The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1940-09-26
Surprising Disclosures As To
ThreotFromFifth Work

Column agents here and was very |
busy for weeks travelling and meet |
ing men and laying plans. Here is
some of the information unearthed |
by II. S. secret service. The article |
continues:
Routine sabotage was to be
speeded up in all phases of national
defense. II the United States went
to war, assault troops were to at
tempt to seize armories before the
National Guard could be mobolized.
At the same time, other armed
groups would try to take over COM
munications and power plants, water
works and other strategic points in
certain cities. If the armed upris-
ings failed to start the hopedfor
revolution, then Wholesale sabotage
was to be directed against docks,
railroads, munitions plants, key in
dustries and vital bridges and tun-
nels. Power plants were to be
blown up or set on fire, water works
sabotaged and reservoirs polluted
A simultaneous attempt would be
made in Panama, Albert had hint
| ed, to destroy the Gatun locks"
Hundreds of F. B. /. agents are
/ working on the Fifth Column dam
ger. They have many ways of OBJ
tanning information. In one of our
largest cities lawyer became sus-
| picious of the activities of Ger
tain men. Their activities seemed
to center around club BY plant
ing the idea that the lawyer was
dissatisfied with conditions in Amer
lea, he won the confidence of one of
the suspected men and learned that
he was a member of social club"
organized to spread totalitarian
propaganda. The article continues.
The attorney joined the club;
later brought in two other dis
satisfied lawyers as members. When
they had enough evidence they
called in the F. B. l. Plans for par
alyzing Washington's power and
communications were found, with
details for armed units assigned
to take over the National Guard
armory, telephone exchanges, radio
stations and other control points.
From this lead, agents unearthed
several similar clubs scattered
around the capital with swastikas
on the walls, stacks of Nazi propa-
ganda, lists of foreign-bOrn pros
poets. No arrests were made, as
the clubs were not violating the
strict letter of the law, despite their
subversiye intent.
Mai clubs of this type have been
found in scores OF cities, from coast
to coast. Each club is a cell or as
sault-troop unit in the Fifth Col
umn network-carefully contrived
to stay within the law
i Another method by which these
foreign agents do their work is
sometimes through an innocent ap-
pearing organization, with high
sounding name Americans are
! warned not to join any such organ
ization unless they know beyond
question the forces that control it.
1t has been found that number
of these organizations have been
. formed here. A small group is or
ganized as nucleus with secre-
tary, always Communist. Then
. some prominent person Is tricked In
to accepting the presidency. Vari-
Gus persons are -tricked into join
, ing, but the active officials and
committees are always Communists
To understand the seriousness o1
, these Communist connections, one
should realize that the Communists
party Of the United States is ar
avowed member OF the Comintern al
J Moscow, of which Joseph Stain i:
the actual head. Members Of Com.
! munist party cells must accept
! Comintern orders. 1t has been es.
tablished irrefutably by the Die.
Committee that the Soviet govern
ment interlocks with the American
Communist party through the Sovie
embassy.
| All OF this would be very fright
! ening were it not for the fact tina
! our secret service is very active anc
well informed as to what is goinf
on. Careful plans have been made
to meet any emergency. Whenever
it is possible to do so, these for
eign agents are either being ar
rested and imprisoned or deported
The article quoted says that in al
emergency, Fifth Column leader
would be swiftly arrested, thousand
n of agents rigidly restricted. Ths
! present lack Of arrests is due tt
three causes: shortage of Fedora
| agents; the practice of watching
| known spies and learning their con
facts, and the relative mildness o
| Americas peace-time system.
II ITO prevent the blackout of tru,
| free speech and at the same tim,
pull the fangs Of the Fifth Column
is difficult problem within the linn
its of a democracy. 1t can be done
counterespionage chiefs assert bu
| they add solemn warning: Unles
| America wakes up and fights TO
| its freedom, surprising the passion
| ate devotion of the Nazi, Fascist ant
II Communist agents in their wa
j against that liberty, the Fifth Col
umn may win The average Amer
II lean is loyal, but he carelessly &C
1 lcepts his freedom-the most pre-
cious thing left on this earth"
II These excerpts from the articl
| give only faint idea Of all til
| varied activities of foreign agent.
| AT one time the F. b. l. found tina
a private wire used by Presiden
Roosevelt had been tapped by FIT
YTaI