Evening star., 1941-07-30
u. ). Reveals Seizure
Of 19 japanese
Fishing Boats
Espionage Is Alleged
In Toking Over Ships
Four Months Ago
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
The seizure of 10 japanese fishing
boats in Hawaiian waters this spring
was disclosed today by the Treasury
Department.
Although the vessels were seized
by customs agents on charges of
false registry, several authoritative
officials here alleged that the ships
had been employed in espionage
work.
Customs officers reported that, at
the time Of the seizures, no sus-
picious equipment was found on the
craft. Other informed sources, how
ever, asserted that during the period
the ships were under investigation
it was established that they had car
ried expensive radio and photo
graphic equipment, together with
navigation charts of type uncon-
nected with fishermen's work.
These sources further alleged that
most of the ships involved had at
least one member of the Japanese
naval reserve In lCS crew.
Unrelated to New Crisis.
The seizures took place between
February % and March 3, and were
apparently unrelated to any of the
recent developments in relations be-
tween the United States and Japan.
Six of the seized vessels already
have been declared forfeited to the
United States Government. Seventy
one japanese fishermen and three
Honolulu fishing companies were
indicted on the false registry
charges.
Vague reports of japanese naval
officers posing as fishermen have
been recurrent along the Pacific
Coast for many years, and 1t was
learned that the seizures this spring
eliminated several years of work by
agents investigating such reports.
The investigation was under d.
rection of William Jennings Bryan,
jr., son of the Democratic political
leader of bygone years. Mr.. Bryan
is now collector of customs at Los
Angeles
Report Barge Seizures.
The disclosure of the seizures was
made in the annual report by Elmer
L. Trey, co-ordinator OF Treasury
law enforcement activities.
He explained that a 1893 law
prohibits any one but an American
from owning an American flag ship.
Investigation, he said. showed that
the real owners of the boats were
Japanese citizens.
The indictments charged con-
spiracy to violate United States
navigation laws by the use of false
bills of sale and false managing
owners oaths in registering the
vessels, Mr.. Irey's report stated.
Writing before the recent Amer
lean economic action against Japan,
Mr.. Trey said, In view of world con-
ditions this is regarded as the most
momentous case developed by any Of
the enforcement agencies of the
Treasury during the fiscal year"
Mr.. Trey also reported improve
ment in the enforcement OF snug
Cling, narcotics and counterfeiting
laws.
Treasury Issues Statement.
A Treasury Department state
ment said:
The japanese fishing boats oper-
ating out of Honolulu. and the three
fishing companies which buy and
sell their catch, handle their
finances and do their buying, have
long been under suspicion by the
United States Government agencies.
Acting for the Department of Com
merce. the Customs Agency Serv-
ice. which does all of its investiga-
tory work, the intelligence unit Of
the Bureau of Internal Revenue. and
the Coast Guard. supporting both
agencies with its service when need
ed, worked for many months on this
case.
Many of the japanese involved
in this conspiracy had American
born japanese wives and American
born japanese children and other
relatives. Placing the registry OF
their boats under the names of such
relatives, they thus sought to evade
the United States navigation laws.
In some instances these japanese
lived in Japan, in others they made
regular trips to Japan, ostensibly to
get medical treatment or to take the
baths.
Some of the 10 fishing boats were
covered by mortgages which had
been financed through the fishing
companies under indictment. mort
cages said to be too heavy for the
individual japanese owners to carry.
The financing of these boats was one
of the suspicious threads in the
conspiracy"
The indicted companies were the
Pacific Fishing Co., Ltd; Honolulu
Fishing Co.. Ltd, and Hawaii
Suisan-Kaicho, Ltd.