</s>192 1 A Yes, sir. 2 Q Is Mr. Tracy still employed by your office? 2 A No, sir .. 4 A men was it that Mr. Tracy left your employment? 5 A I'm afraid I cannot recall the exact date. 6 I believe it was in 1970, but I cannot say when -- possibly I believe It was in 1971, but i cannot recall this exact date .. 7 in May or in April, I'm not sure. 8 Was there some unusual circumstances connected 9 with his leaving your employment! 10 A Yes, Sir. 11 Was he asked to resign? 12 A I don't recall whether he was asked to resign 13 or, whether he resigned of his own volition. 14 I know that I had been dissatisfied with his 15 16 Wexk. In fact, I had, in effect, fired him from the super- 16 v. on of the Exhibit Section and put him in another section. 17 The actual circumstances of his leaving, as I 18 recall, were, I think, of his Own volition .. 19 recall ,, I thought, of its own voltion. I would just like to say that he was not 20 considered an acceptable employee, one whom we wanted to 21 retain. 22 in any event, was /r. tracy given any instruc- 23 tions in connection with making any copies of documentary 24 evidence that was introduced in the Sirhan case? 25 A Yes, sir/r, he was. 26 A ... mitt in instructions? 27 A 28 On several occasions I told him to get those things reproduced. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The document details testimony from multiple witnesses regarding procedures for managing exhibits and implementing court orders during the Sirhan Sirhan trial (1968), which is associated with the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Peter J. Talmachoff described instructions to Thomas Tracy for reproducing trial documents using office equipment or a dedicated reproduction unit at the Los Angeles County Courthouse, noting discrepancies in page numbers and content across multiple copies of Exhibit 71 (Grand Jury Exhibits 50, 51, 52). Talmachoff also confirmed restrictions on public access to exhibits, enforced by limiting viewing to authorized personnel. Richard H. Wilson and Roger T. Brooke provided accounts of exhibit management procedures, including the use of viewing slips to track access, non-dissemination orders from Judge Alarcon, and potential security lapses such as storing exhibits under a table near the vault rather than in a safe. Brooke mentioned interactions with individuals like John Christian and William W. Harper during exhibit handling and acknowledged a financial discrepancy involving $1,600 taken from an office safe, later repaid. Testimony also addressed the display of original exhibits (including bullets and a gun) to forensic experts using scientific equipment, though no explicit court orders were referenced for these actions.  

Key People  
- **Peter J. Talmachoff**: Former assistant chief of the Criminal Division of the Clerk's Office, responsible for managing exhibit copies and implementing access restrictions.  
- **Thomas Tracy**: Employee tasked with reproducing documentary evidence for trial exhibits.  
- **Richard H. Wilson**: Former clerk in the County Clerk’s Office Criminal Division, involved in exhibit custodian duties and court order enforcement.  
- **Roger T. Brooke**: Former clerk in the same division, responsible for managing exhibit viewing slips and handling requests for original evidence.  
- **Judge Alarcon**: Issued a non-dissemination order regarding exhibits in the Sirhan case.  
- **John Christian**: Individual associated with exhibit viewing activities.  
- **William W. Harper**: Received original exhibits during forensic examinations.  

Key Locations  
- **Los Angeles County Courthouse**: Site of the reproduction unit used for copying trial documents and where exhibits were stored.  
- **Clerk's Office (Room 448)**: Where Talmachoff, Wilson, and Brooke managed exhibit storage, access, and court orders.  
- **Vault**: Location where some exhibits were temporarily stored under a table rather than in a safe.  

Key Events  
- **Exhibit Reproduction**: Instructions to Tracy for copying trial documents, including discrepancies in page numbers and content across multiple copies of Exhibit 71.  
- **Court Orders**: Implementation of non-dissemination orders from Judge Alarcon and unspecified restrictions under Judge Walker’s court order, though details were unclear or not recalled by witnesses.  
- **Exhibit Management Procedures**: Use of viewing slips to track access, with clerks handling requests for original evidence and ensuring compliance with court restrictions.  
- **Security Lapses**: Exhibits stored under a table near the vault instead of in a safe, raising concerns about potential tampering or unauthorized access.  
- **Forensic Examination**: Original exhibits (bullets, gun) displayed to forensic experts using scientific equipment, though no explicit court orders were referenced for these actions.  
- **Financial Discrepancy**: Brooke admitted to taking $1,600 from the office safe, later repaid through retirement and severance pay.  

Key Organizations  
- **Clerk's Office of Los Angeles County**: Managed exhibit storage, access, and court orders during the Sirhan trial.  
- **Los Angeles County Grand Jury**: Conducted hearings to examine exhibit discrepancies and management procedures.  
- **Criminal Division (Room 448)**: Where exhibit custodians and clerks handled documentation and security protocols for the Sirhan case.

RFK Declassified Files

56-la-156-z_sec_001_ser_1_only-part_5_of_5.pdf

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