WASHINGTON ATMOSPHERE POLITICS HOLDING BACK ASSASSINATION REPORT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000600160043-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 18, 1999
• Sequence Number: 43
• Publication Date: April 13, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

0
wr,, W .1ga itized - Approved For Relea
k T>:::8 ... , APR 1 3 1964
WASHINGTON.
There is growing uneasiness in Washington over the
timing of the Warren Commission report on the assassination
of President Kennedy. , -
` Within the commission itself, headed by the forceful'
Chief Justice, very earnest consideration is being given to
Presidential election.
The feeling of some members of the commission is that
,
'if the final report is as sternly critical of the security agencies
of the government as they would like it to be, it may be
misused in the campaign and ? It is evident' I think" 'that
its detachment marred by . the country wants and de-
partisanship, serves to have the conclusions
The membership . of the and judgments of the com-
Warren panel is diverse and mission just as soon as they
bipartisaan. Besides the Chief can be made ready. To use
Justice, it includes two Sena-' any artificial devices to hold
former director of the CIA
and another Republican who
These men have all been in
public life many years. They
are steeped in the Washing-
ton atmosphere, and it is un-
derstandable that they should
calmness, balance and unity,
will not misread or misjudge
the commission's. report even
if some politicians tempt the
public to do so.
What the commission is
overlooking is that the na-
tional atmosphere is not a
replica` of. the Washington
atmosphere. I believe Ameri-
can public opinion, which
responded to the horrible'
event'. of Nov. 22 with such
entangling their report with
the Presidential campaign.
begin wondering, now that
their findings are taking
oust ve fnvestagation ? as j : that they can't quite believe It is clear that. the Ameri-
romptly as possible and.to in the coincidence of two can people will ponder the
up the report in an effort to
avoid politics would, in my
judgment, enmesh the re-
port in politics.
No American can look back
at the circumstances which
surrounded and followed the
assassination of President
Kennedy withdut feeling that
there was laxity in security
provisions and that some very
Important lessons need to be
drawn from this experience.
I suspect that those who
will be most disappointed in
the commission's report will
.be the Europeans, who still
seem intent upon believing-
that the assassination just
had to be "some kind of a'
plot," a conspiracy in which
Lee Harvey Oswald was used
Apart from the fact of them
being no evidence of conspir
.acy, Americans find it eve
harder to believe that. the
Communists would use such
an obvious and unreliable
agent as Oswald -or that ex-
and then silenced by Jack tremists on the Right woul
Ruby's bullet. enlist or trust a pro-Commu-
Much of the* French and nlst agent to do their work.
British press still favor the Thei e is no evidence that
"conspiracy" theory and the
Rub
wa
t
l
y
y
s a
oo
of anyoody
The best way for the War- 1. will have a hard time accept- but himself. He had no con-
ren Commission to avoid get- Ing the Warren Commission :'spirato.rial ties with cxtrem-
ting its report entangled in version that there was no fists of either end. There could
the Presidential campaign is ': . plot. Perhaps one reason sot: be no assurance that he
to cease trying to keep it out;, many Europeans are wedded would ever be in a position t
that is, to complete its' gx- to the conspiracy theory is do what he did.
'' i ?
report
ossible : -.-in. one place at ,the ,same '. calmly and attentively. it time
should not be held back.
Sanitized. -?Approved :For Release. : CIA-RDP75-00149R000600160043-5