CONVERSATION WITH HERB HOFFMAN, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE STAFF, RE ERVIN BILL AMENDMENT TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-00818R000100050014-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 31, 2006
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: August 21, 1972
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2006/08/01 CIA-RDP81-00818R000100050014-4
Yi Rowe+ _
Li' S EG ie .:. LO ONLY OLC 72-0941
21 August 1972
SUBJECT: Conversation with Herb Hoffman, House Judiciary Committee
Staff, re Ervin Bill Amendment to the Civil Rights Bill
1. Today land I met with Herb Hoffman and reviewed
our problems wit t e Ervin i 1 amendment to the Civil Rights bill.
Hoffman said Senator Ervin recently testified before the House Judiciary
Committee and at that time talked informally with Chairman Celler about
his amendment. Ervin is reported to have said that he would agree with
whatever Celler decided to do about his amendment but Hoffman is not at
all sure about this. Celler has apparently indicated to Hoffman that his
tentative plan is to try to talk Ervin into dropping Title II from the bill
but if he is unsuccessful in this, he would report the bill to the House
noting that there is "technical disagreement" with respect to Title II.
The "technical disagreement" is based on the fact that Title II is not
germane to the rest of the bill. Hoffman, while admittedly unfamiliar
with House procedures, said he would then expect this provision would
be subject of debate on the floor. This approach would satisfy Ervin's
desire for an "up or down vote" on the House floor on his bill.
2. I told Hoffman that Representative Richard H. Poff (R., Va.)
had recommended a letter from the Director to Chairman Emanuel Celler
(D., N. Y.) mentioning our concern about certain provisions of the bill,
and offering him a personal briefing. Hoffman thought this would be a
good idea.
3. He also suggested that:
a. We see each of the House conferees separately and
make sure they understand our problem.
b. We try to prod the White House to use its influence with
the House leadership.
ADMINISTRATIVE
~ USE ON Y
MORI/CDF
Approved For Release 2006/08/01 : CIA-RDP81-00818R000100050014-4
 Approved For Release 2006/08/01: CIA-RDP81-00818R000100050014-4
!'. SE ONLY
c. We urge the Civil Service Commission to take a
strong position following up on the excellent letter Chairman
Bob Hampton had sent Chairman Celler.
d. We urge members of the House Post Office and Civil
Service Committee who had been involved in the bill previously
to weigh in in support of an exemption for the Agency.
e. We try to get Chairmen Hebert and Mahon to write or
contact Chairman Celler directly and to speak on the floor.
4. I explained to Hoffman that we naturally would be glad to go along
with the Administration's strategy of trying to knock out the Ervin bill amend-
ment entirely, but we felt the chances of success were remote. Hoffman
fully agreed. He said in that case we would have no alternative but to seek
special exemption for the Agency, despite the fact that the Administration
frowned on specific exemptions for individual departments. I said I would
try to convince the White House that if they were either unable or unwilling
to moblize the strength necessary to defeat the Ervin amendment in toto,
we would have to go it alone for a separate exemption.
Legislative Counsel
Distribution:
Orig.
- Subj.
1
- :DDS
1
- OGC
1,
- H. Judiciary Com
1
- Chrono
OLC /JMM:rw
tinyr A F!11"1 NE
T E'
Approved For Release 2006/08/01 : CIA-RDP81-00818R000100050014-4