June 23, 1964
7:15 p.m.
From J. Edgar Hoover
The news about the car dominated discussions (along with calls from Senator Everett Dirksen about an Illinois navigation project) until Hoover called back at 7:15 with news that no bodies were found in the car. Prior to Hoover’s call, Robert Kennedy had arrived at the White House to help plan the Justice Department’s involvement in the investigation and to help lobby former CIA Director Allen Dulles to become an “impartial observer” of the situation in Mississippi for the administration.
J. Edgar Hoover: . . . Now, the . . . the . . . the . . . I talked to the Secretary of Defense, and he’s placed at our disposal a plane which has taken the two laboratory men, and they will arrive at Meridian, Mississippi, at midnight; otherwise we couldn’t have gotten down there until tomorrow morning.
President Johnson: Good.
Hoover: [with the President assenting throughout] We have moved all the inside of the car from the place the car was found to Meridian where the experts will make the examination immediately upon their arrival.
Now, it’s the impression of the agents who have removed the material, most of which are ashes and all kinds of debris, there were no bones that could be found, although bones would burn [in] a fire as hot as that. However, there were no dental plates or anything of that type that . . . would normally would not burn, so the off-hand presumption is that the bodies were not in the car. However, we will not know that definitely until the laboratory men tomorrow by—at midnight will make the determination, and I’ll have word the first thing in the morning.
President Johnson: Fine, thank you.
Hoover: Then we’ll, of course, have to start the search for where they are or who did this thing.
President Johnson: Any information they get, if they call you tonight or in the morning, you call me.
Hoover: Yes, I will, Mr. President.
President Johnson: Thank you. Thank you very much.
Hoover: Thank you.
