Warren Commission (14 of 26): Hearings Vol. XIV (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (14 of 26): Hearings Vol. XIV (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. GRIFFIN. Let me state for the record that Mrs. Alice Reaves Nichols
is present, and before we began anything, she walked into the room
and she asked me if it would be possible to withhold her name from
the press. I told her I would check. I have talked with Mr. Hubert
of our office, to find out what the policy has been in the past, and
he assured me that in the past we have, on the request of witnesses,
not released the name to the press. I stated previously that all we
have ever released is the name. We have never discussed and will not
discuss with the press any testimony. However, we can’t give you any
assurance that they won’t find out you were here. For example, there
are newspaper reporters all over this building, and I don’t recognize
them and perhaps you will, and perhaps they might recognize you or try
to find out, if they don’t recognize you, who you are. Unfortunately,
anything they can learn about what goes on is something that they want
to print, so we can’t assure you that the name won’t go out, but we can
assure you it won’t get out from anything we do. I am sorry we can’t
give you any more protection than that.
Mrs. NICHOLS. I appreciate that.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Let me introduce myself. I am Burt Griffin, and I am a
special consultant to the General Counsel’s staff of the President’s
Commission investigating the assassination of President Kennedy.
This Commission has been set up under a couple of governmental acts,
one of which is an Executive order issued by President Johnson on
November 30, 1963, and another one from the joint resolution of
Congress. The effect of both of these acts has been to establish a
Commission with a staff which has power to subpena witnesses and take
testimony and conduct an investigation and prescribe various rules and
procedures, and we are operating under these rules of procedure.
I might explain that under the rules of the Commission I have been
specifically designated to come here and talk to you and take your
deposition. Now the purpose of this deposition is to inquire into
all of the facts and evaluate the facts and report back to President
Johnson on the facts that have to do with the death of President
Kennedy and the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald. In your particular case,
Mrs. Nichols, you have known Jack Ruby for many years, and you have
been good enough to tell the FBI at some length what you knew about
him. We want now to see if there is any more that can be added by
this type of questioning. But we are also interested, I might add, in
anything you might know that might have any significance to the whole
investigation we are conducting.
Mrs. NICHOLS. Yes.
Mr. GRIFFIN. I believe you got a letter from the Commission asking you
to appear?
Mrs. NICHOLS. I did. I had a telephone call first.
Mr. GRIFFIN. From Mr. Sorrels of the Secret Service?
Mrs. NICHOLS. No; it wasn’t Mr. Sorrels. I believe the man said his
name was Howell.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Mr. Howlett?
Mrs. NICHOLS. Yes.
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