Mr. PIERCE. I don’t know a Kelly. Maybe her last name is Kelly.
Mr. HUBERT. No; this is a man called Edward Kelly. What about Henry, or
Harold Fuqua?
Mr. PIERCE. Harold Fuqua remained in the basement momentarily. He
remained in the basement and started to stay and--he did stay--at
that time he wasn’t on the elevator when we came up. He did stay,
but later he was also required to leave though his immediate job
responsibility--he stated he was forced to leave later. At that time he
stayed----
Mr. HUBERT. At any time was the service elevator locked in such a way
that it couldn’t be operated, to your knowledge?
Mr. PIERCE. Are you asking me if there were a time when it was locked?
That, I don’t know. I don’t think it was, but it is possible that it
might have actually been locked but I don’t actually know.
Mr. HUBERT. What about the two elevators used during the week, were
they locked?
Mr. PIERCE. They were turned off.
Mr. HUBERT. They couldn’t operate at all? It is possible to lock the
service elevator so that it cannot move?
Mr. PIERCE. Well, now, that is an embarrassing question. In 5 years I
have never seen it locked, but all other elevators that I know of do
have locks on the outside, and undoubtedly it does, too, but in my mind
I am trying to----
Mr. HUBERT. Isn’t there a lock on the inside that you turn and the
elevator simply becomes immobile?
Mr. PIERCE. Oh, there’s a switch where you can turn off the operation
of it. I was thinking of a lock--oh, of course.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you use a key, to turn the elevator off so that it can’t
be used unless the key is used again to turn it on?
Mr. PIERCE. The elevator operator inside the car can.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, do you know if the elevator was locked in that way so
that it couldn’t move without switching it back on again with the key?
Mr. PIERCE. To my knowledge, I don’t know. At that point in the story
I would only say that it is my speculation that it probably was not
locked, but it might have been switched off. I think maybe this is not
the answer you are looking for.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, I have shown you a document consisting of three pages,
purporting to be a report of an interview with you by a special agent
Hardin and Wilkeson. I have seen it “Wilkinson,” spelled both ways.
Mr. PIERCE. He introduced himself to me as Wilkinson.
Mr. HUBERT. In order to identify it, I am marking it. “Dallas, Texas,
April 1, 1964. Exhibit 5132, Deposition of E. E. Pierce,” signing my
name, placing my name and that information on the first page. Putting
my initial on the right-hand bottom of the second page, and my initials
on the right-hand side of the third page at the bottom. You have, I
think, read this document now identified as Exhibit 5132, have you not,
Mr. Pierce?
Mr. PIERCE. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. I ask you if it is correct? Any changes you would like to
make, anything of that sort?
Mr. PIERCE. None of any importance. I have been through there. As I
read the article there it occurred to me that maybe a word might have
been changed or a statement as written there might leave the meaning
which in actual analysis was not exactly true. Like I explained it to
you, that they referred to us as building engineers. If a call was sent
out for the building engineer who was in charge on that day, I would go
even though I am not a building engineer, but substantially, the copy
of the statement is correct.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, so that the record may show that both of us are
talking about the same document, I would like you to place your name
near mine here on the first page and your initials on the other two
pages?
Mr. PIERCE. Full name?
Mr. HUBERT. Well, just your regular signature.
Mr. PIERCE. That position on the first floor there, the vestibule
there, that we were speaking of one door being open a while ago, we
didn’t pursue that to the conclusion, but that is where I was. That
is the point in the municipal building where I was at the time Oswald
was shot, although, at that time, even until just a few short minutes,
maybe like 5 until 5 or 8 minutes after he was shot did we know that
he had even been shot, and it was immediately after that then that
everyone left that position and I relocked the door.
Mr. HUBERT. Good enough.
Mr. PIERCE. The reason I had to unlock the door is because of human
nature, like everyone else, we wanted to see what was taking place so,
I unlocked the door and--so we could look down the side of the building
toward the ramp area, which is the one right here [indicating], and
see if anything was taking place.