Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-11
SHEARER TO FACE
SENATE PROBE OF
WORK AT GENEVA
Upper House Orders Naval
Committee to Investigate
Propagandist's Actions.
INQUIRY Is LIMITED
TO SPECIFIC INSTANCE
Borah Believes Resolution Will
Cover Charges That Navy
Officers Are Involved.

The Borah resolution, providing for an
investigation by the Senate naval af-
fairs committee of the alleged employ
ment of William B. Sheartr by ship
building companies to orCak down the
Geneva conference on naval llmlta-
tions, was adopted today by the Sen
ate without a dissenting voice.
The resolution, reported favor1bly
from the committee on audit. orders
and control of the contingent fund OF
the Senate, was submitted to the Sen
ate soon after it met today.
Senator Mcclellan of Tennessee, asked
II it was proposed TO investigate prop
aganda on both sides of the question
Of naval limitations.
Robinson Joins Borah.
"This resolution" said Senator Borah,
sis confined to an investigation of a
specific instance, mentioning the reso-
luton alleging an attempt to interfere
with an international agreement"
Senator Robinson of Arkansas, the
Democratic leader. member of the
Senate naval affairs committee, de-
clared that the resolution did not pro-
pose that the committee should inveS-
tigate the question of propaganda.
He said that it had long been known
that agencies had been at work on
both sides of the question as to whether
the United States should have big
Navy or small Navy, spreading propa-
ganda.
1.-The gist of this resolution" said
Senator Robinson, lis the investigation
of the alleged employment of Shearer
to represent shipbuilding companies at
an international conference on naval
arms limitation. Involved in it is a
question of interference in the foreign
relations of the United States. There
Is no purpose in this resolution to cover
up these alleged transactions or to con-
fuse them with the long continued
question whether this country shall
have a big or small Navy.
Hope to Prevent Recurrence.
''It is to be hoped, however, that if
these things did occur at the Geneva
conference, preventing an international
agreement, as result of this investiga-
ton they never will happen again. No
citizen and, no corporation under the
most liberal construction OF freedom
of speech has the right for niercenary
reasons to interfere in the efforts of the
Chief Executive Of the United States to
negotiate an International agreement.
IF it were proposed to investigate
an effort would be made to have the
propaganda on the tariff included in the
investigation 1t would be unfortunate
to confuse this investigation and its
purposes with an investigation of gen.
era1 propaganda"
Senator Blaine of Wisconsin asked
the resolution was broad enough to
cover an investigation of charges that
high naval officers have been involved
Chno FoYs
''Yes, think it is" was the reply of
Senator Borah.
The Senate naval affairs committee
Is scheduled to meet again tomorrow
morning. At that time the committee
will determine whether it shall conduct
the investigation as a full committee or
by subcommittee and what witnesses
will be summoned first. It is expected
that Shearer and officials of the ship
building companies, the Bethlehem Co.,
the Newport News Shipbuilding and
Dry Dock Co. and the American Brown
Boveri Co., win be among those sum-
moned.
The resolution adopted by the Senate
authorized the committee to spend up
to $4,000 to conduct the investigation.
Shearer Due to Be Called.
The naval committee expects to call
as its key witness the central figure in
the controversy, william B. Shearer.
whose allegations in suit against three
large shipbuilding corporations for COM
pensation for having acted as their
agent at the Geneva conference, brought
vigorous and reiterated expressions of
displeaSure from President Hoover, the
direction of a Department of Justice
investigation by the Chief Executive and
the pending Senate inquiry.
Corporation Answers Shearer.
The New York Shipbuilding Co.. a
subsidiary of the American Brown
Boveri Electric Corporation, one of the
defendants In Shearer's suit, last night
issued a statement asserting that
neither it nor its parent corporation
had ever directly or indirectly indulged
in propaganda to influence the naval
policies of the Government at Geneva
or elsewhere"
y The two other corporations named in
Shearer's suit are the Bethlehem Ship
building Corporation and the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.,
both of which have issued statements
more than $250,000 is due him from
the three concerns as compensation
for his services at Geneva and else
where before and after the conference
there.
while the inquiry of the Department
of Justice is understood to include all
efforts to influence public opinion on
the disarmament question by shipbuild-
ing corporations affected financially, the
investigation of the naval committee is
confined to the happenings at Geneva.
Neither is directed at Shearer person
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