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Memorandum D. J. Dalbey to Mr. Felt Re: J. Edgar Hoover Portrait of 2. Raising the Money - We have no funds in the budget to pay for this portrait. Mr. Pellerzi recommends against requesting such funds in the budget, stating that we would invite a lot of sniping from the floor of Congress. The Department's portrait fund is not available for a portrait of any person below Cabinet level. This leaves us to raising the money by subscription among the Bureau employees or finding an outside donor. I think the latter may be available. I recently had an unsolicited call from John J. Grady, a friend of long standing who is either President or immediate Past President of the local chapter, of the Society of Former Special Agents. Grady told me that top circles in the/POC1 discussing what they might do to provide a suitable memorial for Mr. Hoover. I then broached this possibility to him on a confidential basis, and he was enthusiastic, stating that the Society could easily raise this kind of money. 3. Acceptance of Gift - The FBI is not one of those many Federal agencies authorized by statute to accept gifts. Mr. Pellerzi said this would be no problem. The Department of Justice is authorized to accept gifts and could accept the gift for the FBI. 4. Choosing the Artist - Both Mr. Stewart and Mr. Pellerzi said the act of choosing the artist is a most delicate one. The work of no artist will please everyone, and the voices of dissent are apt to be many. For example, President Johnson rejected the portrait of himself painted by the renowned artist, Peter Hurd. The "avant garde" painting of former Attorney General Katzenbach which hangs in this building shocked many, amused others, and apparently pleased afew. Ethel Kennedy picked the artist for the portrait of her lahusband but did not like the finished product and would not release it to the Department of Justice, so it now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. The Department has no portrait of Ramsey Clark because he walked out in a huff when the portrait was half finished, so the result is that the Department has paid the artist $3, 000 and has no portrait. Because of the above considerations I suggest that no person in the FBI should choosethe artist. Mr. Pellerzi said it is Department policy, for the reasons obvious above, to leave the selection of the artist to the family. Mr. Stewart agreed. The family in Mr. Hoover's case should be three to five CONTINUED - OVER