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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. XIII - Page 63« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Forrest V. Sorrels)

Mr. Sorrels.
Would you read that question again?
Mr. Hubert.
What I am trying to get at is this: You testified a moment ago that when you came in you saw all the press people with their cameras and so forth in the basement area.
Mr. Sorrels.
Not all of them. I said I saw some down there.
Mr. Hubert.
Which would indicate that they either had guessed or had somehow become aware that--that would indicate that they either had guessed or had somehow become aware that that would be a point on the route to be taken at which they could get pictures. And I was wondering if you had heard anything prior to that time about the route, or had you heard that these people had been informed of the route?
Mr. Sorrels.
No; nothing about the route. The basement is used by the police generally. They have a passageway which comes from Main Street down into the basement, and then the exit continues on out to Commerce Street, and the police cars that bring prisoners in use the basement. In other words, they drive the car right down to the basement, and the actual receiving office, the receiving office for the jail is on the basement floor.
Mr. Hubert.
Do you recall ever having spoken to either Curry or some other member of the police department about the possibility of moving Oswald in a way other than that which was planned?
Mr. Sorrels.
When I heard that they were supposed to take him out at 10 o'clock--that was the announcement and so forth on the radio and in the papers--I remarked to Captain Fritz that if I were he, I would not remove Oswald from the city hall or city jail to the county jail at an announced time; that I would take him out at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning when there was no one around.
Mr. Hubert.
Do you know when you told that to Fritz?
Mr. Sorrels.
That was on the Sunday morning, before he was removed.
Mr. Hubert.
Did you tell that to any other person?
Mr. Sorrels.
No.
Mr. Hubert.
Was any other person present when you told that to Fritz?
Mr. Sorrels.
No; not that I recall.
Mr. Hubert.
What caused you to give that advice to Captain Fritz?
Mr. Sorrels.
The importance of the prisoner, to my mind, was such that in order to remove the opportunity for some crackpot or anyone who might feel inclined to try to kill the prisoner, if the removal was made more or less unannounced or in secret, that those opportunities would have been at least lessened to a great degree.
Captain Fritz said that Chief Curry did not want to---let's reverse that just a bit--that Chief Curry wanted to go along with the press and not try to put anything over on them; or words to that effect.
Mr. Hubert.
Did you gather from what Fritz told you that the reason why your suggestion was not acceptable was that Fritz at least thought that captain--that Chief Curry did not want to break his word, as it were, to the press?
Mr. Sorrels.
I didn't consider it so much as breaking his word as I would that he did not want to tell them one thing, or in other words, move him out without the press being aware of the fact--let's put it that way. That was my impression.
Mr. Hubert.
What time was it, about, do you know, that you made that suggestion?
Mr. Sorrels.
That was pretty close to 11:15 in the morning, just a short time before they got ready to move him.
Mr. Hubert.
You do not know, do you, whether he conveyed your thought to Chief Curry?
Mr. Sorrels.
No; I do not. I doubt that he did, because Chief Curry had left Fritz' office at that time, as I recall it.
Mr. Hubert.
Do you remember about what time it was when the Oswald move began from Fritz' office?
Mr. Sorrels.
It was shortly after 11:15 in the morning, as i recall it. In other words----
Mr. Hubert.
Did you go down with the party carrying him down?
Mr. Sorrels.
No, sir; I did not. Inspector Kelley and I went to the office of Chief Batchelor, which is also on the third floor, and on the south side of the
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