Claim

Claim 875

Federal investigators framed the article as damaging national security by indirectly revealing that the United States had penetrated Japan's naval codes.

Published 2026-09-26. Last reviewed 2026-09-26. 1 source.

Statement: Federal investigators framed the article as damaging national security by indirectly revealing that the United States had penetrated Japan's naval codes.
Field: stated_justification
Value: National security rationale
About: incident 1942-us-chicago-tribune-midway-espionage-act
Source: Secrecy and Leaks: When the U.S. Government Prosecuted the Chicago Tribune
Publisher: National Security Archive, George Washington University
Method: outlet report
Checked: 2026-09-26
Confidence: medium
Status: current
Source date: 2017-10-25

Quotation from the source

detail FBI, Justice Department, and Navy efforts to charge the Tribune with damaging national security by indirectly alluding to U.S. penetration of Japan's naval codes