Evening star., 1951-03-26

that a national police force would
not only cause deterioration of
the highly effective investigative
and enforcement work now per-
formed by the FBI in those fields
which are basically Federal. but
that a national police force would
also endanger our cherished lib
critics."
Exchange of Data Favored.
1t was in this connection that
Mr.. McGrath recommended State
boards of inquiry into law en-
Iforcement problems.
Among such groups there might
be an interchange of information
with each other and the Federal
Government" he added.
| I'm this connection I would like
you to know that I am keeping
grand juries available in each
United States attorneys district
for the receiving of complaints on
violations of Federal laws. OF
course the Federal function is a
considerably narrow one where
commercial gambling offenses are
concerned"
Mr.. McGrath said the operations
of the modern mobsters in book
making. slot machines, numbers
games and other forms of COM
Imercialized gambling have been
costing the American public bill
lions of dollars and threaten to
make a mockery of respectable
local self f-government."
"As your committee has ipdi-
Gated" he continued, there is
good reason to believe that such
operations are tied in with prosti-
tuition and narcotics, and the more
violent forms of underworld,
criminal activities"
Up-to-Date History Revealed.
! Mr.. McGrath said the commit
tees findings had given Congress
IAN up-to-date verified history of
violations of law in the gambling
field" which should support the
enactment of an anti-gambiing
bill. Such measure has been
pending in Congress for a year.
while one banning the interstate
shipment of slot machines has
been passed and signed by Presi-
dent Truman.
Mr.. McGrath said the anti
gambling communications bill
which he favors would deny inter-
state communications facilities OF
Illegal purposes.
He added that he viewed with
a good deal of skepticism a sug-
gestion that the antitrust laws
should be used to deal with such
distributors of racing news as the
Continental Press Service.
"It is chargeds that Continental
discriminates between customers
as to prices and the ALLEGATION of
its racing news service" Mr.. Nc
Grath continued. But I would
scarcely think it is a proper or
expedient function of government
to attack these discriminatory
practices in order to increase the
opportunities for more book max
ers to obtain the gambling infor-
nation services of Continental,
Thereby increasing the opportuni-
ties for commercial gambling.
"If-as this committee has re-
Gently stated-Continental has
erected for itself a facade of legal
ity which is sham -. the force of
the Governments blow should be
aimed at extinguiShing the flow
of the service and not at adjust
ing its proprietors' alleged meth
ods of dealing with competing
gamblers.
Greater Cooperation Urged.
Mr.. McGrath agreed that law
enforcement is a local matter
that could and should be handled
at the local level. He said there
should be greater cooperation
among Federal law enforcement
agencies such as the FBI and the
Treasury's Bureau of Narcotics.
Il would not advocate, however,
a central investigative bureau"
Mr.. McGrath added.
Mr.. McGrath was yisibly an
gered at what he called miscon-
Iceptions and Misrepresentation by
some part of the press and ra-
dio some, he said, made over
the air within the last "a hours" !"
He invited the committee to take
a look at any case handled by the
Justice Department since 1941 and
added:
| II think you will find that there
lis no case which is not being
treated properly"
These references were appar-
emily made in reply to remarks
by Radio Commentator Drew
Pearson last night in which he
lcriticized the Justice Department
in connection with several cases,
one concerning Frank Costello.
However, Mr.. McGrath did not
mention the radio commentator by
name.
| Senator Kefauver said that an
open afternoon session would be
held to hear Judge Samuel Leibo-
witz of New York and others. A
night session has been scheduled
to take testimony from Abner
Iongie) Zwillman in connection
with Murder, Inc" the Brooklyn
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