The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-26
Strong Unions Are Best
BmlWark Against Spies,
Says Research Expert
Robert W. Dunn Tells
How Espionage System
Can Be Rooted Out
By EDWARD NEWHOUSE
VIII

-iderably more than an inkling of
what workers are UP against in fac
ing their invisible enemy, the labor
spy. That stoolpigeon agencies, Of
fetal or not, are never watertight
has been amply proved by the pre-
ceding articles in this series. TIL:
men who bear the main burden oil
their dirty work are necessarily OF
low human order.
Study the photostat reproduced
here. Operative 209 Of the J. H.
Turner Service, assigned to snoop
on the workers of New Yorks Elec-
trio Light and Power Co., reports
to headquarters in communica-
ton signed only by his number but
in his own handwriting. Under 1t
appears Turner's bill for services
rendered and expenses incurred by
Nos. 200, 214 and 229. We present
them publicly and no one will ques-
ton their authenticity. Spy agen-
cies are never watertight.
Forced to Advertise
Not even the greatest of them
have workers of every trade on
their rosters. They are forced to ad-
vertise. in yelled forms, of course,
but even so, they often come up
against honest workers, who not
only refuse to snoop, but turn over
their findings to the Daily Worker
and other working class publlca-
tions. The Corporations Auxiliary
has time and again been caught
advertising in Hearst's New York
American, giving the box number
of American Circle" Another ad,
answered by a tool and dye maker,
requested him to call at the Allan
tic Production Companies, IT'S
Broadway, which happens to be
the headquarters of Corporations
Auxiliary. After putting him through
a most careful cross examination,
they offered him an extra $45 a
month for daily reports of what
he saw in the shop. AS he left the
Office he was instructed to write
15-page letter to Mr.. Victor
Hunt about his observations in and
around the Corporations Auxiliary
office. He was to tell about the
elevator man, the starter in the
building, the meeting in Columbus
Circle downstairs, what he thought
of the interview, etc. Instead, he
wrote a detailed account of the az
fair and it was printed in the Daily
Workers correspondence columns
last week.
On the other hand, agencies often
succeed in signing up workers, de-
moralized and whipped by unem-
ployment. Then the matter and
method of uncovering them be-
comes problem for the shops,
unions, and other organizations in
volved.
Robert w. Dunn of the Labor
Research Association who knows
more about labor spies than any
other man in the country and is
feared by them proportionately, has
summarized his experience:
$50 long as there are classes in
society and class struggles the spy
system will continue. But the
effectiveness of the spy can be neu-
tralized to a certain extent by the
proper practical measures on the
part of the workers.
How to Discover Spies
"The exact technique of handling
spies depends very largely on the
exact conditions prevailing in the
union or other organization. Unions
that have reason to believe that a
rat is in their midst may have
some of their own trusted members
follow the suspected one, to dis
cover what he does, where and with
whom he lives, what are his sources
of income, to what Office buildings
he reports regularly, and, if pos
sible, what sort of correspondence
he carries on. Or they may assign
the suspect to some difficult task
which he cannot refuse to perform
but which, if done, can only benefit
OIlC VI Sdll4AdOAOll. LILO PlllllS VA
of heavy duties has been the means
of disposing of many lazy spy in
the labor unions.
"In checking on the presence of
spies, one must, of course, guard
against any tendency to Spy
complex of over-suspicion and the
feeling that spies are everywhere
and cannot be successfully resisted.
The tendency to be suspicious on
slim evidence should be avoided.
1t is naturally difficult to catalogue
all the characteristics of the spy
or list exact rules for apprehend-
ing him. This job must necessarily
be left to reliable confidential
committee.
They Nose for News
Perhaps the most typical spy,
at least in the radical wing of the
movement, is the one who is al
ways nosing for news and purvey-
ing loose gossip; one who whispers
of others being unreliable" in
order to remove suspicion from
himself; one who makes illogical
and ultra-left speeches and pro-
posalS; one who tends to disrupt
meetings and spread dissension in
the ranks. one who acts irreSpon-
sibly in money matters; one who
without reason gives phoney adj
dresses to his fellow workers.
TN trying to identify supposed
spy it will always be well for the
investigating committee to ascer-
tain where he spends his time in
his spare hours; what his real in
terest in the movement is, as re-