 James served as Chief Censor, given responsibility for censoring what information about the tests were released to the news media.After a tour aboard the "USS Columbia" in 1922, James served as Assistant Naval Attache to the American embassies in France, Spain, and Portugal from 1923 to 1926.At times between 1926 and 1934 James was navigator on the ; commanded the , with which he participated in the Yangtze River patrol; served as naval aide for the Governor-General of the Philippines; attended the Naval War College; and commanded the Destroyer Division 6, Battle Force, U.S. Fleet.