7 DECLASSIFIED Authority MM _June 22 1942 A as STANLEY CLAUDE annex Jonvsron 4 ESPI ONAGE J - This memorandum brings up to date investigative work completed since the submission of the memorandum dated June 20 1942 Reference is made to page five of the memorandum dated June 17 1942 wherein information is set forth concerning the position of the United States Navy relative to the Japanese code The Honolulu Field Division or the Federal Bureau of Investigation has advised that Naval authorities in Honolulu will not state privately or publicly officially or nonofficially whether they know anything about the Japanese code and therefore no information is available from Naval officers in Hawaii con cerning the Japanese code ggcrediting of Johnston as a Tribune Correspondent Lieutenant Commander waldo Drake and Lieutenant James E Bassett Staff Officers United States Peeific Fleet Pearl Harbor Navy Yard have both advised that Stanley Johnston arrived in Honolulu March 2 1942 and reported to Lieutenant Commander Drake on-March 3 1942 Johnston displayed_ basic credentials from the har Department and advised that he had been told by Commander R Berry Navy Department Washington D 0 that his credentials to the Pacific Fleet would be in the hands of the Commandernin Chief of the Pacific Fleet at the time of Johnston's arrival in Honolulu However Johnston's credentials had not arrived and a dispatch was sent by the Commanderwin Ghief Pacific Fleet to the secretary of the Navy aSking that Johnston be accredited to the Pacific Fleet as a corresPondent The Secretary of the Navy approved the accrediting of Johnston by Naval dispatch of March 11 1942 according to Lieutenant Commander Drake Upon the basis of this authorization credentials of the United States Pacific Fleet signed by Lieutenant Commander E T Layton as Fleet Censor were executed for Stanley Johnston on or about March ll 1942 for the period ending July 1 1942 These credentials were given to Stanley Johnston in hereon by Lieutenant Commander Drake in the presence of Lieutenant Bassett and the credentials identify Johnston as Accredited Press CorreSpondent U S Pacific Fleet The hava1 dispatch from the Secretary of the Navy to Admiral Nimitz authorizing Johnston to take passage on the USS Lexington was not shown to Johnston but the privileges conferred on Johnston were explained to him by Lieutenant Commander Drake DECLASSHHED 7 Authority ED 6 Q I Clearance of Johnston's Stories At the time Johnston was given his Pacific Fleet credentials he was also given a mimeographed copy of a memorandum for correSpondents dated January 9 1942 entitled Subjects Not To Be Released For Publica- tion and the contents of this memorandum were read to him by Lieutenant Commander Drake in the presence of Lieutenant Bassett A copy of this memorandum has been forwarded to Commander R W Berry Navy Department Washington D C by Admiral Nimitz and will be obtained as soon as available Lieutenant Commander Drake in the presence of Lieutenant Bassett further discussed orally with Stanley Johnston the various restric tions imposed by the Commander-in-Chief United States Pacific Fleet on press copy and specifically advised Johnston that all copy written by him while operating on his Pacific Fleet credentials must first be submitted to a representative of the Commandermin Chief Pacific Fleet for censor ship Three articles were turned in by Johnston for publication prior to the time he sailed on the USS Lexington April 14 1942 One of these articles according to Lieutenant Commander Drake was_rejected and two were released for publication One article was sent in by tanker by Johnston after his departure from Hawaii which article was alSo released for publication Lieutenant Commander Drake has advised that Stanley Johnston did not sign a release for personal injuries before boarding the USS Lexington It is noted that it has been previously reported that Commander R W Barry Navy Department Washington D C understood that Johnston had signed the release for personal injuries before boarding the USS Lexington Official Navy Photographs in Johnston s Possession According to Lieutenant Commander Waldo Drake Staff Officer Commander-in Chief Pacific Fleet Johnston was specifically told that he was not authorized to take photographs or to have photographs in his pos session except upon the approval of the Commander in Chief or until the photographs had been released by the Commander inuChief Lieutenant Commander Drake also stated that no authorization was given to Stanley Johnston or to _the Chicago Tribune to have possession of official Navy photographs of the burning of the USS Lexington prior to the general release of the photographs which release was made at Washington D C Lieutenant Larry L Bocda Photographer USS Minneapolis advised that thirty exposures of the USS Lexington in a sinking condition had been made from the USS Minneapolis by R T Mosby Photographer lhird Class and J E O Connell Yeoman Second Class These exposures were developed and printed by Mosby in the laboratory of the USS Minneapolis These negatives were given serial numbers 0151 to 0181 Eight sets of certain of a DECLASSIFIED 7 AuthoritymhigDQZ 2 l6 r these negatives were printed and delivered to Lieutenant Brandt of the USS Astoria to be delivered to Rear Admiral Frederick C Sherman then on the USS Astoria One set was turned over to Admiral Nimitz and one set consisting of twentyesix prints now remains in the possession of Lieutenant Booda on the USS Minneapolis On June 15 1942 all negatives taken of the USS Lexington from aboard the USS Minneapolis were forwarded to the Bureau of Aeronautics United States Navy Department under the classificatidn of Secret All of the prints were stamped Official Photographs Not To Be Used For Publication By Order Of The Chief Of The Bureau Of Aeronautics 'Handlina of the Secret Message on the USS Barnett Advice has been received from the Honolulu Field Division Federal Bureau of Investigation that Admiral Nimitz forwarded a photostatic copy of seoret message number 311221 the message in question in this case to Admiral King Washington D 0 on June 19 1942 copies of this message will be obtained through the Navy Department as soon as available 2 There is attached to this memdrandum a photostatic copy of secret dispatch number 311221 as it was received and decoded on board the Barnett This copy shows the initials of the various officers who saw and initialed the secret message aboard the USS Barnett and it is noted that it has written thereon the word Secret in two places Additional Interview with Lieutenant Commander 8dr rd Donnell Gunnery Officer USS Lexington Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell advised that he did not at any time show the secret message to Johnaton'nor did he discuss the message with Johnston Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell advised that it is possible that Johnston may have been within earshot when Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell discussed the message with other officer perSonnel in Commander Seligman's quarters Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell did not make a copy or any notes from the secret message'and does not know whether any of the other officers made a copy or notes therefrom Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell stated he does not know how Stanley Johnston may have obtained the contents of the secret message r Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell saw the message for the first time in his quarters on the USS Barnett and recalls that Commander Junker was present at the time and that Johnston was definitely not present Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell further stated that on the occasion when he and Lieutenant Commander Eldredge were in Commander Seligman's quarters he saw some pencil notations giving the line up of the Japanese ships However he does not know who made these notnsand recalls that in addition to Eldredge Commander Seligman and Lieutenant Commander R E Biron USS Lexington were also present DECLASSIFIED i Aothorityml iDNZ 1 lg 4 Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell advised that he saw some of the photographs of the exploding of the USS Lexington while he was on the USS Barnett He does not know from what ship they were taken nor by whom they were developed and he did not see any photographs in Stanley Johnston's possession Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell could fUrnish no information as to who might have furnished any photographs to Stanley Johnston Attachment                     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