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​​In Memory of Susan Denise Atkins-Whitehouse

Interview with the Attorney General

The Attorney General of California was interviewed.
Here are segments of that interview-

(The Attorney General was surrounded by
reporters during this interview, and was
 asked different questions by different reporters.
"Reporter" represents any reporter
that asked a question.)

---

          Reporter: "As the chief law officer of the state, there's been many
                      comments about the length of this trial, that you have [sic] anything
                      to say about that?"

Attorney General: "It's outrageous. I mean of course, I'm not, that's no
                      criticism of the judge, he's doing everything he can to control it,
                      but again, without reference to this case, our system
                      is deteriorated to the point where the trial of a criminal case
                      is more like a circus than it is a judicial proceeding and 
                      I've said and will continue to say we have to perform
                      major legislative surgery on the system or it's gonna collapse"

                                             Later in the interview...

          Reporter: "Mr. Younger, what do you have to say about
                      this morning's testimony?"
​
Attorney General: "Well most of the questions addressed to me involved the meeting
                      which was held in the District Attorney's office
                      on December 4, 1969.  The meeting was attended by members of
                      what was then my staff and the District Attorney's office and by
                      attorneys representing Susan Atkins.  At that conference a certain
                      agreement was reached with respect to what the prosecution
                      would do in certain circumstances.  Immediately after the conference
                      was over I asked (prosecuting attorney)
​                      to prepare a memorandum covering the
                      conference, he did so, the memorandum was prepared and is now
                      in evidence.  And if you gentlemen would like a copy you may have it"     

          Reporter: "Why did you decide not to continue to offer the arrangement
                      to Miss Atkins, why did you consider, why did you decide to change
                      that and seek the death penalty?

Attorney General: "I testified to that in court this morning and uh, I'm not
                      certain whether the judge is, would consider my repeating my
                      testimony and that, to that question as proper or not so out of an
                      abundance of caution I won't answer it but I will invite your
                      attention to the transcript for I did precisely answer that question"

          Reporter: (indiscernible, many reporters talking at once, then)
                         "...that your office in any way violated the agreement
                         that it had with Miss Atkins and her attorney?

Attorney General: "No sir"

          Reporter: "Why?"
​
Attorney General: "For reasons I stated in court in the last couple hours"
​
          Reporter: "Do you feel that Miss Atkins was not telling the truth?"

Attorney General: "Again, I answered that very precisely from the stand, and
                      you'll have to forgive me, I don't want to get involved in any argument
                      with the judge over semantics. It might be argued that since I
                      testified in there I ought to be able to repeat it now but I'd
                      prefer that you refer to the transcript"

          Reporter: "It's always been a practice, Mr. Younger, it hasn't been considered
                      a violation of the gag order"
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Attorney General: "Well I probably might be subjected to a little more strict
                      interpretation of the rules under the circumstances and that's a,
                      so long as I did answer it all on the transcripts why I think 
                      I won't again"

          Reporter: "Do you feel that your questioning, that your answers
                      were rather evasive?"

Attorney General: "This morning?"

          Reporter: "Yes"
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Attorney General: "You gotta be kidding!"

                                         
                                          Later in the interview...

          Reporter: "At the time of the Susan Atkins confession and the publication
                      of that confession in the Los Angeles Times did you make any 
                      effort to find out how the Times had gotten a hold of it and then
                      printed it in light of the fact that you were the county's
                      chief law officer and the gag rule had, and the gag order had been
                      issued by the court?"
​
Attorney General: "No sir it was not my gag order. I uh, I didn't make any attempt
                      to find out how the Times had gotten it, and again as I explained,
                     I've explained this many times 
                      this has no reference to the present case.

                     One of the troubles with a gag order is a judge can write any kind
                     of an order he wants to but a defendant in a murder case is not
                     gonna pay a blessed bit of attention to it. What are you going to do
                     to a defendant who's being, who's uh, who may be sentenced to the
                     gas chamber, say to that defendant "Since you talked 
                     to a reporter I'm gonna give you five days in jail for contempt"? 
​
                     I'm speaking not with reference to this case
                     but with reference to gag orders generally,
                       so when the story of this defendant
                     was printed in the Los Angeles Times, big deal! Who was surprised?
​
                     I uh, we all anticipate that at some point a defendant in a 
                     major case is going to talk to reporters and there's never been
                     anybody yet figure out a way to prevent it. And I'm not even sure
                     you know, even if you think it's a good idea to prevent it,
                     there's no way to do it"
​
         Reporter: "Mr. Younger what is, what was the policy, and what is the policy
                     of the District Attorney's office regarding the death penalty
                     in the Tate / LaBianca trial?"

Attorney General: "Well the District Attorney, when I was District Attorney,
                      was seeking the death penalty and apparently still are"
​
          Reporter: "Mr. Younger do you think that Miss Atkins' story in the Times
                      as you know it based on what you understand is more closer
                      to the truth then what happened in the Tate / LaBianca case
                      and what she told the grand jury?

Attorney General: "I haven't read her story in the Times
                          I don't know what she says there"
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          Reporter: "Nowhere on the manuscript or the account, what you heard or..."
​
Attorney General: "Right, I have not read it and uh,
                          so I couldn't answer your question"
                             
                                           Later in the interview...

         Reporter: "Mr. Younger were you personally responsible for both 
                      decisions regarding Susan Atkins that came out of
                      the District Attorney's office?"

Attorney General: "I approved both, in that sense I was responsible for
                      both of them, yes sir"

          Reporter: "Can you tell us what the arrangement was, Mr. Younger"

Attorney General: "I'll give you a memorandum"

          Reporter: "Would you do that please"
​
Attorney General: "Thank you, it very clearly spells it out and this is in evidence,
                      you can all have a copy of it"

          Reporter: "On the question of competence..."

          Reporter: "Well wait a minute let him answer the question"

Attorney General: "Well I'm not gonna I don't wanna read the memorandum.
                      but I'll just give it to ya"
​
          Reporter: "Can you just verbally tell us what the arrangement was"
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Attorney General: "The arrangement on December 4th was that..."

                              At this point in the interview, the recorded tape
                             abruptly cuts into the next segment of the interview,
                                 and it does not involve Susan.                                                            
                  (During the interview, the questions to the Attorney General
                         occasionally moved away from what directly involved Susan.
                        In those instances, we have inserted "Later in the interview..."
                        to signify that the discussion temporarily moved away from Susan.)

                                  Provided for informational purpose.

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