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'- UNITED STABES "2NMENT ~ ~ oO oa M emorangum = To, Mr. Bishoy "+ pate: 6-83-68 : FROM o> M. wey a : ae 7 : SURJECT: . TELEVISED DEBATE BETWEEN ‘PRESIDENTIAL. ; VY,y eo CANDIDATES SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY UATE SO “J-MeCARTHY ——— -- AND SENATOR EUGENE Os cewnee Sa AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANY ° ee et ; . SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 1968 Lo Captioned debate was televised nationally and heard - ‘scm ~ locally through WMAL-TV, Channel 7, at 9:30 p.m. on 6-1-68, . - Excerpts from'this program were published in "The New York ae ' Times" of 6-3-68 and are attached herewith. The following is not included in this material and is of interest to the Bureau: In response to a question, Senator McCarthy commented that he felt FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had held the position of - Director of the FBI for too long a period of time and should be replaced. Senator Kennedy indicated that while he may have had a few differences with the Director at the time he, ‘Kennedy, served as Attorney General, he was not at this time going to play into the hands of those who were - attempting to embarrass him politically. He said he would not discuss which individuals he would or would not keep in office should he succeed + TA edema me ‘ 2 ee ; in his efforts to be elected President. 77 - 7—-L2fS Z- ae | NoT RECORDED . At another point in the program, § Aw aees Kenngcy was go ° : asked if he could comment on the matter of wire faps¥antfthe fate # Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., which had been.caised by-eeiumnist , Drew Pearson. Kennedy's vague answer mentioned the history of wire } taps as a tool to protect our Nation's security and noted that the arney * General had received original authority to authorize wire taps when President Roosevelt was in office. Kennedy said that he had never authorized "bugging"; however, he had, on a limited basis, authorized certain wire taps. He then noted that it would not be proper for him to discuss those individual cases in which he had authorized the | placing of Ghipe = nam. Katia weer iT. Bishop - Enclosure Nir. Gale - Enclosure 2.5 498g - Enclosure > Ciu:smg.. (8) WW? [ 1.- Mr, DeLoach - Enclosure