Stanley Johnston
Stanley Johnston | |
---|---|
Born | 1900 Palmers Island, New South Wales |
Died | September 13, 1962 (aged 62) Wheaton, Illinois, U.S. |
Employer | Chicago Tribune |
Known for | Inadvertently revealing classified American code-breaking activities during World War II |
Military career | |
Service/ | Australian Army |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Stanley Johnston (1900 – September 13, 1962) was an Australian-American journalist who, as a correspondent during World War II, wrote a
Early life
Johnston was born on Palmers Island near Yamba, New South Wales. He joined the Australian Army at the age of 14.
Career
After participating in the
War correspondent
Johnston was the only member of the press aboard Lexington when the aircraft carrier took part in the
Tribune publisher Robert R. McCormick and President Franklin D. Roosevelt were longtime adversaries and the story infuriated Roosevelt. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox pressed Attorney General Francis Biddle to prosecute Johnston and others at the Tribune for harm to national security under the Espionage Act of 1917.[4] A grand jury declined to indict, because revealing enemy secrets was not then an offence, and also because the Navy could not release evidence for fear of further compromise.[5] The grand jury testimony remained sealed for 75 years until it was released after successful court action by historians. In the meantime, Seligman was blamed by Navy investigators for the security breach, transferred to shore duty, and denied promotion.[6] The investigation was the only instance in which reporters were ever under threat of prosecution under the Espionage Act.[3]
Johnston authored a book, Queen of the Flat-Tops, in 1942, that recounted his experiences aboard the USS Lexington.
After the war Johnston was a correspondent in Latin America for two years, then returned to Chicago to manage the Tribune's promotions department. In 1955 he became manager of Robert McCormick's Cantigny estate.[2]
Death
Johnston died of an apparent heart attack in Wheaton, Illinois on September 13, 1962, aged 62. His obituary was published on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.[3][7]
References
- ISBN 978-1-68247-274-3.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Wayne (September 14, 1962). "Johnston, Tribune War Writer, Dies". Chicago Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ a b c Ruane, Michael E. (June 5, 2017). "Unsealed 75 years after the Battle of Midway: New details of an alarming WWII press leak". Washington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Editorial Board (November 21, 2014). "Breaking the code on a Chicago mystery from WWII". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "U.S. Jury Clears Tribune: Biddle's Move for Indictment Turned Down". Chicago Tribune. August 20, 1942.
- ^ Brennan, Lawrence B. (January 2013). "Spilling the Secret – Captain Morton T. Seligman, U.S. Navy (Retired), U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1919". navyhistory.org. Naval Historical Foundation. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 8, 2021.