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aie ‘ a Offices of the Attr ‘ashington September 9, 19352. e House. Immediately following the riot by the so-called Fonus Army on July 253th, you diracted that an investivation and report thereon be made in this Department, ‘le have completed it, and I submit herewith a summary of the result. A vast amount of material in the form of reports, affidevits, and documentary evidence has been accumulated. It is only possible here briefly toa summarize tha conclusions. 1. The entry of the Honus army into the District of Colunbis, The first contingent of tho Bonus Army arrived about May 27th. On June @d, information reached the Denartment that a centingent from Cleveland led by C. R. Cowan and enother from Detroit led by John T. Pace, comprising about 1500 men, gathered at the Pennsylvania Railroad yeards at Cleveland and had held up 4 mail trein and attempted to commendeer trensportation to Vashington. Cowan, one of these leaders, has a long police record; he has been convicted and sentenced twice for forrery in Ohio and was sentenced to 13 months for robbing the mails to the United States Penitentiary at Atlenta in 1f 28. Pace, oa well krlown Communist leader, hes an extended police record. Ry one means and another these groups and others obtained trafts~ portation to “lashingten. By the middle of June they had congregated here in large numbers. They entered into possession of various tracts of government property, on some of which were old buildings. In some instances pormission to de go was siven by the police euthorities with the acquiescence of the Treasury, with the under- standing that the occupaney vould be temporary and would be dis- eontinued at requast and when Congress adjourned. Other government. tracts were seized without permission and occupied by menbers of the’. Bonus Army. The number of Bonus Army marchers in “ashington at the * time of the adjournment of Consresa on July 1léth has been variously estimated at from 8000 to 15,000, Sevorel thousand ieft shortly after Congress udjourned, but other eroups came in, and at the time of the riot the beyt estimates are that there were from 6000 to 68000 bonus marchers in the city. 2. The quality of the Bonus Army. “To understand the conditions causing the riot it is necessary to know somethinr of the character of the men in the Bonus Army. {®) Murmber of marchers who were not exz-service men, A con- siderable number cf the marchers were not in military service during the ‘Yorld “far. An approximation of the numher is impossible, but two liems of reliable information throw seme lieht on this cuestion. 7 vrior to the riot of July 28th, 341 members of the Bonus «¢rmy had been arrested at various dates for a variety of offenses, in- cluding disorderly conduct, parading without a permit, assault with Oo dansecrous weapon, destruction of private noroperty, trespess on private property, and solicitine alms. 1? “ere arrested ty *he police on July @8tn, and 4 on July 29th, making a total of 362, Unfortunately the police did not fingerprint all of these persons for identification, but £1 of them, including those arrested for disturbing the reace near the “hite Nouse, were fingerprinted, Of these, 1¢, or approximately oné-third, had no orld Tar service record. Frior to June 12th, 656 of the marchers who were arriving at shineton recistered on the muster rolls of the Bonus Army, viving their nanes, Army numbers, and other dato respecting their ‘lorid “ar service, These muster Tolls came into the hands of the police end ultimately to the Veterans' Bureau, which commenced to check the names to escerteain whethor the marcherg were ex-service men. Learning what use wes being made of the muster rolls, after June 12th the marchers discontinued the practice of registering. These first 35666 registered — arrivals lad been checked by the ‘fer Depertment and the Veterans’ Buresu egainst their records of Jorld “inr service men, with the result” that of the totel of 7656, B97, or a little more than one-fourth, could not be identified in oither departmeat as having had ‘orlée Jer ° service, Tt is rnssible tht some of the 677 vere ax-service men .