The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective LeagueHough, Emerson
History
The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective League
Hough, Emerson
American Protective League; Propaganda, German; World War, 1914-1918 -- Secret service -- United States
Detroit division began operations in the Spring of 1917, and at first
was financed by the payment of a one dollar initiation fee by each
member. This continued until December, 1917, when it was seen that this
division could not go on unless better financed. A meeting of officers
of prominent manufacturers of Detroit was held, and these assured the
division better quarters and competent finances. A committee went
to Washington to see the Attorney General, with the result that the
offices of the Department of Justice and those of the League were
established close together.
Mr. Fred M. Randall, the first Chief, resigned in May, 1918, and was
replaced by Mr. Frank H. Croul, former Commissioner of Police, who
took the oath of Chief not only for Detroit but also for the County of
Wayne. He started in by reorganizing the work.
Since the Detroit contracts for war material were so enormous—Detroit
claims they were greater in volume than for any other city in the
country—a division was organized under the name “Plants Protection
Department.” A thorough covering of each plant was made and a captain
of the A. P. L. was stationed in each factory, where he had entire
supervision and reported direct to the Plants Protection Department at
the League’s main office. That this system worked well may be shown
by the records. Detroit was practically free of any destruction of
war material. Several attempts to blow up plants were frustrated. It
was not unusual for a man to be brought in from the plants for an
interview, and many such cases were turned over to the Department of
Justice and District Attorney’s office. The dynamiter and other alien
enemies were held down hitless.
A Pro-German Department was organized with captains, lieutenants and
operatives under charge of an Inspector. The Inspector assigned all
complaints, took all reports and returned them to the Record Department
where the original papers were attached, and then forwarded them to the
Pro-German Committee room where they were examined and passed upon.
A third department was called the Selective Service, its work
being to attend to the local boards of Detroit, of which there were
twenty-seven, exclusive of those in the district and Wayne County.
A unique manner of handling delinquents was inaugurated—and why all
states did not adopt the same system is a mystery. This bureau was
kept open to receive delinquents twenty-four hours a day and handled
thousands of draft cases.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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