies employing
Shearer.
These representatives of the ship
building companies have all appeared
before the Senate committee and testi-
fled that they sent Shearer to Geneva
only as an observer.
Had Different Idea.
The letters addressed to Mr.. Hunter
NTSUSNd ny OLlCdlcL anu IGdu
the hearing today indicate that Shearer
had a different idea of what his activi-
ties were to be. Another letter sent to
Mr.. Hunter by Shearer from Geneva
under the date of May 26, 1927, urged
Hunter to watch all articles in the
New York Times and suggested that
these articles would reflect Shearer's
own views.
Text of Letters,
The letter of May 26 from Shearer
to Hunter follows in full:
MY dear Mr.. Hunter:
Watch all articles in New York
Times on arms conference and naval
base situation.
Trust you read James big articles IN
Times of May 13 and IA, which were
reflections of my views. Also hope
you read article sent by Williams (the
Times correspondent here) printed in
the New York Times tomorrow, May
81, which Is also my views and sug-
gestions for strong man, Dawes or Reed,
given him.
Have sent out $50 copies Of inclosed,
including all newspapers. MIR. Ochs.
owner of the Times, now in Europe, has
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