Evening star., 1941-01-03
Jackson Again Asks
Congress 10 Lega|ize
Limited Wire-1apping
Thurman Arnold Urges
Enforcing of Monopoly
Law to Hold Prices Down

Law to Hold Prices Down
Emphasizing that this Govern
ment must employ every weapon at
its command to combat spies and
saboteurs, Attorney General jack
son again called on Congress today
TO legalize wire-tapping for use Ito
a limited degree
The recommendation was incor-
porated in the annual report of the
Attorney General, who made clear
at the same time that the Justice
Department is enforcing defense
laws with due regard to preServa-
ton of civil liberties.
A section of the report on in
creased activities OF the Federal
Bureau of Investigation under the
Presidents order correlating investl-
gative work dealing with espionage
and related problems, said that a
total of 1885 defense matters had
been submitted 10 the bureau in the
fiscal year ended June 80 which re-
quired investigative activity.
In the same general connection,
Thurman Arnold, Assistant Attor-
ney General in charge of antitrust
law enforcement. warned that prep
aration for national defense in
evitably. opens the door for even
greater concentration Of industrial
wealth and power and booming
prices" and that these tendencies
can be checked only if monopoly
laws are enforced vigorously.
Experts have estimated. Mr.. Ar
mold said. that the building indus
try investigation had saved con-
sumers around S3OO.OO0.0O0 in build
ing costs and that in Pittsburgh
the direct saving on a single con-
tract was equal to IS per cent OF
the divisions ST 1,325 900 appropria-
ton for the year.
In Interests of Society"
Overlapping presents prob
lem of proper balance and nice ad-
lustment as between the rights OF
individuals on the one hand and
the needs and interests of society on
the other" Attorney General Jack
controlled Wire-tapping, even on the
part of announcement officers,
would be intolerable. 1t would con-
Stitute an unWarranted intrusion
into the right of privacy and would
be subject to serious abuses. On the
other hand, to prohibit laW-entorce-
ment officers from lnterceptlng
VI tho
CumstanCeS may be, is to guarantee
the safe use of the channels of wire
and wireless communications to
spies and criminals. One would not
think of providing that a police off,
Ger shall not stop suspect who is
driving an automobile on the high
way, and yet today. the criminal
and spy may use the highways of
communication without restraint or
even surveillance.
Experience has shown that mon
itoring Of telephone CommunlCa-
tions is essential in connection with
Investigations of foreign spy rings.
It is equally necessary for the pur-
pose of solving such crimes as kid
naping and eXtortion'
Mr.. Jackson pointed out that leg
islation to meet this situation had
been considered in the Seventy-ffth
and Seventy-siXth Congresses, and
he said it should be pressed TO en-
actment. He also urged national
firearm registration law.
Court Needs Discussed.
The Attorney General also dis
cussed prospective court needs in
relation to the defense program, eX-
pressing the opinion that the emer-
gency legislation would bring "addi-
tional criminal and civil business
in an appreciable amount and that
additional judges would be neces-
sary in some circuits. In connection
with the condition of dockets gen.
orally throughout the country, the
report noted that the new admin
istrative office of United States
courts had praised the progress
made in District Court here in
clearing the congested calendar by
"intelligent and skillful use" of pre-
trial procedure.
BY June 80, Director j. Edgar
Hoover said, the F. B. l. had COM
pleted its defense surveys in 270
plants on priority list of more
than 300 supplied by the Army and
: Navy, and said that eventually it
expected to survey some 10000
establishments.
: Noting that the preventive work
was of paramount importance,
Mr.. Hoover asserted that there
has been a negligible amount of
sabotage during the present World
, War in contrast to a similar period
. In the first World War.
Course of Prosecutions.
, o. John Rogge, Assistant Attor-
( ney General. said that in cases in
. volving sabotage, espionage and the
like it had been the policy to prose-
cute individuals only where the
, general investigative pattern of
the entire situation will not be pre-
! judicially affected" For that rea-
, son, he said, the effectiveness of
the work could not be measured
, by the number Of prosecutions.
Court reforms advocated by the
, Attorney General include adoption
: of an indeterminate sentence sys-
tenn for criminal cases, such as is
! used in the District, and creation
of public defenders.
Attorney General Jackson said
that 40 political-activity investiga-
tons had been started under the
Hatch Act and prosecution recon-
mended in II of the 16 completed.
The report also showed that the
. Government had won more than 80
] per cent of the cases in which So
licitor General Francis M. Biddle