The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds - 56 - Newport Sex Scandal

Episode Date: February 7, 2015

Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds examine the Newport Sex Scandal.  SOURCESTOUR DATES REDBUBBLE MERCHPATREON

When you're staying at an Airbnb you might be like me wondering could my place be an Airbnb and if it could what could it earn? You could be sitting on an Airbnb and not even know it. That in-law sweet guest house where your parents stay only part-time Airbnb it and make some money the rest of the year whether you could use a little extra money to cover some bills or for something a little more fun. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.ca you are listening to the dollop. I'm Dave Anthony. I am one of the hosts. This is an American History Podcast and each week

I read a story from American history to my friend Gareth Reynolds who has no idea what the topic is about. Boom! Not Gary Gareth. Dave, okay. Someone or something is tickling people. Is it for fun? And this is not going to become a tickling clock. Okay. You are Queen Fakie of made-up town. All hail Queen Shit of Liesville! A bunch of religious virgins go to Mingle and do what? Hi, Gavie. No. I miss you, my friend. Virginia had the first written prohibition against sodomy. Holy shit. So we're starting big. And acted in 1610. Yeah. What happened? It's just a very strong opener. Already I know the pond were swimming in as a little treacherous. It's gonna be horrible. I also want to thank Christine Shetton for doing the research on this. It is of note that the sodomy law was repealed after only eight years and no other colony had a written log in sodomy

until Plymouth adopted one in 1636 based on the book of Leviticus. In there it's like no anal. There's a hole in no anal. Yeah, I believe it's called the Hershey Highway in the Bible. Yeah, it's unfortunately they say that. Nearly identical laws were adopted by Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. This made sodomy a capital offense. Bold. Yeah. Especially because it can sometimes just be an accident. It can. It can slip right in there. 1700, a sodomy law was passed in Pennsylvania. If committed by a white man, sodomy was punishable by life in prison and at the

discretion of the judge, a whipping every three months for the first year. That's that first of all is just such a fun way of handling it. All right, see you in three months. If married, the man was castrated and his wife was granted a divorce. Holy shit. Yeah, cut the balls off. Just take them. It's a very a little harsh is what you're saying. Bring on the monthly whip, three monthly whippings. Yeah, right? Yes. So what they're saying is only have anal sex if you're single. Well, and then you're gonna get whipped. Yeah, but I'd rather be whipped than have my balls cut off. Absolutely. Out of those two, keep the balls. Make your choice. Yeah, no need for

the monkey to steal the peach. After independence, all 13 states revoked the death penalty for sodomy convictions, although all adopted laws criminalizing anal sex. Can I add? Do you? How do you? How do you prove? What a first of all, what an awkward trial. It's hard. It's hard to prove, I'm sure. It's just based on I don't know. She's definitely walking funnier. I mean, you'd have to catch someone in the act, I guess. Okay. So it's a real, real small window. Or else you say, Hey, that guy did this to me. Yeah, I didn't want it to happen. But even then, you're like, did not. Those laws were maintained into the 19th century.

Quote in practice, police rarely enforced sodomy laws against anyone before 1880, even when such illegal activities were notorious in the community. Christopher Hughes, publisher of Alienist and Neurologist, wrote in November 1907, quote, male Negroes masquerading in women's garb and crowsing and dancing with white men is the latest St. Louis record of neurotic and psychopathic sexual perversion. They were all arrested taken before Judge Tracy and gave bond to appear for trial at $300 each signed by a white man. The names of these Negro perverts, their feminine aliases and addresses appear in the press notices of

their arrest. But the names of the white degenerates concerning with them were not given. Wait, wait. Yeah. So so a bunch of black guys were just up as women and they were fucking around with white dudes. And the black guys all got screwed. I have many questions. White guys got off. Did the well, it sounds like it's sodomy racism. So the idea was that these were the did the white guys know that these were black men in drag? Yeah, that's why they were there. They were there to see dudes in drag. So they would just go there, see black dudes in drag. Sodomy would happen and the white guys and nothing would happen to they get

off and the black guys get punished. This is I'm not gonna lie, Dave, we have some strong out of the gate. I mean, we're really going big. I mean, I was just handling sodomy and now we're dealing with a bunch of Mrs. Doubtfires. Well, that basically you've just heard the birth of the term down low, I think. In 1912, Portland, Oregon, a number of men had been arrested for crimes ranging from so called indecent acts to sodomy and some face trial. Some 68 were known to have been involved when all was said and done, but most never face any courtroom. A few of those implicated room to the YMCA because the YMCA received support from

Portland's better classes and some lawyers and physicians had been arrested in the scandal. The Y and its sponsors became the target of working class newspapers. Okay, so okay. Now it's a classism thing. Sure, sure, sure, sure. Rich guys boned on each other. Now it's classism, sure. In 1918, two men who met at the San Francisco YMCA, at least two flats at 2525 Baker Street, where they held private parties for gay men and offered rooms for gay men to have sex in private. In February, the San Francisco Police Morals Squad and US Army Police began their siege. Oh my god. As men entered the house, they were locked

up in rooms as prisoners and questioned until they signed confessions, gave the names of their friends, and surrendered personal letters and address books. I mean, yeah, look, we have the moral police now, but at least they don't get badges. What an insane, uh-huh. I also love the idea that that's what is so always so fucking hilarious about people who are so against gay people. Yeah. Is that you're like, who gives a fuck what happens in a fucking room? No, it's fucking none of your business. Who cares? This fucking ridiculous. Don't give two shits. No, not two shits. Using the names extracted from the arrested man, the San Francisco Morals

Squad began a campaign to round up a second wave of homosexuals who could provide them with even more names that began to hunt down men in other cities and on military bases. Eventually, in the second wave, 20 more men were arrested, including two cops on the beat in the Baker Street neighborhood. Oh my god. They're in the blood. Right. Oh no. You're under arrest. Wink, or are you? Wait. Unbutton, unbutton, unbutton. I'm Billy, want to meet the club? In 1919, the state Supreme Court ruled that the charges brought against the arrested men for committing acts of flatio were invalid because the California

legislature had just passed an anti-Spanish law requiring that state law had to be written in English language and the word flatio could not be found in the English dictionary. Oh my god. Which way is up? What the fuck? How great is that? They all got off because the word flatio wasn't there. They got off and then they got off. But then I can't even imagine like it's pushing, having a trial or a courtroom where it's just like his penis was in his mouth. Your honor. I think you're really gonna enjoy this episode with the dollop. Most states expanded sonomy laws to include flatio over the 1920s. Women as well as men were

prosecuted for flatio and a few states- What world? No! Now it's hitting a little too close to home. A few states also included cunnilingus within the purview of a crime against nature. What the fuck? You can't eat pussy bro. You can't fucking get blowjobs and you can't blow people. It's against the law. What weird laws? There will be no pussy eating or cock-sucking. This is America! Bang bang bang. We are not a pussy eating country. I can't come from just getting fucked. Well then you won't be coming in this country. Go to France. The first cunnilingus conviction was to stand. What? Listen, if I'm gonna go to jail it's for fucking eating pussy. Okay dog. You're damn right I did it. Yeah what did you do?

What did you do? Made her fucking holler. The first cunnilingus conviction to stand was in 1917 in a case from North Dakota. In that state the sonomy law had been expanded to cover any person who quote carnally knows another person quote by or with the mouth. Anybody? Yeah so yeah amazing. It's they made a law against pussy eating and getting blowjobs. It's just it's really it's it's crazy. I mean that's not even that's not even a gay thing that's just no no no. Anybody can't eat pussy. Amazing. Newport, Rhode Island was a quiet unspoiled beauty. It was described as the most palatial, extravagant and

expensive summer resort. Astor's and Vanderbilt's built mansions there. The US Navy training station opened in Newport in 1883 and became the principal East Coast Naval training facility. At the beginning of World War I a liquor became so readily available that many youngsters fresh from the farm learned to drink at Newport. Okay. Rhode Island was a very tolerant place. Even tolerant to men who dressed like women or otherwise displayed feminine characteristics. That's great. Among the many dramatic performances in Newport the most popular featured females and sailors roles. Okay. Last for me. Quote it is a quarker

exclaimed Admiral William H. Sims after seeing a performance of Jack in the Beanstalk. Quote I have never seen a more prettier girl than Princess Mary. She is the daintiest little thing I have ever laid eyes on. Oh boy. She's also a little guy. Oh boy. I want to suck her dick. But I can't. A reviewer for the Providence Journal agreed. Quote she has the sweetest little face and tender trusting blue eyes and a delightful elusive smile. Oh and any man Jack would have climbed the Beanstalk after such as she. He I mean she he so I'm confused. Wait a minute. I want to fuck him. No. Wait. I can't. It's not legal. Oh my God.

He's such a pretty girl. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Oh we're headed. We're headed for a dead end here. What do you mean. Well these guys want to fuck this man girl. Mm-hmm. And you can't have. There's no. There's no holes. Let me. There's no available hole. Which one. It's the illegal hole. Well they're all illegal holes. Right. Right. Mouse off. I mean could you put it in his dick. Would that be legal. Listen I'm not a scientist. I think you're gonna be looking at a you need you need what they call tunnel cock. In 1917 the head of the Navy Department Joseph Daniels observed quote the authorities were not giving a

wholesome atmosphere for young men in training for the Navy. A local Providence Journal editor reported to Daniels a quote house of prostitution of the lowest type has been maintained under the patronage of city officials. Police have been ordered to keep visitors in an orderly line. The houses had to occasionally be closed in order that others which certain officials were interested in could become more prosperous. So the police were just making sure people lined up at the brothel. That's where you want to be. They're like bouncers. Yeah. Okay. At this point. That's great. Better. Following

the declaration of war in 1917 until the end of the war there was an annual rate of 15 to 20,000 young men at the Newport Naval Station for training. Many lived off base due to a lack of housing at the station. On February 18, 1919 Evan Arnold arrived for duty at the Naval Station base in Newport, Rhode Island. He was 44 years old, a 15 year veteran of the Navy and a former Connecticut State detective. Most of his work as a detective, according to him, was the investigation of quote vice and immoral conditions running down murder cases and perverts. He was described as aggressive, uneducated and the bulldog

type. Hey, that's who you want. That's exactly who you want. That's the right position. Because he suffered from such severe rheumatism, he was sent to the Naval Hospital the next day instead of reporting for duty. Arnold had an intense hatred of homosexuals. He claimed he could identify them by appearance. While at the hospital, Arnold first observed patient Samuel Rogers using powder puffs, eyebrow and lip pencils and heard another patient, Thomas Brunel talk about quote, a gang of perverts about 20 who Brunel started to name in conversations the two had over the next week. The list, including

enlisted men as well as civilians. Brunel said that that Rogers was known as a quote, Pogue, who is Arnold said, liked to screw in the rectum. Later, Rogers confessed to quote being in the business because he liked it. What did that mean? Asked Arnold Rogers replied by going to bed with a man who had a very large penis and was very passionate and could give him all he wanted. Oh man, can you imagine his blood boiling? Sit down, sit down. Arnold began taking notes immediately. He learned that immoral men were soliciting trade in the hobby of the Army Navy YMCA and documented the sorted details he heard about what went

on there. I mean, that is, again, what's so great when someone is like, there's god damn weird. God, you know he's writing it down. And he's writing, yeah, it's just writing like his hard penis went into the other man's mouth. Fucking hard. That's disgusting. I can't even picture it. I can't imagine if that was just my cock. Wait, what? Yeah, angry dick. Wait. He gained enough confidence among a few young men to be invited to a cocaine sex party and seemed to spend at least two weeks digging up as much information as he could. His notes contain many references to cock sucking, screwing in the rectum, browning and sucking off. We

don't need to get into what browning is, but okay. I'm guessing it's. Here's some notes. Harrison Rideout was a two-way artist who could be screwed in the rectum and also took it in the mouth. Fred Hogue and John Gallinoli both took cocaine and were cock suckers. Another patient, Albert Kirk, was also a two-way artist. Brunel referred to Billy Hughes as his wife, claiming he was screwing him every night. Frank Dye, who everyone called speedy, was also known as a hard man. Jay Goldstein, known as Becky to his friends, was still a harder one. Oh, Dave. Who had a nice chin to rest a pair of balls on. Oh, Dave. David, yes. These are

notes. These are notes. This is his own little pornography. Oh, I really love to fucking teabag the balls. Oh, God. I can put his balls in a guy's mouth. Oh, Velga. I keep coming. I hate this report. You can just rest his chin on those, his balls on that chin. Because sometimes you just be consumed with the idea of what would it be like to put your balls on his chin and what would it be like to have your cock in another man's mouth. Wait, am I still writing? What's going on here? I'm sorry. I should not. On February 27th, Urban Arnold informed Dr. M. Hudson, a superior officer of his findings. So I found a bunch of coke sniffing cock

suckers. There's a lot of gay guys. You want me to read you the report? I'll read you the report. You want me to read to you out loud? Hudson then joined him in observing the 20 men Arnold was already tailing. Hudson asked to have all the notes typed up, but Arnold couldn't use a typewriter. So an ensign from Naval Intelligence was brought in to type up a report. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for when he started the transfer. Oh, how do you spell cock suckers? So, um, what is this again? This is about it. Okay. So I'm gonna write all this up. Okay. I'm sorry. Your notes are a little unclear. Was Becky a cock sucker or was she just a two way artist? Who is browning? Oh, joy. On March 5th was when the

information moved up the chain of command. Adderall Admiral Spencer Admiral. Oh, look at all these cock sucking notes. Finally. Admiral Spencer S. Wood then concluded a thorough investigation was justified and that the Secretary of the Navy should be notified. By March 11th, representatives of Newport met with Secretary Daniels where any authority necessary was given to conduct a thorough house cleaning and convene a court of inquiry headed by Lieutenant Commander Murphy J. Foster. Dr. Hudson was also part of the court. Meanwhile, Arnold and Hudson had been conferring about how to best gather evidence that

would be acceptable to the court. Oh, joy. Undercover. It was decided that Arnold was sent undercover operative. Yes. Yes, undercover. Out and quote would allow the purpose to solicit them. They never took the lead but always had the other party commit all the acts. The volunteer operatives recruited by Arnold and Hudson were to be quote honest, reliable and good looking men from the age 19 to 24 years old. No previous experience in this type of work is needed and it will get better results. Arnold had actually begun hatching this plan while he was in the hospital. His first recruit was a fellow patient, the end sign who could

type. An operative was sent to the YMCA on the night of March 12th to Eve's drop on suspected gay soldiers. Three nights later, Arnold on and two other operatives went to the Y and watched two men leave to go up to a room then to return later with quote flushed faces and acting suspiciously. Yeah. On March 17th, three of Arnold's operatives were sent out to engage with Newport's suspected homosexuals. They went to the Y and started talking to suspects, some of whom immediately invited them back to their rooms, one of them being Thomas Bridell from the hospital. An operative described how a sailor followed him into

the bathroom, quote, he turned out the light and had me sit on the toilet seat while he felt my privates, even opening my trousers and kissing my penis. But the sailor became upset when the operative could not get a heart on and they agreed to try again sometime later. I mean, what? Yeah, what? Fuck you. What? I mean, I mean, what? It's called police work. It is. Well, unfortunately, next time maybe I'll just be able to get that cock hard, sir, just to really finish the investigation. You need to be sitting on a toilet seat having a man kiss your cock to realize that you found your suspect of this the stupid crime. Okay,

well, once I go back there, sir, I think if I could just get my cock hard and in his mouth, maybe we can close. Really close. Really throw the book at him. By the way, I'm fucking dating him. I'm in deep. I'm in love with this fucking guy. You know what I mean? We're gonna bust him. We're gonna bust this guy. We're gonna bust this perp. He's gonna bust a nut. Oh, he's gonna bust a nut. God, I mean, to be honest, I love him. That's why I can't wait to convict him. Oh my god. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna get him to come on my face. I'm gonna come over here and show it to you. And then we got him. Here's what it's gonna be. I'm gonna

wake up in the middle of the night consumed by these conflicting thoughts that just make me think like, what if I am gay? And then we move in. Then we move in. The next morning, details were presented to Arnold who began to question how his operatives could be treated legally if arrested by local police, how far they could go in pursuit of evidence and how to keep the investigation secret. Really quite a case for a bunch of non gay people. Captain Campbell of the training station ordered Arnold to special recruiting duty and 13 men were placed under under Arnold's command to inquire into the use

of cocaine and other drugs and immoral practice and conditions believed to exist among naval personnel. Oh my god, joy. That night, Dr. Huster Hudson administered a naval intelligence oath of secrecy to four of the men in the basement x-ray room of the hospital. The rest were inducted into this special squad the next night. Arnold outlined a plan to obtain information pertaining to cocksuckers and rectum receivers, arrange meetings to catch them in the act. If any new fairies are mentioned, their full name where they live and our station is to be ascertained. They would be liable to put into embarrassing

positions at times. The work would not be the cleanest kind. Oh my god. It was a very nasty nature. Oh my god. Look, some of you are gonna have to have your cocksucked. Look, some of you are gonna have to suck cocks. Some of you are gonna get fucked, right in your bottom. But you're doing it to catch the bottom fuckers. Okay, so when they're fucking you up the ass, it's so that we can catch guys who fuck other guys up the ass. And when they put it in your ass, you say, gotcha. Yeah, yeah. Once they finished, we want them to finish. He told his operatives, you people will be on the field of operations. You will have to use your own judgment whether or not a full

act is completed. Oh, what? Okay, just, I mean, this all, to me it sounds like they're all gay, but within the confines of just being a regular cop who was maybe just told that this is your job, you had to just be like, oh, can I maybe just, can I maybe go? They're not even cops, they're just sailors. Or sailors, yeah, but they're just guys. To be a straight person in the gay brigade. Oh my god, it's horrible. To just be like, wait, I'm sorry. Wait, I gotta blow a guy? So wait, if I blow a guy, we're making people less gay? So if I blow someone, he's the criminal. Yeah, that's right. What you got to do, too, is you really got to suck his cock like you

like it. All right, we're gonna do operative practice. All right. Now, here's what you're doing wrong while you're sucking my cock. Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, don't stop. Don't you stop. The operation has started immediately. Some operatives were given cocaine. Others, like Sailor Britain, met another sailor named Kreisberg, who suggested they go to a movie. Instead, they took a stroll. Britain reported Kreisberg began to mash him up and treat him like a girl. Quote, we sat down on the grass beside some concrete steps and he sucked me off right away. Not gay. Not gay. Operative Crawford also had success. He

met up with sailor Jay Goldstein, who invited him to his room at the Y. They quickly got into bed together. The report explained what happened next. Crawford wrote his report in the third person. I wonder why. Let's love it up, said Goldstein. After loving a few minutes, Goldstein asked Crawford how he wanted it. Crawford told him to suit himself. Goldstein said, all right, I'll suck it. Then he went down and sucked Crawford off. When he got through, he turned over and spit in the chamber. He threw his arms over Crawford and said, I like you. Oh, my God. Imagine. Imagine just getting your car. Why did you write this in third person? Because I'm dating a man now. I like you.

Operative Millard Hughes had similar success. He met success. He met Frank Dye at the YMC lobby at 1am. Dye started to feel Hughes penis. I then said he wanted to find, quote, a dark place where he could pull off a job. So they walked down Feral Street to Van Zandt Avenue. As that was a dark place, Hughes reported. He wanted to get to business, so I stood against a fence while he sucked me off. Oh, my God. Just returning these findings. I've been fucking writing up reports of writing reports about how they're just doing undercover work while they're all getting their cock. Oh, my God. Foster Court of Inquiry convened on the

morning of March. And over the next two days, found the evidence, quote, meager and based on hearsay. So it's not even worth it. No, because these guys aren't cops. They're just sailors. They're just sailors who are getting blowjobs. They're just handing in short stories. Why does this one start dear Panos letters? I'm sorry. That's the wrong one. Check this one, actually. They recommended the government devote, quote, any expense and time necessary to conduct the most thorough and searching investigation made up by a body of highly experienced investigators. There were questions willing to get their cock sucked. There were questions as to who

exactly would direct such an inquiry. If this court would, if the investigation should be turned over to another department, et cetera. The next day, March 21st, Lieutenant Commander Foster and Lieutenant Commander Nelson Hibbs, the third member of the court, along with Dr. Hudson, presented the court's report to Admiral Wood, who preferred Wood. Really? Who was hard and ready to go? Who else would you present all the cock-sucking findings to? The Admiral of Wood. Wood preferred the investigation be turned over to the Department of Justice, since civilians were also named. On March 22nd, Hibbs met with Judge Advocate General

Clark, who expressed, quote, surprising dissatisfaction, since similar reports had also been received from large naval training stations at Norfolk, Virginia, and Illinois. My god, he exclaimed, now it's Newport. Wait. There's a lot of gay fucking going on. Okay. Well, if you're a gay guy, where else would you go but the fucking Navy? I mean, come on, it's perfect. I would get on the secret gay brigade, because it sounds like that's where you get your cock sucked the most. Because of the far-reaching possibilities of the matter, Clark wanted to bring it to Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Oh. Oh my. Is that why he

would never stand up? Roosevelt ordered the report transmitted to the Justice Department. Roosevelt asked the Attorney General to put his, quote, most skilled investigators at work with a view of ultimately cleaning the whole matter up. The Attorney General ordered a lone investigator, John J. Daly, to Newport. He met with the captain and interviewed the town's mayor, police chief probation officer. Everyone seemed cooperative until he met Hudson and Arnold. The evidence Daly saw was, quote, insufficient, considerably exaggerated and largely from hearsay. So they didn't believe it. They're like, there's no way this

happened. Arnold and Hudson withheld evidence from Daly on grounds that the only, only the foster court could release it. Conferences with the U. S. District Attorney and Justice Department officials produced a consensus that the whole matter was one for the Navy Department to handle, whereupon Daly's investigation ended. With, with quite a, quite a fruitful ending. What no one at the time realized was that two members of the foster court inquiry, including Dr. Hudson, were cooperating with the captain to initiate their own investigation. As Slything continued, Arnold attempted to resolve remaining logistical and legal

questions. They needed a room to work in. So Dr. Hudson approached Charles F. Hall, director, field director for the Red Cross in Newport. Hall was led to think that the work had the full sanction of the Navy. As hospital welfare officer, Hudson had previously arranged with the Red Cross to loan small sums of money to sailors who presented a note attesting to their honesty and reliability. Why not use the same procedure for the operatives? Hall agreed. And thereafter, any operative who needed money for meals, transportation, room rent, or other activities associated with the investigation should have paper

from Hudson. So instead of just going through proper channels, he created his own way for the operatives to get money. He's basically setting up like a sex ring. But he's setting up a sex ring to break up sex rings. I mean, he's arguably creating more gay people through this investigation. I don't even want to be gay, but I have to be. Look, I just never thought about what it would be like to fuck a man until I was forced to fuck a man for work. Not so bad. It's pretty great. I mean, it's a great hole. What's great is we fucked, and then we just talked about sports. I never get that with a lady. Fruitful stakeouts continue

to the YMCA. A member of the foster court ruled... Stakeouts is, by the way, such a great name for what this is. They're not. Nobody wants this. It could be farther from a stakeout. It's not a stakeout. There's no mission. No, it's fucking and sucking. It's just to go fuck guys and then tell someone that you fucked them for no benefit. A member of the foster court ruled that military law protected the detectives. Quote, if an act was committed upon them and they did not take any leading part. I mean, just so what? I can't actually take my pants off, but could you take my pants off? You're free to get blown, sir. Go get them.

Get out there. You're free to get your dick sucked. All right. Foster court hearings resumed April 8th, 1919. Throughout the afternoon, Arnold and his operatives endeavored to teach the court the meaning of sexual terms used in their testimony against suspected case sailors. I mean, just what I just wish we had recordings of this. A lot of evidence such as, quote, I gave him a load and he ate it nicely. Quote, he put his head under the cover and went to it. It took time, explained a freshman operative, for I was trying to hold back. Another explained that by Brown, he meant pushing my brick in his ass.

This is in front of judges. Yeah. And they're shooting loads. What do you mean he went down on you? Another officer asked. He sucked my cock. I mean, he sucked my cock, replied one who quickly corrected his language. He put my penis in his mouth and he held it there until there was an emission. Sorry, it's really hard. Oh my god. Sorry to change the language. Sorry, I don't mean to speak crassly in the court of law, but unfortunately this whole thing is about fucking up the ass or mouth. Not everyone apparently understood for a few minutes later. Really? I don't have to explain again that getting down on someone meant he gets down on him and

sucks another man's cock. I mean, just it was just it was basically a meeting in which a bunch of dudes were explaining how they got their dick sucked and they fucked it. And the other guys going, wait, what? Wait, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So I just still let we need to go. We need to go back. Okay, say that again. I'm still not understanding what is happening. Why? Why is this happening? Well, we're trying to stop gay people, but you just keep saying that you just shot loads in his mouth. You fucked a guy. Oh, no, no, no, sir. Fuck many guys. Right. But that's but you're trying. We're trying to stop gay. And sir, we shall. I have a long list of guys here

that I fucked and sucked and fucked and sucked me. And I think with the with the right attitude, we can stop all this fucking and sucking. I mean, it couldn't be dumber. On April 9th, five of the sailors who were testified against were jailed, setting off a panic. So they put five of them in jail, which set off a panic among the gay sailors at Newport. They discovered, however, that no one yet knew of Arnold's investigation or the identity of his operatives. When court reconvened Arnold testified against Sam Rogers, the first man he had met in the hospital. When court adjourned on the 14th, plans run away to arrest the remaining

suspects of X before they became too suspicious and escaped. Dr. Hudson arranged for a hospital ambulance to transport prisoners and the massive roundup produced nine additional arrests at the YMCA and elsewhere. The next morning, Provost Marshall Brown protested to Lieutenant Commander Foster that the brig was overcrowded. Where are all these fellows coming from Foster act? That's Dr. Hudson. Is Arnold still operating? Foster had assumed that after his court recommended the use of more experienced professional detectives. Captain Campbell had issued orders for Arnold and his volunteers to stop. No,

no, no, no. But he had not. No, no, no. Just getting warmed up on the contrary. They're just getting started. Oh, yeah. Meanwhile, steps have been taken to expand the pursuit of homosexuals. Instead of focusing on sailors, Hudson Arnold and the operators now turn their attention to civilians there. So they're just completely out of... So who care? They're just fucking... Dave, Dave. They're just trying to find people to fuck. Dave, they're just literally trying. They're just gay and they want their cock sucked by men and they're just... It's the worst... It's the lamest excuse to fucking dude.

Just go fuck a dude. Just go fuck a dude. Just go... And can you imagine if you were arrested by a guy who like you'd fucked and sucked like nine times and you're like, wait, you... Wait, you testified against me? Yo, I'm undercover. No, you said you love me and we fucked a ton. Right, but that was undercover work. Yeah, all right. Well, good luck. You're gay. Bye. Primary responsibility... I'm going to go into a jail cell with 30 other gay men. I wonder what'll happen in there. Primary responsibility for expanding

anti-gay activity seemed to have rested with Charles P. Hall, the Red Cross field operator director who had provided Hudson a room for his headquarters and advanced expense money to operators. Jesus Christ. So it's now just... They're whores now. During April of 1919, Hall contacted the governor of Rhode Island to condemn the deplorable moral situation in Newport. Was there nothing that could be done? He asked to apprehend civilians just as the Navy had already arrested many enlisted men.

For reasons which are not entirely clear, the governor chose not to contact local police officials. He felt certain that his long-time friend, assistant secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt would help. On the 23rd or 24th of April, the governor called Roosevelt to ask if he would meet Hall. Hall arrived at FDR's Washington office the next day. He described the efforts underway through the Foster Court Inquiry, but argued that conditions were worse than ever. Current efforts could not continue, he explained, because by now the operators

were thoroughly well known in Newport. Honestly, I think I'm out of eyes to roll over. I mean, could this... There's no plan. We need new guys. Our guys have been sucked off by everybody. Look, unfortunately, our guys have fucked their way through this whole... to this whole case. We need more non-gays to fuck gays. Roosevelt ordered Dr. Hudson to Washington and arranged to meet personally

with him and Arnold. They presented FDR with papers listed in the names of suspected gays. The fact that FDR had to hear this is such a joy. It's awesome. Roosevelt promised the needed money to the Office of Naval Intelligence and proceeded under the assumption that naval intelligence would provide support and supervision. Roosevelt then assigned Hudson and Arnold to the Navy Intelligence Office. Oh my god. An officer should be appointed with whom they could confer,

but because of the pair's special qualifications, FDR said, every assistance be given them in their work and that their knowledge of the situation based on previous experience be given every consideration. You will consult with me, he added, as to the necessary funds for this... Slowly. You will consult with me as to the necessary funds for this investigation to ensure secrecy. He ordered that, quote, this only be written communication in regard to this affair. This is the only thing he was ever going

to write, meaning he knew it was totally fucked up. Upon receiving Roosevelt's letter, the director of Naval Intelligence questioned employing amateur detectives for the job. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Naval Intelligence chose to employ a detective agency while moving as slowly as possible to activate Hudson's plan. Oh my god. Four days later, the Navy hired Private Detective George E. Rowe, who interviewed Dr. Hudson in his home. Lieutenant Hudson was very much surprised to learn that I had been

directed to make this investigation, Rowe reported. He is not an experienced investigator but is interested in work of this character. Rowe had originally planned to conduct an independent investigation himself but given Dr. Hudson's attitude, he concluded that such an attempt would produce duplicate friction and embarrassment to the case to say nothing of a needless expenditure of money. Okay, so finally someone is like, I'm sorry? Sorry, one more time? Yeah, but he just backed out. He was like, I can't do it.

Yeah. The entire time these meetings and discussions were happening in Washington, Arnold's operatives continued collecting evidence against civilians. Collecting evidence is just that should be a gay bar. That should be the name of a gay bar. Welcome to collecting evidence. One in particular, Reverend Samuel Neil Kent. Substantial and potentially damaging reports about Kent soon accumulated. One operator joined the chaplain for a drive along the coast. As he described it, Kent's hand moved to his leg inching up and feeling up higher all the time until he finally

reached my penis. He laughed and said, I was some boy. I squeezed his hand between my legs a little and it pleased him immensely. Kent wanted assurance that he was a boy he could trust to which the operator replied that he kept his mouth shut. They parted with a handshake and an agreement to spend the night together the following week. Oh man. Almost from the day Arnold began lording around the YMCA, he concluded that the Reverend was a homosexual and set about trying to demonstrate his guilt. Nearly every operator tried to make friends with him and whenever

possible, they accepted invitations to dinner, the theater, car rides, or overnight stays in his apartment. Arnold had compiled a list of 15 instances of lewd and immoral behavior. How many do you need? The guy was just sucking everybody off. Yeah. He just kept sending guy after guy to get sucked off. And, and, and was like, okay, it's seeming pretty consistent, but I'm not sure we got the case yet. That's ten. How many guys been sucked off? Ten? Ten guys. Uh, so let's send in eleven. Well, I want to make it clear that ten

guys have been sucked off. Just a couple more and we got them. All right. I feel like we got him. So... Is twelve enough? I think we should go for thirteen. I think ten's, I said at five, we had it. No, I think we need to go to at least thirteen, fifteen, eighteen. Okay, and just to be clear. Twenty. You hate cocks. I do not like this at all. Okay. Okay. Do not like a man's hot lips on a cock. Sorry. Do not like them wrapped around so tight. So tight. Around a cock. I'm sorry. I just...

I fade it out there. Yeah. So back to the case. Reverend. Yeah. Newport Chief of Police, John S. Tobin, recalled a night at the end of July when civilian arrest started. While walking down the street, Arnold shouted, there's one now. Was it a man with a warrant? Ask the chief. No, replied Arnold, but I can tell him a mile off by his walk. He's really walking quite a fine line. Later, Arnold claimed to have spotted two

more gays. There's a couple more of them disgusting queers. Given five minutes, he told Tobin, his operators could collect enough evidence to convict them. The first civilian court proceedings was started against Kent. It was assumed that if it could be proven that a minister had participated in homosexual activities, it should be simple to convict servants, librarians, restaurant workers, and other alleged gays. Cross-examination of Arnold's operatives tried to prove entrap it. The operatives admitted...

Bingo. Yeah, I mean, really. Yeah, seriously. Yeah. The operatives admitted that they had been ordered to allow themselves to become sexually involved to the limit, if necessary, to collect evidence. One operative said, quote, my instructions were to be with Mr. Kent as much as possible and to let him play with my penis and to allow an omission. Kent denied all charges and was acquitted since the evidence was, quote, hearsay. Yeah. Early in September, two prominent Rhode Island citizens went to see Roosevelt.

The pair bitterly attacked the Navy for having persecuted Kent. They described the minister's work in the highest praise and argued that the investigators were using improper methods. Roosevelt responded that he was much disturbed by what they reported. If offenses of this kind have been going on, they will be immediately stopped. He summoned Dr. Hudson in order that if this was going on, that it was immediately to stop. The doctor denied ever having utilized improper methods and pledged that they would not occur in the future.

Well, what a... They're just totally getting off on it. Yeah. It's just two guys who want to be gay. Yeah, and just can't be gay, so they just want to fucking... They can't be gay, they can't bring themselves to do it, so they're just sending hot young gay men to go fuck other hot gay men, and then they get to read about it. How long until they're tickling? Jesus. Roosevelt must have just been like, God damn it, listen to me. Stop. Stop with the fucking and the sucking.

Well, sir, sir. I will try. That's exactly our point to these fucking queers. That's what they want, isn't it? Enough of these fucking cocksucking. I swear to God, if it took a million cocks for me to suck to stop, one more cocksuck and I would. I will stop it, Mr. Roosevelt, if you say the word cocksucking. No, if you could just... Let me see what's under that blanket. Slow it down. He received a formal telegram ordering him to stop

on September 22nd from Roosevelt. Hopefully it was a singing telegram. Enough with the cocks, enough with the cocks, take those cocks out of your guys' mouths. Meanwhile, Hudson and Arnold had begun preparing for further persecution of Kent, even though... Even though everybody has said stop. Everybody has said don't. Stop. Don't do this. It's not working. Do not do this. Stop doing this. They're like, well, it feels like we're close. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph C.

Collie proposed persecuting Kent under a wartime statute extending federal jurisdiction to immoral behavior near federal installations. During the present emergency, it shall be unlawful within such reasonable distance 10 miles of any military camp station, fort, or training mobilization place to engage in prostitution, or set up a house of ill-famed brothel or boarding house. Okay. The specific clause under which Kent would be prosecuted made it illegal to, quote, receive any person for the purpose

of lewdness or prostitution into any vehicle structure or building. Okay. Kent left Newport. A newspaper reported that he had temporarily been reassigned to an episcopal parish in Warwick, Pennsylvania. So Arnold hurried to the tiny village of Warwick with a warrant. Why? With a... But Kent was not there. He had gone to see his sister. Arnold organized a massive search utilizing nearly all of his operators. Meet all trains and hung around the hotel the rest of the time.

He also distributed a general alarm to the chiefs of police in Reading, Harristown, Bethlehem, and Chester, Pennsylvania. There's a possible homosexual on the loose. Arnold tried... It's you. Arnold tried unsuccessfully to intimidate Kent's friends to find out where he had gone. He told them he was an officer of the U.S. government and that they could be prosecuted if they withheld information. He informed the Warwick Postmaster that he was, quote, a government agent

on confidential business carrying a warrant for Kent's arrest. I told them that being a government man himself, it was to his advantage to assist other government men. One operative visited the home of Kent's mother and spoke to her nurse. He learned that Kent had gone to Grand Rapids, Michigan because of bad health. Accompanied by several operators, Arnold arrested Kent there on November 3rd. I mean... It's like they're capturing a murderer. Yeah. The federal court trial began in early

January 1920, and whereas the earlier case had avoided public attention, the influential Providence Journal, as well as several Newport papers reported on the trial initiating an interest in the sex scandal, which brought it to the national attention. The prosecutor depended almost entirely on the testimony of Arnold's operators. Now, let me just say that the reason that they wanted to keep it secret and they could do court marches, because that isn't publicized. Right. So this is exactly what the navy

didn't want. Right. So, I mean, it just... It's done no good. No good. It's completely defeated the purpose. Right. And within it, it's probably created dozens of other homosexuals. The prosecution depended almost entirely on the testimony of Arnold's operators. All of the graphic details dragged out in court again. An operative's testimony... I just love the idea of... Like, imagine being this stenographer. Sorry. Hold on. Wait. This is the first time I've spelled browning. An operative's testimony, he was asked, were you not told

that you were to allow yourself your instrument to be sucked if necessary? If necessary, yes, sir. The lawyers asked why Reverend Kent had been singing a lot for special attention. I was ordered to. Who ordered you to do it? Higher authority, he responded. These two queens. These two guys over here. Higher authority, he responded. It had been Arnold. He told me to get evidence on Kent. Reverend Kent was found innocent of all charges. The entire scandal may have died if it wasn't for John R. Ratham. The man who was most responsible for

publicizing the anti-gay scandal was Ratham, an Australian-born editor of the Providence Journal. Ratham had it in for the military because during World War I, the military proved he had been exaggerating and inventing stories about spies. He was forced to sign a document admitting to having done so, but the document was kept secret. So he's basically Robert Murdoch. Right, okay. Thanks for another one. Right, yeah. Australia. Yes, that's too. Now Ratham inflamed public opinion and widened the scandal to a national level by sending telegrams with the story to

papers around the country. Fearing catastrophic effects on enlistment, Daniels was forced to call for a high-level naval investigation of the matter. At the time, the letter of complaint addressed to President Woodrow Wilson by a number of Rhode Island ministers brought the case to the attention of the highest officials in the U.S. government. So now it's just a fucking disaster. And everybody's reading this going, oh my god. Wait, what? He's people getting sucked off. Wait, what?

The naval investigation was never going to match anything as a close friend of everyone involved named Officer Dunn was appointed. Right, so they started a naval investigation, but then they got a friend to investigate it. It's just all bullshit. But there was an extensive questioning about who was giving orders to continue with Arnold's investigation. Foster of the Foster Cart was sure that he gave a verbal order to stop. The judge advocate for the court said, I remember the court wondering how to

gather the evidence which was to be presented. And I believe Dr. Hudson suggested having men who have been investigating more or less unofficially ordered to duty under me. Arnold believed some kind of investigation would ultimately be authorized and warned that if his operators were cut off from the suspected men entirely, suspicions would be aroused. So he's thinking of any way for the sex to continue. I mean, he just... I just need this to keep happening. I'm getting reports.

Thereafter, the men had no official relationship to the court, but were merely working on the street to help the Navy. Yeah, you know, sometimes you just got to take a grassroots again. You just got to get back to what started you. Now they're like they're like vigilantes. They're like the guardian angels. They're the guardian angels of cocksuckers. Yeah, I mean they're just gay. Another member of the foster court thought Hudson and Arnold were investigating under

Justice Department authorization. Now he believed that from late March until mid-April, operators had worked entirely under their own initiative without any adequate direction. Roosevelt appeared before the Dunn court at a time when his political career seemed to catapult him into national prominence. Just what he wanted. Yeah, the only reason to attach Dr. Hudson to his office, FDR insisted, was to quote keep the investigation out of the files, the routine files, and to prevent publicity. Which is totally not being done.

Totally not happening. Didn't he send letters to Hudson and Arnold which gave them considerable scope and authority for which he might personally be ultimately held responsible in the court? I did, replied Roosevelt, and the ultimate result justified my giving them the letters and the fact that they have not misused them in any way still remains. Okay. He continued to deny having. And then walked out of the room. He continued to deny. Well, not walked. I know. He rolled out. Exactly. That's what I mean. He's lying. Oh, he continued to deny having any

knowledge of investigative methods used. After taking a month of Richard's findings, the court found that operators were immune from prosecutions for their scandalous conduct. No court marshals were recommended for anyone and the principal officers in the case were to receive a reprimand. FDR's involvement was described as unfortunate and ill-advised and in conferring with Secretary Daniels about what to do next stated he did not think Hudson or Arnold deserved reprimands and that Arnold had quote merely followed the lead of the men whom he

reported. And by the end of 1920 all interested parties could receive an honorable discharge. Hudson requested in their mouths to resign to resign his position almost immediately but was rejected. Daniels approved letters of censure for Hudson, Arnold and Foster. As soon as Daniels signed the report, the quote Navy news bureau issued a press release making the decision public. We are gay. The Navy's official interpretation was that with only a few minor exceptions,

the Dunn court had followed, found that the charges lodged against the department from the Attorney General, the Newport ministers and Rantham were either disproved or not proved in whole or in part. Even the charge that the sailors have been held for months without trial so these guys have been in jail for like 18 months uh was in was was in measure excusable. A U.S. Senate investigation followed. Oh my god! Dr. Arnold, Irvin, Arnold, Dr. Hudson, Irvin, Arnold and members of the foster court all reiterated previous testimony as to the confusion about who

was in charge. Jesus Christ. And denied they had been notified that the order authorizing their activities had been revoked. The senators also interviewed James Eslick, a Newport policeman who described conversation in in which Arnold boasts of his ability to spot gays. In what world I mean uh yeah. The subcommittees visited Portsmouth. Can you imagine sitting down with him and leaving a conversation being like that guy's straight? The subcommittee visited Portsmouth, New Hampshire to interview convicted gay

sailors in prison. Six young men were serving sentences two to ten years. Oh my god! The convicts claimed they had requested legal representation but had been told that the court would not wait for them to obtain counsel. They were sure that the judge advocate would protect their interests but he had never cross-examined a single witness from Arnold's vice squad. When court marshals had finally been held most witnesses were not even not even appeared in person. Their earlier statements were merely read into the court record allowing

no opportunity for cross-examination. One charged that Hudson had taken him into a state room aboard the USS Constellation and threatened to make it hard for a fellow inmate unless he confessed having sex with Reverend Kent and another civilian. So now they're just making it up. Yeah. The anti-homosexual scandal received added attention because 1920 was an election year and the Democratic National Convention chose Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the party's vice presidential candidate.

He resigned his position and went to practice law in New York. Throughout the presidential campaign the Australian newspaper man, Ratham, continued to accuse Roosevelt of mishandling allegations of sex crimes in the Navy. On the eve of the election Roosevelt struck back filing a $500,000 libel suit against Ratham. He also persuaded the Justice Department to make public Ratham's 1918 confession about lying about spies. Ratham was ruined. His reputation was in tatters. Even though he was right.

Yeah well. The senator's conclusions acknowledged the committing of quote immoral and lewd acts by sailors under orders instructions or suggestions from Arnold and Hudson that any naval officer could have given such directions was most reprehensible and beyond comprehension. Conceding that some of the youngsters who volunteered as operators were themselves homosexual. Yeah. Shocking. The committee preferred to believe. What a great gig if you were. Oh my god. What a dream job. It's a homosexual with immunity.

All right so I need you to go fucking suck a bunch of dudes oh for your country. For yeah and I can't get prosecuted. No. Okay but just get in there and really you you say when. You bet. All right. Yeah now. Remember. Okay now. We hate gay people. Fuck yeah we do. Yeah all right now go fuck a bunch of gay guys. You know it. All right. The committee preferred to believe that most were naive school boys practically forced into this duty because of their ignorance of naval procedure and civil law and their mental perspective regarding the obedience

of any order given them by a superior. Oh my god. Let me go on. Yeah. Hey I want you to get your dick sucked by dudes. Aye aye. You. Yes sir. Uh sir. Mm-hmm. This is what happens in the Navy sir. You bet it is. I'm gonna go suck that guy's dick. Less too they became victims sent forth in a new port as a sacrifice to and the prey of every degenerate and sexual pervert in the vicinity. A better alternative concluded the senators. It was anything.

Would have been the arbitrary wholesale discharge of suspected perverts from the Navy. Similarly every suspected civilian pervert male or female could have been expelled from a new port. Sucks such action would have been preferable to placing even one sailor in the position of allowing his body to be polluted. The crime penetrated upon him which he will remember and regret to his dying day unless he enjoyed the shit. Which he probably did. The Republican lawmakers reserve their strongest combination for Roosevelt

and Daniels. Any reasonable man attending one of several Navy Department conferences about the new port investigation would have recognized the methods used to apprehend the suspects. And even if they had not, Roosevelt's failure to inquire about the means to collect evidence wasn't neglectful in the performance of his duty. Yeah. Roosevelt's request for legal advice from the Justice Department and orders that a memo to Ab Admiral Niblack be kept holy secret were especially incriminating.

The report concluded with the specific charges against nearly everyone associated with the investigation. Hudson's actions as squad leader were quote shameful and disgraceful. He showed an utter lack of moral responsibility from the beginning to the end of the entire investigation. He should be court-martialed and excluded from service. After hearing Arnold testify, the Navy would be better off if Evans Arnold's name is taken from the roster of the Navy. No civilian association with the scandal remained in office. Dr. Hudson's

resignation has been accepted by now and Arnold had left the Navy. The senators recommended the release of everyone confined at Portsmouth and recommended a prohibition against ever using enlisted men to investigate perversion. A better approach would be the immediate undesirable discharge of suspected gays. I would love to sit in on these court, on these Senate hearings. The Republicans who led the Senate investigation didn't attack Roosevelt in the report for going after homosexuals. The Republicans who controlled the

Senate committee on naval affairs weren't necessarily questioning why this was being investigated but rather the tactics being used. Yeah. Well, that's a good question. Ratham claimed he was vindicated. Roosevelt's libel suit never went to trial. Interest in the Newport anti-gay scandal subsided quickly. It's placed in the headlines of the nation replaced by news of a declining economy and by early 1922 of widespread corruption in the Warren G. Harding administration. In fact, the Newport episode had been

largely forgotten before any action could be taken to deal with recommendations of the Naval Affairs Committee. Mission accomplished. On September 3rd, 1921, five men in the Portsmouth Naval Prison, there because of testimony from the foster court, were freed with dishonorable discharges. Dr. Orestes Hudson achieved some notoriety after the anti-gay scandal. Following release from Naval Service, he practiced medicine in New York City while pursuing detective work as a hobby. Development of a technique by which

police could take fingerprints from uneven surfaces earned him a post as consultant to the city police department in 1935. Hudson's grace. So he had a skill? Yeah, and it wasn't just getting dudes to blow each other. What? Hudson's greatest fame came during the trial of Brutal Hopman on charges of kidnapping the son of Charles Lindbergh. Oh wow. Nothing is known of Evan Arnold's post-Navy life. Roosevelt won in the long run. He captured the

presidency in 1932, served and tell his death in 1945, and is remembered among the most influential Americans. Not a lot of people know this part. Raytham fell ill in 1922 and he died the next year. Holy ship. Wow, that is... I mean... That is amazing. I mean, come on. That is amazing. I mean... That is amazing. I just don't... That is just... I mean, it's almost like, you know, when you find...

Like when you when you hear about some politician who's just like so anti-gay and then he turns out to be gay, like there's such a gratification. I mean, that is like the atom bomb of that gratification. Yeah. I mean, you know what's funny? That whole thing? This was so hard to find information on. This was... That's why I had to ask Christina to do it because she's really good. Because I... Because the Navy's not crazy about this story? It's nowhere on the internet.

You have to find it in books because it's just like it's been whitewashed. Like it's no one talks about it online. Like it didn't... Like every crazy story you can find online somewhere, but this is just like... Because there's probably somebody's job who's whenever it gets a Google alert that this pops up is to fucking remove it. Oh, what an amazing thing to do. And then the village people have songs called YMCA in the Navy. So it's got to be about this. And one of their guys is a... Is there a naval? No.

Yeah, there's a Navy guy. Oh, yeah. Hell yeah. Hell yeah, there is. His name's Arnold. I know. And then there's the Reverend one. Well, well done, you. Well done, Christine. Yeah, good work everybody. That was...