The testimony of C. A. Hamblen was taken at 2:50 p.m., on July 23,
1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building,
Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Wesley J. Liebeler,
assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. LIEBELER. You may remain seated. Will you raise your right hand? Do
you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give will be the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. HAMBLEN. I do.
Mr. LIEBELER. My name is Wesley J. Liebeler. I am an attorney on
the President's Commission investigating the assassination of
President Kennedy. I have been authorized to take your testimony
by the Commission pursuant to authority granted to it by Executive
Order 11130, dated November 29, 1963, and the joint resolution of
Congress, No. 137. You are entitled under the rules of the Commission
governing the taking of testimony of witnesses to have an attorney
present, should you wish. I understand that you are present pursuant
to a subpena that was served on you some days ago by the U.S. Secret
Service, and I presume since you don't have an attorney with you at
this time, you are prepared to proceed with your testimony without an
attorney?
Mr. HAMBLEN. I don't need an attorney. You might wish to make a little
correction. This should be C. A. Hamblen instead of C. R.
Mr. LIEBELER. Your name is C. A. H-a-m-b-l-e-n?
Mr. HAMBLEN. That's right.
Mr. LIEBELER. How old are you?
Mr. HAMBLEN. I will be 50 in December.
Mr. LIEBELER. You are employed by the Western Union Telegraph Co.;
isn't that right?
Mr. HAMBLEN. Yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. How long have you worked for them?
Mr. HAMBLEN. It will be 38 years the 6th day of August.
Mr. LIEBELER. I want to come right to the point in this deposition. I
think you know basically the reason we have asked you to come over.
It is my understanding that you had a conversation with a newspaper
reporter by the name of Bob Fenley shortly after the assassination, in
which you told him, in substance, that you thought that a man who you
thought looked like Lee Oswald had been in your office and had either
sent a telegram or cashed a money order telegram that he had in his
possession; is that correct?
Mr. HAMBLEN. Not exactly.
Mr. LIEBELER. What is it exactly?
Mr. HAMBLEN. During that time, I came in contact with newspaper
correspondents from all over the world. In my years of service to the
company, I have never disclosed the contents of a telegram, who they
were addressed to, who they were from, or anything pertaining to them.
I don't think I told Mr. Fenley that a Lee Oswald had been in there,
because talking with those correspondents, I wouldn't divulge any
patron coming into the telegraph office in search of any of our
services, money orders, telegrams, collateral services, collection
services, anything that we have to offer. I believe there is some
misunderstanding on Mr. Fenley's part there. Perhaps I did tell him
that I thought I had seen someone that looked like the man that I saw
over television.