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
Captain KING. There were officers assigned to the area there--primarily
the third floor where the homicide office is located and where most of
the newsmen were, and they did screen the newsmen and other people who
came in there. I was not the person who assigned them out there and I
don’t actually know what instructions they were given and I don’t know
actually the procedures by which they screened them. I was inside of my
office most of the time with telephones ringing.
Mr. HUBERT. Would it normally have been your duty to screen them or to
see that they had identification?
Captain KING. No, actually it wouldn’t--I think normally it would be
the duty of the officer who was working the incident to check the
identification.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know if anyone suggested that something should be
done to correct the conditions which you have described?
Captain KING. I understand that Chief Batchelor on his arrival at the
station ordered some more men assigned up there and tightened up to a
certain extent the security that was up there, but I was not present
when this was done.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know if anyone suggested that the whole place
be cleared out completely and then readmit only those definitely
accredited individuals?
Captain KING. I don’t know of anything like that.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know of anyone who suggested that at all?
Captain KING. I don’t recall anyone having suggested that--no, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. I gather from what you are telling me that the presence
of the press and under the conditions that they were present would
be considered by you at least as a serious disruption of the normal
methods of interrogation of a prisoner?
Captain KING. I would say that nothing really that was going on there
at that time was normal.
Mr. HUBERT. Is it your opinion that the presence of the press as
they were, particularly on the third floor, when Captain Fritz was
interrogating Oswald did interfere with the investigation?
Captain KING. I think it must have--yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Can you give us any examples of how it did?
Captain KING. Well, the hallways were full--actually with men and
officers. I was out on occasion in the hallway and officers tried
to keep an aisle or pathway cleared in the hall so people who had
business in the other bureaus on that end of the floor and people who
were working out of the homicide and robbery bureau could get in and
out, and this was a constant battle because of the number of newsmen
who were there. They would move back into the aisleway that had been
cleared. They interfered with the movement of people who had to be
there.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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