(Testimony of Winston G. , Accompanied By Fred B. Smith, Lawson)
Mr. Lawson.
Only if they related to Dallas, and I have been told that these ,individuals were in the active file, it was an open case, and that we should be watchful of this particular individual, but I was given none of this information.
Mr. Dulles.
In your case when you left Washington you weren't given any cases that you considered dangerous in the Dallas area?
Mr. Lawson.
No, sir.
Representative Ford.
When they do give you the name and the case of an individual such as in the instance of Buffalo, what do you get? What is given to you, I mean?
Mr. Lawson.
You are given the name and the number of the case, and then there is a file in Buffalo just like there is a file in Washington, and you can review that file there, and depending on the circumstances you would again have the person followed, or try something to keep him away from the President.
Mr. Dulles.
I see. You are simply given the name and the file number.
Mr. Lawson.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Dulles.
Of the individuals?
Mr. Lawson.
You might be given some other information, like what it concerns, but I mean you wouldn't sit down and read the whole thing because you could get that in the Buffalo office or wherever.
Mr. Dulles.
What would have been your normal practice so far as you can judge if you had been informed that a man, an American had defected to the Soviet Union and had returned to the United States and was living in Dallas and was working in the Texas School Book Depository, would that have been sufficient cause alone to cause you to make an investigation or report it to the Dallas police?
Mr. Lawson.
If I had had that information--again this is supposition.
Mr. Dulles.
I realize that.
Mr. Lawson.
But I probably would have asked advice on it from either the PRS section or the White House detail ahead of it; yes, sir.
Mr. Dulles.
Supplementing a point that was raised earlier, I find that President Kennedy's visit to Texas was reported in the Dallas Morning News as early as September 26, 1963, and the pertinent. sections of this press report--it is headed, "Kennedy to Visit Texas November 21-22," and there is also included in the heading, "Dallas Included." The first two paragraphs of this story reported from Jackson Hole, Wyo., that area, where the President was then on a visit:
"White House sources told Dallas News exclusively Wednesday night that President Kennedy will visit Texas November 21 and 22.
"The visit will embrace major cities of the State including Dallas."
That is just to check on the point of the date when it was first published. So it was published sometime before you were notified of your assignment.
Mr. Lawson.
Yes, sir; I was doing the Billings advance. He left Billings to go to Jackson Hole, Wyo., and then returned the next morning again to Billings.
Mr. Dulles.
You don't recall having heard that though?
Mr. Lawson.
No.
Mr. Dulles.
In connection with your work with the President's party on that trip?
Mr. Lawson.
No.
Representative Ford.
Will you proceed, Mr. Stern?
Mr. Stern.
To conclude the advance work, Mr. Lawson, would you describe the advance work for the Dallas visit as the same as or different from typical advance preparations for a trip of this nature?
Mr. Lawson.
I don't know if that is too general, but I would say that it was quite a typical trip.
I tried to do everything I could think of to make the advance run smooth, and this trip work all right.
Mr. Stern.
The length of time you spent doing the advance, the contacts you had, the time spent by other people, this was typical of this kind of trip?
Mr. Lawson.
Sometimes you go out earlier than other times. Actually this was out just a little bit earlier than usual.
An average, if you have to give an average, I would say you are out about 7
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