The Office of Alien Property Custodian was a Government office that President Woodrow Wilson created by executive order under the authority of the Trading with the Enemy Act. Its purpose was to assume control and dispose of enemy-owned property in the United States.
The original caption for this photograph reads: This is the Board of Directors which takes charge of and operates or disposes of German-owned property in the U.S. Organization is headed by and was built up by A. Mitchell Palmer, alien property custodian. From left to right: Homer A. Dunn, director bureau of audits; Fred J. Horne, director, bureau of trusts; Lee C. Bradley, general counsel; J.E. McCloskey, asst. gen’l counsel; J.L. Davis, managing director; John E. Cooper, asst. director bureau of audits; A. Mitchell Palmer, Mansfield Terry, asst. general counsel; Norman B. Dreher, director bureau of administration and Robert T. Scott, Secretary to the custodian.
