Mr. LAWSON. Counterintelligence agent; yes, sir, in the Army. I was
hired as an agent in the Syracuse field office, and did general
investigative work in the Syracuse area, part of New York State, with
time out for a special assignment during the Eisenhower administration
for approximately 21 days when I had to come to Washington to replace
some agents who were advancing some large trips in South America. I
was away from the Syracuse office in Treasury School for 6 weeks and I
was away from the Syracuse office for 5 weeks while I attended Secret
Service School.
I was here in Secret Service School during the inauguration of
President Kennedy. The school was let out for that day so that they
could take advantage of the agents that were here in town for post
assignments. After returning to Syracuse for approximately 3 weeks I
was transferred to Washington on the White House detail in March 1961.
Mr. STERN. And you have been a member of the White House detail.
Mr. LAWSON. Of the White House detail.
Mr. STERN. Since then?
Mr. LAWSON. Yes.
Mr. STERN. What has your experience been, Mr. Lawson, in doing advance
work for Presidential or Vice Presidential trips?
Mr. LAWSON. I have assisted on some advances and I have had the overall
responsibility on some others. Some of my overall responsibilities were
Billings, Mont.; Little Rock; Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Cherry
Point, N.C.
Mr. STERN. Approximately how many trips did you have the major
responsibility for, and how many did you assist on in doing advance
work?
Mr. LAWSON. I have assisted on five or six and had the major
responsibility on seven or eight, I believe, and then have done what we
call local advances here in the Washington area, if the President is
going to a dinner or to a speech or to a function here in Washington.
Mr. STERN. Do all members of the White House detail do advance work for
Presidential trips?
Mr. LAWSON. Yes, sir; after they have been there a few months perhaps,
or sometimes a little less, depending on the need of advances, they
are assigned to go out and help on some advances, and then they will
work regular shift work for a while and then they may be assigned other
advances and then a little bit later have the responsibility of one.
Mr. McCLOY. Mr. Ford, this is Mr. Lawson from the Secret Service. He
is just giving us his qualifications and giving his experience up to
the time that he was given responsibility in connection with making
preparations, advance preparations, for Presidential trips.
Mr. STERN. When you are not doing advance work, Mr. Lawson, what are
your general responsibilities?
Mr. LAWSON. I am assigned to a regular shift, of which there are
three on the White House detail, and we work 2 weeks 4 to 12, 2 weeks
midnights, 2 weeks days. That is generally because if there is a
Presidential movement here in Washington, usually if it is a daytime
engagement the 4-to-12 shift will have to come in and work extra.
If it is an evening engagement, why, the 8-to-4 shift will have to
work extra. And then as the President takes trips, if we are assigned
to work that day we would also go along as a regular working agent,
accompanying him or going just ahead of him.
Mr. STERN. When you do the advance work for a trip, do you file reports
in connection with the work you have done?
Mr. LAWSON. Yes, sir.
Mr. STERN. Do you typically file a report somewhere in the middle of
the advance and then at the end, or how does it work? What are your
responsibilities?
Mr. LAWSON. Until just prior to the Dallas trip we had a report
which we tried to get out if it was at all possible and send back
to Washington, the complete report at that time, and then write a
supplemental after we returned to Washington, with any changes. The
first advance and the advance that I had in Billings, Mont., and in
Little Rock, Ark., I was able to do that. Those were in September and
October of 1963. However, they changed the reporting system so that we
send a preliminary report, and it was the first one of this type that I
had had after the Dallas trip. So this one has a preliminary report and
also a final survey report.
Mr. DULLES. How much forenotice did you have of the Dallas trip; do you
recall?
Mr. LAWSON. Yes, sir; I was notified of it on November 4, which is
quite a bit of notice.
Mr. DULLES. So you could start your preparations for it on November 4,
approximately?
Mr. LAWSON. I was notified that there would be a trip, but that I would
have more information on November 8; yes, sir; and I was given more
information on November 8.
Mr. DULLES. And when was it in that period that you were notified that
Dallas was to be visited?
Mr. LAWSON. On November 4.
Mr. DULLES. On November 4?
Mr. LAWSON. I was told that I would be going to Dallas, but they didn't
know very many of the details yet and wouldn't until November 8.
Mr. STERN. Mr. Lawson, I show you a document marked for identification
Commission No. 767. Can you identify that?
Mr. LAWSON. Yes, sir; I can. It is my preliminary report for the Dallas
trip.
Mr. STERN. And that was prepared when?
Mr. LAWSON. That was prepared in Dallas, late afternoon or early
evening Tuesday, November 19, and sent to Washington by airplane.
Mr. STERN. Mr. Chairman, may this be admitted?
Mr. McCLOY. It may be admitted.
(Commission Exhibit No. 767 was received in evidence.)
Mr. STERN. I now show you a document marked for identification
Commission No. 768. Can you identify that, Mr. Lawson?
Mr. LAWSON. Yes, sir; that is a final survey report which I prepared
upon my return from Dallas.
Mr. STERN. And that is the final report in this preliminary-final
report arrangement----
Mr. LAWSON. Yes, sir.
Mr. STERN. Which you have described? And can you identify this
additional document marked for identification Commission Exhibit No.
769?
Mr. LAWSON. Yes, sir; this is a statement of the activities that I had,
to the best of my knowledge, in connection with the Presidential visit
to Dallas covering my activities only pertaining to the Dallas trip
from November 4 through 21.
Mr. STERN. This, I take it, was not a routine report?
Mr. LAWSON. No, sir; it was not.
Mr. STERN. It was prepared because of what transpired at Dallas? Mr.
Chairman, may we have admitted 768 and 769?
Mr. McCLOY. They may be admitted.
(Commission Exhibits Nos. 768 and 769 were received in evidence.)
Mr. STERN. Now, beginning November 8, can you tell us the preparations
for your trip that you did here in Washington?
Mr. LAWSON. Yes. Acting on the instruction to come into the office on
November 8 for the additional instructions that I had been told I would
receive, Mr. Roy Kellerman, who is an assistant special agent in charge
of the detail, gave myself and other members of the advance teams going
out what information they had up to that time on their respective
stops. Mr. Kellerman told me the name of Mr. Jack Puterbaugh, whom I
would meet on an airplane taking the advance agents to Dallas the next
week. I contacted the White House Communications Agency to see if they
were sending a communications representative along to help out as they
usually did, and was given his name. Mr. Kellerman gave me the name of
a car contact in the Dallas area so that we would be able to obtain
cars for the motorcade, which is normal.