Accountable Officer or Accountable Property Officer

[TD.]

Those that have my book, A Thompson Compendium, understand how learning the identity of the dealer who signed all or most of the then IRS forms beginning in the late 1950s with the title, Accountant with power of attorney, identified several early Savage Thompson submachine guns as Savage Commercials - along with a whole host of new information on hundreds of Thompson guns. The dealer was Potomac Arms of Alexandria, Virginia. It is one of my favorite stories. 

My research has uncovered another dealer during the late 1950s and early 1960s that used another title or titles when signing the IRS forms: Accountable Officer or Accountable Property Officer. The forms signed involved IRS Form 5's, Notice of Tax-Exempt Transfer of Firearm, providing notice to the IRS that Thompson submachine guns were being transferred from the dealer to several different law enforcement agencies. These forms were discovered during Freedom of Information Act requests on the particular Thompson guns after the guns left the law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, the identity of the seller or dealer and the names of the law enforcement agencies were redacted by the ATF.

 Does any member have an unredacted IRS form or any other correspondence that would identify the dealer or seller that used these titles in conducting business? 

[Motorcar]

Everything on mine was redacted!

Great that you are still finding things in your research Tom. Maybe one of these days somebody else will have a '28AC FOIA that will shed light on mine.

[inertord]

“Accountable Officer or Accountable Property Officer.”
 

Could be TSMG’s transferred from US Government/Military Property to Police Departments under Law Enforcement Assistance Programs?

Edited August 14, 2023 by inertord

[TD.]

Interord,

I have not ruled out that possibility, but I think it likely the title belongs to a then machine gun dealer.

I have never seen any transfer documents for Thompson submachine guns provided to law enforcement agencies by the federal government under any program. Does anyone have any copies of such documentation. 

All good stuff!!!

[firearm]

Let's see if this is what you are looking for. I bought this 1928A1 from the Coachella Police Department, Coachella CA. back in 1996. The attached document is what they sent me to show proof of ownership, so I could type up the form 5. It is a Form 5, "Notice of Tax-Exempt Domestic Transfer of Firearm. Is difficult to read as it a copy of the original old-time fax sheet that they had in their files.

Just in case you can't make out the info:

CHIEF OF POLICE, CITY OF COCHELLA

COACHELLA, CALIFORNIA

MACHINE GUN, SUBMACHINE

467903

.45

NONE

AUTO ORD CORP., Address Unknown "AOD" Oct 24, 1960

C.O. MT. RAINIER ORD DEPOT

TACOMA, WASHINGTON

MASEL JOHNSON

Acting Chief, Special Missions Sect.

 

Will follow this post with some pics

 

 

[firearm]

Still have that 28A1

[Bridgeport28A1]

1 hour ago, firearm said:

Let's see if this is what you are looking for. I bought this 1928A1 from the Coachella Police Department, Coachella CA. back in 1996. The attached document is what they sent me to show proof of ownership, so I could type up the form 5. It is a Form 5, "Notice of Tax-Exempt Domestic Transfer of Firearm. Is difficult to read as it a copy of the original old-time fax sheet that they had in their files.

Just in case you can't make out the info:

CHIEF OF POLICE, CITY OF COCHELLA

COACHELLA, CALIFORNIA

MACHINE GUN, SUBMACHINE

467903

.45

NONE

AUTO ORD CORP., Address Unknown "AOD" Oct 24, 1960

C.O. MT. RAINIER ORD DEPOT

TACOMA, WASHINGTON

MASEL JOHNSON

Acting Chief, Special Missions Sect.

 

Will follow this post with some pics

 

 

Thank you for posting this.

[TD.]

Nick,

As we discussed, this is exactly the type of documentation I am looking for. It is excellent provenance for Savage Thompson S-467903. No, it does not say Accountable Property Officer, but nonetheless it is documentation of a US Army transfer (Mt. Ranier Ordnance Depot) of a Thompson submachine gun to a police department in 1960 on an IRS Form 5. 

This is one nice Savage Thompson. Unfortunately, it is a mismatch but that is common on World War II Thompson submachine guns. It was probably rebuilt after the war at the Mt. Ranier Ordnance Depot and put in storage. Anyone looking for a nice Savage should be ringing your number!

Again, thank you for posting.