</s>104-10098-10256 UNCLASSIFIED INTERNAL USE ONLY CONFIDENTIAL C FIDENTIAL "SECRET ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET SUBJECT: (Optional) EXTENSION FROM: Office of Legislative Counsel NO. DATE Office of Legislativy Counsel 9010 7D35 Hq. 8 October 1976 TO: (Officer designation, room number, and DATE building) DATE - COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment) 1. Mr. Breckridge RECEIVED FORMED INITIALS 2. 2. Received 1. 1/2 1/4 1/0. The attached is for your infor- 2. 2. mation. Chairman Downing has Lav. Weller requested that the Richard 3. 12 Spruce, Chief Counsel, meet 12. requested the Director to discuss 3. Mr. Leader 2. Grounding in hopes of avoiding the problems in hopes with 4. House Inv. File the problem. The meeting 5. the tentative set for sometime the Pike Committee. The Meeting during the week of 18 October. 6. 6. It is not known at this time APPROVED FOR RELEASE 1993 It is the investigation will be handled internally, however, however you 7. CA HISTORICAL BETIEN PROGRAM staffs will undoubtedly be involved. 8. 9. P.Hapentetet Patrick L. Carpenter Assistant Legislative Counsel YK 10. RELEASE 11. 11. RELEASE <loc_688><loc_716>12. CIA HISTURICAL REVIEW PROGRAM RELEASE IN FULL 13. 13. 14. 15.

Summary:  
The document details discussions surrounding the formation of the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) in 1976, chaired by Representative Thomas N. Downing (D-Va.). The committee was established to re-investigate the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Key figures involved included Bernard Fensterwald and Bob Morrow, who claimed past associations with the CIA and raised concerns about the Warren Commission's handling of information related to JFK’s assassination. Downing expressed skepticism about the credibility of rumors suggesting CIA involvement in the MLK assassination and emphasized the need for transparency. Richard A. Sprague, a Philadelphia attorney known for prosecuting Tony Boyle in the Yablonski murder case, was appointed as acting counsel for the committee. The HSCA aimed to conduct a preliminary investigation, with plans to continue into the next Congress. Concerns were raised about potential biases and the reliability of committee members, including Representative Henry Gonzalez (D-Tex.) being considered chairman.  

Key People:  
- Thomas N. Downing (Chairman of HSCA)  
- Bernard Fensterwald (alleged CIA associate, involved in JFK assassination discussions)  
- Bob Morrow (claimed past CIA ties, discussed Kennedy assassination)  
- Richard A. Sprague (appointed acting counsel for HSCA, former prosecutor)  
- Rick Feeney (Committee member with TS clearance)  
- Thad Murray (staff member influencing Downing’s decisions)  

Key Locations:  
- Washington, D.C. (headquarters of HSCA and legislative offices)  
- Philadelphia (Sprague’s legal practice and prior prosecutorial work)  

Key Events:  
- Formation of the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1976 to re-investigate JFK and MLK assassinations  
- Discussions about CIA involvement in Kennedy assassination and potential gaps in Warren Commission findings  
- Appointment of Richard A. Sprague as acting counsel for the committee  
- Concerns over committee members’ objectivity, including Henry Gonzalez’s reliability  
- FOIA releases of classified documents related to Lee Harvey Oswald and JFK assassination  

Key Organizations:  
- House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA)  
- Office of Legislative Counsel (coordinated committee formation)  
- CIA (discussed in context of Kennedy assassination investigations)  
- U.S. Department of Justice (Sprague’s prior prosecutorial role)

MLK Declassified Files

00384680_hsca_104-10096-10256.pdf

Document Summary

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