The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-04-17

not one of MT. Justice Frankfurter'' fair-haired boys - at it's head. Witt REC. NRA and SEC experience, Mir Smith comes to Washington quail fled to take on DJSDU.
 This special unit is now in the process of expansion, owing to the increasing complexity of the de- fense setup. but ever since the Neutrality Act of 1889, the unit has had its fingers in some of the deep-dish international hash pies that have been cooking, including the legal aspects Of recent shir seizures, destruction of foreign propaganda mail, alien registra. ton and so on, right back to the drafting of the selective service regulations.
 ANOTHER
 HARVARD LAWYER
 Biggest job ahead of the unit now is organization of a staff to ad- minister the Voorhis act, g. task given to Richmond Keith Kane who is a Harvard lawyer. They al- ways get one in some place, and this one will have staff of more than 100 lawyers. research men language specialists and assorted experts.
 You may not have heard much about this Voorhis act, but Il you've forgotten, it's by-product of the Dies committee investiga- tons, and while 1t has pretty technical definition, 1t says in ef- feet that every organization "sub. ject to foreign control" engaging In political, military or civilian ac- tlvity. must register with the gov- ernment.
 Shooting the works in legal lingo. 1t wants to know all about every organization, the purpose or aim of which is the es- tablishment, control, conduct, seiz- ure or overthrow of a government or subdivision thereof by the use of force. violence, military meas ures, or threats of any one or moro of the foregoing.
 Translating that and mention ing names, 1t would like to have the Communist party and the Ger. man American Bund, If they're subject to foreign control, step ur and say so. It would not include an organization working for tho overthrow of the German govern. ment in Czechoslovakia, for the United States still recognizes the government of President Benes.
 Anyway, the law went into ef- feet January IS, 194l, and all the "subversive" -- to use the nastiest name @ congressman can call you today organizations had 30 days in which to register or else be fined $l0,00O and spend Ave years in the jail house.
 Came February IA. Nobody had registered. HOT AFTER
 FOREIGN GROUPS
 So now, as soon as this Special Defense Unit can get the money, ii will go after these organizations ailo bring them to book. To do this, its staff will study the 1700 foreign language newspapers, 200 foreign tongue radio stations, 200 foreign movie theaters, and practically everyone who reads, hears or sees | them.
 This is the first effort to bring into the open fifth column activi. ties. and by so doing demoraliA their attack on the American so. cial structure. Whether or not thil organized subversion can be legis' lated out of existence is the ques. ton the unit will try to find out
 The Special Defense Unit ism to be another police force, or divi' sion of censorship, and 1t isn't tt be a prosecution section, either Rather, 1t will work between tht two existing Department Of Jus tice sections directly charged witt those jobs -- the Federal Bureau O Investigation and the criminal ant claims divisions.
 Many defense laws over which the Special Defense Unit watches have been on the books since thu last war, but in tn years O peace there have been only a few cases to be handled. In 1g40, how ever, there were narly 1000 ant the number this year will 90 way beyond. Naturally, charting th' old ship of state through all th' legal rocks is hazardous piloting and think of the red tape seaweee to tangle the propeller.
 In general, all cases of espion' age, sabotage, sedition and kin. dred subjects dug up by the FB. will pass through the Special De fense Unit for review and study Eighty per cent of the cases vii go automatically to the crimina division for prosecution. The other 20 per cent--involving som' question of policy in defense handling, or the cooperation O some other department of the gov. ernment, or some new Legislation | to button up @ loophole will bl