</s>File #: 602-1166395- Serial Scope: 500 THRELL 535 537. THREll 541 543 THREUL 546 NW 88326 Docid: 32989627 Page 1

Summary  
The documents detail a series of interactions between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Justice (DOJ), and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities (SSC) regarding intelligence operations, legal authority for surveillance, and administrative procedures. Key content includes:  
1. FBI surveillance activities targeting Soviet intelligence in the U.S., including mail interception at JFK Airport and UN post office boxes in New York City between 1959–1963. These operations involved opening, photographing, and analyzing intercepted mail for indicators of foreign agents.  
2. Legal discussions on whether the DOJ or FBI could fund private counsel for employees testifying before the SSC, concluding neither agency had explicit authority unless tied to judicial proceedings under specific statutes.  
3. Administrative records from the SSC regarding interviews with FBI agents, including clearance processes for accessing sensitive information and restrictions on disclosing confidential informant identities.  
4. Requests by the SSC for documentation on warrantless electronic surveillance procedures, historical data on surveillance authorizations (1966–present), and interactions with the White House and intelligence agencies.  
5. Investigations into FBI mail cover operations since 1960, COINTELPRO programs targeting domestic groups like the Communist Party USA and Black Panther Party, and alleged political misuse of FBI resources.  
6. Discussions about the "Huston Plan," FBI informant activities, and legal reviews of surveillance practices under the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel.  

Key People  
- **J. Edgar Hoover** (FBI Director)  
- **William C. Sullivan** (FBI official)  
- **Frank Church** (SSC Chairman)  
- **John A. Mintz** (FBI Legal Counsel Division)  
- **K. William O'Connor** (Special Counsel for Intelligence Coordination)  
- **Edward H. Levi** (Deputy Attorney General)  
- **Louis A. Crescioli** (FBI Special Agent, liaison with Postal Service)  
- **John M. Matter** (former FBI agent, discussed MLK surveillance)  
- **Thomas E. Burns, Jr.** (reviewed FBI files for memoranda)  

Key Locations  
- **JFK Airport (New York City)**: Site of mail interception operations.  
- **Grand Central Station (New York City)**: UN post office box monitored by FBI.  
- **Atlanta Field Office (FBI)**: Location of Edward A. Shea’s interview.  
- **Hoover Building (Washington, D.C.)**: Site for reviewing FBI materials.  
- **Senate Select Committee offices (Washington, D.C.)**: Conducted interviews and administrative discussions.  

Key Events  
- **Surveillance Operations (1959–1963)**: FBI intercepted mail at JFK Airport and UN post office boxes to monitor Soviet intelligence.  
- **Legal Authority for Private Counsel**: Determination that neither DOJ nor FBI could fund private counsel for employees testifying before the SSC unless tied to judicial proceedings.  
- **SSC Interviews with FBI Agents**: Clearance processes for accessing sensitive information and restrictions on disclosing confidential informant identities.  
- **Requests for Warrantless Surveillance Records**: SSC sought documentation on historical surveillance authorizations and procedures.  
- **COINTELPRO Investigations**: Review of programs targeting domestic groups like the Communist Party USA, Black Panther Party, and Ku Klux Klan.  
- **"Huston Plan" Review**: Examination of FBI intelligence initiatives and alleged political misuse of resources.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted surveillance, managed informant operations, and provided materials to the SSC.  
- **Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities (SSC)**: Requested documentation, conducted interviews, and reviewed FBI practices.  
- **Department of Justice (DOJ)**: Involved in legal reviews of surveillance authority and informant policies.  
- **Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)**: Mentioned in context of domestic electronic surveillance against foreign targets.  
- **Legal Counsel Division (FBI)**: Provided guidance on constitutional implications of informant use.  

Note: Social security numbers are present in the text but have been redacted as per instructions.

Summary  
The document contains multiple memos and communications from 1975 involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSC), and related agencies. Key topics include FBI responses to requests for documents on organized crime investigations, discussions about Cointelpro techniques, legal interpretations of witness interview demands under 28 C.F.R. §16.21, and coordination between the Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI, and SSC on intelligence activities. The memos reference document redactions, case numbers such as EX-161 and SPALMATE, administrative procedures, and interactions between FBI offices in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Knoxville. Efforts to investigate alleged leaks of intelligence information to the SSC are also noted.  

Key People  
- John A. Mintz (FBI Director)  
- K. William O'Connor (Special Counsel for Intelligence Coordination)  
- W. R. Wannall (DOJ official)  
- Harold C. Swanson (Knoxville FBI Office)  
- Michael Epstein (Senate Select Committee staff member)  
- Robert H. Cahill (Administrative Division approval officer)  
- Lester Seidel (SSC Staff Member)  
- Amy Mitchell (potential intelligence source)  
- Mrs. Robert Thweat (contact for Amy Mitchell)  
- Robert E. Gebhardt (Former Los Angeles FBI Assistant Director)  
- J. Edgar Hoover (FBI Director)  
- Henry Kissinger (U.S. Secretary of State)  
- Daniel O’Flaherty (SSC Staff Member)  
- James Daniel O’Flaherty (CIA memorandum recipient)  
- Mrs. Claire Cennault, Spiro T. Agnew, Yeoman Charles E. Radford  
- Senators Frank Church and John G. Tower  
- Professor Katz (Vanderbilt University)  

Key Locations  
- Washington, D.C. (FBI Headquarters, DOJ, White House)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (FBI office)  
- Knoxville, Tennessee (FBI office)  
- Los Angeles FBI Office  
- San Francisco FBI Division  
- Seattle, Washington (Japanese Consulate)  
- Ann Arbor, Michigan (Radical Education Project/SDS)  
- New York City (Gerald Leffcourt, Marvin Kalb, Dan Rather)  
- Philadelphia  
- Memphis, Tennessee  

Key Events  
- FBI responses to SSC requests for documents on organized crime and Cointelpro operations  
- Legal discussions on witness interview demands under 28 C.F.R. §16.21  
- Coordination between DOJ, FBI, and SSC on intelligence activities  
- Investigation into alleged leaks of intelligence information to the SSC  
- Interview of Robert E. Gebhardt by SSC staff regarding Black Panther Party surveillance and Cointelpro  
- Requests for access to FBI files, including "Official and Confidential" records and historical memoranda on FBI-CIA relations  
- Coordination between FBI offices in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., to locate and interview Amy Mitchell  
- FBI technical surveillance of foreign diplomats and political figures (1960–1975)  
- White House directives on handling surveillance summaries (1968–1972)  
- Church Committee investigation into intelligence community operations (1975)  
- Unauthorized disclosure of CIA documents by an SSC staff member (July 1975)  
- FBI’s Mass Media Program and Project INLET operations (1960s–1970s)  
- NSA watch list monitoring of international communications (1967–1973)  
- Planning to interview Thweat’s niece in Philadelphia on 8/22/75 or 6/2/75  
- Inquiry into a document Xeroxed by O’Flaherty for classification status  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Department of Justice (DOJ)  
- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSC)  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  
- U.S. Department of State  
- National Security Agency (NSA)  
- Church Committee (Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities)  
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Special Services Staff

JFK Declassified Files

124-10274-10029_multirif_redacted.pdf

Document Summary

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