Evening star., 1941-09-07
Boettiger Denounces
Knox as 'Betrayer'
OF Navy and Press
RooseveIt's Son-in-Luw
Declares Services
Popularity Is Waning
Ry the Associated Press.

SEATTLE, Sept. 6.-The Seattle
ost-Intelligencer, whose publisher,
John Boettiger, is President Roose-
velt'S son-in-law, charged in an edi-
torial today that the Navy's popu-
aarity with newspaperman had "di-
minished dangerously as a result
of Secretary of the Navy Knox's
"woefully misguided orders affecting
the press"
The editorial was prompted by an
incident which occurred Thursday
on the arrival of Russian military
air mission. Newsmen and photog-
raphers were halted by Navy re-
Volver shots after they had sailed
their press boats within the re-
stricted area of the naval air station.
The editorial said in part:
THE firing upon American news
papermen by United States Navy
men at Sand Point is about the
last straw.
Regulations Called Stupid.
"It eliminates a long series of in
vi otbP1u lS6o
aations and a lack of cooperation
which would seem to indicate that
the United States Navy, in our
knowledge at least, is trying to de-
liberately ALLEVIATE the American
press.
There have been other incidents
which are equally vexing At least
half of the 100000 people around
Seattle are wholly aware of certain
facts which the United States, in
concert with the British Admiralty,
has asked the newspapers to with
hold from their readers.
The t-Intelligencer under this
mandate has co-operated fully, but
the situation has not improved
Navy-press relations. '''
Popularity Held Diminished.
The public relations of the Navy
until Frank Knox became its Secre-
tary were the highest of any branch
of military service or of any de-
partment of the Government, and
that is saying a great deal.
"Since Mr.. Knox became Secre-
tary and as a result of his woefully
misguided orders affecting the press
the popularity of the Navy has di-
minished dangerously.
THE War Department, on the
other hand, under the able admins
tration of Mr. Stimson, has built
Its press relations to an admirable
degree. There is fullest respect and
cooperation between local Army
officials and the press.
"It is ironical that Mr.. Knox, a
newspaperman,, should thus betray
the American Navy and the Amer
lean press"
The shots were directed at a
speedboat piloted by Paul ONeil.
newspaper reporter, and Harold
.tSmitty) Smith, photographer. They
are employees of the Seattle Times.
The boat, with Smith taking
rapid fire series of pictures of the
Russian seaplane, came close in
shore into a zone where private
small craft are prohibited. Naval
authorities previously had issued
orders against taking pictures in
the station itself.
Four Shots Fired.
O'Neil said he had started to
swing out into Lake Washington
after taking the pictures without
Snterference.
Four shots rang out from naval
patrol boat which had set out af-
Ger the press boat.
ONeil said he did not hear the
hrst warning shots across his bow,
probably because of the roar of
boat and airplane motors. But the
fourth one nearly hit his boat.
He said the chief petty officer,
whose name was not disclosed, told
him afterward:
THE fourth was a line shot and
1t must have ricocheted off the
water right near you. If it had
been little higher, it might have
hit you"
A young aviation mate, third
class, said he fired the shots from
b As automatic pistol.
Naval authorities confiscated the
Photographic plates from the ONeil-
Smith boat and from the Post-In-
telligencer boat, also at the scene
but not fired on, and later realised
some of them.