Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-12-30
The FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS
How the Chinese Communists Got American Dollars

an If they saw an exchange
made.
A half hour later, one of the
agents returned and his dark
eyes burned with anger and
embarrassment.
MY partner and / saw an
exchange made and moved in
to make the arrest, the agent
reported, but two detectives
from the Manila police force
stepped in and refused to let
us arrest anybody.
Where's your partner o.
den asked.
THE police arrested him.
They said they'd release him
If you'd return the money or
ders or the pay certificates you
got from the women.
Angry and disappointed, Og-
den went back to the room
where the Filipinas were still
being questioned to find out
why the detectives would want
to make a deal like that. And
he got the answer. OF the ST.
900 found on the women, $4,000
had been given them by the
detectives.
The inspector was feeling as
discouraged as he had before
the lone chop mark led to the
break In Hong Kong.
Search Plane
On the basis Of an anony-
nous tip, Philippine agents
searched a plane departing for
Hong Kong and found a pack
age containing $93, 900 in money
orders. Treasury checks and
American currency. For the first
time, Ogden could examine the
orders before they were COW
cred with the Hong Kong chop
marks and the New York bank
endorsements.
He noticed that the money
orders were drawn on post Of
Ifices throughout the Philip
pines. On the back of each
order he found a handwritten
initial. There were five groups
of initials, indicating the money
orders came from five different
sources before being collected
for the trip to Hong Kong.
The clearest of all the initials
was IN" and it appeared fire.
quently.
While he was still puzzling
over that batch, another
anonymous tip sent agents
back to the airport. This time,
the take amounted to $4,000
and Ogden found six different
groups of initials. From the
two seizures, he concluded that
II syndicates were buying dol
lar instruments to smuggle to
Hong Kong.
Again. Ogden turned to Luis
Llora. He showed him the
initials and told him to see
If he could indemnity any OF
them.
While he was waiting foI
Llora to report, Ogden got 9
tip that a counterfeit plant
was operating from a Huh
guerrilla stronghold in Bulacar
Province. He proposed to e
after it by posing as a wal
correspondent, but the Philip,
pine authorities vetoed the idea
They believed, like Llora, tina
the tip was a death trap.
Ogden had just proved to hi
own satisfaction that they wer
right when Llora reported tina
a woman lawyer nance
Emiliana Saturnino, had bough
some counterfeit money orderi
and lost approximately 17,00t
pesos ($8,500 on the deal. She
had tried to get the seller ar.
rested but he was in with the
police. Llora thought she might
be indignant enough to talk
Irish BIorney
Ogden found Mrs. Saturninc
in the small curio and gift
shop she owned on a side street
An attractive woman, he
thought. with intelligent eyes
but perhaps more than a trace
Of vanity. He summoned all
his Irish barney for the &C.
casion. He admired her shop
commented on how unusual II
was to find a woman lawyer
in Manila, marveled that she
could look SO cool on such q
hot day.
II heard you got swindleo
and the police wouldn't do any
thing about it, he com.
miserated. That's q darn
shame.
II didn't know thing about
1t until the money orders came
back from Hong Kong. she
said angrily, and then they
held me responsible.
I'm just back from Hong
Kong. Ogden ventured. 81
heard about the counterfeits
whole story. I'm Just trying tt
get all the loose ends tied up
Sometime In 1850 Mrs. Sat.
urnino related, she had started
dealing in money orders anc
Treasury checks. ALI her pur.
chases were financed by Chi
nese merchants in Manila.
"A Filipino hangs around q
post office" she explained
land waits for somebody to &c
in to cash a money order from
the States. Then he offers to
! pay q premium, .S25 or S3h