Chapter IV: The League in Washington

Summary of the League’s Results Throughout the United States—Report of the National Directors—Facts, Figures and Totals for All the Divisions.

Facts now may be made public property which until lately might not have been divulged. We therefore shall find profit now in studying the central organization by means of which the aroused Americans combined to fight the hidden forces of their unscrupulous enemy. The origin and growth, the general plans and methods of the American Protective League, have been explained; and it will now be well, before we pass on to the specific story of the League’s activities, to give some idea of the wide-reaching consolidation of those activities which followed upon the establishment of the National Headquarters.

The report of any official may seem dry and formal, but the records should be made to show how America’s amateur Scotland Yard organized to fight the forces of Germany all over America. This portion of the League’s story is therefore of great value to anyone desirous of knowing the logical steps by which the League developed into a truly national institution.

The liaison officer of the National Directors, Captain Charles Daniel Frey, made his report and summary of November, 1918, to Colonel K. C. Masteller of the General Staff, Chief of the negative branch of the Military Intelligence Division. This report was a general assembling of the national activities of the League up to the time of the signing of the Armistice. Certain extracts are made in consonance with the general outline above indicated. It should be noted that this report covers only a portion of the League’s work in Washington. The Department of Justice figures, as was to be expected, exceeded those of any other branch of the League’s work. The War Department totals were also very high—evidence of service rendered by the League which the War Department always has been very courteous and grateful in acknowledging. Captain Frey’s report reads:

SIR: In compliance with your request, we beg to submit the
following statement of service rendered the War Department by the
American Protective League. As you know, local divisions of the
League are in operation in practically all towns and cities of
substantial size throughout the United States, and the League has
been extended, through a plan of county organization, generally
throughout the rural communities. It is not possible to submit to
you an accurate classified statement of the aggregate of all of
the work done throughout the country. We are able, however, to
present a general statement of the activities of the League for
the War Department of the United States, with a detailed report
of the work of the local divisions in one hundred communities
of the country. The total population of these communities is
approximately one-seventh of the population of the entire country.

The work of the American Protective League for the Military
Intelligence Division of the War Department began soon after
the entry of the United States into the war. When the National
Headquarters of the League were established in Washington in
November, 1917, the National Directors conferred with Colonel R.
H. Van Deman regarding a plan for wider service throughout the
entire country. One of the National Directors was commissioned
in the army, assigned to the Military Intelligence Division and
detailed to the work of the League. In April, 1918, a department
of the League was installed in the Military Intelligence Division,
and since then the work has constantly grown in volume. A Captain
in the Military Intelligence is now in charge, and at the present
time thirty-six employes are working in the Section.

The increase in the volume of work is clearly shown by the
records. Investigations directed by the Section in May, 1918,
numbered 819; in June, 1777; in July, 2382; in August, 3617;
in September, 6736; and in October, 6604. These investigations
were of applicants for overseas service for the Y. M. C. A., Red
Cross, Knights of Columbus, Jewish Welfare, Salvation Army, and
other civilian organizations; of applicants for commissions and
employment in various Departments of the Army, including the
Quartermaster Department, Surgeon General’s Office, Department
of Aeronautics, Ordnance Department, Signal Corps, Army Chaplain
Service, Chemical Warfare Service, etc. They also included
investigations on counter-espionage matters, German propaganda,
deserters, slackers and various other miscellaneous cases, all of
which was made at the direct request of the heads of the different
sections of the Military Intelligence Division at Washington.

The character of this work differs in no way from that of the
Department of Military Intelligence having to do with Negative
Intelligence. In the one hundred local divisions referred to,
the number of cases investigated and reported upon were 62,888,
and upon the percentage basis, the number handled throughout the
country would be 440,216.

The League has likewise exerted itself in enlisting the aid of the
public in reporting enemy activities, disloyalties and evasions of
the war statutes. In various cities, bulletins have been posted
in prominent places, including street cars, office buildings and
places of public gathering, requesting citizens to report to
the American Protective League all such cases coming to their
knowledge. Much important information resulted from this practice.

Because of the fact that the members of the League continue to
follow their daily vocations and maintain their normal connections
with the community, they are afforded unusual opportunities for
the investigation of radical organizations of all kinds. The
League has been able to introduce members into all of the more
important organizations, and to report upon their policies and
activities as well as upon the activities of individual members.
The number of investigations of this character carried on in
the one hundred divisions referred to were 3,645; or 25,515 for
the entire country. As most of these were extended, and in many
cases involved a complete report upon the local organization as
a whole, the figures represent a very considerable amount of
work. Under this heading are included investigations of the I. W.
W., the W. I. I. U., pacifist organizations of many kinds, the
Peoples Council, the League of Humanity, the Non-Partisan League,
the Russellites and certain Socialistic movements. Sabotage
investigations and conscientious objectors are also included.

In connection with the development of the overseas service
of the Red Cross, Y. M. C. A., Knights of Columbus, Jewish
Welfare, Salvation Army and other civilian organizations of like
character, the necessity arose for the careful investigation of
the character, history and connections of civilian applicants to
such service. Fortunately, the Military Intelligence finally took
over the entire work of passing upon the character and loyalty
of applicants, and relieved the League of the responsibility of
directly advising the organizations concerned of the outcome of
the investigations. The Military Intelligence then called upon the
League as its agent to make the larger part of the investigations.
By this method the name of the investigator and of the individual
responsible for the decision remains undisclosed, and the judgment
is in that sense impersonal.

The League likewise made investigations of a large number of
applicants for commissions in various Divisions of the War
Department, including applicants for Chaplaincies.

Investigations as to character and loyalty reached a very
large total. The number aggregates 30,166, including certain
investigations made prior to the establishment of the League
section in the Military Intelligence Division at Washington.

On January 12, 1918, the National Directors issued a bulletin
calling upon all local divisions to make full report upon the
rumors, current in their communities, which were harmful to
the interest of the United States in the prosecution of the
war. As a result of this inquiry, a large amount of information
was gathered, complete copies of which were turned over to the
Military Intelligence Division for its files.

In view of the fact that a large number of members of the American
Protective League enlisted in the military service or were
inducted into the draft, the League was requested by the Military
Intelligence Division to procure the names of all such men, with
their record, in order that the Military Intelligence might avail
itself of their services within the military forces if it so
desired.

In addition to the foregoing, miscellaneous investigations for
the Military Intelligence were carried on in considerable volume.
These included cases of impersonation of army officers, visé of
passports, bribery, theft and embezzlement, and a variety of other
cases. These miscellaneous investigations in the local divisions
referred to aggregate 19,556, or 136,892 for the country at large.

On June 5, 1917, the date of the first registration,
approximately eighty thousands of members of the League throughout
the country assisted at the registration polls, giving advice and
assistance to registrants under the law and aiding the officials
in all possible ways. In the larger cities, particularly those
with large foreign born populations, great congestion resulted
because of the ignorance of the law and its provisions on the part
of registrants, and because of the difficulty in ascertaining and
transcribing correctly their names and other information regarding
them. The number of places for registration proved insufficient
because of the shortness of the hours, and in many places great
confusion resulted. Acting under proper instructions, members of
the League in large numbers served as volunteer registrants under
the direction of the officials.

On February 6, 1918, the Provost Marshal General and the Attorney
General of the United States united in a request to the American
Protective League to coöperate with all local and district
exemption boards throughout the United States in locating
and causing to present themselves to the proper authorities
delinquents under the Selective Service Regulations, including
those classed as deserters. Thereupon each local division assigned
certain members to the Local and District Boards within its
jurisdiction. These activities are of many varieties and include
the investigation of Board Members, conspiracies and bribery,
conspiracies to obstruct the draft, draft evasion in all forms,
fraudulent attempts at deferred classification, false claims for
exemption, failures to report for examination, failures to report
for mobilization, failures to file questionnaires, failures to
register, failures to secure final classification, failures to
notify local boards of changes in address, failures to ascertain
present status from the Local Board, failures to entrain, and all
other alleged infractions of the regulations. These investigations
made by the one hundred local divisions total 323,349. Upon a
percentage basis, the cases handled throughout the country would
total 2,263,443, and including the slacker raids, an enormous
figure which cannot well be estimated.

Many investigations under the Local Boards were made with extreme
difficulty because of the confusion in the spelling of names,
inaccurate records and constantly shifting addresses due to the
roaming character of the individual. We believe that the Provost
Marshal General’s office will confirm the statement that the
number of delinquents and deserters of this character is very
great, possibly exceeding two hundred thousands, a group recruited
mostly from laborers, harvesters and the other ranks of homeless
unskilled labor. Members of the League have given a great amount
of time and energy to these cases.

During the two or three months following the day of first
registration, a general effort was made by local divisions of
the League in the principal cities to run down those individuals
within the draft age who had failed to register on June 5,
1917. In Chicago, a city-wide drive was made during which all
stations of the railroads entering Chicago were covered by
League operators, and the downtown or loop district was likewise
patroled. This was the first organized effort on a large scale to
enforce the regulations. Subsequently similar action was taken in
other cities.

In the early summer and fall of 1918 many slacker drives were
conducted throughout the country. They were made under the
direction of the officials of the Department of Justice with
the active assistance of the Local Divisions of the American
Protective League. Effective drives occurred in Cleveland,
Detroit, St. Louis, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Minneapolis,
St. Paul, Davenport, Dayton and many cities of lesser size
throughout the country.

As a result of a single drive in one city, according to the report
of the Division Superintendent of the Bureau of Investigation of
the Department of Justice, approximately five hundred men were
sent to camp as deserters and four thousand delinquents were
apprehended. These drives as a whole were carried on with the
acquiescence and with the general satisfaction of the public at
large, and with the minimum of embarrassment to the individuals
concerned. The New York city drive presented an exception where
certain difficulties arose.

As a result of these drives, several hundred thousand men were
examined throughout the country; tens of thousands who had
failed to comply with the requirements of the Selective Service
Regulations were compelled to go to their District Boards to
make good their delinquencies, and many thousand delinquents and
deserters were inducted into the army who otherwise might have
escaped service.

Members of the League have apprehended many camp deserters and
soldiers absent without leave. They have investigated thousands of
requests for furloughs where the soldier claimed illness at home
or made other claims. Many fraudulent requests were uncovered by
these investigations. These investigations, in the one hundred
divisions referred to, number 3,478.

Early in April, 1918, the National Directors conferred with Mr.
Fosdick and other officials of the Department of Training Camp
activities, and with the officials of the Department of Justice,
with regard to developing a plan for the successful enforcement
of Section 13 of the Selective Service Act and the regulations
thereunder,—the section referred to having to do with the
protection of the military and naval forces of the United States
from the evil influences of vice and prostitution in the vicinity
of the camps. In the one hundred divisions referred to, the number
of investigations was 5,866, or in the country at large, 41,062.

In addition to the foregoing, the reports from local divisions
indicate that they have made a large number of investigations of a
general character for the War Department, including a variety of
subjects. Mention should also be made of a considerable amount of
service rendered to the Foreign Recruiting Missions in locating
slackers and deserters and in making miscellaneous investigations
of individuals.

On March 18, 1918, the Military Intelligence Branch of the War
Department requested the American Protective League to procure
for that Department, for immediate use for intelligence purposes,
photographs, drawings and descriptions of bridges, buildings,
towns and localities, then occupied by the German forces in
France, Belgium and Luxemburg, and likewise in that portion of
Germany lying west of a line running north and south through
Hamburg. In compliance with that request, National Headquarters
issued a bulletin to all Local Divisions, calling upon the entire
organization of the League throughout the country to engage in
the work, and prescribing a detailed method for carrying it on.
The result of the work, and the appreciation of the Military
Intelligence Branch, was expressed to the League in a letter from
Lieutenant Colonel Coxe, under date of June 11, 1918, in which
he quotes a letter from Colonel Nolan, chief of the Military
Intelligence Force abroad, to the effect that the material
contained much information of value and that “the citizens of the
United States who donated the above articles and the League which
collected them have done something which definitely helps toward
the success of the operations of our army.”

Summing up the actual investigations made by the American
Protective League in the one hundred local divisions referred to,
the grand total of cases reported by these divisions is 448,950.
As has been shown, the jurisdiction of these divisions embraces
approximately one-seventh of the whole population of the country
covered by all of the local divisions of the League, and while
some of the work reported by the one hundred divisions is not
duplicated elsewhere, yet the reverse is true, and it may fairly
be said that the entire number of cases handled by the League for
the War Department throughout the country is seven times the above
figure, or more than three million.

In conclusion, we beg to state that it has been the policy
to coöperate with all local, State and Federal departments in
enforcing the war laws of the United States. Our Local Chiefs have
been able to establish cordial relations with all local police,
sheriffs, fish and game wardens, fire wardens, and other officials
whose assistance has been invaluable in many cases, and have
likewise gained the friendly interest and support of County and
State officials generally as well as of the Judicial Departments.

We have not attempted to set forth in this communication the
volume of work done for the Department of Justice.

A very prominent phase of work in which the A. P. L. was of use to the War Department is covered very well by the comment of the Department of Justice regarding the law under which the American Army was raised:

The most important of the war laws is the selective-service
act. Cases under this act are of three general kinds—first, the
violation of the act by the military eligibles themselves; that
is, the failure to register in accordance with the registration
system under the draft, the failure to file a questionnaire,
the making of false exemption claims, the failure to report
for examination, etc. As soon as a man becomes a deserter, he
comes under the jurisdiction of the military authorities and is
turned over to them. Up to that point, however, if he does not
fully comply with the law and the Selective-Service Regulations,
he is subject to prosecution by this department. As the main
object of the law is the raising of an army and not the filling
of a prison, the department seeks to deliver to the military
authorities for military service all offenders subject to military
service and physically fit therefor, except those who willfully
and rebelliously refuse military service and can be subjected to
substantial punishment.

The second class of cases concerns the acts of those who, not
themselves subject to military service, induce violations of
the act, such as making false exemption claims for others,
inducing others to resist military service or evade the law. This
classification also includes violations of duty on the part of
members of the exemption boards.

The third class of cases relates to the violation of those
sections which aim to protect training and mobilization camps
from the evil influence of the liquor traffic or prostitution
within the neighborhood of the camp. The first class of cases has
thrown upon the representatives of this department throughout the
country an immense amount of work. This work has consisted in part
of prosecuting deliberate violations of the law. In far larger
measure, however, it has consisted in locating, apprehending, and
delivering to local boards or Army officials many thousands of
men who for various reasons have failed to appear for physical
examination, failed to file questionnaires, etc. _Down to July 1,
1918, the department had thus investigated 220,747 cases of this
character and caused induction into military service of 23,439
men._

A curious personal quality attaches to the study of the work of the American Protective League, which is perhaps attributable to the fact that all the members were amateurs only and altogether unpaid. No doubt, did space and formal limitations permit, a very widespread comment on the personal relations of the members of the League to the League itself would be acceptable to many readers. Within the limits available, however, a certain martial severity and impersonality must be employed. None the less, there ought to be some brief mention made of the work of the National Directors after the establishment of the Washington office. In this connection it is fitting that the names of those men should be mentioned who labored so earnestly and so well to make the work of A. P. L. of vital importance in the winning of the war.

NATIONAL DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF ADMINISTRATION
OF THE AMERICAN PROTECTIVE LEAGUE

A. M. Briggs, _Chairman_

Charles Daniel Frey

Victor Elting
_National Directors_ _November, 1917_

S. S. Doty
_In charge Bureau of Organization_ _February, 1918_

Captain George P. Braun, Jr.
_In charge Bureau of Investigation_ _June, 1918_

Charles F. Lorenzen
_In charge Bureau of Investigation_ _September, 1918_

James D. Stover
_In charge Bureau of Administration_ _September, 1918_

Daniel V. Casey
_Editor of The Spy Glass_ _May, 1918

Lieutenant Urban A. Lavery
_In charge A. P. L. branch at Military
Intelligence_ _April, 1918_

Captain John T. Evans
_In charge A. P. L. branch at Military
Intelligence_ _September, 1918_

The enormous growth of the American Protective League in so short a time is sufficient evidence in itself that a vast, pressing need existed for the service it rendered. Indeed, the great local activity of the League became a national activity in record time. Reports piled in from all over the country; the detail of correspondence became enormous; the filing of records an endless task. All at once the National Directors of the American Protective League found they had taken over a business—one of the largest businesses with which any one of them had ever been identified. It would not be too much to say that they worked day and night for a long period. Their task was a very heavy one, but they brought to it a knowledge of large business affairs and a quality of perseverance which saw them through.

The original headquarters of the League were at 1537 Eye Street, Northwest, an old Washington residence—a quaint and none too convenient business home. All the directors lived in the upper part of this building, and such was the crowded and impractical form of Washington life at the time that they were glad to sleep and sometimes cook their meals in the same building where they did their work. Such a thing as rest or leisure were unknown for two years’ time. No one who has not been in part acquainted with Washington in war times knows the handicap under which all such work needed to be done. Transportation, living accommodations, clerical help—everything, in that period of the war, became a problem or an obstacle of a very considerable sort. It was faith and enthusiasm which carried these men through, as was the case with their associates all over America.

So, gradually, from this central office, the web of the American Protective League was extended until it reached into every state and territory of the Union, and until each line of communication was one of interchange of intelligence from and to the central headquarters. It is only by reference to the portion of this history marked as “The Four Winds”—showing briefs of reports from all over the Union—that any just knowledge can be gained of the tremendous volume of work done by the central headquarters. Nor does the assemblage offered give more than a mere indication of that volume, because thousands of reports have, for reasons of space, received no notice whatever, unfair as that must always seem to everyone identified with the compilation of this history.

In the fall of 1918, headquarters were moved from 1537 Eye Street to 1719 H Street, Northwest, another old time Washington residence of stately sort, which remained the home of the National Headquarters until the signing of the Armistice and the dissolution of the League itself. Here Mr. Briggs, Captain Frey and Mr. Elting remained until the end of the game in charge of a loyal band of workers. For all of these men, and those associated with them, there remain the recollection of a hectic two years of high speed work, in connection with financial loss to everyone engaged in it.