Pr DECLASSIFIED COMINCH FILE FLEET HEADQUARTERS OF THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF NAVY DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON n 3 June 11 1942 MEMORANDUM Mr Biddle Stanley Johnston was in the status of an authorized correspondent returning from the Coral Sea area in the Navy transport BARNET The despatch in question was dated 51 May and was received on board that ship that date Johnston when first questiondinsisted that he had put together_the substance of his article from general conversation on board the BARNET He later stated that he had found the text as written by him in his article on a sheet of plain paper on a desk which he used Jointly with some of the senior officers with whom he was quartered He states that he wrote the substance of the article on Saturday last and turned it over to his managing editor He claims that the headlines and the statement that the information was obtained in Washington was not his work He admitted that it was not true Mr Johnston has returned to Chicago but is holding himself in readiness to return to Washington by air QLb- e RUSSELL WILLSON Chief of Staff Mr 594% 05 ng meg 1 WI 79 77its amm I                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu