The testimony of William Kirk Stuckey was taken at 9:35 a.m., on June
6, 1964, at 200 Maryland Avenue NE., Washington, D.C., by Mr. Albert E.
Jenner, Jr., assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. JENNER. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, in your deposition which you are about to
give?
Mr. STUCKEY. I do.
Mr. JENNER. Be seated. State your full name?
Mr. STUCKEY. William Kirk Stuckey.
Mr. JENNER. I regret, Mr. Stuckey, that we have to inconvenience you
to have you back to have your deposition taken again. But through some
happenstance in New Orleans, the transcript of your deposition never
went beyond the U.S. attorney's office apparently, and we appreciate
your willingness to come up here and be with us today so that I can
depose you again. When I took your deposition before you had received a
letter from Mr. Rankin, had you not?
Mr. STUCKEY. No.
Mr. JENNER. I guess I called you when I was down there, didn't I?
Mr. STUCKEY. Yes; that is correct.
Mr. JENNER. And I explained to you at that time, the time before when
I took your deposition, however, the legislation under which the
Commission was authorized and the Executive order of the President
creating the Commission and the rules and regulations of the Commission
on the taking of depositions?
Mr. STUCKEY. Yes; I understand that.
Mr. JENNER. Thank you. In effect, we want to inquire of you in
particular with respect to the course of events in which you
interviewed Lee Harvey Oswald while he was in New Orleans in 1963 at
some radio broadcasts which you, in your professional capacity, that
is, your professional business, had organized, had put on, and you had
some fairly extended acquaintance with Oswald in a professional sense.
Mr. STUCKEY. Yes. Would you like me to tell you from the very first?
Mr. JENNER. Well, I think for the very first, for the purpose of the
record, identify yourself, who you were then and who you are now, and
your profession and business and associations.
Mr. STUCKEY. Fine. At present I am employed at Tulane University as
a special writer. In this capacity I write a syndicated column on
higher education which Tulane distributes to 85 newspapers throughout
the country. In August 1963 I was a broadcaster with WDSU Radio, New
Orleans. This is the NBC station. I had a weekly 5-minute radio
program on economic and political developments in Latin America. I had
been in this particular specialty for about 2 years previous. Prior to
that I was a columnist with New Orleans States Item, with an interest
in Latin America. As a result I had been looking for a long time for
representatives of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee in that area.
Mr. JENNER. If you would excuse me a second, would you give me your
formal education because, as I recall in taking your deposition in New
Orleans, you acquired some interest in South American relations which
led you into looking for something on this Fair Play for Cuba Committee.
Mr. STUCKEY. Yes. Formal education was a B.S. degree in journalism
from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. After graduation I went
into the Marine Corps and completed 2 years of service, after which I
spent some 8 months in Central America and Mexico traveling around,
essentially hitchhiking, some walking, some third-class bus riding,
in which I acquired a good deal of Spanish and an interest in the
countries.
Mr. JENNER. What is a third-class bus?
Mr. STUCKEY. That is where the goats and chickens aren't on top; they
are in there with you.
Mr. JENNER. I see.
Mr. STUCKEY. After I returned I went into the newspaper business.
Mr. JENNER. Excuse me, how old are you?
Mr. STUCKEY. Thirty-two.
Mr. JENNER. You are married?