Whiter White House

The White House war on the Navy League and its bold President William Howard ("Admiral'') Gardiner, was last week brought to what President Hoover hoped was a successful conclusion. All President Hoover lacked to complete his sense of victory was a public apology from Mr. Gardiner for calling him "abysmally ignorant" (TIME, Nov. 9).

The war began with a meeting of the Navy League's executive committee to ponder its president's charge that President Hoover was "restricting, reducing and starving" the U. S. fleet, subordinating its strength to foreign powers, nullifying authorized construction programs with economy. After due deliberation the committee voted 7-to-i in support of Mr. Gardiner, affirming "its faith in the statement issued." Only dissenter was Demo-crat Henry Breckinridge, onetime Assistant Secretary of War, who took exception to Mr. Gardiner's "unseemly and unjustified language concerning the President of the United States." After posing for photographs the whole committee went marching up to the exclusive Metropolitan Club for a thumping big luncheon.

In the same club and at the same time President Hoover's hand-picked committee of inquiry into the Gardiner charges was holding its first meeting. Bold old John Hays Hammond was the last to arrive. The committee's other four members--Admiral Hugh Rodman (retired), Assistant Secretary of the Navy Jahncke, Undersecretary of State Castle and Eliot Wadsworth--elected him chairman. The five White House investigators, closeted in a private room, drank "Black Cows" (dark ginger ale and cream) as they pored over documents and records brought from the State & Navy Departments. President Hoover had limited their field of investigation, for they were only "to examine the accuracy of fact" in the Gardiner statement and not go "into his opinions or conclusions nor into budgetary or general policies of the Navy."

For the better part of two days the Hoover Committee continued its secret sessions. No witnesses were called, no testimony was taken. Finally a report-- "a damned good one," Admiral Rodman called it--was prepared and on the morning of the third day the committee sent it to the White House. The President read the 10,000-word document with satisfaction for, as all the world expected, it found that he was right and Mr. Gardiner wrong.

Against each assertion by Mr. Gardiner the committee set an answer drawn from Government records. The total of these answers made up the best argument extant for the Hoover Naval policy. The gist of important comparisons:

NAVY LEAGUE

Economy is seriously threatening naval construction.

The Japanese Navy before 1930 held a 6-10 ratio to the U.S. fleet.

In July 1929 President Hoover held up the building of five cruisers, a "gesture not commensurately copied" by other powers.

President Hoover and Prime Minister MacDonald concluded secret agreements on the Rapidan. The Senate was never permitted to see the full record of their naval negotiations.

At London U.S. delegates surrendered to Britain in the matter o cruiser gun sizes.

The proposed one-year naval building truce, by suspending all construction (87,600 tons), would serve only to "widen the gap" between the U.S. fleet and other powers.

By proposing to immunize food ships in war time, President Hoover exhibits an "abysmal ignorance" of naval usage. By blockading an enemy's food supply, wars are curtailed and blood conserved. A free flow of food would make for "bigger and bloodier wars."

HOOVER COMMITTEE

Budget cuts will not interfere with the buildiing of seven cruisers, one aircraft carrier, three submarines, five destroyers. Only the construction of six destroyers has been temporarily postponed. The U. S. has larger naval tonnage now under construction than any other power.

Only on capital ships and aircraft carriers was the U. S.-Japanese naval ratio 10-6 before 1930.

President Hoover delayed the construction of three cruisers only after Britain announced that she would suspend work on two cruisers, cancel a submarine test ship and two submarines.

"There were no secret agreements." A full record of the London naval policy was turned over to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Publicity alone was barred.

Naval opinion is "far from unanimous" as to whether 6-in. or 8-in. gun cruisers are better suited to U. S. needs.

The proposed holiday would not affect construction already start or contracted for. Only new building would be halted. This would preserve the status quo.

A statement of opinion and conclusion, not of fact and therefore outtside the committee's range of inquiry.

Concluded the report, which left the White House looking whiter: "The Committee finds that in its entirety Mr. Gardiner's statement contains many in-accuracies, false assertions and erroneous conclusions and that his assumption as to the President's attitude toward the Navy is wholly unwarranted."

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