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Mr. Ely, will you kindly arrange them in chronological order for the reporter?

Mr. ELY. Yes, sir.

Senator GLENN. Now, I have this chronological survey which I submitted to you yesterday. I would like to have that incorporated also.

Senator WALSH of Montana. Very well.

(The documents above referred to are as follows:)

DOCUMENTS COVERING KELLEY'S TRANSACTIONS WITH THE NEW YORK WORLD AND ACTIVITIES IN THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE, IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

(July 23, 1930)

FROM COMMISSIONER MOORE'S DIARY

July 23, 1930, Kelley was the subject of discussion at morning conference and in the P. M. Mr. Burlew, in the presence of Mr. Obenchain suggested that Kelley be requested by wire to advise when he is to be expected and that Obenchain prepare a letter of instructions to Kelley to be delivered upon his arrival.

Annual leave at Denver and the day of departure (3.45 p. m.) from Denver en route to Washington (from his daily report) leave card, annual, dated July 23, 1930, for 31⁄2 hours-9 a. m. to 1 p. m.

(July 25, 1930)

Address only the Commissioner of the General Land Office.

Mr. RALPH S. KELLEY,
General Land Office,

Washington, D. C.

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR,

GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
Washington, July 25, 1930.

DEAR SIR: Under the Secretary's letter to you of July 7, 1930, you were assigned to this office for work on oil-shale claims. It is desired both by this office and the department to expedite final action on cases involving oil shale. You are therefore directed to take charge of such work in this office under the supervision of myself and my staff and take such steps as will bring about the desired results.

Very respectfully,

C. C. MOORE, Commissioner.

(July 25, 1930)

July 25, 1930. Kelley arrived Washington 4.40 p. m. (from report of daily movements required of field officers, and filed by Kelley; date of filing not shown).

(July 28-August 4)

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

-

AUGUST 11, 1930.

hours to-day

-

19__;

I, Ralph S. Kelley, ask to be excused for
or apply for leave of absence 8 days, July 28 to August 4, inclusive.
Position and salary, C. F. O.; $3,600.
Recommended, A. C. Beach, Acting Chief of Field Service, General Land

Office.
Returned to duty August 5, 1930, 9 a. m.

A. C. BEACH,

Acting Chief Field Service, General Land Office.

Leave heretofore granted this year, annual, 114; sick, 2. Approved for sick, 8. Approved.

H. C. GAUSS, Chief Clerk.

Return to duty must be noted immediately and signed and returned to chief clerk.

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I solemnly swear that my absence from 19__, was entirely due to personal illness; that I employed no physician, but during said period was wholly unable to perform official work or to be present at my post of duty, and was confined to my residence at period.

Street during said

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CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDING PHYSICIAN, TO BE FILLED IN BY PHYSICIAN

I hereby certify that I am a duly qualified practitioner of medicine and that I personally attended Ralph S. Kelley in my professional capacity from July 28 to August 11, 1930; that during said period I treated him on July 28, 29, August 8 at my office and during 8 days he was actually physically disabled for the performance of his official duties.

AUGUST 11, 1930.

GEO. R. HUFFMAN, 17 Du Pont Circle, Washington, D. C.

(July 28-February 5)

MR. WALTER LIPPMANN'S STATEMENT IN RE KELLEY-STATEMENT FOR MR. F. D. WHITE IN REGARD TO THE KELLEY CASE

On July 28 or July 29 Mr. Ralph S. Kelley telephoned my office from Washington. This call was transferred to my home where I was ill in bed. I had never heard of Mr. Kelley at the time. He stated that he had an urgent matter of public interest which he wished to explain to me confidentially. I asked him whether the matter he had on his mind was intended for my own information as guidance in conducting the editorial page or whether it was intended for publication as news. He said it was news. I thereupon told him that in that case he must take up the matter with the news department through the Washington bureau. He replied that it was highly confidential. I told him that our Washington bureau was used to receiving highly confidential information and that it had never yet broken confidence and that I could not see him until he had talked with a representative of the Washington bureau. Mr. Kelley finally consented to talk with a member of the Washington bureau. I thereupon requested the news department to instruct the bureau to see Mr. Kelley and report on what he had to say.

Mr. H. E. Bryant of the Washington bureau saw Mr. Kelley on July 29 and reported that Mr. Kelley had been in the Government service more than 20 years, that he possessed very valuable information, and that the general appearance of the man and his story justified our inviting him to New York for a conference. After consulting with Mr. Pulitzer I wrote to Mr. Bryant on July 30 saying that we would be glad to see Mr. Kelley if he would come to New York, and to pay his expenses, asking that he bring an outline and sample of his material. Mr. Kelley replied on August 1, asking for an appointment for several hours' talk on Monday, August 4. I wired in reply that Monday was an inconvenient day and would let him know later when to come. I finally asked Mr. Bryant to arrange an appointment at the New York office for Thursday, August 7, at 2.30. Mr. Kelley arrived at my office on that day and Mr. Renaud, the managing editor, and I saw him. I heard a general outline of his story for about an hour and was greatly impressed with his evident honesty and sincerity, and with the carefulness of his statements and the range of his technical knowledge. As soon as it was made plain to me that what he was proposing to do was write a series of articles for the news columns I took no further part in the discussion, as is our practice, leaving the matter entirely in the hands of the managing editor, who is in charge of the

news. I had no further communications with Mr. Kelley after that day, except when I met him once or twice casually in Mr. Renaud's office and shook hands with him.

I was present at the council meeting on August 11, at which Mr. Renaud presented his report on Mr. Kelley's material and I voted with the other members of the council in favor of printing the material if it could be purchased at a price satisfactory to Mr. Pulitzer. I then left on a month's vacation and was absent during all the negotiations with Mr. Kelley, and indeed had no further part in the matter and did not see his articles until they appeared in print.

When Mr. Kelley resigned I formulated for the guidance of our editorial writers the policy which had been agreed to in the council of August 11. It was that the paper would not support Mr. Kelley's contentions, since we were not competent to judge so technical a dispute; that we would take the position that Mr. Kelley's long service, admirable record, and evident expertness entitled him to a hearing; that so far as the World was concerned it would ask only that his charges be impartially examined by a Senate committee, and that the World would consistently decline to anticipate the verdict of such a committee. That policy has been followed by the editorial page of the World. W. A. LIPPMAN.

NEW YORK, February 5, 1931.

(July 29: Bryant to Lippman)

NEW YORK WORLD, WASHINGTON BUREAU,
July 29, 1930.

MY DEAR Mr. LIPPMAN: I saw the man Kelley to-day but got very little out of him. He said that you had given him a fright by saying that if he would tell the World man his story, then we could check up on it and get the information in a way not to involve him. That is not what he wants. After a long talk with him I came to the conclusion that he would like to hire out to the World and give up his Government position. He has been with the Government more than 20 years and no doubt has very valuable information that would make a series of excellent stories. I told him that if he wanted to sell his information that he should see you or some one else in the New York office who would have the authority to deal with him. That seemed to interest him. He asked me to communicate with you. My suggestion is that you invite him over and go over the matter with him. He is very nervous lest he lose his job. I told Kelley that your suggestion was the right one if he just wanted to let the public know about the crookedness he hints at.

I think Kelley has a real story and that he can back it up with documents, but he is sure that no one can dig it out without his assistance.

Please write him or me extending him an invitation to see you in New York. I hope your cold is over by this time.

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In Charge of Denver Field Division, Denver, Colo.: Kelley has not arrived here. Ascertain whether he left Denver with forwarding address and deliver if possible telegram sent to him today.

MOORE, Commissioner.

(July 29-February 7)

STATEMENT OF RALPH E. RENAUD

I met Mr. Ralph S. Kelley for the first time on the afternoon of August 7, 1930, when Mr. Lippmann and I listened to some of the details of his story. I had not previously heard of Mr. Kelley except from Mr. Lippmann, who told

me a week or so before that he held a position somewhat similar to that held by Mr. Glavis during the period of Secretary Ballinger's incumbency in the Interior Department.

Mr. Kelley, as he unfolded the details of what he declared were conditions within the Interior Department and applying to the oil-shale lands of Colorado, impressed me most favorably. He struck me as a sincere, intelligent, and honest public servant with a complete mastery of the technical details of his work. It was his claim, which he supported from numerous documents, that in spite of earnest efforts, he had been thwarted in his numerous attempts to present to Secretaries Work and Wilbur the evidence of maladministration within the department, and which he held to be proof that the publicly owned oil-shale lands were being alienated into the hands of private interests. His story was so compact and detailed that I felt the World should look fully into the matter.

After leaving Mr. Lippmann, Mr. Kelley came to my office and showed me a number of documents which he declared were copies of papers filed in the Interior Department, and all matters which had passed through his own office in Colorado. I told him at that time the World would consider his material, and that I would give him an answer as to the series he proposed to write as soon as possible.

My first step was to read the documents he had left with me. My second was to wire T. H. Walker of the Denver Post, the World's correspondent in Denver, with a query as to Mr. Kelley's reliability and standing. The report from Mr. Walker was highly satisfactory. At the next council meeting I reported on Mr. Kelley's story and offered for perusal the documents he had left with me. At a later council meeting it was voted to accept Mr. Kelley's series provided that a satisfactory price could be arranged and that he resign voluntarily from the Department of the Interior coincident with making public his charges concerning the administration of the oil-shale lands.

At that time I was extremely busy with the series by Maurice Campbell, which ran in the World. There was, therefore, some delay in getting in touch with Mr. Kelley. This will explain the attached correspondence. However, I wired Mr. Kelley on August 19 that I would meet him at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington on August 20. I went to Washington and immediately got in touch with the head of our Washington bureau, Mr. Elliott Thurston. We discussed Mr. Kelley's story at length, and thereafter asked Mr. Kelley to my room where Mr. Thurston and I went over the matter with him in great detail. Both Mr. Thurston and myself were quite convinced of the value of the material. I offered Mr. Kelley $12,000 for his story, specifying, however, that he should work with Mr. Thurston in the preparation of it.

At the time of this interview I saw no one and talked to no one regarding Mr. Kelley's story except Mr. Kelley and Mr. Thurston. At no time have I ever discussed the matter with anyone in political life in Washington or anywhere else. I regarding Mr. Kelley's material as important news which would become even more important when its full effect was realized by the public, and I hoped that it would bring about an investigation of the whole matter by the United States Senate.

Thereafter Mr. Kelley made several trips to New York, the dates of which I do not recall, on which we discussed the scope and limits of his story and his approach to it. I became, and am now, completely persuaded of his honesty, sincerity, singleness of purpose, and ability. Mr. Kelley felt that he could write the story in a way satisfactory to me, and the contract was signed on September 11, 1930. I was disappointed, however, in the material Mr. Kelley sent me, as it was legalistic, editorial, difficult for the average reader to follow, and not in newspaper form for serialization. I telephoned him to that effect, and wrote to him, directing him to have Mr. Thurston rewrite the series, though Mr. Kelley was to be (and was) the final arbiter on all factual matter. In due course the articles appeared in the World.

FEBRUARY 7, 1931.

R. E. RENAUD.

(No dates given)

THE WORLD, OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT,
New York, February 11, 1931.

STATEMENT FROM HERBERT PULITZER, PRESIDENT, IN THE MATTER OF RALPH KELLEY

Replying to letter of Senator Nye, chairman of the Senate Lands Committee, in the matter of Ralph S. Kelley.

I am president of the Press Publishing Co. I have never seen Mr. Kelley and have had no communications with him.

Messrs. Renaud and Lippmann reported on his proposed publication at a meeting of these two gentlemen, Mr. White and myself.

We unanimously agreed that public interests were affected and that it was a duty to publish the proposed series of articles. Mr. Renaud reported to me the terms of compensation to Mr. Kelley, viz., $12,000. They were approved by me.

I had no other connection with the matter, and have no recollection of having discussed it with any persons except those above mentioned. Respectfully,

(July 30, 1930)

HERBERT PULITZER.

JULY 30, 1930.

MY DEAR MR. BRYANT: I should be very glad to invite Mr. Kelley up to New York to talk with him and to pay his railroad fare. Will you see him and ask him when it would be convenient for him to come some time next week, and whether he could bring with him some sort of outline or sample of what he has in mind to do?

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Kelley arrived; reported he is under doctor's care, but is ready to see Burlew at any time. Left office at 12.30.

(August 1, 1930)

WASHINGTON, D. C., August 1, 1930.

MY DEAR MR. LIPPMANN: Mr. Bryant showed me your letter of the 30th ultimo, suggesting that I go to New York to talk with you about the matters to which I referred in our recent telephone conversation. If I shall be able to go to New York, will it be possible to arrange a conference not later than Monday next? You may advise me by wire or telephone to the Ambassador Hotel.

Several hours talk will be necessary to impart to you even a very general idea of the facts which are in my possession. The evidence is very voluminous and complicated and is the result of accumulation over a period of years. Important aspects of the entire matter are directly affected by involved questions of mining law and geology.

Sincerely,

Mr. WALTER LIPPMANN,

New York World, New York, N. Y.

RALPH S. KELLEY.

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