FBI Evidence from Hawaii, June 22, 1942
National Security Archive
A 1942 FBI memo details how the Navy vetted a Tribune reporter, controlled his stories and photographs, and guarded secret codes—laying the groundwork for a landmark press‑freedom clash.
Source: FBI Evidence from Hawaii, June 22, 1942 Date: Jun 22, 1942 Archive: NARA, RG-60, Case File 146-7-23-25, box 1, file: “Serial 4, June 21-23, 1942.” 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.
A Wartime Press Credential in the Shadow of Pearl Harbor
The memorandum dated June 22 1942 is a routine‑looking FBI field report, yet it opens a window onto the fraught nexus of military secrecy, battlefield journalism, and the legal battles that would later erupt over the Chicago Tribune’s coverage of the sinking of the USS Lexington. The document records the FBI’s verification of Stanley Claude Samuel Johnston’s accreditation as a Pacific Fleet correspondent after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By March 1942, the Navy had begun to issue “censor‑approved” credentials to a handful of reporters, a policy born of the urgent need to control information while still allowing the press to document the war’s early, dramatic moments.
The memo’s first paragraph underscores the Navy’s reticence to discuss its cryptologic capabilities. The Honolulu FBI field office reports that naval officers would not confirm—publicly or privately—whether they possessed any knowledge of the Japanese code. This silence is not mere bureaucratic evasiveness; it reflects the nascent state of U.S. signals intelligence, which would later coalesce into the famed “Magic” operation that broke Japanese naval codes. The FBI’s note that no information was available from Hawaiian officers signals that, even a year after Pearl Harbor, the Pacific Fleet’s command structure guarded cryptologic matters tightly, fearing leaks could compromise ongoing decryption efforts.
The Mechanics of Accreditation and Censorship
The memo meticulously traces Johnston’s credentialing trail: a War Department letter, a request from the Commander‑in‑Chief of the Pacific Fleet, a Secretary‑of‑the‑Navy dispatch, and finally a Fleet Censor’s signature. The level of detail—down to the names of Lieutenant Commander Waldo Drake, Lieutenant James E. Bassett, and Lieutenant Commander E. T. Layton—reveals how the Navy institutionalized press control. The attached “Subjects Not To Be Released For Publication” memo, dated January 9 1942, was read aloud to Johnston, indicating that the Navy expected its correspondents to internalize censorship rules rather than merely sign a form.
Crucially, the memorandum notes that all of Johnston’s copy had to be submitted for review before publication. Two of three pre‑Lexington articles were cleared; one was rejected. This procedural record becomes a litmus test for the later legal controversy: the Tribune would argue that the Navy’s restrictions amounted to prior restraint, while the Navy would claim it merely enforced wartime censorship. The memo’s mention that Johnston did not sign a personal‑injury release before boarding the Lexington—contrary to earlier reports that he had—adds a layer of ambiguity that the government would later exploit in court to argue that Johnston operated without full official sanction.
Photographs, Secrets, and the Lexington’s Aftermath
The section on official Navy photographs is perhaps the most telling. Drake tells Johnston that he could not possess photographs of the burning Lexington without explicit approval, and that any such images were stamped “Official Photographs Not To Be Used For Publication By Order Of The Chief Of The Bureau Of Aeronautics.” Yet the Tribune would soon publish a striking series of Lexington photos, allegedly obtained from a Navy photographer on the USS Minneapolis. The memo lists the chain of custody for the negatives—serial numbers, distribution to Admiral Sherman, Admiral Nimitz, and Lieutenant Booda—demonstrating that the Navy had a tight, classified control system. The fact that the FBI recorded this chain suggests that the bureau was already monitoring potential leaks, anticipating that the press might acquire the images despite formal prohibitions.
The final paragraph references a “secret message” (dispatch 311221) forwarded by Admiral Nimitz to Admiral King. While the memo does not reproduce the content, its inclusion signals that the FBI was aware of high‑level communications passing through Hawaii that were deemed “Secret.” The FBI’s request for copies underscores the agency’s role as a conduit between military intelligence and civilian oversight during the war.
Why This Memo Still Matters
The June 22 1942 memorandum is more than a bureaucratic footnote; it is a primary source that documents the procedural scaffolding behind one of the most famous First Amendment battles of the 20th century. The details it preserves—who authorized Johnston’s credentials, what censorship instructions were given, how photographic negatives were handled—provide the factual backbone for scholars assessing the balance between national security and press freedom in wartime. Moreover, the memo illustrates the FBI’s early involvement in monitoring press compliance, a precedent that would echo in later Cold‑War surveillance of journalists.
By laying out the exact chain of approvals and restrictions, the document reveals the Navy’s intent to control the narrative of the Pacific war while still allowing a limited press presence. The tension between that intent and the Tribune’s aggressive reporting set the stage for the 1942–43 Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. United States (the “Pentagon Papers” case’s predecessor). Understanding the memo’s content helps us see how wartime policy decisions can reverberate through legal doctrine for decades, reminding contemporary readers that the tug‑of‑war between secrecy and transparency is a constant, not a relic of the 1940s.
DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 76716
June 22, 1942
M E M O R A N D U M
RE: STANLEY CLAUDE SAMUEL JOHNSTON; ESPIONAGE - 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 of 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 concerning the Japanese code.
Accrediting of Johnston as a Tribune Correspondent
Lieutenant Commander Waldo Drake and Lieutenant James E. Bassett, Staff Officers, United States Pacific 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 War Department and advised that he had been told by Commander R. W. Berry, Navy Department, Washington, D. C., that his credentials to the Pacific Fleet would be in the hands of the Commander-in 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 Commander-in-Chief, 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 11, 1942, for the period ending July 1, 1942. These credentials were given to Stanley Johnston in person by Lieutenant Commander Drake in the presence of Lieutenant Bassett, and the credentials identify Johnston as "Accredited Press Correspondent, U. S. Pacific Fleet." The Naval 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.
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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 Publication" 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 restrictions 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 Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, for censorship. 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. Berry, 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 possession except upon the approval of the Commander-in-Chief or until the photographs had been released by the Commander-in-Chief. 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. Booda, 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, Third 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
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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 twenty-six 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 classification 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."
Handling 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 secret message number 311221, the message in question in this case, to Admiral King, Washington, D. C., on June 19, 1942; copies of this message will be obtained through the Navy Department as soon as available.
[X] There is attached to this memorandum a photostatic copy of secret dispatch number 311221 as it was received and decoded on board the USS 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. [/x]
Additional Interview with Lieutenant Commander Edward J. O'Donnell, Gunnery Officer, USS Lexington
Lieutenant Commander O'Donnell advised that he did not at any time show the secret message to Johnston 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. 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 notes and recalls that in addition to Eldredge, Commander Seligman and Lieutenant Commander R. E. Bixon, USS Lexington, were also present.
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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
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