Those boys understand that language.
Mr. BELIN. What does that mean?
Mr. TRULY. That means if they have the gates up, they go pull the gates
down, and when you press the button, you can pull it down.
Mr. BELIN. And how many times did you yell that?
Mr. TRULY. Two times.
Mr. BELIN. After you had first pushed the button?
Mr. TRULY. That is right. I had pressed the button twice, I believe,
and called up for the elevator twice.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
First of all, did the elevator come down?
Mr. TRULY. It did not.
Mr. BELIN. All right.
Then what did you do?
Mr. TRULY. I went up on a run up the stairway.
Mr. BELIN. Could you again follow--from Point B, could you show which
way you went?
All right.
Mr. TRULY. What is this here?
Mr. BELIN. This is to show this is a stairway, and there is a stairway
above it, too. But you went up the stairs right here?
Mr. TRULY. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. Okay. And where was this officer at that time?
Mr. TRULY. This officer was right behind me and coming up the stairway.
By the time I reached the second floor, the officer was a little
further behind me than he was on the first floor, I assume--I know.
Mr. BELIN. Was he a few feet behind you then?
Mr. TRULY. He was a few feet. It is hard for me to tell. I ran right on
around to my left, started to continue on up the stairway to the third
floor, and on up.
Mr. BELIN. Now, when you say you ran on to your left, did you look
straight ahead to see whether there was anyone in that area, or were
you intent on just going upstairs?
Mr. TRULY. If there had been anybody in that area, I would have seen
him on the outside. But I was content--I was trying to show the officer
the pathway up, where the elevators--I mean where the stairways
continued.
Mr. BELIN. Now, I hand you what has been marked Exhibit 497.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 497, for
identification.)
Mr. BELIN. This is entitled "Texas School Book Depository, Diagram of
Second Floor."
You can sit down, if you would, please, Mr. Truly.
And would you, on Exhibit 497, if you would kind of take an arrow to
show the route that you took going out--or up from the first floor, and
starting up the stairs towards the third.
Now, you marked that with pen.
Could you put a "T" on that, if you would, please?
Now, there appears to be some kind of a vestibule or hall of one kind
or another with the No. 22 in a circle on it, on Exhibit 497. Is this
completely clear, or are there books there from time to time?
Mr. TRULY. No; that is always clear. There is a few cartons of office
stock, invoices, blank invoices and stationery and stuff up and down
here. But there is always a pathway. There is a post, right about where
this 22 is. You can always clear it and come by there. I don't think
there would ever be stock here that would obstruct your view of the
other area across there.
Mr. BELIN. Now, I hand you what has been marked Commission Exhibit 498.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 498 for
identification.)
Mr. BELIN. I ask you to state, if you know what this is.
Mr. TRULY. Yes. This is the vestibule, when you first come up the
stairs on the second floor--this is what you will find right there.
Mr. BELIN. Now, as you take a look at the picture Exhibit 498, is this
a post immediately to the left side of the picture, to the extreme left
of the picture?
Mr. TRULY. No.
Mr. BELIN. What is this, to the extreme left? Is that the wall for the
staircase?
Mr. TRULY. Yes; there is an opening on this side, and the staircase is
back over here. This picture is just part of this vestibule out here.
Mr. BELIN. And what direction does the camera appear to be pointing, or
what is shown there?
Mr. TRULY. It appears to be pointing east.
Mr. BELIN. And I see a door with a glass in it.
Could you show where on this diagram Exhibit 497 this door with the
glass is?
Do you see a number with an arrow pointing to the door?
Mr. TRULY. That is it.
Mr. BELIN. What number is that?
Mr. TRULY. It is number 23.
Mr. BELIN. All right. Number 23, the arrow points to the door that has
the glass in it.
Now, as you raced around, how far did you start up the stairs towards
the third floor there?
Mr. TRULY. I suppose I was up two or three steps before I realized the
officer wasn't following me.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mr. TRULY. I came back to the second floor landing.
Mr. BELIN. What did you see?
Mr. TRULY. I heard some voices, or a voice, coming from the area of the
lunchroom, or the inside vestibule, the area of 24.
Mr. BELIN. All right. And I see that there appears to be on the second
floor diagram, a room marked lunchroom.
Mr. TRULY. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. What did you do then?
Mr. TRULY. I ran over and looked in this door No. 23.
Mr. BELIN. Through the glass, or was the door open?
Mr. TRULY. I don't know. I think I opened the door. I feel like I did.
I don't remember.
Mr. BELIN. It could have been open or it could have been closed, you do
not remember?
Mr. TRULY. The chances are it was closed.
Mr. BELIN. You thought you opened it?
Mr. TRULY. I think I opened it. I opened the door back and leaned in
this way.
Mr. BELIN. What did you see?
Mr. TRULY. I saw the officer almost directly in the doorway of the
lunchroom facing Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. BELIN. And where was Lee Harvey Oswald at the time you saw him?
Mr. TRULY. He was at the front of the lunchroom, not very far
inside--he was just inside the lunchroom door.
Mr. BELIN. All right.
Mr. TRULY. 2 or 3 feet, possibly.
Mr. BELIN. Could you put an "O" where you saw Lee Harvey Oswald?
All right.
You have put an "O" on Exhibit 497.
What did you see or hear the officer say or do?
Mr. TRULY. When I reached there, the officer had his gun pointing at
Oswald. The officer turned this way and said, "This man work here?" And
I said, "Yes."
Mr. BELIN. And then what happened?
Mr. TRULY. Then we left Lee Harvey Oswald immediately and continued to
run up the stairways until we reached the fifth floor.
Mr. BELIN. All right.
Let me ask you this now. How far was the officer's gun from Lee Harvey
Oswald when he asked the question?
Mr. TRULY. It would be hard for me to say, but it seemed to me like it
was almost touching him.
Mr. BELIN. What portion of his body?
Mr. TRULY. Towards the middle portion of his body.
Mr. BELIN. Could you see Lee Harvey Oswald's hands?
Mr. TRULY. Yes.