Images(2)

Spur, Climbing

Object number2016.38.1 a,b

Manufacturer Buckingham Manufacturing Company

Date1939-1945

OriginBinghamton, NY

MediumMetal; Leather

Credit LineIn memory of John F. Leahy

DescriptionPair of of pole climbing spurs (pole climbing spikes).DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (a): 16.75 × 8 × 7.75 in. (42.5 × 20.3 × 19.7 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (b): 17.25 × 6.25 × 7.5 in. (43.8 × 15.9 × 19.1 cm)
MarksEach spur has imprinted text on the exterior side of the black metal above the spike, rom left to right: "7-48", "BUCKINGHAM MFG. CO. / BINGHAMTON. N.Y.", and "PATENT / APPLIED FOR".
Top leather tongue on each spur has a circular maker's mark that is difficult to read text around the perimeter "BUCKINGHAM / BINGHAMTON N.Y."; it is more legible on the proper left spur (a).
Historical NotesWiretapping equipment. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent John Francis Leahy used this equipment to test and tap phone lines, investigating cases of industrial sabotage in Pittsburgh during World War II. Technically, Leahy’s actions were illegal. The 1934 Communications Act federally outlawed phone taps; the U. S. Supreme Court upheld this ruling in 1939. But in 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt issued a secret executive order allowing wiretapping for “subversives” and spies. The FBI, which maintained a field office in Pittsburgh since 1914, used the order to investigate suspected enemy agents in western Pennsylvania, a fear that was especially high during the early years of the war, c. 1942 - 43.

Related institution Federal Bureau of Investigation (founded 1908)

Previous owner John Francis Leahy

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