ABSTRACT
By the time Admiral Dunn and his associates reopened hearings in Washington May 8,1920, the anti-homosexual crusade begun in Newport had achieved widespread notoriety. In part, interest in the case stemmed from its famous locale and the lurid nature of the evidence. To a greater extent, however, the scandal stimulated public interest because of the role played by the most prominent members of Woodrow Wilson’s administration, especially Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels and Assistant Secretary Franklin D. Roosevelt. Not only would their testimony shed additional light on the origins and administration of Section A, but once the court had rendered its opinions, many of these same senior naval officials would review the recommendations and implement or reject them.
