Gx believe “every member here. of the committee has a. stmt ar feeling if you want to have everything out in. 1 the - open and all. Nevertheless I will point out one thing that. |} happened this morning that might have been inhibited, chad” you: had the press present, and I think that would have been | ' I) tne thing that. they would have “hung their hat on, . and. ‘that | Weis” the inference that the leaking out of that menorandum = supposedly from J. Edgar Hoover came only after. a request, had, a been made by you and the staff from the FBI. |. _Now that is - what. they would hang their hat . con, and. then’: eof ~ we would find ourselves pitted against the FBI from ‘the very. nie atset. why go into that? | The press isn't going to accuse us of hiding anything vat. this point. There is _ nothing to hide and they: know ee but i it is essential that we distinguish ‘between the proper rn area of free and open ‘discussion, without giving a field aay | to s some distorted reporting of segments of that. discussion. anal | Chairman Downing. I think that is well stated, Dyes Gonzalez. oe Mr. stokes? owe. Stokes. I have some further discussion on this’ >” : point. I have some real problems with shrouding everything. in secrecy when you are constituted in order to make an... investigation by the ‘Congress. For instance, this afternoon, — cin the. movie that, was shown here, t failed to see. anything. ae
_ about: that movie that was of a sensitive nature that should ; or -) of Zhi s. oer - "Cover- -Up,", this book here entitled "Betrayal," n, evoteiren book here entitled "The Umbrella Man," in which all ‘types, of theories are advanced with reference to the murder and how Po ait occurred and who might have done it, _ just seems to me that unless someone can show me what. was sensitive about it, “this was an unnecessary portion of executive session, and yt would further question, «asmiem the constraints of an. ve ‘executive sessiong hat am I to do this atten Cus “eae to call me and ask we about this movie. ome upon us with reference to a movie of this type?” | | PF ghaixnan Downin There are no constraints. “You were | sown the movie, and you are free to make any comments ee We you want on it. ‘Mr. Stokes. Oo ag Then tell me why it shoulda have. been Oe i shown in executive session? Chairman Downing. Because at the time we didnt t. know’ "exactly, I didn't know what was going to be shown. | ooking "back on it perhaps it could have been. Mr. Sprague. Mr. Chairman, may I respond to that? a Chairman Downing. Please do. oo Mr Sprague. If I-may, and I apologize if I appear to | have been withheld from the press or from the American public, i. don’ t see any difference in that film and this book entitled et coterag =E : in terms of the investigation, that | afternoon if: ‘the press | What constraints | |
bea little too abrupt with the committee. I do not- ‘mean. to be. £ thought that part of what we had at least “suggested this morning was that statements to the news media would only. come from the ghairman or the press aide for. the | committee - or. ‘someone designatea by the ¢hairman, and it would seem to... Jf me that ‘that is the answer to what Mr. Stokes just raised. G1 hope we do not get into the situation frankly, where: everybody here comes out of a meeting and gives his. interpretation Of one item and somebody else gives. a different ||. interpretation. : - hone. Mr. Sprague, let me interrupt if I may “Fight there. You have 12 members here. We have got Seven or ‘eight. 14 |[- members of our staffs here. Mr. Sprague, you have been, mn | the prosecution business quite a while in Philadelphia. _ There or no way that statements are only going to come from aa Chairman | Powning or from yourself on an Sovestigation ike | “this. We are just kidding c ourselves if we think. that that | wis going to happen. of just won't happen that way. That is) || another reinforcement for having your open hearing, ‘because “then you stay away from the rumor and the twisting ‘and the. turning a and everything else that will inevitably pul . Sprague. May I get to the second part of ny oe et there? ~ There again with all due respect, when it is: pointed...) “Doeld: 32266815 .
1370 |} out let's Say a book here "The Umbrella nan PRCexayar,« . these different books, they may be written by individual », authors for whatever their purpose, but I do think. when. a Ir think that if you think that just to present. something |p ana let the public in, it impedes | our ability just ‘to hear” ana review things, some of which may not be of tuch, value, ‘some may be, but if everything that you are going to have. . “| here is going to be subject to just the public Looking at eis it, and you are going to be trotting the news media in 1 here, _ You have got the imprint of the Congress of. the: ‘United’ and the presentation of matters” “nonetheless ona public basis gets a certain greater. || acceptapinity just from. ‘the fact that you have io & ite [ana looked at it here. It almost comes across | as “though woe, yea have seen fit to give this a certain higher lever of “importance by the presentation before you. Now I am not saying that there doesn’ 't cone : a time when “you have seen certain matters, that you may not make. a pe decision let's have a public hearing. Let us: Present. that. “dn. the: publie forum, | but I don't think that /You: are. going to:
138. “help an investigation by just Starting out and saying let! S. have everything really public here, Wf we. Stokes. Mr. Chairman, may I respond further to that? i: think it is going to be necessary then. for. this Committee “to ‘try and adopt some type of guidelines with reference ‘to | when we go into executive session and when we open it. ‘to. * the ‘Public. os ir would disagree with Mr. Sprague in the sense. ‘that I]. the presentation made here this afternoon, when presented to 12 embers of Congress, is being presented to: “Congress, and - the public has a very real vested interest in ‘hearings I} ana inquiries of this type when we were constituted for the "purpose: of making an investigation on behalf of ‘the “American people. tT would be the first to say that we ought to, go in’ "executive: Session when, there is Something sensitive to, ‘the: . total investigation that. might in some manner be disruptive: _ ort have some adverse bearing upon any witnesses to “appear befor «8 fongressional committee, but obviously the majority of ‘that Te which we have received in execu net bing: tive session. today, there. _ haset been tro” sensitive, nothing of an. adverse nature | in terms of the public or witnesses, and it would ‘seem to mes ff that we.. have spent a great deal of the American public! soe ‘time ‘in executive session which they ought to have. been. a. ‘party. to: |