◆ SpookStack

Nos. 77-1698, 77-1210 & 77-1870 29 Leonard met throughout the investigations and Leonard revealed to Johnson what information he was seeking for presentation to the grand jury. The grand jury began to hear evidence in January 1970 and Johnson was requested to appear before it to testify concerning the June 1969 raid on the BPP head- quarters: Treviranus sent a memorandum to FBI head- quarters in Washington which assured that Johnson’s testimony would not relate to “the circumstances” of the December 4 raid, insuring that “no exposure” to the Bureau would occur. Leonard, however, informed John- son that the grand jury was interested. additionally in what information the FBI had supplied to local authorities prior to the raid. Johnson asked a member of his staff to brief him on the information that had been disseminated. Although Johnson knew Mitchell had provided information about the BPP to local authorities, he asked neither Mitchell nor Piper about these com- munications. On February 11, 1970 Johnson testified before the grand jury. He stated that the Chicago office of the FBI was not aware that illegal weapons were in the apartment prior to the raid. Additionally, Johnson failed to mention that a floorplan was furnished by Mitchell to the State’s Attorney’s Office. On the same day that Johnson testified, Mitchell wrote the FBI Director on behalf of the Chicago office for authorization to continue paying O’Neal as an informant. In the letter Mitchell justified the request, as Piper had justified the earlier bonus for O’Neal, by reminding headquarters that O’Neal had provided a detailed floorplan of the apartment, as well as other information, which subse- quently “saved injury and possible death to police of- ficers” participating in the December 4 raid. Neither Mitchell nor Piper testified before the grand jury. The Racial Matters Squad, however, which was under Piper’s supervision, regularly provided Treviranus with selective intelligence information on the BPP and the raid. Included in this information flow were Bureau files on the survivors, 2 report on Hamp- ton’s activities one week before the raid, and Mitchell’s November 21 weapons memorandum listing the legally purchased weapons reported by O'Neal to be in the