Mr. BELMONT. Yes; Mr. Rowley advised that he needed help, it was offered to him by Mr. Hoover, and when the President is going to visit a city and Secret Service does not have sufficient personnel in that particular city to cover what they consider is necessary, they need specialized help from us, they will make the request to us and we will authorize our local agent in charge to make those men, the designated number, available to the Secret Service representative, who then uses their services while the President is there. Representative FORD. I gather that prior to the assassination such requests, specific requests, had not come from Secret Service to the Bureau. Mr. BELMONT. No. There were never any such requests before. Mr. STERN. At the level at which the requests have been made so far, have they proved to be a difficult burden for the FBI? Mr. BELMONT. Mr. Stern, any time that we have a pending caseload of something like 115,000 investigative matters, which is what we have, and our agents are assigned about 20 to 25 cases apiece across the country, ranging from matters of immediate urgency to matters which can be handled in due time, and whenever our agents are putting in an average of over 2 hours overtime a day voluntarily, the loan of 139 men will be felt. Representative FORD. 169. Mr. BELMONT. I believe it was 139, sir. I think the letter says 139. Mr. STERN. 139 on 16 separate occasions. Mr. BELMONT. Yes. I do not wish to overplay this. We are not complaining. We do feel that at such time as Secret Service is able to increase its personnel or meet this problem within the organization that it is properly their problem. But meanwhile we are following this procedure and we are not complaining. Mr. DULLES. I had hoped, Mr. Chairman, that at some time while Mr. Belmont was here, we could ask him to just briefly define for us, going back to the assassination day, a clear definition of the respective functions of the FBI and the Secret Service prior to and immediately after the assassination. There seemed to have been at one time a little confusion there. Naturally in a situation of this kind it always happens, but I am not absolutely clear in my mind as to---- Mr. BELMONT. At the time of the assassination? Mr. DULLES. Yes. Just before, I mean what your responsibilities were just before the assassination, and just after as contrasted with the functions of the Secret Service. Mr. BELMONT. The Secret Service has the responsibility for protecting the President and his family, and the Vice President and so on. That is a basic responsibility. Mr. DULLES. And you have no auxiliary function to that---- Mr. BELMONT. No, sir. Mr. DULLES. Except to furnish names and suspects, as you have indicated. Mr. BELMONT. That is correct. We have no function there. That is a primary responsibility and function of Secret Service.