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
Mr. GRIFFIN. The elevator we are talking about is the general elevator
that services all floors and is available to anybody that comes into
the building?
Mr. BEATY. We are not talking about the jail elevator?
Mr. GRIFFIN. That's right.
Mr. BEATY. That's right.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, when you all congregated outside that window, what
took place?
Mr. BEATY. Within 5 or 10 minutes, Captain Jones came through and spoke
to me, and we walked through the small hall by the jail office window
into the double doors and he instructed us to stand on either side of
that hallway, which would be just outside the double doors as you enter
into the basement parking area.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, Mr. Beaty, I am going to hand you my pen. I am
going to ask you if you will mark on this diagram where was your
understanding that people were to place themselves.
Mr. BEATY. Where they were assigned?
Mr. GRIFFIN. Yes; what assignments did Jones make at that point?
Mr. BEATY. He said, "Divide yourself up about half and half. Half on
this side and half on this side."
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, you have drawn a line on either side, straight line
on either side of the hallway that leads out between the swinging doors
and the Main Street and Commerce Street ramp.
Mr. BEATY. That's right.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did he tell officers to stand any place except along those
two walls where you have drawn the line?
Mr. BEATY. No, sir. He instructed us to, when they brought Oswald out
of the smaller swinging door in the outside hall, to make a path for
him and be sure that nobody got to him or slowed him down. In other
words, indicating that--I don't remember whether he said to get to him
or not. He just said keep the people back so we can get him through,
something like that.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Let me ask you this: What was your understanding that you
people were to do, if anything, when Oswald got abreast of you?
Mr. BEATY. To keep the people back. Of course, over here where I was,
there was nobody behind me.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Would you place on the chart where it was you were
stationed? Put an "X" there.
Mr. BEATY. [Complies.]
Mr. GRIFFIN. Let me ask you again. As Oswald moved out of the jail
office and approached the car that he was to get in, did you have any
understanding as to any action that you were supposed to take?
Mr. BEATY. Like I said before, of course, there was nobody at that
time, we thought, but the press and police officers down there, and
at that time we were, television cameras were set up across the ramp
behind a railing about 4 foot tall.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Will you place the TV cameras?
Mr. BEATY. Somewhere right there.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Let me ask you to put the TV cameras in a square.
Mr. BEATY. [Complies.]
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, were there only two TV cameras in the basement?
Mr. BEATY. The best I remember.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Do you recall if there was a TV camera in the garage
entranceway to the garage?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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