Evening star., 1926-06-05

randum for Mr.. FenninG regard
ing Capt. Headley' follows. under
date of July 8. 1925"
1nasmuch as efforts are being made
to secure the reinstatement of Capt.
Headley, and in view of the fact that
| these efforts on the part of two or
three well known individuals may re-
suit in a congressional investigation.
| | deem il my duty to put down on
paper some facts relating to this af-
fair which may be found useful at a
later date.
When | assumed the position of ds.
rector of traffic did SO with the dis
tinct understanding that ! would
have the full and complete co-opera-
! tion of every branch of the Police De
| partment. Commissioners Rudolph
and Bell and Mai. and Superintend
ent of Police Sullivan were present
when I accepted the position. I
stated to Mai. Sullivan at the time
that I hoped that Inspector Headley
| would cooperate with me. but from
! al that l had heard was fearful that
| he would not. He made the state
| ment at that time that If the in
| spector did not cooperate that he
was then i'll at his home. l went to
see him and, knowing OF his warm
| friendship for Headley. l told him
| that l would get along with Headley
| if it were humanity possible to do so.
provided Headley co-operated with
| me. He also agreed that if Headley
| did not cooperate that he would be
transferred.
i Headly Was Disappointed.
| Inspector Headey sat with us in
F; our meetings In which the traffic reg
ulations were prepared. and I could
! see from his attitude that he was dis
| appointed because he was not select
| ed as director of traffic and that he
! did not intend to do anything that
| would help make the position sue
| cess No constructive suggestions
were made by the inspector and he
continually harped upon some of his
! pet hobbies. such as the impounding
Of automobiles and the three day reg
| istration Of tourists.
A number OF people informed me on
| various occasions that Inspector
| Headley said he would not cooperate
| and that, on the other hand he would
| do everything he could to handicap
! me in the work which I attempted to
do. / was informed by one man that
! Inspector Headley had been heard to
| say that he was in charge of traffic
| in Washington and that l was only
! a subordinate in the Police Depart
ment and could only do what the
major and superintendent of police
agreed should be done. and that
| meant that l could only do those
things which were approved by In
iv1 aI0y
of the Traffic Bureau. | heard this
statement not once but several times.
1t was intimated to me that Head
ley intended to do everything he could
to prevent any of the constructive
work of the traffic director from be-
coming effective. He told Mcnamara.
in charge of the traffic sign shop,
that Mcnamara was TO give me- no
assistance or cooperation and was to
say nothing and do nothing which
would be helpful to me and that he
was not to let me know anything
about the traffic sign shop and If
wanted any signs made that | would
have to have them made or printed
elsewhere and pay for them out of
my own appropriation.
Saw Proposals Opposed.
1t seemed TO be Inspector tieadley's
attitude that unless he had originated
something that he would have moth
ing to do with it and on the other
hand would do everything he could to
prevent the thing suggested from
being done properly. This was his
attitude in regard to some changes or
routing which were suggested by me
in front Of the Bureau Of Printing
and Engraving. where / gave orders
regarding parking and re.routins Of
traffic in order to prevent accidents
at that point when 5000 or more peo-
Dle are coming into or leaving the
bureau morning and afternoon.
Our new regulations called for GER
tain changes in traffic routings at
Nineteenth and Pennsylvania ave-
nue.; at Scott Circle and Massa-
chusetts avenue; at Mount Vernon
place. Seventh and Ninth streets
northwest: at Ma ssa chusetts and New
York avenues at the intersection of
Sixth street. We made out the orders
and sketches for those traffic changes
which were provided for in the regu-
lations They were sent through the
major and superintendent Of police to
Inspector Headley and it was weeks
before we could get the signs properly
placed and the traffic properly routed
in accordance with the regulations.
In fact. many of the signs were put
up in the wrong place and traffic was
routed in exactly the opposite direc-
ton to that intended and specified in
the regulations. To Illustrate, the
traffic signs at Scott Circle were
placed on the inner circle instead Of
on the outer circle. which produced
aXactly the opposite effect to that
which was intended. The sign at the
intersection of Mount Vernon place
and Seventh street. with an arrow
indicAting that traffic should go
straight through on New York ave
nue and there make a right hand
turn instead of making right hand
turn south on Seventh srteet. was
turned around with the arrow point
ing down Seventh street.
Arrow Pointed Wrong Way.
4 routing arrow was ordered placed
Of tho intersection of Sixth and
Massachusetts avenue and this point.
Cd III the wrong direction and was
nlaced in the wrong direction and was
nlaced on the wrong side of the
street.
In order to straighten these matters
out, I drove around myself with In.
spector iieadley and called his atten-
| tion to the mistakes which had been
made. Some of them were straight
ened out at once, but l finally had to
take the matter up through the cap
tains of the precincts in order to bring
about the desired routing Of traffic at
some of these places.
The routing arrow at Massachusetts
avenue and Sixth street was finally
placed on a stanchion. l asked In
| spector Headley to have this fastened
on a post in the sidewalk, so that the
! arrow could not be turned. He in
| formed me that he had no drill with
! which to drill hole. which l later
| found was untrue. I told him If he
| would send a requisition over for a