The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-09-20

mer recently did in the case Of
Herbert Hoehne, recently ar
raigned before Federal Judge L. r.
Yanwich in Los Angeles upon a
charge Of being an unregistered
Nazi agent in this country, in vio-
lation of our newly enacted law re-
curing all foreign governments
representatives in our midst to re-
cord themselves as such with
Uncle Sam.
Attorney Palmer had just re-
marked that he had Hoehne dead
to rights and invited him TO plead
guilty, thus perhaps emitting HIM
self to such little mercy as the
bench might see At TO dish out.
Hoehne wouldn't do it, though.
Thereupon the attorney was in the
very act Of opening his mouth to
present the prosecutions story
when a telegram was handed him.
Palmer peeked inside the en-
velope, gasped slightly, they say,
then Immediately requested a dis
missal, which Judge Yankwich
hadn't much option bit to grant,
the prosecutor himself having
asked for it. So Hoehne went free
after three weeks in Jail, though 1t
was understood he planned TO leave
the United States soon.
Not So Peculiar
There was considerable comment
to the effect that this procedure
was rather peculiar.
Upon investigation In Washing
ton it appears that it wasn't es-
pecially SO.
The telegram Prosecutor Palmer
received was from Assistant At
torney General John Rogge, who
speclalizes, at the justice depart
ment, upon matters of alien espion-
age and sabotage in the United
States.
Il seems that the justice depart
ments bureau of investigation was
fully satisfied with the evidence it
had gathered against Hoehne, but
il didn't care to have the source
% II revealed. It would have had
TO be revealed to convict him. And
that would have dried up the
source that the FBTs information
came FROM
FBI Director j. Edgar Hoover
has referred before to this tactic
on his bureaus part.
II the bureau finds a good leak
In some foreign espionage organi-
zation, it isn't its policy to cork
that leak up. The leak having dis
closed the fact that such an or
ganization exists, the FBTs game
is to keep the leak leaking-not
to warn the organizations entire
personnel that it's under surveil-
lance, for the sake Of panning
some single individual.
Amateur Detectives
That's one reason why the FBI
doesn't like volunteer, unofficial, ir-
responsible detective work, inde-
pendently Of its own operations. 1t
considers that the unoffcials, how
ever well meaning. generally
haven't lick Of Judgment. II they
dig UP any good dope the FBI
wants 20 hear about II, but it
deprecates outright action by vigil
lante5 who don't know anything
about the detective business.
It's no secret thai German dip
lonats in the United States are
pretty closely watched.
Herr Hitler's embassy In Wash
ington is reasonably discreet, but
some Of his consuls are more or
less suspected Captain Fritz
Weidemann, consul general in San
Francisco. especially.
still, an embassy or a consulate
general isn't as much OF a worry
as an unofficial fixer is. for the
very reason that an embassy or a
consulate automatically is suspect
ed. The unofficial, unregistered
chap is the one the FBI has its
eye on.
Italians, for some reason or
other, aren't regarded so decidedly
askance.
It's funny. We used to speak Of
'em as our prime racketeers, our
hard customers generally. Now
they're scarcely mentioned, either,
by the FBI or the American pub
lie as a wartime consideration.