American Protective League Founded (1917)

Thu Mar 22, 1917

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The American Protective League, founded on this day in 1917, was a volunteer organization of U.S. citizens that collaborated with the government to identify, raid, and spy on anarchist, anti-war, and other left-wing organizations.

On this day in 1917, the APL was granted formal approval to act a deputized, anti-communist agency from the Department of Justice, later receiving authorization from the Attorney General to carry on its letterhead the words “Organized with the Approval and Operating under the Direction of the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation.”

Teams of APL members conducted numerous raids and surveillance activities aimed at those who failed to register for the draft and at German immigrants who were suspected of sympathies for Germany.

The APL was also accused of illegally detaining citizens associated with anarchist, labor, and pacifist movements. Thousands of APL members joined authorities in New York City for three days of checking registration cards, resulting in more than 75,000 arrests.

In 1918, the Attorney General gave a favorable statement about the APL, saying “it is safe to say that never in its history has the nation been so thoroughly policed as at the present time.” The APL formally disbanded a few months after the conclusion of World War I.