History

Portside -  105 years ago, on June 19, 1919, police and military officials throughout the U.S. were warning that a national anti-government plot was under way. The identity of the alleged plotters was not known, but every well-publicized official denunciation characterized them as Reds, or radicals or anarchists or supporters of the Industrial Workers of the World. The alleged plot’s existence had been revealed on June 2, when package bombs exploded simultaneously in nine locations, including Manhattan, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The bombs did substantial damage to the homes of Attorney General A.M. Palmer, three federal judges, a federal immigration officer, a mayor and others...

In the midst of the ongoing furor, on this day the New York State National Guard conducted what it called a “routine” exercise in Manhattan and Brooklyn that was, in fact, far from being routine.  Every National Guard unit in the two boroughs was mobilized to practice the suppression of a civil uprising. Members of the Guard were ordered on short notice to assemble at the Guard’s many fortified armories, and from there take up defensive positions around nearby public buildings, bridges, tunnels, reservoirs, railroad stations and power and lighting plants. According to the New York Times report of the event, "Every important place on Manhattan Island was guarded by the troopers within one hour after the various units left their armories.” The investigation of the June 2 bombings produced no suspects or arrests, but it left a lasting legacy. As part of the investigation, the Justice Department established a Division of Intelligence, and appointed J. Edgar Hoover to lead it.