Senate Public Lands Committee Begins Teapot Dome Hearings Under Thomas Walsh

The Senate Committee on Public Lands and Surveys began formal public hearings on the Teapot Dome oil leases, led by Montana Democratic Senator Thomas Walsh. Republican leadership had assigned this junior minority member to chair the inquiry, expecting it to be futile. Walsh, a former prosecutor, spent two years meticulously reviewing mountains of documents submitted by Fall and following every lead. On January 24, 1924, Edward Doheny admitted under oath that he had given Fall a $100,000 “loan.” What began as quiet hearings in a small committee room soon became a public sensation with packed audiences in the Senate Caucus Room. Walsh’s diligent investigation uncovered how Fall, earning $12,000 annually, had recently spent $140,000 improving his ranch with Liberty Bonds bearing serial numbers traced to Sinclair. This investigation firmly established congressional authority to investigate executive branch corruption.