Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-23

ceived concerning subversive ac-
tivities.
Intelligence Divisions
While lines of responsibility
were now established for domestic
intelligence work, there were no
clearly defined areas of respons-
Utility for overseas intelligence
operations. The pressing need for
a decision in this field grew more
evident as the months passed.
Hoover discussed the problem
with the military intelligence
chiefs. with President Roosevelt
and with Asst. Secretary of State
A. A. Berle jr.. who was the Pres
ident's closest adviser and con-
fidant on intelligence matters.
Mr.. Berle took the problem UP
with the President on June "a,
1910. and reported:
THE President said that he
wished that the field should be
divided. The FBI should be re-
sponsiblel for foreign intelligence
work in the Western Hemisphere.
on the request of the State De-
partment. The existing Military
Intelligence and Naval Intellig-
ence branches should cover the
rest Of the world. as and when
necessity arises"
Given this division of author
tty, the three agencies worked
out the details of an agreement
which, roughly, gave the Navy
responsibility for intelligence
coverage in the Pacific; gave the
Army responsibility for coverage
In Europe, Africa and the Canal
Zone; and gave the FBI respon-
sibility in the Western Henri
sphere. including Mexico, Cen
trail America Except Panama. !.
the Caribbean and South
America.
Mistakes Aired
Meantime, the FBI was max
ing preparations for a wartime
emergency, to be ready just in
case. Mr.. Hoover warned his
staff Of the mistakes made by
the bureau and the Government
In World War / in handling the
problems that come with war.
He recalled the plumbers that
resulted in a yigilante system
being organized for combating
subversion: in the lack of pre-
paredness for dealing with spies
and saboteurs: in violations of
civil rights during the mass
Stacker raids" and the roundup
OF aliens. He ordered studies
m a d e with recommendations
which would correct the errors
OF the past as far as possible.
AT the request of the Army
and Navy, the FBI surveyed
more than 1900 key industrial
plants in the United States, in
addition to Army and Navy
arsenals and aircraft factories.
Ways and means of tightening
security were recommended to
the military and to the man
agement of plants.
Methods OF sabotage were
studied and preventive measures
outlined. Suggestions were made
on fire prevention and tighten
ing of anti-Sabotage guards at
vital points of production, and
for flngerprinting employees as
a means of wedding out those
with a criminal record from
positions of trust.
At the request of the State
Department. the FBI was also
keeping a watch OH the activ-
tiles of German. Italian and
Japanese consular officials as
well as the officials of the So
Wet Union. The FBI found evil
dence that German and Italian
consular Offices throughout the
country were being used as CEN
tiers of propaganda and espi-
onage. In June, l94l, the State
Department ordered these con-
sular Offices closed.
Dramtic Spy Case
Early in 1910, the F'BI stage
managed one of the strangest
espionage and counterespionage
dramas ever enacted in this
country. 1t began when Will
liam Sebold, a natufalized Amer
lean, returned from trip to his
native Germany and Immediately
came to the FBI. Mr.. Sebold
disclosed that the Gestapo had
threatened injury to his relatives
his grandfather was Jew
unless he returned to the United
States as a German spy. He
agreed and they thaught him
how to use short-wave radio.
supplied him with a secret code
and gave him instructions to be
passed on to other German
agents in the United States.
Mr.. Sebold played his role of
q German agent we'll.
FBI Laboratory engineers built
a short-wave radio station at
Centerport, Long Island. Con-
tact was made with the Gestapo
station in Hamburg, Germany. A
flow Of messages began between
the United States and Germany
which gradually led the FBI to
the largest spy ling To be UNI
covered before Pearl Harbor
Each message transmitted
from The secret Long Island sta