The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-18
D. of. TOOL
OF PRIVATE
BURNS FIRM
Letters Show How LahoI
Spying Was Divided

How William j. Burns used
his job with the Department Of
Justice in Washington to drum
up trade for his private detec.
tive agency with the copper
companies of the Southwest il
told in the letters from C. P.
Pross, manager of the Burns
Los Angeles Office, to the head
Office of the agency in New
York.
These letters are among the
200 Burns labor spy letters
which have fallen into the
hands of the Industrial Work.
ers of the World and which
are now being made public
thru Industrial Solidarity. They
constitute one of the most
startling exposes of the labor
spy published in years.
OOb1ihB III WIN NlcAQOO.
In one of the letters we read how
Burns was planning to hold his De-
partment of Justice job should Nc
Adoo win the White House post.
In another letter, which follows
the Los Angeles manager tells how
the expenses of the B-vns labor
espionage is pro-rated among the
various mining companies and how
the agency is aided by Department OF
Justice operatives.
Getting Line On Radicals.
The letter is dated Los Angeles
California, May 10, 1923, and is ad
dressed to William Garven, Manager
New York office, Burns Detective
Agency. Extracts from it follow:
Il am enclosing some reports of
one of my investigators, who is
making tour of all mining camps
turnout the State of Arizona. This
tour is being made so as to get q
line on the radical movement thru
the entire State, and our clients
are all the big mining interests Of
Arizona, they having formed an
association, and l am to do all the
work for the Association.
Costs Are PrO-Rated.
"Since the first investigator
(whose reports / am enclosing)
left, we have added another man
TO start from the southern end of
Arizona around Tucson; then on
the 9Th of this month l am to start
third man, etc. What one in
vestigator misses the others ought
to pick up, and still it makes the
investigation very cheap, as the
charges for time and expenses are
to be pro-rated between the diff
ferent companies, and there being
some thirty odd companies YOU can
readily see that the Investigations
will not cost them more than two
or three dollars day each.
Burns Drummed Up The Trade.
"All arrangements on this oper-
alton were made while the Gov
ernor (Burns) was here in Los
Angeles. am also sending copies
Of each report TO him so that the
Department Of Justice will have
full records Of all going on; and,
IN fact, the agent in charge Of the
Department Of Justice in Arizona
is to work in conjunction with our
investigators so that should any
thing in particular come up, that
would need immediate attention.
the agent in chffge win be ready
to go with US.
See The Guggenheims.
81 will keep sending these re-
ports from day TO day as they come
In so that you will be thoroly con-
versant with this radical situation,
and II may come in good stead for
you in New York City, as you well
know the Guggenheimers and
other big interests are always in
terested; and il may lead to your
being able to obtain some work
which we can handle for you"
Then on June 23, Pross wrote 10
Mr.. X. ]. Burns, Prest., care of the
New York Office as follows:
Mine Managers Pleased.
my Dear Raymond: Since May
End we have had our investigator
WI, tied up on an investigation
for the Mining Interests Of Ari-
IONA the naine rnanagers ~