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- <text id=89TT1534>
- <title>
- June 12, 1989: American Notes:The Navy
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1989
- June 12, 1989 Massacre In Beijing
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- NATION, Page 23
- American Notes
- THE NAVY
- At Ease, Mr. Truitt
- </hdr><body>
- <p> In the wake of the gun-turret explosion on the U.S.S. Iowa
- that in April killed 47 sailors, the Naval Investigative
- Service considered a bizarre theory: that Navy petty officer
- Kendall Truitt may have set off the explosion to collect on a
- $100,000 insurance policy taken out by a sailor killed in the
- blast. The story was guaranteed a full airing when Pentagon
- sources privately confirmed the investigation to the press.
- </p>
- <p> Truitt angrily denied the allegation, suggesting that the
- fault could lie with an inexperienced crew. Last week a Navy
- statement seemed to clear Truitt. Investigators are now focusing
- on the equally bizarre theory that Clayton Hartwig, the insured
- sailor, committed suicide by causing the explosion with a $15
- timing device. The Navy blandly insisted that no apology was due
- Truitt because it had not "discussed publicly" the
- murder-suicide theories.
- </p>
-
- </body></article>
- </text>
-
-