21 APRIL 1978 TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH DAVE BARRETT, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL BELL'S TESTIMONY ON THE NEED FOR AN FBI CHARTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81M00980R000700010015-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 11, 2004
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: April 26, 1978
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2004/05/21 : CIA-RDP81 M00580R0007000100154-
OLC 78-1608/2
26 April 1978.
SUBJECT: 21 April 1978 Telephone Conversation with Dave Barrett:,
Department of Justice, Regarding Attorney General Bell's
Testimony on the need for an FBI Charter
F7
1. On 20 April 1978, I spoke with Dave Barrett with regard to
Attorney General Bell's 20 April testimony before the Senate Judiciary
Committee on the need for an FBI charter. (William Webster, Director
of the FBI, and James Adams, Associate Director of the FBI, also
testified.) Specifically, I asked Mr. Barrett if the question of overlap
with regard to Title V of S. 2525 (intelligence charter legislation) had
become an issue. He indicated that the testimony in general restricted
itself to the non-intelligence activities of the Bureau. Indeed, Mr. Bell's
prepared statement (reviewed and commented on by this office) stresses
the need to keep and consider as separate and distinct the topic of charters
for the Intelligence Community, including the intelligence components of the
FBI, and the topic of charters for the non-intelligence functions of the FBI.
Mr. Barrett said that the only reference to the Bureau's intelligence
activities was a question to Mr. Webster about the Bureau's counter-
intelligence activities. The question itself focused on an ACLU concern
with regard to the Bureau's techniques to disrupt or neutralize domestic
groups. In Mr. Barrett's opinion, this was the only time throughout
the entire testimony that the Bureau's "intelligence" role was mentioned.
2. Mr. Barrett said Mr. Bell surprised everyone by first indicating
that he expects to draft a charter outlining the FBI's responsibilities by
July I and second by stating that in his opinion the Bureau was doing too
many background investigations on persons seeking Federal appointment
or congressional jobs. Mr. Bell implied that his draft FBI charter would
attempt to cut down on the time the Bureau spends doing background
investigations. (With regard to this issue, see Memo for the Record
dated 20 April 1978. )
25X1
Assistant Legislative Counsel
1 - OGC,
OLC:RJW:skm (25 Apr 78)
1 - OLC Subject
1-OS
Approved For Release 2004/05/21 : CIA-RDP81 M00980R000700010015-8