The Pittsburgh Press (January 27, 1941)
SECRET FILES OF U.S. STOLEN
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FBI concerned over theft of personal data
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Washington, Jan. 27 (UP) –
The Federal Bureau of Investigation today sought to determine whether foreign agents were involved in the theft of confidential personnel files from the Civil Service Commission.
G-Men already have in custody Harlan G. Crandall, 29-year-old Civil Service Commission employee, and Lawrence Haynes, whom they identified as an official of an establishment which furnishes mailing lists, presumably to private firms seeking prospective customers.
An FBI official said:
We are certainly looking into possible ramifications, involving persons who have been alleged to be sympathetic with foreign powers.
He said one serious aspect of the theft was the fact that questionnaires filled out by G-Men were among the stolen files.
Data on G-Men stolen
We are concerned over the possibility that these stolen files might reveal to foreign agents the identity of special agents assigned the counter-espionage work.
U.S. District Attorney Edward S. Curran will present the case against the two men to a federal grand jury here later today. He will seek their indictment on charges of larceny and unlawful removal of government documents.
The records allegedly stolen were personnel information sheets which some 600,000 federal employees had filled out voluntarily, stating their qualifications for jobs under the national defense program.
One has criminal record
The FBI later said Haynes had a criminal record dating back to 1928, and that he had been associated with his late father for several years in operating the Standard Business Service.
The FBI added that the stolen records in the case had been taken to Haynes’ establishment for the purpose of copying names, dates of birth and “other” pertinent data about the individuals represented by the personnel records. Several thousand such records were recovered by the G-Men.
According to G-Men, Haynes’ agency on previous occasions had compiled lists of owners of motorboats, employees of the Washington Navy Yard and aviation mechanics registered with the Civil Aeronautics Board.
Many convictions reported
The FBI charged the Crandall allegedly had contracted at one time to obtain a list of toolmakers in various cities in this country.
Haynes, G-Men said, first was sentenced to serve a 90-day term for grand larceny in 1928. Since then, he has been convicted on numerous occasions and sentenced to serve either jail or prison terms for passing bad checks, obtaining money under false pretenses.
On Jan. 20, 1940, Haynes received a one-year suspended sentence for obtaining money under false pretenses following his arrest at Bayonne, N.J. On March 8, 1940, he received a six-month sentence for embezzlement in the District of Columbia.