important food-producing company into genuine American hands, freed from the ties of the former German owners. The enemy interest is 89.70 per cent. Other concerns manufacturing food products which have been taken over by the Alien Property Custodian as follows: Fahlberg Saccharine Works of America, manufacturers of saccharine___ Enemy interest. 100 50 97 50 CHAPTER XI. BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION. FRANCIS P. GARVAN, Director. January 1, 1918, 11,170 reports of property held for the account of an enemy or ally of an enemy had been filed in the office of the Alien Property Custodian. These had been filed voluntarily and had not necessitated prior action on the part of the Bureau of Investigation. This bureau had, however, examined each one of these reports and classified them as: 1. Cases in which a trust should be opened and the property demanded by the Custodian. 2. Cases in which a further investigation should be made before affirmative action taken on the report. 3. Cases in which no action should be taken by the Custodian for the reason that the party named in the report as an enemy did not come within the provisions of section 2 of the trading with the enemy act. While this classification was being made, each report was examined for the purpose of determining whether it contained any information upon which a further additional report could be required. The work above outlined occupied the attention of this bureau during its organization period. Immediately following this period the work of the bureau was divided as follows: 1. Examination of reports for the purposes above outlined. 2. The handling of all general correspondence: All mail received at the office of the Custodian which did not refer to a trust in process. of administration, or which did not call for a ruling strictly within the province of the Bureau of Law was referred to this bureau. 3. Publicity: This was not confined to the publication of articles concerning particular cases in which the Custodian had taken action, but consisted of a general education of the public to the existence, operation and requirements of the trading with the enemy act. 4. Specific investigations: (a) Special field investigations carried on under the direction of the Washington office of the bureau did not compare in number or results with similar work of the New York office. Such cases, however, were not infrequent, and the examination and investigation in such was performed by investigators from the Washington office. (b) As a basis for the investigation work of the force in the New York office, which work was carried on under the personal direction of the director of the bureau, the Washington office accumulated and digested the data upon which a majority of these investigations were based. 5. Files: Under this head is included not alone the care of the physical files, but the accumulation and proper arrangement of data. from all available sources and upon which all the other activities of the bureau are based. Returning to the classification of the work of the bureau, it may be of interest to give a more detailed statement concerning the same: 1. EXAMINATION OF REPORTS. As above stated, on January 1, 1918, 11,170 reports had been received. These had been filed largely from the large financial and commercial districts in the East and Middle West, where the provisions of the trading-with-the-enemy act had received a greater or less prominence in the newspapers. Very few reports had been received from the South, Northwest, and the Western States. The number of reports handled and classified by the bureau during the year was 22,650, or an average of 1,800 per month. Even as late as the date of the signing of the armistice new reports were being received at the rate of 55 a day and there had been but a slight decrease in this average receipt on January 1, 1919. Each one of the reports have been examined and classified as above stated, and the information contained therein collated for use in the files. 2. CORRESPONDENCE. It is not possible to state definitely how many of the reports received during the year were the result of the work of the correspondence section, but there would be no exaggeration in stating that at least two-thirds of them were thus secured. The record of correspondence handled prior to May 28 is not sufficiently accurate to give definite figures, but since May 28, 11,871 correspondence files have been opened and developed. The development of these files would necessitate on the average of four letters being written by the members of the force in that section. More than 50,000 letters have thus been mailed from this bureau since May 28, 1918, and this number is confined strictly to the cases passing through the correspondence section. 3. PUBLICITY. One of the chief difficulties encountered by the Alien Property Custodian's office at the beginning of its work was the general lack of knowledge throughout the country of the provisions of the trading with the enemy act, especially the provisions defining the duties of the alien property custodian. The ignorance of the provisions of the act were widespread and was not confined to any particular class or group. Consequently, one of the first things to be done, if the work of the Alien Property Custodian's office was to be successful, was to acquaint the people of the country, especially those who might be affected by the act, with all of its provisions, so that there could be no excuse for not making the necessary reports to this office. A comprehensive campaign of education was started, the object of which was to reach as many interested persons as possible with a minimum expense to the Government. Before inaugurating this campaign, reports of enemy-owned money or property had come into the Alien Property Custodian's office in a fairly steady stream until something like 13,000 had been received. Then the flow appeared to subside. As a result of this educational campaign, more than 20,000 additional reports of enemy-owned money and property were sent to the Alien Property Custodian's office. As in all campaigns of education the newspapers of the country are primary factors. The newspaper editors of the country joined in the task of acquainting the people of the country with the provisions of the trading with the enemy act in so hearty and generous a manner that I feel justified in saying that much of the success the Alien Property Custodian's office has had is in a large measure due to the unselfish and patriotic support given to its work by the press of the country. The newspaper editors joined in this work with enthusiasm. Likewise the magazines, trade papers and other publications joined in the work of this office in a hearty and substantial manThe Alien Property Custodian thanks the press of the country for the assistance given to him in his work. ner. In addition to the work of the press of the country an intensive educational campaign was started, the object of which was to reach in an intimate way all persons who might possibly have some knowledge as to the location of money and property of enemy character. This intensive campaign was centered upon influential groups such as lawyers, bankers, etc. Acting on the theory that the lawyers of the country would have, perhaps more than any other group, considerable first-hand informa tion regarding enemy money and property in this country, a vigorous drive was instituted to acquaint the members of the bar with the provisions of the act and to get their cooperation in the detection of money and property of enemy character. There are more than 100,000 lawyers in the United States and the hearty and generous assistance given by them as a group to this task left no doubt as to the genuine patriotism of the legal profession. A personal letter was sent to every lawyer in the country asking his assistance in the work of the Alien Property Custodian's office, together with a circular containing a digest of the act, and defining persons who were classed as enemies. More than 35,000 replies were received from the lawyers in response to this letter, and they are still coming in to the Alien Property Custodian's office. A large proportion of these replies contained information which has led to the discovery of much enemy property. An occasional lawyer would decline to divulge the hiding place of enemy property on the theory that his first duty was to his client and not to his country. I am glad to say, however, that comparatively few lawyers of this type were encountered. In addition to the letters sent to the bar, the Alien Property Custodian's office had the hearty cooperation of the American Bar Association and the various State bar associations throughout the country. Through its committee on special war service in Washington, the American Bar Association was of great assistance in arousing interest among the lawyers of the country in the work of this office. Separate and distinctive letters were also sent to a selected list of patent attorneys throughout the country asking their cooperation in the location of German-owned patents, trade-marks, etc., or applications therefor. A generous response came to these letters, and as a result I hope soon to turn over to American business men some important and valuable patents essential to American industry in which the Germans have had a monopoly for years. One of the important features of the work of the Alien Property Custodian's office has been the taking over of enemy interests in estates which have been before the probate courts; consequently, one was necessary to familiarize the probate judges of the country with the provisions of the act so that all enemy interests would be reported to this office. A letter together with a circular giving a digest of the act was sent to every probate judge in the country. This was followed by a second letter to those judges who did not reply to the first. As a result the Alien Property Custodian now has on his books more than 7,000 estates in which there are enemy beneficiaries, whose share will have to be turned into this office when final accounting is made to the courts. The cooperation of the probate judges of the |