Evening star., 1942-03-09
London Papers Story
Contained No New
Facts, Navy.Says
Daily Mail Declares
U. 5. Statement Is
Complete Vindicotion'
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
The United States Navy and the
London Daily Mail tangled today in
an open-if informal-dispute over
the significance of an exclusive dis
patch from Daily Mail correspond
ent reporting mass movements OF
American conveys to Australia and
incipient sea battles without parallel
The dispute has been dubbed the
"Farr incident because the corre-
spondent who wrote the dispatch
was Walter Farr, the Daily Mails
representative in this country who
first broke" the story of the Roose-
welt Churchill Atlantic charter
meeting several days before 1t was
announced.
The Navy, in a final" report on
the matter, stated last night that
Mr. Farr's dispatch contained mo
factual information - which has
not been published by the American
Press" previously.
Daily Mail Defends Accuracy.
1llC DdllS MALL dclcllulIlS bllc
accuracy of Mr.. Farr's account. as
serted that American reaction to it
had forced official revelation of
the one real military secret involved
the position of the cenvoys con-
cerned at the time the message was
sent"
The Navy said Mr.. Farr sent his
diSpatch-dated at sea aboard an
American warship''-from Honolulu
where he arrived March after be-
ing given transportation from Cali
fornia by the Navy. A Navy press
officer passed the dispatch for pub
lication, the department said.
so far as we can determine" the
statement continued, no American
correspondent who has covered the
same limited ground covered by Mr..
Farr has found in such coverage
anything similar to report. Con-
sequently we repeat that no remote
ly similar American copy is being
withheld by naval authorities at any
point.
1T is now our impression here
that the Farr story contained no
positive facts having any relations
whatsoever to new convoy opera
tions in the Southwest Pacific.
While we do not agree here with
the judgment of the naval officer
at Honolulu who reviewed and re-
leased the story, we can understand
why he might not have regarded
the story as news"
Secretary Knox Indignant.
Mr.. Farr's dispatch, which
aroused much attention, appeared
In the Saturday morning edition
of the Daily Mail Secretary of the
Navy Knox manifested indignation
over the incident that same day,
remarking that Mr.. Farr had been
"enjoying the courtesy of an Ameri-
can ship with the understanding
that whatever was written had to
be checked" The Secretary told
reporters then that you may be
sure that we are checking on this
with a great deal of vigor."
Mr.. Fairs dispatch, datelined "at
sea Friday" described the move
ment of great conveys" of Ameri-
can troops, pilots, planes, tanks
and guns in a steady stream to
Australia. Mr.. Farr also mentioned
naval and air battles without
parallel which he said were de-
yeloping in the Southwest Pacific.
In connection with the conveys,
Mr.. Farr wrote that every ship in
every convoy is a load of con-
centrated hitting power" and that
they not only would help to defend
Australia, but were taking with
them large quantities of materials
to be used to build the foundations
for a great offensive against the
Japanese"