The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-16
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
BY JACK sTINNETT

WASHINGTON, April 15.-Headwinds that
forced the westbound Atlantic Clipper into
Bermuda recently blew the top off a leak in
United States naval secrets-a leak that leads
to Nazi Germany.
The story has not been told. It's an official
secret, confined to international circles, U. S.
naval Intelligence and perhaps the Federal
Bureau of investigation. All will offer in COM
ment only that irritating Washington stynie:
Just say that we refuse to confirm or deny
But here it is, from one of those newsman's
delights: Ordinarily reliable sources;
The Atlantic Clipper, winging west out of
the Azores, fought ~headWinds, that would have
driven Columbus armada back to Spain. All
that happened was an alarming depreciation
of the gasoline supply-but the skipper, figur-
ing that safety was better than sorrow, put in
at Bermuda for fuel.
The British government there, ever on uui
vivre, called its disbanded censorship staff
from basking on the beaches and riding hi
cycles in the warm winter sun. Within an
hour or so, 1928 pounds of mail had been
taken off the Clipper for censorship. More
than 500 pounds of it was mail from Germany.
Among this was a letter from some Nazi
somewhere that left the British censors gasp,
ing. They forwarded it by cable to the United
States naval intelligence department here.
The context of that letter left no doubt in
any ones mind. U. S. naval secrets were being
SOlQ through some foreign espionage agency
to Germany
I have it on high authority that some person
or persons already have been taken into Gus
tody-but there always is that: we do not
confirm or deny
It's An Ill Wind
This is a phase of the censorship and mail
seizure situation that has been overlooked.
Not until o man for u-o~oon hol AVN. ,,oJo
suspicion could any officer investigating espion-
age or subversive activities plumber the United
States mail.
It's another side of the picture that critics
Of British high-handedness (some even have
called it hijacking) regarding the U. S. mails
have ignored.
I don't say that the British Cor any one
else) are privileged to tap one single pipeline
Of foreign communications bearing an Ameri-
can stamp, but 1 can't help repeating that it's
an i'll wind that doesn't blow somebody some
thing.
It's Happened Before
This is merely history repeating itself. In
the World war, it was Great Britain that
pointed the way to disclosure of the thinner
man notes, which allegedly built up a pretty
big case against Germany's interest in the
affairs in Mexico Supposedly to distract the
United States from intervention in the Euro
pean wary
Again, it was Great Britain that uncovered
the reported perfidy of one Mr.. Franz Won
Papen, attache of the German embassy. Mr.,
Won Papen, so the story goes, had negotiated
for sabotage of certain U. S. industries and
waterways. For years Won Papen was under
Indictment in the United States-undoubtedl
would be under suspicion if he returned to-
day, although the Indictment has been dis
missed.
Both of these have been the activi.
ties of British propaganda agents. SO COULD
BE THE PRESENT disclosure of a leak in U.
s. naval secrets to Nazi Germany.
But who's fooling who and why isn't i'm
p%ortant. What is vital TO our interests is that
something's up and in a big way. The British
seizure of mail finally has disclosed a skunk
in the woodpile and it's up to the F. B.. l..
naval intelligence, or somebody, to smoke him
out and find out whose flag he's flying.
If Great Britain is up to one of her propa.
ganda tricks-it's time we found out. If Nazi
Germany is getting sticky fingers where u. S.
naval secrets are concerned, then it's time
some misguided soul went to Jail.
It's all right to shush,shush these things as
long DIS 70 one is sure about anything, but
once the espionage die is cast, We, the Public,
should have a look-in.