Reader’s guide · Georgia
Augusta, May 1970: how to read a Congressional Record entry
Locate William Clay’s Augusta remarks on page 15793 and distinguish a contemporary call for investigation from court findings or an Oatman case file.
- Record
- Congressional Record, Extensions of Remarks, page 15793
- Issued by
- U.S. House of Representatives record
- Date
- Published May 15, 1970; remarks dated May 14
- Document
- Historical government record
Reading the record
The relevant entry is William (Bill) Clay’s Augusta: Live Ammunition, on printed page 15793 — PDF page 47 of the linked part. Clay describes his request for a federal investigation into the Augusta violence and the death of a Black prisoner. The entry does not name that prisoner.
This is the Extensions of Remarks section, not a judicial opinion or a transcript of a criminal trial. Clay also inserts a newspaper editorial. Keep his remarks, the editorial and any later findings separate: publication in the Congressional Record does not turn an argument or reported account into a court finding.
The document offers contemporary context for readers of The Augusta Files. It is not the Oatman civil case file. No accessible copy of that case file is supplied by this guide, and the source link should not be described as one.
Questions to take to the source
- Who is speaking, and when are the remarks dated?
- Where does Clay’s own statement end and the inserted editorial begin?
- What investigation is requested, and what does this entry leave unresolved?
Follow the evidence
Open the source record
These links open the cited documents on their hosts. No account or email is needed to read this guide.
- Congressional Record — official PDF, page 15793 (PDF page 47)
Official GovInfo PDF, about 23 MB. Open PDF page 47 if your reader does not jump there automatically.
Companion reading for True Crime Georgia: The Augusta Files. This guide addresses the dated records above; later proceedings may have their own decisions.