Warren Commission (12 of 26): Hearings Vol. XII (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (12 of 26): Hearings Vol. XII (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
I instructed Detective Captain O. A. Jones to go to the top of the
Commerce Street ramp leading out of the basement to notify the two
officers who were on duty there, to assist the truck when it came up
and get it backed in as far as it would go down the ramp. Captain Jones
did this and advised me that he also told Captain Talbert what he had
done so that Captain Talbert would not move the officers when they got
there. The truck was en route at that time.
After the truck arrived and was backed in, Chief Batchelor advised
me that he and Lieutenant Smart opened the truck up and searched it
completely, taking out, I believe, a couple of empty Coca-Cola bottles
or soft drink bottles.
I had returned to the third floor, went to the homicide office,
homicide bureau office, Chief Curry, Lieutenant Pierce, Captain Fritz,
and I believe an FBI agent, and Lee Harvey Oswald was in Captain Fritz'
office and some Federal officer had been interviewing him, oh, I would
say at least for an hour, and I was advised at that time by Chief
Curry----
Mr. HUBERT. What time was that?
Mr. STEVENSON. That was about 11:10 or 11:15--that they had changed
their plans after discussing it with Captain Fritz and that instead of
using the armored truck to transport the prisoner to the county jail,
they would use the truck as a decoy because a car would be much more
maneuverable if a crowd tried or anyone started to stop the car or
take the prisoner, that the truck would proceed east on Commerce from
the Commerce Street ramp to the Central Expressway north, north to Elm
Street, Elm Street west to Houston, and would turn left and not stop at
the county jail, but pass by the county jail on Houston, that the car
carrying the prisoner followed by another car of detectives, and Chief
Curry's car, which was also parked out in the street, would leave the
truck at Main Street on North Central and turn west down Main Street
and proceed directly to the county jail.
And the sheriff's office had been notified and would have the steel
gate open where the car could drive in and the gate could be closed
directly behind it. When given this information, I left the homicide
bureau and started back to the basement.
I met Chief Lumpkin at the elevator on the way to the basement and
I advised him of the change in plan. On arriving at the basement, I
advised Chief Batchelor and Captain Jones of the change in the plan.
I had been in the basement a minute or two after I had advised them of
the change, and two detectives were bringing two police and plain cars
from the parking area proper onto the ramp from the parking area.
I stepped across the driveway and instructed the officers there to
assist the detective in getting these cars up on the ramp where it
could back into, to pick the prisoner up, and follow the last car which
was driven by Detective Dhority. As I came out of the parking area, the
car pulled onto the ramp to back up.
I stepped across behind the car right over here.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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