The Washington herald., 1915-07-08
RECRUIT PROBE
HITS HUNDREDS
Inquiry Into Enlisting in U. S.
By Belligerent Nations
Is Sweeping.
SEVERAL ARRESTS MADE
Great Britain, Serbia and Montenegro
Known to Be Involved in Gov
ernments Investigation.

1t became known yesterday that Attor-
ney General Gregory for several weeks
has been directing a vigorous campaign
through agents Of the Department Of
Justice to ferret out representatives Of
beIligerent European nations who have
been in this country securing enlist
ments.
Mr.. Gregory was loath yesterday to
give details of the plots which have
been unearthed by his investigation, out
It is known that he believes the recruit.
ing agents will be discouraged by the
exposures already made to the govern
ment. Several hundred men of both ma
tive and foreign birth are understood TO
be involved in the Secret Service reports
now in the hands of the Attorney Cen
eral.
Three of the belligerent powers which
are known to be involved In the Depart
ment of Justices investigation are Great
Britain, Serbia and Montenegro. None
of these nations maintains an army re-
serve. and, in the present war. they nave
had to fall back upon new enlistments to
enlarge their armies.
Confers with Lansing.
The actual management Of the investi-
cation has been turned over to one OF
the Assistant Attorneys General in the
Department Of Justice, and he has con-
ferred frequently with Secretary OF State
Lansing and other officials of the STATE
Department in the last few weeks. Sec
retary Lansing. in addition to the evil
dence laid before him by the Department
of Justice, has under consideration a
number Of complaints from parents OF
American boys who have been recruited
into the British army.
Attorney General Gregory has directed
the efforts of his agents chiefly at the
representatives of the belligerent nations
which maintain no army reserves, having
construed the statutes forbiddins enlist
ments as inapplicable to the activities OF
persons seeking to bring about the return
Of reservists TO their countries.
The criminal sections involved are sec
tions 10 and 10, chiefly the former. Sec
ton 10 specifically prohibits the procur-
ing in the territory of the United States
of enlistments of recruits for service in
the army of a nation with which this
government is at peace. Under the broad
est Interpretation of the statute. some
officials believe that efforts to procure
the return of reservists already entered
upon the army rolls of the belligerent
powers may be egarded as illegal II ex-
tended beyOn0 the mere INV ildtion W re-
turn and the defraying of expenses for
the homeward journey.
Five Arrested in Chicago.
The most recent developments In the
governments campaign came yesterday
with the arrest in Chicago of five per-
sons charged with securing enlistments
for the British army. These arrests were
reported to the Department of Justice
late in the afternoon and are understood
to have resulted from the testimony OF
the eleven American citizens held up at
New York last week when they were
about to sail for Great Britain. These
men were detained and returned to San
Francisco under instructions from the
Attorney General to testify in grand jury
in respect to the men who
had recruited them.
1t is understood that the men under ar
rest are British army officers. This Is
as lending somewhat serious
aspect to the situation and the facts al
ready have been communicated to the
State Department.
Montenegro officers have been arrested
in Chicago Portland, Ore. and New
York. The recruiting plan Of these off,
GERS is believed to have been the most
extensive of any that has come under
the scrutiny of the governments agents.
Apparently the recruiting representatives
were cooperating and were well supplied
with funds.