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PD ~* x woe Srasioano FORM NO. 64 : oe ~~ : eo iF Office Memorandum ° UNITED STATES ae ait TO : Director, FBI . pate: February ©, 197 (4rrom : SAC, Los Angeles yr suByjEcT: BLIZABETH SHORT Information Concerning ' On February 18, 19,7, JAMES RICHARDSON, City Editor of the {Los Angeles Exaniner, advised me that in all probability I would receive a re- jquest from Mayor FLETCHER BOWRON on February 18th for this Bureau's assistance in connection with the murder case in which ELIZABETH SHORT is the victim. “The bureau Will recall that this individual was murdered and her body dissected and it is referred to as the: "Black Dahlia" case. 5 { R Bs RICHARDSON went on to state that Mayor BOWRON had been friendly to the Examiner and that he personally was frieridly to the liayor but . : that there are now rumbles of incompetency in the police department and that / ~ citizens are terrorized in view of the recent murders in this city - there L having been four unusual cases in the past six weeks. He stated that within ] the last several days the Police Commission has asked Chief of Police C. B. HOPRALL for a report on these casés and in RICHARDSON's opinion if there is another murder of this type in the near future, it is going to be most unfor- ° tunate for the Los Angeles Police Department. . : He stated many people believe that the FBI ‘should join [frees with the local department in this case and they do not know that our. © jurisdiction will hot permit it. He mentioned that if the FBI did join the | local authorities and nothing became of the investigation, there obviously \ would not be so much unfavorable reflection on the local. agency and likewise y af the Bureau were to solve the case and make its ovm independent release *y and ignore the police department, it would destroy all public confidence in’ the police organization. t - RICHARDSON states that he has many good friends on the Homicide Squad and they have been very cooperative with his paper but it is «. known that many of them dre not experienced homicide investigators, they ‘ having been taken over from other squads in the last year or so. t I-was with Chief of Police C. B, HORRALL on February 18th -° and without my mentioning this situation, he stated he wanted me to know con- fidentially that on February 17th the Mayor had called him in and asked why he did not request assistance of this Bureau-and the Chief informed him that we had no jurisdiction to enter the investigation but for the Hayor's owm in- formation and not for publication, this. office had been of considerable tet