Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-04-10
HALF MILLION Men
1OSEEk, P|LOTTERS
Civilian Force Of Government
on Lookout For Spies.
POLICE OF CITIES iEHD AID

Postmasters, !. ettcr Carriers and Many
Others Who Draw Pay From Uncle
Sam Are Now Confidential Agents.
Welcome Any cIew From the General
Public. !
Virtually the entire force of the fed
eral governments civilian employees,
approximately 100000 men and w0-
men engaged in every branch Of serv-
ice, has been summoned to aid the bu-
reau of investigation and the secret
service in the detection Of spies and
the apprehension of persons engaged
in plots, intrigues or other activities
against the interests of the United
States.
In addition, the government has
sought the active cooperation of the
police and detective forces of every
town and city Of consequence through
out the country. Hundreds of letters
requesting such cooperation have been
mailed broadcast by the department. of
justice, and replies pledging unstinted
aid are coming back in great numbers
by telegraph and mail.
The largest single force the govern
ment has enrolled in its nation wide
spy hunt, with the possible exception
of the municipal police and detective
forces, is the army Of postmasters, all
of whom have been instructed to per-
nit no clew as to the identity of sus-
pected individuals and their activities
to 60 unreported. Under the postlnas-
ters are working the letter carriers in
the cities and the rural free delivery
carriers in the country, force all told
of about 100000 men.
Instructions to the federal employees
call for the prompt reporting to desig-
mated authorities Of all information no
matter how minor it appears. which
might seem to furnish clews in ferret
ing out agents of foreign governments.
Under this head come letters passing
through the mails, kilograms and even
overheard scraps of conversation indi-
eating activity against the government.
Such information will be promptly
forwarded to the proper Investigating
body at Washington, the name Of the
informant held secret and an inquiry
quietly begun whenever, in the opinion
Of officials intrusted with s h work.
investigation is warranted.
Information Held In. Condolences. A.
Although no request for cooperation
has been addressed to the general pub
lie, officials welcome and hold in strict
est confidence cooperation on the part
of all private citizens looking to the
prevention of activities harmful to the
national interest. A number Of private
citizens, impelled by patriotic motives,
already have furnished much valuable
information Of this character, it was
said, and have aided materially in the
work of the two bureaus heretofore en-
gagged in enforcing the maintenance OF
American neutrality Officials want to
encourage citizens to communicate
such information through United
States attorneys or direct to the de-
partment Of justice.
In calling upon its civilian employees
to aid in the work of the bureau of IN
vestigation the government will rely
chiefly upon the field force of all its
varied activities, men whose daily work
bring them in constant touch with the
public. This Includes in addition to
postmasters and letter carriers, the
field forces of the department of the in
terror, the Federal Trade Commission.
the department of agriculture. the In
terstate Commerce Commission, the in
ternal revenue and customs bureaus OF
the treasury department, department.
of commerce workers and investigators
and immigration and other officials OF
the department of labor.