Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-24


couraged to enter.
Here, busy at their desks, groups
Of keen-eyed men are studying sorting and
classifying reports from the four corners of the
earth. The reports deal with things political
economic, psychological and technical, and after
they have been carefully digested they are
slowed away in secret files as Army and Navy
Intelligence.
In the last war, as everyone knows the
United States was caught short in the important
field of espionage The corps that later served
to good effect in the field was built up out of
no organization at all during the conflict. At
home, during the period Of American neutrality.
the work Of counter espionage, carried on by the
Secret Service against the far-fiung German
organization of spies and saboteurs. was ham,
pered by the fact that law could be found
on the books under which the plotters could
be convicted. Some of them actually faced the
court on charges Of violating the Sherman
antitrust law
Because Of their potential Importance in the
event of war, rather than their peace-time
activities, there must be included in any con-
sideration of secret agents of the United States
Government some discussion at least of the
Offices of Army and Navy Intelligence along
with group of some half-dozen other agencies
whose duties, either wholly or in part, are the
collection of information confidential in its
nature, or the tracking down of law violators.
Briefly, there are seven criminal investigation
agencies of the Federal Government-Secrets
Service, Bureau of Investigation of the Depart
ment of Justice, Narcotic Bureau, Customs Spe-
cial Agency, Post Office Inspection Service, the
Intelligence Unit of the Internal Revenue Blu
Teau and the great bloc of Prohibition Agents.
recently transferred from the Treasury Depart
n1ent TO the Department of Justice.
Let's see how much the Government spends
on these units. The total is computed from
figures cleaned from the national budget and
it is not large considering the important work
the agencies listed in the above paragraph cost
something less than $ll 100000 year with
approximately 1850 men on the rolls. They
save the Government many times the amount
spent for their maintenance.
Now add in the cost of prohibition enforce
ment and watch the figures double. The pro-
hibition appropriation for fiscal year, beginning
July is $1l $50 900 and 800 agents are pro-
vided for. This gives rough total for all Gov
eminent police investigation work of $21 298501
and 1870 agents. For good measure, throw in
the Immigration and Customs Border Patrols,
semi-mlitary police organizations, and you get
figure still under $25 900 900 and count of
approximately 5000 men-a small army when
you consider it, and not terribly well paid,
considering the dangerous work in which it is
engaged and the huge sums available to
ganized crime in combating its activities.
THESE figures cover the principal investiga-
tive units but make no pretense at being
complete. There are numerous other groups
which might be included But because in some
it Is difficult to draw the line between
administrative and investigative work, and be-
cause department heads are loath to discuss
their activities in this field it will be necessary
to gloss over the work OF some of the federal
units
Army and Navy intelligence officers, for in
stance are not going to sit down and tell you
about their operations, and the same thing
goes for officials of the Department of State.
Those who make inquiries likely to be told
that the United States has foreign SPIES
or, graphically, that secret agents wouldn't be
secret If everyone knows about them"
The Foreign Service Of the State Department
is not asleep, however, and consular officers as
well as military and naval attaches. trade COM