The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-02-23
BALM DEFlES
SLEUTHS TO RE-
FUTE TESTIMONY
HAS HUNDREDS OF WITNESSES
IF DEMANDED - DECLARES
MANY BEST KNOWN RADI-
GALS WERE SPIES.

Chicago-Albert BALM, former pri-
vate detective, today challenged the
United States government to disprove
his charge that detective agencies
manufactures radical plots as a
business proposition"
"All want is federal investiga-
ton Of private detective agencies"
Balm said as the cross-examination
in the deposition hearing was resum-
ed. 81 will call hundreds of witnesses
to substantiate my statements that
Burns and Thiels agents, holding high
offices in the I. w. W., Communist and
other parties, were responsible for the
phantom radical scares which swept
the country.
May Appear at Trial.
Bailin's testimony will be present
ed at the trial of alleged Communists
captured in Michigan last fall, if he
does noet appear as a witness. The
trial is set for February 9th and the
former detective declared he hoped
by that time to gain the consent of
his New York attorneys to appear in
person.
William 2. Foster will be the first
of II radicals to be placed on trial,
it was practically decided today. Fos-
ter refused to comment on the trial
other than to say he would be present
when his case was called.
Balm was subjected to a rigid
cross examination by Asst. Atty Gen.
w. T. Smith, Michigan, and his as
sistants, including Max Berger, form
erly in the employ of the federal gov
eminent but now connected with the
Michigan attorney generals Office.
Communists Led By Spies
According to Bailin's story it ap-
peared a large number of the best
known radical leaders in the country
were private detectives in disguise.
He says they inspired much of the
radical activity in the United States.
Balm at times rose to his feet and
made dramatic gestures.
Balm declared that at about the
time of the Wall st. explosion, in
September, 1920, Michael A. Flanni-
gan, then manager of the Thiel agen-
cy in Chicago, sent him to Milwaukee
to register under the name of A. r.
Rosenberg at the Stag hotel and in
structed him to mail from there a
faxed report stating that he had met
and talked with a fictitious person,
named "Lechovitsky," supposed to
have been sent to America by the
Third international in Russia for the
purpose Of directing bomb explosions
and the assassination of high govern
ment officials"
Before leaving for Milwaukee, Bail
or crook" had managed to get him
or crook" had managed to get him
on the bomb squad at the detective
bureau, and at the time he was draw
ing double salary-both from the
Thiel agency and Chief of Police Gar
rity.
GOT RUSSIAN RUBLES
"Flannigan gave me 300 Russian
Rubles of the old regime and told me
to make them so I could identify
them and claim they were given me
by this Lechovitsky, who was sup
posed to be spending $4,000 rubles
here" the witness testified. 81 mail
ed the fake report which Flanagan
gave me back to Flanagan and to
Detective Sergeant Sloier of the
bomb squad, who turned it over to
Chief Clarity. In it 1 told of meet
ing Lecovitsky and of attending an
other meeting, at the house of man
named Silbert in Milwaukee, at which
the Wall street bomb was discussed.
later when I came back to Chi
cago, Flanagan sent me with another
copy of the report to Asst. States
Atty. Henry A. Berger. He told me
it was up to Berger to get a citizens
committee to subscribe money and
that this would help influence them.
The witness testified that Flanni-
gan also gave him a membership and
mailing list of the Communist party,
which he was to say he obtained from
Lechovitsly and which was to be
placed in the Office of Isaac E. Fergu-
son, secretary of some organization
here. The plan, he said, was to raid
Ferguson's Office and find it there.
Poison for Drinking Water
Balm swore yesterday that Allen
o. Meyers, assistant general mana
ger of the w. J. Burns Detective agen-
cy, offered in 1920 to send him to
Russia, and told him he could put him
in touch with persons in Poland who
would supply him with poison to put
in the drinking water of the Russian
soviet leaders.