4. Upon approval by this court, the orders accompanied by a Portuguese translation will be submitted to a Portuguese Judge of Instruction for approval. It is respectfully requested, therefore, that the court enter orders requesting international judicial assistance with respect to the issuance of letters rogatory for all the individuals listed in Appendix A. APPENDIX A RESOLUTION FOR LETTERS ROGATORY (At least 7 Members must be present) RESOLVED: That counsel on the staff is authorized and directed to apply to a court for a letter of request to the appropriate judicial authority in Portugal to summon for testimony the following individuals: (witnesses names deleted) 3. Sample Request for International Judicial Assistance-Issuance of Letters Rogatory The United States District Court for the District of Columbia offers its compliments to the appropriate judicial authority States House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. is investigating We, therefore, request that in the interest of truth and the. furtherance of justice you cause by your proper and usual process @witness name deleted) to appear before an appropriate official in Portugal and duly authorized representatives of the Select Committee on Assassinations at a time designated by an appropriate Portuguese official. The witness is to be placed under oath and asked questions prepared by officials of Portugal and authorized representatives of the Select Committee. The questioning will concern knowledge of information that (witness name deleted) has relative to James Earl Ray, aka Ramon George Sneyd, aka Eric Starvo Galt and his whereabouts, movements, finances, activities and associates in Portugal during May, 1968. At that time, Mr. Ray was being pursued by authorities in connection with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mr. Ray spent approximately ten days in Portugal in May, 1968. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia extends to the judicial authorities of Portugal the assurance of its highest consideration. D. CONGRESSIONAL ACQUISITION OF RECORDS THAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED PROTECTED FROM DISCLOSURE BY FEDERAL OR STATE STATUTE OR REGULATION 4. Letter from the Central Intelligence Agency authorizing individuals to provide the select committee information The issue of the power of Congress to acquire by subpena information that might be construed as protected from disclosure by a Federal or State law or regulation is apt to arise with increasing frequency in the future. The documents in the section present one case study of this issue that was encountered by the committee. It arose because the administrator of the hospital where the subpenaed records were kept was willing to give them to the committee, but was unsure if Federal or State law would prohibit him from complying with a subpena. (136) |