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FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Assistant Attorney General James M. McInerney
May 9, 1951
Director, FBI
JOHN WHITESIDE PARSONS [Jack Parsons], wa ESPIONAGE — IS
Reference is made to your memorandum in captioned matter dated January 18, 1951, your reference JMM:CEN:vb, wherein you advised that the facts indicated a possible violation of Sections 793 and 794, Title 18, U.S. Code. However, before rendering a decision as to whether prosecution is warranted, you requested that steps be taken to determine whether the documents involved in this case "relate to the national defense" and whether, in the event of prosecution, the Department of the Army would have any objection to these documents being introduced as evidence.
As you will recall, the subject admitted that on September 15, 1950, while he was employed at the Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, California, he removed from that plant, without authority, a total of 13 documents pertaining to jet propulsion motors and rocket propellents. These documents are described by number in the report of SA [Redacted], Los Angeles, California, dated November 2, 1950, a copy of which has been previously furnished you.
The questions propounded by you have been referred to the Department of the Army, and in a confidential memorandum to this Bureau dated April 6, 1951, answers were furnished by Colonel Paul G. Cramer, GSC, Chief, Security Division, Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C. Pertinent portions of the Army's memorandum are quoted as follow:
"For your information the military security classification of the material in question is as follows.
(a) Items 1 through 6, inclusive, and items 9 and 10 are unclassified. (b) Item 7 contains information bearing a military security classification of RESTRICTED. (c) Items 8, 11, 12 and 13 contain information bearing a military security classification of CONFIDENTIAL.
"The documents referred to in paragraphs 2 b and c above, relate to the national defense. The Department of the Army has no objection to the use of Items 1 through 7, inclusive, and Items 9 and 10 as evidence. The information contained in Items 8, 11, 12 and 13 relates to current CONFIDENTIAL research and development and as such should not be dibulged to unauthorized persons."
The numbered items refer to the 13 documents as enumerated and described in the above-mentioned Los Angeles report dated November 2, 1950.
As your records will reflect, since the date of your references memorandum, four FBI investigative reports in this matter have been forwarded to you, dated as follows: January 20, 1951, at Los Angeles; February 24, 1951, at Cincinnati; March 8, 1951, at Los Angeles, and March 21, 1951, at San Diego. In addition, there is enclosed herewith concerning this matter: Report of SA [Redacted], Los Angeles, dated April 21, 1951, and report of SA Malcolm P. Carr, Washington, D.C., dated April 26, 1951.
It is requested that you advise, after reviewing these reports and the above information from the Department of the Army, whether prosecution in this case is warranted.
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