(Testimony of Robert Inman Bouck Resumed)
Mr. Bouck.
The White House mail has two general instructions: One, we supply them with identification information on all existing cases in which mail is concerned; that any further mail in those cases is automatically referred to us.
Their criteria are the same as our other general criteria--that in addition to these known cases we desire letters, telegrams, or any other document they receive that in any way indicates any one may have possible intention of harming the President.
Mr. Stern.
Have you----
Mr. Dulles.
Could I ask just one question here?
Mr. Stern.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Dulles.
I note that this list does not include membership in various types of organizations, such as the, for example, the organizations that are on the Attorney General's list. Have you ever considered that?
Mr. Bouck.
Yes; if I might explain, sir; the letters we are talking about are letters that are written by people, and they rarely include that kind of information, but we do in other categories, this is for a special purpose. This is letters only that are sent to the President which is all this is applied to. This does not apply to other sources of information, only the one source of letters.
Mr. Stern.
Have you had occasion, Mr. Bouck, before Dallas, to put in writing criteria to be employed by Secret Service agents in dealing with uninvited callers at the White House?
Mr. Bouck.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Stern.
I show you now a document which I have marked for identification Commission Exhibit No. 764, one page, entitled "The following criteria are used as guides in determining whether White House callers should be committed for mental observation." Do you recognize that?
Mr. Bouck.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Stern.
Did you have it prepared?
Mr. Bouck.
I did.
Mr. Stern.
How was this employed?
Mr. Bouck.
A great percentage of the people who come to see the President or to the White House gates have been found to be suffering from mental illness. This involves a determination as to whether a legal process will take place of committing these people, and in discussions with the Mental Commission in Washington and elsewhere, we have found that certain criteria meet their desires in whether or not we should legally process them. So this was prepared as a guide to agents in trying to determine whether we could send these people down for commitment to a mental institution or consideration by the Commission on Mental Health.
Mr. Stern.
Under the District of Columbia commitment procedures?
Mr. Bouck.
Yes; that is right.
Mr. Stern.
Beyond these criteria for dealing with White House mail and uninvited visitors at the White House, what instructions within the broad framework of your criteria do you give to Treasury law enforcement officers, including Secret Service agents, with respect to the kind of information you are interested in receiving?
Mr. Bouck.
We have participation in a broad program of Treasury schools which include all of the Treasury agencies as well as participation of certain other people in our own schools. We have a coordination setup in Treasury on which the heads of organization levels meets regularly.
In all of those the Secret Service jurisdiction, the Secret Service desires and needs in the way of protection of the President have been included many times over.
It is a constant, one of those things that is constantly brought up many times both in the schools and in the coordination needs of the Secret Service needs and functions in these areas.
Mr. Stern.
Do you participate in other training programs of other law enforcement agencies?
Mr. Bouck.
Yes.
Mr. Stern.
Will you describe that and with particular reference to this problem?
Mr. Bouck.
We participate both on the national level and at the field level.
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