| Show Great Military Secret Revealed By E E. Lo Doheny Naval Officers Feared Destructive War In Pacific In 1921 With Invasion of West Coast Likely Oil In Storage Vital Factor r Jr i MEW NEW YORK July 1 1 The AP AP The New ew Yo York Times es today publishes a copyright interview in which Edward L. L Doheny giving his own story of the naval oil leases discloses what he indicates has been regarded hitherto as a great military secret Speaking at Ix Los s Angeles to a astaff aStaff staff correspondent against the advice of ot counsel the Times says sas I Mr Mi- Doheny said there never r would have ha been an Elk Hills lease nor nor would his company have ha undertaken the construction of the tho Pearl harbor naval oil lease had not nol near nar Admiral John JohnJ J. J J chief of ot the naval nasal bureau of ot engineering in Wash Wash- Washington ington convinced con him that n. n great war wal In the Pacific threat threat- threatened coed ened d the United ll States Slates In 1921 21 III I I and that l the t proposed op Hawaiian WI oil base was the one link In th thi I national defensive chain on which 1 depended victory victor or 01 defeat for Cor forthe forthe the United States UK liE rACES TRIAL Tn Mr r Doheny will go to trial in Washington in October on A t of ot criminal conspiracy with h hAlbert Albert B B. Fall former Cor mer secretary of the Interior in connection with the Elk Hills JUlis oil lease which the government In the tho Los An An- Angeles Angeles federal court succeeded in Invalidating In The story of naval officers officers' fears of ot war In tile tie Pacific Mr Ir Doheny says sas was seas contained In a deposition deposition tion by b Admiral put In evidence e In the trials of ot suits sult to annul the Tea Pot Dome and Elt El 11 leases but the portion re- re to the military secret was WS stricken out In lit this connection I Secretary Wilbur ur subpoenaed to I produce certain documents sent senta I a 1 certificate that It Il would be against the th national Interest to 10 todo todo I i i do so st Mr r Doheny said suld 11 1 He lie called attention to remarks s by Judge ludge Iud Kennedy In the Tea feo Pot Dome I I decision that there was no fur Cur further further ther need of secrecy Hobison called to my mind the II horrors horror of ot the invasion In of ot Bel- Bel I Two Co Continued on Page lage I BIG Mill MILITARY ARY SECRET OARED BARED Continues Continue C From F p Paco tre 1 glum lum Mr DOheny said With Witha ltha a a. force torce I shall never ne forget torget he h asked me to the results of f even a I temporary oriental In In- invasion aslon of the tho Pacific coast lie He startled me with information lon tion regarding orders which hat hal been given ghen to foreign war vessels and an 1 even to 10 merchant ships in inthe inthe the th Pacific for tor their mobilization on incredibly short notice Ho Ito pointed 1 out that that modern warfare had reduced tho the efficiency of coast defense so 80 that they were no longer to be relied rell 1 on He lie tod told mo that In an attack on this country by a nav nary In the Pacific defeat was sure lure to come to our fleet neel unless there ther was an ad i- i quate naval oil reserve e In Hawaii 1 IO ILI LL He said every ery responsible navy officer In had re received re re- relied confidential bulletins which disclosed that the oil reserves of or ofa a L great naval al power In the Pa Va- Pacific cIne were adequate for war scar He Ito called my attention to the fat fact fa that there th re still existed a well known alliance between this great Pacific Patine nation and the most pow pow- powerful powerful powerful erful naval lIa station of ot the world worl 1 Mr Ir Doheny said aId that every cry everyone everyone one ono who had been informed of or orthIs this situation had been warned of Its highly hIgh confidential and secret character because of fear tear that the tho arms conference con terence then in session at Washington might be wrecked wr by revelation of ot plans plane for a naval base In Hawaii DEY DE DEOT Y MT OT FALL AIL Mr Ir Doheny further discloses the tho Times says that tho the mom famous executive order of ot President Harding Har Har- Harding Harding ding which gave to the tho Interior department administrative powers involving the the- naval oil reserves reserve was suggested not n t by t y Mr F but by the then secretary lS of the thenay navy y nav Denby Denb that the war tear fears of ot naval officers officer had been com com- communicated communicated to Secretary Denby Denb who brought up tho the matter of or Joint control In a II cabinet meeting Mr Doheny was forbidden by counsel to discuss the loan ho he made to Secretary Pall 1 and the letter signed by Mr 11 Fall FallIn FallIn Fallin In h the latter wrote rote that the loan had been beets obtained from Edward B D. McLean publisher ot or orthe the Washington Post Poet nI The Times states It has learned learn 1 that a prominent member ot or the tho Republican national committee In brought the tho letter to Mr rail Pall in its completed form torm and urged the secretary to sign It Mr Tall Fall strongly demurred the newspaper sas sa's but the com- com committeeman argued that an election elec elec- election tion lion was coming on and those who ho conceived the tho Idea of or having DIr Mr Ur McLean pose pone as the lender 1 lder nt or ortho tho the thought thou that the thO I letter If Ir signed and amid mode made public before borore the tho senate senale committee I would clear the political atmos atmos- atmosphere aim atmosphere os- os phere Mr Fall tho the newspaper asserts signed the letter but not mailing it It he returned turned r It to the tho man who brought It to him A few tew hours later it was in tho the hands of Sen Sen- Senator Senator ator Lenroot chairman of sen-I sen th the senate Investigating committee and shortly thereafter read Into the record of the committee and given to the th press Counsel for forIr Mr Ir Doheny Dohony declared that the McLean HH letter episode Is the one Incident in his bl long friendship with Mr Ir Fall all that Mr 11 Doheny cannot ex ex- excuse cuse HEAP HEAP- In the Interview M Mr I DohenY charged that telegrams had ds d's appeared mysteriouSly m from the files flies of or the Interior department after arter the tho files tIIu had been ran rim ransacked ransacked sacked by persons in to the employ of the senate Investigating com com- committee committee He ie said Bald these telegrams would have disclosed that Full had no part In making contracts with the Doheny interests but ut that these contracts were wele super super- supervised supervised by Assistant Secretary of ot the Interior Finney I Secretary Denby Den and an 1 Admiral Robison Mr Ir Doheny read the tho telegrams during the tho seven hour Interview Interview- Inter l w He said they had been unearthed unearth b by his counsel In the office of or orthe the comptroller general g ne al attached to bills for tor the telegraph tolls |
