Opinion ID: 286171
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Alleged Violations of the Jencks Act

Text: 54 Appellant next contends that the Government's failure to comply fully with the Jencks Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3500, necessitates reversal of his conviction. He claims that the Act was violated in two respects, and we deal with them separately.
55 Horace England, one of appellant's co-defendants in the hijacking case, testified for the Government in rebuttal. England had been questioned by the F.B. I. on a number of occasions before appellant's trial, and made statements which were concededly Jencks material. Upon request by defense counsel, the Government, proceeding in good faith, produced what it thought were all of England's pre-trial statements. However, the government attorneys inadvertently overlooked two items and failed to furnish them to appellant. Admitting error in this failure, the prosecution maintains nevertheless that the appellant was not prejudiced thereby and that the conviction should not be set side on that account. 56 The requirements of the Jencks Act are intended to provide defendants in federal prosecutions with an opportunity for thorough cross-examination of government witnesses, making the constitutionally guaranteed right of confrontation more meaningful. Violations of the statute are necessarily attended by the danger that this precious right will be impaired. For this reason, and also because it is ordinarily difficult upon review of a cold record to ascertain the value to the defense of a statement withheld, violation of the Act is excused only in extraordinary circumstances. See Killian v. United States, 368 U.S. 231, 82 S.Ct. 302, 7 L.Ed.2d 256 (1961); Rosenberg v. United States, 360 U.S. 367, 79 S.Ct. 1231, 3 L.Ed.2d 1304 (1959). Unless it is perfectly clear that the defense was not prejudiced by the omission, reversal is indicated. 57 Applying this strict standard, we conclude that the error complained of in this respect was harmless. England testified very briefly as a rebuttal witness for the prosecution. He corroborated the testimony of Ferrara as to appellant's involvement in the hijacking. On cross-examination, the defense attorney vigorously interrogated him as to his numerous interviews with the F.B.I. and exposed the conflicting statements he had made. During this questioning, England reluctantly admitted having lied to the F.B.I. on at least seven occasions. The effectiveness of defense counsel's cross-examination is highly relevant in determining whether there was prejudice by reason of the Government's nondisclosure, and here there can be no doubt that England's credibility was very seriously impeached. Furthermore, the statements withheld differed from the statements furnished only in minor details. It would be sheer speculation to suggest that these differences, if known to defense counsel, would have resulted in material improvement upon the shattering cross-examination he was able to achieve without knowledge or use of the statements in question. We therefore conclude that the Government's failure to furnish them does not warrant reversal.
58 As Agents Faulkner and Cobb, unobserved, listened to the conversation between appellant and Ferrara at the latter's home, they made sketchy handwritten notes. These notes contained an abbreviated version of the conversation. Returning to the F.B.I. offices, the agents immediately prepared a formal report of the occurrences at Ferrara's residence. In the preparation of this report, they relied on their memories and on the notes. After satisfying themselves that their report was a full and accurate statement of the day's events, they destroyed the notes. The only explanation offered was that destruction of notes of this nature was a common practice. 59 Appellant contends that these notes were Jencks material which the Government was under an obligation to produce. He claims that without them he could not effectively cross-examine the agents and suggests that it is impossible for the court to be certain that the agents did not, in the preparation of the formal report, improve upon their notes. We do not join in this insinuation, but we do agree that the F.B.I.'s practice is subject to criticism and introduces opportunity for the assertion of doubt. Retention of the notes would foreclose many attempts to impeach F.B.I. agents' reports. Notwithstanding this, we think appellant is not entitled to relief because the notes in question do not fall within the statute. 60 In United States v. Johnson, 337 F.2d 180 (4 Cir. 1964), aff'd, 383 U.S. 169, 86 S.Ct. 749, 15 L.Ed.2d 681 (1966), this court was called upon to consider the effect of the destruction of F.B.I. notes. The notes destroyed there had been made by F.B.I. agents during interviews of a defendant and a defense witness. At trial the testimony of the agent and the parties interviewed as to the statements made during the interviews was sharply conflicting. The appellant there contended that destruction of the notes violated the Jencks Act. We rejected the contention on the ground that statements by other than government witnesses may not qualify as Jencks material, but we observed the ill-advised nature of the F.B. I.'s practice: 61 Each time the problem has arisen the FBI has claimed that the notes were destroyed as part of FBI routine. This is really not a satisfactory answer. Where the agent testifies to matter he claims not to be in the notes and the defendant insists on a different version, an issue arises which may not be satisfactorily resolved in the absence of the original notes. If the notes were available, they might confirm or refute one version or the other. One of the purposes of both the Jencks decision and the Jencks Act is to afford the defense an opportunity to impeach witnesses. Palermo v. United States, 360 U.S. 343, 79 S.Ct. 1217, 3 L.Ed.2d 1287 (1959); United States v. Wenzel, 311 F.2d 164, 171 (4th Cir. 1962). The destruction of interview notes does not advance this purpose. Of course, a district court may find as a fact that the notes were not a substantially verbatim record, or that they were accurately copied into a report and then destroyed in good faith, but the necessity for inquiries along this line can be avoided by the preservation of notes until after the trial. Eliminating uncertainty may serve the interest of the Government no less than the defendant. 337 F.2d at 201-202. 62 In the instant case, the notes recorded a conversation between a government witness and appellant. These notes therefore could qualify as Jencks material if they satisfy the requirements set out in 18 U.S.C. § 3500(e) (2). That section provides: 63 (e) The term statement,    in relation to any witness called by the United States, means — 64