The Washington times., 1923-01-25
DRY HEADS ACT
ON LIQUOR
LEAKS
Mellon Asks State Department
to Keep off While Em-
.bassies Probe Is On.

Federal prohibition officials
viii take action concerning al
legged liquor leakage at the Cuban
legation directly with the le-
cation, without recourse to the
State Department, Acting Proni-
bitiOn Commissioner James e.
Jones declared today.
Put Up to Servants.
Secretary Of the Treasury Mellon
at the same time sent TO the State
Department a formal communica-
ton telling Of the charges In re.
gard to diplctnaIic liquor, and asked
Secretary of State Hughes to make
no inquiry in the prohibition agents
investigation along Diplomatic Row.
This notice was. in effect, official
announcement that foreign eEnbas-
| sizes were under investigation, and
that state Department officials
should keep their hands off. The
memorandum also was intended TO
show the State Department that
careful scrutiny should be made Of
future requests for foreign liquor
permits.
Acting commissionereJones today
said that the, investigation, 30 far
las II has developed, did not war
rant action by the State Depart
ment.
eve believe that a house servant
Ii responsible for the liquor leah"
he stated and not person In
the diplomatic corps. Therefore.
State Department for action"
Will AmalvxA GfIrff
Jones today ordered an immediate
analysis Of liquor seized In raid
on the apartment Of John Joseph
Lynch, alleged bootIegger, who
stated in an affidavit that the liquor
was procured by him from a person
employed at the Cuban legation
"Our future action in this case,
he said, "is largely based on whether
this liquor is good or bad. Person
ally, have not seen the whiskey,
but an analysis win determine
whether 1t is from the regular liquor
store OF the legation or simply o
bootleg concoction.
We know that any quantity Of
bootleg stuff has been sold as COM
ing from embassies, and this may be
true in the Lynch case"
Jones said he would readily offer
all records on this case to authorized
agents Of the legation. He declared
that II the servant were found to be
guilty. the legation would be noti-
fled and no doubt would dismiss the
offender. He reiterated his belief
that no attache was involved and
said that to his knowledge no such
allegation has been formally made.
Other Places Suspected.
I'VE have received reports from
time to time that liquor was going
to the bootleg market from embaa-
sizes and legations" said Jones, "but
until now we have made no case Of
this nature"
He broadly limited that the liquor
dragnet spread along diplomatic row
by the prohibition office had other
embassies and legations under
watch. He declined to make a posi-.
tive statement on this score, how
ever,
1--WE are watching all places
where violations are reported"
Jones admitted. eve have had
| violations reported at certain diplo-
matte stations.
Because of diplomatic restrictions,
it is impossible for agents to enter
foreign embassies to discover
whether these reports are true
Jones was asked if the prohibit
ton office would request a check
/, up of diplomatic liquor stores.
That's a very ticklish PROPOSE
| ton" he said. when an en-
hassy receives a liquor supply, it
may be consumed in week or a
month. It is impossible for us to
say how long an embassy's liquor
supply should last" :,
Edgar N. Read, chief Of general
prohibition agents in the District.
who is in charge of the invest1ga-
ton, said his official report on the
Lynch affidavit would be in his
hands soon, and that the action
taken by the prohibition office
! would danend solely upon this data.