This story was denied by company officials, and traditionally the names of sovereigns have only been used for capital ships of the Royal Navy. Some support for the story was provided by "Washington Post" editor Felix Morley, who sailed as a guest of the Cunard Line on "Queen Mary"s 1936 maiden voyage. In his 1979 autobiography, "For the Record", Morley wrote that he was placed at table with Sir Percy Bates, chairman of the Cunard Line. Bates told him the story of the naming of the ship "on condition you won't print it during my lifetime." The name "Queen Mary" could also have been decided upon as a compromise between Cunard and the White Star Line, as both lines had traditions of using names either ending in "ic" with White Star and "ia" with Cunard.