DRAFT

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

I am pleased to transmit herewith a report on my mission to
Detroit.

At the direction of the President, I was sent there on the afternoon
of Monday, June 24, to assist State and city officials in restoring law and
order in the nation's fifth largest city. I returned to Washington, D. C.,
on the evening of Wednesday, August 2.

Before I departed for Detroit as your Special Assistant, I was
given full and complete authority, within Constitutional constraints, to
assess the situation as I found it and then to make whatever decisions and
to take whatever actions might be required to help put an end to lawless-
ness and disorder.

Given this clear-cut authority, I must and do accept full respon-
bility for all actions taken by me and members of my team, which included
representatives from the Department of Defense and Department of Justice.
We believe that our mission was carried out effectively and efficiently.

From start to finish, our basic approach was to apply the minimum
amount of force required to achieve the objective. Where Federal military
power must be employed as a last resort in such a situation, this doctrine
should always prevail.

2

The emergency Air Force airlift deployment of Regular Army troops to Detroit marked only the twelfth time in United States history that such forces have been used to restore law and order. In our society, responsibility for maintaining law and order fundamentally belongs exclusively to civilian law enforcement agencies. My career in the law, my previous service in the Legislative and Executive branches of the Federal Government and my special assignment to Detroit strongly affirm this [personal] conviction.

At the same time, the Federal Government must be prepared, as it was in the case of the Detroit riots, to provide *immediate* and effective assistance to city and state authorities when there is a collapse in local law and order.

Careful and guarded restraint in the application of Federal military power in civilian communities is essential under our Constitution. Also essential is careful and guarded preparation for the extraordinary need for Federal military intervention in civilian communities to preserve law and order.

Finally, this letter would be deficient if I did not report to you on the magnificent performance of duty by Lieutenant General John L. Throckmorton, USA, and the men whom he commanded. The nation has every reason to be proud of their success in carrying out a difficult