◆ SpookStack

Director pointed out that the Bureau was endeavoring te conduct an tnvestigation into the case involving the assault upon Isaae Woodard, Jr., by the chief of police at Batesburg, South Carolina, ond that Woodard, @ Negro, when interviewed by FBI Agents, declined to furnish any information to the FBI on the grounds that Franklin H. Williams, Counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, had instructed Woodard not to tolk to the FBI except in Williams’ presence and with the permission of Williams. Woodard alleged that Williams, | in referring to the FBI, stated, “They are not on your side - they are on the side of the government. " The restrictions placed upon Foodard by the NAACP representative resulted in- -considerable needless delay in the investigation of this case. It might be noted that the United States Attorney . filed an information against Chief of Police Shuli on September | 26, 1946, and the chief was released under $2,000 bond. He was tried in Federal Court and acquitted on November 5, 1946. . Misconduct af Agents im Cases Involving Negroes Allegation: Under date of May 10, 1946, Marshall wrote the Director charging misconduct on the part of Special Agents of the Bureau ‘in conducting cases tnvolving Negroes and interviewing Negroes. Faectss . / The Director wrote to Marshall on May 14, 1946, I assuring him that he would not tolerate any acts of mi sconduct | on the part of FBI Agents and that he would conduct an imme- diate administrative inquiry into the charges if Marshall. would furnish the names of the persons making the complaints agatnst the FBI Agents. The Director went to some length in his letter of May 14th to Mershall to explain that "stringent disciplinary actton is taken against any Special Agent who, by any acts prejudices the Bureau's program of conducting thorough, tmpar- tial and entirely ethical and egal investigations of all cases." Despite the Director’s request for identifying data which would permit him to make’ investigation into Marshall's charges, and despite the Director's assurance to Marshall that disciplinary action would be taken where justified, Marshall never. answered the Director's letter of May 14th or furnished any information which would permit the Director to investigate the charges Made . In connection with charges made against the Bureau by Marshall, on January 13, 1947, the Director wrote to Waiter Whit te, Secretary of the NAACP, and pointed out to him the , | 10 -