Evening star., 1951-02-28
II, 900 Federal Investigators
Check on Almost Every One


the services. coming up to your
door in a single day to make per
sonnel checks" on job hopefuls.
1t would not be outside the
realm of probability for "a chain
rgstore manager to have five
callers in the space Of an after
noon. They might be:
/. An investigator for the Wage
Hour Administration, checking
payroll records and having CON
fidential talks" with employees.
Q. An agent of the Food and
Drug Administration, seeking in
formation on a certain type of
cosmetic.
3. A representative of the In
ternal Revenue. asking documen-
tary support of certain claims on
an income-tax form.
4. An agent Of the Narcotics
Bureau, wishing a look at the
druggists narcotics register.
/ 5. A sleuth from the Alcohol
Tax Unit. bent on similar business
regarding the druggists stock of
alcohol.
The 1000 Wage-Hour admins
tration investigators are among
the most ubiquitous of Federal
sleuths. They claim Supreme
Court authority to go into any
business house where interstate
commerce is conducted, and to
search records and question
workers. Occasionally they en-
counter what Wage-Hour spokes-
man calls "obdurate employers, "
and have recourse to the courts to
get what they want.
Powerful CAB.
Businessmen engaged in the air.
craft industry are less obdurate,
according to the Civil Aeronautics
Board. This agency wields ire
mendous power over both airlines
and manufacturers-power extend
ing to the ability to ground whole
fleets of planes or withdraw certi-
ficates from operators. CAB Of
ficials concede that much of the
f1cates from operators.
The CAB has only 20 inyesti-
gators throughout the country but
freely uses the personnel and
facilities of other Government
agencies in carrying out inquiries
in aviation matters.
The Food and Drug Admins
tration's investigators likewise
have broad powers in their field
They have surveillance over foods,
drugs and cosmetics from the
moment these articles enter inter-
state commerce until they reach
the ultimate consumer. A. large
staff of laboratory technicians
back up the field work of the
t 270 investigators, who watch every
thing from sanitation in factories
to purity of ingredients.
The Secret Service-an agency
of the Treasury Department-not
only watches over the safety OF
the President, but investigates
counterfeiting and certain types
of forgery. It's staff Of about 800
includes $50 agents.
This does not mean that the
Secret Service. in sleuthing out a
ring of counterfeiters. is limited
in its work by the number Of men
lit can spare for job. The Treas
Iury Departments five enforce
ment agencies - Secret Service,
Narcotics Bureau. Alcohol Tax
Unit. Intelligence Unit and Gus
toms Bureau frequently pool
their total resources.
Corps of Informers.
One Treasury Department
spokesman acknowledged that the
five agencies have their informers
scattered far and wide.
II guess all policing outfits have
their stool pigeons, he added.
Many agencies are reluctant to
agree that they solicit, or even use
stool pigeon tips. Some. however
welcome the aid of unofficial in
formers.
| The State Department, for in
stance, gives full attention to all
tips it receives on the activities
of its employees. Nor does State
care whether the information is
attributable or anonymous.
I'VE feel it is in the best in
terests of the Department, as well
as of the employe, to check in
such tips" a State Department
official explains. There are nearly
200 agents working here and
abroad for the Security Division
in the Office of Controls.
The Veterans Administration
has a top-level group of about
20 investigators whom, according
to a VA official, "we refer to
facetiously as our sheriffs.
The sheriffs work directly "for
the old man." as the VA spokes-
man puts 1.-THE old man being
Veterans Administrator Carl r.
Gray. jr.
The Secretary of the Interior
has four sleuths in his office.
With as many agents of various
departments as there are check
ing on enforcement of laws, it is
surprising to find occasional
areas where enforcement is en-
tirely lacking. A good example
is the Civil Aeronautics Admins
tration-a Department of Com
merce Agency which works with
but not under the Civil Aeronau-
tics Board.
CAA grants pilots licenses
under law which specifics that
pilots must be loyal American
citizens of good moral character,
or citizens of friendly nations
with which the United States has
reciprocal agreementes.