Evening star., 1950-06-28
Narcotic Chief Urqes
One Rogues' Gallery,
Safety for Witnesses
By Miriom Ottenbero

BY MIriom Gutenberg
The Treasury's narcotic chief
today called for more help in
protecting Government witnesses
from murder and the establish
ment of a central rogues' gallery
of major racketeers to spotlight
their widespread operations.
Commissioner Harry J. Ans
linger, of the Bureau of Narcotics.
made these recommendations as
the Senate Crime Investigating
Committee heard a parade of
Treasury Spokesmen appeal for
more manpower to cope with post
war crime problems.
4 From the Treasury witnesses,
and statemnets prepared for de-
livery later in the day. the Sem
ate crime hunters got a picture
of graduates of the prohibition
era who now hide behind dummy
corpora tionS to engage in a va
riety of criminal enterprises.
Anslinger Testifies.
Mr.. Anslinger told the commit
tee that organizations of inter-
state racketeers are the under
ground railway over which pass
crime of all sorts in this country. :"
In proposing that Federal law
enforcement agencies should be
provided with the means of pro-
tecting Government witnesses and
informers, Mr.. Anslinger cited
three cases in which principal
Government witnesses in mar
cotics cases were slain.
Mr.. Anslinger gave this expla-
nation of why he favors a CEN
tralized agency to maintain a
gallery of major interstate
racketeers' and Systematically
collect and distribute information
about them:
Often the operations of mod
ern, big-time racketeers are so
diverse and so extensive geo.
graphically that few individual
local officers can comprehend
their magnitude or realize the
significance of the small segment
which is within their KEN"
SchOeneman Statement.
Another angle of the enforce
ment problem was presented in a
statement by George j. Schoene-
man, Commissioner of Internal
Revenue. The statement, read by
Assistant Commissioner Daniel
Bolich. declared that unlike the
gangsters of the '30s. many mod
ern big-time racketeers take de
llberate and carefully contrived
steps to ward off possible income
tax prosecution.
The tax official said that meth
| cd of doing business raised a
question as to how much law en-
forcement officers concerned with
general crime suppression now
can rely on Federal tax statutes
for effective policing of modern
racketeers.
Although present day rack
eteers have changed their meth
tods, another~@T Treasury agent,
Dwight E. Avis. assistant deputy
commissioner of the Alcohol Tax
tUnit. made the point that they
are largely a product of the pro-
shibition era. i =. u.
r. f With few exceptions. Mr.. Avis
added. these public enemies are
now engaged in more lucrative
and perhaps less hazardous
racketS. ,..azs.@ ~
. Counterfeiting Increases. p
More about one OF these rackets
was outlined by U. E. Baughman.
chief of the Secret Service, who
told the committee that counter
Efeiting Of United States currency
is increasing daily. Mr.. Baugh-
man added that currency coun-
terfeiters frequently are impli-
Gated in the narcotics traffic, the
production and distribution of
bogus lottery and sweepstakes
tickets, and the counterfeiting of
Internal Revenue stamps.
Undersecretary of the Treasury
E. H. Foley. jr.. gave these rea-
sons why more man power is
needed to cope with the Treas
ury'S criminal enforcement prob
lens:
More people are expected to pay
Federal taxes, counterfeiting has
fallen into more resourceful hands,
forgery has multiplied with the
increased volume of Federal
checks. sugar and other materials
not available during the war now
are available once again to traf-
1ckers in illicit whisky and organ
lied crime has the advantages of
quick communication and trans
portation and the MANAGEMENT
genius of the lawless."
Law Change Asked.
Mr.. Avis, whose unit also is
responsible for enforcing the Ma
tional Firearms Act. proposed
legislation to correct one defect
in that law.
He explained that criminals are
purchasing shotguns and saving
OH the barrels. Under the present
law. he explained, failure to
register a shotgun sawed off to
less than 18 inches in length after
it is acquired does not constitute
an offense if the shotgun is not
then transferred.