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
Captain TALBERT. We had kept as many officers out of the basement area
as possible to keep from adding to the confusion of the search so we
could make a systematic search, and I had retained all of the excess
officers, and, as I recall, numbered about 13 regular police officers
in my office and the reserve officers, and excesses were retained in
an assembly room which would be behind the jail office, and after
about 11--let's back up and make that about 10:45--in that vicinity,
Chief Stevenson and Chief Lumpkin contacted me about the route of the
proposed transfer of Lee Harvey Oswald, and they asked--correction--I
asked if we were going to use marked cars or plain cars, or if we were
going to utilize sirens to stop traffic at intersections?
Chief Stevenson said he didn't want any attention attracted to the
transfer that wasn't already attracted to it, and asked if I had enough
personnel to put in the intersection of Elm Street. First he said Main
Street. The first route planned was Main, and it was changed to Elm
before I could so disperse the personnel, so, actually, we utilized Elm
all through this.
Mr. HUBERT. Just as it was?
Captain TALBERT. And they said first Main and then before--after I
had removed the men from my office to the ramp--not the ramp area,
but the parking area and told Sergeant Dean and Sergeant Steele to
place them on each intersection to stop traffic for the lights as the
people making the transfer approached them. Found then that it was to
be Elm Street instead of Main, that it was to be Elm rather than Main
and the traffic could go--the reason being that they could swing off
of Elm into Houston, directly into the prisoner loading area of the
sheriff's office, and those 13 men were placed by Sergeant Steele at
each intersection. He didn't have enough. I instructed him that he
obtain any additional men he might need from the captain who was in the
area of the county jail, and he later called me by phone and told me
of the traffic conditions down there, and I had an estimate, I don't
recall whether from him or some other officer of the approximate number
of people in that area, said around 600 or so gathered up around the
county jail; so I instructed Steele to have each one of the men fall in
behind or follow fairly closely behind the conveying vehicle so they
would be available for any trouble that might develop around the county
jail.
Mr. HUBERT. Were you ever told by anyone of the plans of the transfer?
Captain TALBERT. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. That is, the ultimate plan or the----
Captain TALBERT. Well----
Mr. HUBERT. Any sequence of plans?
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