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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. XII - Page 2« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Assistant Chief Charles Batchelor)

Mr. Griffin.
November 23, when you first heard something about the movement of Lee Harvey Oswald from the Dallas City Jail to the Dallas County Jail. I believe you told me that sometime on Saturday night you were confronted by
some newspaper reporters with respect to the movement of Lee Harvey Oswald?
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes, sir.
Mr. Griffin.
Would you tell us, Chief Batchelor, about what time of the night these reporters approached you ?
Chief BATCHELOR. This must have been somewhere around 7:30 or 8 o'clock at night.
Mr. Griffin.
Where were you?
Chief BATCHELOR. I Was in the administrative offices of the police department at headquarters.
Mr. Griffin.
That is on the third floor? On the third floor of the police and-
Chief BATCHELOR. Yes, sir.
Mr. Griffin.
Were you inside your own office ?
Chief BATCHELOR. No; I was out in the outer office of the administrative offices where the secretaries are.
Mr. Griffin.
Do you recall how many reporters confronted you?
Chief BATCHELOR. There were two of them.
Mr. Griffin.
Do you recall who they were?
Chief BATCHELOR. No; I don't recall who they were now It was a rather casual request. They asked, or they said, rather, that they were hungry and hadn't had anything to eat and they wanted to go out to dinner, and they didn't want to miss anything if we were going to move the prisoner. And I told them I had no idea when they were going to move the prisoner.

About that time Chief Curry came up and he told them, he said, "Oh, I think if you fellows are back here by 10 o'clock in the morning you won't miss anything."
So they left with that and went to eat.
Mr. Griffin.
Were there any other reporters around at that time?
Chief BATCHELOR. No, sir. Then later, just a very few minutes later, Chief Curry decided, well, he might tell the rest of the people out in the hall so they won't be hanging around, because they were apparently doing nothing, just waiting. So he went out and told them that if they would come back by 10 o'clock in the morning, they were not going to move the prisoner in the meantime.
Mr. Griffin.
Did you talk with Chief Curry after he first spoke to these two newspaper reporters ?
Chief BATCHELOR. You mean with reference to the movement of the prisoner?
Mr. Griffin.
Yes.
Chief BATCHELOR. He told me that he didn't know exactly when they would move him, but he thought homicide bureau was about through with questioning him, but he knew that Captain Fritz wanted to question him again in the morning, and that after he had questioned him, why, we would move him.
Mr. Griffin.
Where did that conversation take place ?
Chief BATCHELOR. In the administrative offices. One thing I think I omitted. From the time that he told these reporters that if they were to come back by 10 o'clock in the morning, he didn't think they would miss anything, he went in and discussed it with Captain Fritz as to how he was progressing with the interrogation and whether or not he thought he would be through with him in the morning.
Mr. Griffin.
You mean this was between the time he-
Chief BATCHELOR. Before he went out and announced it to the rest of the press.
Mr. Griffin.
About how much time elapsed, would you say, from the time he talked to the two reporters and the time he made the general announcement ?
Chief BATCHELOR. Oh, I would estimate maybe 30 minutes; no longer.
Mr. Griffin.
Now, in between times, did he talk with you about the movement?
Chief BATCHELOR. No, sir.
Mr. Griffin.
Afterwards, did he talk with you about the proposed movement?
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