Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Issues with Secret Service’s Passive Intelligence Role

The Secret Service’s passive intelligence role was the consequence of inadequate investigative staffing, inability to process large data volumes, and failure to articulate clear information requirements. Both the Secret Service and FBI have recognized that PRS files can no longer be limited largely to persons communicating actual threats to the President. New FBI instructions issued on December 26, 1963 require agents to report immediately information concerning subversives, ultrarightists, racists, and fascists meeting specified criteria regarding emotional instability, threats, anti-U.S. sentiments, or violent tendencies. The volume of referrals increased substantially after these instructions took effect, with more than 5,000 names referred in the first four months of 1964 and approximately 9,000 Communist Party member reports received by mid-June 1964. The FBI now transmits information on all defectors—a category that would have included Oswald. However, both Hoover and Belmont expressed concern that improper handling of referrals could result in interference with personal liberty.

Secret Service Research Activity Overhaul Efforts

The Secret Service has embarked on a complete overhaul of its research activities. The Protective Research Section (PRS) staff has been augmented, a Secret Service inspector placed in charge, and outside consultants engaged—including the Rand Corporation, IBM, and a panel of psychiatric and psychological experts—along with assistance from the President’s Office of Science and Technology, ARPA, the CIA, and Walter Reed Hospital. The planning document submitted by the Secretary of the Treasury to the Bureau of the Budget on August 31, 1964 makes several significant recommendations in this field.