Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-08
Marshall Says He Never Told
Roosevelt of Dewey Letters

Roosevelt of De
Two highly secret letters written
by Gen. George C. Marshall to Gov
Thomas E. Dewey of New York dur
ing last years presidential cam
paign, urging the Republican can
didate to safeguard any informa-
tion about the cracking of Japa-
nese codes, were added today to the
record of the Pearl Harbor investi-
cation.
Chairman Barley announced
yesterday afternoon the decision to
reveal them after a closed session,
in which the committee was divided
over the wisdom of deleting certain
technical references to the CODE
cracking, which Gen. Marshall felt
should be kept confidential.
Senator Barley said, however,
that the committee had decided to
take the responsibility for publish
ing the full text, believing it would
be less embarrassing than to ex-
plain later why portions were left
out.
Two Almost Identical.
The two letters were almost iden-
teal. The second letter a revised
draft, was written after Gov. Dewey
had returned the first letter I'M
read
Asked to detail to the committee
the background of the Dewey let
tiers, Gen. Marshall said that during
the presidential campaign of last
fall Maj. Gen. Clayton Bissell, chief
of Army intelligence, brought up the
matter of the countrys topmost war
secret. Gen. Bissell said the COM
ments in Congress and in the cam
paign led him to fear the news that
we were breaking the codes might
leak out.
Gen. Marshall testified that the
Army had A officers and a group
of 1870 soldiers and civilians working
on DECIDING four years ago. Most
of them we're in Washington, but
Is were at Fort Washington, Md,
down the Potomac from the Capt.
tai.
One man was picked up in Bos-
ton trying to sell this information"
the general said.
He did not explain whether the
man was a civilian or soldier or
what happened to him.
Talk of Codes at Parties.
1t came to him, he added, that
codes were being talked about at
cocktail parties, and there we're
growing indications Pearl Harbor
would become a campaign issue,
with the claim made that this Gov
eminent had limitations of the at
tack from intercepted messages.
MY first plan," said Gen. Mar
shall, was to go to the President.
l didn't think that would do. After
considering the matter overnight. I
dictated this letter. I sent Gen.
Bissell with it to Admiral King
(chief of naval operationsD to get
his reaction. 1t was favorable"
Gen. Marshall emphasized that
the President, the Secretary of War
and other cabinet officerss had no
knowledge of what he was doing.
Never Told President.
Its success" he explained, "de-
pended on convincing Gov. Dewey
of that-of convincing him that it
was entirely nonpolitical. I never
told the President. I think he died
without knowing, and I have no
recollection of ever telling the Sec
rotary of War"
The officer chosen to take the
letter to Gov. Dewey, Col. Carter
Clarke, was identified as having
charge of the most secret documents
of the War and Navy Departments. +"
After Col. Clarke returned with
the first letter, explaining that Gov.
Dewey refused to read beyond the
Introductory paragraphs-declining
to read the secret passages-Gen
Marshall said he prepared the Sec
ond draft. In the revised letter, the
chief Of staff assured the Governor
that he was bound" not to disclose
only portions which he might not
already know or might learn after
ward from some other source. AS
oa4 oAANC oAoo WOO u0OC0 Glldt UllS
President and the Secretary of War
knew nothing Of this communica-
ton.
Phoned From Albany.
AS I recall it," Gen. Marshall
said, after Col. Clarke delivered
the second letter, he phoned me
from the Governors ONCE in Albany.
The Governor still was unwilling
to read it unless he had at least one
adviser present, and he suggested a
Mr.. Bell, confidential adviser. Mr..
Dewey also felt that he should keep
a copy of the letter. He didn't know
what might happen to me, and he
would have no record. I agreed to
the terms. The letter was left in
his hands"
Gen. Marshall added: "Col Clarke
returned to Washington and told me
Gov. Dewey had read the letter.
do not recall that he .old me the
Governor had given any assurance
of what he would do"
The general said, however, that
as the campaign developed there
was no reference to the secret
matters.
After the campaign was over,
Gen. Marshall recalled, he sent Gen.
Bissell to Albany to give the Gov
ernor more details of the magic"
messages-the intercepted japanese
codes and why they were so vital
to winning the war.
Later, Gen. Marshall explained,
there was further discussion of Pearl
Harbor in Congress and talk that
Gov. Dewey might be summoned to
, tell what he was supposed to know
about why the Japanese sneak at
tack was so successful.
Gen. Bissell talked to Gov. Dewey
in Albany, Gen. Marshall recalled,
!, adding:
HE went into the magic messages
more fully and the war situation.
Gov. Dewey wanted to know what
wanted him to do. I told Gen. Bis
sell to tell him I already had made