Updating the Record System

Jahnsen

The district attorney's office has what is known as a "short story"--

King

Yes. We know about those.

Jahnsen

I think I mentioned it to you before. They are not public records; they're the district attorney's records, but certainly there should be a way of getting these short stories. Now there's several copies of them. The short stories are prepared in quadruplicate or more copies. The district attorney

---

has the original right in his private office. A copy is left with the chief criminal deputy. Another one is left in the prosecuting attorney's office where the case is handled.

It is very important to have short stories in order to be familiar with the case when people come in and talk over the facts with the deputy who is to handle the case. He can quickly refer to the facts, take the name of the witness or person calling, and be familiar with the case and discuss with them about a case. These copies have been filed for many years. They're in the district attorney's office.

King

In the basement.

Jahnsen

In the basement of the courthouse. I don't think they have been destroyed.

Albert Hederman, who came into the office as an office boy clerk, is now chief assistant under the district attorney, Lowell Jensen. He is thoroughly familiar with this procedure.

Clarence Severin is another one who knows all about how these are filed. Clarence knows all about the short story system and where they are filed.

King

Now is that an innovation that Warren made in the office, the short story?

Jahnsen

I think is was a carry-over from some of the previous district attorneys.

King

You'd have to have a system like that?

Jahnsen

Yes. I think so, but usually they weren't very brief.

We had the Gilstrap case--

King

That's the oil--

Jahnsen

Yes. The oil fraud.

King

Downstate someplace.

Jahnsen

Yes. I remember this case. I wrote twenty-six pages of notes on a conversation between Chief Robert Tracy of the Oakland Police Department and Gilstrap. He sued Mr. Warren and others

---

in the federal courts for millions and millions of dollars. The twenty-six pages of notes I had written I turned over to Jim Oakley, assistant district attorney, who is now a retired judge. Jim's another man who could give you a lot of information.

King

Yes. We're going to talk to him.

Jahnsen

These twenty-six pages of notes had much to do with breaking the back of Gilstrap's suit.

This is something that you ought to have. These [the short stories] could be microfilmed. I would think you should have those, particularly during the Warren administration.

King

Well, we'll try to make some effort to get ahold of them.2

---