Good O' Boy Roundup Report - March, 1996


b) Distribution policies

Although the invitations themselves did not refer explicitly to race, we also assessed the distribution of invitations to determine whether Roundup organizers intended to exclude blacks or other minorities by controlling the distribution of invitations. In the early years, these forms or fliers were sent to various law enforcement agencies for distribution as they saw fit. We found no evidence that any instructions of any kind, particularly any rules regarding racial restrictions, accompanied the distribution of these fliers. Many agencies posted the fliers on their bulletin board for all to see. For example, we were told that copies of such fliers were posted on the bulletin board at the Fraternal Order of Police in Washington, D.C. Curtis Cooper testified that the invitations were not posted on the bulletin board when he worked in ATF headquarters, but other minority agents, including some in various ATF offices, told Treasury OIG that they observed the invitations on bulletin boards in their respective offices and believed that the invitation was equally open to them as to the white agents in the office. Other agencies handed copies out to people who expressed an interest in attending.

In later years, when Rightmyer had established a mailing list, he sent invitation fliers individually to those who had previously registered and attended and to various law enforcement offices for general dissemination. [/ Local law enforcement and guests who had not paid the whole fee but merely signed in for an evening would not be sent these invitations. Because we did not identify any blacks who attended as registered guests, we found no blacks who had ever personally been sent a written invitation. The other minority attendees who did register, however, received personal, written invitations the year following their attendance. ] Those who received the fliers copied them and handed them out to fellow law enforcement officers or to friends. Numerous persons who heard about the Roundup but had not received an invitation merely called Rightmyer to get one. These individuals all told us the only question Rightmyer asked before sending them an invitation was whether they were in law enforcement.

A number of sources, including many minorities, reported that Rightmyer frequently issued blanket invitations to attend the Roundup to entire classes of students at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center ("FLETC") and other law enforcement seminars. Such a blanket invitation at seminars attended by Canadian law enforcement led to large numbers of Canadians attending the Roundup.

Based on these distribution procedures, we found no evidence that there were race-based limits on who in law enforcement could attend or on attendees not employed in law enforcement work. Indeed, the lack of restrictions led to the explosive growth in Roundup attendance in the 1980s and to many complaints that the law enforcement liaison purpose was being diluted. The distribution of invitations was ad hoc and not pursuant to any official policy limiting the distribution of invitations.