The testimony of James J. Tormey was taken at 11:30 a.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. James J. Tormey was accompanied
by his attorney, John J. Abt.
James J. Tormey, having been first duly sworn, was examined and
testified as follows:
Mr. RANKIN. Give the reporter your name and your address.
Mr. TORMEY. James J. Tormey, T-o-r-m-e-y, 215 Willoughby Avenue,
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Tormey, you received some correspondence from Lee
Harvey Oswald, did you?
Mr. TORMEY. I received--a letter was referred to me from him.
Mr. RANKIN. Who referred the letter to you?
Mr. TORMEY. I don't know who it was, but apparently the letter which
is addressed on the upper right-hand side to 23 West 26th Street was
referred, and I don't remember who referred it.
Mr. RANKIN. Will you tell us what your position was at the time you
received this referral?
Mr. TORMEY. Yes; I was the executive secretary of the Hall-Davis
Defense Committee.
(Objects marked Tormey Exhibit No. 1.)
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Tormey, will you examine Exhibit No. 1 on the
deposition that you are giving today, which consists of several
placard-type pieces of material, together with some plastic pieces, and
tell us whether or not you have seen those before?
Mr. TORMEY. I have seen them before.
Mr. RANKIN. That Exhibit 1, I did not fully describe as I asked you to
examine it. It also includes a little note purportedly from Lee Harvey
Oswald, addressed to "Dear Sirs," with an address, 23 West 25th Street,
apparently, New York.
Mr. TORMEY. I imagine that is 26th Street. I am not sure.
Mr. RANKIN. Twenty-six; yes. And that was a part of the Exhibit 1 that
included these other materials that I have described, was it, when you
received it?
Mr. TORMEY. That is right.
Mr. RANKIN. After you received Exhibit 1 with those various materials
and that note on yellow paper, what did you do?
Mr. TORMEY. Well, after reading it over I answered to the person who
signed the letter, stating that I would put it on file, expressing
appreciation for sending them, that I would put it on file in the event
that we would have any occasion to use his services.
(Document marked Tormey Exhibit No. 2.)
Mr. RANKIN. I hand you Exhibit No. 2 and ask you if that is a carbon
copy of the answer that you prepared and sent.
Mr. TORMEY. Yes; it is.
Mr. RANKIN. Under our practice, the examining attorney is asked to
initial the exhibit, and the witness too, so it will be established
that we both----
Mr. TORMEY. Examined it?
Mr. RANKIN. Examined it; yes. Would you kindly do that?
(Witness complies.)
Mr. RANKIN. And kindly do the same for Exhibit 2.
(Witness complies.)
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Tormey, we have initialed Exhibit No. 1 on the back
of one of the placards, which appear to be the same, reading "The Gus
Hall-Benjamin Davis Defense Committee," below that the words "End
McCarranism" in large letters, and there are two of those, apparently
identical; and then two plastic sheets, with the same legend on each of
them, one of them apparently a negative and the other a positive, and
then the little note headed "Dear Sirs" and signed "Lee H. Oswald," and
message on the back, instructions, and so forth; is that correct?
Mr. TORMEY. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you have any other communications with Lee Harvey
Oswald except Exhibits 1 and 2?
Mr. TORMEY. I have no recollection of any.
Mr. RANKIN. Have you made any search of your files to determine whether
or not there is anything else that you have?
Mr. TORMEY. I did, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. When did you do that?
Mr. TORMEY. Well, it was--it would be sometime in the latter part of
November or the early part of December of 1963.
Mr. RANKIN. How did you happen to make that search?
Mr. TORMEY. Well, I had been told that a letter had been received from
me by him, and I decided to conduct a routine check.
Mr. RANKIN. What was the nature of that search? Will you tell us so we
can know how complete it was?
Mr. TORMEY. Yes; well, first I kept copies of all communications that I
had with anyone.
Mr. RANKIN. Yes.
Mr. TORMEY. So I would assume in advance that there was a copy, and I
asked the person who was managing the office at the time that I was
there to look into the files to see if it were possible that such a
communication did exist. I found that copy of communication.
Mr. RANKIN. Was the person that you asked to make that search a person
under your control and direction?
Mr. TORMEY. At the time I was with Hall and Davis.
Mr. RANKIN. But at the time you requested this search, this person was
not under your control and direction, I take it?
Mr. TORMEY. Well, not control and direction.
Mr. RANKIN. I see. But there was a sufficient relationship so that you
are satisfied that the search was made, and it was a thorough search?
Mr. TORMEY. I am perfectly satisfied.
Mr. RANKIN. And you are able to assure us that there is nothing else
so far as you know in regard to any communication of any type with Lee
Harvey Oswald?
Mr. TORMEY. I give that assurance.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you know of any effort in regard to any conspiracy or
common action between any people associated with this Gus Hall-Benjamin
J. Davis Defense Committee that were involved with Lee Harvey Oswald in
the assassination of President Kennedy?
Mr. TORMEY. I have no such knowledge.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you have any information that would cause you to believe
that there was any such association?
Mr. TORMEY. No; I have not.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you ever use any of the material in Exhibit 1 in
connection with your work on the committee?
Mr. TORMEY. No, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you have any other knowledge in regard to the
assassination of President Kennedy that you have not related to us?
Mr. TORMEY. No, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. Thank you very much.