Evening star., 1940-05-26
i. S. Clings to Civil Liberties
While Fighting Fifth Column
Public Slow to Share Concern of Officials Over
Organized Threats to Internal Security
and National Defense
By T. ". Sandifer.

In the midst of an exploding world
old-fashioned concern for the traditional
civil liberties of democracy today still
dominates the United States approach
to the inescapable problem of coping
with fifth columns" Trojan horses, or
other euphemistically- designated threats
to its internal security, neutrality and
national defenses.
With one border separating peaceful
American from neighbor subject to
an invasion, and another border, only
loosely guarded, between it and q country
only perfunctory in its friendship for
the United States, and with openly sub
versive groups actually within its bound
aries, this problem has assumed tangible
proportions.
Nevertheless, actions of the courts,
influential members of Congress, the
White House and even the operating
agencies themselves most concerned with
directly dealing with such situations,
have emphasized an intention to main
tain democratic principles to the last.
That this preoccupation with peaceful
concepts is not peculiar to the United
States alone, was brought home recently
when England, it was revealed, had only
then adopted laws Tightening the safe
guards against wartime sabotage, after
being in -and-death struggle COR
months. 1t was recalled ir this con-
nection that the United States had been
actively at war more than year, during
World War I, before Congress enacted
laws for effective passport control and
against war sabotage.
Public Fails to Be Stirred.
American courts to date have had
little occasion to pass on application Of
such laws to situations arising from the
present crisis. In the few instances
where they have done so, they have
manifested a conservative reluctance to
become excited over the charges made,
and the public has apparently accepted
this attitude without impatience.
When j. Edgar Hoover, director of
the F. B. l., which since September of
last year has been charged by the Presi-
dent with responsibility for investigation
of all sabotage, spy cases and similar
work, warned publicly that I'VE must
guard against hysterical action and
vigilante attitudes with the realization
that the combined attack by Federal
and State forces is sufficient y -"
his statement attracted little, if any
comment. The public, so far as indi-
cations went, took such an attitude Tor
granted.
His further warning that in such
times there is always the danger OF
over-zealous action by well-meaning
groups of individuals, which though
=, patriotic in aim, are un-American in
method" was likewise viewed as en-
tirely consistent with popular feeling,
and in no way an extraordinary pro-
nouncement.
The known facts however, prove that
Americas problem is full of ugly reality.
AS the new war has gained momentum,
not only activities connected with this
country's vital defense requirements,
but those incidental to the needs of
warning nations have tremendously
grown throughout the United States.
Complaints Increase.
In five years preceding 1888 the F. B. I.
was called on to investigate an annual
average of only IS complaints involving
national defense matters. This period
roughly parallels the troubled era in
Europe preceding actual hostilities.
Complaints of violations of our ma
tional defense laws, such as they are;
OF sabotage. and spy attempts, now pour
into Washington at the rate of 1853 per
day. Such is the impact of war on a
nation striving to remain at peace, 5000
miles from the actual conflict; only one
aspect of war, as it affects this Nation.
These complaints are funneled through
the F. B. L. in accordance with the
Presidents order of last September; an
action made necessary by the fact that
during the fiscal year of 1889 more than
1900 such charges were reported to
Washington from all over the country.
Unlike similar period rs years ago,
when this Government was endeavoring
to steer middle course for a nation
even further removed, under commune
cation facilities then in existence, from
European war, such hostile manifesto
tions come this time as a familiar ex-
perience
Not only the President, but at least a
few others in authority today still recall
the earlier and roughly comparable
period, when the then Attorney General
Thomas Watt Gregory drew the atten-
tion of Congress to the difficulties his
under-manned department was con-