Mr. GRIFFIN. [Spelling]--o-s-e-d.
Mr. ARNETT. November 27?
Mr. GRIFFIN. Yes, sir. Okay. Now, in between this time, in between the
time that you left the police building on the 24th and the time you
prepared this statement, did you talk with any of the members of the
police department about the events?
Mr. ARNETT. You mean how it was--how they were set up or something?
Mr. GRIFFIN. No. Any conversations--did you talk with any of the police
officers?
Mr. ARNETT. Well now, on Monday, after this on Sunday, I was down
there and called some men to meet me out at the Baptist Church on
Beckley, to work traffic for the Tippit funeral. I talked to Lieutenant
Pierce. He asked me if I would get some reserves out there to help,
that they was going to need some, and I said I will call and get some
and go out there myself, and I did.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did you talk with Pierce about the things that had
happened on November 24?
Mr. ARNETT. Not that I know of now. Not that I remember about. We were
talking about this one particular area.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, did you ever talk with Pierce at that time, prior to
the time you wrote this statement, did you ever talk with Pierce about
how Ruby got into the basement?
Mr. ARNETT. I don't know whether I did prior to that letter or not. I
have heard since then that when Lieutenant Pierce drove out, that the
officers stepped out to stop the traffic and that Jack Ruby said that's
when he walked in. Now, when I heard that I couldn't say, the date, but
I don't know, but I have heard that.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Before you prepared the statement, did you talk with any
of the reserves or any members of the police department, about how Ruby
might have got down in the basement?
Mr. ARNETT. Well, it seems that maybe some people would say, well, he
must have come in with a camera or something, you know, like that. As
far as just individuals talking to anybody about it, I don't remember,
you know, just particularly talking about that one thing of how he got
in there. But I am confident that he wasn't in there. I am confident
of that, as I am that Jack Ruby shot Oswald, and I saw that. I may be
wrong about it, but now, that's just the way I feel about it, that he
wasn't in that basement.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Where do you think he was?
Mr. ARNETT. Well, I don't know where he was. But as far as him being in
there any length of time, I just don't believe he was.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Would you have seen him if he came across the railing?
Mr. ARNETT. Would I have seen him?
Mr. GRIFFIN. Yes.
Mr. ARNETT. Well, it seems like I would have, but I don't know that I
would have.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Why do you think you would have?
Mr. ARNETT. Well, you know, if you are just looking off, like this, and
something happens over here in 10 or 12 feet of you, you will almost----
Mr. GRIFFIN. Wasn't your attention focused almost all the time--after
Pierce's car went up the ramp, wasn't your attention focused towards
the jail office?
Mr. ARNETT. Well, I would say yes, most of the time, but you can just
let anything--you can be driving down the road and a bird or something
fly by, you will get a glance of it, and I believe if he had come over
that rail I would have got the glance off of it.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Could you see things happening over by that railing?
Mr. ARNETT. Well, I am not going to say that you could or you couldn't,
but I believe if he had come over that railing, I believe I would have
saw him.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Well now, if he had come over the railing behind the line
that you were standing in you wouldn't have seen him, would you?
Mr. ARNETT. No. Sure wouldn't have.
Mr. GRIFFIN. All right. If you were drawing a straight line across
your shoulders--well, let's not do it that way. You have got this
thing marked on the map here where the A is and where I placed the TV
cameras. If you were drawing a straight line across the Main Street
ramp, where would that line--how far would that line have come from the
TV cameras that I have placed here [indicating]?
Mr. ARNETT. How far would it come?