Evening star., 1947-09-04
Fingerprints by the Million
What Happens and Why When Government Workers
Record Themselves for FBIs Files
By Vincent D,pyer

Between now and April /, 1948, more than
100000 Government employees will walk up
to an ink pad, push their fingers down on it
and then have the impression of each digit
recorded on a card
That is the simple first step in the Govern
ment's loyalty check of its workers.
The fingerprinting will be done by personnel
officers Of the various agencies all over the
world. The smaller agencies, those with 100 or
fewer employees, have to have the prints de-
livered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
by October 10. Larger agencies must send in
Is per cent each month"; with the first delivery
due September 49,
Fingerprinting Is painless, though sometimes
messy. But somewhere around 100000 of the
subjects will be nervous for no reason at all.
That is the estimate of personnel officers who
have been taking Federal workers fngerprints
for years. Some of the most nervous, officials
say, are those who have been printed many
times in the past Asked why he has the jitters,
a worried subject usually says he doesn't know,
he just doesn't like the idea.
Even before they start checking the prints,
officials are convinced sss per cent will reveal
nothing detrimental in the past or present of
the employe.
Sorting Them Out At FBI.
But what happens to the prints after they
are delivered by mail, truck or messenger to
the FBI?
FBIs identification division at Second and D
streets S.W There they are recorded, numbered
and sorted as to agencies.
ha riv,fc +bopd dali {o q riy,f
analyst who peers at them through magnify
ing glass, notes the shape of the lines left by
the ink and makes both a primary and sec
ondary classification.
Contrary to a widespread popular opinion,
none of the classification OF prints is done by
machine. The huge task of classifying the
100000 sets of fngerprints Of Government
workers will be done by the 1sO classifiers en-
ployed by the Identification bureau of the FBI
The FBI said the size of the staff would not
be increased because funds are lacking to en-
ploy additional workers. In spite of the extra
work burden, however, FBI identification Of
f1cials expect to have the prints classified rea-
sonably soon after the last of them is sub
mitted.
The primary classification breaks the print
down into one of eight patterns, depending on
the course the lines OF the finger follow from
the delta to the core.
The delta Is toward the bottom of the first
Joint Of the finger and is the place where
the lines start toward the top of the finger.
The core Is near the central part of the first
joint and is the place around which the lines
revolve.
The eight primary classifcations are called
arch, tented arch, radial loop, ulnar loop. plain
whorl, double loop central pocket loop and
accidenta-which last means any print that
doesn't fit the other seven patterns.
The secondary classification is the result
of counting the number of lines, or ridges,
between the delta and the core on each finger
and noting other characteristics of the print.
Checking Against Previous File.
In making the primary classification it is
a case of majority rule. That is, where all
fingers do not follow one pattern the classifica-
ton is made according to the pattern in which
most Of the fingers fall.
Once the prints are classified they are sent
to a card index room where the name on the
f1ngerprint card Is checked against the names
the bureau has on file.
Allowance is made here for the more or less