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
We backed the truck in, and I believe it was Lieutenant Smart and I got
in the truck and searched it, and got some bottles, a couple of Coke
bottles, and a bolt that we found laying there, and took that out of
the truck.
The truck had benches on each side with cushions on the benches. This
was all that was in the truck. And it was only a short time after that
until they actually brought him out. Probably not more than 20 or 30
minutes after the arrival of the trucks that they brought him down.
Mr. HUBERT. Were you advised of the arrival of the trucks?
Chief BATCHELOR. I was in the basement when they came, and somebody
came down the ramp and told me they were out there, and I went out
there and looked at them.
Mr. HUBERT. And you directed that they be backed in?
Chief BATCHELOR. That the big truck. And he backed it in and got the
back wheels over the sidewalk and down the ramp, and it is a fairly
steep ramp. The driver suggested that he not take it clear to the
bottom.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he say why?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes; he was afraid that he would stall the truck in
coming out. It was a heavy truck and they had just taken it off of
their lot. It had been sitting there all night and the motor was cold
and he was afraid if he got it down the ramp and started out that he
might stall, and he didn’t want to do that.
I looked the truck over. That is, I looked at the truck in relation to
the walls of the ramp and found that it was so wide that there was only
about a foot of space left on one side, and about 2 feet on the other.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you remember which had 1 foot and which had 2 feet?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes, sir; the side of the truck next to the west
wall----
Mr. HUBERT. That is to say, the Harwood Street side?
Chief BATCHELOR. That’s right. Next to the Harwood Street side it had
about a foot of space, and next to the east wall, the other side, it
had about 2 feet of space, and we put one man in the space between the
west wall and the truck, and two men between the east wall and the
truck and completely blocked the area.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know who those men were?
Chief BATCHELOR. The body of the truck was actually inside the building
on the ramp, and the engine and the front wheels were setting out on
the level portion of the sidewalk.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know who the three men were that blocked the sides?
Chief BATCHELOR. No; I don’t recall who.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you actually see them being placed in position?
Chief BATCHELOR. I was standing at the foot of the ramp and saw them
standing there. They were put there at my direction, but I didn’t
personally direct these particular officers. I told the supervisor to
put the men there. I don’t remember who that was either, but they were
there.
Mr. HUBERT. And their orders were to remain there?
Chief BATCHELOR. They remained there.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you see them there at a later time?
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