Show I I i Dont Quote Me i 0 0 I By United limited Press I These words arc are the ones most frequently heard by Washings Washing Washing- I s ton correspondents Items which never appear in the regular disI dispatches dis dis- dis I patches and little intimate pictures of or public characters will appear In this column from time to time tune I WASHINGTON Jan 14 14 Admiral Admiral William Pratt whose straight- straight shoulder the utterances in the HawaiIan situation and outspoken pea pcs regarding the Geneva disarmament disarm- disarm disarmament ament ment conference have projected him m monto onto nto the front pages is a blustery in in- who in moments of ot stress Etress' forgets he is not still striding the I decks of or a battleship Yet the girls in the tho navy cafeteria refer reter to him as an old dear That contrast is one of the ng rig characteristics of this year old allor vho ho after alter 42 years of ot commissioned commis- commis service in the salty atmosphere of f the sea is the highest ranking officer er in the United States navy There is a favorite story about the theme time me Pratt wanted to take Admiral Hugh ugh Rodman since retired out into the ic middle of the Pacific and have a private battle between the old batUe- batUe ship lip New York and Rodmans Rodman's flagship flagship flag- flag ship lip the Idaho It was in 1919 and Pratt was captain cap- cap fain ain of the New York He did not like ike the idea of three guns in a turret as s the Idaho had bad He maintained that when three guns were fired the effect of the middle one I was vas nullified by the jarring of the outside two I Why stormed Pratt Ill take Rodman and his Idaho out ut into the middle of the ocean and blow hell L Lout out ut of him with my old battlewagon 7 That's how good I think the two-gun two turrets are arc Pratt is square shouldered has bas iron gray hair and a closely clipped cUpped mus mus- tache He walks with the rolling gait of a sailor likes baseball and plays a good game of golf He lie is recognized as one of the worlds world's leading naval strategists and is afraid of no one Several recent incidents have disturbed disturbed dis Pratt and the halls of the navy department have echoed to his bis ha ha- When displeased with wilh a visitor he advances arm extended and finger pointing his voice boom- boom Ing lag He behaved this way Monday after preachers in fri Honolulu had attacked attacked at at- tacked him from their pulpits Pratts Pratt's famous amous remark that American American Amerlean Amer ican lean men will not stand for the violation violation viola viola- tion of their women under any circumstances circumstances circumstances cir was made before the slaying of a native accused of attackIng attackIng attacking attack attack- ing the wife of a navy officer Included ed in the navys navy's review of the situation situation situa situa- tion lion it appeared to have been made after the killing and was Interpreted by some as a justification of ot it Pratt shouted stormed and swore But when it was explained to him that newspaper men were not responsible for the mistake he calmed down dom im mediately The same who refer to Pratt as an old buzzard admit Inthe in inthe the next breath they would go through hell lieU for him |