DECLASSHHED Authority ubl L at s 1 June 15 19112 A Re UNKNOWN News Article in Chicago Tribune and washington Times Herald December h 19hl Relative Army and Navy Estimate '-of United States Over-all ProduCtion Requirements ESPIONAGE Narrative On December h 19hl the Chicago Tribune and the washington TimeseHerald published certain excerpts over the by line of Ohesly Manly of the Chicago Tribune from a secret document of the War Department known as The Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Overaall Production Requirements September 11 19hl containing the plans of the Army Ground Force Army Air Force and the Navy Investigation disclosed that this secret document had been prepared by the Army and Navy upon a directive of the President dated July 9 19hl addressed to the Secretaries of Nar and Navy which was to be completed September 10 l9hl In compliance with this directive the plan relative to the Army Ground Force was drawn up by Lieutenant Colonel Albert C Wbdemeyer the Army Air Force by Colonel Harold L George Colonel O A Anderson Colonel Kenneth walker Colonel Reuben Moffa Major H S Hansell and Major Lawrence Kuter and the Navy part by Rear Admiral R K Turner and Captain Oscar Smith U S N On or about October 22 l9hl the completed secret document consisting of thirty five copies was assembled and distributed under the supervision of Colonel William P Scobey Secretary of the_Joint Board Nar Department Copies numbers sixteen to twenty-five both inclusive were delivered by Colonel Scobey to Commander R McDowell Secretary to Rear Admiral Turner on or about October 27 l9hl which copies were dis tributed by Commander licDowell to various Navy officers in the Nar Plans Division of the Navy Department - Copies numbers twentyusix to thirty-five both inclusive were delivered to Colonel Dick Adjutant General of the Air Corps on or about October 22 l9hl who turned these copies over to Colonel Harold L George who distributed them to various officers in the Army Air Corps on or about November 25 l9hl The remaining fifteen copies numbers one to fifteen both inclusive were distributed to various officers in the Nar Department Owing to the number of copies of the secret document in question and the several hundred Army and Navy officers and civilian employees in both the war and Navy Departments having legitimate access thereto it _has not been possible to determine the source from whom the Chicago Tribune received the secret document 3 its 3 DECLASSHHED Authorityml u 2 On January 12 l9h2 Arthur Sears Henning correspondent of the Chicago Tribune washington D C refused to divulge the source from whom the Chicago Tribune received the war plan but did state that the secret document was obtained by his newspaper on December 2 l9hl and returned to the source on December 3 l9hl On January 23 l9h2 Chesly Manly assistant correspondent of the 7 Chicago Tribune was interviewed and stated that he obtained the secret 5 document entitled Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Cvereall Production Requirements September 11 19hl on December 2 19h1 and returned it to the source on December 3 l9hl Manly refused to divulge the source from whom he obtained this document He also refused to answer questions concerning whether he received authority from the Eresident Secretary of war and Secretary of Navy to publish the document in the Chicago Tribune and the washington Times-Herald Confidential information received by the Bureau indicates the secret document in question was obtained by the Chicago Tribune from an isolationist Senator Applicable Statutes Title 50 Chapter h Section 31 United States Code Annotated -punishes Whoever having possession of any writing or plan or note relating to the national defense willfully communicates or transmits the same to any person not entitled to receive it By the wording of the Statute there seems to have been a violation of this Section in that manly and Henning possessed a writing or plan relating to the national defense and communicated the same to the Chicago Tribune and the washington Times-Herald There also seems to be a violation in that the Chicago Tribune and Wbshington Times Herald in turn communicated the information to the general public which was not entitled to receive it 'Title 50 Chapter h Section 31 punishes whoever for the purpose of obtaining information relating to the national defense with intent or reason to believe that the information is to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign ocuntry copies or obtains any document writing or note connected with the national defense It appears that manly Kenning and the newspapers violated this Section by obtaining and copying the secret plan and the surrounding facts imply that they had reason to_believe that the information was to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign-nation Title 50 Chapter h Section 31 punishes the recipients of information obtained in violation of Section 31 knowing or having reason to believe that the information was obtained in violation of that Section Manly Kenning and the newspapers are apparently also guilty of violating Section 31 DECLASSHHED Authority ml l The other Sections of the Espionage Statutes are apparently not applicable because of certain necessary elements in them Witnesses Colonel William P Scobey Fort heads Maryland former Secretary Joint Board War Department Lieutenant Colonel Albert C wedemeyer War Department washington D C rRear Admiral R K Turner U S N Captain Oscar Smith U S N Navy Department washington D C To testify that he had supervision of assembling and distribution of thirtyufive copies of secret document Army and Navy Estimate cf the United States Over all Production Requirements September 11 l9hl and that no persons were entitled to the information contained therein except certain officials of the war and Navy Departments To testify that he is the author of the Army'Ground Force material shown in the secret document and his warding relative to the Ground Force data was quoted verbatim by Chesly Manly in the Chicago Tribune and Washington Times-Herald on December h l9hl that this document Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Over-all Production Requirements September ll l9hl was a secret document of the war Department and the only persons entitled to the information con- tained therein were certain officials of the ier and Navy Departments To testify that they were the authors of the Navy part of the_ secret document Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Over all Production Requirements September ll l9hl and that the wording of the secret document in the Chicago Tribune and the - washington Times Herald was verbatim with the document itself that the document was a secret document and the only persons entitled to the information contained therein were certain officials of the war and Navy Departments Authority 3D 7 Brigadier General Harold L George 7 former Colonel _Brigadier General Lawrence Kuter former major Colonel O A Anderson Colonel Kenneth N walker Colonel Reuben Moffatt _Major H S Hansell war Department washington D C Captain Albert L Vreeland Captain Lowell J Bradford- War Department Washington D C Joseph A Genau Special Agent Federal Bureau of Investigation lh37 Street N Possible Witnesses Charles Buffy editor Frank editor D 0 Joseph Patterson publisher New Kerk Daily News New York New York To testi y that they were the authors of the Air Corps part of the Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Over all Production Requirements September 11 l9hl that this document was a secret document of_the her Department and that the only persons entitled to the information contained therein were certain officials of the ear and Navy Departments To testify that Arthur Sears Henning and Chesly Manly correspondent and assistant correspondent respectively of the Chicago Tribune admitted that they were in possession of the seeret document Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Over all Production Requirements September 11 l9hl on December 2 and 3 l9hl and they'made copies of certain excerpts therefrom that they refused to divulge the source who furnished them with the document Confidential information has been received to the effect that Charles Duffy knows the source of Manly's information and that Frank'Waldrop wrote the story relative to the secret document Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Over all Production Reguirements September ll l9hl in the Timesu erald and may know Manly's source of information Mr Patterson informed Lieutenant Colonel J T Bissell and Lieutenant Lowell J Bradford of war Department that his entire knowledge relative to the publication DECLA-SSIFIED I AuthorityMBED Z of the secret document Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Over-all Production Requirements September 11 l9hl which appeared in the'Washington Times-Herald and the Chicago Tribune on_Deoember h l9hl was that Senator called Mr Henning manager of the hashington office of the Chicago Tribune in the Keith Albee Building and through this medium gave Mr Henning this story Mr Patterson did not kn what Senator it was and stated he was holding nothing back because he just did not knOW any more - He said that he under- stood that Mr Henning had instruc tions from Colonel MbCormick owner of the Chicago Tribune to get the hottest stories he could find in an attempt to scoop the new Chicago Sun which was coming out on the morning of December h l9hl Admissions Arthur Sears Henning correspondent In the Chicago Tribune of Friday Chicago Tribune hashington D 0 December S 19hl in an article containing the by line Arthur Sears Henning carried on page one and continuing on page sixteen column two Kenning on the latter page admits the following l I was aware of the source of Manly's information and knew it to be authentic notwithstanding the Administration's denial In vieW'of the officially inepired aspersions upon the integrity of Mr hanly I directed a vigorous search of all possible avenues of information on the secret war plan the revelation of which had angered the President The Tribune succeeded in getting part of the information Authoritm ul i which was published Nov 26 and eventually obtained the whole story in a copy of the Joint Board's secret report Thus was Senator Barkley's 'deliberate falsehood' charge exposed as a wanton slander Exhibits News articles written by Arthur Sears Banning and Chesly Manly of the Chicago Tribune relative to the secret document Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Over all Production Requirements September 11 l9hl commonly known as the Victory Program in the war and Navy Departments appearing in the following issues of the Chicago Tribune to Monday August 18 l9hl page one column eight Two Star Final Thursday October 2 l9hl page one column one Three Star Final Thursday November 27 l9hl page one column seven Two Star Final Thursday December h l9hl page one columns seven and eight which covers the publication of the secret document Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Overuall Production Requirements September ll l9hl - Two Star Final Friday December 5 l9hl page one columns six seven and eight - Three Star Final Saturday December 6 l9hl page one column one and editorial on page twelve column one entitled Manly'vs Barkley - Two Star Final Wednesday December 10 l9hl page one column two - Two Star Final All of the above publications are in the possession of the Bureau The following exhibits are in possession of ar E A Tamm Assistant the Director Copy of mashington Times-Herald dated December h l9hl covering the publication of the secret document Armw and NaVy Estimate of the United States Over all Production Requirements September 11 l9hl Copy number 22 of the secret document Army and Navy Estimate of the United States Overmall Production Requirements September ll l9hl                     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