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Office Mem .UNITED si OVERNMENT Tolson TO Mr. L. V. Boardman DATB: 12-29-55 Nichol cc - Boardinan Belmont Nichols Harbo From Mir. A. H. Belmont Moh Belmont Parsons Rosen Rosen Tamr Baumgardner SUBJECr:AERICAN CIVIL LLLLRTIES UNION (ACLU) Sizoo Sutthoff Vinterrow INF'CRIATION CONCERNING (IITLRNAL SHCURITY) Tele.Room Kleinitauf Holloman FBI File 61-190 Gandy By my menorandum to you daied 12-2u-55, an SAC letter was. to, or docunsntation of the Aclu, should not be included in investigative reports prepared oy the Bureau except such references as pertsin to the Los Angelos Chapter or membership theroin. The Director conmented "I would want furthier justitication for such action. Cur rofere:ce to :embership in aClu docsn't brand such aumocr as subversive nor the' aCLU as such. It is, however, well known that iicmvers of aciu nave been posi- tive in their efforts in beialf of subversives such as their S.F.aclu man and more recently efi'orts in behalf oi: Fittsburgh con:icted Comuunists.". The Director, thereiore, did not approve the sending of the SAc letter. With rogard to the desir-bility of documatin, all chapters of Aclu by using the Califcrnia Comaittee on Un-Auerican Activities (ccul) citation'the'following factors must be considered. The Bureau h.s never. Iconducted an investigstion of the Aclu or its chapters; ticrefore, it is Inot in a'position to grepare a docunentation of the Aciu for utili.ation in teports..going outside the Bureau. Consequently, it has to rely upon public source material and the only such material av.ilaoie is the citation by the ccuA. while rerorts containing; this citation atgr'oute th:e taterial 'to the ccuA, pust oxgerience hes showm that indiviau:l. outside the Bureau reading Bureau reports will conider the use of tl.e caciltation an endo.'senent of it by the FbI. If an individu l is participating in subversiv. activities, in all proiability the reportin; office will hove woie purtknent and concrete inforation ro,ardin; such activity other than membership in the ACsu. If not, .hun 'the office sould not rejort Muiloership in tne aCiu alene es an instance of subver'sive activity bucause membership in the ACLu per se cannct be construed as su.sversive. The Bureau's sosition and kno.ledge regurding: the Los An :eles. Chapter differs fro.u other ACiu ciapters in that the Coulnunist influ- Jence an the Los AifNus chupter is specifically.docume ted in the ccua'3 'AcLu, has openly attacked the Bureau and its Enclosure ...... C: 577 JHk : emk: sad 181 JAN'5 1956 146 1001 17JAN419