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

Broader and More Selective Threat Identification Criteria

Tentative new criteria issued by the Secret Service are useful in clarifying that its interest goes beyond information on individuals or groups threatening to harm or embarrass the President, extending to those demonstrating interest coupled with expressed or implied determination to use unlawful means to satisfy grievances. However, these criteria appear unduly restrictive in continuing to require manifestation of animus against a government official, and it is questionable whether they would have resulted in referral of Oswald. Chief Rowley believed they would, citing Oswald’s demonstrated hostility toward the Secretary of the Navy, though even with hindsight that letter does not appear to express determination to use unlawful means. The Commission recognizes that no meaningful set of criteria will yield the names of all potential assassins, noting that Guiteau, Czolgosz, Schrank, and Zangara—all acting alone—were men without serious prior violence records, failures in work and relations, victims of delusions that society had thwarted them.

Liaison With Other Agencies for Intelligence Gathering

The Secret Service’s liaison with agencies supplying information has been too casual. Since the assassination, the Service has recognized that these relationships must be far more formal, with each agency given clear understanding of the assistance the Secret Service expects. This is especially necessary with the FBI and CIA, which carry major responsibility for supplying information about potential threats from organized groups within their special jurisdiction. Since these agencies already evaluate such group activities, they should be responsible for advising the Secret Service of developments indicating assassination plots or events suggesting group danger to the President.