Mr. Olds.

in the basement of the police station. That was being used as a pressroom. I believe it is some sort of a classroom or something of that sort. He was brought in there. I suppose a hundred reporters standing around on tables, and I understand Ruby was there at the time, too, up near the front.

Mr. Stern.

You don't know that, though?

Mr. Olds.

I don't remember seeing him.

Mr. Stern.

Do you know Ruby?

Mr. Olds.

No; I don't. No; I remember someone saying what he was supposed to have said when--and helped somebody answer a question. I forget what it was, and Oswald came in, and he was there about 5 minutes----

Mr. Stern.

Were you permitted to enter this room without displaying any identification?

Mr. Olds.

Yes; I wasn't stopped at all. Nobody seemed to pay--it was pretty well confused around there, and nobody questioned me at all.

Mr. Stern.

Would you have been known to the police as a newspaperman?

Mr. Olds.

I had never been in the police building. No one had any way of knowing who I was, or what my business was.

Mr. Stern.

Did you have to identify yourself to get into this building to begin with?

Mr. Olds.

No; no problem getting into the building. No one in the lobby, and I don't believe there was anyone at all until you get up to the third or fourth floor where the police department section of the building begins.

Mr. Stern.

What were the conditions of this room and the scene?

Mr. Olds.

Well, you mean the room where the press conference was held, where Oswald came in? It was very noisy, and when Oswald came in it was very confusing. The reporters were yelling at each other to get out of the way, and they were, the photographers were having a very bad time with it, and people kept crowding toward the front and standing on tables so that they could see and hear and Oswald was there such a brief time, and was not able to be heard beyond the first row of reporters who were circled around him. Thereafter reporters were interviewing reporters who were on the front row to see what had been said, and some sort of confusion existed, and enough of--oh, probably 50 reporters standing around there, and it was a very confusing situation it seemed. And Oswald had to be brought through the hall on his way from the interrogation room to his cell, so, he couldn't avoid being seen, and it was at this time that he was making the statements that were being quoted.

Mr. Stern.

Did you observe this?

Mr. Olds.

No; I didn't. I saw this on television, but I could imagine it from that.

Mr. Stern.

How did he look to you when he was at this press conference?

Mr. Olds.

He looked remarkably composed and determined. He had a--I remarked afterwards that I would have been very much distraught, and he seemed very well self-contained and determined and maintained his innocence. I heard that, and beyond that scratch above on his forehead and the eye that was swollen and the little he looked all right.
He looked a little tired, of course, and I think his clothes were dirty, but he looked remarkably in good shape, I thought.

Mr. Stern.

Did this give you any further assurance that--about the fight to counsel question?

Mr. Olds.

Possibly so, it was----

Mr. Stern.

I don't want to put the idea in your head.

Mr. Olds.

Well, I know, but we had the idea that Oswald was not being accurate when he said he had been denied, because in our dealings with the police here, we have had reason to believe that they are very careful of this sort of thing. And certainly in a case of this notoriety, certainly, our tendency was to believe that, but I have always been sorry that we didn't talk with Oswald, because it was not clear whether we would be permitted to see him that night or not.

Mr. Stern.

But, you did not ask to see him?

Mr. Olds.

No; we did not, which I think was a mistake on my part.

Mr. Stern.

Did anything transpire on Saturday, November 23?

Mr. Olds.

Not so much. I was watching television most of the day and then