New-York tribune., 1918-10-11
Bridgeport Projectile Com
pany Was Started to
Corner Supplies Here
Splendid Plant
Now Aids Allies
Concern Even Made Ca
mouf1age Contracts to De-
liver Shells to Entente

The seizure by the United States Of
all but 100 Of the 10000 shares of the
capital stock of the Bridgeport Projec
tic Company. Of Bridgeport, Conn,
owned by the German Imperial Govern
ment, was made public yesterday by
\. Mitchell Palmer. alien enemy prop
crty custodian
in making this announcement Mr.
Palmer exposed methods employed by
Count Won Bornstorif, DR.. Albert. DR.
Dcrnburg Captain Won Papen and other
German agents in their efforts to use
the Bridgeport Proiectile Company as
an instrument with which to prevent
the manufacture and shipment OF arms
and munitions to the Allies.
Their plan was to buy up through
this concern all available supplies Of
powder, antimony hydraulic presses
and other materials essential to the
manufacture of munitions. Because Of
tire British fleet there never was a
chance that any of the shells manu-
factured would reach Germany, but at
the same time none of them were ex-
pected to reach Germany's opponents.
Build Splendid Plant
The Kaisers servants did their work
with true German efficiency and built
i splendid plant, so that to-day the
Bridgeport Projectile Company, now
known as the Liberty Ordnance Com
pany, is running three shifts day,
but the shrapnel manufactured there Is
Al destined to be delivered into Ger
many via American guns on the West
err front. Since last December United
States army officers have been in COM
!Ict tc control.
Francis P. Garvan, director of the
Bureau of Investigation of the Alien
made the investigation that resulted
IN the seizure of the German-owned
stock of the munitions plants.
Mr.. Garvan found that when Ger
many's agents were disappointed at
the failure of propaganda, sabotage and
crime to stop the shipment of arms
and munitions to the Entente Allies
'hey conceived new scheme that
called for the organization of an Amer
ican corporation, apparently dominated
and controlled by loyal American cit
Izens, ostensibly for the purpose Of en-
eaging IN the manufacture of NUM-
tions on an enormous scale. The real
purpose was to hamper and hinder, and
II possible to prevent altogether. other
American manufacturers from making
munitions.
Made Contracts With Allies
The plan also involved as a further
detail of the necessary camoufage, the
negotiation of contracts with the AL
lied governments to supply them with
materials of war, apparently in good
faith, but in reality with no intention
of fulfilling them.
Germany planned to spend $10,000,-
600 for this purpose, and undoubtedly
would have been glad to spend many
times that sum if the scheme could
have gone ahead without interference.
But it was interfered with in an un-
expected fashion before the plant was
completed in 1915. "The New York
World" published memorandum sent
by Carl Heynen, now interned as a dan
gerous enemy alien. to DR.. Albert that
clearly showed the German purpose be-
hind the creation of the Bridgeport
Proj ject.le Company.
In Ils statement yesterday, Mr.. Pal
mer said the publication of this memo
randum in the newspaper seriously
hampered the activities of the Bridge
port Projectile Compan.J. Banks and
manufacturers, Mr. Caravans investi-
cation shows, refused to deal with it.