The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-01-10
Director Hoover Asks Ems ergenCy Funds for PrO-
 tectiOn Against Spies
SPECIAL UNIT SET UP
 TO COMBAT SABOTAGE
Individuals, Groups Dans gerOus to LISA. on File;
 Plants to Be Protected
BY ALLEN c. DIBBLE United Press Staff COrrespOndenty

0L ALLEN Vs OA0DAE
 United Press Staff CorrespOndentN
 Washington, January 1O-- = (UP) - Plans for an army air corps bomber were stolen from a west coast aircraft plant but were quickly re- covered by the Federal Blu. reau of Investigation, it was revealed today. The revela- tion was made by FBI Direc. tor J. Edgar Hoover in testi- mony before a House. appropriations subcommittee in support of a spe- cial l,475,0 900 fund for emergency protection against spies and sabo- teurs. The committee published the testimony today
 Hoover presented only few des tails of the incident and did not specify from which aircraft factory the plans had been stolen. Nor did he say when the theft occurred.
 Plans Stolen
 Tn one of the great airplane facs tories on the west coast, @ very inns portant plant" he said, "plans for one of the army bombers were stolen. We were successful in locating the man who stole them and in having the plans returned"
 Hoover said that theft of the plans disclosed that the aircraft plant lacked proper means to pro- tect valuable military secrets. The FBI, he said, had installed a sys- tenn which should prevent loss of any plans or other secret data in the future.
 Special Unit Set Up
 Hoover disclosed that the FBI has set Up 6 special unit, known as the general intelligence division, to gti- pervise aflti-espionage and sabotage activities. This division, he reported is compiling c master file of indtvics uals, groups and organizations erl- gagged in sabotage, espionage. or in any activity possibly detrimental to internal security.
 He said the index had been estab- lished on both an alphabetical and geographical basis, so that if the United States should "enter into the conflict abroad we would be able to go into any of these communities and identify individuals or groups who might be Q source of grave dail- ger to the security of this country"
 Known to Bureau
 "Their backgrounds and activities are known to the bureau" he said. "TheSe indexes will be extremely important and valuable in grave emergency"
 He said c translation section had been set Up to review various for. eign-language material received and secured by the bureau. Another section has been established to de- code "any messages which we are able to intercept or obtain"
 Hoover said plans had been made to protect 460 plants, placed on Q priority list by the Army and Navy departments, from foreign espion. age agents or saboteurs, and that i22, ,000 additional plants would come under the program in event of war.
 Tt is not the intention of the government to police any of these plants" he said, "but ultimately the FB1 will make inspections of the plants to determine whether suffi- cient protection Is provided.
 T have been very much surprised at the absolute lack of protective in many of our larger il- plants. Some of the great plants in the country have utilized no measures against sabotage or do. struction of property"