Rathom and Roosevelt had a "tart exchange of telegrams" disputing whether anyone in the naval hierarchy in Washington had supervised the investigation closely or authorized the actual participation of investigators in illicit acts. Also at issue, however, were the methods employed in the investigation. Assistant Secretary Roosevelt angrily charged that press coverage like Rathom's would damage the Navy's reputation to the point that parents would not allow their sons to enlist. The Providence Journal published the letter, which put the Navy on the defensive and named Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels and Roosevelt. William Safford Jones of Channing Church, Rev. Within days, a committee of Newport clergymen drafted a lengthy letter to President Woodrow Wilson denouncing the Navy's activities in Newport, specifically the "deleterious and vicious methods" used, including keeping those charged confined for months without trial. His analysis fueled opposition in Newport's religious community. He reasoned that since no military or governmental authority could legitimately order them to participate in such acts against their will, either they were willing participants, whose complaints were groundless, or they were acting under the compulsion of unlawful commands, on the part of their superiors. In his charge to the jury in that case, the judge was at pains to discredit the witnesses who described their participation in illicit sexual acts. Samuel Neal Kent, an Episcopal clergyman, was found not guilty on all charges.
Rathom, covered the trial proceedings daily, often with a critical eye toward the prosecution's case. The Providence Journal, under publisher John R. Two more were dishonorably discharged and two others were found innocent with no further action. The three-week military trial ended with the court-martial of 17 sailors charged with sodomy and "scandalous conduct." Most were sent to the naval prison at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine. Brunelle incriminated some but withheld the names of his closest friends.
Once the operatives had presented their evidence before the court, the accused were encouraged to incriminate others and many did so, in hopes of leniency. Older naval officers were confounded by the terms used by the investigators.
Each was brought before a military tribunal and heard men whom they recognized as former sexual partners provide graphic testimony of their encounters. Arrests and trial Īrrests began on April 4, and by April 22, fifteen sailors had been arrested. They rarely reported any hesitancy or qualms about their direct participation. Over a period of several weeks, 13 such agents submitted daily reports to Arnold that included candid descriptions of homosexual acts and their participation in them. With an infiltration approach in mind, he chose his investigators on the basis of their youth and looks. Palmer assigned Arnold, a former Connecticut state detective, to lead the investigation. Mitchell Palmer to undertake the investigation. Roosevelt approved the court's recommendation, and asked Attorney General A. Then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. On March 19, 1919, the court concluded that a thorough investigation was warranted. Wood, commander of the 2nd Naval District, ordered an investigation and created a court of inquiry to review Arnold’s claims. Arnold independently investigated Brunelle's claims, discovering parties involving cross-dressing, same-sex sexual activity, and liquor and cocaine use at the locations.Īrnold presented his Navy superiors with a detailed report of his findings. Brunelle disclosed to Arnold that both naval and civilian men who have sex with men regularly met at the Army and Navy YMCA and the Newport Art Club for companionship and sex. In February 1919, sailor Thomas Brunelle and chief machinist's mate Ervin Arnold were patients at the naval hospital at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. ( May 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources.