American Protective League

The American Protective League was an American World War I-era private organization that worked with federal law enforcement agencies in support of the anti German Empire movement, as well as against radical anarchists, anti-war activists, and left-wing labor and political organizations.

Formed by A.M. Briggs, a wealthy Chicago businessman, at its zenith the APL had 250,000 dues-paying members in 600 cities of the United States. [Linfield, Michael, "Freedom Under Fire: U.S. Civil Liberties in Times of War", South End Press (1990), ISBN 0896083748, 9780896083745, p. 38] Authorized to operate by the U.S. Attorney General, Thomas Gregory, the APL assisted the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), the precursor to the FBI.

A private organization, the APL nevertheless had a semi-official status; it was officially approved by the Attorney General, who authorized the APL to state on its letterhead, "Organized with the Approval and operating under the direction of the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation." [Linfield, Michael, "Freedom Under Fire: U.S. Civil Liberties in Times of War", South End Press (1990), ISBN 0896083748, 9780896083745, p. 38] Their assistance was welcomed by the Bureau of Investigation, who had a paltry 219 field agents in 1915, none of whom had direct statutory authorization to carry weapons or to make general arrests. [Roberts, Glen L., "Full Disclosure Magazine", [http://www.textfiles.fisher.hu/law/fbi APL and the BOI] ] In the field, BOI agents worked with and gathered information for the United States Attorneys; direction came from the Attorney General or the Bureau chief. [Roberts, Glen L., "Full Disclosure Magazine", [http://www.textfiles.fisher.hu/law/fbi APL and the BOI] ]

However, Washington often lost control over field operations, to the point that agents and U.S. Attorneys, assisted by cadres of APL volunteers from the American Protective League and other similar patriotic auxiliaries, pursued suspects of disloyalty on their own initiative and in their own manner. [Roberts, Glen L., "Full Disclosure Magazine", [http://www.textfiles.fisher.hu/law/fbi APL and the BOI] ] APL members were accused of acting as vigilantes, allegedly violating the civil liberties of American citizens, including so-called "anti-slacker raids" designed to round up men who had not registered for the draft. The APL was also accused of illegally detaining citizens associated with anarchist, labor, and pacifist movements.

In 1918, APL documents showed that 10% of its efforts (the largest of any category) were focused on disrupting the activities of the I.W.W. or "Wobblies", a anti-war union movement with ties to radical anarchists. [Linfield, Michael, "Freedom Under Fire: U.S. Civil Liberties in Times of War", South End Press (1990), ISBN 0896083748, 9780896083745, p. 38] Some IWW members had been involved in violent labor disputes and bomb plots against U.S. businessmen and government officials. In turn, the IWW alleged that APL members burgled, vandalized, and harassed I.W.W. members and their offices. President Woodrow Wilson, despite misgivings about their methods, deferred to the judgement of Attorney General Thomas Gregory and chose not to take any action to curtail their activities. A few months after the Armistice was signed, ending World War I, the League disbanded, in part as a result of opposition by the President's incoming Attorney General, A. Mitchell Palmer.

ee Also

*Alexander Mitchell Palmer

Notes

Further reading

*Hough, Emerson, "The Web", 1919
*Jensen, Joan M., "The Price of Vigilance", 1968

External links

* [http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/mss/biltmore_industries/american_protection_league/default_league.htm American Protective League documents]
* [http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/11g.htm John Taylor Gatto - American Protective League Article]
* [http://www.iww.org/en/culture/articles/zinn14.shtml Repression Against the IWW]
* [http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricular/ageofirony/aoizine/megan.html The New Everyman]
* [http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/mss/biltmore_industries/american_protection_league/default_league.htm American Protective League. University of North Carolina at Asheville.]
* [http://www.policeguide.com/Photo_Galleries/Badge_Gallery_/American_Protective_League/american_protective_league.html Photograph of badge carried by the APL]