 The Equitable Life Assurance Society presents This Is Your F.B.I. This Is Your F.B.I. The official broadcast from the Files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Presented transcribed as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. Are you covered by Social Security? Then you'll be vitally interested in the idea of turning your Social Security into full security. Your Equitable Life Assurance Society representative will show you how simple it can be. So please listen carefully in about 13 minutes to this important message from the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Tonight, the subject of our F.B.I. file, Loyalty Investigation. It's title, Citizen Caldwell. In times of stress, times like today, ordinary words take on different meanings to different people. Take the words loyalty investigation, for example. There are some who regard the current government employee investigations as witch hunts. Some feel they do not go far enough. Others are not clear as to how the F.B.I. goes about such investigations. Tonight's program will answer those and other questions about loyalty investigations. Of approximately four million government employees whose records have been checked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In about 18,000 instances, information was discovered which warranted a full field examination. This is the case history of one such investigation. Tonight's file opens in a small apartment on the south side of Chicago. A man who appears to be in his early 40s is sitting quietly on the sofa. He leans forward to light his pipe, then resumes staring into space. Tom. Hmm? You've been 40 miles away from here all night. What's wrong? Nothing. I was just thinking. About what? I ran into Mr. Bentley yesterday. There are openings at the department. But you've got a job. Well, it's not like civil service. He wants me to take the exam. You said you liked working at the plant. I know, but if I go back to the department those three years I worked there before the war would count. And so would the four I was in the Army. Count for what? Retirement. You're too young to be thinking about that. I'm 43. If I take the exam and pass it, I'm on permanent status. It doesn't make things a lot easier. I'm not worried. Well, it's good to look ahead. If you go back to the department, you might be there a month and be transferred a thousand miles away. Claire, are you sad against me going back? No. You mind if I do? Tom, I'm old-fashioned enough to think that's a man's decision to make. You do whatever you like. The following month at the Chicago FBI field office, Supervisor Baker in charge of the unit handling government employee loyalty investigations is at his desk when Special Agent Jim Taylor enters the office. Hello, Taylor. Good morning, Mr. Baker. I've got an assignment for you. All right, sir. Washington recently received this anonymous letter. It's about somebody named Tom Caldwell, who's up for a job with the Department of Supply. Now, the note says he used to go in and out of Communist headquarters 1947 and 8. Also says he was a party member and as an officer of the machinery workers' guild, he followed the party line. Pretty specific. Yeah, well, these are things that can be nailed down. I checked our file on Caldwell, and nothing to substantiate the charges. Apparently his record is clean. Oh, do we have the loyalty form that he filled out? Yeah, that's why Washington referred the matter to us. No. Caldwell says he enlisted in the Army the day after Pearl Harbor. He served overseas. Claims to have the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart with two clusters. Honorable discharge, December 1945. Says he also had three years of the Department of Supply before the war as a temporary employee. No, I see. The record section has nothing on Caldwell His name has never turned up in any of our files on the party. Well, then all we've really got to work on is that letter. Yeah, that's all so far. See what else you can find out. No FBI investigation is ever a one-man job. By its very nature, a full field investigation, such as this one is, can only be handled by a tightly knit, smooth operating law enforcement organization. For example, wires were sent to three other field offices. Offices in Boston, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati, where Caldwell had previously resided. In Washington, FBI headquarters notified the Civil Service Commission that an investigation was being conducted. An investigation that was digging deeper, ever deeper into the background of one Thomas Caldwell. An investigation for one thing, the truth. I've got some information on Caldwell. Good, let's have it. He works as a traffic expert at the Arcadia Manufacturing Company. Uh-huh, you been there long? Yeah, since he got out of the Army. I talked to his boss at Arcadia. He gave Caldwell an A-1 recommendation. Had Caldwell told him about the government application? Yes, the boss helped him fill it out. Well, he was about bored on that. Yeah, he belongs to a union called the Machinery Workers Guild. Back in 1946, he was their treasurer. He's still active? Yes, yes, he's married. His wife's maiden name is Clara Johnson. He doesn't have a police record and there was no derogatory background on the wife. You find out anything about Caldwell's friends? Well, I've located one so far, his best pal. It's a man named Arthur Perry. I have his address. Have you interviewed him? No, sir, he's been out of town. He doesn't get back till this afternoon. And I have to check another angle in his neighborhood at 12.30, so I'll catch them both on the one trip. All right, and hand in your report on those interviews when they're finished. You can clean up the... Oh, I thought it was a maid. Are you Arthur Perry? That's right. I'm a special agent of the FBI, Mr. Perry. Here are my credentials. Mm-hmm. Oh, would you rather I waited until you got unpacked? No, no, no. What can I do for you? Well, sir, I'd like some information about a friend of yours. Which one? Tom Caldwell. You're kidding. No, I'm not. What kind of trouble could Tom have gotten into? Well, none that I know of, but he's applied for a government job. We're investigating him. Save your time. How long have you known him? We were overseas together. Take my word for it. He's okay. Well, what can you tell me about him? Some people don't like him. He's no soft soap artist. If you do something that strikes him wrong, he tells you about it. Mm-hmm. I guess you're interested in his politics, huh? No. No, his political beliefs are of no concern to us. Well, anyway, he's never voted a straight ticket in his life. He boasts about it. He votes for the man, not the label. I see. He's strong for civil liberties and the labor, but he's no communist or fascist. You're sure of that? Positive. Tom was against the Nazis, and he's against the Commies. Oh, I know. You must have heard about the petition. What petition? Tom and Clara signed a thing. They got me to sign, too. It was about a group of overzealous citizens beating up some commie organizers. Tom said he was against the Communist, but he was also against lynching, and he wanted to say so. Well, that's understandable. Please go ahead. Let's see. He goes to the church on the corner every Sunday, and he belongs to the same vets outfit that I do. Anything else you want to know? No, not right now. Thanks, Mr. Perry. I appreciate your taking this time out, and so should Caldwell. Special agents of your FBI don't spend their careers behind mahogany desks. They interview. They develop new leads. They start with a slip of paper containing a man's name, Thomas Caldwell. Soon it's the Caldwell file, as agents talk to the minister of his church, to his neighbors, to a man with whom he once worked, to members of the veterans group he joined. Reports are written after each interview, written whether they seem important at the time or not. For the agent's job is not to judge, but to collect information, to collect the facts, as many facts as possible. And the search for facts concerning Thomas Caldwell takes special agent Taylor to see the head of the machinery workers' union. Well, come in. Come and sit on. I'm sorry we're out of red carpet. Well, that's all right, Mr. Morgan. They always try to be pleasant to the Gestapo. The FBI is no Gestapo, and you know it. I wish I did. We haven't got that kind of power, and we don't want it. Mr. Hoover is on record on that point. Now, can he prove it? Well, this isn't a place for that, but I'll answer your question. Yes, he can prove it. Congress wanted to give the Bureau the power to clear people under the National Science Foundation Bill. Now, you look at the congressional record and see the stand that Mr. Hoover took against that. Why? We don't clear anybody. We investigate. We get the facts. Why are you here? I'd like some information on one of your members. His name is Tom Caldwell. Caldwell, huh? Well, that proves what I've always said. You guys apparently don't know a communist from a liberal. I'm sure we do. So you're investigating Tom Caldwell to prove it? I know. You find out he went on a couple of picket lines. No. We're checking on Caldwell because he's applied for a government job. Well, he'll never get it. He's a good union member. That makes no difference in our report. What kind of information do you want from me? You want to know if he's behind in his dues? I understand he's been active in union affairs. I thought you might be able to tell me something about him personally. Sure, I'll tell him. Subpoena me. Do this in court. There's nothing to go to court about, Mr. Morgan. Caldwell hasn't committed any crime. Even if he were a communist... He isn't. That's my statement. Do you want me to sign it? No, thanks. I guess I might as well go. If I can be any help to you again, please call on me. I will, Mr. Morgan. I certainly will. Are you doing those reports? Oh, yes, Mr. Baker. Well, hold them up for a little while. I've got a new lead for you. Oh, it's that, sir. Well, I talked to one of our undercover men today about Caldwell. He said a man named Pete Nelson might be of some help to us. And who's Nelson? He's a communist who wants to leave the party. Our man thinks he'll talk. I hear you can reach Nelson at this number. It's a barbershop where he works. Thanks. I think I'll call him now. Did this undercover man have anything on Caldwell? No, but he wasn't in Chicago when Caldwell, allegedly, was active in the party. Ella, Pete Nelson, please, speaking. Oh, this is Special Agent Taylor of the FBI. Yes? Can you talk where you are? No. Well, I'd, uh, I'd like to meet you someplace. All right. Where? You say you'll be at the hotel capital, Mr. Jones? Oh, I see. That's where you want to meet me? Yes, Mr. Jones. Can you make it tonight? Yes, I think so. All right, I'll be registered there in the name of Frank Jones. You come right up to the room. No, hurry. Say, are you running for something in the union again? No, why? Lots of mail for you today. It's over there. No. Aren't you even going to look at it? Maybe, even later. Are you sick? The mail is usually the first thing you reach for. They're from out of town. Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and two from Boston. Mm-hmm. Now look, Tom. I've never meddled in your affairs. I'm not starting now. But you're busting out of your skin with something. Well, it's nothing. Look, if you don't want to talk to me about it, don't. But talk to somebody. You haven't been yourself now for a week. Clara, sit down. I can't. Dinner over. This is more important. What is it? I'm being investigated. By who? The FBI. For the job? Yes, it's a loyalty investigation. That's what those letters are about. How do you know? I got phone calls today at the office from old friends in those cities. The FBI's been around to question them. They've spoken to my boss at the office to heart and parried to lots of other people. Well, Tom, I can't see anything wrong in the government investigating people so they'll be sure no communists are working for them. I'm not saying it's wrong. Then why work yourself into this kind of a state? Because they're investigating me. Why? Clara, I joined the party in 1946. In just a moment, we'll return to tonight's case which shows how your FBI helps protect our nation against crime and criminals. But now I want to talk about another kind of security. We have with us here in the studio Mr. and Mrs. James Bush. Good evening. Good evening. Mr. Bush, on previous programs, I've been telling about the Equitable Society's fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. I hear you sent for this chart and I'd like to have you and your wife tell our audience how it helped you solve your security problem. Well, the way I figured it, Mr. Keating, something happened to me about old Martha and the children could expect from my social security was about $117 a month. And it doesn't take a genius to figure that $117 wouldn't be nearly enough to keep a mother and three kids living comfortably. That's right. And that's why Jim got so interested when he heard you talking about the fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers and the way it would show us how to turn our social security into full security. And did it? Oh, yes, indeed. Jim and I worked together on the chart and it didn't take us more than a few minutes to learn exactly just how much we would need to take care of the children and me if Jim were in here to look after us. Yes, the chart guides you every step of the way with easy-to-understand pictures and every major item of living expense is included to give you an answer that's trustworthy and accurate. Right, Mr. Bush? That's right, Mr. Keating. I certainly want to thank the Equitable Society for giving us this very valuable help. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Bush. Yes, friends, now at last you don't have to guess about your family's future financial security. Now you can find out just how much you need to turn your social security into full security simply by getting your free copy of the fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers published by the Equitable Society. With the big head start from your social security, plus whatever insurance you may have, only a small amount of additional insurance may be all that's needed to enable you to build social security into full security. So why not get in touch with your Equitable Society representative soon? Ask him for your free copy of Equitable's fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. That's E-Q-U-I-T-A-B-L-E. The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. And now back to the FBI file. Citizen Caldwell. In connection with tonight's case history, we bring you a message from the director of your FBI, Mr. J. Edgar Hoover. Mr. Hoover's words are, and I quote, The Communist Party in this country has adopted the technique of the big lie. They try to smear everyone who disagrees with them by labeling those people fascists. They look upon the real liberals of the nation as their sworn enemies. And at the same time, seek to corrupt liberalism in every possible way. Other people equally as mistaken sometimes attempt to smear all liberals by labeling them as communists. Some even set themselves up as self-appointed investigators of their fellow citizens' political beliefs. Don't make that mistake yourself. Vigilante action and witch hunts are never any help. They only aid the communist cause by pitting loyal Americans against other loyal Americans. We need no vigilantes or secret weapons to defeat communism in this country. Your civil liberties are at stake in this fight to keep America free of communism. Contribute to the protection of those liberties. Don't call names and don't investigate on your own. If you suspect anyone of espionage, sabotage or subversive activities, look for the number of your nearest FBI field office on page one of your local directory and call it. The men of your FBI are trained to do the job. Tonight's FBI file continues in Agent Taylor's room at the hotel capital. Just a minute. Mr. Jones? Yes, that's right. Come on in. Sit down, please. Thanks. Are we alone? Yeah. Your seat mustn't get out that I talk to you. No, it won't. And my name mustn't be used. Well, if those are your conditions, I won't mention your name in my reports. All right. Now, I understand that you want to break with the party. I'm here, doesn't that prove it? Here, take a look at this picture. Do you recognize him? Yes, it's Jeff Caldwell. Jeff? Yeah, that's his middle name. It's Thomas Jefferson Caldwell. He used to be in my cell. Where? Here in Chicago in 46 before I was transferred. Will you sign a statement of that effect? Sign? If it even got out that I talk to the FBI... All right, will you appear before a board and testify? No, sir. Well, then all we've got is your word. We need proof. Uh, Caldwell's party name was Jeff Carson. Maybe that'll help you. Can you prove that? Maybe. When will you know for sure? Tomorrow. All right. I'll keep this room. You call me here and leave a message. Mr. Baker, did you want to see me? Yes, Taylor, come in. Thanks. I've almost finished those reports. I'll let them wait for now. I've got a teletype from Washington. On Caldwell? Yes. Mr. Hoover-Wire, that we have records of a man named Jeff Carson belonging to the party during the years 1946 through 48. Oh. But he wants proof Caldwell and Carson are the same person. I see. I called our undercover agent and told him we needed definite evidence from Pete Nelson. How can we get it? Yeah, I think so. Our man called back a few minutes ago. You've got a date with Nelson for three o'clock this afternoon. At the hotel? No. In the last row of the reading room at the public library. Nelson will sit down next to you and leave a magazine on the table. Inside the front cover, you'll find an envelope. Bring it back here and I'll wait for you. Even on a rush job, an FBI special agent must practice one thing. Patience. Agent Taylor waited that afternoon at the library. A half hour. An hour. Two hours. Finally, it paid off. Nelson arrived. He left an envelope in a magazine. It contained an application for membership into the Communist Party. It carried the signature Jeff Carson. It was sent to Washington to be studied. A report came back. A report from the document section. A report on the handwriting of Jeff Carson and Thomas Caldwell. A report which said they were the same. Now there was proof. Some proof, but still not enough. So the file remained open. Open until one question was conclusively answered. Is Tom Caldwell a Communist? Have a chair. Thanks, Mr. Morgan. Yeah, you're still on Caldwell? Yes, sir. Why come back to me? Because I've done some checking since I was here last. You've cleaned this union up. When you took over it at a solid Communist corps, now that's gone. Your members tell me that you're responsible. Well, that's nice to hear. You'd know if an officer of the outfit was following the party line, wouldn't you? You mean Caldwell or just any officer? No, I mean Caldwell. Did he follow the party line? Mr. Morgan, as I said, I came back because I don't think you'd knowingly shield a Communist. I have certain information about Caldwell, and I'm trying to double-check it before I finish my report. And you want my help? If you'll give it to me, yes. All right. Caldwell joined the party in 1946. Why didn't you tell me that the last time? I was trying to protect him. That's why I figured I might get you mad enough to stop checking on Caldwell and begin investigating me. Why protect him? Caldwell never really was a Communist. He joined the party on orders. Who is? Mine. When I became head of this union, the Commies drove me nuts. They were trying to take over it to look for a while like they might make it. I had a meeting with Caldwell one night. I asked him to join the party, and he turned me down. I see. I kept on working on him, and finally he agreed to do it. For almost three years, he tipped me off as to what they were up to, and at the same time used his influence to get them to move slow. I take a lot of credit for ridding this union of Commies, and I think I deserve it. But the man who really helped me most was Tom Caldwell. Will you put all that into a signed statement? Yes, of course I will. By the way, did anybody else know about Caldwell joining on your orders? Yes, how Whitfield was the vice president in those days? He was in on it. Where's Whitfield now? Working in San Francisco. I'll get his address for you. All right. Thanks. Mr. Taylor, I want to apologize. For what? One reason I didn't talk to you when you were here last time is... I wasn't sure you'd understand. Well, understanding is not our business. We don't make recommendations one way or the other. We just try to get the facts. They speak for themselves. Mr. Baker, here's the complete report on Caldwell. Oh, thanks, Taylor. You know, he's lucky you sent me back to see Morgan. Well, the thing didn't add up. Especially after we got these other reports here. Boston, no evidence of communist activity. Milwaukee, no evidence. San Francisco, no evidence. Oh, you heard from San Francisco? Yeah, this morning. I was interviewed and confirmed Morgan's story in every detail. And a lab reporter that the sample of Pete Nelson's handwriting you submitted matched the writing in the anonymous letter. That ties into the facts developed that Nelson and Caldwell wanted to marry the same girl. Well, I'll send the report and get it off to Washington immediately. Tom? Yes, dear? What are you doing home? I quit at the plant. Quit? You better get dressed. We're having dinner downtown. But I... I start at the department tomorrow. Huh? Read this. The Department of Supply Loyalty Board has cleared Thomas Jay Caldwell. And he is hereby notified that his period of employment starts immediately upon reporting. Tom, they didn't find out. Yes, they did. Well... Harry Morgan told him about it, but the FBI report explained why I joined. Oh. I'll take it easy. That's the girl. You know, Clara, you never really appreciate democracy until you see it work, until you see it do this kind of a job. You'll have to write Harry Morgan a thank-you note. I already have. And I also sent one to J. Edgar Hoover. I hope you don't mind. I thank Mr. Hoover for both of us. To Tom Caldwell, the investigation you have just heard dramatized was of utmost importance. On it depended his entire future. To your FBI, it was one and a long line of thousands upon thousands of similar full-field investigations. But as you have heard, it was conducted as fully and as earnestly as if it had been a search for a mad killer. Your FBI has been criticized in the past for paying any attention to the anonymous letters which flow into its offices every day. Its policy on those letters is the same as unsigned affidavits. Everything which comes to your FBI is filed. To assume the right to file one letter and discard another would be undemocratic. For then it could lead to keeping only those letters which reported on certain people and not keeping those which reported on others. No such ability to scan the piece of paper and instantly to determine the truth or falseness of its message is assumed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It never will be. Your FBI operates to collect only one thing. Facts. For it is a firm believer in the biblical prophecy that the truth shall make you free. Now just two things to remember about the Equitable's fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. First, it shows you exactly what monthly income your family would require if the breadwinner should die. Second, this pictorial chart doesn't cost you one cent. Ask your Equitable Society representative for a free copy. If you cannot locate an equitable agent, send a postcard care of this station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Next week we will dramatize another case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Its subject, Racket Control. Its title, The Million Dollar Question. The incidents used in tonight's Equitable Life Assurance Society's broadcast are adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. All names used are fictitious, and any similarity thereof to the names of places or persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner. The author was Jerry D. Lewis. Your narrator was William Woodson, and special agent Taylor was played by Stacey Harris. Others in the cast were Whitfield Conner, Bill Conrad, Sam Edwards, Herb Ellis, Lou Merrill, and Jeanette Nolan. This is Your FBI is a Jerry Divine production. This is Larry Keating speaking of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. And inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time when the Equitable Life Assurance Society will bring you another thrilling transcribe story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Million Dollar Question on This Is Your FBI. Stay tuned for the adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. There's fun for the whole family when Ozzie and Harriet come your way next. Welcome to You from Hollywood.