LOWRY REPORT ABSOLVES 'GREEN BOWLERS' OF ALL CHARGES; 18 ADMIRALS LISTED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP58-00597A000100080005-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2000
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: October 11, 1947
• Content Type: MISC

Approved For Release 2000/08/22 : CIA-RDP58-00597A000100080005-0
Lowry Report Absolves 'Green Bowlers' of All
Charges; 18 Admirals Listed
Rear Admiral Frank J. Lowry has ab-
solved the "Green Bowlers" of all charges
of being a "vicious" officers clique with
its chief purpose the advancement of the
professional careers of its members.
His report, based on written state-
ments and personal interviews with more
than 50 members of the 40-year-old secret
Naval Academy society, was submitted
to the Chief of Naval Operations Octo-
ber 1.
Early this week, it was endorsed by
the Chief of Personnel and is now in the
office of Secretary John L. Sullivan.
Admiral Lowry told Admiral Nimitz
he had been unable to find a single ex-
ample of a Navy or Marine Corps officer
having received coveted assignments or
unusually rapid advancement by virtue
of his identification as a Green Bowler.
Further details of the Admiral's report,
prepared in conjunction with the Office
of Naval Intelligence, will be announced
sometime next week.
Meanwhile, an exhaustive examination
of what is alleged to be a complete list
of Green Bowler members obtained by
ARMED FORCE has failed to produce
evidence to support the perennial charge
that Green Bowlers dominate the Navy's
--plush jobs.
As in December, 1945, when the list
was first examined, the percentage of
Green Bowlers holding top echelon jobs
still is not excessively high when com-
pared with the far greater number of
non-members holding positions of im-
portance.
This situation exists, despite the fact
that the 6 to 16 Midshipmen tapped an-
nually for Green Bowler membership be-
tween 1909 and 1940 almost always were
honor men of the class, outstanding
athletes or outstanding personalities.
The list' discloses that:
1. A total of 355 Naval Academy Mid-
shipmen were tapped for Green Bowler
membership between 1909, when the so-
ciety was founded, and 1940, when Naval
Academy Superintendent James Hollo-
way says the practice was discontinued.
2. A total of 35 Green Bowlers have
attained flag rank.- Eighteen of the 279
flag officers on active duty October 1
were members. They are:
Rear Admiral Monroe Kelly, Com-
mandant, 3rd Naval District, Class of
1909.
Rear Admiral Morton L. Deyo, Com-
mandant, First Naval District, Class of
1911.
Rear Admiral Aaron S. Merrill, former
Commandant, 8th Naval District, to be
retired December 1 as a Vice Admiral,
Class of 1912.
Admiral DeWitt C. Ramsey, Vice Chief
of Naval Operations, Class of 1912.
Vice Admiral John L. Hall, Jr., Com-
mandant, 14th Naval District, Class of
1913.
Rear Adimral Leo H. Thebaud, Naval
Inspector General, Class of 1913.
Rear Admiral William K. Harrill, Com-
mander, Fleet Air West Coast, Class of
1914.
Rear Admiral Robert W. Hayler, Senior
Member, Board of Decoration and Medals,
Class of 1914.
Vice Admiral Lynde D. McCormick,
Commander, Battleshipe and Cruisers,
Atlantic Fleet, Class of 1915.
Vice Admiral. William M. Fechteler,
Deputy CNO for Personnel, Class of 1916.
Rear Admiral Osborne B. Hardison,
Commander, Carrier Division Five, Class
of 1916.
Rear Admiral William X. Phillips, Cool-
mander, Destroyers, Atlantic Fleet, Class
of 1918.
Rear Admiral Charles W. Styer, As-
sistant CNO for Undersea Warfare, Class
of 1918.
Rear Admiral Leslie C. Stevens, U. S.
Naval Attache to Moscow, Class of 1919.
Rear Admiral Paul F. Lee, Chief, Of-
fice of Naval.Research, Class of 1919.
Rear Admiral Ernest Von Heimburg,
Commander, Amphibious Group II, Class
of 1919.
Rear Admiral Emmet P. Forrestel,
Commandant, Norfolk Naval Base, Class
of 1920.
Rear Admiral Edward C. Ewen, Chief,
Naval Air Reserve Training, Class of 1921.
Among the other Green Bowlers who
attained flag rank but no longer are on
active duty, were Rear Admiral Richard
E. Byrd, Commodore George F. Reinicke,
Rear Admiral Francis E. Whiting, Rear
Admiral Lloyd J. Wiltse, Rear Admiral
Andrew C. McFall, Rear Admiral George
B. Wilson, Commodore, Samuel P. Jen-
kins, Rear Admiral John W, McClaren,
Rear Admiral John H. Brown, Jr., and
Rear Admiral John Perry.
With the exception of more than 50
members listed as deceased by the Naval
Academy Register of Graduates, an en-
tire list of the Green Bowler membership
follows. (Many were killed in combat.)
The names of many Academy men who
have long since retired or resigned their
commissions are included.
1909
James R. Barry
John Borland
Ernest R. Gunther
Monroe Kelly
1910
Herbert A. Ellis
Louis E. Fagan
Murphy J. Foster
William D. Kilduft
Alfred Y. Lan hier
George F. Reil ieke
Harris M. Whiting
Hugh Whittaker
Peregrine Wilmer
1911
Charles B. Carroll
Calvin H. Cobb
Morton L. Deyo
John W. Gates
Webb C. Hayes
John W. McClaren
James L. Rogers
1912
Richard E. Byrd
George W, Dashiel
Robert E. Elmer
Henry C. McflvaiAe
Aaron S. Merrill
DeWitt C. Ramsey
Roger W. Spencer
Abraham G.Teneyck
Francis E. M, Whiting
Homer C. Wick
Chriley A. Wilson
1913
Henry L. Abbott
Charles L. Austin
Paul Cassard
Herbert S. Clarkson
Charles L. Foutz
John L. Hall
William G. B. Hatch
Carl T. Hull
George B. .Tunktn
David R. Lee
Leo H. Thebaud
George M. Tisdale
Harold C. Van Valzah
1914
James E. Boak
John H. Brown Jr.
John H. Buchanan
William A. Corn
Thomas J. Doyle Jr.
Wallis Gearing
William K. Harrill
Robert W. Hayler
Peter P. Rodeo
Thomas C. Slitigtuff
Theodore W. Sterling
Thomas N. Vinson
George B. Wilsop
Lloyd J, Wiltse
1915
Marshall B. Arnold
Horace D. Clarke
Henry F. Grimm
Alexander G. Hatch
Archie F. Howard
Samuel P. Jenkins
Lynde D. McCormick
Harvey E. Overesch
Tully Shelly
William D. Thomas
1916
James E. Betts
Carlyle Crai
Arthur T, Emerson
William M. Fechteler
Osborne B. Hardison
Jesse L. Kenworthy
Cyrus H. Lyle
Andrew C. McFall
George D. Price
William W. Schott
1917
James P. Conover Jr,
Robert B. Dashiell
Willett Elmore
Frank J. Hanafee
Thomas W. Harrison
William S. Heath
Herbert W. Jackson
Charles M. Jones
Peyton H. Park
Norborne L. Rawlings
William M. Reifel
Douglas A. Spencer
Clarence O. Ward
1978
Arthur B. Craig
Robert M. Eaches
Allen P. Flagg
Samuel H. Hurt
Charles D. Leffler Jr.
William J. Malone
John S. Mcreynolds
William K. Phillips
Charles W. Styer
1919
Charles L. Andrews
Russel S. Barrett
Eric M. Grimsley
John B. Griggs Jr.
George Kirkland
Paul F. Lee
Carleton McCauley
Robert F, Nelson
Leslie C. Stevens
Ernest VonHeimburg
Cyril K. Wildman
James L. Wisenbaker
1920
Ralph D. Baker
Victor F. Blakeslee
Robert Bolton Jr.
George H. Burnham
George H. Dana
John A. Dillon
Emmet P. Forrestel
William Hibbs
John B. Mallard
Robert B. McClure
John Perry
Merril F. Sproul
John E. Whelchel
Lyman S. Perry
1921
David H. Byerley
Howard V. Clark
Edward C. Ewen
Kinloch N. Gardner
Edwin D. Graves Jr.
Charles F. Greber
John P. Heath
Howard H. Hubbel
Morton Hutchinson
Carl Koops
Burns MacDonald Jr
Edward J. Milner
Edward P. Moore
Joseph W. Rodes
Edward E. Roth
Gerffrey E. Sage
ARMED FORCE ? OCTOBER 11, 1947
1921-con.
1927-con.
Lloyd L. Tower
Harold Waiters
Jac
All
Em
ob
en
me
C. Schwab
Smith
t J. Sullivan
1922
Harold D. Baker
Reuben F. Frost
Charles Humphreys
Howard Jennings
Frank H. Wickhorst
1928
Michael BaHgdano'tch
Edward A. annegan
Ben G. Koehler
Frank R. Walker
James R.
Edward J.
Lee
Martin
1923
David L. McDonald
George H. Moffett
H
E
S
William P. Burford
Vincent P. Conroy
Thomas Hederman
arry
.
ears
Donald K. Smith
Robert W. Wood
Frank M. Hughes
John B. Moss
William O'Regan
Edward Rembert
Paul C, TreadwelI
Charles S. Walsh
George A.Washburn
Howard J. Waters
1924
Stephen G. Barchet
William D. Brown
Carl E. Cullen
James R. Dancy
Dale Harris
James S. Laidlaw
Hugh R. Lamberth
Ira C. McKee
1929
George W. Ashford
John H. Keatley
Almon E. Loomis
Elliot Parish Jr.
Claude Ricketts
Francis S. Smith
Thomas R. Wilson
1930
Wredford Chapples
William Gentner
Andrew Jackson Jr.
Mell A. Peterson
Russell Lloyd
Walter Phillips
Wallis F. Petersen
1925
1931
R. M. Bowstrom
F
C
Braught
Fred C. Billings
.
.
J. W.
Byng
Joseph M. Carson
J
R
Falfian
John A. Carlson Jr.
.
.
J. W.
Gannon
John B. Cleland Jr.
A
D
Gray
Jofin S. Day
.
.
O
F.
Hagberg
John H. Griffin
.
Clifton G
Grimes
.
William Kirten Jr.
1932
William J. Marshall
L.
A.
Bryan
Anthony Rorschach
D.
G.
Burdick
Edmund B. Taylor
T.
E.
Chambers
Frank S. Timberlake
E,
R.
Hodgkins
Edmund Tweedy
G,
S.
James Jr.
Lee T. Weston
A,
S.
Major Jr.
V
B,
McCrea
1926
E.
L.
Phares
M
H
Tuttle
Donald Albertson
.
A
.
G
Ward
Neill K. Banks
.
.
Albert Bernet Jr
.
Jacob E. Cooper
1933
Kenneth Craig
R.
W. Thompson Jr.
Royce N. Flippin
J.
R. Reedy
Edmund Ragsdale
G.
T. Ferguson
Augustus Long
S.
S. Searcy Jr.
Edmund Ragsdale
F.
G. Selby
William G. Cooper
W.
R. Kane
J.
B. Denny
1927
D.
McCampbell
L
Erck
H
Arthur S. Born
.
W
,
Dawson
L
Henry H. Caldwell
.
.
Edward Condra Jr.
1934
Robert E. Dixon
Maurice E. Goudge
J.
J.
Waybright
Thomas H. Hamilton
G.
E.
Mumma
P erber?t Hor'rner
J.
B.
NI aughton
illiam Mer imr>
Eliot Olsen
R. P, 1larbold Jr.
1934-con.
G F. Pittard
D. C. Miller
J. M. Wilson
1935
E. A. Michel Jr.
H. H. Larsen
It. E. Dornin
C. B. Langston
W. C, Clark
J. E. Dougherty
1936
C. M. Fellows
A. F. Fleming
W G. 1lolrnan
T. S. King Jr.
1937
W. F. Bringle
E. W. Hessel
J. W. Matheson Jr.
J. W. Merryman
G. P. Norman
N. E, Thomas
1938
C. Lynch Jr.
A Coward
( R. Calhoun
A!
R. McFarland
S. S. Mann Jr.
R. H. Bowers
W. T. Ingram 2d.
E. M. Luby
G. R. Muse
1939
L. C. Powell Jr,
W. J. Rune
R. C. Gillette
L. R. Geis
K. B. Hysong
J. J. Munson
G. D. Ghes~uiere
H. A. Thompson
L. D. Cooke
1940
R. R. Wooding
T. P. McGrath
1.. E. Burke. Jr.
William B. Rubb
Approved For Release 2000/08/22 : CIA-RDP58-00597A000100080005-0