◆ SpookStack

M. A. Jones to DeLoach Re: LARRY W. BRYANT By letter dated 9/17/63, Bryant advised he had been interviewed on that date by SA Castles (Senior Resident Agent, Newport News, Virginia, assigned Norfolk Office, EOD 2/2/48, GS-13) regarding Bryant's interest in reports of sightings of UFO. According to Bryant, Castles stated he was contacting him in connection with his inquiries and that he intended to prepare ''a memorandum for the files." Bryant requested a copy of SA Castles memorandum. Prior to responding to Bryant, the Norfolk Office advised as follows: Bryant has directed a voluminous amount of corre- spondence to military officials in the area and as Bryant was employed by the Department of the Army, Fort Eustis, Virginia, the G-2 Section of the Second Army, Fort Meade, Maryland, was conducting a background check of Bryant. The Norfolk Office was in receipt of several letters directed to other government agencies which were subsequently forwarded to the Norfolk Office. This included a letter to the Commanding Officer, Headquarters, Aircraft Fleet, Atlantic U. S. Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia, 6/15/60; Commanding Officer, Cape Charles Air Force Station, Cape Charles, Virginia, 8/7/58; Commander, U. S. Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia, 8/8/63; Sheriff's Office, Sussex County, postmarked Fort Eustis, Virginia, 7/23/63. Bryant was interviewed on 9/7/63 by SA Castles in order to obtain back- ground information concerning him in order to reply to the correspondence from the Sussex County Sheriff's Office and the U. S. Naval Base, Norfolk, Virginia, mentioned above. At the conclusion of the interview, Bryant wanted to know what would be done about the information he furnished SA Castles at which time he was told that the infor- mation he furnished would be made a matter of record in FBI files. Bryant was subsequently advised by in-absence letter of 9/27/63 that the confidential nature of our files would preclude complying with his request (the copy of SA Castles' memorandum concerning his interview with Bryant.) It appears that the reference to the FBI on page 6 of Bryant's manuscript is not completely true. However, it has the effect of leaving the wrong impression; the FBI was not investigating ‘Bryant but was merely interviewing him in order to respond to inquiries directed to us from other agencies. SA Castles did not interview Bryant merely for the purpose of writing "a memorandum for the files" but that his interview of Bryant would be made a matter of record in FBI files. Also, the phraseology used by Bryant regarding SA Castles' reference to the confidential nature of FBI files could be misleading. These points should be brought to the attention of the Department of Defense. RECOMMENDATION: hat Bryant's manuscript on UFO be returned to the Department of Defense by our liaison representative with that agency at which time that agency can be informed that the FBI does not agree with Bryant's portrayal of his interview by the FBI or his misrepresentation of the Bureau's role in investigating of UFO. However, the Depart- ment of Defense should not attribute these comments to the FBI and we are deferring to their judgments as to authorizing publication of the article. ks pe * Pyasaley Lf) ar MG has i]?