Certain military information is classified for a purpose: to keep it out of enemy hands. Unfortunately, Congressman Andrew May failed to grasp this. During a disastrous press conference, he disclosed sensitive details that likely played a role in the loss of around 10 submarines and the deaths of 800 US Navy crew members.
The May Incident
The United States Navy gained recognition for its successes following the country’s entry into WWII. Despite Japanese efforts to destroy their vessels, the Allied forces successfully evaded many attacks. This was due to the Balao-class submarines’ ability to dive to depths of 400 feet, deeper than the settings on Japanese depth charges at the time.
In 1943, Andrew May, chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee, toured American military areas in the Pacific Theater, where he was given access to sensitive war-related information. Upon returning in June, he held a press conference and disclosed that American submarines had a high survival rate because Japanese depth charges were detonating at depths that were too shallow.
This revelation was quickly spread via press wires and published in newspapers across the United States.
The fallout of a blabbermouth
Shortly after this information was made public, Japanese naval anti-submarine forces adjusted their depth charges to detonate at greater depths. Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, commander of the US Pacific submarine fleet, estimated that May’s disclosure resulted in the loss of 10 submarines and around 800 crew members.
“I hear Congressman May said the Jap depth charges are not set deep enough,” he said. “He would be pleased to know that the Japs set them deeper now.”
The Navy’s Pacific Submarine Fleet issued a report following the press conference, stating that Japanese anti-submarine warfare (ASW) forces had yet to learn the maximum depth US submarines could reach. However, it did not confirm if Japanese depth charge tactics had indeed changed due to May’s statements.
Alleged war profiteering
Andrew May’s career was marred by more than one scandal; the ill-fated press conference was merely the beginning. Early in the war, he became entangled with two New York businessmen, Henry and Murray Garsson. Although the Garssons had no background in arms manufacturing, they identified an opportunity to profit from the US war effort by securing lucrative government munitions contracts.
On behalf of the Garsson brothers, May used his position as chairman of the House Military Affairs Committee to approach Army ordnance officials and other influential government contacts, obtaining war contracts, favors, and draft deferments. In return for his advocacy, he received pricey cash payments—a detail later uncovered by a Senate investigation after the war concluded.
The investigation quickly escalated into a major scandal, fueled by testimony that exposed the Garssons’ profiteering and the dangerous deficiencies in their munitions. Investigators found that their 4.2-inch mortar shells had faulty fuzes, causing premature explosions that were believed to have resulted in the deaths of 38 American servicemen.
Paying for his actions… Maybe?
The fallout for Andrew May’s many guffaws during the war included him losing re-election in 1946. He was then put on trial for federal bribery charges, and after less than two hours of jury deliberation was found guilty on July 3, 1947. Despite efforts to avoid incarceration, he was eventually sentenced to nine months in a federal facility.
Murray and Henry Garsson were also sentenced to prison terms.
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Despite his be-smudged reputation, May continued to retain influence over politics within the Democratic Party. As such, he was able to secure a full pardon from President Harry Truman in 1952. He was, however, unable to revive his political career and thus returned to Kentucky to practice law until his death.
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