The Teapot Scandal When senator Fall became secretary of the interior, in 1921, he handled the public oil reserves, which both Republican leaders and Democrats accorded for future Naval use. And, therefore, they banned their private exploitation. Nevertheless, he leased those lands; which contained the prohibited domes and reservoirs, in California and Wyoming, to the companies that repaid his favour with loans and gifts. And, though he tried to silence his steps, he and his friends failed to dodge investigation. As his proper deeds and implicated governmental officials faced publicity in 1924, moreover, in 1929, the court incriminated and sentenced him to one-year imprisonment and a monetary penalty. Sinclair, the petroleum tycoon and principal