Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-03-01

prevalent. IL
- - h as d e =
DIR. PICKERING creased %
per cent I'm the last five years,
with education credited with be-
ing largely responsible. I'm 1888,
there were $500 Americans VIC
timized by counterfeit money,
last year only $3.50.
But, while the criminals who
"shove the queer" (pass counter
feits) are being jailed or are
switching To safer rackefs, the
danger Of counterfeit money re-
mains. In war, the enemy might
try IL.
They most assuredIy would, I'm
fact, IL they could get away
with IL.
Napoleon used eountefieiting
as a trick of warfare. The Brit
jsh tried 10 wreck our currency
in the Revolutionary War by the
same method. and succeeded so
well that the phrase. mot worth
a continental" still survives.
The assignats, or paper notes
issued in the French Revolution,
were counterfelted so widely
that. in the end. all asslgnats.
good and bad. were TepudIated.
Confederate money was counter
feitnd in our Civil War. perhaps
with the connivance OF the
North. The ruse has been used
in every great conflict.
The present day il no eNcep-
ton. The Germans and Japanese
are doing IL, and the Italians
may be-. The exhibit admission
freel contains examples.
The Japs have been dropping
paper money from airplsnes be-
hind the Chinese lines. Printed
on the backs OF the bills are
messages telling the Chinese
that the hills can he used as
passports 10 take them through
the fighting lines II they want TO
desert and Joint the puppet Chi
ncse government. This doesn't
seem To have worked.
Plain counterfeits. injected
into Chinese trade channels,
probably have done some dam
age. although the exhibit I'M
cIudes one bill that didn't. The
Japs forced n Chinese engraVer
20 make printing plates Tor
them. He debut unobtrusively
worked In a Chinese symbol for
one OF the more vulgar colloquiai
obscenitIes. The Chinese recog-
nized the bills a. fakes and
laughed.
4 Occupation money Is some
Hthing else again That's the stuff
printed by invaders 10 buy me
products OF conquered land.
There arc samples this worth
less paper with which the Nalis
looted Europe and there are
some more samples Of money
that the JapS arc using IN me
Philippines.
II sends a sinister Shudder up
your spine To see one-pound ana
1O-ShiIling notes. with the Japa-
nese label on them, which were
printed for the same purpose IN
Australia, only the Japs didn't
get there.
Possibly they eve1 have hope
fully printed some for use In the
United States, although We have
not discovered any yet. But, ~
they could get a foothold on this
continent, they'd print II last
enough.
George +. BooS, the secret
service superintendent for Mich
igan and Ohio. nominally is IN
charge. but the man who shows
you around. or showed us around,
anyway. IS Agent kalpn W. ho-
buck. one of the agents who
helped guard Winston Churchill
and Lord Beaverbrook when
they were i'm this country.
He showed us counterfeit bills
and raised bills from Europe
American bills peddled In the
black markets, and sold TO refII-
gees who were coming here.
Likewise, there are counterfeit
bills that have been passed In
this country, along with charts
showing how TO detect fakes.
For an added flip. there are
some genuine bills. including the
! 100000 bill mentioned earlier.
y If you have any notions OF
trying 10 run off with II. remem-
Der that the secret service has
its agents guarding the exhibit.
Anyway bank would ask
where YOU got it-and where