The testimony of Michael Hardin was taken at 4:30 p.m., on March 31,
1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building,
Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Leon D. Hubert, Jr.,
assistant counsel of the President’s Commission.
Mr. HUBERT. This is the deposition of--Michael?
Mr. HARDIN. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. [Spelling] M-i-c-h-a-e-l? H-a-r-d-e-n?
Mr. HARDIN. -i-n.
Mr. HUBERT. [Spelling] H-a-r-d-i-n?
Mr. HARDIN. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. My name is Leon D. Hubert, I am a member of the advisory
staff of the General Counsel of the President’s Commission. Under the
provisions of the Executive Order No. 11130, dated November 29, 1963,
Joint Resolution of Congress 137, and the rules of procedure adopted by
the Commission in conformance with that Executive order and the joint
resolution, I have been authorized to take a sworn deposition from you,
Mr. Hardin, identified in my authority as the proper representative of
the O’Neal Funeral Home. I state to you now that the general nature
of the Commission’s inquiry, to ascertain, evaluate, and report upon
the facts relating to the assassination of President Kennedy and
subsequent violent death of Harvey Lee Oswald. In particular to you,
Mr. Hardin, the nature of our inquiry today is to determine the facts
you know about the death of Oswald and any other pertinent facts you
may know about the general inquiry including the ambulance call and the
documents relative to that of the O’Neal Funeral Home.
Now, Mr. Hardin, I think you have appeared today by virtue of a
general request made by Mr. J. Lee Rankin, who is the General
Counsel of the Commission’s staff. And that general request--rather
it was a particular request to the O’Neal Funeral Home to have its
representatives come and have their depositions taken and to produce
certain documents relative to the matter under inquiry.
Have you received a copy of that letter?
Mr. HARDIN. No, sir; I haven’t.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, under the rules adopted by the Commission you would
be entitled to a 3-day written notice prior to the taking of this
deposition, but the rules also provide that you can waive that 3-day
written notice if you so wish. Do you desire to waive it?
Mr. HARDIN. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Then, will you raise your right hand so that I may
administer the oath. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?
Mr. HARDIN. I do.
Mr. HUBERT. Will you state your full name, please?
Mr. HARDIN. Michael Norfleet Hardin.
Mr. HUBERT. And your age?
Mr. HARDIN. Twenty-three.
Mr. HUBERT. Your residence?
Mr. HARDIN. 1311 Exeter.
Mr. HUBERT. Dallas?
Mr. HARDIN. Yes, sir; it is in Dallas.
Mr. HUBERT. And your occupation?
Mr. HARDIN. I drive one of the city contract emergency ambulances.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, on November 24, what was your occupation?
Mr. HARDIN. City ambulance, or contract emergency ambulance driver.
Mr. HUBERT. What connection have you with O’Neal?
Mr. HARDIN. I drive the ambulance for the funeral home. We are under
contract to the city for emergency ambulance service.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, you have produced written records which you have in
your hand now. Do you, from your own knowledge, know those records to
be the official records of the O’Neal Funeral Home?
Mr. HARDIN. Yes; I do.
Mr. HUBERT. Are those records relied upon by the O’Neal Funeral Home in
the course of their ordinary normal business transactions?
Mr. HARDIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Is it a normal administrative matter to make such records
as you now hold in your hand, which you are producing?
Mr. HARDIN. Yes, sir; it is.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, now, we’ll mark these various documents for
identification, as follows, to wit: And I might add that although
you have the originals we have compared the originals, have we not,
with these photostatic copies, and, of course, they are identical.
Therefore, I am not going to take the original from you, or even mark
them for identification, but use, for all purposes the photostatic
copies that you have supplied and you may keep the originals, or return
them where you got them from. But for the purposes of identification,
now, let us mark the documents as follows: There is an ambulance call
record which I am identifying as follows:
“Dallas, Tex., March 31, 1964. Exhibit No. 5125, deposition of Michael
Hardin,” and signing my name on it.
Mr. HARDIN. Okay, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. There is another ambulance call record which I am marking
as follows: “Dallas, Tex., March 31, 1964. Exhibit 5126. Deposition of
Michael Hardin,” and signing my name on it. Finally there is a call
ticket bearing number 35127, which I am marking, “Dallas, Tex., March
31, 1964. Exhibit 5127, Deposition of Michael Hardin,” and signing my
name on the bottom of it, and for the purposes of identification and
so that the record may show that we are both talking about the same
documents I will ask you to sign your name near mine, or below on each
one of the three.
Mr. HARDIN. All right.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, Mr. Hardin, I hand you the document which has been
marked for identification as Exhibit 5125, and ask you to identify that
document for the record.
Mr. HARDIN. That is the ambulance call sheet--we--that was the original
call sheet from the--made from the call itself, or at the time of the
call itself.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, whose handwriting appears on that?
Mr. HARDIN. That is our dispatcher, or Hal Priddy, this is his
handwriting.
Mr. HUBERT. That is Harold--Hal Priddy. [Spelling] P-r-i-d-d-y?
Mr. HARDIN. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. He is outside in the hall right now?
Mr. HARDIN. Yes, sir; he is.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you recognize the handwriting?
Mr. HARDIN. I am not too familiar with it, really.
Mr. HUBERT. That is all right. He will identify it.