◆ SpookStack

ee CE te ee a EO git we * + aS bs et 7 rs, en Senator Haat of Colorado. I believe my time is up. ; Senator Towrx [presiding}. Mr. Adams, to return to the business of informants which I initiated and was interrupted by a vote, who selects an informant? . Mr. Apams. The basic responsibility is on our special agent per- sonnel who develop informants, the agent on the street. _ ; Senator Tower. Does the special agent in charge in a given area have control over the activities of an informant or a veto on the use of a particular informant f Mr. Apams. Not only the ial agent in charge, but FBI head- quarters. We maintain the tightest possible control of the utilization of informants. We require Bureau approval to utilize a person as an informant. Senator Tower. The special agent in charge has the power to veto the use of an informant! , Mr. Apaus. Yes, sir, Senator Tower. Does headquarters know who all the informants aref Mr. Avaws. Absolutely. We do not allow hip-pocket informants. We require—- ‘ Senator Towrr. You don’t have the agents informed by their own special informants! . Mr. Apams. Absolutely not. Senator Tower. Are the criteria different for paid and for nonpaid informers? Mr. Apams. We have some informants over the years that have re- fused to accept payment, but generally the criteria for both, I mean for ones that are paid, is that it must be on a c.o.d. basis, evaluated as to the value of the information. a Senator Tower. What protections are afforded to informants? Mr. Anas. Protections afforded them individually f Senator Tower. Yes. . Mr. Apams. The greatest protection in the world we can afford them is to maintain the confidential relationship which they have adopted with the FBI, and the fact that these citizens of the United States who, for whatever reason, decide to cooperate with the FBI and cooperate with their Government in the criminal and security field, have that confidentiality maintained. Beyond that confidentiality we are unable to afford them any protection, any physical protection. We have had informants murdered through disclosure. We have had them subjected to other violence and criminal activities, and the only protection beyond maintaining the confidentiality is once we have used them or had to expose them for some purpose, we do have pro- cedures for relocation and maintenance of them. which is utilized quite frequently in the top hoodlum and the Cosa Nostra-type inves- tigations. Senator Tower. Tt is my understanding now that 83 percent of all cases involve some use of informants, so that means that the use is pretty widespread and apparently very essential. What kind of guid- ance does the FRI give to these informants! Do you give them any special training f Could you describe that kind of relationship in terms of guidelines, control, authority that you have? <'