PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION
ON THE ASSASSINATION OF
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
STATE OF TEXAS,
_County of Dallas, ss_:
I, Robert L. Adams, being duly sworn, say:
1. I am now, and during all of the year 1963 was an employee of the
Texas Employment Commission as an employment interviewer. As appears
from my deposition, I had occasion, during the month of October, 1963,
to refer Lee Harvey Oswald to several employment opportunities that had
come to the attention of the Texas Employment Commission.
2. I am familiar with the official books and records of the Texas
Employment Commission maintained at its Dallas, Texas, office.
Cunningham Exhibit 1-A is the original of the Texas Employment
Commission employment, application, counseling, and referral card or
record, familiarly known as an "E-13," respecting Lee Harvey Oswald.
It was prepared and maintained in the usual course of the business
and services rendered by the Texas Employment Commission. The entries
thereon are true and correct.
3. Cunningham Exhibit 1-A is a single-fold card. The last three
lines of entries on the lower portion of the inside (when folded) of
Cunningham Exhibit 1-A are in my hand. All of those entries were made
by me.
4. At the time that my deposition was taken, I did not have before me
either Cunningham Exhibit 1-A or a copy or duplicate thereof. However,
since that time I have had an opportunity to examine Cunningham Exhibit
1-A. This has served to refresh my recollection of my contacts with Lee
Harvey Oswald and the job employment opportunity references which I
made for him on October 7, 9, and 15, 1963.
5. As appears from the last three sets of entries in my hand on the
lower portion of the inside pages of Cunningham Exhibit 1-A:
(a) On October 7, 1963, the Texas Employment Commission had on hand
an order from the Solid State Electronics Company of Texas for a
sales clerk at an indicated compensation of $350 per month, for
permanent employment, for which they desired the Commission to refer an
applicant. On that day I called BL3-1628, which is the telephone number
in Irving, Texas, that appears on the face of Cunningham Exhibit 1-A. I
was told that Oswald was not in. I left a message with the person who
answered, requesting that Mr. Oswald contact me. The entry "Left MSG to
call under the column headed "Remarks" is my notation of the fact that
I made the telephone call and left the message on October 7, as I have
just stated. Oswald contacted me the next day either by telephone or
in person in the Commission offices. My present recollection does not
serve me to say which. I had in the meantime contacted the prospective
employer and discussed with him the matter of Oswald's qualifications
for the position they had in mind. As a result of that conversation,
I had received authority to send Oswald for an interview. Since I had
authority to refer Oswald, I did not call the prospective employer
again, but sent Oswald directly. Accordingly, the word "Direct," which
I wrote in the column headed "Remarks," records that fact. Later that
day I personally checked with Solid State Electronics Company of Texas
and was advised that Oswald had followed through on my job reference,
had been interviewed, but had not been hired. The initials "NH" that
appear under the column headed "Results" mean "Not Hired." I made that
entry when I learned that Oswald had responded to the job opportunity
but had not been hired.
(b) On October 9, 1963, I referred Oswald on a clerk trainee job
opportunity at $1.25 an hour with the Burton-Dixie Company of
Dallas. I made this reference directly, that is, while he was in the
Texas Employment Commission offices. Later that day I checked with
Burton-Dixie Company and learned that Oswald had responded to the
reference but had not been hired. The word "Direct" appearing under
the column headed "Remarks" is my recording of the fact that I referred
Oswald directly to the employer on this order.
(c) On October 15, 1963, I was advised by Mr. Roy of Trans Texas
Airways that the company was contemplating expansion and that he would
need possibly as many as twelve or fourteen ramp agents, as they
are called by the airlines industry; we call them baggage or cargo
handlers. He advised me of the minimum qualifications and asked me to
send out job applicants who met them. He advised that the salary was
$310 per month and that the employment was permanent. Oswald was one of
the possible applicants whom I referred for interview on this order.
My best recollection is that on that day I called the BL3-1628 Irving,
Texas, telephone number listed on the face of Cunningham Exhibit 1-A.
I learned from the person who answered the phone that Oswald was not
there. I left a message with that person that Oswald should contact
me at the Commission. My further recollection is that the following
morning at 10:30 o'clock I again called the BL3-1628 Irving, Texas,
number and learned from the person who answered that Oswald was not
there and that he had in the meantime obtained employment and was
working. I thereupon made the entry, appearing in the column headed
"Remarks," which reads: "Working 10:30 A 10-16 RLA," in order to record
the information I had received as a result of my telephone call. On the
following day, October 17, 1963, I "green dated" the face of Cunningham
Exhibit 1-A. This means, as appears from the face of Cunningham Exhibit
1-A, that I entered in green crayon the date October 17, 1963, which is
our way of recording the fact that the applicant is no longer available
for employment. The initials "NR" appearing under the column headed
"Results" mean "Non-report" or, in other words, that the man referred
on the job application did not report. I included that designation
under the column headed "Results" as a result of the information I
received when I made the foregoing telephone call at 10:30 in the
morning of October 16, 1963. Inasmuch as I did not talk with Oswald
either by telephone or in person in connection with this job order, I
do not know whether he was ever advised of this referral, but under the
circumstances I do not see how he could have been.
Signed this 4th day of August 1964.
(S) Robert L Adams,
ROBERT L. ADAMS.