Evening star., 1937-02-13
PROBERS MAY5.C|TE
P|NKERTON HEAD.
Contempt Charge May Fol-
low Refusal of Data on
Operatives.
BY JOHN C. HENRY.


ton for contempt by one set OF de-
iant witnesses, the La Toilette Civil
/. Liberties Committee today appeared
II headed for similar procedure in the
case Of Robert A. Pinkerton, youth
full head of the Pinkerton National
Detective Agency, who fatty refused
certain requested information on two
occasions yesterday.
What action will be taken is yet to
be decided by Chairman La Toilette,
his committee associate. Senator
Thomas, Democrat, Of Utah. and
committee counsel, John j. Abt
Pinkertons action was taken In
each instance yesterday upon advice
Of his counsel.
The first refusal came as the after
noon session opened and Pinkerton
appeared with So original espionage
reports as submitted by operatives in
the Detroit area but refused to turn
them over to the committee. His eX-
PLANTATION at that time was that such
surrender might result in disclosing
the identity of the operatives with
danger that they would be exposed to
retTibution.
Admits Presence in Plants.
Later, Pinkerton refused a request
for the identity Of under cover opera
tives who were in Fisher Body and
Chevrolet plants in Flint during the
General Motors strike Just ended.
Presince Of such operatives, one Of
whom took part in the sit-down
strike in Fisher Plant No. 1, was ad-
mitted by Pinkerton witnesses prior
to the request for their identities.
On other labor fronts today, the
district presidents OF the United Mine
Workers were working in executive
session over union demands to be made
upon the soft coal industry in New
York next week. At that time, nego-
tiations will begin for new contract
in the soft coal fields with labor ex-
pected to seek wage increase and a
decrease from the present 35-hour
week. Industry already has announced
its intention of demanding a longer
work week with no change in pay
rates.
tee for Industrial Organization, plans
were being made for March meeting
in Pittsburgh in furtherance of the
steel organizing campaign.
1t was in the making of his
second request yesterday that
Senator La Toilette disclosed the
committees attitude toward the Pink
erton agency and its conviction that
''the activities of the Pinkerton Detec-
tive Agency have interfered with and
restrained the rights of free speech
free assembly and the rights of labor
to organize and bargain collectively.
The Senator's indictment of the
agency continues in part:
THE documents produced before
this subcommittee by the Pinkerton
Detective Agency have been scanty
in the extreme The evidence shows
that the agency has for some time
made it practice to destroy its records
at frequent intervals Those records
which have been produced have not
only failed to reveal the true nature
OF the activities of the agency but, as
will appear from the record, have been
wholly misleading.
Charges Evasivenes.
"The testimony Of the agency Of
ficials who have been called to the
stand has been reluctant and evasive.
Although the committee has given
these witnesses full opportunity to
state all of the facts pertinent to the
inquiry, it is apparent from the record
and from the demeanor of the wit
nesses on the stand that the sub-ccm-
mittee has been unable to elicit little
evidence from such witnesses unless 1t
was first in possession of documentary
proof of the facts which 1t sought to
establish"
Citing the fact that Pinkerton in
formants were among the sit-down
strikers. testified earlier by r. H. Peter
son. Pinkerton official, Senator La Fol-
lette continued:
1.-The possible danger inherent In
having detective agency spies planted
among 'sit-down strikers is too obvious
to need elaboration. The true facts
in this situation are clearly relevant
to the committees inquiry and will be
of importance to the Congress in franz
ing appropriate legislation. It is ap-
parent that such facts can be elected
only from the spies themselves. if such
there were, who remained in the plant.
Scout Violence Theory.
"Mr. Pinkerton and his attorneys
have resisted previous requests by this
subcommittee to furnish it with the
names Of their agents, secret or under
cover operatives, or its informants.
The grounds for this refusal have been
the alleged apprehension on the part
of Mr.. Pinkerton that the exposure
Of the names Of these men might lead
to their physical injury.
THE record shows, as one of the
attorneys for Mr.. Pinkerton pointed
out, that in excess Of 100 spies have
been publicly exposed since the incep-
ton Of this inquiry. Yet, neither the
attorney nor the agency nor any Pin
kerton witness has been able to point
to single instance where such ex-
posure has led to physical injury Of
the exposed operative"
The committee is now engaged in
aiding prosecution of officials Of the
Railway Audit & Inspection Co. for