Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-31
HOOVER AWAITING
ACTION BY LEAGUE
IN NAVAL DISPUTE
Ready to Start Selecting Jury
When He Receives List
of Members.

BY the Associated Press.
The next move in the bitter contro-
versy between President Hoover and the
Navy League, longtime advocate of
increased ornaments, is up to the
League.
President Hoover is ready to name
jury to decide whether he has shown
"abysmal ignorance of naval matters, .
as charged by the league, or whether
William Howard Gardiner, its president.
over whose name the attack was issued,
is guilty Of uttering tissue of false
hoods" as charged by the White House.
The President is awaiting, however,
ito secure list of the members of the
Navy League" before selecting the jury.
"As soon as that list is obtainable, 4"
he said, II shall select representation
for the membership of a committee
which viii be able to establish the I'M
truths promulgated by the president of
that body
List to Be Given Hoover.
The request for the membership list
was received by the league this morn
ing. and probably win be met within a
few hours.
william, M Calvin, executive secre-
tary of the league, said he would COM
ply with the request as fast as the list
could be assembled from the 1000 in
dividual cards on which records are
kept. Gardiner was advised by the
league Office of the Presidents request.
For their part, neither the league
nor Gardiner has indicated assent to
the Presidents proposal that they par
ticipate in an airing of the controversy
by a presidential appointed committee.
Silence has been the only answer to
the Presidents bitter denunciation of
Gardiner, Of whom he said he would
expect "a public correction of his mis-
statements and an apology" upon COM
pletion of the inquiry.
Gardiner expressed surprise Thurs
day night after the Presidents attack
He said then he would welcome a con-
gressional investigation ito bring out
the facts" Yesterday, his only public
move was the Summoning of the leagues
Executive Committee to meet here soon
1t is not the first time the league
has met difficulties with the Govern
ment. Because of its continuous de-
mand for a bigger Navy before the
O44lbC0 SbdJCS CnbCACA bAAS NOI40 w al
JosephuS Daniels, as Secretary of the
Navy under President Wilson, forbade
league members to set foot aboard any
naval vessel or within any naval sta
ion.
StimSOn Issues Statement
Secretary StImson also joined yes
terday the denunciation of the league
which precipitated the controversy by
charging President Hoover not only was
ignorant of naval needs, but sought
to 'starve" the sea service.
The text Of Secretary Stinlson's
statement follows:
THE statement says that there were
admittedly agreements at the Rapidan
between President Hoover and Prime
on naval matters) that were never off,
cially divulged in their entirety 1t is
entirely false and has been publicly re-
futed many times.
THE statement says that the ad-
ministration refused to allow even an
executive session of the Senate Com
mittee on Foreign Relations to see the
full record Of its negotiations and pos
sible commitments preparatory to the
London Naval Conference of 1890
This also is false
AS a matter of fact we permitted
every member of the Senate Commit
tee on Foreign Relations who would
agree not to publish the records in the
newspapers to have full access to the
records.
Says Reed Had Papers.
The only members of the Commit
tee on Foreign Relations who did not
see the records were persons who were
unwilling to make that promise. We
never refused to allow the Senate Com
mittee to see them In executive ses-
sion. The whole statement is entirely
false.
Senator Reed Republican, Penn
Sylvania), had the papers IN his Gus
tody and was authorized by me TO show
them to any member who would prom
Use to see them in the confidence In
which diplomatic papers are regularly
kept He showed them TO several
members.
ANY pamphlet which starts of with
two such aiSstatementS, so deliberately
and fiagrantly false, is not worthy of
any further comment"