Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-04
SMUGGLERS' USE
. OF WAVE DEPL0RED
Relay League Secretary Says
"Ham" Organization CO.
operates With U. S.

If the amateur wave lengths are be-
ing used by liquor smugglers to signal
their ships off the coast, it Is being
done without the knowledge-and GER
tainly without the consent-of the
American Radio Relay League, official
organization of the country's radio
hams"
This avowal comes from X. B. War
ner, secretary of the radio organiSa-
ton, of which Hiram Percy Maxim Is
president. It comes at a time when
Federal radio officials are redoubling
their surveillance of the amateur radio
bands to detect the messages which are
still passing back and forth between
the shore stations and rum-running
vessels OF the coasts.
One gigantic rum-smuggling ring
having already been uncovered by means
of radio sleuthing, the Federal authori-
ties believe that others can be revealed
by the same means. For the most part
they abSolve the amateurs from any
blame, because other operators, usually
unlicensed, have encroached upon their
wave lengths to carry on their contra
band communications.
Indictments Being Served.
Indictments are only now being
served on the so persons alleged to
have been in the big liquor ring which
was found last Autumn operating be-
tween Atlantic City and Sag Harbor.
Listening-in on suspicious code signals
in the amateur bands, Federal radio
inspectors not only decided the mes
Sages but by well known radio direction
finding methods were able to lead the
prohibition agents directly to the boot
leggers' lair, near Highland Falls, N. j.
A. sol nkA.- sab. VAt~, nnA
Canadian citizenship and could not be
held, was arrested, and huge arsenal,
as well as fully equipped short-wave
radio station, seized. The DECIDING of
| the messages also revealed many names
to the Federal agents.
That such broadcasting is still being
done is well known. The radio activity
| Of the bootleggers Is greatest along the
North Atlantic coast, though it has
been reported from other points also.
Some years ago, even before the Federal
Radio Commission was formed, Depart
ment of Commerce radio officials had to
| clamp down on a former Pacific Coast
| broadcaSting station which was sus-
pected of broadcasting code words and
songs to rum-runners while ostensibly
entertaining the public.
Ingenious Codes Used.
| Only dots and dashes are now used
by the bootleggers, and some highly
ingenious codes have been worked out
| The amateur waves are preferred be-
cause they are the most crowded and
the ones least likely to attract suspi-.
eion. "It's like a criminal mingling
with crowd" said one Government
radio official. cts pretty hard to fer
ret him out"
This official pointed out further that
the bootleg radio operators invariably
avoid the maritime wave lengths and
those used by commercial companies.
For one thing, they would Immediately
attract suspicion by their strange mes
sages. Moreover, they would be heard
far too often for their own comfort, for
1t would be only q short time before
the commercial people would report tho
signals to the Federal radio agents. ~
Then there Is the danger of interfer-
ence from the high-powered CONNER
cial stations used for transoceanic and
domestic point-to-point services. Rela-
lively low powers can be employed In
the amateur bands.
One device of the bootleg operators
Is to shift wave lengths frequently. At
prescribed hours they will be on one
channel or another, their precise waves
being known, by prearrangement, only
to the recipient. Most of the messages,
judging from those that have been de-
ctphered, carry instructions to rum-run-
ming vessels as to where to land their
cargoes at given time.