John F. Fort to Woodrow Wilson

Yesterday Secretary Lane called the Commissioner of Patents and myself to his office and discussed with us the question of keeping secret patents or applications for patents affecting war material of appliances. The Commissioner of Patents agreed with the Secretary and myself that he would act on the suggestion of either of us from this time forward, and also agreed that he would himself act in every case of doubt on any application for or grant of patent which might in any view be thought to be helpful to the enemy by suppressing it. Secretary Lane requested that I advise you of this fact.

The War and Navy Departments have each urged me to exercise, for the Federal Trade Commission, the power conferred upon it by the Executive Order of October 12, 1917, and in the name of our Commission and acting for it, I have heretofore earnestly requested the course yesterday agreed upon be taken. The determination of these questions was important, and we have felt the delicacy of our duty and the danger that might result from our neglect. In view of this I suggested that there should be a Board specially skilled in munitions, flying machines, projectiles, bombs and general armament, appointed from the Army Ordnance Corps, the Navy Ordnance Corps, the Army Aviation Service, the Army Quartermaster's Department, and the Navy Bureau of Construction and Repair, and that they should have submitted to them to pass upon before publication any patent or application for patent about which the Commission should be in the least in doubt, and that the Commissioner of Patents should be governed in his publication by the advice of this Board. Secretary Lane and the Commissioner of Patents each approved this suggestion and agreed to its being immediately put in operation. The Navy Department had made this suggestion to me previously.

This plan should result in complete harmony in the working out of the publicity problem.

I think I should while writing call your attention to the fact that I am informed that a short time before war was declared by the United States, and while Germany had hopes that it would not be, the Krupp Company, under different names, applied for some 50 odd patents on various war appliances, (probably of great value), which applications are now at the Patent Office and might be found beneficial to our Country if an examination thereof were made by our Army and Navy experts. They are evidently matters which the two and more years of war had proven to make for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

I trust the plan here suggested will meet with your approval.

Respectfully submitted
John Franklin Fort
Commissioner.