Evening star., 1940-04-28
Sentiment Growing Stronger
Against Foreign Propaganda
Forty Per Cent of Registered Agents Represent
Allies, While Smaller but Impressive
Number Serves Axis Nation
By Cedric Larson.

During the World War OF 1914-1918,
America was the happy hunting ground
Of rival armies of spies, agents provoca-
teurs, saboteurs and propagandists of
every conceivable and inconceivable type.
The outcome was that after a great
deal Of vacillation, we finally plunged
into that epochal struggle to save the
world for democracy" as the rallying cry
put it, and ultimately emerged with no
tangible results except a staggering bill Of
what economists conservatively estimate
at one hundred billions Of dollars.
Today the Americans are probably the
most propaganda-cons people on
earth. We are strongly allergic to it,
over-skeptical about it, and shy away
sharply from anything which emits even
family the fragrance of propaganda. Even
the terse and colorless modern war COM
munique, which is the soul of ambiguity.
Is eyed with suspicion and often rival
communiques are carried below such
headlines as "Pay Your Money, Take
Your Choice" and the like.
Nowhere are these tendencies more
strikingly revealed than in the actions Of
Congress itself. That body in 1888 put
forth various efforts to throw an anti
propaganda Gordon sanitaire about the
United States and expose the activities
Of all of the American agents of foreign
principals, who are concentrated chiefly,
as. the State Department files show, in
New York City.
In the same year there was begun the
investigation Of un-American activities in
the United States, under committee of
the House headed by Representative Mar
tin Dies, which has recorded more than
5000 pages Of testimony thus far. There
was Tightening up and rigid enforce
ment Of the neutrality laws.
Registration Required.
And by the terms of the act approved
June 8, 1888, certain persons employed
by agencies to disseminate propaganda in
the United States and for other purposes
were required to register with the De-
partment of State.
Until the early part Of April, 1910, some
418 registrations had been made under the
terms of this act. Since the 1888 act was
intended to be a sort of dragnet in the
American propaganda pond to enmesh all
agents of foreign principals of whatso-
ever sort, critical examination of the
operation of the law over a period of
20 months should furnish an interesting
clue as to its fundamental effectiveness
On September 6, 1888. regulations were
issued for registration with the Secretary
Of State of persons in America engaged
in propaganda or other activities for po-
litical and commercial purposes on behalf
of foreign principal.
A foreign principal. as defined by the
amended august, 1939) act, includes "the
government of foreign country, q DO.
ltical party of foreign country, person
domiciled abroad, any foreign business
partnership association corporation, OF
political organization. or domestic or.
ganization subsidized directly or indi.
rectly in whole or in part by any of the
entities described"
Willful failure to comply with the
terms of the act, or making a false
statement Of material fact, or omitting
any material fact required by the act
upon due conviction, brings maximum
penalties of $1,000 and two years i'm
prisonment (either or both penalties).
All registration statements filed in
pursuance of this act, were, by the terms
of the act, available for public inspection
in the Department of State The task
of registration was assigned to what
was called in 1888 the Office of Arms
and Munitions Control but is now
simply known as the Division of Con-
trols under Joseph c. Green, chief, and
Charles w. Yost, assistant chief.
Total Increases.
BY the end of December, 1898, there
were only 272 registrations. One calen-
dar year later, on December 81, 1899
this number had increased to 1856, and
by early April, 1910, the total had swelled
to 418.
A careful analysis of the registrations
reveals the remarkable fact that about
one hundred, or roughly one-fourth, OF
all registrants represent principals in the
ASA AVAoAA A-AAAAPAC NCASAuSAiS 4LlOld dllO
Egypt in whole or in part. This figure
is a conservative one, and probably
twenty further registrations (who did
not reveal their clients nationality
could be added to the list.
At the head of the British contingent
comes the British Library of Information
of New York City, with its top men
drawing 5000 and $4,000 per year. They
have sumptuous suite of Offices at SO
Rockefeller Plaza and more than 10000
British documents and books on file
This library of information was estab-
lshed IN 1920 and is well known through
out the Nation. It has close and con-
slant relationship with host of Amer