Warren Commission (05 of 26): Hearings Vol. V (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (05 of 26): Hearings Vol. V (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. McCLOY. You have got a pretty broad classification here. "All
investigative personnel should be alert for the identification of
subversives, ultrarightists, racists, and Fascists (_a_) possessing
emotional instability or irrational behavior." That may include a
good many people in the United States and maybe some members of this
Commission--I am speaking for myself. There is irrational behavior that
I have been guilty of many times. [Laughter.] This doesn't mean you
are going to send everybody over there, but the names that--all those
under your classification, all of those in your opinion come under that
classification unless you feel they have some, there is some, reason
behind it. In other words, you are selective in this list. You purport
to be selective in the numbers that you are going to convey to, the
names you are going to convey to, the Secret Service.
Mr. BELMONT. We endeavor to use good judgment, sir. Now, as you
indicate there are what, 190 million people in this country, and who
knows when someone may adopt abnormal behavior.
You cannot tell tomorrow who will pose a risk. This is an effort to be
as helpful as possible and, as we have in the past, we will use our
best judgment. But this will broaden considerably the type of people
and the number of people who go to the Secret Service.
Mr. McCLOY. That is what I am getting at really, Mr. Belmont. You are
not saying that all those people that you characterize here under
this paragraph 2 will ipso facto be sent over to the Secret Service
every time the President makes a move. This simply says that all
investigative personnel should be alert in that situation; am I right
in that?
Mr. BELMONT. No, sir. If you will follow in the next paragraph, we say,
"If cases are developed falling within the above categories, promptly
furnish Secret Service locally a letterhead memorandum" with the
information.
Mr. McCLOY. So without any further ado all the people in your list who
are in that category will be transferred over to the Secret Service
when there is an occasion, when the President travels?
Mr. BELMONT. No. This is a continuing procedure. In other words, during
our investigations we come across someone who is in this area or
category, and this is a requirement that that man's name go to Secret
Service with a brief description of him, and Secret Service then has
that filed and is in a position to know that that individual has been
referred to them.
Mr. McCLOY. Well, that brings up again the comment that I originally
made. This does put a big burden of investigation and judgment on
the Secret Service, one which they have not heretofore presumably had
placed on their shoulders.
Mr. BELMONT. I think you are correct.
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