FBI Memorandum, Investigative Report on Stanley Johnston, July 29, 1942
National Security Archive
A 1942 FBI memo tracks a war correspondent’s addresses, phone calls, and divorce testimony, exposing early Cold‑War‑style surveillance of journalists.
Source: FBI Memorandum, Investigative Report on Stanley Johnston, July 29, 1942 Date: Jul 29, 1942 Archive: NARA, RG-60, Case File 146-7-23-25, box 1, file: “Serial 7, August 14, 1942 (2 of 2).” Collection: Secrecy And Leaks: When The U.S. Government Prosecuted The Chicago Tribune Oct 25, 2017
Editorial Analysis
Original analysis by the DriftSeas editorial desk. The complete primary-source document, transcribed from the National Security Archive scan, appears in full below.
FBI Scrutiny of a War Correspondent’s Domestic Life
The July 29 1942 FBI memorandum is a routine‑looking internal security file, but it opens a window onto the fraught intersection of wartime journalism, domestic surveillance, and the personal entanglements of a prominent war correspondent. Stanley Claude Johnston, a veteran Chicago Tribune reporter who had just returned from covering the Battle of the Coral Sea, was the subject of a multi‑city investigation that traced his and his wife Barbara’s (née Incagnoli) residential moves, divorce testimony, and even the telephone numbers they dialed. The memo was drafted by Special Agent J.R. Yore in Chicago, based on reports from agents in San Diego and San Francisco, and circulated to FBI field offices across the nation.
The immediate catalyst for the file was a complaint lodged by an informant (identified only as “T‑1”) that Johnston’s wife was making frequent, unidentified calls. The bureau responded by combing through court records, boarding‑house ledgers, hotel logs, and telephone company sheets. The result is a painstaking catalog of addresses—126 North Dearborn Street, 1221 North State Street, 18 East Elm Street, the Drake Hotel—each corroborated by landlords or managers who testified that the couple lived a nomadic, low‑profile existence while Johnston toured the Midwest lecturing on the Coral Sea victory.
The Broader Context: Press Freedom and the “Un‑American” Panic
Johnston’s case sits within the larger wartime campaign to police “un‑American” activity, a phrase that had become a catch‑all for everything from espionage to dissenting opinions. After Pearl Harbor, the FBI expanded its remit beyond traditional counter‑espionage to monitor journalists, labor organizers, and even social clubs. The Chicago Tribune itself was under scrutiny after it published a series of articles that hinted at strategic information leaks concerning the Pacific theater. Johnston, as the public face of those stories, attracted the bureau’s attention not because of any proven disloyalty, but because his public lectures and syndicated columns circulated sensitive operational details to a civilian audience.
The memorandum reflects the FBI’s method of “character assessment” that dominated the era: investigators gathered mundane data—who paid the rent, whether a tenant made “un‑American statements,” how many telephone calls were placed—to construct a profile that could justify surveillance or, if needed, prosecution. The file’s language, with its repetitive assurances that the Johnstons “have very few visitors” and “have not made any un‑American statements,” reads like a pre‑emptive defense against accusations of overreach, suggesting that the bureau was aware of the political sensitivity surrounding press freedom.
What the File Reveals About Power, Privacy, and Propaganda
Beyond the surface details, the memo hints at deeper tensions. The reference to a telegram sent by Johnston from Coronado, California, to “LOY Maloney, Chicago Tribune,” and relayed via Western Union within minutes, underscores how quickly the bureau could track the flow of information. The fact that the FBI noted the exact time (9:45 p.m. Central War Time) signals an obsession with timing that could later be used to link a journalist’s dispatches to operational events.
Moreover, the investigation into Barbara’s brief residence at a cheap boarding house during a divorce proceeding reveals how personal vulnerabilities were weaponized. By documenting her lack of employment, her short‑term tenancy, and the absence of “un‑American statements,” the bureau built a dossier that could be leveraged to discredit Johnston’s credibility should the need arise.
The memo’s distribution list—field offices from San Francisco to New York—shows that the FBI treated this as a national security matter, not a local curiosity. This reflects the wartime belief that any potential leak, however minor, could have strategic consequences. It also illustrates how the bureau’s surveillance net extended into the domestic sphere of journalists, blurring the line between legitimate security concerns and the suppression of a free press.
Legacy: A Precedent for Modern Media Surveillance
Declassified in the 1970s, the Johnston file has become a touchstone for scholars examining the FBI’s wartime posture toward the press. It foreshadows later controversies, such as the COINTELPRO monitoring of journalists during the 1960s and the post‑9/11 surveillance of news organizations. The meticulousness of the report—down to the three telephone numbers logged on July 9, 1942—demonstrates a bureaucratic habit that persists: collecting granular data to construct a narrative of suspicion.
For contemporary readers, the memorandum reminds us that the tension between national security and press freedom is not a new phenomenon. It underscores how personal details can be harvested to cast doubt on a journalist’s objectivity, a tactic that resurfaces whenever the state feels its secrets are at risk. The Johnston case, therefore, is not merely an archival curiosity; it is a cautionary example of how state power can infiltrate the private lives of those tasked with informing the public, a dynamic that continues to shape debates over media surveillance today.
DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Form No. 1 This case originated at CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. File No. 100-4325
| Report made at | Date Made | Period | Report made by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, Illinois. | 7/29/42 | 7/10,11,13, 14/42 | J. M. YORE JMY:MAH |
| Title | Character of case |
|---|---|
| STANLEY CLAUDE JOHNSTON; MRS. STANLEY CLAUDE JOHNSTON, nee BARBARA BECK or INCAGNOLI | INTERNAL SECURITY - G |
Synopsis of facts: Fictitious address furnished by STANLEY JOHNSTON in legal proceedings when BARBARA INCAGNOLI obtained divorce from her first husband. STANLEY JOHNSTON presently residing at 18 East Elm Street, Chicago, Illinois, with wife BARBARA. BARBARA resided at 1221 North State Street, Chicago, Illinois, for approximately two months previous to the time of her divorce in September, 1941. Investigation at 1221 North State Street conducted with negative results. STANLEY JOHNSTON at the present time is making lectures throughout the middle west concerning the Coral Sea Battle under the auspices of the Chicago Tribune. BARBARA JOHNSTON, who is not employed, often travels with her husband on lecture tours. Confidential Informant T-1 advised no further information concerning subjects is available. Telegram forwarded by STANLEY JOHNSTON from Coronado, California, to LOY MALONEY, Chicago Tribune, received by Western Union, Chicago, June 3, 1942, at 9:45 P.M. Central War Time, and relayed by private wire to Chicago Tribune at 9:49 P.M. same date C.W.T. by Western Union operator D. J. KORTUM.
P.
REFERENCE: Teletype to the Bureau dated July 3, 1942. Report of Special Agent WM. A. ROBINSON, JR. Dated June 25, 1942, at San Diego, California. Report of Special Agent R. E. MAYER dated June 24, 1942, at San Francisco, California. Report of Special Agent J. R. YORE dated
| Approved and Forwarded: | S.A.C. |
|---|---|
| Copies: | |
| 5 - Bureau | 2 - San Francisco |
| 2 - Washington | 2 - Philadelphia |
| 2 - Denver | 2 - New York |
| 2 - New Orleans | 2 - Chicago |
| 2 - San Diego |
DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716
June 27, 1942, Chicago, Illinois.
DETAILS: AT CHICAGO, ILLINOIS:
The records of the City Court of Calumet City, Calumet City, Illinois. reflect that in the divorce proceedings instituted by BARBARA INCAGNOLI, Bill of Divorce No. 2175, held on September 11, 1941, STANLEY JOHNSTON appeared as a witness in her behalf. In the testimony that was taken at that time BARBARA INCAGNOLI gave her address as 1221 North State Street, Chicago, Illinois, and STANLEY JOHNSTON gave his address as 126 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois. At that time he listed his occupation as engineer. MR. JOHNSTON testified that he had known BARBARA INCAGNOLI since October, 1939, and during that time she lived separate and apart as a single woman. A check was made at 126 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois, and it was ascertained that at this address there is located a parking lot.
MRS. CLARA ERLMEIER, 1221 North State Street, Chicago, Illinois, advised that she has been the landlady of the above premises for approximately five years. This building is one of the cheaper boarding houses located in the neighborhood. MRS. ERLMEIER checked her receipts which reflected that BARBARA INCAGNOLI was a boarder at 1221 North State Street during August and September of 1941. MRS. ERLMEIER stated that it was impossible to definitely give the exact period when this party resided there, but to the best of her knowledge it was for about a two month period. According to MRS. ERLMEIER, BARBARA INCAGNOLI lived alone and did not make any un-American statements, or engage in any un-American activity while residing in the building. MRS. ERLMEIER said that she did not appear to be employed but advised that she was to be married sometime in September. She left the premises just before the time of her marriage. According to MRS. ERLMEIER BARBARA INCAGNOLI was in and out of the premises a great deal but had no visitors and paid her bills promptly.
MRS. N. COURTNEY, manager of the apartment hotel located at 18 East Elm Street, advised that MR. and MRS. STANLEY JOHNSTON had previously resided at that address during 1941, and left the premises in September, 1941, requesting that their mail be sent to California in care of the American Express. At that time MR. JOHNSTON advised he expected to go to Wake Island. Some of their luggage was kept in the storeroom at 18 East Elm Street and their smaller luggage was taken with them. According to MRS. COURTNEY MR. and MRS. JOHNSTON moved back into the apartment building on July 1, 1942, stating that when they first returned to Chicago they resided for a short period at the Drake Hotel. MR. JOHNSTON told MRS. COURTNEY that at the present time he is engaged in making a lecture tour throughout the middle west concerning the Coral Sea Battle, under the auspices of the Chicago Tribune. On some of these trips he is accompanied by his wife, BARBARA. MRS. COURTNEY stated that BARBARA is not employed and when she is not accompanying STANLEY JOHNSTON on these trips, she remains at home, stating that she is engaged in writing. These people have very few visitors and to the best of MRS. COURTNEY'S knowledge have not made any un-American statements or engaged in any un-American activity. MRS. COURTNEY stated that the subjects received very few telephone calls although a man whose name she did not know calls BARBARA JOHNSTON quite often. MRS. COURTNEY checked the telephone calls made by the subjects and the records reflected that on July 9, 1942, the following telephone calls were made:
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DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716
Delaware 7860 Delaware 3303 Franklin 5122
MRS. COURTNEY stated that the records reflected that these were the only telephone calls made and explained that since the first of July MR. and MRS. JOHNSTON have been out of the city a great deal on the lecture tours. At the present time the subjects are living in Apartment 904.
MR. W. W. WALLACE, manager of the Drake Hotel, checked the hotel records and advised that MR. and MRS. STANLEY JOHNSTON checked into the Drake Hotel on June 5, 1942, and checked out on June 13, 1942, giving their forwarding address as the Chicago Tribune. MR. JOHNSTON was out of the city from June 7, 1942, to June 13, 1942, but MRS. JOHNSTON remained in the hotel during the entire period. MR. WALLACE stated that this was the first time these people had lived at the Drake Hotel and he knew nothing concerning their character or reputation. MR. WALLACE stated that the hotel records reflected that the following telephone calls were made by the subjects:
June 5, 1942, - Franklin 6568 Franklin 6565 Central 8480 Superior 4740 Superior 7200 Wabash 9207
June 8, 1942,- Western Springs 4836 Harrison 9700
June 9, 1942, - Calumet 2390
June 11, 1942,- Delaware 6021
June 12, 1942,- Superior 4740 1489 - W. Holmwood (6 minute long distance call.)
Confidential Informant T-1 advised that no further information concerning the subjects was available at this time.
Confidential Informant T-2 advised that the Western Union telegram referred to in Page 4 of the report of Special Agent WM. A. ROBINSON dated June 16, 1942, at San Diego, California, forwarded by STANLEY JOHNSTON while a guest at the Hotel Del Coronado, to MR. LOY MARONEY, Chicago Tribune, and reading, "Navy public relations office assures story will not be released for several days meanwhile they're getting my stories Washington Stop still think HENNING should press when he receives my airmail Stop arranging come Chicago earliest transportation whichuncan have before tomorrow sometime will advise you my every move when leaving. (Signed) JOHNSTON, Stanley JOHNSTON 717."
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[DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716] was received by the Western Union office in Chicago on June 3, 1942, at 9:45 P.M. Central War Time and was relayed by private wire to the Chicago Tribune at 9:49 P.M. C.W.T. on the same date by Western Union operator D. J. KORTUM.
P E N D I N G
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