CHAPTER IX
HANDLING BAD ALIENS
Dealing with Dangerous Propagandists—High and Low Class Disloyalists—The Alleged Americanism of the Kaiser’s Kultur-Spreaders—A Few Instances of A. P. L. Persuasions.
In the early days of the A. P. L., Mr. Bielaski, Chief of the Bureau of Investigations of the Department of Justice, issued an explicit letter of warning and advice to all League members as to their conduct regarding aliens. The Attorney General often publicly denounced lynchings. The Bureau of Investigation always counseled prudence and full justice to all. Surely, the aliens, the unnaturalized, the strangers and visitors of other races than our own, caught in this country with or against their will by the declaration of war, can offer no complaint regarding the fairness and generosity of the treatment accorded them. These enemies of ours, these spies, propagandists and pro-Germans, had better treatment than they deserved then and better than they deserve now. We have been too temperate, too fair, too lenient with them. The moderation of the A. P. L. work, indeed, all our Government work, with traitorous persons living in America, has been a matter of astonishment to all the European nations, who perhaps knew more of the alien enemy type than we did ourselves.
A reference to the table of reports of all division chiefs will show that investigations for “disloyal and seditious utterances” far outnumber those under any other head. The truth is that Germans and pro-Germans generally were mighty cocky in their talk in this country. Arrogant and assured that Germany was going to win this war—for which, as most of her amateur and all of her special spies knew, she had been preparing for many years—they talked as though they owned America and might say or do what they liked at any time or place they pleased. As against this offensive conduct, the A. P. L. showed two phases. First, it saved many a German life, perhaps of little worth, by preventing large and free-handed lynchings; and in the second place, it exercised so potent an influence on openly sneering and boasting pro-Germans that very soon they ceased to talk where they might be heard. That any such persons ever changed very much in loyalty, that they ever gained any more love for our institutions or felt any less love for those of Germany, the author of this book, after reading some thousands of A. P. L. reports of investigations, frankly does not believe. That it was fear of justice in one or another form which quieted them, this author frankly does believe. And that fear only is going to hold down such citizens in the future, he believes with equal frankness. In their hearts, these people have learned no new principles, although in their conduct they may have learned new counsels.
America handled her racial war problem as though she were afraid of it. There is small ultimate benefit in that. The only reconstruction policy—political, commercial or industrial—by which America really can gain, is one which is going to say: “This country is America. It has but one flag.” It is time we laid aside our old vote-catching methods, our old business timidities, and quit ourselves like men. Indeed, it is impossible to get in touch with the mass of the A. P. L. testimony and not to feel bitter and more bitter toward the traitors who have been left immune under our flag—not to feel sure and more sure that we have handled them too gently and to our own later sorrow. All this is written in absolute deliberation, with a certain feeling of authoritativeness. It has been given to few men to read the mass of testimony which the writing of this book necessitated. To do so was to sit in touch of the greatest reflex of the real America that perhaps ever has existed. We deal here not with theories, but with actual, concrete facts.
We do not give authorized figures as to the alien enemies interned, but it is sometimes said that we interned only about five thousand aliens, that we paroled a very large number, deported a few, and revoked citizenship for only two. It was said that the close of the war would set free a great many of these persons who will resume their residence, if not their former activities, in America. It is true that we have not executed a single German spy. That is an astonishing commentary on our laws and our Government in times such as these. Let those who are wiser than the writer of this book can claim to be after the extraordinary experience of studying the real America, pass on the wisdom of such leniency in its bearing on later Bolshevism in America. Other nations certainly have acted otherwise. Sometimes they have smiled at us as the easy mark of all the nations.
Certainly, however, whatever may be the personal belief of many citizens of this country, our public documents prove the wish of our Department of Justice, all its Bureaus and all its auxiliaries, to be just and more than just, generous and more than generous, to those not in accord with our laws and institutions,—a strange contrast for the reflection of those “simple and kindly” folk who for four years have exulted in the outrages Germany has wrought upon the world, and who for four years have given the world the most detestable examples of treacherous espionage.
At times we did teach some of those gentry that there was a God in Israel. If as yet we have deported few or none of those interned aliens—all of whom, and a hundred thousand more, surely ought to be deported—if we have received back into our tolerant friendship those who have been for some time warned out of our Government zones, at least we have trailed down certain of the more active cases of Kultur spreading in America. Space confines us to very few of those, chosen almost at random from the thousands at hand in the records.
The chief centers of alien enemy activity in this country, as might have been expected, were the great industrial towns and cities. It was in these places that the A. P. L. fought its hardest fights and achieved its greatest triumphs.
The great city of Seattle was no exception. The report of the splendid work it did all through the far Northwest ought by every right to appear in full. We must be content, however, to extract from the Seattle record a couple of interesting incidents of trailing aliens.
The first suspect was a German who had changed the spelling of his name. Outer appearances were in his favor. He resided in a good part of Seattle, in a good bungalow, and showed all the insignia of the Red Cross, Liberty Loans, etc., in his windows. He was unassuming in his manner and openly talked patriotism. However, as the case proceeded, it was found that he associated with a domestic of a citizen, and that this domestic collected Canadian bills and sent them to Canada. Tracing this clue, the suspect C—— was found to have come from Canada where he had been interned. He had made his escape and come to the United States without permission. He had a covert postoffice box in the name of Joe M—— (his real German name was K——), and he had been an alien enemy agent of Germany. He was arrested by an A. P. L. man, brought before Federal officials and later was interned for the period of the war.
In the possession of this man there was found a long list of names of Germans, all of whom were afterwards found to have served in the German Army, but who were now corporals or privates in the American Army. These men were stationed mostly in forts on Puget Sound. Through these men, C—— had a well established system leading into the Navy Yard of Puget Sound and the forts protecting the harbors. There was taken into custody a photographer, T——, who had in his possession photographs of nearly everything in and about Fort Worden. T——, who was associated with C—— in some manner, was given a hearing and released on ten thousand dollars bail. The money was immediately put up by Germans then under suspicion at Fort Townsend. At about this time, T——’s house took fire and burned down. One trunk was saved, of which he quickly took charge when released on bail. There were other arrests made in this case, regarding the final issue of which nothing can be said at this writing. So much at least for the gentle and unassuming Mr. C——, quiet citizen.
Seattle had another case which ended in an internment, that of Gus S——, whose story is succinctly covered in the words of the Seattle Chief:
Early in January, 1918, our organization was requested by the Department of Justice to get a line on one Gus S——, generally believed to be a German who worked along the water front dismantling boats and storing the material, which he afterwards sold for junk. Operatives H—— and B—— were detailed on this case, and confirming the suspicions of the authorities, it was established that S—— had a cache in a remote district of the Sound where he buried the stolen articles until they had accumulated in sufficient quantity that he could sell them wholesale.
It was found that he had four points established on the Sound as headquarters; one of them situated about forty miles north of Seattle where he could dodge in and out among the numerous islands on the Sound and evade the authorities.
On the morning of January 9, 1918, one Dr. W—— voluntarily appeared at the office of the American Protective League, 615 Lyon Building, stating that he was a German and had done considerable intricate work in the Government and that he was anxious to serve our organization. W—— was immediately placed under investigation, and it developed that he was a German alien enemy, and was in the habit of violating his alien enemy permit. It was also discovered that he owned and occupied a houseboat on the East Waterway in the ship-building district, in the prohibited zone on the water front. This place was visited and examined. Our operatives found documents proving that W—— was an alien enemy and a Reserve Officer in the German Army. He had on board the houseboat an extensive chemical laboratory and a complete chemical library in the German language; also technical books on wireless and other matters of military importance. The chemicals were seized, sent to the Immigration Department and examined by a chemist. W—— was placed under arrest, given a hearing, and ordered interned for the duration of the war.
It developed that W—— had communicated with S—— and warned him of his approaching arrest, and that S—— had departed north in his boat. The League officers immediately got in touch with their organization in Skagit County, and operatives were detailed to watch for S——. When he came into the Flats, they apprehended and placed him under arrest and seized his boat. On board was found quite an arsenal of assorted makes of guns. The examination took place at the time an opportunity was being given alien enemies to register as such, and this opportunity was given S—— at the Immigration Station. S——, however, maintained that he was an American citizen; he could not produce papers but his explanation was as follows: That he had filed his declaration to become an American citizen and that, by reason of his activities against the law, he had been arrested and sentenced to serve six years in the penitentiary at Walla Walla; that while he was serving out his sentence, the date for him to appear for examination and acquire his second papers had expired, and that on account of his inability to appear, this automatically made him an American citizen. Therefore, he refused to register as an alien enemy. At the conclusion of the hearing, S—— was ordered interned and sent to Utah.
S—— had, for the previous six weeks, been hovering around the depot tanks of the Standard Oil Company. From the association of W—— and S—— and the facts that were disclosed in the investigation, there is no question in the minds of the officers of the organization but that they were about to cause an explosion at this plant as well as at one of the shipyards.
Yet another good report from the Seattle Chief covers the case of M. J. B——, alias W. J. H——, who apparently was unable to keep all his life as secret as he might wish. We cannot improve upon the report of the Chief as it was written:
B—— appeared in Seattle early in December, 1917, and took rooms at the P—— Hotel. From his acts it was immediately noted by our operatives at the hotel that B—— was receiving packages under the assumed name of W. J. H——, which name he explained to the clerk was used as a code. He received no visitors except two persons of foreign birth, and it developed that upon going to the hotel he was without ready money to sustain his expenses. Within a short time, however, B—— was found to have not only sufficient funds to maintain his daily expenses, but quite a surplus, which he was using lavishly. He claimed to be a working man, but his hands, dress and facial appearance were certainly those of a man who was accustomed to appearing in society, and taking life rather easy.
Following certain suspicious activities on the part of B——, an investigation thereof disclosed the fact that he was having considerable correspondence with Germans in the United States, and that he had the names and addresses apparently of every German in the United States. It further developed that he had cards made in Seattle, representing himself as being connected with a bank in Detroit. He was placed under arrest and sent to the Detention Station in the Department of Immigration to establish his nationality and status. He claimed to have been taking orders for a toy balloon concern on W—— Avenue, the proprietor of which stated that B—— had worked for him on a commission basis, but that his total commissions for the first year would amount to about $86.00, approximately. This was the merest trifle compared to the totals believed to have been spent by the subject, and he evidently had some other source of income than that derived from toy balloons.
The subject was well educated, spoke four or five languages, and it developed that he had formerly held a commission of lieutenant in the Austrian army. B—— was a sketch artist, very clever, and in passing through the country, was accustomed to make landscape scenes of various places of interest from a military standpoint—which sketches, together with certain puzzle sketches, were believed by the officers of the organization to be for the purpose of furnishing information to the enemy.
The specific charge was thought by him to be that he was an I. W. W., and he requested the permission of the Immigration authorities to address a letter to a friend, which permission was given. This letter, which, of course, was censored by the authorities, addressed a German at Bremerton, close to the Navy Yard, and complained of his arrest as an I. W. W. He informed this friend that he had done a great many things which he “had been ordered to do,” but that he was not, nor had he been, requested to be an I. W. W., and he requested aid for his release.
A very complete examination was made of B—— and his entire movements since arriving in this country. It developed that he was born at Frankstock, Moravia, in Austria; that he was twenty-four years of age, had had military training, had just completed same prior to departing for this country, and was a Second Lieutenant in the 54th Royal Imperial Infantry. He was in Hamburg and Paris during 1914, and just prior to the outbreak of the war, he came to New York, passing through England on this trip, since which time it developed that he had been receiving money from Germany, and had been operating in the cities of Hoboken, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Seattle, Helena and Spokane. Regardless of the fact that he was heir to an estate in Austria and was supposed to have reported to the consul (Austrian) in Seattle, he claimed he had not done so.
In explanation of the alias, W. J. H——, he claimed to have adopted that name simply because his name was funny. It developed that B—— had been previously arrested and released, and had in his possession documents covering his entire experiences, as well as information concerning his particular case. Certain documents, undoubtedly codes, were taken from B——, and the only information or explanation he would give concerning them was that they were puzzles. The subject was well acquainted with the German element in each of the towns he had visited, many of whom were held under suspicion by the authorities. It further developed that he had made frequent visits to the ship-yards and to the Navy Yards, and that he was intimately associated with certain leaders of the order of the I. W. W. He was ordered interned, and sent to Utah.
It never was urged against Seattle that she displayed anything but live wire characteristics, and it is too bad that we may not delve deeper into the Seattle files. The Chief adds: “We have many other cases, perhaps of more importance.” The existing records bear out the assertion. But we must dismiss this big center of activity with only a brief summary of tables showing six months’ work of the Minute Men Division of the American Protective League for Seattle. The situation revealed by this summary, astounding as it is, and humiliating as it must be to make the admission, is one that finds a parallel in the experience of every great industrial center in America during the war.
| TABLE OF CASES INVESTIGATED BY THE SEATTLE DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN PROTECTIVE LEAGUE | |
| Report for Six Months, May 1 to November 1, 1918. | |
| Alien Enemies | 399 |
| Aliens and Citizens Living in Luxury Without Visible Means of Support | 36 |
| Anti-Military Activities | 23 |
| Bomb and Dynamite Cases | 14 |
| Passport Applications | 1,114 |
| Loyalty Reports to Government | 707 |
| Alleged Deserters | 93 |
| Destruction of Foods | 8 |
| Disloyal Citizens | 677 |
| Disloyal Government Employees | 35 |
| Draft Evaders | 86 |
| Incendiarism | 4 |
| Food Regulation Violators | 239 |
| Liberty Bond and Red Cross Slackers | 938 |
| I. W. W. Agitators | 1,198 |
| Pro-German Radicals | 990 |
| Sale of Liquor to Soldiers and Sailors | 64 |
| Alleged Spies or German Agents | 451 |
| Seditious Meetings | 91 |
| Seditious Publications | 53 |
| Seditious Utterances | 449 |
| Wireless Stations | 21 |
| Naturalization Cases | 386 |
| Jurors | 542 |
| Miscellaneous | 624 |
| Total | 10,042 |
| Total number of arrests made | 1,008 |
There came up in the Birmingham, Ala., Division the character investigation of R. E. S——, a lieutenant in the United States Army, reported to be in the Military Intelligence Department, foreign service. This man lived in Birmingham several years before the declaration of war, and moved with the best people. He always seemed to have enough money for the demands of society, although his business was limited in its earning capacity. He attended a training camp and received a commission, but after he had arrived in France, the War Department requested an investigation through the League. The result shows that danger existed at all times from German explosives even in the most jealously guarded places. Below is given the substance of the investigation. The first operative reported:
I have known S—— for several years, and have always been impressed with his pro-German tendencies. He lived in comparative comfort, belonged to all of the clubs and moved in the best society. He never appeared to be lacking in funds in spite of the fact that the income from his position, and later his business, did not warrant his living in this manner. It was understood that he had no investments producing income. I have thought for the past four years that he received money from the German Government, and have so expressed myself on many occasions.
Before we entered the war, S—— was very bitter in his denunciation of England for going into it. He claimed Russia and France were responsible and that Germany was fighting for her life. He stated that England would rue the day she went in, and that nothing could stand against the Kaiser and his great war machine. He considered the Kaiser the greatest man on earth and the German people superior to all others. He justified the invasion of Belgium as a war necessity and the ravages of that country and of invaded France on the same grounds. He gloried in the sinking of the Lusitania, and stated that all who lost their lives on it deserved to do so. He criticised the general policy of our government and President Wilson.
When we entered the war, S——’s whole attitude changed and immediately he was anxious to fight for his country. He attended the first Officer’s Training Camp at Ft. McPherson, Georgia, but was discharged in a short time. He was bitter about this and stated he had not gotten a square deal.
I have discussed S—— on many occasions with a great many of my friends, and the consensus of opinion is that he is entirely too pro-German to be in our Army in any capacity. Many think he is an agent of the German Government. Personally, I feel that he is an extremely dangerous man. I would not care to serve in the Army under him as an officer, and I would like to see him placed in such a position that he could not possibly do us harm.
Another operative said he did not think S—— a safe man to have in the United States Army. In his presence, S—— approved the sinking of the Lusitania, and said that the people who lost their lives had no business on the ship. He also stated that he had two brothers in business in Germany before the United States entered the war. Operative said that S—— was strongly pro-German in his sympathies. He regarded him as a dangerous man—particularly dangerous if he was in the Intelligence Department. Operative stated that he had no confidence whatever in S——’s loyalty. He stated that S—— admired Germany and thought the Germans were the greatest people on earth.
A third operative prefaced his statement with the remark that he was a warm personal friend of S—— and did not want to do him an injustice. He did say that S——, before the entry of the United States into the war, was intensely pro-German. On being asked if he would like to be a private in a company commanded by S—— and pressed for an answer, he said: “Well, I would like to know my captain hated the Germans a whole lot more than S—— does.” He further said that if S—— were to be captured, he would very soon be on friendly terms with his captors.
Follows a statement of an operative who had known S—— for twenty-five or thirty years, and had been on the terms of the best friendship for several years past:
Prior to the entry of the United States into the war, S—— was rabidly pro-German and expressed himself freely on any and all occasions. He thought that Germany was all-powerful and had nothing to fear from the United States. He favored the German U-Boat policy, and said: “I am damn glad of it!” when he read the newspaper notice of the sinking of the Lusitania. He said furthermore that the people on the ship got just what was coming to them, and they had no business being on it. S—— seemed to be thoroughly imbued with the idea that the Germans are supermen, and that they could do anything. He regarded the Kaiser as the greatest man on earth. He took all the German papers in the country, and received German propaganda from some source unknown. When he went to the Officer’s Training Camp in Atlanta, he wrote a card to one of his friends here asking him to forward his mail but not to forward any newspapers. He was a constant reader of papers of German tendencies. He stated in conversation that the United States had no Navy, and that the safest place for its ships was in our harbors; that there was more danger to our sailors from our own ships than from anything else. He seemed to have a great deal of information concerning the armament and equipment of the United States as regards cannon, small arms and vessels, together with the number of men in our Army and Navy. Mr. R—— did not know where he got the information nor what he did with it. S—— knew all the local anarchists and wild-eyed citizens of German and Russian nationality. One day S—— was talking on the street with a friend when a rough, unkempt, hobo-like man passed them. S—— asked his friend to excuse him a moment as he wanted to speak to that man. He conversed in German with the man for several moments, and on his return said: “He is a Russian anarchist, and he told me that a revolution is brewing in Russia and that the Germans will not have to fight the Russians much longer.” He always expressed great pleasure at any news which was favorable to Germany. He did not think the United States had any business entering the war. He has relatives in Germany now.
When asked the direct question if he thought it advisable for S—— to be in the Intelligence Division of the Army, operative said:
I would not want to be in a company which he commands, and I believe it highly dangerous for him to be in the Intelligence Department. I believe if he was captured by the Germans, he would have nothing to fear.
The report of this operative further says:
S—— had a twin brother engaged in the tea importing business in New York. In July, 1917, the twin brother referred to said that he would not fight the Kaiser, that he was a German. He was even more rabid than the subject of this report. It was rumored here for some time that S—— was a German spy but there was never anything definite to verify the rumor, though he was very active in gathering all sorts of information regarding the material resources of the United States. He cultivated the acquaintance of the amateur wireless operators here, and was a fairly expert telegraph operator himself. Mr. R—— stated: “If S—— is in the Intelligence Department in France, it is an extremely dangerous thing and might cause a terrible disaster.”
After S—— went to Washington last fall, and after he had received his commission in the United States Army, he wrote a letter severely criticising the United States War Department for inefficiency. His strictures were of such a nature that B—— said to R—— that he was very sorry that he had read it. S—— and B—— burned the letter. This letter criticised the methods of the War Department, stated that things were badly handled, and that our preparations for war were inadequate and inefficiently managed. This letter was written after S—— had received his commission as First Lieutenant in the United States Army and was stationed in Washington. A German friend admitted that S—— was violently pro-German before our country entered the war. He said that Germany had a right to sink our ships after giving us warning of the restricted zone in which German submarines were operating. He justified the sinking of the Lusitania, and expressed no sympathy for the people who lost their lives, stating that they got what they deserved as they had no business on the ship. He justified the invasion of Belgium as a war necessity, and condoned Germany’s violation of her pledge to preserve the integrity of Belgium because it was a war measure. S—— regarded the Germans as a superior people, and admired the Kaiser greatly. He was much opposed to the entry of the United States into the war, said that he was so sorry that we had gotten into it, and that it was not our affair but England’s.
It has been thought advisable to take these widely separated cases and to give them in detail rather than to present summaries of a large number of cases which may or may not have resulted in sentences or internments. An examination of these instances will show the fairness and shrewdness with which the League’s Chiefs and Operatives worked, as well as their unflagging interest in the work offered them. It also will be apparent that a single investigation might involve a great deal of patient, hard work.