Mr. BELIN. Your desk is near the dumbwaiter on Exhibit 497.
Mr. DULLES. That is the desk there, is it?
Mr. BELIN. That is the dumbwaiter.
Mr. DULLES. Oh, yes.
Mr. BELIN. Now, Mrs. Reid, you left lunch about what time?
Mrs. REID. Well, I left, I ate my lunch hurriedly, I wasn't watching
the time but I wanted to be sure of getting out on the streets in time
for the parade before he got there, and I called my husband, who works
at the records building, and they had a radio in their office and
they were listening as the parade progressed and he told me they were
running about 10 minutes late. But I went down rather soon and stood on
the steps.
Mr. DULLES. Where was your husband working?
Mrs. REID. He works for the records building.
Mr. BELIN. Where is that located?
Mrs. REID. Well, it is off the left-hand side, kind of cater-cornered
across from our building.
Mr. BELIN. The records building has one side of it on Elm Street
running from Houston to Record Street?
Mrs. REID. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. And I believe it is on, it would run on, the south side of
Elm?
Mrs. REID. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Is that correct?
Mrs. REID. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. All right. Do you know about what time it was that you left
the lunchroom, was it 12, 12:15?
Mrs. REID. I think around 12:30 somewhere along in there.
Mr. BELIN. All right. When you left the lunchroom, did you leave with
the other girls?
Mrs. REID. No; I didn't. The younger girls had gone and I left alone.
Mr. BELIN. Were you the last person in the lunchroom?
Mrs. REID. No; I could not say that because I don't remember that part
of it because I was going out of the building by myself, I wasn't even,
you know, connected with anyone at all.
Mr. BELIN. Were there any men in the lunchroom when you left there?
Mrs. REID. I can't, I don't, remember that.
Mr. BELIN. All right.
Mrs. REID. I can't remember the time they left.
Mr. BELIN. Now, you went out from the lunchroom; turning to Exhibit
497, you went from the lunchroom through the door, which would be the
west door, and then through the doorway marked number 23 on the exhibit
there or did you instead go to the front?
Mrs. REID. No; I came back through the office.
Mr. BELIN. You didn't go through the door marked 24?
Mrs. REID. No; I did not.
Mr. BELIN. You came out through this first door of the lunchroom?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. And then you turned which way?
Mrs. REID. Turned this way.
Mr. BELIN. You turned to your left and went through the door which is
between numbers 27 and 28?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. On Exhibit 497, and you went back to your office. Did you go
by your desk?
Mrs. REID. I am sure I did because I usually leave my purse in there
until I get ready to go out and then pick it up.
Mr. BELIN. All right. You walked toward the number marked 29 on Exhibit
497?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. Then where did you walk?
Mrs. REID. I came over here and got my jacket and scarf out of the
closet.
Mr. BELIN. All right.
You are now pointing to the closet on Exhibit 497 which would be
located on the east side of the building?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. Toward the front. Then what did you do?
Mrs. REID. I came and went out this door.
Mr. BELIN. You are, you went out the door which is marked on Exhibit
497 as room 200, is that correct?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. What did you do?
Mrs. REID. I got on the elevator.
Mr. BELIN. Now, there is an elevator along the east wall toward the
front of the building, is that correct?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. Is this a freight or passenger?
Mrs. REID. It is a passenger.
Mr. BELIN. Do you know how far this elevator goes or how high?
Mrs. REID. Fourth floor.
Mr. BELIN. Fourth floor. You got on the elevator on the second floor?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. Then what did you do?
Mrs. REID. Came down on the first floor.
Mr. BELIN. Then you came on the first floor.
Mrs. REID. Went out the front door of our building.
Mr. BELIN. Went out the front door.
Mrs. REID. I stood on the steps for several minutes.
Mrs. BELIN. All right.
Mrs. REID. Shall I continue?
Mr. BELIN. Yes.
Mrs. REID. Until I saw the parade coming around the corner from Main
and Houston and when I did I walked out to the street so I would be
nearer to the people, and I walked out and was standing by Mr. Truly
and Mr. Campbell.
Mr. BELIN. All right. This was in front of the steps, ma'am?
Mrs. REID. Well, no; I had gone out directly in the front but I had
gotten nearer to the street than the steps.
Mr. BELIN. You were actually onto the street then as the motorcade came
by?
Mrs. REID. Yes; that is right. There is a part in there where our
streets, one goes this way and one kind of goes off this way, and the
line of parade they were going that way and I got right on the curb and
was standing there.
Mr. BELIN. Well, turning to Exhibit 361, the top of Exhibit 361 faces
south and this is Houston Street, here is the School Book Depository
Building that I am pointing to.
Can you give any estimate as to where you were with relation to this,
well, I will call it a peninsula of land between the parkway and the
building.
Mrs. REID. You have got me turned around.
Mr. BELIN. The parade was coming along Houston.
Mrs. REID. I was standing about along in here, in here.
Mr. BELIN. You were standing a little bit to the north of the spot
marked "B" on Exhibit 361.
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. And you would be directly in front of the main entrance of
the School Book Depository, is that correct?
Mrs. REID. That is correct.
Mr. BELIN. Now, by "B" I am referring to, on Exhibit 361, I am
referring to the pen ink--pen and ink "B" which is directly to the east
of what I will call the traffic light on that peninsula of land as Elm
goes into the parkway there. All right, what did you see?
Mrs. REID. You mean when I was standing there?
Mr. BELIN. What did you see and hear and do?
Mrs. REID. Well, I was naturally watching for the car as the President
came by. I looked at him and I was very anxious to see Mrs. Kennedy, I
looked at her and I was going to see how she was dressed and she was
dressed very attractive and she put up her hand to her hat and was
holding it on, the wind was blowing a little bit and then went on right
on by me and that is the last as far as the parade, I mean as far as
they were concerned.
I did see Johnson, and that was it. I can't even tell you any more
about the parade because after the shots I didn't know any part about
that.
Mr. BELIN. What did you see and hear and do after that?
Mrs. REID. Well, when I heard--I heard three shots.
Mr. BELIN. You heard three shots?
Mrs. REID. And I turned to Mr. Campbell and I said, "Oh, my goodness,
I am afraid those came from our building," because it seemed like
they came just so directly over my head, and then I looked up in the
windows, and saw three colored boys up there, I only recognized one
because I didn't know the rest of them so well.
Mr. BELIN. Which one did you know?
Mrs. REID. James Jarman.
Mr. BELIN. You recognized James Jarman?
Mrs. REID. Yes; because I had had some dealings with him in the
business part and I knew him. I couldn't have told you the other two at
all because I didn't know them.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember that floor you saw them on?
Mrs. REID. Well, I wasn't exactly looking at the floor, I don't know,
I would say a couple of floors up. I mean several anyway. I don't know
exactly.
Mr. BELIN. You don't remember which floor it was.
Mrs. REID. I couldn't tell you because, you know, I didn't count the
floors and I didn't count them, and I made the statement "Oh, I hope
they don't think any of our boys have done this" and I had no thoughts
of anything like that. I turned and went back in the building.
Mr. BELIN. All right. Now, let me ask you this then.
Mrs. REID. All right.
Mr. BELIN. Before you turned and went back into the building did
you--did Mr. Campbell say anything to you?
Mrs. REID. He said, "Oh, Mrs. Reid, no, it came from the grassy area
down this way," and that was the last I said to him.
Mr. BELIN. All right. When he said "this way" which direction was he
pointing?
Mrs. REID. Well, I hope I get my directions. In the direction of the
parade was going, in the bottom of that direction.
Mr. BELIN. Now, did you look around after the shots and notice what
people were doing?
Mrs. REID. Well, it was just a mass of confusion. I saw people
beginning to fall, and the thought that went through my mind, my
goodness I must get out of this line of shots, they may fire some more.
And don't ask me why I went into the building because I don't know.
Mr. BELIN. Did you see anything else of people running or doing
anything else?
Mrs. REID. No; because I ran into the building. I do not recall seeing
anyone in the lobby. I ran up to our office.
Mr. BELIN. All right.
Mr. DULLES. Just 1 second there. How long after the third shot did you
run into the building?
Mr. BELIN. Mr. Dulles, we did a reconstruction on that time sequence on
Friday and I am going to come to that as soon as I get the route first.
Mr. DULLES. Right.
Mr. BELIN. You went into the building in the main lobby?
Mrs. REID. Yes; I did.
Mr. BELIN. Did you take the elevator or the stairs?
Mrs. REID. No; I went up the stairs.
Mr. BELIN. Was this the front stairs or the back stairs?
Mrs. REID. No; the front stairs.
Mr. BELIN. All right. You went up through the stairs and then what did
you do?
Mrs. REID. I went into the office.
Mr. BELIN. You went into your office?
Mrs. REID. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. And then what did you do?
Mrs. REID. Well, I kept walking and I looked up and Oswald was coming
in the back door of the office. I met him by the time I passed my desk
several feet and I told him, I said, "Oh, the President has been shot,
but maybe they didn't hit him."
He mumbled something to me, I kept walking, he did, too. I didn't pay
any attention to what he said because I had no thoughts of anything
of him having any connection with it at all because he was very calm.
He had gotten a coke and was holding it in his hands and I guess the
reason it impressed me seeing him in there I thought it was a little
strange that one of the warehouse boys would be up in the office at the
time, not that he had done anything wrong. The only time I had seen him
in the office was to come and get change and he already had his coke
in his hand so he didn't come for change and I dismissed him. I didn't
think anything else.
Mr. BELIN. When you saw him, I believe you said you first saw him when
he was coming through the door?
Mrs. REID. Yes, sir.
Mr. BELIN. Turning to Exhibit 497, what doorway was it where you first
saw him?
Mrs. REID. Right here.
Mr. BELIN. You are pointing to the doorway between numbers 27 and 28?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. On Exhibit 497?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. Where were you when you saw him in that doorway?
Mrs. REID. I was coming right through here.
Mr. BELIN. You are pointing to what number there?
Mrs. REID. Well, it is 29.
Mr. BELIN. 29. And then about where were you when you actually passed
him or had this exchange?
Mrs. REID. Right along here. I passed my desk.
Mr. BELIN. Why don't you put on Exhibit 496 an "X" as to where you were
when you thought you passed him.
Mrs. REID. Here.
Mr. BELIN. I wonder if you would put the initial "R" which we will put
for Mrs. Reid.
Mrs. REID. All right.
Mr. BELIN. By the "X" and that is where you were when you passed him.
On March 20 you and I met for the first time, didn't we, Mrs. Reid?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. We sat down and I asked you to tell me what happened and you
related the story. Did I keep on questioning you or did you tell me
what happened?
Mrs. REID. Well, I more or less told you what had happened.
Mr. BELIN. All right. Then we went out on the street, did we not, in
front of the building, with a stopwatch, do you remember that?
Mrs. REID. Yes; I surely do. It was kind of cool.
Mr. BELIN. It was kind of cool wasn't it, and a little bit windy.
Mrs. REID. Yes; it was; yes.
Mr. BELIN. And when in Dallas, we started the stopwatch from the time
that the last shot was fired, is that correct?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. And then you went through your actions, what you saw, your
conversations that you had, and your actions in going back into the
building and up to the point that you saw Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mrs. REID. That is right.
Mr. BELIN. Do you remember how long by the stopwatch it took you?
Mrs. REID. Approximately 2 minutes.
Mr. DULLES. I didn't hear you.
Mrs. REID. Two minutes.
Mr. BELIN. From the time of the last shot the time you and Oswald
crossed?
Mrs. REID. Yes; I believe that is the way we timed it.
Mr. BELIN. When you--you saw me start the stopwatch and you saw me stop
it there, right?
Mrs. REID. Yes.