</s>104-10142-10167 CLCLR76-3/4/1 Cireletti HSCA MEMORANDUM FOR: 29 November 1976 Mr. William W. Wells Deputy Director for Operations HSCa M. Theodore G. Shackley 77-00/1/1 Associate Deputy Director for Operations 77-009/1) FROM John Walker Chrono 0/S/A/10/0 SUBJECT Visit to DDO's Office by Mr. Richard A. Spruce, Chief Counsel for the House Committee on Investigations of Assassination 1. On 24 November 1976, Mr. Richmond A. Spague, Chief Counsel for the HOUSE Committee appointed to investigate the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy and Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King, Chief Inspector of the Headquarters Rights leader Luther King. The Deputy Secretary of the Day and Mr. Richard Feeney, members of his staff, Deputy Secretary and Governor of the Department of Labor and was conducted by Mr./Lyle Miller of the Office of Legislative Counsel. 2. During the course of his visit, Sprague received a briefing on the Registry conducted by Mrs. Bruce Johnson. He also meeting briefly with those members of Mr. Bruce Johnston. He respondents for the Oswald files with the CIA Staff. representatives in connection with the Cuban Operations files. JFK A 3. Sprague was disarming in manner. He constantly 18-99 RELEAS emphasized that he did not wish to discuss his classified materials until such time as he and his staff members receipts until much as he has various investigations had RELEA materials undertaken by the CIA staff. He said brought on Agency and he expressed a hope that he could count the Agency personnel to assist him in an analysis of the count on the agency personnel to assess him in any of the request removal of documents from the headquarters building. the agency personnel for being provided suitable space. he noticed a preference for being. He provided sufficient space premissions that such documents would be kept on the able in a secure location for scrutiny by his staff. 4. Sprage wanted assurance that no documents of interested to his investigators would be destroyed. He questioned the OIC representative sharply on this point by stating that it was his responsibility to decide which deserves that he was responsible for the investigation to derive which responsibility of the investigation is to make this determination and <loc_857><loc_875><loc_167><loc_873>responsibility to the mane this department.

Summary  
This memorandum details a visit by Mr. Richard A. Spruce, Chief Counsel for the House Committee investigating the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr., to the Office of the Deputy Director for Operations (DDO) on 24 November 1976. During the visit, Spruce received a briefing from Mrs. Bruce Johnson on the Registry of Information, which is described as a database containing records derived from people rather than specific subjects. He also met with Mr. Bruce Johnston and discussed the Oswald files and Cuban Operations files with CIA staff representatives. Spruce expressed concerns about document access, emphasizing his responsibility to determine which materials were relevant to his investigation and requesting assurance that no documents of interest would be destroyed. The Registry’s ability to retrieve information was questioned, as it does not maintain records on specific subjects but rather through people. Discussions included potential data on individuals associated with events in Mexico City during late September and early October 1963, though the CIA staff representative noted limited precision in such records. Spruce also inquired about Soviet Union-CIA interactions involving U.S. agents, with responses indicating coordination with the FBI but no confirmed cases. The memorandum concludes that Spruce’s visit reflected thorough preparation as an investigator, and he expressed appreciation for agency cooperation despite potential omissions related to the Kennedy assassination.  

Key People  
- Mr. Richard A. Spruce (Chief Counsel for the House Committee on Investigations of Assassination)  
- Mrs. Bruce Johnson (Registry of Information briefing provider)  
- Mr. Bruce Johnston (CIA staff representative)  
- Deputy Secretary Richmond Spague (involved in discussions about document access)  
- CIA Staff Representatives (Oswald files, Cuban Operations files)  

Key Locations  
- Office of the Deputy Director for Operations (DDO)  
- Headquarters (document storage and security concerns)  
- Mexico City (events referenced in 1963 discussions)  

Key Events  
- Spruce’s visit to DDO’s office on 2.4 November 1976  
- Briefing on Registry of Information capabilities  
- Discussions about document access, destruction, and classification  
- Inquiry into records related to Mexico City events in October 1963  
- Questions regarding CIA-FBI coordination with Soviet Union-CIA interactions  

Key Organizations  
- House Committee on Investigations of Assassination  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Registry of Information (database system)

MLK Declassified Files

00302659_memovisit_to_ddos_office_104-10142-10167.pdf

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