Beautiful but Subversive

In the past two years G-Men have often rolled a wistful eye at the sensational headlines of the Dies Committee, which had invaded an ancient but lately unpublicized province of FBI--sabotage, propaganda, espionage. G-Men took cover in the excuse that such doings should be kept under cover, insisted they had everything in hand except the headlines. Texas' Martin Dies flew from lecture to lecture (his platform dates often preceded by a raid whose results were never announced). The G-Men never give lectures.

Last week, as Dies and the Justice Department continued to wrangle, FBI made a feeble attempt to get back into the E. Phillips Oppenheim area of romance, international intrigue and slinky sirens. At a dinner of the National Stevedores Association,* in Washington, one of G-Man Hoover's assistants, Inspector L. R. Pennington, "bared" a "girl spy plot." The stalwart inspector alleged that "a prominent society woman from a totalitarian country" had plotted to hire beautiful but subversive girls, had rented a house in Washington, was ready to install elaborate gambling facilities. Army, Navy, State Department officials were to be lured there, seduced by roulette or poulette, and their defense secrets extracted.

Inspector Pennington named no names, did not say any arrests had been made. He contented himself with a policemanly remark that the plot had been "nipped in the bud." The G-Man's story fell with a dull thud. Mr. Dies zoomed on to more lectures, bigger raids.

* During the dinner the Stevedores drank a toast to "His Majesty the King of England."

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