Mr. Lawson. No; I did not. I just assisted in one, the World's Fair opening yesterday, but at that time I had not.
Representative Ford. This would have to be hypothetical under the circumstances, but if in the time prior to November 22 you had the responsibility of a Presidential trip to a community where you knew the Fair Play for Cuba Committee was active, would you have taken any special interest in that group?
Mr. Lawson. I don't know. If at that time I had ever heard that they were particularly, might be any threat to the President, a particular group, if I knew that there was a particular group that advocated the killing of the President, yes. If it was just a political group of one kind or another, no, I probably wouldn't unless I had definite information.
Representative Ford. Did you have any evidence that the groups you investigated in Dallas had any program or interest in killing the President?
Mr. Lawson. No; I did not.
Representative Ford. You had this investigation made of this group in Dallas because of the Stevenson incident?
Mr. Lawson. Yes, sir; I didn't have the investigation made, because I don't think I would be in the position to have it made. Mr. Sorrels or PRS or something like that could have. I asked, since we knew that there were these individuals, and an incident had occurred in the past; although no threat to the President was known, perhaps we had better at least try to find out if they were going to do anything, which is what I did.
Representative Ford. When you go on with responsibility to a particular community, do you normally inquire of groups of one kind or another that have a reputation for political activity of one sort or another?
Mr. Lawson. Not for just political activity; no, sir.
Representative Ford. I meant political activity in the broader sense; not one political party versus another, but political extremist groups.