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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. VII - Page 353« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Forrest V. Sorrels)

Mr. Sorrels.
office there, and Captain Fritz' office, which is an office within the large office, was closed, and the blinds were drawn in his office there.
I did not knock on the door or anything, because I did not want to interfere with him if he was talking to someone. So I just waited there until Captain Fritz opened the door, and he had a man who I later found out to be Oswald in custody at the time.
And I told Captain Fritz, I said, "Captain, I would like to talk to this man when I have an opportunity."
He said, "You can talk to him right now."
And he just took him on back around to the side of Captain Fritz' office, and there was a number of other officers there, might have been some FBI agents too, there, because there were numbers of FBI agents around in that vicinity almost all the time from that time on. And some of the detectives there.
And I started talking to Oswald, started asking him some questions, and he was arrogant and a belligerent attitude about him.
And he said to me, "I don't know who you fellows are, a bunch of cops."
And I said, "Well, I will tell you who I am. My name is Sorrels and I am with the United States Secret Service, and here is my commission book."
I held it out in front of him and he said, "I don't want to look at it."
And he held his head up and wouldn't look at it at all. And he said, What am I going to be charged with? Why am I being held here? Isn't someone supposed to tell me what my rights are?"
I said, "Yes, I will tell you what your rights are. Your rights are the same as that of any American citizen. You do not have to make a statement unless you want to. You have the right to get an attorney."
"Aren't you supposed to get me an attorney?"
"No, I am not supposed to get you an attorney."
"Aren't you supposed go get me an attorney?"
I said, "No, I am not supposed to get you an attorney, because if I got you an attorney, they would say I was probably getting a rakeoff on the fee," or words to that effect, and kind of smiled and tried to break the ice a little bit there.
I said, "You can have the telephone book and you can call anybody you want to."
I said, "I just want to ask you some questions. I am in on this investigation. I just want to ask you some questions."
Mr. Stern.
Was there anything further said about an attorney?
Mr. Sorrels.
Not that I recall at that time. I don't recall anything further said about an attorney. I asked him where he worked. He told me worked at this Book Depository. And as I recall it, I asked him what his address was and where he was living, and he explained to me that he was living apart from his wife, and that she was living over in Irving, Tex. I asked him, as I recall it, what his duties were at this Book Depository, and he said filling orders. I asked him if he had occasion to be on more than one floor, and he said, yes.
I asked him if he had occasion to be on the sixth floor of the building. He said, yes, because they fill orders from all the floors.
But he said most of his activity was down on the first floor.
And I think I asked him whether or not he had ever been in a foreign country and he said that he had traveled in Europe, but more time had been spent in the Soviet Union, as I recall it.
And then he just said "I don't care to answer any more questions."
And so the conversation was terminated.
Mr. Stern.
Did he give you his address?
Mr. Sorrels.
As I recall it, he did give me an address. I don't remember what it was offhand.
Mr. Stern.
Then were you finished with your questions, or did he refuse to answer any more?
Mr. Sorrels.
He just said, "I don't care to answer any more questions."
Mr. Stern.
You wanted to ask him other questions?
Mr. Sorrels.
Oh, yes.
Mr. Stern.
And what happened then?
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