Evening star., 1945-11-11
Uncle Sans New Super Spies
BY Robert Bruskin.

Intelligence officers have coined new
battle cry for the next war as COM
panion piece to Remember Pearl
Harbor." The next one will be Re
member Washington"
Twice within the lifetime of most
adults, they say, this country has had
time to prepare for war or recover from
It's first terrifying impact and twice the
industrial might Of this country swayed
the decision. That was In COM
paratively pedestrian era which is now
vanishing before the atomic energy
supersonic speed age.
They predict another war would start
with a dozen Pearl Harbors upon the
continental United States-and an es-
pecially intense attack against the seat
and brains OF its Government to disrupt
It's war-making potentialities.
We Must Look Far
To prepare for such eventualities.
they declare the Omitted States must
project Its eyes far beyond its shores.
We must give up adherence of spying
on potential enemies to discover their
capabilities ard intentions. To be fore
, warned is to be forearmed, and this is
more than E. trite way. they add. for
pleading the cause of an American
intelligence organization to operate
during peacetime.
President Truman, as the first step
in organizing such service, has dis
banded the ONCE of Strategic Service
whose agents preceded all American op-
erations abroad-eXcept in the theater
commanded by Gen. Macarthur who re-
fused their services.
Part of their activities were trans
ferred to the State Department and the
remainder to the War Department.
Currently, the Secretaries of State,
Navy and War Departments are re-
ported to be trying to decide which de-
partment will have what portion of the
extremely complicated and overlapping
activities of intelligence gathering. The
deadline for their decision is Deem
ber 81.
Not Gestapo
When this step is decided, the next
process will be obtaining funds from
Congress where the objection among
many members is that it would create
another Gestapo, an impression prob
ably growing out of a mistaken idea of
It's activities.
The German Secret State Police Gees
tapo) had duties more akin to that of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation
with fanatical trimmings aimed toward
preservation of the Naz party in power
They had counterintelligence func-
tion in apprehending enemies of the
Nazi state, including Allied agents, and
their success was notable. However
their powers could have been cut short
simply by elimination of their authority
to arrest any one. Congress could bar
intelligence agencies from arrestine
powers. But no request has been made
for this power.
The agency contemplated by Presi-
dent Truman would operate only out
side the Western Hemisphere. which by
executive order was made the bailiwick
OF the FBI in 1910.
1t is no particular secret that large
number Of enemy agents captured BY
the FBI in this country during the wa,
came as the result of information OBJ.
tanned by counterintelligence agents oi
the Army and Navy from abroad.
Library Atmosphere
Intelligence activities have been mex.
tricably identified with spies stealing
secret documents. Actually, most of the
work of the new intelligence agency
would be done in the atmosphere of q
library rather than that of international
social sets.
Intelligence is Observation-Disclosures
by newspaper reporters abroad Ever,
embassy clips newspapers which revea
matters of value to intelligence Interna
tional business organizations are poten
gatherers of such information-all in tn
course Of perfectly legal activities TIL,
Co1orod H;o1