The testimony of John Gibson was taken at 3:45 p.m., on April 8, 1964,
in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building, Bryan and
Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Joseph A Ball, assistant counsel of
the President's Commission.
Mr. BALL. Will you please rise and hold up your hand and be sworn?
Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give before
the Commission will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth, so help you God?
Mr. GIBSON. I do.
Mr. BALL. Will you state your name, please?
Mr. GIBSON. John Gibson.
Mr. BALL. What is your occupation?
Mr. GIBSON. I am manager of a retail store.
Mr. BALL. What kind of retail store is that?
Mr. GIBSON. It's Elko Camera store.
Mr. BALL. What is the address of the Elko Camera Store?
Mr. GIBSON. 239 West Jefferson.
Mr. BALL. Near the Texas Theatre?
Mr. GIBSON. I'm four doors from the Texas Theatre.
Mr. BALL. Where were you born, Mr. Gibson?
Mr. GIBSON. I was born in Brashear, Tex.
Mr. BALL. Where did you go to school?
Mr. GIBSON. Woodrow Wilson High School.
Mr. BALL. Here in Dallas?
Mr. GIBSON. In Dallas.
Mr. BALL. Well, what have you done since you got out of school?
Mr. GIBSON. Well, after I got out of school I went in service in the
Navy and stayed in there 2 years and came back and went to work for
Snap-Shots, Inc., and then went to work for Hermetic Seal in Garland,
and then went to work for Elko.
Mr. BALL. On November 22, 1963, did you go to a picture show that day?
Mr. GIBSON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. About what time of day?
Mr. GIBSON. It was at 1 o'clock.
Mr. BALL. Do you go to the picture show very often--that particular
theatre--the Texas Theatre?
Mr. GIBSON. Like I said--that's on Friday and that is depending on
business.
Mr. BALL. About what time of day do you usually go on Friday?
Mr. GIBSON. About 1 o'clock--the same time I always go to lunch.
Mr. BALL. Where did you sit on this Friday, November 22, 1963?
Mr. GIBSON. I sat in the first chair from the rear on the far
right-hand side.
Mr. BALL. Is that where you always sit?
Mr. GIBSON. That's where I always sit--that's my chair.
Mr. BALL. I have a picture here of the theatre, which I will have
marked as Exhibit A, and will you look at that picture? Does that look
like the interior of the Texas Theatre to you?
Mr. GIBSON. Yes, sir; it's got more light on it than I've seen most of
the time--that looks like it.
(Instrument marked by the reporter as Gibson Exhibit No. A, for
identification.)
Mr. BALL. Is the seat in which you usually sit shown in that picture?
Mr. GIBSON. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Where is that seat with reference to the picture?
Mr. GIBSON. Further to the left--from the main seating in the very
back--it would be just past him.
Mr. BALL. There's a man sitting in the back in the first seat in the
center aisle?
Mr. GIBSON. Right, and I would be--to his right.
Mr. BALL. In the same row?
Mr. GIBSON. In the same row.
Mr. BALL. To his right facing the screen?
Mr. GIBSON. Yes.
Mr. BALL. And on the other aisle, is that correct?
Mr. GIBSON. Right.
Mr. BALL. Did you see the lights come on in that theatre?
Mr. GIBSON. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Had you paid any attention to other people who had come in
the theatre before the lights came on?
Mr. GIBSON. No.
Mr. BALL. Tell me what happened after the lights came on?
Mr. GIBSON. Well, when the lights came on, of course, as I said before,
I know most of the people that work there in the show and I got up and
started to the front to ask where the head usher or the girl was that
works these lights--if something was wrong--I thought maybe they had a
fire.
Mr. BALL. You say you started to the front, you mean you started into
the lobby?
Mr. GIBSON. I started to the lobby, and just before I got to the door
there were two or three--anyway the first police officer that got to me
was carrying a shotgun, I remember that, and he says, "Is there anybody
in the balcony?"
I said, "I don't know." He went on up into the balcony and I stood
around out in the lobby for--I don't know--a minute or something, I
guess, and they kept coming in and I stepped back inside the theatre
just standing just behind where I had been sitting and I would say
there were at least six or possibly more policemen downstairs. The rest
of them were going upstairs.
Mr. BALL. What did you see happen?
Mr. GIBSON. Well, I was standing there watching all this going on
and then the policeman started down the aisle--I would say there was
another--I don't know, maybe six or eight--started down the aisles.
Mr. BALL. When you say "down the aisles," you mean all of the aisles?
Mr. GIBSON. Toward the screen--I don't know if they were going down all
of them or not. I don't believe there was any--there was one policeman
standing, it seems to me like, right on the other side of me, in the
far aisle--just behind me--I don't think there was anybody going down
the far aisle next to the wall on my side.
Mr. BALL. What aisles did you see policemen going down?
Mr. GIBSON. I saw them going down what I would call the two big center
aisles, and then the next thing was--Oswald was standing in the aisle
with a gun in his hand.
Mr. BALL. That's the next thing you saw?
Mr. GIBSON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Was there anybody with him--near him?
Mr. GIBSON. I couldn't swear to that--I don't know--you mean other
policemen?
Mr. BALL. That's what I mean--was he in the aisles?
Mr. GIBSON. Well, he was in the aisle when I saw him.
Mr. BALL. What was he doing?
Mr. GIBSON. Well, he had this pistol in his hand.
Mr. BALL. Was anybody near him?
Mr. GIBSON. Just the officers.
Mr. BALL. What was the officer doing--did you say officers or police
officer?
Mr. GIBSON. Officers.
Mr. BALL. Plural, officers?
Mr. GIBSON. Yes; there were more than one.
Mr. BALL. What were they doing?
Mr. GIBSON. Well, they were going toward him.
Mr. BALL. Did they have ahold of him at the time?
Mr. GIBSON. No; I don't believe so.
Mr. BALL. Did anyone have ahold of him at that time?
Mr. GIBSON. I don't think so.
Mr. BALL. Did you see any officer grab hold of Oswald?
Mr. GIBSON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Which one--can you describe where he was and what he
did--just tell us in your own words what you saw him do?
Mr. GIBSON. Well, just like--I guess you have heard this a lot of
times--the gun misfired--it clicked and about the same time there was
one police officer that positively had him.
Mr. BALL. What do you mean--"had him"?
Mr. GIBSON. Well, I mean he grabbed ahold of him.
Mr. BALL. Did he grab ahold of him before you heard the click or
afterwards?
Mr. GIBSON. Gee, that's a question that's kind of hard to answer
because I would say possibly seconds before or a second--maybe at the
precise time the gun clicked. It happened pretty fast and like I say, I
just went in to eat a hot-dog for lunch and I wasn't expecting any of
this.
Mr. BALL. Did you see any officer strike Oswald?
Mr. GIBSON. No, sir; not directly; I saw them take him to the floor.
Mr. BALL. Did you see Oswald strike any officer?