(Testimony of Forrest V. Sorrels)
Mr. Sorrels.
taken at the Stevenson incident. So arrangements were made whereby Special Agent Howlett and the members of the Dallas Police Department, together with the informant in the case, would view those films, so that there could be pointed out to them individuals known to have been in the incident.
We had duplicate pictures made, and they were furnished to the special agent assigned to the Trade Mart, and were shown to the police officers that were assigned out in that area.
Mr. Stern.
Did anything else occur in the field of Protective Research?
Mr. Sorrels.
That is all I can recall at the present time.
Now, we had received, I think, some time before, a report from the FBI of an individual that might be considered a subject that we should check into. On October 30, Special Agent Vince Drain of the FBI reported a person, a member supposedly of the Ku Klux Klan in Denison, Tex, who might be suspected as a person that might try to cause some trouble if and when the President came to that area.
Lieutenant Revill got a photograph of that individual and he was checked on, and it was determined that he would not be in that area at that time.
Mr. Stern.
Did the FBI report anything else to your office?
Mr. Sorrels.
On the morning of November 21, as I recall it, Special Agent Hosty came to the office early in the morning with a number of handbills which bore a picture of the President of the United States, Mr. Kennedy, with the caption, "Wanted for Treason," with a number of numbered paragraphs supposedly outlining the reason.
Mr. Stern.
Did your office make an investigation of that pamphlet?
Mr. Sorrels.
I had previously received the information early in the morning from the sheriff's office that such handbills had been found on the streets. We contacted the police department, Lieutenant Revill, and they had a number of the handbills, and they were just found on the street. We could not from the police investigation or from our inquiries, find anyone that had seen anyone actually distributing them.
And we had no other leads on the handbills at that time.
Mr. Stern.
Did the Dallas police give you any information of this nature--I am not referring specifically to the handbills, but to the Protective Research area, in advance of the President's trip?
Mr. Sorrels.
Nothing more than what I believe I have outlined with Lieutenant Revill's department there.
Mr. Stern.
Was there anything else that you recall involving any person or group that might present a danger to the President?
Mr. Sorrels.
There was some individuals from Grand Prairie, Tex., that were mentioned to us by the police department that were known to be the type that might appear with handbills or placards--not handbills, but with placards in the area where the President might appear. And it developed that they did show up with placards at the Trade Mart, and they were taken into custody by the police department.
Mr. Stern.
Did your office also take steps to assure that there would be no interference with free speech and lawful public demonstrations?
Mr. Sorrels.
Yes, we discussed with the police what action would be taken if people showed up with placards and attempted to interfere. And it was very definitely stated that if they had placards, just the mere fact that they had placards would not cause them to be picked up. But that we did not want them close enough to where the President would come or where he would be that these might be used to cause any harm to the President or the Vice President or members of their families.
There had recently been passed in Dallas an ordinance making it unlawful for any person to interfere or attempt to interfere with or intimidate another from freely entering premises where a private or public assembly was being held. We obtained copies of that ordinance and studied them to see what action the police would be able to take in the event that any instance arose whereby this ordinance might need to be enforced.
Mr. Stern.
Now, you have told us, Mr. Sorrels, that you had no record of any PRS subject that you were checking on in your office, and that Lawson advised you that he had been told of no subject in your area in his advance check before
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