Department probably than it has, but even if it is, we are still going to have this problem that we won't be able to tell the President exactly what he should do in each case. So there never will be that close sort of supervision of day-to-day operations of the White House detail--it wouldn't be effective anyway--that there would be in another police operation.

Mr. Rankin.

After the assassination, you did have Mr. Carswell take over certain work in this area, did you not?
Secretary DILLON. Yes: Mr. Carswell is my special assistant, in my own office. He is a lawyer by profession and training. He has had investigative experience, 3 years in Naval Intelligence on the active side of it, and so he has some knowledge of this whole type of operation. and I felt in view of this investigation, in view of the work that had been done, it was important to have someone with legal experience that was close to me, that had immediate access any minute to me working on the matter. Then while this thing was running along, they would get to me at any time, and I could ask questions, they would bring matters to me, we could handle this matter of being sure that a proper long-range plan was developed, and that the whole effort in the Secret Service was organized as well as possible. That is why I asked Mr. Carswell. as part of his work for the, to undertake this special assignment, which he has done, and I think done very well.

Mr. Rankin.

It has been suggested to the Commission that it might be helpful if the National Security Council or some Cabinet level committee would help to supervise in this area of Presidential protection. Do you have any comments you care to make?
Secretary DILLON. Yes; I think that would be helpful because in relationship with the President, if there are questions of what is the proper protection, I think a group of the Cabinet would have a stronger voice, and also having a group, the President would be more sure that this was not just one man's ideas, that it would be helpful.
I am not quite sure about the National Security Council as such because as I recall the President himself is the Chairman of that, so he would be advising himself and I suppose this would be a group to advise the President.

Mr. Dulles.

We thought there might be certain advantages in that because if you prescribe things for the President to do, and he doesn't want to do them, they don't get done in the field of protection.
Secretary DILLON. That is right. Then if you describe it in the meeting at which he was present, that might be well.

The Chairman.

I suppose, Mr. Secretary, also if a committee of that kind was composed of the Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and the Attorney General. that you would have on that committee the men who had all of the agencies that would of necessity have to be coordinated in order to bring all the work into focus.
Secretary DILLON. Yes. and the Central Intelligence Agency.

The Chairman.

Yes.
Secretary DILLON. One thing about the National Security Council is that neither the Secretary of the Treasury nor the Attorney General are members of the National Security Council by law.
The Secretary of the Treasury has been asked by the Presidents to sit with the National Security Council for some years, practically since its beginning.
The Attorney General has sat with it during the last few years, but I don't know whether that will or will not continue into the future. So there is a certain problem there.
If this assignment is given by law to the National Security Council, and some other President comes along that doesn't ask the Secretary of the Treasury or the Attorney General to sit with it, the two people who are probably most concerned wouldn't have any part in this.

Mr. Dulles.

It would have to provide that in all matters relating to Presidential security, of course, they will be present. One way of doing it, I would say.
Secretary DILLON. Yes; there should be some such provision; otherwise I see some advantages as you say.

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