Ask the Scholar
Page 2 of 4
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
OCR
Filed by
MR.
DAWSON
NOV
13
SY - Mr. D. L. Nicholson
1952
May 3, 1950
SY - Travis L. Fletcher
On May 2, 1950, I met with Lt. Blick of the Washington
Police Department at approximately 3:30 p.m. In the past,
homosexual files of the Police Department have been available
to one Special Agent only in this Department, first to Finlator
and later to Traband. This arrangement has not been entirely
satisfactory. This was brought forcibly to our attention on
Friday, April 28, when Special Agent Ambrose was unable to
ascertain from Blick's office details of a reported arrest of
a State Department employee in 1948. Later on May 1 Blick
voiced to Traband his annoyance at having someone other than
Traband inquiring at the Police Department concerning such cases,
and complained that Ambrose had not contacted him personally.
My purpose in going to Blick's office was to explain to him
that Traband was on leave on Friday and could not handle the
case.
In the course of our conversation on the problem involved
in this type of case, Blick said that he had "been to the hill"
recently and had told a committee that there were at least
4000 homosexuals in D.C.; that, in his opinion, 75% or 3000
were in Government service. He said that he arrived at this
figure on the theory that 75% of the people in Washington are
connected with the Government. I asked him if he had any
evidence or information as to how many were in our Department
and he said he did not know and he added, "I commended
Mr. Peurifoy to the committee and I told the committee that
I believed that Mr. Peurifoy had tried, and was still trying,
to rid the Department of homosexuals. I also told them of the
good work that Finlator had done and of the work now being
done by Traband." Blick stated that he estimated that at
least 1000 of the 3000 homosexuals in Government service were
in one agency of the Government. He did not identify the agency
except to say, "It is not the State Department." He said that
he could not state the number that are in the State Department,
but he thought there were many. I asked if he had anything
specific concerning any Department employee on which we could
base an investigation and he said that he had information on
only 5 Government employees whose names he had recently given
to the committee ; that two of these were State Department
employees;
Page data
- Page
- 2
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- c04dc4e7838cdec0
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 54538188
- Core
- doc
- Type
- document
DTO data
{
"id": "54538188",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/54538188",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Memorandum from D. L. Nicholson to Travis L. Fletcher with Attached Note",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/54538188",
"collections": [
"Confidential Files (Truman Administration)",
"Confidential Subject Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/5381/54538188/content/presidential-libraries/truman/598863/1066164-05-01.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/5381/54538188/content/presidential-libraries/truman/598863/1066164-05-01.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/5381/54538188/content/presidential-libraries/truman/598863/1066164-05-01.jpg",
"imageCount": 4,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "54538188",
"label": "Memorandum from D. L. Nicholson to Travis L. Fletcher with Attached Note",
"core": "doc",
"dtoType": "document",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/54538188"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "54538188",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/54538188",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Memorandum from D. L. Nicholson to Travis L. Fletcher with Attached Note",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/54538188",
"collections": [
"Confidential Files (Truman Administration)",
"Confidential Subject Files"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/5381/54538188/content/presidential-libraries/truman/598863/1066164-05-01.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/5381/54538188/content/presidential-libraries/truman/598863/1066164-05-01.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/5381/54538188/content/presidential-libraries/truman/598863/1066164-05-01.jpg",
"imageCount": 4,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Document source extras
{
"url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/54538188",
"naId": 54538188,
"levelOfDescription": "item",
"productionDates": [
{
"day": 3,
"logicalDate": "1950-05-03",
"month": 5,
"year": 1950
}
],
"recordType": "description",
"ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}
Page context
{
"seq": 2,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/5381/54538188/content/presidential-libraries/truman/598863/1066164-05-02.jpg",
"mediaId": "c04dc4e7838cdec0",
"ocrText": "Filed by\nMR.\nDAWSON\nNOV\n13\nSY - Mr. D. L. Nicholson\n1952\nMay 3, 1950\nSY - Travis L. Fletcher\nOn May 2, 1950, I met with Lt. Blick of the Washington\nPolice Department at approximately 3:30 p.m. In the past,\nhomosexual files of the Police Department have been available\nto one Special Agent only in this Department, first to Finlator\nand later to Traband. This arrangement has not been entirely\nsatisfactory. This was brought forcibly to our attention on\nFriday, April 28, when Special Agent Ambrose was unable to\nascertain from Blick's office details of a reported arrest of\na State Department employee in 1948. Later on May 1 Blick\nvoiced to Traband his annoyance at having someone other than\nTraband inquiring at the Police Department concerning such cases,\nand complained that Ambrose had not contacted him personally.\nMy purpose in going to Blick's office was to explain to him\nthat Traband was on leave on Friday and could not handle the\ncase.\nIn the course of our conversation on the problem involved\nin this type of case, Blick said that he had \"been to the hill\"\nrecently and had told a committee that there were at least\n4000 homosexuals in D.C.; that, in his opinion, 75% or 3000\nwere in Government service. He said that he arrived at this\nfigure on the theory that 75% of the people in Washington are\nconnected with the Government. I asked him if he had any\nevidence or information as to how many were in our Department\nand he said he did not know and he added, \"I commended\nMr. Peurifoy to the committee and I told the committee that\nI believed that Mr. Peurifoy had tried, and was still trying,\nto rid the Department of homosexuals. I also told them of the\ngood work that Finlator had done and of the work now being\ndone by Traband.\" Blick stated that he estimated that at\nleast 1000 of the 3000 homosexuals in Government service were\nin one agency of the Government. He did not identify the agency\nexcept to say, \"It is not the State Department.\" He said that\nhe could not state the number that are in the State Department,\nbut he thought there were many. I asked if he had anything\nspecific concerning any Department employee on which we could\nbase an investigation and he said that he had information on\nonly 5 Government employees whose names he had recently given\nto the committee ; that two of these were State Department\nemployees;"
}