and Telegraph Company. Brooks, because of his
position, was close in the confidences of Republican Senators and
Congressmen. He heard state secrets and had his fingers on the
political pulse of the country.

Shortly after he took charge of the joint committee for the Senators
and Congressmen, Brooks made a hurried visit to New York. On March 4,
1934, he drove to the Hotel Edison and went directly to Room 830 where
a man registered as "William D. Goodales--Los Angeles," was awaiting
him. Mr. "Goodales" was William Dudley Pelley, head of the Silver
Shirts, who had come to New York to confer with Brooks and Gulden.
After this conference the two went to Gulden's office where they had a
confidential talk that lasted over an hour during which an agreement
was made to merge the Order of '76 with the Silver Shirts so as to
carry on their propaganda more effectively.

Brooks himself, on his mysterious visits to New York, went to 17
Battery Place, which houses the German Consulate General. At that
address he visited one John E. Kelly. In a letter to Kelly dated as
far back as December 27, 1933, he wrote: "I will be in New York Friday
to Monday and can be reached in the usual manner--Gramercy 5-9193
(care Emerson)."

Sidney Brooks also was a member of the secret Order of '76. Before
anyone could join he had to give, in his own handwriting and sealed
with his own fingerprints, certain details of his life. Brooks'
application for membership in this espionage group organized with the
help of a Nazi sent to this country, revealed that he was the son of
the Nazi agent, Colonel Edwin Emerson, and that he was using his
mother's maiden name so that connection could not be traced too
easily.

[Illustration: Application by Sidney Brooks for membership in the
secret Order of '76, showing him to be a son of the Nazi agent,
Colonel Edwin Emerson.]

One of the other early propagandists who is still active as a
"patriot" was Edward H. Hunter, Executive Secretary of the Industrial
Defense Association, Inc., 7 Water Street, Boston. Early in 1934,
while the negotiations for the merging of the espionage order and the
Silver Shirts were going on, this rooter for American liberty heard
Germany was spending money in this country and on March 3, he wrote to
the "Friends of Germany":

"Under separate cover we are sending you twenty-five copies of our
_Swan Song of Hate_ as requested and you may have as many as you wish.

"Several times