Narcotics research, rehabilitation, and treatment. Hearings, Ninety ...

378Chairman Pepper. We will take a temporary recess and go overand answer the quoiTim call, and then come back and resume Mr.Ingersoll's testimony.(A brief recess was taken.)Chairman Pepper. The committee will come to order, please.Mr. Rangel.Mr. Rangel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.Mr. Ingersoll, the responses I have received since I have been downhere, from the Office of the President, the State Department, theAttorney General, and the Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,indicate that your Bureau has the responsibility for stemmingthe illicit flow of drugs into the United States. Is that a fair descriptionof your responsibilities and that of your Bureau?Mr. Ingersoll. We have the primary responsibility and, of course,the Bureau of Customs has responsibility at ports and border crossings.Mr. Rangel. You say you have 1,500 agents?Mr. Ingersoll. No, sir. About 1,300 at this time.Mr. Rangel. How many of these agents are assigned to foreigncountries in connection with the international traffic?Mr. Ingersoll, Of the agents, 61.Mr. Rangel. Of those 61, roughly 15 will be assigned to SoutheastAsia?Mr. Ingersoll. At this tim.e;yes, sir.I should point out also, Mr. Rangel, that we also have responsibilityfor controlling domestic traffic on an international level, as well. Somost of our personnel are stationed within the United States.Mr. Rangel. Well, let us talk about your domestic responsibilities.When I was prosecuting narcotics cases in the southern district of XewYork, I found that upward of 80 percent of the cases made by theFederal Bureau of Narcotics under the Harrison Act were addictpushers that were convicted in our office. Is that basically the sametoday ?I might add, in addition to that, that they were black and PuertoRican.Mr. Ingersoll. That is not true today, sir.Mr. Rangel. So that if the major responsibility that you have is theinternal flow of narcotics into this country, and you are restricted to61 agents for the international trafficking of drugs, and the Presidentof the United States says that your agency has the sole or the primaryresponsibility, let us see what we are talking about when you try to doyour job to prevent the inflow of narcotics into the United States.Number 1, is not your Bureau restricted in what it can do or sayby the U.S. State Department ?Mr. Ingersoll. I am not sure I understand that question.Mr. Rangel. Well, in your international travels for the purpose ofrestricting drugs from flowing into the United States, you have theopportunity to deal with political leaders of ceitain states, and isn'tthe extent of any agreements that you can enter into restricted by ourState Department ?Mr. Ingersoll. Certainly the State Department has input in anyagreements that we reach ;yes.Mr. Rangel. Let me put it another way: Do you have by law orpolicy any power to enforce any agreement with any foreign power?