Evening star., 1945-12-17

formation, if it was given to him."
What has that got to do with
Pearl Harbor?" Mr.. Keefe retorted,
and acting Chairman Cooper of
Tennessee broke in to admonish
members that question could not be
settled now.
AS the pickering went on, Repre-
sentative Murphy, Democrat, Of
Pennsylvania kept interrupting to
remind his colleagues that Admiral
Wilkinson had been in the witness
chair for IS minutes waiting to
testify.
Senator Ferguson broke in to say
he did not want his silence up to
that point to be construed as in
dicating agreement with what Sena-
tor Lucas had said about inquiring
further into Mr.. Greaves' work as
an aide to Senator Brewster.
Mitchell Listed as Democrat.
IT think it would be of interest
to go into the past employment OF
each employe of the committee, "
Senator Ferguson added.
In the early days of the inquiry 1t
was pointed out that, although Mr..
Mitchell, chief counsel. served as
Solicitor General and Attorney Gen.
eral in two Republican admins
trations-Coolidge and Hoover-he
has been listed as Democrat.
Senator Brewster said there was
no mystery about his employment OF
Mr.. Greaves. He said he had made
statement early in the investiga-
ton that he had employed some
one to help him digest the evidence,
and had expressed regret that the
committee did not provide the mi
nority with such assistance.
The Senator from Maine recalled
that the Senate War Investigating
Committee, formerly headed by
President Truman, had always pro-
vided minority members with such
assistance. He said, it was signi-
fcant, that the committee never was
confronted with minority report
on the defense and war problems 1t
Investigated.
Stark Memorandum Shown.
MI. Gesell showed Admiral Will
kinson a memorandum dated De-
cember IL, 1910, signed by Admiral
Stark, directing the head of Naval
Intelligence to send out fortnightly
summaries of information gathered
from all over the world. This infor-
nation was to include diplomatic,
military and naval news of the jap
anese and similar information of
the Germans and Italians.
1t was desired, the memo added,
that mo information be included
regarding military or naval move
ments of the United States, the
British or the Dutch and mo secret
diplomatic conversations concern
ing those countries.
Did you ever see that memoran-
dunn" Mr.. Gesell asked.
Il did not see it until this morn
ing" Admiral Wilkinson replied
but I was fully aware of its terms
when I was director of Naval In
telligence."
| United States naval operations
were not to be disclosed to our own
commanders at sea or ashore, the
admiral explained, "for reasons Of
security
japanese wireless messages were
being picked up and decoded al
that time but the intelligence sum.
maries sent out were to include
nothing which might tip off Japar
to the fact that her code had beer
cracked, the admiral indicated.
Predecessor Explained Policy.
Anything that might have beer
learned independent of the codee
messages could be sent out, Admira
Wilkinson said and guarded allu
sion might be made to some thing
revealed by magic" (the name fol
decoded intercepts), but Naval In
telligence was to reveal nothing
which clearly could not have beer
obtained in any other way thar
by code-cracking.
Mr.. Gesell pointed out that the
record of communications before
the committee showed that prior tt
October, 1941, the gist of magic
messages had been sent to Hawai-
and other commands, not only that
but whole texts had been quoted al
times, counsel recalled.
Admiral Wilkinson conceded thai
this evidently had been done before
he took over the Office of Naval In.
telligence, but the policy had beer
changed by the time he assumed
the post. He was allowed to make
use of magic" information only
when it could be done in such way
that it would not betray the source
he explained.
i Would CaA Short, Kimmel Soon.
One committee member, Senatol
Brewster expressed hope today tha
other preliminary evidence woule
be deferred and Mai. Gen. Walter
c. Short and Admiral Husband E
Kimmel, commanders at Pearl Har'
, Dor in 1941, called at once.
Senator Brewster told newspaper
! men he thought the time had COM
Ito hear the two officers who hav
! been blamed to q large extent II
earlier inquiries of the Army an,
the Navy for the Pearl Harbor dis
! aster.
"Gen. Short and Admiral Kimme
!. are not on trial here" the Senate
pointed out. This Is not a court
\ martial, where all the evidence mus
be produced before the defendant
e are heard. They ought to have thei
0 day in court soon" y
: Senator Brewster said he ha
S taken up the matter with the chic
4 l~....-.l