Mr. Stern.

shifted as far as his responsibility, as far as his primary responsibility, to the New Orleans office.

Mr. Dulles.

Does that mean the papers were also shifted?

Mr. Hosty.

No, sir; just those papers which they lacked. I reviewed our file. I could tell what communications they had and which communications they didn't. I then gave them all communications which I was not certain that they had.

Mr. Dulles.

But the other communications remained in the Dallas file?

Mr. Hosty.

Right.

Mr. Dulles.

But the Dallas file, then, was not, in a sense, reactivated since the action had been transferred to New Orleans, is that correct?

Mr. Hosty.

To New Orleans; right. Then in October the case was shifted back to Dallas again.

Mr. Dulles.

At what time?

Mr. Hosty.

Well, actually, November 4 would be our request to have the case transferred back to Dallas office of origin.

Mr. Stern.

I think you ought to make clear, Mr. Hosty, to Mr. Dulles, that early in October you started doing something for the New Orleans office at their request.

Mr. Hosty.

Yes

Mr. Stern.

New Orleans found that they couldn't locate Lee Harvey Oswald in New Orleans.

Mr. Dulles.

He had left in the meantime?

Mr. Hosty.

Right.

Mr. Stern.

Yes; from their leads he seemed to have gone back into the Dallas area, and they asked the Dallas office to see if they could locate him. Mr. Hosty was doing this work at the end of October and the beginning of November when he ran these interviews. Just to complete that, Mr. Hosty, you expected, did you not, that the case would be reassigned?

Mr. Hosty.

Oh, yes.

Mr. Stern.

To the Dallas office?

Mr. Hosty.

Oh, yes. This was tantamount to requesting it be shifted to us, yes, when I sent this communication.

Mr. Stern.

And you were beginning to think in terms of the case being your problem again?

Mr. Hosty.

Right.

Mr. Stern.

Even though formally at the time you were only----

Mr. Hosty.

Auxiliary office.

Mr. Stern.

Operating on the request of the New Orleans office to try to locate him, is that correct?

Mr. Hosty.

That is correct.

Mr. Mccloy.

This has all been previously testified to?

Mr. Dulles.

I am sorry to have missed that.

Mr. Hosty.

That is all right, Mr. Dulles, that is entirely all right.

Mr. Dulles.

Just one question. Are cases of this kind administratively transferred by agreement between two offices, or does that have to go up to Washington?

Mr. Hosty.

Washington always gets a copy of these communications. They know what we are doing. Actually the original is sent to Washington, and a carbon is sent to the other field office.

Mr. Dulles.

But you can transfer it directly from one office to another?

Mr. Hosty.

Right.

Mr. Dulles.

And just notify Washington as to the Possibility of its being transferred?

Mr. Hosty.

Right; because he is now residing and employed in our division. There is no more needs to be done.

Mr. Dulles.

I am clear. Thank you very much.

Mr. Stern.

I think perhaps we can just complete the line of inquiry started by Congressman Ford. Do your records or notes show when you first reduced to writing your notes on the interviews that began on October 29 and the last one of which occurred on November 5?