Representative Ford. 169 agents of the FBI who have assisted since the assassination. Did Secret Service make a specific request for their help in these instances?
Mr. Belmont. Yes; Mr. Rowley advised that he needed help, it was offered to him by Mr. Hoover, and when the President is going to visit a city and Secret Service does not have sufficient personnel in that particular city to cover what they consider is necessary, they need specialized help from us, they will make the request to us and we will authorize our local agent in charge to make those men, the designated number, available to the Secret Service representative, who then uses their services while the President is there.
Representative Ford. I gather that prior to the assassination such requests, specific requests, had not come from Secret Service to the Bureau.
Mr. Belmont. No. There were never any such requests before.
Mr. Stern. At the level at which the requests have been made so far, have they proved to be a difficult burden for the FBI?
Mr. Belmont. Mr. Stern, any time that we have a pending caseload of something like 115,000 investigative matters, which is what we have, and our agents are assigned about 20 to 25 cases apiece across the country, ranging from matters of immediate urgency to matters which can be handled in due time, and whenever our agents are putting in an average of over 2 hours overtime a day voluntarily, the loan of 139 men will be felt.
Representative Ford. 169.
Mr. Belmont. I believe it was 139, sir. I think the letter says 139.
Mr. Stern. 139 on 16 separate occasions.
Mr. Belmont. Yes. I do not wish to overplay this. We are not complaining.