Pittsburgh also was expected to be an alien storm center when the United States declared war upon Germany. This uneasiness was natural and to be expected. Most of our great iron and steel plants were located there, and numerous other important industries as well. These plants were vital to our success in the war, as were the great coal mines in the adjacent districts. It was felt on every side that the enemy would strike here if he struck at all. But the main cause for apprehension lay in the fact that Pittsburgh had an enormous foreign population, especially from countries of the central allies, and the presence of this element in its industries was feared as a source of dynamite, sabotage and labor troubles. The fact that Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania throughout the war remained practically free from labor disturbances and war munition destruction, so troublesome in other sections, was due to the splendid intelligence service rendered by the American Protective League, in close coöperation with the United States Department of Justice and Naval and Military Intelligence Bureaus. The Smoky City sends in a very clean report.
Pittsburgh operated the highest percentage on war work of any district in the United States. It filled over sixty-five per cent of all the steel contracts placed by the Ordnance Department, in addition to the tremendous output of munitions and other war materials for the Entente Allies. It was estimated that the district was running from sixty to seventy per cent on war work at the time of the Armistice, that at least 5,000 plants, many of them mammoth in size, were filling Government orders, and over one million employees were engaged in large part in helping win the war. During the latter part of hostilities the daily labor shortage was over 16,000. It was vital to the United States and to the Entente Allies that the Pittsburgh District should be permitted to conduct unmolested its great industries of the war, and that this was possible was due in a large measure to the American Protective League.
A few days after the war was declared, John W. Weibley, a well known Pittsburgh business man, was asked to organize a Division of the American Protective League in the twenty-seven counties of Western Pennsylvania, comprising the United States Western Judicial District. Mr. Weibley conferred with Mr. Robert S. Judge, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, to learn if the Government was in need of such an organization. When assured that it was, Mr. Weibley began the formation of a branch for this district.
Representatives of the railroads and other important corporations were called into conference and were asked to coöperate, and within an amazingly short time the American Protective League had active agents in every county, township, city, town and village in the entire district. In the case of Pittsburgh, the operating headquarters, this plan of organization was worked out so minutely that an active agent representing the League, and in constant communication with it, was located in every voting precinct, and where there were concentrations of the foreign element, these agents were to be found in practically every city block.
Mr. Weibley personally perfected and maintained from Pittsburgh this network throughout the District. Mr. Ralph B. Montgomery directed the work in Pittsburgh, each ward being placed in charge of a captain who reported to him, and each captain having his separate lieutenants with agents in every election precinct. Mr. Raymond H. Allen, assisted by Mr. William S. Masten, directed the operation of the intelligence activities in the outlying counties.
Frequent meetings of ward captains and district lieutenants were held to hear suggestions from representatives of the Government. They were thus kept familiar with the latest happenings and knew what precautions to take to make their work effective.
The story of the Pittsburgh Division, as it is related in these pages by its Chief, is the story of a program of action, thoughtfully conceived, carefully and efficiently executed, and successful beyond all expectations. Mr. Weibley says in his report:
A splendid esprit de corps was maintained, as the organization in Pittsburgh was limited to the least possible number in membership, and all members were kept busy. Great care was used in the selection of the men enrolled, and each applicant was subjected to a rigid investigation. If he did not meet the requirements, his application was rejected or placed on file to provide material for future replacements when urgency demanded it. As a result, the highest interest in the work was maintained throughout the war period.
The Pittsburgh district being the most important manufacturing, munition, fuel and chemical center in the country, was largely dependent for its labor upon foreigners, many of whom came from countries at war with us. It therefore was imperative that many of our operatives should be of diverse nationalities and able to speak many tongues. As an illustration, it was estimated that at the beginning of the war fully fifty per cent of the Austrians in the United States were at work in vital coal mines, coke works, steel mills and other industrial plants within a radius of 50 miles of Pittsburgh. This naturally made the alien menace a grave one, but so intensive was the organization of the League that not an important industrial operation in the great district was without one or more of the League agents as active employes. In fact, intimate connection was maintained with every alien gathering or meeting place, and nothing of moment was planned that the League officials were not soon familiar with. In fact, in one of the largest industrial concerns, the principal official was chief of a league unit, and many of his trusted employes were his active associates.
Pittsburgh industrial concerns, vitally interested in meeting the Government’s demands for constantly increasing output of war material, quickly solved the question of finances, and the League had ample funds to meet every requirement. This made possible a highly efficient office organization and a suite of offices on the fourth floor of the St. Nicholas Building, which permitted the Department of Justice and Army and Navy Intelligence Bureaus also to locate quarters there, giving a compact working organization reaching every branch of the service and promoting that intimate contact and close coöperation which assured success. This reciprocal arrangement was especially effective in the case of the Department of Justice, which, under the operation of Mr. Judge, rendered and was rendered assistance on all occasions.