Bee ee A care NAS 8 LI Fe it aa ah ON aS i Ot nt Tea aI A Ne NY LiL EELS Heal raenteae og AIEEE ON Ue Why U.S. Lifestyle Produces Assassins A new attempt on a President’s life raises old questions: Why do such attempts continue? What will it take to bring them to a halt? For answers, the magazine went to a noted psychiatrist and consultant on violent crime. 2. ~ Q Dr. Menninger, what accounts for the string of assassination attempts against national! feaders in the last two decades? A Every society produces its alienat- ed persons who try to carry out their own agenda, but some characteristics of ours increase the potential risk. For one thing, more guns are avail- able than ever before—and these are the main weapons in assassination as well as violent crime, of which we have more than any other Western industri- alized nation. We also-have a tradition of individual freedoms—and more resistance to lim- its on those freedoms. Another thing is affluence. Potential assassins can easily go to where their target is. In the John Lennon case, the alleged assassin flew in from Hawaii. Q As.a psychiatrist who has been in- voived In-studies of violence and presi-" dential security, how did you react to the attempt on President Reagan's life? A My initial response was that I wasn’t surprised—in part, because I’ve been reviewing some of the data on assassinations and, in part, because of the tenor of the times. Moreover, this is a President of strong and forceful character, who has expressed his opinions on public issues that excite emotions and who is not viewed as a conciliator. This sets the stage for making him a lightning rod— a target for assassination. Q ts a profile bullding up on persons who try to carry out assassinations? A Not a specific profile, but there are common elements. Characteristically, assassins tend to W. Walter Menninger, senior staff psychia- trist at the Menninger Foundation. be loners and don’t have effective so- - ~gial relations with other people, at least currently, They are generally unmar- ried or have had a very poor marital relationship. They are people without a consistent work history, particularly in the year or so before the assassination attempt is made. They are individuals who consistent- ly-use a handgun as their weapon and select a moment when a well-known figure is appearing in public. Until the attempts by TU.ynette “Screaky” Fromme and Sara Jane Moore on then- President Ford, they were all males. Q. Do assassins share a particular fam- ily background or class level? A In nearly all instances, there has been some hint of early disruption in family life. The list does cut across class somewhat, but the striking thing is that, as yet, none have been black. Q Does the desire for attention or fame play a strong role In a person’s de- sire to kill a prominent person? A At some level, I would think, the would-be assassin must clearly have an Five Assailants and Their Targets Lee Oswald Sirhan Sirhan Arthur Bremer Lynette Fromme Sara Jane Moore (John Kennedy) (Robert Kennedy) (George Wallace) (Gerald Ford) (Gerald Ford) 32 awareness that this is going to be a notorious and even historic event. Q Would the recent trend of closing mental hospitafs be putting more potential assassins on the streets? ATI don’t think there’s clear evi- dence that assassination is a function of mental illness per se. Q What about the growing leniency in sentencing—does that ralse the level of assassination risks? A The odds are that locking up peo- ple longer for crimes is no solution, since people who have made assassina- tion attempts are people who have never committed a crime for which they would have been locked up. Any- way, our whole philosophy does not call for preventive detention. Q Would the frequency of assassina- tion attempts In recent years be due, In part at least, to the media—especlally the Influence of television? A Not necessarily. Yet I think the great expansion of the media has pro- duced an overload of communications for some people—and television, which makes an event so immediately known, can certainly be a factor. Q. Do assassinations In this country of- ten develop from political or economic grievances? A More so in the last century, per- haps, assassins have had some kind of specific but distorted political reason to justify their action—but not as a mem- ber of an organized political move- ment. They are personal zealots. In the Reagan case, I don’t think we really know the motivation of the ac- cused assassin, despite press reports. Q. Is it significant that, in this country, attacks on leaders come from loners, while Western Europe's problem Is terror- Ist groups? A That’s one of the striking con- trasts thus far: We have been less sub- ject to the terrorist approaches. That doesn’t mean we may not be, and I’m well aware that the FBI and other federal law-enforcement agencies are constantly concerned about that ~possibility. Q Is there some way to greatly reduce the threat of assassination in the United States? A There’s no simple answer. In democratic philosophy, the elected leader frequently performs ceremonial and political tasks in public. There is no perfect way to forestall attempted as- sassinations short of confining the Pres- ident to the White House and liniiting his communication with the public to television broadcasts and other media. Other nations can, by totalitarian means, limit people’s access to travel as well as to weapons. I don’t think we’re about to go in that direction. o Copyright © 1981, U.S.News & World Report, Ing. 2 HW 54952 DBocld:329899491 Page 35 ,
_ £0419 (Rev, 8-20-79) _ Suspect Is Found © To Be Qualified | To Stand Trial But Hinckley Is Ordered to Undergo Extensive Tests s By ROBERT PEAR . Special to The New York Times — WASHINGTON, April 2 — A court-ap- ' pointed psychiatrist has found John W, Hinckley Jr. competent to stand trial in e shooting of President Reagan, but a Federal judge today ordered a more ex- ive mental examination, which could take from30to90 days. | The 25-year-old defendant, wearing a" bulletproof vest, appeared in Federal District Court today, for two separate hearings that lasted a total of slightly , more than 40 minutes. Security was ex- tremely tight. wr. James L. Ev pointed "peychiairist"examined Mr. Hinckley for three/hours yesterday. Dr. Evans’s report, feleased by the court today, was that Mr. Hinckley was ‘“‘men- tally competent to stand trial,” that he had “a rational and factual understand- ing of the charges and is able to partici- pate with counsel in the preparation of his def ad Deals Only With Competency However, such a finding deals only. -with the-suspect’s competency to stand | trial and does not deal with the question of sanity at the time of the shéoting. Nor does it preclude a plea of lot guilty by ! reason of insanity. _ udge William B. Bryant, chief. judge ourt here, said today that he was authorizing a further examination of Mr. Hinckley, for a period | not to exceed 90 days, to evaluate his mental health more fully. Judge Bryant | said Government psychiatrists would i}. Study the broader quéstion of whether Mr. Hinckley was responsible for his con- duct at the time of the shooting on Mon- day. “ Justice Department officials said’that the evaluation of Mr. Hinckley’s,mental health would be made at the Federal.Cor-|} ional Instituti Butne -! where there is a special sys iatric pro- gvam for evaluating Federal prisoners. Mr. Hinckley was taken there by helicop- . terafter today’s proceedings, arriving at _3:20 P.M. ; T4eanwhile, Federal investigators said today they suspected that Mr. Hinckley may have been in touch with someone in -the Washingtph area before he went to! ithe scene of the shooting, at the Washing- fiton Hotel. They said that ae inckley made two local telephone : calls Monday from his room at the Park | Central Hotel, two blocks from thé White — 54957 , the court-ap- | ty, DoclTd:32969491 Page 36 House. Before leaving the hotel, they! said, he asked at the front desk whether ° he had any phone messages. 0 ’ Apreliminary hearing is often held be- fore a Federal magistrate, a court officer who has some of the powers of a judge. | 5 first heard by ' ce S. Margolis, a Federal magis- ' The Hinckley case trate, and then went to Judge Bryant be- cause defense attorneys were not satis- fied with Mr. Margolis’s ruling. Hinck! t proceedings, Mr. Hinckley slouched in his chair but looked alert, .{| whispering to his attorneys and gnawing occasionally on the fingers of his right hand. He spoke only once, when he rose to tell Mr. Margolis that he was voluntarily waiving his right to a preliminary hear-« * Some Evidence Required At such.a hearing, the Government | would have been required to present.! some of its evidence against Mr. Hinck- ley, showing that there was ‘“‘probable cause’’ to believe that he shot at Mr. Rea- gan and at Timothy J. McCarthy, a Se- cret Service Spent protect wa se dent. While James S. Brady, the White 8 District of Columbia” poljéeman, ‘were also wounded in the attack on Presi- dent Reagan Monday, Mr. Hinckley is charged only with attempting to kill the President and with assaulting a Secret Service agent. _ ae Vincent J. Fuller the senior lawyer on Mr. Hin ickley"athree-man defense team, - objected strentiously to any comprehen- sive examination of his client by Govern-, ment psychiatrists at this time. First, he argued, psychiatrists chosen by defense attorneys should be given “immediate -access”’ .to- Mr. -Hinckley--to-“‘consider whether or not a defense of insanity will be raised in this case.” But Mr. Margolis ordered the compre- hensive examination and also authorized a Federal grand jury to begin reviewing the evidence against Mr. Hinckley. Mr. Buller and he ey r defense attor- neys,/ Grego . ig an 5 not Co ites r. Evans's find. that Mr. Hinckley was mentally petent to stand trial “tBut Mr. Fuller appealed Mr. Margo- lis's order on the comprehensive exami- nation to Judge Bryant, who issued a similar order upholding the magistrate’s decision. Judge Bryant assured the de- fense attorneys that their psychiatric ex- perts would have “‘equal access” to Mr. Hinckley. Charles F.£. ff, the United States “Attorn ere, at a full mental examination ws justified by the fact that Mr. Hinckley fad been under pychiatric care, by “the nature of his life style over the last several weeks,’’ and particularly by “the act which was committed on Monday.” * Mr. was warranted only after a defendant had given written notice of his intention to raise an insanity defense. Mr. Hinck- Hey, he said, has not done so becausé he Jing defense counsel must have personal | Fuller said that a full examination , Exec AD Adm. —__ 2 Exec AD Inv. Exec AD LES __ st. Dir.: dm. Servs. tim. Inv. —_ dent. ntell. — aboratory egal Coun. ___ Plan. & Insp. __ Rec. Mgnt. —_—. Tech. Servs. —_ Training — ublic Affs. Off. elephone Rm. irector’'s Sec’y — has not yet been examined trists of his choosing. “Those medical experts who are advis- by psychia- accéss to the defendant if their advice and opinions are to be meaningful,” the defense lawyers said in a memorandum to the court. ‘‘Without that access ‘and without that advice, thé Sixth Amend- ment guarantee of effective assistance of counsel will be but a hollow promise to John W. Hinckley Jr.” There was no discussion of bail at today’s proc: . In their memoran- dum, the defense attorneys said that “it can be expected that the defendant will remain incarcerated during the entirety of the pretrial and trial proceedings.” Escorted by Police Cars Mr. Hinckley had been held since Mon- day night in a prison at the Marine base in Quantico, Va. He was taken by helicop- ter this morning from Quantico to Fort Leslie J. McNair, an Army installation in southwest Washington. From there he proceeded in a limousine, escorted’by po-~ ice cars and motorcycles, to the court- e There were security personnel on top of the courthouse and several nearby buil- ings. Guards frisked everyone entering’ the courtroom where Mr. Hinckley ap- peared. Security was so tight that James F. Davey, the chief clerk of the court, was required to show identification. As an added precaution, a paramedic, with gxy- pen and emergency equipment, sat/ be- ind Mr. Hinckley in court. In Denver, meanwhile, am Sells, a neighbor of the Hinckley family, fold re- porters that the defendant apparently ast visited his parents’ home in guburban Evergreen last week. Mr. Sells’said that Mr. Hinckley left his car in the family ga-- rage and told his parents that he was going to California to look for a job. William H. Webster, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said today that bureau agents had searched ecar, . The Washington Post Washington Star-News Daily News (New York) The New York Times A-f[ The Wall Street Journal _______ The Atlanta Constitution ..—_____. The Los Angeles Times * FBI/DOs
. 1 + we ewe ers wey? Fig " By JOSEPH VOLZ - r,, the 25-year-old drifter ith trying to assassinate Pres- agan, was judged competent yesterday to stand trial, but a pro- longed legal struggle shaped up over the ultimate question of his sanity. ' Over the strong objections of his defense attorney, Hinckley was taken to a federal prison hospital in North Carolina for further mental tests after two hearings yesterday. , * With the idea of “getting Reagan” in had never “met, was hustled into a . federal courtrobm for the hearings “under extraordinarily tight security-to listen to his lawyer try to prevent . Justice-Department psychiatrists from probing his sanity. : . In the first.hearing /federal Ma te Lawrence courtappointed Hinckley is “prese is- is agreed with a Sychiatrist that ly mentally compe- tent to stand trial,” but told the govern- - ment to conduct further sanity tests,” . that the government conduct/further tests before defense experts had a chance to examine Hirickley, The appeal was/lost in-the second * " HINCKLEY’S-lawyer, VincenyEul-_ ler, appealed. He protested oy order 7 OU order signed by Bryant, Justice Department psychia.. trists were prevented from examining: Hinckley until at least noon today to allow his lawyers to file a further. appeal. The finding that Hinckley is compe- “tent to stand trial! merely means he understands his rights and is‘ able to _ help prepare his defense. It does not: constitute a judgment that the defen. dant was sane at the time.a crime was comuitted, After Bryant's ruli by a , Hinckley was inekTe day in the brig Quantico, Va. Fight Hit sanity Hinckley, said to have been obsessed _ order to win the love of a movie star he- a ee n ~! ated i : * z . nes oe Fae Bam - ”~ 7 nc test Te ees mt ee _. THE TWO courtroom” sessions here—one lastéd 18 minutes before n (News Bureau)—John : Margolis and the other about 20 mi- nutes before Bryant an hour and a half later—gave the first glimpse-into how prosecutors and defense lawyers will- conduct the case in the weeks ahead. “The key question will be: Was Hinck. ley’s alleged shooting of the Presid and three other men, including House Press Secretary James the resuit of a mental disease? ..- If Hinckley’s anomeyea member of the prestigious law headed by Edward Bennett Williams, believes. he can e that casé, then he might attempt to mount a/defense of insanity. ". for the accused assailant. . " ‘In his court.appearances yesterday, howeve>, Fuller was careful to make it clear that he had not notified the court that he would:employ an insanity. de- fense. , ‘ same jam-packed federal courtroom, the pudgy, ‘sandy-haired Hinckley, dressed in a dark business suit and wearing.a bullet-proof vest under his White” shirt and white sweater, whis- . bered to one of his lawyers, - HINCKLEY uttered only two words ‘in public—“Yes, -sir"—when. Margolis asked if he understood what he was doing by waiving a preliminary hear- ing: . . ie » The judge told the suspect, who sat ‘at the defense table with his lawyers, ““As you are charged with two of- ‘ fenses—attempted assault with a pistol of Secret’ Service Agent Timothy ae | and a second offensé on the nt of the United States, Ronald «++ you would have the oppor- tunity to ‘put on a witness if you desire.” : 7 : Hinckley did not so desire, meaning the case now automatically goes to a federal grand jury which will deter- mine if he should be indicted for the two alleged federal offenses. -As for the shootings of White House Press Secretary James S.. Bra , Washington Policeman Tho - Ja , neither man is co . tederal officer under the ‘the federal anti-assassinatién law. It is -expected that city authorities in . Washington will bring charges against Hinckley in connection with the attacks -on Brady and Delahanty. "With the nationally televised slaying ‘bf Lee Harvey Oswald, President Ken- medy's assassin; in mind, U.S. marshals mounted extraordinary security efforts gesterday. “ Througtiout the hearings, in the’ wn ge Ss @* Reporters and spectawis, crvcu ‘by marshals before they were permitted *;who even approached the corridor had Judges ind lawyers and court officials wi: to watch the proceedings—— were subjected to a vigorous frisking___ Anto the courtroom. This was ‘after al) >passed through a metal detection de-__ ice of the type used in airports. ¢ THE PRINCIPAL topic at the hear- sings was the wrangle over what access government psychiatrists would have to Hinckley, who continues to be held without bail. _- 4 A court.a court, said Hinckley was “pre- £ Be mentally competent to stand r trial.” Evans, who examined Hinckley * On ‘Wednesday in an isolation cell at _ : Quantico, 40 miles south of Washing- ; ton, added that the defendant “has a rational and factual understanding of , ‘the charges and is able to participate with counsel in the preparation of his defense,” Defense attorney Fuller conceded ;. that Hinckley was mentally competent “ to stand trial and, therefore, there was v no-reason at this point for a govern. ment psychiatrist to examine his client ¢ any further: . “* " Margolis disagreed. _ Bryant, on appeal, noted that in past cases when suspects wre examined by . Psychiatrists a considerable time after "_ the alleged crime, “there was always a question of reliability.” Bryant meant The Washington Post Washington Star-News Daily News (New York) The’ New York Times The Wail Street Journal The Atlanta Constitution The Los Angeles Times . — Ppointed psychiatrist, Dr, _ , in a one-paragraph report Date 4-3-8) 2 15-3 -Sub DL FBI/DOJ HW 54952 DoclId: 32969491 Page 37
HW 54952 Docld:32?9689491 Page I that if the government is going to make: .& case it is better to condict the interviews and examinations as soon as possible‘after the event. at although will attempt to prove etions in the many of Hinckley's , weeks before the shooting, such as the “fantasy obsession with teen-age movie stardodie Foster, were aberrant, they do not mean,hat he was so mentally diseased that he was not responsible for his actions. The.defense may try to ~ prove otherwise. es ‘REPORTS OF JUST how obsessed Hinckley was with Foster, 18, surfaced yesterday with -publi¢ation- -of- the-text. of an unmailed letter found in the downtown - Washington hotel where Hinckley stayed the night before Mon- day’s assassination attempt. . “Jody, I would abandon this idea of getting Reagan in a second if I could only win your heart and live out the rest of my life with you, whether it be in total obscurity or whatever,” the letter said. “Iwill admit to you that the reason I’m going ahead with this attempt now is because I just cannot wait any longer to impress you... . fam doing all of this for your sake.” Written ‘at the top of the letter were the date, “3-30-81,” and the time, “12:45 “p.m.”—about two hours before the shooting that wounded Reagan outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. « The letter said, “There is a definite possibility that 1 will be killed in my attempt to get Reagan. .“This-letter-is-being-written_.an_hour before I leave for the Hilton Hotel. Jody, ’'m-asking you to please look into your heart and at least give me the -chance with this ‘historic deed to gain your respect, and love,” the letter said. a