Today -100: January 22, 1924: Six or eight cows

The Senate Teapot Dome inquiry heats up, with Archie Roosevelt, son of Pres. TR, testifying. Archie was a vice president with a Sinclair Oil subsidiary; he resigned yesterday to save his reputation from the Teapot Dome scandal. He doesn’t seem to have been involved in it but at the time of the sale of the Naval reserves he was at Sinclair Oil and his brother TR Jr. was assistant secretary of the Navy, which just looks bad. He testifies that Harry Sinclair paid $68,000 to the foreman of then-interior secretary Albert Fall’s New Mexico ranch. He also reports that Sinclair has skedaddled for Europe to avoid having to testify (Sinclair had him buy the ticket and keep his name off the passenger list). Archie cites Sinclair’s secretary G.D. Wahlberg as his source on the payment, but Wahlberg testifies he knows nothing about it. He says Sinclair did give Fall “six or eight cows” and Roosevelt must have misheard that as “$68,000.” Edward Doheny, at first thought to have also fled to Europe, actually went to New Orleans, but definitely not to consult with Sinclair, perish the thought. He also has the nerve to say that if the Mexican rebels continue interfering with his oil interests in Tampico, he’ll demand the US government do something about it (and indeed Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes threatens consequences if Tampico port is mined).

The British Parliament votes no confidence in the Baldwin government, 328-256. During the debate, Baldwin asks “Do my honorable friends look like a beaten army?” He complains about the lack of gratitude in politics.

Don't see comments? Click on the post title to view or post comments.