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ft 70-15 that Acting Special Agent in Charge Devereaux;'in company with eith- er Inspector E. J. Connelley or Special Agent in Charge Ff. E. Vet- terli, should proceed to Lakehurst, New Jersey, end inform the Neval authorities that they were acting only in the capacity of observer and that the bureau was taking no active part in the inquest in so far as investizative activities were concerned at that time. Almost immediately after the destruction of the Hindenburg, there was orgenired a Board of Inquiry of the Department of Commerce under the direotion of Mr. South Trimble, Jr., Chairman, and Major R. W. Schroeder. This Eoard conducted daily oral hearings at the United States Naval Airport Station at Lakehurst, New Jersey between May 10, 1937, and May 28, 1937. An investigation was also conducted by a Senatorial Committee, under the supervision of United States Senator Royal S. Copeland, but under the immediate direction of Roger Williamson and Lieutenant Colonel harold E. Hartney. During the investigation conducted by the above, tne Bureau offered to co-operate with the Inspectors of the Department of Com- merce in their investigation. Agents of the Bureau were present at the deily hearinzs conducted by the board of Inquiry in the capacity of observers. Qn icy &, 1537, Lieutenant Colonel isaroid bk. liartney and Inspector Williamson of the United States Senate Committee advised that they had found tracks of two men leading over a back fence of the Reservation along the road about 1,000 feet onto the Reservation, and they had photographed these tracks. They attached some sizgnifi- cance to these foot tracks and indicated that possibly the tracks of these two men were those of persons who might have had something to do with the destruction of the Hindenburg, if a sabotage angle was to be considered. bureau Agents photographed these foot tracks, as well] as making plaster of Paris casts of them, but subsequent developments indicated that these tracks were only those of persons who had tried to be in a better position to witness the landing of the Hindenburg than would have been possible had they remained outside of the en- closure of the Reservation with the thousands of other people who gathered to view the landing of the ship. The hearings conducted by the Board of Inquiry of the De~ partment of Commerce began on May 10, 1937. At these hearings, var- ious Naval employees constituting the ground crew at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, members of the crew of the Hindenburg, and pas- ctl aes efeaddenpetmmnma one