New-York tribune., 1921-12-04
Sidelights on Life Abroad and Some Unusual Pc
Sir Basil Thomson Retires as
Scotland Yards Spy Catcher
Man Who Created Record During War Made Polit-
ical Enemies, and Rumor Saws He
Was Forced to Quit

have arrested the Archbishop OF Can
terbury, who lives at Lambeth Palace.
as the clues showed that the criminal
was man wearing CATERS bespattered
with the mud Of Lambeth.
During the war the work of the spe-
cial service branch of the Criminal In.
vestigation Department developed 70
an enormous extent. Every new task
created by the war fell on the depart
ment, including all matters related TO
suspected spies. It was due to Basil
Thomson that the vast spy organiza-
tion which Germany had established
in England was smashed almost as
soon as the war broke out; and during
the war his department. was instru-
mental in effecting the capture of prac-
tically every German spy who sue
ceeded in entering the country.
Pursuit Of Spies Marked
By Unusual Display of Zeal
Smelling out spies is business
which lends itself very easily to excess
of zeal. Members Of The Tribune's
European Bureau, who had occasion
to leave England on the most innocent
Of missions during the early part Of
the war, could tell stories of their ex-
periences of the long arm of Basil
Thomson, whose archives confidently
may be assumed to include a dossier
Of every American in this country.
And if any reader still is looking for
any innocent mail from this side, which
should have reached him during the
war, but didn't, he can be told quite
certainly what happened to it. 1t was
destroyed by Basil Thomson's depart
ment. But, anyway, he kept England
free of spies, and success covers a
multitude of sins.
The operations of Sinn Fein in this
country, suspended at the truce, and
to certain extent their operations
in ireland. came within the scope
Of Thomson's department. 1t was his
men who made the raids for suspected
persons in this country, and it was
his men who accompanied Chief Sec
retary Greenwood wherever he went.
Aside from this, the department,
which may be said to have assumed
its present peculiar shape on the OUT
break Of war, has practically confined
it's activities since to political investi-
cations. Its dealings with Russian sub
jects to be interned or deported dur
s,,n ho thn
war, gave rise to bitter criticism, and
most of all, it's alleged espionage
among workmen. The Labor organ,
",rhe Daily Herald" for some time
past has carried ON violent cam
paign against Basil Thomson, whom
it charged with having spies on the
brain and being haunted by "Hidden
Hands," and "The Herald naturally
prides itself upon having assisted his
departure.
This is very doubtful, but it is GER
tain that criticism Of Thomson and his
department has not been confined to
extremists. The moderate liberal "Man-
chester Guardian" says: "It would be
idle to deny that this peculiar and very
independent and powerful department.
of Scotland Yard, Of which Sir Basil
Thomson was the chief and in way
the creator, had achieved a sinister
eminence in the eyes Of Liheral poli-
ticians. 1t was political police de-
partment and very powerful one and
every English Liberal hates the thought
of tecret police activity 1t had great
deal to do with the surveillance Of sus-
peets among journalists and publicists,
which is thing that the British public
and the British Liberal like still less.
But the strangest thing about it was
its seeming independence of the gov
ernment or any government department
in all these extremely important state
activities. With Sir Basil Thomson's
retirement his department is to be dis
solved and most conservative minded
English people, without thought Of
ill-will toward himself, will be much
relieved to hear It,"