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right to publish in this country. The firs’ amendment speaks not only of freedom of speech, but also freedom of the press. And yet it seems that we have a pattern here of the chief law enforcement agency of the country attempting to suppress that very right. . Mr. Apis. I haven't seen—I think any effort to manipulate the press of this country, I just don’t see any possibility in that regard, and I don’t sce the logic of anyone even attempting such, Senator Hcppxestow. But it did happen. | Mr. Apams. It may have happened in—— ~ Senator Huppreston. In a rather extensive field. ‘ Mr. Apaxs. I disagree with that rather extensive field. I just don’t know the extent that you are talking to here. Senator Htpp.eston. We are talking about the cases where-— ‘ Mr. Apams. Are you lumping in cases where we disseminated public source information? Are you Jumping in a case where we may have gone to a—-—— 4 Senator Hcpaoreston. I think disseminating public source informa- tion is somewhat different from furnishing a commentator with derrogatory information about a specific individual, who has been targeted as one that apparently the Bureau thinks is dangerous or that his ideas ought to be suppressed. Mr. Apaxs. Is that manipulating the press, though! Here you have a situation where an individual is going around the country advocating off-the-pig or kill-the-police or something like that. And a newspaper- man was furnished, say some background information on him which would have been in the area of public source material which he could use in an article. Are we really, if the information is true, the final decision, it would seem to me, would be the newspaperman as to whether he would use any such information. ; I think if we concealed our motives from the newspaperman, or furnished false information, which I think we did in one anonymous letter or something that I saw in all of this, I would say that was improper. nator Hcporestox. Or———_ Mr. Apass. I think newsmen have sources. I think—— Senator Hupoestox, Or convincing a cartoonist, for instance, to draw a derogatory cartoon about a college professor who certainly did not constitute a threat to the violent overthrow of the Government. Mr, Avass. If anyone accuses us of having any great success in try- ing to influence the press, I think that their objectivity stands very ane + -.- pF 4 Senator Hvcppresrox, I think the point is not whether there was success or not, there was an effort made. I’m glad to hear you acknowl- edge now that it is almost an impossibility. But more than that it seems to me at the beginning when these type of techniques were it seemed to indicate a lack of confidence, or faith in the American people to believe that they contd not hear ideas that might be con- trary to their own without being seriously damaged. One of the great freedoms we have is the freedom of hearing other ideas, whether we agree with them or not. I think this is an area that we are concerned with and one technique which I hope is being discontinned and one that will be, by the time these hearings conclude, and by the time proper legislation is drawn. a 7 a ae, knee ee ed pie . + . .