Statement Announcing a Committee of Inquiry Into Misstatements by the President of the Navy League.

THE PRESIDENT issued the following statement:

The Navy League states in its announcements that it has "for a quarter of a century specialized in accurate information as to navy matters" and "the principal activity of the League is to disseminate facts bearing on navy matters to the press."

In order that the country may know the untruth and distortions of fact in Chairman Gardiner's recent pronouncement, I will appoint a committee including members of the Navy League to whom agencies of the Government will demonstrate these untruths and distortions of fact. Such an inquiry will absolve the members of the League who have not participated in this statement. Upon its completion I shall expect Mr. Gardiner to make a public correction of his misstatements and an apology therefor.

It is desirable for the public to know the character of this indirect campaign of misinformation to defeat the efforts of the high officials of the Navy Department and the administration for reduction of Federal expenditure not immediately essential in order that we may avoid increased taxation of the people in these times.