162:
177:, a political ally and former Congressman, Alien Property Custodian in October 1917. Palmer held the position from October 22, 1917 until March 4, 1919. A wartime government official, the Custodian had responsibility for the seizure, administration, and sometimes the sale of enemy property in the United States. Palmer was also allowed to take control of property that might hinder the war effort, including all property belonging to interned immigrants, whether they had been charged with a crime or not. Palmer's background in law and banking qualified him for the position, along with his party loyalty and intimate knowledge of political patronage. Under Palmer's leadership, the Custodian employed hundreds of officials.
154:
24:
305:'s, focused less on legality of their appointments or the fees earned by political cronies but on sales of enemy assets. There were safeguards in place, but competitive bidding meant nothing when an auction was rigged by withholding information from all participants. More revelations took years to surface and the connections between Palmer and direct profits proved too tenuous to support his indictment. However, Thomas W. Miller was caught in the act and served jail time for taking a $ 50,000 bribe.
146:
227:(USBA) and the rest of the overwhelmingly German liquor industry harbored pro-German sentiments. He stated that "German brewers of America, in association with the United States Brewers' Association" had attempted "to buy a great newspaper" and "control the government of State and Nation", had generally been "unpatriotic", and had "pro-German sympathies". Palmer wanted to seize the estate of the late
309:
independent of German investment, with major sales of the seized assets in the metals industry in the spring of 1919, for example. He offered his rationale in a speech to an audience of lawyers: "The war power is of necessity an inherent power in every sovereign nation. It is the power of self-preservation and that power has no limits other than the extent of the emergency."
325:
establishing the Office of the Alien
Property Custodian within the Office for Emergency Management under authority of the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 and the First War Powers Act of December 18, 1941. On April 21, 1942 an Executive order subsequently transferred to it the functions, personnel,
76:
was originally enacted during World War I "to permit, under careful safeguards and restrictions, certain kinds of business to be carried on "among warring nations, and to "provid for the care and administration of the property and property rights of enemies and their allies in this country pending
308:
Palmer successfully campaigned to keep the powers to sell confiscated assets within the office of custodian. He promised to hinder
Germany's industrial expansion after the war. Even when Germany was facing an inevitable defeat, Palmer insisted on continuing his crusade to make American industry
198:
Late in 1918, Palmer reported he was managing almost 30,000 trusts with assets worth half a billion dollars. He estimated that another 9,000 trusts worth $ 300,000,000 awaited evaluation. Many of the enterprises in question produced materials significant to the war effort, such as medicines,
418:
Testifying before a U.S. Subcommittee in 1957, Townsend argued that a return of 10% of seized enemy property was a sufficient amount. "One of the most unfair aspects of a general return of all German and
Japanese property is that it would donate huge windfalls to large enemy corporations,
207:
for gas masks. Others included mines, brewing, and newspaper publishing. Palmer built a team of professionals with banking expertise as well as an investigative bureau to track down well-hidden assets. Below the top-level positions, he distributed jobs as
71:
to appoint an official known as the "alien property custodian" (APC) who is responsible for "receiv ... hold, administer, and account for" "all money and property in the United States due or belonging to an enemy, or ally of enemy ... ."
275:
said that the alien property custodian kept "the biggest general store in the country." Altogether, the United States
Government confiscated close to $ 500 million of foreign assets during WWI. In 1921, the Congress while adopting the
414:
Assistant United States
Attorney General, heading the Justice Department's Alien Property Office, an office he held until 1960. Townsend supervised the seizure of enemy property and assets that had been seized during World War II.
509:
731:
688:
Brewing and Liquor
Interests and German Propaganda: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Sixty-fifth Congress, Second and Third Sessions, Pursuant to S. Res.
463:
Executive Order No. 2729–A, October 12, 1917, Vesting Power and
Authority in Designated Officers and Making Rules and Regulations under Trading with the Enemy Act and Title VII of the Act Approved June 15,
278:
Joint
Resolution Terminating the State of War Between the Imperial German Government and the United States of America and Between the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Government and the United States of
638:
510:
Guide to
Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. Compiled by Robert B. Matchette et al. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995, Volume 1, 131-1
264:
transferred 4,500 German chemical patents valued at $ 8 million to the
Chemical Foundation, paying only $ 250,000; the Chemical Foundation in its turn licensed patents to American companies.
374:
419:
industrialists and their agents, many of whom were strong supporters of the militaristic and aggressive policies of the former Governments of Germany and Japan," he told Senators.
191:
wrote that Palmer's organization turned into "the biggest trust institution in the world, a director of vast business enterprises of varied nature, a detective agency, and a
973:"Executive Order 9788—Terminating the Office of Alien Property Custodian and Transferring Its Functions to the Attorney General | the American Presidency Project"
1024:"PLUNDER AND RESTITUTION: Findings and Recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States and Staff Report: Chapter III"
972:
622:
How Seized German Millions Fight Germany; First Authoritative Account of the Many;-Sided Activities of Alien Property Custodian;-Enemy Money Is Put Into Liberty Bonds
334:
as APC. During the war the APC amassed a vast portfolio of enemy property including real estate, business enterprises, ships and intellectual property in the form of
543:"The U.S. Confiscated Half a Billion Dollars in Private Property During WWI: America's home front was the site of internment, deportation, and vast property seizure"
568:
443:
362:
322:
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385:, indicated that Bazelon's activities as head of the Office of Alien Property warranted a Senate investigation but predicted none would be forthcoming.
1131:
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542:
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248:, as well as twenty German insurance companies, were seized. Among other significant seizures, the United States assets of the chemical company
293:. In 1925, the Office of Alien Property Custodian still controlled $ 300 million worth of alien property, with half of that amount in cash.
92:(APB) in the Claims Division of the Department of Justice. On December 9, 1941, the APB was superseded in the Justice Department by the
713:
1093:
161:
990:
109:
104:, Department of Justice. It was abolished in 1966 and most of the functions related to foreign assets control were passed to the
931:
792:
331:
231:, whose wife was stranded in Europe during the war, and succeeded in seizing the property of another brewer, George Ehret.
841:
810:
761:
81:
1023:
671:
398:, meaning that Hitler got none of the royalties from the book's sales in the United States, totaling $ 20,580 by 1945.
282:
52:
224:
100:(APC) within the Office of Emergency Management. APC was abolished in 1946 and its functions were transferred to the
842:"Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Executive Order 9095 Establishing the Office of Alien Property Custodian.," March 11, 1942"
382:
1151:
105:
354:
in 1943, the Custodian seized much of Tesla's work from his hotel room even though Tesla was an American citizen.
55:(TWEA) in order to "assume control and dispose of enemy-owned property in the United States and its possessions."
908:
476:
68:
153:
213:
1068:
51:
to property that belonged to US enemies. The office was created in 1917 by Executive Order 2729-A under the
48:
900:
521:
462:
185:
The size of the assets the Custodian controlled only became clear over the next year. In January 1918,
1112:
1136:
995:
1099:
Office of Alien Property Custodian: Annual report for the period March 11, 1942 to June 30, 1943
261:
1098:
663:
522:
Government Documents - Independent Agencies, Boards, and Commissions: Alien Property Custodian
318:
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235:
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to serve as counsel for a textile company and another the vice-president of a shipping line.
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specified that all seized property had remained in the United States ownership; also, the
23:
8:
411:
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took over as head of the Office of Alien Property, as a result of the reorganization in
959:
605:
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and property of the Alien Property Division of the Department of Justice. He appointed
272:
260:. In April 1919, the president of the Chemical Foundation, Inc. and Palmer's successor
187:
174:
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439:
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220:
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Among the assets held by the Alien Property Custodian in WWII was the copyright for
698:. Govt. print. off., 1919. Original from the University of Michigan. v. 1, pp. 3–4.
358:
351:
302:
204:
1103:
165:
Alien Property Custodian sale of the plant of A. W. Faber Pencil Co., Newark, N.J.
378:
370:
192:
871:
500:, J., concurring). See also S. Rep. No. 113, 65th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 1 (1917).
96:(APD). The APD was abolished in 1942 and its functions were passed along to the
849:
818:
777:
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228:
170:
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36:
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Treatment of Alien Enemy Property in War Time and After by the United States
726:
724:
569:"Chemical Warfare: From the European Battlefield to the American Laboratory"
389:
347:
44:
1008:
Ickes, Harold L. (October 31, 1949). "Responsibility for a Strong Bench".
811:"Executive Order 9095 Establishing the Office of Alien Property Custodian"
640:
The Palmer Raids and the Red Scare: 1918-1920: Justice and Liberty for All
426:, a Swiss holding company, saying that it was a front for the real owner,
219:
In September 1918, Palmer testified at hearings held by the U.S. Senate's
721:
423:
327:
253:
149:
President Wilson with Mitchell Palmer, the first Alien Property Custodian
40:
732:
The Secret Life of Statutes: A Century of the Trading with the Enemy Act
480:
394:
339:
335:
301:
Later criticism of Palmer's and his successors performance, especially
88:(OAPC) ceased to exist in 1934 and its functions were delegated to the
145:
427:
209:
130:
Office of Alien Property Custodian, Department of Justice (1942–1946)
121:
Office of Alien Property Custodian, Department of Justice (1917–1934)
136:
Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Department (1966–present)
985:
375:
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
200:
343:
257:
1053:"Dallas Townsend Sr., 77, Dies; Ex-Assistant Attorney General".
27:
The seal of the United States Office of Alien Property Custodian
285:
was not terminated. It stayed dormant until March 1933, when
249:
212:. For example, he appointed one of his fellow members of the
446:
which abolished the office, effective June 30 of that year.
708:
706:
704:
133:
Office of Alien Property, Department of Justice (1946–1966)
848:. University of California - Santa Barbara. Archived from
839:
127:
Alien Property Division, Department of Justice (1941–1942)
879:
701:
124:
Alien Property Bureau, Department of Justice (1934–1941)
715:
The Great War in America: World War I and Its Aftermath
932:"David Bazelon Dies at 83; Jurist Had Wide Influence"
1104:
Annual reports - Office of Alien Property, 1947-1979
267:
686:United States Senate, Committee on the Judiciary,
604:
872:"Tesla - Master of Lightning: The Missing Papers"
115:
1123:
512:. United States: National Archives and Records
365:. He remained in this post until he received a
817:. American Presidency Project. Archived from
536:
534:
532:
530:
422:Townsend seized $ 329 million in proceeds of
738:, Volume 1, Issue 2, July 2018 , pp. 151-172
1157:1966 disestablishments in the United States
1094:1922 Report of the Alien Property Custodian
1048:
1046:
1044:
747:Borchard, Edwin M. Enemy Private Property,
658:Brewing Battles: A History of American Beer
346:and pending patent applications. Following
35:was an office within the government of the
1147:Government agencies disestablished in 1966
923:
799:, April 8, 1919, accessed January 22, 2010
527:
373:on October 21, 1949, to a new seat on the
242:, the German-American Lumber Company, the
1069:"Records of the office of Alien Property"
1012:. Vol. 121, no. 18. p. 16.
1001:
653:
647:
296:
1132:1917 establishments in the United States
1041:
991:Biographical Directory of Federal Judges
808:
768:, March 1927, Volume 2, Issue 6, p. 472.
524:, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library
160:
152:
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110:United States Department of the Treasury
22:
1142:Government agencies established in 1917
1113:Records of the Office of Alien Property
598:
596:
594:
1124:
965:
929:
751:Vol. 18, no. 3, July 1924, pp. 523–532
749:American Journal of International Law,
628:, January 27, 1918, Section T, Page 63
611:. New York: Columbia University Press.
1007:
930:Berger, Marilyn (February 21, 1993).
602:
566:
540:
377:. Before he was seated on the bench,
332:Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
979:
591:
560:
357:In 1947, Assistant Attorney General
793:Break German Hold on American Metal
330:, a former banker and chair of the
312:
252:were auctioned off and it lost its
82:United States Department of Justice
80:Created in October 1917 within the
13:
840:Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T.
541:Gross, Daniel A. (July 28, 2014).
496:, 326 U.S. 404, 414, n. 1 (1945) (
289:invoked it to enforce a week-long
283:Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917
98:Office of Alien Property Custodian
86:Office of Alien Property Custodian
53:Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917
33:Office of Alien Property Custodian
14:
1168:
1087:
238:, the Bosch Magneto Company, the
225:United States Brewers Association
778:Alien Property Custodian Scandal
662:. New York: Algora Pub. p.
567:Gross, Daniel A. (Spring 2015).
268:Disposal of confiscated property
180:
157:Alien Property Custodian sale ad
106:Office of Foreign Assets Control
1061:
1016:
949:
909:Federal Bureau of Investigation
893:
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846:The American Presidency Project
833:
809:Wooley, John; Peters, Gerhard.
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680:
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607:A. Mitchell Palmer: Politician
515:
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486:
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430:, the German chemical cartel.
240:Hamburg-American Shipping Line
236:Orenstein & Koppel Company
140:
116:Lineage of successive agencies
1:
449:
214:Democratic National Committee
18:Former U.S. government agency
433:
317:On 11 March 1942, President
7:
438:On May 13, 1966, President
10:
1173:
58:
901:"FBI 100 - Top 10 Myths"
644:Luton: Andrews UK, 2011.
401:
383:Roosevelt administration
102:Office of Alien Property
1152:United States trade law
1028:govinfo.library.unt.edu
996:Federal Judicial Center
994:, a publication of the
736:Modern American History
654:Mittelman, Amy (2008).
603:Coben, Stanley (1963).
94:Alien Property Division
730:Coates, Benjamin A. .
381:, a key figure in the
297:Criticism and response
262:Francis Patrick Garvan
166:
158:
150:
28:
782:United States History
718:. Pegasus Books, 2020
444:Executive Order 11281
319:Franklin D. Roosevelt
287:Franklin D. Roosevelt
245:New York Evening Mail
164:
156:
148:
90:Alien Property Bureau
26:
956:Alien Office Merging
363:Executive Order 9788
323:Executive Order 9095
291:Bank Holiday of 1933
1071:. National Archives
852:on January 12, 2015
821:on January 12, 2015
815:presidency.ucsb.edu
766:Indiana Law Journal
412:Dallas Townsend Sr.
406:In 1953, President
960:The New York Times
936:The New York Times
797:The New York Times
626:The New York Times
367:recess appointment
234:The assets of the
188:The New York Times
175:A. Mitchell Palmer
167:
159:
151:
29:
962:, April 25, 1947.
494:Markham v. Cabell
440:Lyndon B. Johnson
408:Dwight Eisenhower
221:Overman Committee
43:and again during
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1137:Economic warfare
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359:David L. Bazelon
352:New Yorker Hotel
350:'s death at the
313:World War II-era
303:Thomas W. Miller
203:for explosives,
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1057:. May 28, 1966.
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371:Harry S. Truman
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854:. Retrieved
850:the original
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348:Nikola Tesla
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1108:Hathi Trust
876:www.pbs.org
825:January 12,
547:Smithsonian
424:Interhandel
328:Leo Crowley
254:U.S. patent
141:World War I
41:World War I
1126:Categories
579:(1): 16–23
450:References
410:appointed
395:Mein Kampf
340:copyrights
336:trademarks
173:appointed
169:President
77:the war."
63:Sec. 6 of
583:March 20,
552:August 6,
434:Abolition
428:IG Farben
223:that the
210:patronage
69:president
49:custodian
696:volume 2
692:volume 1
392:'s book
205:charcoal
201:glycerin
1075:June 6,
1033:May 19,
988:at the
941:May 17,
905:FBI.gov
442:issued
344:patents
321:issued
279:America
258:Aspirin
59:History
39:during
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