Identifier	mdww009
Title	Press release: U.S. Justice Department announcement of the arrest of James Buxton Dixon on charges of sabotage, April 15, 1943
Creator	United States. Dept. of Justice
Subject	World War, 1939-1945 Sabotage Shipyards--Baltimore (Md.)
Description	Press release dated April 15, 1943 from the U.S. Department of Justice announcing the arrest of James Buxton Dixon in Baltimore on charges of sabotage. A total of eight men, including Dixon, were apprehended for faulty welding on ships being built for the U.S. Maritime Commission. Six of the eight men were arrested in Baltimore. The other two were arrested in Lexington, NC and Zanesville, OH. According to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, there was no evidence of any foreign involvement in the sabotage. The men were accused of performing improper and superficial welding in order to speed up production and earn more money. (Editor's note: According to newspaper reports about the arrests, Dixon was the only one of the accused who worked at Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard. The other men were employees of Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, also located in Baltimore.)
Transcript	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1943< DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE The Department of Justice announces that James Buxton Dixon, 25, was arrested by Special Agents of the FBI this morning in Baltimore, Maryland, for committing sabotage at the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyards where he was employed as a welder . Director J. Edgar Hoover of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said that a total of eight men were apprehended last night and today for faulty welding on liberty ships being constructed for the United States Maritime Commission . In none of the cases, the FBI Director declared, has careful FB I investigation revealed any foreign motives for the damage. The laborers admitted doing improper welding to speed up their work and earn more money . Instead of thoroughly welding plate connections in the ships, the workers "slugged" or "bridged" the plates together. Both terms indicate only superficial welding which leaves a veneer of metal on the outside, although connections may appear to be solid . In addition to the damages, the FBI Director said, the cost of produc- tion has been increased and the ships have been delayed. Improper welding is likely to break under stress and it has a tendency to crack, similar to a piece of glass, and continues to break until the tension is released . Apprehended earlier were Herman Scherer, Raymond Ashby Burkholder, Hiram Thomas Via, Jr., Farrell Houston Smith, and Leonard Lucas, all at Baltimore ; Harley Brastus Killer at Lexington, North Carolina; and Wilfred James Gossman at Zanesville, Ohio. Dixon is being arraigned with the others before the United States Commissioner in Baltimore today .
Publisher (Electronic Version)	Enoch Pratt Free Library
Holding Institution	Enoch Pratt Free Library
Date Original	1943-04-16
Date Digital	2010-03
Type	Text
Format	Digital reproduction of 1-page document, 27 x 21 cm.
Source	Maryland Department, Ephemera Collection; EP2
Relation	Is Part Of World War II in Maryland Is Part Of the Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage Program
Coverage (Time Period)	1941-1950
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