a AGENCY : RECORD NUMBER : RECORD SERIES : AGENCY FILE NUMBER : a ORIGINATOR : ~ FROM: TO: TITLE: DATE: _ PAGES: SUBJECTS : “DOCUMENT TYPE : CLASSIFICATION : _ + RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : DATE OF LAST REVIEW : OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : 91 Docld:32266815 Page 1 JFK Assassination System Identification Form Agency Information HSCA 180-10117-10040 NUMBERED FILES 014696 Document Information HSCA BUSINESS MEETING 11/15/1976 144 GRODEN, ROBERT HSA; FINAL REPORT HSCA; METHODOLOGY WC; STAFF LOVELADY, NOLAN PHOTOGRAPHS AND FILMS; ZAPRUDER WC; METHODOLOGY HSCA; STAFF TRANSCRIPT Unclassified Open in Full Redact 08/16/1993 MLK material withdrawn, pp. 11-35. Box 279.
oe EXECUTIVE SESSION ae EXECUTIVE SESSIOW HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HEARINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE: on SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSI ATIONS EXECUTIVE SESSION . ‘BUSINESS MEETING Monday, November 15, 1976 — Washington, D. C. EXECUTIVE SESSION Official Reporters to Committees GPO 16—-75107-1 \ EXECUTIVE SKESSION ({\Docld: 32266815 Page ?
AEXECURIVE-—SES: SEO N— /2e¢ \ cA eT, (Monday, November 15, 1976 (presiding) , Devine, Present: Representatives Downing, ‘|| Gonzalez, McKinney, Preyer, Thone, Stokes,. Fauntroy,, Burke, 1 || Boda. ‘Ford, and Anderson. cB Also present: Richard A. Sprague, goiot gounsel’ and» _ Pivector: Kenneth Brooten, gounsel; Donovan Le + Gays ghiet C _ fesearcher; Richard Feeney, Billie Gay Larson, Rebecca Martin, fo « pomnittee state; Gus—Edwasdey Christine Groden, | ‘Robert | ‘eroten, | Pofurtants; Gail Beagle, Bruce Gwinn, Percy Harvey, Joo - Mesee, Vicki Peckham faninistrative Xesistants;” ‘Peter. "De “Tennon, Robert H. Maloney, Henry sping sat tices | Quentin L. Burgess, tate Assistant: and William Briggs, | - fiaes ember. ; a Naa hoy i Gus Edw rds, pecial oe ;
- = os | HY chairman Downing. For the purposes of the record, I would like each person in the room to identify themselves . with their title. Mr. Burgess. Quentin Burgess. I am with Mrs. Burke's: office. _. Mr. Maloney. Robert Maloney. Congressman Stokes")... 7 || office. as oo Ms. Beagle. Gail Beagle, Congressman Gonzalez's office. | Martin. “Rebecca Martin, with the committee’ staff. Mr. Gay. Donovan L. Gay, committee staff. - (Mr. Sprague. Richard A. Sprague, chief counsel, Mr. Feeney.. Richard Feeney, committee staff. ~ Ms. Peckham. . Vicki Peckham, Mr. Thone's office.” Ms. Larson. Billie Gay Larson, committee staff. °° “Mr. Lennon. Peter Lennon, Mr. Dodd's staff. 7... “Mr. MeGee. Joe McGee, Mr. McKinney‘ stake. Mr. Spring. Henry Spring, Mr. McKinney's office. a Ms. Groden. - Christine Groden, consultant. ee, Mr. Groden. Robert Groden, consultant. _ Mr. Briggs. William Briggs, Congressman Fauntroy's staff. ‘Chairman Downing. The first item on the executive lho session will be a presentation by Mr. Sprague, __Mr. Sprague. Mr. Chairman and menbers of the select. | gommittee: . XY would like to take up what has ‘been done’ up ‘to. this. |..
ge - point, what analysis has been made by the staff with regard to what the needs are of staff in the direction of ‘the investigation. Suffice to say that in being asked to oe become chief counsel and director of this investigation, of have entered upon those Guriss with a number of: assumptions. |} tne | first assumption is that it is the intént of. ‘the congress” “in passing the ‘resolution on the investigation. of, “the ae || assassinations of Dr. King and President enneay, to’ see.’ AP enae the investigations are done ina thorough professional “anna! the kind of i manner that can withstand, "ae, it: sight - to, ‘any searching analysis as to what has been done. sone yf aay- “by- day basis. ae 7, With that in mind, I have also accepted the basic  aseumption ¢ that since one of the reasons that these "investigations have come to pass is that oe [ete Downing. Let me interrupt, Mrs Sprague. John Anderson has been appointed to fill. in the vacancy lin te p osition ib ee, : ~AN formerly occupied by Congress, Talcott, and he is on his way. here ‘now; so if you will just desist for the moment, we will wait for Mr. Anderson. | | {short recess.J Chairman Downing. The committee will again’ come to” * order. - I have a letter here from Mr. John J. / Rhodes mninority leader, addressed to the Speaker: "As a ‘result. of, ‘the. “Doct: 32266815 “Page S00
1|]- on Dr. King. If that be so, and I have sent an investigative team down to Memphis, it emphasizes the fact that any delay on either one of these investigations is not really in the { tnvereate of the Congress to do a thorough. job. ; - D mere is another reason. As again an investigator Hane homicide prosecutor, to me one of the essentials: in’a - thorough investigation is not to have a tine Linttation, Il’ nis is a different species “of animal than the congress wanting to have say the unemployment statistice in Michigan. “sa. week from Thursday and you can get it. You ‘cannot in this “e4s area say wrap up that matter by fx months from today. once: vt |) you 1 put. a - limitation, a time barrier, that is: destructive of. “the investigative team, because what happens, and Ir speak - fxom experience here, the areas of inquiry, the! people “who are being subject to the investigation, pe Limitation asa point where they know: that. if “they: get ‘a. delay, if they get lost for a while, if they. tie you up ‘in: Tout for a while, they can really end up preventing the Was "|[ conctusion of the investigation. I think it would be, a: ||. mistake, and again my main assumption: is that- what: is - intendea here is to doa thorough job, profersional Jone. ona “get initive as can be, to start imposing. sons. barrier of . : timeg [é we we were to proceed, for example, in ‘ine ‘ag aad _ assassination first, there would be a great pasn to act — "wrapped up, so we could get on Kennedy@, a Doctd: 32266815 . PHge ©
“we were to be proceeding on Kennedy, there would nonetheless IP we. a push to get that wrapped uP, to be proceeding on Kings) * ame I think that that kind of pressure ougnt not to exist, 2 that again in our main thesis of doing it thoroughly, we ]} cust to be willing to do them both. Drow what do I mean when I say "thoroughly"? rr am aware. | of Perry Mason on TV, and the appearance that: you v slane Wa ' a ay Joint nd you go , to%. oint ia and it is a- nice path. yf mayne | Tr am not that good an investigator. _ ‘I have, mever 2 saa | able’ to do that. ae: think a great number of mentions have arizen {9 5 7 |] each case, which I will get into in a moment, which | “unfortunately make the public question the integrity of ‘: government, the integrity of officials. Questions have. been, . || xaisea on each of these cases going into. the ‘thoroughness the investigation. | “For my part, as your chief. ‘counsel’ Les na diector, I feel that it is necessary in ‘the | investigation “to b be willing to be patient and thorough. I F never an tell “wether a street, an avenue of an. investigation is a dead 29 ff ead whether it is in fact not relevant until LT ie tom that | street. - What I think is required when we talk about: a thorough © _ |[- investigation is a willingness to take up the areas of “tangential materiality, to be willing to “99: down, ‘those || roads,’ make a determination when we get down” theres, yess |
40, “what we: found out in no way aids, in no way is really". . ultimately relevant to what we are seeking, but if we are unwilling to be that thorough, then again I say there is fe ‘ "no reason to be engaging in this investigation. Gr do it in a manner where we ao not Seok and intend to Hove: that definitive and. 1 ehoeaysh from my own | feeling 1 means’ || xeaty don't: do it in the first place. I am aware that” there, are people in ‘the congress who perhaps felt. aes , ||. these investigations ought n¢ not to be pursued, for ‘various " reasongg But my point is. the Congress has ‘decided. to “Go. ae, 11 || ana I think that there is literally a vested interest ano each. member of Congress, wi whether he was for fe or not in 3 | the first instance, ‘that if it is to be gone, it must be | . done thoroughly. To" do it in a manner that. ais ts going to oye raise as many questions | as” ‘have been raised” up “tol now i oar | self- “defeating, and I would, “urge the members ‘of. this "committee not to participate, just for your own, sake ‘and. . fOr ‘the sake of the Congress, in an investigation that is. ne “jase going through an appearance for the sake of appéarance, || without the desire to do it thoroughly. What do I mean when I say "thoroughly"? Let. me being “to your attention a number (of matters. In. ‘the brief period “of time that I have been working -on this matter, not, only” ~ going through concepts of what kind of an organization | is’ ||) neeaea to do a thorough investigation, reviewing “gppiteations, |
11 ae N ww and not getting them all reviewed yet, trying to interview 2 _ people, trying to take up questions with regard to the 3 _ commitment of the Congress in getting space, I have sought a to get some investigative effort underway. I did not see 5 why, just because I happened to be sitting doing some house- ‘ keeping chores something could not be done in the meantime. ?UOTZST TOD war ‘Kdoo souarzazay 1 (eez Du) WOSH Docld: 32266815 _ Page 13
RG: 233 , , TAB #: ENTRY: / /. COPLES/ PPS. /CLASS BOX: ; : _ ° | ; PR I-35" ACCESS RESTRICTED The item identified below has been withdrawn from this file: File Designation Date From To In the review of this file this item was removed because access to it is restricted. Restrictions on records in the National Archives are stated in general and specific record group restriction statements which are available for examination. The item identified above has been withdrawn because it contains: L_] Security- Classified Information [x]. Otherwise Restricted Information — = = [NM LK 08/22/93 Authority Date Withdrawn by NSCA John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-526) NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION : NA FORM 14000 (4-86), DocId: 92266815 Page 14 | — JIELON TVNVUCHLIN