United States v. Belridge Oil Co.

In the court below the United States brought a suit to cancel a lease to lands in Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1 in the state of California, executed on April 24, 1922, to the appellee, by the First Assistant Secretary of the Interior, at the direction of Albert B. Fall, the Secretary of the Interior, alleging in the complaint that by the Act of June 4, 1920 ( 41 Stat. 812 ), the Secretary of the Navy was directed to take possession of the lands within the Naval Petroleum Reserves, subject to the control of the United States, for naval purposes, to be conserved, developed, used, and operated by him directly, or by contract, lease, or otherwise; that the Secretary of the Interior induced the President to issue the executive order of May 31, 1921, transferring to him the powers conferred and the duty imposed by Congress upon the Secretary of the Navy; that the lease was for a period of 20 years of 142.16 acres in section 34, township 30 south, range 24 east of the Mt. Diablo meridian, with the preferential right of renewal for successive periods of 10 years; that the lease was made without advertisement thereof, and without competitive bidding, and without requesting proposals…