WAR CONTRACT SECRETS.

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 155, 3 July 1916, Page 2

WAR CONTRACT SECRETS.

THEFTS IN NEW YORK,

That i.here hag been systematic theft for some time past of confidential '.rnblegrams and letters passing between > the French Government, and Messrs J. P. Morgan and Co.,' of New York, was the startling revelation, made- by Police 1 Commissioner Woods when called upon by the Investigating Committee to ; answer the charge that the police of New York have been guilty of "tapping" private telephone wires indiscriminately in search ■'*or-.'•;. information;Recently, ,it appeared, valuable secrets had ?eaked from the offices of Messrs SeyDWir and Seymour, a New York fir.n of war brokers, aiid subsequent investigations disclosed that the, police had. systematically "listened" .to the firm's private tele-; phone conversations. This led to the-lelief'-that the New York police has j-egularly spied upon all private telephono > conversations, and public indignation was aroused to such an extent: thrfjp the Mayor of; the city demanded, that Commissioner \voods be permitted to justify these actions. The ' Commissioner's story showed that the police only tap telephone ; wires when on a definite clue in the, detection of crime, and the police are not guilty of promisoaous espionage <ns charged. ; Mr - Woods told how Messrs Morgan and Company believed rthat their, office secrets \yere being ''tduted'' about amongst 'war c6abractor9, so that the' latter could bid. within limits stipulated for Orders. Whether the, leak was in Mr Morgan's office or iii; the offices of Seymour and Scy mo ur, : .who; were finb-odntkctoi-s fpr. MrQ Morgan, was what the, were endeavoring to ascertain by telephone-tapping.