National Affairs: Strange Case

The strange case of Midshipman Earl B. Zirkle of Kansas, who would not accept an ensign’s commission on graduation from the U. S. Naval Academy last June came last week to an impasse.

All through the summer Midshipman Zirkle pondered his decision. In 1925 the rule had been made that every Annapolis man must serve two years as ensign after graduation (TIME, Feb. 9, 1925). A fortnight ago, Midshipman Zirkle reconsidered; Secretary of the Navy Curtis Dwight Wilbur approved his commission. Then a few days later, at a conference with Secretary Wilbur and Rear Admiral Louis McCoy Nulton, superintendent of the Naval Academy, he balked again, said he has a conscientious objection to continuing in the service.

Last week he was ordered to leave Annapolis on board the transport Chaumont, bound for San Francisco, where he will continue indefinitely the role of midshipman on the Pacific fleet. So Midshipman Zirkle, who might have been an ensign with greater pay and privileges, with the opportunity of an honorable discharge in two years, is still a “middy” as long as the Navy wants to keep him. It is expected, however, that he will be allowed to resign in two years when the spirit of the regulation will have been served. The question: if young Midshipman Zirkle is really a pacifist, why should an ensign’s commission have greater horrors for him than the midshipman’s rank?