The daily Alaska citizen., 1920-01-03
AUTHORIZED AGENTS
FERRETING OUT REDS

The statement made on New ear $ eve by Attorney General Palmer that the department of justice would pursue un- relenting warfare on radical agitators and workers of unrest during 1920 Is a follow up on that portion of Mir. Palmer's annual report to congres sin which he outlined the steps being taken to curb both alien and citizen plotters against the govern ment.
 The bureau of investigation, under the leadership of Mr. A. Bruce BieIaski is in charge of the department activities. Re- garding these Mr. Palmer told congress: Unrest and radicalism are rife turnout the world; the United States is not exempt. The department of justice as the law en- forcing agency of the government is deeply concerned with this situation, and the bureau of investigation of the department has probably accumulated a greater mass of data upon this subject than is anywhere else available.' He also said that out of a total of 365,295 index record cards, 71,000 bertillon records and 262,7l2 finger print records now in the department, some 6O,OOO represented data concerning ''redS' and their work. Continuing, Mir. Palmer said: 'Altho ordinarily the bureau is concerned with the investigation of individual viola ti0ns of the law, in the matter of the radi- cal situation it has consistently taken the attitude that intelligent investigations of individuals can be accomplished only by a tor 1inr of tba CitJ1 as a whole. To this end there has been or ganized in the bureau of investigation a division of radical activities
 ''The federal statutes are exceedingly limited insofar as they affect persons of American citizenship engaged in radical agitations. The efforts of this division have, therefore, been largely centered upon the activities of alien agitators with the object of securing the depOrtatiOns of such persons. To this end very close relations have been established with the office of the commissioner general of immigration. AL ready this policy has shown results and it is believed that in the near future this country may be freed of the presence of considerable number of undesirable aliens who have come as missionaries of unrest rather than as emigrants from oppression Organized as it is, the work of this division is cumulative and the results of it's work will be increasingly manifest.
 'At the same time 1t is clearly recoo- nlzed that the present unrest and tendency toward radicahsm arise from social and economic conditions that are of greater consequence than the individual agitator And intelligent investigation of the agita- tor, Of his work, and of the results of his work therefore demands and under standing of social and economic con dltlons as whole. With no social or econ omlc theories to exploit, but with simple desire to work intelligently and effectively, the division is steadily training a group of its agents to take in account these larger factors at the same time that they are in vestlgating individuals. The results of this policy are already apparent
 As far back as last May the attorney general urged congress, in a letter written to Chairman Johnson of the house commit tee to enact law by which dangerous aliens could be handled. He described in detail two groups of aliens, one citizens of an enemy country who were in detention camps and the other citizens of other for elgn countries both of whom he asserted could not be touched under peace time