Mr. Dulles. I see. You are simply given the name and the file number.
Mr. Lawson. Yes, sir.
Mr. Dulles. Of the individuals?
Mr. Lawson. You might be given some other information, like what it concerns, but I mean you wouldn't sit down and read the whole thing because you could get that in the Buffalo office or wherever.
Mr. Dulles. What would have been your normal practice so far as you can judge if you had been informed that a man, an American had defected to the Soviet Union and had returned to the United States and was living in Dallas and was working in the Texas School Book Depository, would that have been sufficient cause alone to cause you to make an investigation or report it to the Dallas police?
Mr. Lawson. If I had had that information—again this is supposition.
Mr. Dulles. I realize that.
Mr. Lawson. But I probably would have asked advice on it from either the PRS section or the White House detail ahead of it; yes, sir.
Mr. Dulles. Supplementing a point that was raised earlier, I find that President Kennedy's visit to Texas was reported in the Dallas Morning News as early as September 26, 1963, and the pertinent sections of this press report—it is headed, "Kennedy to Visit Texas November 21–22," and there is also included in the heading, "Dallas Included." The first two paragraphs of this story reported from Jackson Hole, Wyo., that area, where the President was then on a visit:
"White House sources told Dallas News exclusively Wednesday night that President Kennedy will visit Texas November 21 and 22.