--_.--_ me...- -_-s --- ------.*..a4 aablaavl3.. -..L - ---.- -4 -. \ : RANDUM -----w -- -.... TO : Ke Klei.. FROM: Jim Kelly dd Ady Purdy DATE: September 6, 1977 SURJ: Iterview with Robert I. Bouck, August 30, 1977, 2:00 P.M., Federal Reserve Marti Buildig; 20th L C Streets, Room 4128 At the time of the assassiatio, Mr. Bouck was head of the Protective Research Divisio of the U. S. Secret Service. That divisio is primarily resposible for threats agaist the Presidet, vistors'to the Northwest gate of the White House, ati-buggig ad ati-bomb protectio, ad the logistics of Presidetial travel ad lodgig. O the day after the assassiatio, Bouck received specimes, photographs ad x-rays, ad may tissue slides' from-aget Kellerma. Bouck said all ",,.basically labeled... ' writte o tape." Bouck said he made a geeral ivetory by category, but ot by each item. Bouck said he believes some of the photographs ad x-rays were.received later. but be&ieves all the specimes :were obtaied ",.-right away.".bouck said he was maitaiig the security: of these items for Dr. Burkley, the Nhite House physicia. The items were stored i the Executive Office Buildig, i a room adjacet to the White Rouse Police room where they moitored the.alarm. They were stored i a four-drawer safe file. Oly Mr. Bouck ad his admiistrative assistat, Edith Duca, had the combiatio- Bouck's oral istructios were to maitai custody of the materials ad ot to release them without the approval of the Chief of the Secret Service, the Jim Rowley. whe Kellerma first. gave him the materials he told him they were ".--very importat..," Bouck elaborated o these security precautios sayig that to gai clearace oe would have to get "-..authori zatio from the Departmet of Justice." Bouck recalls the occasio of the trasfer of the materials to Mrs. Licol at the Natioal Archives. He said the trasfer was authorized ad occurred ".,-quite awhile after the assassiatio." Bouck said that possibly two boxes were take from the Executive Office Buildig to Mrs. Licol. Prior to the trasfer, Bouck s&d the materials had oly bee see ".,-about twice..." He said he did ot recall whe they weie see but believes was see by ",..some represetative of the Warre commissio who asked to see the ivetory or-the - -.-m..---.. -..-----es - - ----. I-- - MD123 &)~k'i'r/
--..I --. _--.-- ------ *-- --===-4.. -2- materials." Mr. Bouck said he "...at least gave them the ivetory to see, but a copy was ot give to them." He said the "...stuff basically remaied i the drawer." Bouck said he is ot sure the materials themselves were viewed ad believes Tom Kellymay have bee preset durig the ispectio by the Warre Commissio represetative who he believes was "...possibly the geeral cousel or a staff. attorey." Bouck believes the other time the material.was viewed was.--rather early,. whe someoe from Secret Service ad possibly Mr.Kelley-looked to see what was i there." Bouck said the trasfer to the Natioal,,&hives was accomplished by himself ad Tom Kelley. He said that a fial ivetory was prepared after the materials were first checked agaist the first ivetory. Bouck said Mrs-. Duca typed the receipt which Mrs. Licol later siged. The receipt was prepared i the offices of the Secret Service. Bouck said that "...possibly Dr. Burkley.came for it." Bouck said that both Ivetories came up with the same results. Dr. Burkley did ot brig ay other materials to the trasfer. The materials were trasferred persoally by Bouck ad Kelly i Bouck's automobile. ii. 'Bouck said that Mrs. Licol verified the receipt. He said Mr. Licol...checked the items agaist the ivetory list ad she took o exceptios to it." Bouck.thiks that it was possible that George Dalto, who worked for Mrs. Licol may have bee.preset but he "...does't kow." He did say that the receipt which Mrs. Licol siged ad was siged by Admiral Burkley ad a umber witesses was siged i a twostep process. He said Admiral Burkley's sigature was witessed by a umber of people who were ot-preset whe the material was the take to the achieves ad siged by Mrs. Licol. For example, he does't believe that Edith Duca or Chester Miller were preset at the Archives' trasfer'. Bouck said that...persoally couted the items whe he first received them." These items icluded clothig ad the autopsy material from the Naval Hospital brought to him by Kellerma. He said he "...does't recallgivig Kellerma a receipt...it is ot very customary withi the Service itself." He said the material did iclude photographs, x-rays, ad.:- specimes. Regardig the item labelled "gross material" Bouck said he "...justrecalls (sic) 'some kid of labee...take either from the origial listig or actually o the label or described at the time to him that way."
Bouck said the slides were i small boxes ad they were also several "...bottle-type.cotaiers...somewhat bigger -- tha Styrofoam cups." -3- Regardig the photographs Bouck first said that they were...all'processed whe I got them." He said he believes Kellerma brought the specimes also. Bouck said that some of the clothig came.later from a differet aget.tha'kellerma.. Bouck said "...it seems to me there was'more tha oe cotaier." Regardig.the stailess steel cotaier Bouck said it was.,-sealed with tape aroud it." Bouck said they trasported the items to the i Archives.i cardboard boxes said...i do't recall aythig to do with a foot locker." : Bouck said that James Fox was his photographer at the White House ad believes that he processed the black ad white prits ("...little sapshots..."). Bouck said "...I.believe d they had othig to do with the big prits or the color oes." Bouck said that James Fox processed oe or two or several rolls of color film at aother facility.' He said that while there is a photo lab i the Executive Office Buildig it did ot have color facilities ad was ot equipped to do large prits.. Bouck said that he ad Kelley talked later *as frieds",regardig the tissue materials o the issue of "...whether some of.. - the tissue should be preserved." They were cocered about the sesatioalizig press ridiculig theldeceased Presidet. They decided that "....it was i the iterest of history to take a chace ad preserve them." Bouck said "... it seems to me that the cotaier held the brai or heart." Bouck. said that to his kowledge oe of.. the material was set to the family or destroyed. Bouck said "...it'seemed to me a portio of the brai was - preserved." He said he was sure that this stailess steel cotaier could have held the brai ad said there was "...fluid i it...rememher it slushig'aroud." Bouck said that "...possibly Kellerma kew the cotets of the stailess steel cotaier." Bouck said he had a "...vagt.seecollectio that it was the brai." Bouck said he recalls some subsequet discussio regardig'the films, specifically that some of the film was blak, but....ot that the film holders.were blak,'",.
.. Y. :, L Bouck retired i Jue, 1968 after havig left ihe White House about oe year earlier. 1 c-..l -.....-.- --,-. -- - -_--...-. ----.. -.
J. *.. -. -, -l... ----- --- -- l -fir IVLIAL ru\t.,.l VLS ---. -wz 4 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM Date:08/i3/93 Page:1 ii IDENTIFICATION FORM --------------------------------------------------------------- AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY : HSCA RECORD NUMBER : 180-10097-10141 RECORDS SERIES : NUMBERED FILES AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 002237. ---------------------------------------- DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR : HSCA FROM : KELLY, JIM C PURDY, ANDY TO : KLEIN, KEN TITLE : DATE : 08/06/77 PAGES : 4 BOUCK, SUBJECTS : ROBERT I., INTERVIEW usss 'b EVIDENCE, MEDICAL BURKLEY, DR. GEORGE KENNEDY, JOHN, AUTOPSY LINCOLN, EVELYN DOCUMENT TYPE : MEMORANDUM CLASSIFICATION : U RESTRICTIONS : OPEN IN FULL CURRENT STATUS : 0 JATE OF LAST REVIEW : 05/17/93 OPENING CRITERIA : Box 53. COMMENTS : ---------_ --s----------- ----------------- [RI - ------ -_-_---------------------- ITEM IS RESTRICTED