◆ SpookStack

Without warning, the Germans attacked Russia on June 22, “1941. Thereafter, the FBI focused its internal security efforts on potentially dangerous German, Italian, and Japanese nationals as well as native-born Americans whose beliefs and activities aided the Axis powers. The FBI also participated in intelligence collection. _ Here the Technical Laboratory played a pioneering role. Its highly skilled and inventive staff cooperated with engineers, scientists, and cryptographers in other agencies to enable the United States to penetrate and sometimes control the flow of information from the belligerents in the Western Hemisphere. Sabotage investigations were another FBI responsibility. In June 1942, a major, yet unsuccessful, attempt at sabotage was made on American soil. Two German submarines let off four saboteurs each at Amagansett, Long Island, and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. These men had been trained by Germany in explosives chemistry, secret writing, and how to blend into American surroundings. While still in German clothes, the New York croup encountered a Coast Guard sentinel patrolling the beach, who ultimately allowed them to pass. However, afraid of capture, saboteur George Dasch turned himself in--and assisted ‘(the FBI in locating and arresting the rest of the team. | All were tried shortly afterward by a military tribunal and found guilty. Six who did not cooperate ‘with the U.S§ Government were executed a few Gays later. The others were sentenced to life imprisonment, but were returned to Germany after the’ war. The swift capture of these Nazi saboteurs helped to allay fear of Axis subversion and bolstered Americans’ faith in the FEI. Even before U.S. entry into the War, the FBI uncovered = major espionage ring. This group, the Frederick Duquesne spy ring, was the largest one discovered up to that time The FBI was assisted by a loyal American with German relatives who acted as a2 double agent. For nearly two years the FBI ran a radio station fer him, learning what Germany was sending to its spies in the Unites States while controlling the information that was beinc transmitted to Germany. The investigation led to the arrest and conviction cf 33 spies. » War for the United States began December 7, 1941, when Japanese armed forces attacked ships and facilities at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States immediately declared war on Japan, and the next day Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. Ey 9:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on December 7, the FBI was in a wartime mode. FBI Headquarters and the 54 field offices were placed on 24-hour schedules. On December 7- and 8, .the FEI arrested previously identified aliens who threatened national security and turned them over to military or immigration authorities. —