Evening star., 1942-07-05

ESCluOlnR Une elgflJ NdI SdDOteuIS
arrested by the FBI who will be tried
by a military commission here this
week the Justice Department has
successfully prosecuted six separate
cases of espionage and has obtained
convictions with prison terms for 48
men and women.
There have been no aggravated
cases of sabotage of war materials
or premises during the siX-month
period, and of the 10 convictions on
this charge the majority stemmed
from acts Of spite and malicious mis-
chief" the report said.
In addition to issuing identifica-
ton certificates to approximately
100000 aliens of enemy nationali-
ties, the Justice Department has
placed 1858 alien enemies under
restraint, either by internment for
the duration of the war or on strict
parole, and has instituted denatu-
ralization proceedings against IS
naturalized citizens.
Preventive Benefits Cited. =.
During the slx-month period, the
FBI apprehended 9,405 alien enc
mics suspected of disloyalty. Of
these 4,764 were japanese, 1920 were
Germans and 1871 were Italians.
These are measures which can
be reflected statistically," Mr.. Bid
die said. In addition. however, it
is worth pointing out that as a re-
suit of certain preventive work by
FBI and other branches of the de-
partment much hostile activity
which might normally be expected
in time of war has failed to mate
rialize.
For example, there has not been
perpetrated to date any single large
scale act of sabotage. No serious
depreda ations by organized fifth COL
umnists have occurred. And. there
has been a drastic falling off in the
activities of those publications and
organizations which hover on the
fringe of sedition and disloyalty.
mo false sense of security should
be derived from these facts. The
threat to our internal security deep
ems every day that the war con-
tinues as evidenced by the recent
desperate attempt of the Nazis to
land saboteurs along our coasts. But
it is reassuring to know that the
defenses which we have erected
against these threats have, so far at
least, proved effective"
Sedition Trials Pending.
OF the eight persons indicted by
grand juries on charges of sedition,
two have been convicted, one &C
Quilted, and the others are awaiting
trial. The two convicted were George
w. Christians of Chattanooga, Tenn.
organizer of the Crusader White
Shirts, and Christian Loeff1er, a
naturalized German living in De-
| troit, who was sentenced to six
years imprisonment last month on
charges of discouraging enlistments
in the Army
Among those under indictment on
sedition charges are William Dudley
Pelley, organizer of the Silver
Shirts and publisher of The
Galilean; Robert Noble and Ellis
o. Jones of Los Angeles and Elmer
j. and Jack F. Garner of Wichita,
Kans.
Special grand juries are now sit
| ting in the District, Chicago and
Los Angeles investigating charges
| Of sedition, espionage and similar
hostile activities. Their report, the
! department said, may result in addi-
tional indictments.
Foreign Firms Watched.
The fight on financial and COM
| mercial subversive activities was
revealed in connection with q con-
ference here of economic experts of
the 81 American republics to
discuss similar action throughout
the Western Hemisphere.
To date, the United States cam
paign has brought:
/. Forced sale of assets of 507
foreign-own or controlled busi-
nesses through withholding licenses
required for operation under var
lous freezing" orders.
2. Outright seizure under alien
property laws of around 1000 pat
entS and the capital stock of several
score large companies held by for
eigners.
3. Placing Government repre-
sentatives in the businesses, who
after close observation, recon-
mended a course of action to elm
mate Axis influence. These repre-
sentatives decided. in the several
instances, on seizure Of the capital
stock or other interest of undesir-
able individuals Or concerns or
liquidation of the enterprise or dis
charge of certain officers or en-
ployes.
a. Achieving the same goals
through withholding licenses for
operation under freezing" orders
or by voluntary action of enterprises
in re-organizing and changing trade
practices.
The freezing" orders started in
1910 with the German sweep
through the Low Countries and the
fall of France.
A companion weapon of economic
warfare is the blacklist" Of Axis
owned or controlled firms and in
dividuals in Latin America which
was started year ago and now has
been extended to European and
Asiatic neutral countries.
United States citizens are forbid
den to trade with these firms and
individuals without special license
thereby preventing the enemy from
maintaining or gaining markets in
the other republics or realizing q
profit on trade In United States
/ made goods.