1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 205 Suspected of Endangering National Security
Monday morning.

Theodore attended the trial in the Federal v. Henry Thompson case of incitement to bank robbery.

The trial was originally scheduled for May 4, but was postponed to today.

Sitting in the witness stand, Theodore recounted the entire process of how the post office robbery escalated into a bank robbery, in a pre-rehearsed manner.

After the statement was completed, Prosecutor Chester W. Bradley asked several questions, which Theodore answered one by one.

These issues were all discussed in advance, with the aim of further elaborating on some difficult-to-understand logic.

Theodore felt this step was a waste of time.

Henry Thompson's lawyer also asked him a few questions.

Theodore answered calmly.

These issues were all on the list of questions that Prosecutor Bradley had given them.

Just when he thought he could leave, Henry Thompson's lawyer suddenly asked him a question that took him by surprise:

"Detective, what is your last name?"

Theodore did not answer, his gaze bypassing the lawyer and landing on Prosecutor Bradley.

Bradley immediately protested to Judge Bizeron, arguing that Theodore's last name was irrelevant to the case.

Judge Bezzeron did not immediately issue a ruling, but after a few seconds of silence, turned his gaze to Henry Thompson's lawyer.

Henry Thompson's lawyer immediately spoke up, stating that this issue was closely related to the case and that he would soon explain the connection between the two to everyone.

Judge Bezeron rejected Prosecutor Bradley's protest.

Prosecutor Bradley shrugged and sat down.

He was not surprised by this.

This judge with a head of white hair is actually only fifty-two years old.

Its trials are characterized by their radical judicial activism and humanistic concern.

This is a very compassionate judge.

In his courtroom, the prosecutor representing the government was inherently inferior.

This judge frequently interrupted prosecutors' statements, demanding further explanations of technical legal terms and abstract concepts.

If the defendant still looks confused at this point, he may even suspend the trial and ask the prosecutor to explain in a different way.

Repeat it again and again until you are sure the defendant understands.

There was once a prosecutor who explained a particular difficult legal term 12 times in his courtroom.

The prosecutors had already reached a consensus to avoid using technical terms in this judge's courtroom, striving to use plain and easy-to-understand language.

This judge is also a privacy-conscious judge who has ruled on numerous occasions to restrict the wiretapping activities of intelligence agencies.

This is an ambitious liberal judge.

Theodore glanced at Judge Bezeron.

The judge was thin with sharp features and wore black-rimmed glasses. He was tilting his head to scrutinize Theodore.

Theodore looked away and answered the question succinctly:
"Hoover."

The lawyer paused for a few seconds, turned slightly to the side, and asked again:

"What is your relationship with FBI Director John Edgar Hoover? Rumor has it that you are uncle and nephew, is that true?"

The moment Director Hoover's name was mentioned, it immediately drew everyone's attention.

Several jurors sitting in the jury box subconsciously shifted their positions and straightened their backs.

Several audience members sitting at the back of the courtroom straightened their posture, quickly glanced up, and then scribbled notes in their notebooks.

Judge Bezeron continued to stare at Theodore.

This time, instead of prosecutor Bradley, Theodore directly countered with a question:
"What does this have to do with the case?"

The lawyer remained noncommittal.

"Agent Theodore Dixon Hoover, when did you join the FBI and become a full-fledged agent?"

Theodore did not answer, but looked at Judge Bezelon again.

He believes this is beyond the scope of today's court proceedings.

He met Judge Bezeron's gaze, and seeing that the other did not react, he spoke up to remind him:

"The defendant in this case is Henry Thompson."

Judge Bezeron ignored his reminder and instead warned him to answer the questions.

Theodore stared at Judge Bezeron for a moment before stating his start date.

The lawyer immediately explained:

"You were specially recruited by the FBI in November 1960. Prior to that, you had served as a police officer in Felton, Texas for less than a year."

"In this less than one-year police career, there are still two months of training and internship."

"In other words, you only have less than eight months of real law enforcement experience."

At first, his explanation was a bit dry, but it quickly became fluent.

He paced back and forth in front of the jury box, muttering to himself:
"In December 1960, you came to DC, and in January 1961, you participated in FBI agent training."

"You will become a full-fledged agent in April after your training ends."

After saying this, he turned to look at Theodore, his excitement barely concealed.
"In other words, in December 1960, you were not yet a formal agent, but a Southern police officer with less than eight months of law enforcement experience."

How did you become involved in the investigation of this case?

Prosecutor Bradley realized things were going badly and objected, emphasizing that Theodore was participating in the trial as a witness.

The lawyer immediately retorted:

“I believe that witness Theodore Dixon Hoover does not possess the professional law enforcement capabilities.”

The two people taking notes at the back of the courtroom looked up in surprise at Henry Thompson's lawyer.

They suspected there was something wrong with their ears and that they had misheard.

The two exchanged a glance, and after confirming that there was no problem, they were even more shocked.

Theodore looked calmly at the lawyer and waited for him to finish before speaking:
"The lead investigator in this case is Senior Detective Ronald Scott, not me."

He pointed to the case report on the table:

"The case report bears the signature of Senior Detective Ronald Scott."

There was a few seconds of silence in the courtroom.

Judge Bezeron began by asking the defendant's lawyer:

"Is this all the connection you've described?"

Henry Thompson's lawyer shuddered and immediately spoke:
"But according to your statement just now, you played a major role several times during the investigation of this case, pointing out the direction when the investigation stalled."

He turned back to the defendant's dock and picked up a copy of the closing report:

"After the DuPont Roundabout Post Office was robbed on the morning of December 10, 1960, you concluded from the testimony that the robbers had military experience and believed they had prior criminal records."

"After the robbery on December 12, 1960, you immediately concluded that the robbers were testing the police response."

The lawyer glanced at Theodore:

"Your exact words were, 'They are testing the police's reaction speed, preparing for a larger robbery plan.'"

"You also believe that, in addition to the two robbers who carried out the robbery, there was a third robber waiting outside to provide backup, and that this third robber was the initiator of the two post office robberies and what you call a 'larger robbery plan'."

"Based on the above judgment, you cross-referenced the list of prisoners with the list of service members and identified my client."

He pointed to Henry Thompson in the dock:
"Although my client behaved well during his parole period and was regarded as a role model by his parole officer."

"His parole officer even introduced him to a job as a bank cash transporter."

The lawyer put down the case report, looked at Theodore, and spoke with great enthusiasm:
"This not only fails to prove his innocence, but it also serves as evidence that you believe he is the 'mastermind behind a larger robbery'," Prosecutor Bradley seized the opportunity to object.

He believed that the defense lawyer was stating his points but not questioning the witnesses.

This is the question-and-answer session, not the explanation session.

Judge Bezzeron again refrained from making a ruling and instead looked at the defendant's lawyer.

The defendant's lawyer gestured and asked a question:

"When you decided on the direction of your investigation, did you have concrete evidence, or was it merely based on your speculation?"

"Does this mean that anyone who appears in the cross-reference results of the original list will be identified as a criminal?"

Theodore was also looking at the defendant's lawyer.

He pointed to Henry Thompson in the dock and calmly began:
"Your client admitted to everything."

The lawyer sought help from the judge:
“Your Honor, the witness did not answer my question.”

Judge Bezelon swiftly ruled that Theodore must answer the questions directly.

Theodore turned and stared at Judge Bezelon:
"Have."

He didn't look at Henry Thompson's lawyer; his gaze remained fixed on Judge Bezelon, and he kept talking:
"The two robberies were in similar environments, close to the Third Precinct, and the interior layout of the targets was similar."

"During the second robbery, the robbers asked the post office staff to trigger the alarm."

"The robbers chose the post office as their target, but the profits from the two robberies were not high, which is completely inconsistent with the professionalism, high level of organization, and planning they demonstrated."

“We have every reason to suspect that this was a rehearsal for a bank robbery.”

Theodore carefully explained the profiling and analysis, paused, and then added:
"Based on this, we set up surveillance in advance at the Riggs National Bank branch that met our target criteria, and successfully apprehended the two robbers, as well as your client, Henry Thompson, who was acting as a lookout outside."

"My analysis has proven to be correct."

"Lawyer."

Henry Thompson's lawyer looked bewildered.

There was a silence in the courtroom for about ten seconds.

The lawyer quickly broke the silence.

He wanted to ask another question, but was stopped by Judge Bezeron, who had also realized what was happening.

Judge Bezeron struck the gavel, warning the defense attorney to ask questions relevant to the case.

The lawyer remained silent for a few seconds, then shook his head to indicate that there were no problems.

Judge Bezeron tapped his gavel, waved to Theodore, indicating that the testimony was over and the witness could leave.

Theodore glanced at him, then at the lawyer in the defendant's dock.

He suspected that the purpose of the trial was not the case at all, but rather aimed at him.

The defense attorney was very well prepared, knowing his past experiences inside and out, even his time within the FBI, clearly indicating that he had investigated him beforehand.

The bailiffs stepped forward to urge them on.

Theodore left the witness stand.

Judge Bezeron struck his gavel again, adjourned the court, picked up his notebook, and left the courtroom without looking back.

The two people in the back row of the courtroom stood up as well.

They were dressed impeccably in black suits, white shirts, and dark ties.

The two tucked the notebooks into their pockets and stood there like two rocks, motionless.

They gazed ahead, their eyes fixed on the defendant's lawyer.

Henry Thompson's lawyer was somewhat flustered.

He grabbed the documents on the table haphazardly and stuffed them into his briefcase, while constantly glancing around.

Theodore approached and startled him.

He reflexively took two steps back.

Theodore glanced at him, then turned to examine Henry Thompson more closely.

Since being brought into the courtroom, Henry Thompson has sat there with a stern face and has not uttered a word.

Henry Thompson looked up, met Theodore's gaze, and smiled at him.

Two bailiffs came over and were about to take him back to prison.

Henry Thompson regained his composure, stood up voluntarily, and cooperated exceptionally well.

This cooperative performance seemed particularly unusual to Theodore.

Henry Thompson's lawyer finished packing and hurriedly pushed through the crowd to leave.

The two men at the door followed him out of the courtroom, quickly stepping forward from the left and right to sandwich him in the middle.

The lawyer tried to struggle, but the two quickly closed in and subdued him.

A bailiff noticed the three men huddled together and took two steps forward.

One of them pulled out his FBI badge, flashed it, and told the bailiffs that the lawyer was suspected of endangering national security by stealing and leaking classified information and needed to be investigated.

The bailiffs silently retreated.

The two men escorted the lawyer to the parking lot and shoved him into a black Chevrolet.

A moment later, one of them got out of the car and closed the door.

The Chevrolet started up, quickly merged into the traffic, and headed west.

The man stood there for a while, then got into another car and drove towards the Ministry of Justice building.

Upon arriving at the Ministry of Justice building, he went straight to the fifth floor, waited briefly at the director's office door, and was then granted permission to enter.

He gave Director Hoover a detailed account of what happened in court.

…………

A few minutes later, Theodore and Prosecutor Bradley appeared in the parking lot.

Prosecutor Bradley praised Theodore's courtroom handling.

He believed that Theodore was the dream "witness" for countless prosecutors.

He speaks concisely and clearly, is emotionally stable, logically sound, quick-witted, and most importantly, never speaks carelessly.

Prosecutor Bradley's praises seemed to flow freely, as if they were free.

In particular, Theodore repeatedly praised his responses in court to several outrageous questions posed by Henry Thompson's lawyer.

He even half-jokingly asked Theodore if he wanted to consider becoming a prosecutor.

Theodore shook his head and refused.

He asked Prosecutor Bradley:

"Has David Bezelon's court always been like this?"

He hesitated for a moment, carefully considering how to come up with a suitable description:

"So unprofessional?"

Theodore viewed allowing the defense attorney to ask arbitrary questions as unprofessional.

Prosecutor Bradley paused for a moment, then shook his head and smiled wryly.
“I told you about Judge Bezeron’s style before.”

The last time he went to the Department of Justice building to have a mock trial with Theodore, he told Theodore about Judge Bezeron's style.

Theodore remembered all of this, and he shook his head:

"But you didn't say he was unprofessional."

Prosecutor Bradley was speechless.

(End of this chapter)