Mr. SIMS. Not at this time here, I didn't but I talked to him later on
that evening.
Mr. BALL. But you didn't ask him any questions at the time you were
there then?
Mr. SIMS. No, sir; I never did actually do any interrogation myself
then.
Mr. BALL. Was he handcuffed at that time?
Mr. SIMS. I don't remember if he was or not.
Mr. BALL. Wasn't he handcuffed with his handcuffs behind his back, and
didn't he ask to be more comfortable?
Mr. SIMS. I don't remember.
Mr. BALL. Do you remember any incident where Oswald said he would be
more comfortable if he could get his hands from behind his back, or
something of that sort?
Mr. SIMS. No, sir; I don't.
Mr. BALL. Do you remember changing his handcuffs at any time so that he
could put his hands in front of him.
Mr. SIMS. Of course, when he took the paraffin cast of his hands, he
wasn't handcuffed?
Mr. BALL. But that was late that evening?
Mr. SIMS. Yes; it was around--it was after dark, I believe.
Mr. BALL. Now, I'm talking about--only about the interrogation that
commenced about 2:20 in the afternoon of November 22.
Mr. SIMS. I just don't remember.
Mr. BALL. You don't remember changing the handcuffs?
Mr. SIMS. No, sir; I don't.
Mr. BALL. How long was he in Captain Fritz' office?
Mr. SIMS. Well, let's see, we first went in there at 2 and we stayed
in there evidently--this says here that the Secret Service and the FBI
took part in the interrogation of Oswald with Captain Fritz, and we
took him down to the first showup at 4:05.
Mr. BALL. Then, would you say he was in Captain Fritz' office from
about 2:20 until 4 o'clock?
Mr. SIMS. Well, he had to be either in Captain Fritz' office or the
interrogation room--that's the only two places that he was kept.
Mr. BALL. All right, do you have any memory of how long he was in
Captain Fritz' office the first time for the interrogation?
Mr. SIMS. No, sir; I don't recall if he stayed in there from 2:20 until
showup time at 4:05 or not. He may have stayed in there all that time
or he may have been put back in the interrogation room, which is right
next door.
Mr. BALL. Where is the interrogation room from Captain Fritz' office?
Mr. SIMS. It's in the same office, but just a different room--there's
just a hall separating them.
Mr. BALL. And in the interrogation room, were you with Oswald?
Mr. SIMS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. You and Boyd?
Mr. SIMS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. When he was in the interrogation room for the first showup,
did you ask him any questions?
Mr. SIMS. Yes; we talked to him.
Mr. BALL. Do you remember what you said to him?
Mr. SIMS. No, sir; I don't remember--it was just--I know I asked him
about his--later on I asked him about his life in Russia and about him
being in the service and things of that nature.
Mr. BALL. Did you ask him that at this time? Before the first showup at
4:05?
Mr. SIMS. I don't remember what time it was.
Mr. BALL. There was sometime then that you asked him about his life in
Russia?
Mr. SIMS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Are you able to tell us about what time that was?
Mr. SIMS. No, sir; I sure don't know what time it was.
Mr. BALL. Could it have been after he had been in Captain Fritz' office
and and before the first showup?
Mr. SIMS. It was after he had been in Captain Fritz' office; yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. And it was in the interrogation room?
Mr. SIMS. I--well, I don't know--I have talked to him both places, and
I don't know--I know he wouldn't talk at all about the assassination of
the President or of Officer Tippit, but he would talk about his life in
Russia and some things over here and about his family and things.
Mr. BALL. Now, you say he wouldn't talk about the assassination of the
President, what do you mean?
Mr. SIMS. Well, he would just deny knowledge of it.
Mr. BALL. And you say he wouldn't talk about Officer Tippit's death,
what do you mean by that; what would he say, if anything?
Mr. SIMS. Well, he would make some remark and he just wouldn't talk
about it.
Mr. BALL. Well, did he ever deny that he had anything to do with it?
Mr. SIMS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. He did?
Mr. SIMS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did he ever make any admission to you that he had any
knowledge of Officer Tippit's death?
Mr. SIMS. Not at all; no, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did he ever make any admission to you that he had any
knowledge of the shooting of the President at all?
Mr. SIMS. None at all.
Mr. BALL. When he did talk to you about his life in Russia, what did
you say?
Mr. SIMS. Well, I would ask him where he lived and he told me.
Mr. BALL. What did he tell you?
Mr. SIMS. Well, I've forgotten the name of the town he said he lived in.
Mr. BALL. Irving, Tex.?
Mr. SIMS. No, sir; in Russia.
Mr. BALL. Oh, in Russia--I see--what did he say?
Mr. SIMS. Well, it was some town I didn't know about it, but he did say
he lived in Moscow, I believe it was.
Mr. BALL. Anything else?
Mr. SIMS. Well, he said he worked in a factory and he liked everything
over there except the weather.
Mr. BALL. Do you remember anything else he said?
Mr. SIMS. Well, no, sir; we talked about--just a general discussion
about the cars over there and the appliances, and just talked to him
about it.
Mr. BALL. Did he tell you about his wife?
Mr. SIMS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What did he say?
Mr. SIMS. I don't remember what he said about his wife--he wouldn't
talk about her much.
Mr. BALL. Or his children?
Mr. SIMS. He said he had some children; yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did he say anything else except he had some children?
Mr. SIMS. I believe he said he had--I don't know if he told me he had a
brother or not.
Mr. BALL. There was one time there that you learned that he had a room
at 1026 North Beckley--when did you learn that?
Mr. SIMS. I don't know when that was, now, that was found out that
first day, I believe. Another officer went out and searched his room
and also went to Irving, I believe.
Mr. BALL. The officers went out and searched the room sometime that
afternoon, around 3:30.
Mr. SIMS. That's right, I believe so.
Mr. BALL. Can you tell me whether or not you are the one that found out
he had a room at 1026 North Beckley?
Mr. SIMS. No, sir; I didn't.
Mr. BALL. He didn't tell you that?
Mr. SIMS. No, sir; I don't believe he did.
Mr. BALL. All right. Did he tell you that his wife lived in Irving,
Tex.?
Mr. SIMS. I don't remember if he told me that or not.
Mr. BALL. Now, the first showup was at what time?
Mr. SIMS. At 4:05.
Mr. BALL. How did you conduct that showup?
Mr. SIMS. Well, we took Oswald down with us with the two police
officers.
Mr. BALL. What two police officers?
Mr. SIMS. Clark and Perry.
Mr. BALL. You say you took him down--where was he when you took him
down?
Mr. SIMS. He was in our office, Captain Fritz' office.
Mr. BALL. That would be on the second floor?
Mr. SIMS. Third floor.
Mr. BALL. On the third floor?
Mr. SIMS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. And where did you take him?
Mr. SIMS. Well, we walked out of our door and turned left, and you
go a few feet and go to the elevator--where the waiting room for the
elevator is--it's a locked door, and then go from there to the basement
of the city hall and then go from the elevator there to the holdover
room next to the stage, the showup stage.
Mr. BALL. You have a special place for showups, do you?
Mr. SIMS. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. And would you describe it?
Mr. SIMS. Yes, sir; in front of it is the detail room, where the
officers get their assignments every day before they go out in the
squads, and the platform is a raised platform--I guess it's 2 or 2-1/2
or 3 feet raised above the floor and it has got a black--some type of a
cloth screen with floodlights at the top and down at the bottom.