The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-08
u.s. INVESTIGATES
ENLISTMENT PLOT
OF BELLIGERENTS
gregory Seeks Agents Who
Violate Our Neutrality
and Criminal Law.
ENGLAND. MONTENEGRO
and SERBIA INVOLVED

v,sutNGroS, July 1T became
Known to-day that Attorney General
Gregory has been directing a vigorous
campaign for several weeks to ferre,
,l, representatives of the ~belligerent
,ations who have been securing enlist
menis In this country.
ue took charge OF the investigation
orly when it became evident that the
activities Of these representatives were
Incoming widespread and that serious
violations VI tho neutrality OF the Gov
eminent. rs well as the criminal stat
u,es. were threatened.
Mr. Gregory IL loath to give details
n, the pln,s uncarched by his investiga-
lion bu, 4, is known that he believes
,he recruiting agents will he discour-
aged by the exposures already made
"a the Government. Several hundred
men OF both native aBd foreign birth
arc understood 10 he involved In the
secret Service reports now In the hands
Of tine Attorney-General.
Three of the belllgerent Powers which
are known to he involved are Great
Britain. Serbia and Montenegro. None
OF these nations maintains an army
reserve and they have had to fall back
on new enlistments to enlarge their
armies.
chief Plots Being Traced.
Until further disclosures are made OF
the ,amifcations of the chief plots being
traced by the secret service agents no
indication may be had of the extent to
which officials of there Governments are
indicated by the evidence before the
A,toruey-General.
II has not been disclosed whether the
state Department has under considera-
;lun the matter of taking up with the
Governments themselves the violations
Of our criminal statutes by some o.
their representatives here.
The actual management OF the inves-
tigation has been turned over to an as
s.stant attorney in the Department OF
Justice and he has conferred frequently
with Secretary Lansing and other off,
clals of the state department In the
last few weeks.
Secretary Lansing. in addition TO the
evidence laid before him by the De-
partment of Justice, has under consider
alton a number of complaints from
parents of American boys who have
been recruited into the British rmy
The criminal sections involved are
sections 10 and IL. chiefly the former.
Section 10 specifically prohibits the pro-
curing In the territory of the United
States enlistments OF recruits for a
nation with which this Government Is
AZ pesce. Under the broadest interpre-
tatiou OF the statute some officials be-
leye tina efforts to procure the return
Of reservists already entered on the
amy rolls of the belligerent Powers
NAY be regarded rs illegal II extended
beyond the mere invitation to return
nd the defraying Of expenses for the
homeward journey. However, no in
stances have arisen In which efforts to
procure the return Of reservists are re-
glrdeG as violations OF the law.
Five Arrests In Chicago.
-he most recent developments in the
G,yefument's campaign against enlist
mcuts came to-day with the arrest In
chicago of Ave persons charged with
scoring enlistmests 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 or the
eleven American citizens held up at New
York last week when they were about
10 sail for Great Britain. These men
we're detained and returned to San
Francisco, under instructions from the
Acknowledgement, TO testify in Grand
Jury proceedings in regard to the men
who had recruited them.
II IS understood that the men under
arrest are British army officers. This
is regarded as lending a somewhat seri-
Gus aspect to the situation and the facts
have been communicated to the state
Department.
M%ontenegrin officers have been ar
rested in Chicago. Portland. Oregon
and New York. The recruiting scheme
Of these officers Is believed TO have been
the most extensive of any that has come
under the scrutiny Of the Government
agents. Apparently, the recruiting rep
resentatives were cooperating and were
well supplied with funds.
One OF the most spectacular incidents
connected with the attempt to suppress
recruiting came several days ago. when
a train load Of men who a enlisted
in the Servian army was held up al
Chicago. Agents Of the Department OF
Justice. who had boarded the train a
short time before II was scheduled To
leave Chicago in order to make a search
for the agents believed to be responsible
for tho enlistments, were ordered of.
They then look steps to prevent the
train from pulling out.
Thus far the Government has not
moved 10 prosecute any OF the persons
who undertook to join the b~elligerent
armies. although persons enlisting are
equally liable with those who prevail
on them to violate the law.