(Testimony of James J. Rowley)
Mr. Rowley.
in Washington, and other parades, involving the visit of foreign dignitaries in Washington, in which the President would ride in the motorcade with the head of state, where we had ample time to make these surveys, we had never conducted on trips out of Washington surveys of this nature. I have here a statement of the conditions that prevailed in Dallas as well as other areas--if I may read this.
Mr. Rankin.
Yes.
Mr. Rowley.
"Except for inauguration or other parades involving foreign dignitaries accompanied by the President in Washington, it has not been the practice of the Secret Service to make surveys or checks of buildings along the route of a Presidential motorcade. For the inauguration and certain other parades in Washington where the traditional route is known to the public long in advance of the event, buildings along the route can be checked by teams of law enforcement officers, and armed guards are posted along the route as appropriate. But on out-of-town trips where the route is decided on and made public only a few days in advance, buildings are not checked either by Secret Service agents or by any other law enforcement officers at the request of the Secret Service. With the number of men available to the Secret Service and the time available, surveys of hundreds of buildings and thousands of windows is not practical.
"In Dallas the route selected necessarily involved passing through the principal downtown section between tall buildings. While certain streets thought to be too narrow could be avoided and other choices made, it was not practical to select a route where the President could not be seen from roofs or windows of buildings. At the two places in Dallas where the President would remain for a period of time, Love Field and the Trade Mart, arrangements were made for building and roof security by posting police officers where appropriate. Similar arrangements for a motorcade of 10 miles, including many blocks of tall commercial buildings, is not practical. Nor is it practical to prevent people from entering such buildings or to limit access in every building to those employed or having business there. Even if it were possible with a vastly larger force of security officers to do so, many observers have felt that such a procedure would not be consistent with the nature and purpose of the motorcade to let the people see their President and to welcome him to their city.
"In accordance with its regular procedures, no survey or other check was made by the Secret Service, or by any other law enforcement agency at its request, of the Texas School Book Depository Building or those employed there prior to the time the President was shot."
Mr. Rankin.
Chief Rowley, I will ask you not to describe any procedure, because of security considerations, but I would like to have you tell on the record, as I think it is proper, whether there has been a change in this regard in the procedures of the Secret Service?
Mr. Rowley.
There has been a change in this regard.
Mr. Rankin.
I will not make an inquiry about that, unless the Commission wishes to go into it off the record.
Representative Ford.
Is it my understanding that the Commission has such documents that we could analyze ourselves as to these changes?
Mr. Rankin.
I don't think we have any report of this.
Representative Boggs.
Why can't we get it off the record?
The Chairman.
All right.
(Discussion off the record.)
The Chairman.
Back on the record.
Mr. Rankin.
Chief Rowley, did you give us----
Mr. Dulles.
Could I ask one question with regard to Exhibit No. 1023?
This, as I understand it, is the new specifications with regard to persons with respect to whom you wish to have alert information.
Mr. Rowley.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Dulles.
It is called, "U.S. Secret Service Protective Information Guidelines." The top of page 2 of this exhibit is a paragraph that reads, "The interest"--and that is the interest of the suspect, I assume----
Mr. Rowley.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Dulles.
"The interest must be towards the President, or others named,
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