Evening star., 1947-05-01

employe an opportunity to give his side
of the case. It is not designed to be an
investigative technique in the legal
sense.
MFR. Reilly commented on the fact
that the director of the FBI writes a
letter to the employing agency inquiring
as to what action the agency proposed
to take, although "the report itself con-
tained neither an evaluation of the in
formation contained in 1t nor an ap-
praisal of It's credibihty." The bureau,
however, was required under riders at
tached to appropriation acts to submit
periodic reports to Congress. To submit
correct statistical information 1t Is nee
essary to make a direct inquiry Of the
agency involved for information as to
the action taken.
The FBI as an Investigating agency
does not evaluate the information set
forth In its reports. It reports facts.
Action on those facts is required by the
interested agency involved. This has
long been a cardinal rule in the FBI.
In criminal cases, even where the indi-
vidual confesses to the crime, the FBI
does not express an opinion as to the
guilt Of the person. That is the respon-
sibility of the prosecuting authorities.
This policy was placed into effect when
the FBI was reorganized in 1924, at the
time It's present director, j. Edgar
Hoover, was placed in charge.
Condolences Are Respected.
The Reilly article also commented on
the technique employed In FBI reports
designating witnesses as confidential in
formants. But the FBI contends that
when an individual furnishes informa-
ton to the FBI on q confidential basis
with the request that his identity not
be disclosed, the FBI is obliged to re-
spect the request. Only In those In
stances where there has been a definite
agreement with a witness is he desig-
mated as confidential informant. A
corollary IS found in the Social Security
Board A police department would be
unable to secure information from that
board on known murderer, even If he
has his name and social security num-
Der, because the Social Security Admin
1stration claims that it has made a
solemn pledge that the contents of its
files will not be made available to other
agencies.
It is the practice in FBI reports where
the witnesses identities are concealed
by use of confidential informant SYM
bols to give some description as to the
informant, such as: TIL, "a member
OF the staff at Harvard College; T-12.
who is connected with the Harvard
Law School,; TIA, employed by the
Supreme Judicial Court; tbs, IAN
official of the Boston Legal Aid Society:
T-16, who is well acquainted with the
person under investigations while at
the Harvard Law School, and was also
personally acquainted with him when
he was employed by the law firm $50"
Where the agent making the inves-
tigatlon has any suspicion as to the
reliability of the informant, even though
ne requests that his identity not be dis
closed and it appears there is motive
Tor statement, it is the common prac-
tice to so indicate this in the investiga-
tive report. Obviously, the FBI does
not furnish the identity of individuals
even though the employing agency re-
quests that the informant be identified.
However, the FBI does not decline,
upon specific request, to furnish any
eValuation of the informant.
There might be isolated instances
wherein In single report circumstances
are such that disclosure of the names
to the employing agency would bring
ABOUT recriminations against those fur
nishing information, in which event
common decency and good Judgment
would require that their identities not
be revealed the FIT holds