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Gor 2D vARDS Cyrewnt , it vt i JUDICIARY . ‘a _ ,° GHAIRMAN i a -— . . a — — cs COMMIFTEE ON @nnagress of the Guiied States ace SUBCOMMITTEE ON pe { Benrese | . MM House of Representatives a a COMMIFTEEON Washington, B.C. 20515 Ye ae September 17, 1973 - Mr. 3, Stanley Pottinger Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division . Deparment of Justice cf Washington, D. C. 20530 47s Dear Mr. Pottinger: Thank you very much for your letter of September 4 describing work being done by the Department of Justice 2 concerning possible violations of federal criminal law in activities involving the United | Farm Workers in Cali- fornia. I Sincerely appreciate the information you pro- vided me. I am sure you know that I am concerned with the situation in California, not only what has taken place @uring the past month but also the sericus implications for the future. J spent several days in the Bakersfield- Delano area during the height of the tensions. I observed the good work being done by the Community Relations Service, observed the United Farm Workers picketing at several vineyards, taiked to locai police and press, and attended the two funerals. As explained to Mr. Murphy, I was disappointed not to find Chicano Special Agents in the Bakersfield F.B.1I. office. The Daifullah funeral was thought important enough by the Catholic Church for Bishop Flores of San Antonio to travel at church expense to California. The only Agent I saw at the Bakersfield F.B,I. office taking statements in Spanish WaS net, in the opinion of my Chicano assistant, appropriately fluent in Spanish. , OS IP Lm _-- ; oz many years in civil rights cases a major criticism of Justice Department involvement has been _the use of Locally asSiogned F.B.I. Agents to investigate alle tions of criminal ~ conduct of local pelice. From mv excerience in the Eureau f = WED: know tnat a harmenicus relationshiv with tne local colice is --” essential te doing a good job for the F.B.I. This has aiwa YS resulted in unenthusiastic investigations by thevlocall yet} beatae