History of John Smith Griffin
page 55

Washington D.C. - 1939-40

While I was in Texas, partly because of the heat and partly because of a vigorous reducing program I again got my weight down in the 180s. We have some moving pictures of our trip to the beach at this time and I really have to look twice to be sure it was me.

My first assignment at the I.C.C. was in Washington D.C. I did a few rather minor cases around Washington and then one day was called into the chief's office and told that I was being assigned on a special case with another agent in Chicago. It seems that there were agencies operating out of service stations and saloons in Chicago that were getting back-hauls for truckers who were operating without I.C.C. permits and it was our job to try and dry this up. After conferring with the chief and the other agent, it was decided that we would go "underground" for a couple of weeks or longer if necessary and hang around the bars and other places where we suspected these loads were originating to get leads on them. Frankly, I was not too thrilled at the prospect. I had heard that these outfits were controlled by gangsters and in fact one of them had threatened to shoot the first federal agent that came near.

For about three weeks we hung around a bar down near the stockyards in Chicago, trying to overhear telephone conversations and listening to the talk that went on in the bar. We also watched the trucks that left the parking lot near this bar and tried to follow some of them out into the surrounding states to check out the clues we had. This took about a month and then I came back to Chicago to write up the investigation report. By this time it was December and as I was going to be right there in Chicago, I sent for Dot to come out. She came and brought Bob and we got a little furnished one room apartment out on the north side for $9 a week. It surely seemed good to have them with me again. I finished the report just before Christmas and we left for Washington arriving there just in time to celebrate Christmas. As a result of the investigation which we made in Chicago there were six convictions obtained on prosecutions that were brought for violating the I.C.C. laws.

LETTERS
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(L391016) John Griffin to Mother / Chicago, IL
(L391120) John Griffin to Mother / Chicago, IL

SARAH JANE ISRAELSON'S APPLICATION TO THE DAUGHTERS OF THE UTAH PIONEERS

About this time Dorothy's mother applied to become a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Her application gives a good historical and genealogical background:

DAUGHTERS OF THE UTAH PIONEERS APPLICATION
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90721 Page 1
90722 Page 2
90723 Page 3
90724 Page 4

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