Sailor Who Told of Thefts Ordered Back to Base Despite Threats

A Navy auditor who has given federal investigators crucial testimony and documents detailing widespread fraud and kickbacks on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk was ordered back to the North Island Naval Air Station on Wednesday despite concerns that his life was in danger there.

Only after a San Diego congressman intervened with Navy officials in Washington was Petty Officer First Class Robert Jackson then transferred to another base.

Rep. Jim Bates (D-San Diego), who has waged a crusade against Navy procurement abuses, said Thursday he was perplexed at the order to send Jackson back to North Island.

“The chain of command . . . that is charged with protecting these people in doing their duty seem to have a misguided loyalty,” Bates said. “It’s as if protecting the name of the Navy is more important than protecting someone’s life if they have been critical of the Navy.”

Jackson, now under orders from the Navy not to talk to the media without first getting permission from military public affairs officials, was interviewed this week by the FBI and the Naval Investigative Service about the international theft ring that shipped spare parts of F-14 fighter planes to Iran.

His attorneys said Jackson has given investigators the names of 30 sailors involved in theft or fraud within the ship’s supply system.

They charged that embarrassed Navy officials wanted Jackson back so they could interrogate him and discredit his story. “The Navy has gagged, harassed and criticized him,” said D. Anthony Gaston, one of Jackson’s San Diego attorneys.”They’ve taken the position that this man is some sort of traitor.”

Navy officials in San Diego and Washington denied Gaston’s allegation and said the order for Jackson’s return had been routine.

Navy Public Affairs Lt. Dave Morris said in a prepared statement from Washington, “The Navy is always concerned with the well-being and safety of its personnel. Because of Petty Officer Jackson’s involvement with the Naval Investigative Service and statements of alleged wrongdoing by other Navy personnel, it was deemed in his best interests not to return him to the ship after his leave period.”

When asked why the Navy ordered Jackson back in the first place, Morris explained that Jackson’s leave expired and he was ordered to return to the Kitty Hawk.

However, a Navy source in San Diego knowledgeable about the case said that Jackson had not been on leave and had been ordered to return to the base, not the ship. According to the source, Jackson was granted liberty to meet with his attorneys until Wednesday, when he was supposed to return to his assignment as a parking lot attendant at North Island.

The Navy source in San Diego said that the Navy officials have now agreed to transfer Jackson to another base because they are concerned about his safety.

Jackson, 26, who has been in the Navy eight years and plans to leave Sept. 1, requested and received assignment to shore duty in June because he said he feared for his life.

In an interview last week, Jackson told the Times that after he sought to bring irregularities in the Kitty Hawk’s supply system to the attention of higher-ranking officers, one of the ship’s bookkeepers “threatened to break me into little pieces and throw me into the screws of the ship.”

Jackson attorney Randy C. Whaley said that his client also has received a threat in person from one of the three San Diego suspects arrested last week in connection with an international theft ring that supplied stolen aircraft parts to Iran.

In his position as internal auditor, Jackson had access to all of the documents that came through the Kitty Hawk supply system.

Jackson said during the interview last week that he found repeated examples in which the ship’s supply personnel “blatantly lied on inventory forms” to conceal the disappearance of $167,000 in equipment and supplies. He estimated that the $167,000 was about one-tenth of the total amount unaccounted for.

Jackson has supplied Bates and the Naval Investigative Service with information surrounding the disappearance of more than $1 million in equipment and supplies from the Kitty Hawk, including 31 bars of silver.

According to his attorneys, Jackson’s superiors showed little interest when he pointed out procurement abuses aboard the Kitty Hawk. Jackson last week said he twice tried to contact the Kitty Hawk’s captain but was denied an appointment.

His attorneys said that before going to Bates in June, Jackson provided the investigative service with documents and the names of informants he knew were willing to cooperate.

But the investigator lost the materials and “alerted (the informants) that the cat was out of the bag and they better run for cover,” said Gaston.

Whaley said he was told Tuesday afternoon by Lt. Cmdr. Charles Clopton that Jackson must report for duty at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Whaley, who said he told Clopton that his client feared for his safety and would not report, contacted Bates’ office. A Bates aide, David Gerrie, arranged for the Navy liaison with the House of Representatives to change the orders.

But even after the change was made, Navy officials in San Diego were still demanding that Jackson return to the ship, according to his attorneys.

Bates said Thursday, “There was no reason to put him in a position (that) would increase his vulnerability or risk any arm coming to him.”

Bates called Jackson “a hero,” and said the 26-year-old should be commended for his actions.

“He’s as much a hero as a guy who saves someone’s life in war,” Bates said. “He’s saving American tax dollars, plus he helped I think increase our detection of this espionage and breach of national security” in the F-14 stolen parts rings.