Spies Up, 'Nappers Down

No lark could be happier than John Edgar Hoover, chief policeman of the land, who has found in Attorney General Frank Murphy the perfect, implacable, incorruptible yet deferent boss. Mr. Murphy takes Mr. Hoover with him on major punitive expeditions, such as the one to Kansas City to "get" Boss Thomas J. Pendergast. Mr. Murphy encourages Mr. Hoover to step out vigorously on lines of his own, as any smart policeman likes to do.

Spies are the new line on which Mr. Hoover is stepping. In his annual report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, published last week, he stated these remarkable figures on his spy cases:

In 1933-38, an average of 35 per year.

In 1938, 250 new cases.

In 1939, 1,651 new cases.

Kidnapping has dropped off proportionately; Mr. Hoover was able to report 154 solutions out of 156 cases pursued since 1932 (Lindbergh Law).

In the round, FBI obtained 5,162 convictions during fiscal 1939. Twelve life sentences were imposed, plus terms totaling 16,948 years, 6 months, 5 days.

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