◆ SpookStack

I told the Attorney General that before the Director could undertake any administrative action in this matter he would need some indication from the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division or from the Attorney General that they concurred in the decision to take administrative action while the Civil Rights Division investigation is still pending and that the Director had told me personally during this week that he had not received such concurrence and moreover that it was his understanding from Mr. Pottinger that he should not proceed to take administrative action while the Civil Rights Division investigation is pending. I told the Attorney General that even if the Director had the Assistant Attorney General or the Attorney General's concurrence to take administrative action he could not realistically do so withont having the fachial hasis on which such action could be taken. I explained to him the "Bassett memorandum" apparently refers to a memorandum prepared by Assistant Director Bassett at the time he was in charge of the Inspection Division and that the memorandum merely confirms the existence of certain documents in the New York Office and reports that those documents bear initials which are identifiable with current Bureau officials. I told him that the memorandum did not report information in addition to the existence of the documents and of the initials and that such limited infor mation was insufficient to use as a basis for administrative action, I told him that additional investigation was required in the form of interviews and possibly other document reviews but that in accordance with the Director's understanding of the limitations imposed on him by the Civil Rights Division, the necessary additional investigation could not be conducted. The Deputy Attorney General said that he agreed with the Director's understanding of the circumstances but that Mr. Pottinger was taking the position that the Director was not bound to refrain from doing those things necessary in order to take administrative action. I then told the Attorney General that it was my opinion that the Director would order an investigation for the purposes of taking appropriate administrative action if he were authorized to do so by the Attorney General. The Attorney General