FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PRIVACY ACTS SUBJECT: ROBERT F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION LA FILE NUMBER: 56-156 SUB FILE H VOLUME 2 FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION NOTICE THE BEST COPIES OBTAINABLE ARE INCLUDED IN THE REPRODUCTION OF THE FILE. PAGES INCLUDED THAT ARE BLURRED, LIGHT OR OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO READ ARE THE RESULT OF THE CONDITION AND OR COLOR OF THE ORIGINALS PROVIDED. THESE ARE THE BEST COPIES AVAILABLE. -.:-.-'-"^ '•• ••• *VH1ATHII1L MUST NOT ME REMOVED ntOH QH ADDCO TOTHll INYESTIGATION 7-16-63) (Meutii Clipping in Spoce Uga! Tesn Will Act as Advisers to 23 Handpicked L Defectives in Investigation, Then Handle Prosecution (Indlcat* f>og*, no** el BY KOY KAYN'ES , eltr «ed «tal«.) Tiffin Ht» f.'rlrtr The formation of a Fp?dai task p not guilty ancl thai the trial force of invcstijElors and prosecu- will be^in within three months. tor; (o handle the Robert F. Kenne- He also indicated that in his Aneeles Times dy »syi»r?in;!tion trial was jointly opinion Mayor Sam Yorty's remarks Los Angeles^ Calif* annoimccd Thinly by ihc polite, disclosing evidence have nol jeopar- (iisirin atiornt-y and the U.S. Jus- dized the 24-year-old Jordanian lite Department. emigrant's chance for a lair trial. Dop. Chirr RolxMt Houslii^n, Asked if he would fight a change comni.-intUr of t]ic dctcc(i\e bureau, of venue motion, Younger, said he EH id a detective forte of "23 hand- would never resist such a motion if picked men" have been assigned to he felt it was needed, but added, the case. "Sirhan can and will get a fair trial At the press conference in the in Los Angeles." Police Building. Dirt. Ally. Evellc J. He added that the nationwide and Younger raid, *We ha^-e formed a worldwide publicity would disquali- spfdal !c-<=! team vho will »cl as fy all location.- if il would ha ye that advisers to Ihc of.'icf'i-i (lining the effect on Los Anseles. ' ' in\CElig?.tiosi ant! wiJl handle the during the trial." Younger named the men as Lynn D. Compion, chief deputy district attorney; Jolm E. -Howard, chief, special invcjti^tions di\-i^ion, dis- trict attorney's orficc, hnd David N. l-'itis, deputy riif-tiicl zttomey. : 6M/68 Drown in Connnant! • : Pi^evietr, Houston paid Capl, Hush Brown, Roy Haynes h detective with considerable homi-( cidc iiivctigativo experience, is Editor: Kick B. T,'illiaES npcrational con>; .code<- of the police force uniL KENSAU Roth roen pra?tcd the experience and abiJilics of the men who have been assigned ar>6 cmphaii?.td that Ckanetmn (he entire effort—including the •r Justice ttoparlroent—wril) bo 'well C|o««i»lcoUoo; M 56-156 coordinated." The Justice Deparlmapt represen- tr.tivc, L".S. Atty. Ktatt Byrne, made ]kile wmment other than to say 1'nat his dcpartrREDi and the FBI arc *coopcniti»;-- fully* v.-ith the police and the dir:ricl aitornej-. Dist. Atty. Younger Indicated, during the (nie.-*,ion and tnsccr » 141868 / psrici, th^t thotc \vftl not be s thansp <*[, venue, th.it th? ,*mifH irhan Bi^hBra Sirhan/will -41- „ Younger plans Jivitse the CfiaTaY a Jorum io reTcM to the puWic 'every piece of information" gathered on the *t.-5a?sination. Both he and Koughton said "no lead, no piece of «vidcnre will bit over- looked." 'If there were 10,000 leads and we checker! out O.DDD and let the other one go, someone would write a book accusing us of cover- ing up somclhins," Youn- ger said. •Unimportant leads that might be ignored in other cases will be checked out, •Then ivc plan lo pre- sent in open court every piece of evidence about this cafe." Asked how he would present the information if "Sirhan should plead guil- ty. Younger replied, "1 t.hin<: it is an academic question.' Byrne eald the Justice Department "is lOOCo sa- tisfied with the way the Los Angeles Police De- I partment has handled the j FD-JSO (R«». T-l*-tJ) TJ (Mount Clipping In Space B*lew) dictated the_prj£cj$e ielection process, said Men Task Force Houghton, who also it chief of detectives. *Only those officer* whose persona] traits indi- Selected fo Probe cated complete dependabi- lity, ability to work with litUe supervision and flair Kennedy's Murder for analyzing facts were chosen," he added. (Indicate peg*, *«• of BY JERKY COHEN •They were drawn from , eitjr and *lat«.) YMm tUK Writer all police divisions. Five, 1-1 Los Angeleg s Times A select team of Lo~ Angeles In fact, are nondetectives, A polircmrn, each 'handpicked for his chosen for their specia- los Angeles, Cfillf. ("penalized skills," has been created lized skills and experien- to carry the major burden of the ces.' KoLcrtF. Kinnedy murder investi- Preparedness Emphasized gation, it was disclosed Thursday. Its members include officers with The squad also Includes 'wide connections in Europe and * Juvenile officer who spe- Asia, plus men who, in the past, cializes in narcotics—"be- have developed military connections cause we simply .don't on the two continents." know what well run into" —and a scientific investi- The 23-man task force, headed by gation expert—"to corre- Capt. Hugh Brown, police homicide late what we turn up in chief, also includes specialists on the that area* political underground. j Houghton emphasized An equally elite legal squad was j that inclusion of officers named Thursday by Dist. Atly. \ with European and Asian Evclle J. Younger to advise the • connections, plus political investigative force, then later to specialists, should not be prosecute the case against Sirhan misread by the public to Bishara Sirhan. Indicate Investigators now Younger'* Aide Heads Team lean toward a conspiracy Its boss Is Younger's top aide, theory, Chief Dcp. Disl. Atty. Lynn D. •We simply must be (Buck) Compton, onetime UCLA ready for whatever direc- football hero and a conscientious tion it might go,* he said. Dot*: 6/3V6B prosecutor. * : No Early Judgments Edition: Home Creation of both special squads Since the fatal shooting Astbor: Jerry Cohen was announced at a press confer- nine days ago, investiga- Editor: ence in the Police Building presided Kick B. Willie. tors consistently have said Till*: over by Younge/, Dcp. Police Chief , that available evidence in- Robert Hough ton and VS. Atty. dicated it was the work of KENSALT Matt Byrne. one man. Later The Times obtained specific Bui Bought on said dur- details about the nature and expec- ing the press conference tations of both units. that police will proceed 56-156 Selection of the police team, for with #an open mind" in ClaaBlfteatlMi Instance, was unprecedented in de- that respect. SabnJtUat Otflcat L partmental history, ant its members U.S. Atty. Byrne were chosen from "the pick of the stressed, as he has before, • Being entire department* that Justice Dj^wtir.-nt TC0' .An ajvarencss of "the "copi^ -Eocr.cies are not "preempts magnitude and significance of thin ing* the role of local law cc- enforcement with their in- _ _ * -tfeports from the «•"" ,.tJ v e and Investigativiv*e_ Invit|,,v e "someoniiJtlkejQjew Whatever they turn up, village in which he lived area,' Ccmplon said. * OrlcaM DisL Atty. Jim) he said, will be designed to indicate his early family Police *t Tore* Garrison to come In lour assist the ' LAPD in a life was stormy and that, Houghton also stressed >«« later and say we cooperative venture. on more than one occa- sion, his father punished the police team will be the *<to1 <*o this or that." For instance, he sug- •core" of a tout depart- Worldwide Interest . gested, 'if the investiga- him with unusual sevcri- mental investigative ef- *TVe are aware,* said tion focuses on foreigh fort. tjavel, or activity outside Though Compton de- Younger, 'that this is not clined to indulge in such The team was formed, he Just another criminal case Los Angeles, It might wtfl" speculation, this early explained, because the in which Los Angeles Is . be local authorities will "size and scope of the case background certainly obviously Is beyond the Interested. We are aware .'call on the FBI for that would figure in evaluating the whole nation, even the information. scope of normal organiza- the suspect's mental stabi- tional structure." whole world, is watching." •Or, If there Is need to lity, r The three aides he The other two areas of Since the assassination, trace the lour $100 bills _> "literally hundreds' of Los named to his squad, he found in the suspect's noted, have tried more concentraUon outlined Ijy Angeles policemen have possession when he was' had a role in the investiga- than 200 homicide cases arrested, the Secret Ser-, Compton were "the facts among them. of the shooting Itself" and tion, Houghton said. .vice might be best With the formation of Houghton observed that equipped to do that." j 'the big open end—the the special squad, the the special police team' Asked if Interpol Is coo-! suspect'* relationship with headquarters for the In- averages 15 years, four perating In the massive j other people." vestigation will be months, departmental ex- investigation, Houghton, The facts of the shoot- switched from the Ram- perience. declined comment, but ing, he said, would involve part Division to down- • Experienced Officer* said: I such matters as ballistics town. | Capt. Brown, its opera- "Any agency Involved in studies 'testimony of wit- Leads received and ex- tional chief, has been a worldwide situations is. nesses as to who fired the plored, leads received and policeman 24 years, head bound to be concerned." fatal shot" still awaiting examination, 'of homicide six.