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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. XIII - Page 164« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Edward E. Pierce)

Mr. Pierce.
their duties and in this garage area here, and in the municipal building, they are required to go in and out of that door to get their assigned jobs. He has a key, and when I say, "to my knowledge it was looked," the only reservation is that at sometime he was there and present in that area, and it was locked unless opened by him, or a porter who was working.
Mr. Hubert.
So, if a person could get into this subbasement, he could go very easily into the basement, itself?
Mr. Pierce.
Yes.
Mr. Hubert.
No looked door between them?
Mr. Pierce.
No looked doors. It has the stairway that goes from the subbase-ment, the stairway level up to----
Mr. Hubert.
What kind of a lock is there on that subbasement door that you are talking about? Do you need a key to get in?
Mr. Pierce.
Yes.
Mr. Hubert.
When you pass through the door does it automatically lock?
Mr. Pierce.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute. That is a push button type look. It is true, you can let yourself out of the subbasement and go out towards their area.
Mr. Hubert.
Porters' area?
Mr. Pierce.
And when it closes back, it is looked. It locks, and to come back through you have to use your key again unless you are going to be there for some period of time, you want to be you can push the button you are speaking of automatically and that releases itself automatically. If you push the button it remains unlocked for you.
Mr. Hubert.
That would be true also if a person was coming from the outside and wanted to get into the subbasement, or you--use the key to get in and when the doors shuts again, it is locked?
Mr. Pierce.
It is looked; yes, sir.
Mr. Hubert.
All right, I think that about covers it, Mr. Pierce. Have you been interviewed by any member of the President's Commission to your knowledge, sir?
Mr. Pierce.
No, sir.
Mr. Hubert.
All right, sir.
Mr. Pierce.
AS for the any personnel going in the garage area there at the time he was shot, I guess I am not in the position to say positively there was no one other than news personnel or media and police.
Mr. Hubert.
But, you don't know that to be a fact, do you?
Mr. Pierce.
I was fixing to say that I would be willing, even though I am under oath here, to swear to tell the truth, that there was no one there, because those personnel we have mentioned here, Riggs and Fuqua, at the time we were forced to leave, and came up, you know, I mentioned he remained in the basement momentarily there until it was evident that he also would have to leave. Then he and Harold went to the because of the availability there of a television set, went to the police looker room lounge.
Mr. Hubert.
Well, now, do you know' that of your own knowledge?
Mr. Pierce.
I do know that.
Mr. Hubert.
Or have you been told?
Mr. Pierce.
Well, as a matter of security I mentioned it, because after they got to that position then they couldn't even come back and were required to stay there.
Mr. Hubert.
But, you know that only because other people told you that?
Mr. Pierce.
That is where they were required to stay. That is where they spent the reminder of their time, because they could not come back and rejoin us.
Mr. Hubert.
Do you know how they left that building to get to the police recreation room?
Mr. Pierce.
From the elevator area here let's see; no, I don't know if they walked directly across to a stairway there, another stairway that goes to the police locker lounge other than the stairway we are speaking of, comes from Commerce Street down to the subbasement itself, and in the building. A stairway which policemen use all the time to go down to the lockers.
Mr. Hubert.
You mean from the municipal building?
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