The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-07
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
FREDERIC j. HASKIN, Director,
Washington, D. c.
THE PAPER TRAIL.

and kilograms, sign hotel registers.
make out laundry lists, sign bills OF
lading and receipts, write checks or
money orders. 1t is needless to labor
the point; this is the paper age, and
man cannot move without leaving
paper trail
That fact is one of the foundation
stones of the modern method OF spy
hunting. Finger prints and tracks in
the snow, mysterious articles left be-
hind, all the time-honored clues OF
detective literature are of little ac-
count in this man hunt, which is now
going forward so tensely, on such an
enormous and organized scale al over
the civilized world. Never before was
there such a man-hunt.- In other great
wars the spy has played his part, to be
sure, but he had~not the facilities for
travel and communication, the Sclen-
tific methods of work which have
made him so ubiquitous and powerful
a factor in the world today. The mod
ern methods of propaganda enable one
man to do what a thousand would
have failed to do in Napoleon's time.
That is why single spies have turned
armies against their comrades, have
broken the defensive power of a ma
ton. changed international lines
Modern high explosives give to one
man even more literally the power of
millions, SO that great buildings and
ships and property in millions are
shattered and consumed by enemies
invisible
When the objects to be accomplished
are so great, men of great ability are
sure to be engaged upon them So
that the modern spy is not generally
the sly fellow of the stories, much less
the clever courtesan who played such
a part in the European intrigue of
century ago. The modern spy is
man of first class brains engaged
upon problems of first class Ihagni-
tude. He is not found listening at
r. Don tn
steal letters; he is a business man
among other business men, and is apt
to conduct his operations from a typ1-
cal business office. But however great
and subtle he may be, his method has
one weakness: wherever he goes,
whatever he does, he leaves a paper
trail.
That is why the gumshoe man and
the shadow, altho they still play their
part, are not the important factors in
this modern manhunt. Expert ac-
countants researchers, bookkeepers,
filters, stenograp herS form the bulk of
the modern spy-hunting organizations
both in this country and in Europe.
When an individual is suspected for
any reason however slight, he may be
Swallowed, but certainly his paper
trail will be followed in both direc-
lions. If he makes a bank deposit, or
has made one, the government detec-
tives will know where every penny of
it goes. where every check comes
from. OF course he may and proba-
an obvious trail as this, for the spy is
fully aware of the conditions of his
game. But he cannot carry out his
object, communicate its results, or
for that matter, perform the most
trivial functions of life without put
ting words to paper. And this paper
trail will be followed wherever it may
lead, and to whomever it may lead.
Somewhere in a government depart
ment a clerk with a filing cabinet and
many little cards is writing the story
of this mans activities. If a check of
his goes to a certain house, every oc-
cupant of that house will find a place
in the record If he makes a ship
ment, its recipient becomes a char
acter in the filing case drama, and
the contents of the shipment will in
due coure be equally matter of rec
ord. For when it comes to getting
information a national government
acting under broad war powers is a
very efficient and relentless machine.
In the way of search and arrest it
may go lengths that no mere munic-
I'ipal or state officer would dare.
In this phase of modern war the
United States started under a great
handicap fact of which little ac-
count has been taken. In Europe,
where many little countries with con-
flicting interests uneaSily occupy
siHSle continent, International intrigue
and espionage have been fine arts for
many centuries. Spies and hunters of
spies have both long existed as mem
| bers of established professions. And
methods of espionage have changed
with changing conditions. In this
country on the other hand, interna-
tional intrigue was thing almost I'M
known a few years ago. A sense of
isolation was a leading characteristic
l1f A o~ir. 1nr-i-
can government. With friendly
Canada on one border, a disturbed
Mexico on the other, and no PRESENT.
ment of trouble with European gov
ernmentS, we regarded the whole mat
ter of spies and intrigue a subject
for light romance. We raised wheat
and made iron and left these subtleties
| of government to those whom they
concerned. So that when we were sud
denly drawn into the world crisis,
when our attitude and activity became
a vital factor therein, we were almost
wholly unprepared to guard ourselves
/ against the organized methods OF Sc
cret attack which had been brought to
a science in Europe That is why Tor
| a time certain ''influences'' operated
| almost unchecked, and disasters that
| could not have been accidents were I'M
| accounted for; that is why New
| England newspaper did what gov
eminent should have done by organ
| izing its reporters into detectlNe ser
| vice.
| Then we began to take stock OF our
resources. Our government had a
number of agencies for investigation
and detective work. The secret serv-
| ice OF the treasury department had
| long done excellent work in guarding
the president and hunting counter
| letters; the postoffice department had
| experts in tracing fraudulent use of
| the mails; the department of justice
had a force of Investigators, well or
ganized and very efficient in the work
| of gathering evidence to be used in
prosecutions; the state department
| had a secret service of its own, which
| alone had some experience in work OF
an international character, while the
army and navy had each an intelli-