THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
                    WASHINGTON
 
(SC) A7-2/EF13
(044100A)
 
 
My dear Mr. President:
 
     I have just had a confidential letter from my London correspondent, Bill Stoneman.  I
should like to quote from his letter for your information.  He says:
 
     "In this connection it is very important for you to know that people in London are already
talking about our plans for the immediate future.  Most of the people who talk about the business
are newspaperman but that doesn't mean that others don't hear about it.  Unless this stops the
French and Germans will both hear about it and then it will be awfully hard or even impossible for
us to get away with it.  I would be the last person to try to suggest that honorable newspapermen
shouldn't be trusted with the most confidential news but this time I think that the gossip is a little
bit too widespread for comfort.
 
     "Without embarrassing you by telling you what I personally know I may say that
acquaintances of mine have been informed by their various sources that 1) we are going into
Tunis in 5 weeks, 2) the American fleet left Scapa some time ago and is now being prepared for
the North African show, 3) it is going to be an American show."
 
     It is simply terrible that a situation like this should arise.  It is not a thing that can be met
by denial, but how would it do in order to cast doubt over our intentions, to create a stafff and go
through all the motions of preparing for an expedition elsewhere, say into Northern Norway and
then let these plans be sure to leak out?  Of course, there is nothing new or original about this
suggestion, but it has worked before and it might work again.  In the jittery state of the German
mind, it might be effective.
 
                         Your sincerely,
 
                         Frank Knox
 
The President
     The White House