DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
COMMUNICATION MESSAGE FORM
DATE: 1/4/79
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLAS
PRECEDENCE: IMMEDIATE
FM DIRECTOR FBI
TO FBI SAN FRANCISCO IMMEDIATE
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UNCLAS
RYMUR
ReButelcals January 3, 1978 [1979], and January 4, 1978 [1979].
The House International Relations Committee has investigative interest in the murder of Congressman Leo J. Ryan and in the performance of certain executive branch agencies in the Peoples Temple matter. In this regard, the Committee has requested from the Attorney General the assistance of the FBI in carrying out its inquiry. The Committee request initially included access to investigative work product of the FBI. Inasmuch as a response to that type of inquiry could adversely affect the pending investigation of captioned matter, the request was denied.
Following a meeting between the Director and Deputy
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Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti on January 3, 1979, it was agreed that efforts will be made by the Bureau and the Department to satisfy the needs of this Committee and also to maintain the integrity of our investigation. Accordingly, you are authorized to take the following steps to comply with the request of this Committee.
You will receive from Committee staffer [name deleted] a list of individuals the Committee desires to locate. San Francisco is to review appropriate documents to determine that these individuals have been interviewed by the FBI. If any individuals requested confidentiality or expressed a fear for personal safety you are not authorized to furnish to the Committee the address or telephone number of that individual. If there is any question as to the propriety of furnishing such information relating to any individual, resolve the issue by contacting that individual to determine his or her views on furnishing his or her location to the Committee. When no request for confidentiality or concern for personal safety has been expressed, you may furnish an individual’s location to the Committee staff.
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If as a result of FBI investigation the identity of any individual is developed that may reasonably be of assistance to the Committee, that person’s identity and location may be furnished to the Committee if in your view to do so would not jeopardize the integrity of the investigation and if there is no expectation of confidentiality or concern over personal safety on the part of the individual. In these instances you should fully discuss with the individual at the time of interview his or her views on furnishing information to the Committee.
The Committee may furnish you a list of news media personnel and request that the location of these individuals be identified. You are not to respond to this type of inquiry, but rather, advise the Committee to use its own resources to locate these individuals. you may additionally receive requests to evaluate the potential violent nature of various Committee interviewees. You should advise Committee staff that we can make no judgment in this regard, however, insure that they are aware of past events which took place in Guyana.
After receipt of the initial list of individuals from the Committee you should accept no further inquiries. Should
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the Committee requested additional assistance they should be referred to FBIHQ, Legal Counsel Division. Any request to have agent personnel accompany or further assist the staff in any investigative endeavor should be declined.
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