Warren Commission (15 of 26): Hearings Vol. XV (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (15 of 26): Hearings Vol. XV (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Chief BATCHELOR. That’s right.
Mr. HUBERT. At that time when you called him, as a matter of fact, was
the time of the transfer set?
Chief BATCHELOR. There never was a definite time set for his transfer.
Even though the press announced that he would be moved at 10 o’clock,
there was never an announcement made that he would be moved at 10
o’clock, that I recall.
The thing that was said was that if the press were there by 10 o’clock,
we thought it would be ample, that they wouldn’t miss anything.
Mr. HUBERT. What was the fact, the controlling factor insofar as time
was concerned?
Chief BATCHELOR. When the homicide bureau finished their interrogation
of Oswald that morning.
Mr. HUBERT. So then when you first talked to Fleming, he was not able
to tell you whether he could get it?
Chief BATCHELOR. Well, he said he thought he could, but he was going to
have to call his people and get some drivers down there, because they
were closed up on Sunday, and he said, “As soon as I get hold of them,
I will call you.”
He called me twice. He called me back later and said he had the
drivers and he had two trucks, one a large Overland truck which would
accommodate people sitting on each side of the truck on benches, and
one a smaller truck.
He recommended the larger truck because the smaller truck would only
accommodate one person in the back, and of course there would be need
for guards.
So then the question arose as to whether or not this truck could be
backed into the basement in front of the door leading out of the jail,
because there is a low point in the ramp at that point.
So he asked me if I would check and see how high that was. And I
checked with Chief Lumpkin, and he told me that it was 7′5″. This was
not tall enough to accommodate the truck.
Mr. HUBERT. Then what happened?
Chief BATCHELOR. Then I called Mr. Fleming and told him the height and
suggested that we would back the truck in on Commerce Street and not
take it clear to the bottom.
Mr. HUBERT. Then you ordered the larger one only?
Chief BATCHELOR. No; he sent two. He said, “I will send you both, and
you can make a determination when we get there; take the one you like.”
Mr. HUBERT. That second conversation was about 10:30 or so?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes; as I recall, it must have been around 10:30. It
was actually after 11 before the trucks finally got there.
Mr. HUBERT. It was after what, sir?
Chief BATCHELOR. I believe it was a little after 11 when the trucks
finally got there; yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you have any way of fixing that time as to when the
trucks actually got there?
Chief BATCHELOR. Well, the way I fix that in my mind is the lapse of
time from the time the trucks arrived until Oswald finally was brought
out in the basement, and this was not very long.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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