◆ SpookStack

at id . rf #5 See 1 fay Se ee ea ae . a a gy toe oe Mr. Apams. I can’t shed much. I know they requested information on him. I think there was other material concerning that individual of a security nature that was included. Why the information in that re- anect was submitted I am unable to answer. I do know at the time there was a lot of concern following the Warren Commission report. Had all the answers been explored? Was the Soviet Union involvedt Was Cuba involved? And who were the critics who now are attacking thist But I have seen nothing which would explain the rationale for requesting the material. Senator Scuwernzr. I think what concerns the committee is, that whenever you get to the nitty-gritty of investigations—and it doesn’t relate to the Warren Commission, I will leave that alone-—we get back to something like a photograph or a tape recording or some etter referring to some kind of human weakness or failing that is really very irrelevant to the investigation, is sandwiched in here. It just seems to me that it was a tactic. This just happens to be the Warren Commission I singled out, but it was a tactic that was used rather frequently as a lever, or for reasons which I am trying to dis- cover, as an instrument of investigative policy. Would you differ with that or dispute that? What rationale would you use! Do we use sexual activities as a standard criterion for investigations? . Mr. Apams. We do not use sexual activities as a criterion, but during the course of our investigation—we did have an investigation on that individual at one time—and during the course of the investigation, im checking the records of a local police department or a district attorney’s office, they had conducted an investigation for a criminal act involving these photographs, and they made that available to us. So it went into our files. Now, the request of the President, he is the Chief Executive of the United States. He in effect has custody of everything. There are problems involved when the man who 18 in charge of everything requests information. I would like to add, how- ever, that following the cleansing effect of Watergate that I don't know of any such requests coming over to the FBI anymore. There is a direct line between the Attorney General and the Director, and the Director certainly recognizes that in a case of extreme disagreement he would have the alternative to tell the Attorney General, I need ta no directly to the Fresident, or fee] I should, but we do not have this line of communication at the present time. Senator Scrrwerxer. It seems that if they had just listed what was alleged in the other investigation, that certainly would have sufficed for whatever purpose. But it seems to me that when you enclose living photographs, you are really attempting to discredit these critics, What other purpose would a photograph of this nature have, other than to discredit critics? Mr. Avama. I can’t answer that. Senator Scuwerxer. One area that I think this gets into, which we really touched on in the assassination probe Mr. Adams, is where the Bureau stops when they get sore of these- requests. You touched - on it a moment ago. THe President asked for something. I don’t know in this case whether or not. the President asked to see photo- eranhs of this nature. but the point is, nobody said no and he got them. So the question is, where do vou see the Burcau’s responsibility, and