The testimony of Vincent T. Lee was taken at 1:30 p.m., on April 17,
1964, at the U.S. courthouse, Foley Square, New York, N.Y., by Messrs.
J. Lee Rankin, General Counsel, and Wesley J. Liebeler, assistant
counsel of the President's Commission. Vincent T. Lee was accompanied
by his attorney, Stanley Faulkner.
Vincent T. Lee, having duly affirmed, was examined and testified as
follows:
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Lee, this deposition is being taken by the Commission
under the authority of Executive Order No. 11130 and joint resolution
of the Congress No. 137. My name is J. Lee Rankin. I am general counsel
for the Commission. Mr. Liebeler is associated with me in this work.
You have a right to have a copy of your testimony if you wish to pay
for it and you may ask the reporters to make such arrangements.
During the examination you have a right to have counsel, which you have
here, and counsel may object to any of the questions. At the close of
the examination by myself, if counsel wishes to ask you questions to
clarify or make clear any particular part of your testimony or correct
it, if you wish to call anything to his attention, why, he is free to
do that.
Where do you live, Mr. Lee?
Mr. LEE. 37-1/2 St. Mark's Place, New York City.
Mr. RANKIN. You are entitled under the rules of the Commission to 3
days' notice, and I assume since you are here you are willing to waive
that and go ahead with the deposition.
Mr. LEE. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you have an official connection with the Fair Play for
Cuba Committee?
Mr. LEE. The Fair Play for Cuba Committee is no longer a functioning
organization.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you at one time have such a connection?
Mr. LEE. Yes; I did.
Mr. RANKIN. During what period?
Mr. LEE. From the year of 1963--yes, last year.
Mr. RANKIN. When was it closed up?
Mr. LEE. Officially the office went out of existence December 1963.
Mr. RANKIN. In 1963?
Mr. LEE. December 1963. Eviction notice was served and the office was
closed.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you have some communications with Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. LEE. Yes; I did.
Mr. RANKIN. Have you made a search of your files for all communications
that you had with him?
Mr. LEE. Upon being communicated with by the Federal agents, from the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, at their behest I made an exhausting
search throughout the whole Fair Play offices for any and all
communications which were there, and finding certain communications
I turned them over to the Federal agents, particularly Federal Agent
Kennedy, in early December 1963.
Mr. RANKIN. When did you make that search?
Mr. LEE. Within a day or two after being contacted by the Federal
agents.
Mr. RANKIN. Can you tell us the approximate date of that contact?
Mr. LEE. I believe it was the first week of December.
Mr. RANKIN. 1963?
Mr. LEE. 1963, yes. I am not positive. I am pretty sure it was
somewhere around that time.
Mr. RANKIN. Was that search made by you personally?
Mr. LEE. Yes, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. Was it a thorough and complete search?
Mr. LEE. Well, I went through every scrap of paper down to the last
little scrap behind the desk and under radiators and in cabinets and in
drawers and under desk blotters and every possible conceivable place
any piece of paper might have been stored or fallen to and laid down or
anything else.