The CHAIRMAN. All right. Go right ahead.
Mr. ROWLEY. When the President's car leaves the airport or a railroad
station or any other location, the agents accompany him to the car and
stand to the right and left, in the same order as their designated
positions on the followup car, and screen him. And then the car moves
out, slowly, because the rest of the cars have to have an opportunity
to follow in the motorcade, so that none lingers behind, or is left
behind. And then the agent in the lead car determines that the
motorcade is intact and is moving, then he steps up his speed, which is
a cue to the Presidential driver to step up his speed, and then they go
at a speed consistent with the crowd that is there, and so forth.
Now, upon leaving the airport, if there is a huge crowd there, the
men are still on the ground running on the right and left side of the
President, both rear and front of the vehicle. After they get out of
the crowd, then the men in the front beside the Presidential vehicle
drop back and take their positions in the followup car.
This is so that they are not in the way of the men running on the right
and left rear. They move back last and have a clear opportunity to jump
onboard the followup car in the event the speed of the motorcade is
stepped up.
When the motorcade comes to intersections or turns which are always
vulnerable points, in that if you make a right turn, that is the
closest point for someone to come out, the agents on the right side
before reaching that point, will jump off, to be available alongside
the President's car in the event someone darts out with some malicious
plan.
There have also been times when, innocently, ladies and young people
will come out to throw a bouquet of flowers. And then if there is a
crowd that is sparse, they return to their position in the followup car.
Now, when they come into a big crowd, they take it on foot, and at a
little jog, if necessary.
In some instances, if the crowd continues for a prolonged distance,
the agents work together. In other words, there are rear steps on the
right and left rear of the Presidential car with handrails. These have
two purposes. One, for agents to ride on and to screen the President
from anything from above; the second, in a situation like this, to keep
an additional man available in case of trouble, and also to alternate
with the men to the right rear of the President, who are jogging along
warding off the crowd.
Mr. RANKIN. Now, what positions did the four men that you referred to
that were involved in the press club and the Cellar matter occupy on
the day of the assassination?
Mr. ROWLEY. Well, Mr. Ready occupied the right front, Mr. Landis to his
rear----
Mr. RANKIN. What do you mean by right front?
Mr. ROWLEY. Right front running board position of the followup car. It
was his responsibility or duty to jump off in crowds and to take the
position at the right rear of the President's car.
Mr. Landis, if necessary, to jump off if the occasion demanded and take
the right front of the President's car.
Mr. Hill was on the left front running board of the followup car, and
his responsibility was at the rear of the President's car. His position
was assigned there because he was in charge of the First Lady's detail,
and she was seated on the left side.
And Mr. McIntyre was to his rear on the left running board. So his
assignment would have been up to the left front of the President's car.
Mr. Bennett was in the rear seat of the followup car.
Mr. RANKIN. Now, how can you tell that the fact that they were out as
they were the night before and violated the regulations, had nothing to
do with the assassination?
Mr. ROWLEY. Well, based on the reports of my investigating agents and
the facts as to how they performed at the time of the tragedy. Mr.
Hill, who was on the left side, responded immediately--as he looked
toward the Presidential car, being on the left side, he scanned from
left to right, and when he saw there was something happening to the
President following a noise, he immediately jumped from his position to
get aboard from his side.
Mr. Ready scanned to the right so he was looking away from the
President, because he was looking around from the right side. As a
consequence, he wasn't aware of what was happening in the front. The
car was also going on a turn at that time.
Mr. RANKIN. What about the other two?
Mr. ROWLEY. The other two were watching--they reacted normally--the man
on the left side looked to his left rear, and the man, Landis, looked
to his right rear.
Mr. RANKIN. Have you done anything to discipline these men for
violation of the regulations of the Secret Service?
Mr. ROWLEY. Well, I did consider what type of punishment would be
provided.
Then I also considered the fact that these men in no way had--their
conduct had no bearing on the assassination. And, therefore, I thought
that in the light of history, to place a stigma on them by punishing
them at that time, from which inevitably the public would conclude that
they were responsible for the assassination of the President--I didn't
think this was fair, and that they did not deserve that, with their
family and children.
(At this point, Representative Ford entered the hearing room.)
Mr. DULLES. May I ask one question there?
You described the assignment of the four men with respect to the
followup car and the President's car. Do they have different
assignments with regard to watching what is happening around them, or
does that depend on the circumstances in which they are?
Mr. ROWLEY. Both. When they start off they have a certain area that
they have to watch. Like the man in the right front would naturally
watch slightly to the right and in front of him. The fellow on the
side, behind him, will watch to the right and rear. In other words,
as they are going by a building, he should scan the building. In the
meantime, he picks up where the man in the front has finished. In other
words, the scan of the man in the front will cover the building to his
front and side; the fellow behind will scan alongside from rear to
forward. Their scanning joins. This is the way they are accustomed to
doing it.
Mr. DULLES. Who would cover straight ahead?
Mr. ROWLEY. The man in the front seat has that responsibility.
Mr. RANKIN. Chief Rowley, how do you construe subparagraph (c) of your
regulation 10 regarding the use of alcoholic liquors?
The CHAIRMAN. Will you read it for the record?
Mr. RANKIN. Will you kindly read it?
Mr. ROWLEY. "Violation or slight disregard of the above paragraphs
or the excessive or improper use of intoxicating liquor at any time
will be cause for removal from the service. In interpreting the words
'excessive' and 'improper,' slight evidence tending to indicate
unusual or questionable conduct will be considered proof that the use
of liquor has been improper or excessive. Association with others who
drink to excess will be considered as an indication of using more
than a moderate amount of liquor. The excuse that liquor was used for
medicinal purposes will not be accepted."
Mr. RANKIN. How do you construe and apply that?
Mr. ROWLEY. Well, in this instance, it was wrong.
Mr. RANKIN. Now, were these men under this regulation considered to be
on travel status, so that they should not be using intoxicating liquor?
Mr. ROWLEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. And there is no question about that in your mind?
Mr. ROWLEY. No, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. Has anything been done to reprimand and cause them to
realize that this is a violation of your regulations?
Mr. ROWLEY. They were interviewed by the inspector at the time. The
seriousness of the matter was impressed upon them. And I think they
recognize the seriousness of their acts.
The men we recruit are men that are college graduates and mature,
and we screen them very carefully, particularly before we assign
them to the White House detail. They know and we know that they are
in a fishbowl 24 hours a day, and that, therefore, their conduct
is always subject to scrutiny, and so forth, and that they are
responsible individuals. Their records have indicated that they have
been performing in a high degree. They have worked endless hours of
overtime. They are dedicated. And if they were not, they would not be
on the detail.
They realize the seriousness of the violation, and I went over it with
my special agent in charge. He understands it. And I am quite sure that
they all understand it at this time.
Mr. RANKIN. I would like to have you examine Commission Exhibit No.
1018, Chief Rowley, and see if that is the regulation of the Secret
Service that you have been referring to.
Mr. ROWLEY. Yes; that is what I have been reading here, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Chief Justice, I would like to offer as a part of the
record the regulation, Commission Exhibit No. 1018.
The CHAIRMAN. It may he admitted.
(The document was marked for identification as Commission Exhibit No.
1018, and received in evidence.)
Mr. RANKIN. Chief Rowley, have you had any other complaints similar
to this in regard to the conduct of the Secret Service agents on the
Presidential or White House detail?
Mr. ROWLEY. We had one in the last month. We had charges leveled at us
by an agent of the Secret Service----
Mr. RANKIN. Will you tell us about that?
Mr. ROWLEY. Who is currently under indictment, and who will be brought
to trial on criminal charges on the 29th of June. And, for that reason,
while I have no reluctance to discuss it, I think we should go off the
record, because I don't want to in any way prejudice the case.
The CHAIRMAN. There is no reason to discuss that case here, Chief.
Is there anything in particular that would affect this situation you
wanted to know about, Mr. Rankin?
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Chief Justice, the only thing would be the
investigation as to whether or not there was comparable conduct.
I didn't know whether the Commission would like to know what that
investigation was and what the results of it were.
The CHAIRMAN. Well, I suppose there is no objection to the Chief
telling us what this complaint was, but not insofar as it bears on the
crime that he is charged with.
Mr. ROWLEY. Well, it ties in with the crime, because he said he was
framed.
Now, he said he was framed because he was prepared to go before your
Commission, sir, to testify about this thing that happened 3 years
ago, and in the charges he said he advised me, as well as others, and
nothing was done. He said he was framed for this reason.
The CHAIRMAN. Had he ever made any complaint to you before?
Mr. ROWLEY. He had never made any complaint to me. It came as a
complete surprise.
Representative FORD. The complaint to you came subsequent to the filing
of criminal charges against him?
Mr. ROWLEY. He said he had made the charges at the time the alleged
incidents occurred, Mr. Congressman, that he notified me, before he
left an assignment 3 years ago.
Let me give you the background, so there is no misunderstanding. We
have what we call an orientation program. The men we recruit from the
colleges, and the type of men that we want, we cannot always get off
the civil service roster. Therefore, we have an understanding with
Civil Service that we can take men under schedule A. Within a period of
2 years, they will have to be assigned to the White House or dropped
from the Service.
Now, in order to determine their ability and fitness for assignment,
since some people are better criminal investigators than they are in
protection work, we have an orientation program which includes duty
on the White House detail. Mr. Bolden was one of the men selected to
come in the summer of 1961. He was also a replacement for some regular
agent on the detail who was on leave. It was a 30-day assignment. This
afforded us an opportunity to observe him, determine whether he was
equipped and so forth.
And he was on the White House detail for this short period of time. The
time that he describes was a 5-day weekend up in Hyannis Port.