Evening star., 1941-10-29
Sabotage Of Planes
AT Baltimore Plant
Admitted by Worker
Quoted as Telling F. B. !.
He Damaged Ships to
Bor Use Against Reich
BY the Associated Press.

=
BALTIMORE, Oct. 29-E. A.
Soucy, special agent in charge of the
Baltimore bureau of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation. announced
today the arrest of Michael William
EtZel, %, for what he sald was ad-
mitted sabotage against airplanes at
the Glenn L. Martin plant, where he
had been employed since August,
1899.
Mr.. Soucy said Etzel made state
ment to F. B. I. and company Off
cials, saying:
81 feel that German people are all
right and that everything is the
fault of the German government,
not the people themselves, and I did
not want these planes we were
making at the Martin plant to be
used against the German people, so
I damaged the ships"
Mr.. Soucy said EtZel was arrested
yesterday and would be arraigned
later today before United States
Commissioner James K. Cullen.
United States Attorney Bernard J..
Flynn authorized the fling of a
complaint charging Etzel with vio-
lahng the sabotage statute.
First Case in Area.
Mr.. Soucy, declaring Etzel's was
the first such case in this vital
defense area, said his implication
was the outgrowth of cheek being
made to determine the identity of
the individual responsible for a
cardboard bearing blue and red
penciled lettering and located in one
of the B-26 bombers, signed He'll
Hitler"
The F.. B. I. agent added "The
investigation leading to his arrest
was the report of a series of wire
cuttings starting early in July, 194l,
Of vital electrical circuits and more
recently the cutting of battery drain
off tubes, in the latter instance the
tubes subsequently being placed in
the gas tanks through the aperture
where the liquidometer is ultimately
attached.
Fortunately, each Of these ma
licious acts was detected by rigid
inspection system and constant in
vestigative activity. Each of these
acts was carefully concealed to
avoid immediate detection, and their
sporadic occurrence entailed con-
tinuous and unrelenting coverage.
THE acts were carefully timed to
cast suspicion on hundreds of en-
plOyeS, adding to the inVeStigatiVe
difficulties"
Admits German Descent.
Mr.. Soucy said that in Etzels
statement the worker admitted he
had relatives living in Germany and
was of German descent although
claiming to have been born in Bal
timore. Further, Mr.. Soucy said,
Etzel claimed he was prompted tY
workmen kidding" him and sug-
gesting that since he was German
he ought to be lover there fighting
with them"
Etzel denied association with any
others, maintaining that he COM
mitted the acts for his own purposes,
Mr.. Soucy said.
The agent said Etzels identifica-
ton from the Hell Hitler" sign was
narrowed by elimination and meth
odical check of hundreds of en-
ployes and by the determination that
Etzel previously had done sign
painting.
For some time he was helper
in the company paint shop. About
two months ago, he was promoted
to leader in charge of a gang, at
which he was working when taken
into custody.
Investigation into the case was
made by E. A. Schurman, chief of the
Martin plant protection force; spe-
cial agents of the F. B. I. and rep
resentatives of the military inspec-
ton unit stationed at the plant.
If convicted Etzel faces possible
sentence of 10 years imprisonment
and up to $4,000 fine for each act
of sabotage committed.