Mr. LITCHFIELD. When I sign, I sign “W. W. (Bob) II”,—does that need to
be in there?
Mr. HUBERT. You can bring that out later when I ask you more about your
name.
Mr. Litchfield, my name is Leon Hubert. I am a member of the advisory
staff of the General Counsel of the President’s Commission on the
Assassination of President Kennedy, under the provisions of Executive
Order 11130, dated November 29, 1963, and Joint Resolution of Congress
No. 137, and the rules of procedure adopted by the Commission in
conformance with the Executive order and the joint resolution, and I
have been authorized to take a sworn deposition of you.
I state to you now that the general nature of the Commission’s inquiry
is to ascertain, evaluate, and report on the facts relating to the
assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent violent death of
Lee Harvey Oswald.
In particular as to you, Mr. Litchfield, the nature of the inquiry
today is to determine what facts you know or may know about the death
of Oswald, or any other facts you may know about the general inquiry,
or, about the possible connection, if any, of Jack Ruby with the death
of Oswald or the death of President Kennedy.
I think you have appeared here by virtue of a letter—written request
made to you?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. No.
Mr. HUBERT. You didn’t receive a letter to come?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Sorrels called me long distance.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, I must advise you then that under the rules
established by the Warren Commission, to govern the procedure of
handling witnesses and so forth, every witness is entitled to a 3-day
written notice that we wish to take his deposition, but those rules
also provide that if a witness wishes to, he may waive that 3-day
notice and just go ahead and testify now. So, I ask you now whether you
are willing to waive the 3-day notice and proceed to testify now?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Will you stand and I will administer the oath.
Do you solemnly swear the testimony you are about to give will be the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I do.
Mr. HUBERT. You are commonly known among your friends as Bobby?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Bob.
Mr. HUBERT. Do I understand also that there are some of your legal
documents that you always sign that way too?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I sign it “W. W. (Robert) Litchfield, II.”
Mr. HUBERT. How old are you, sir?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Thirty.
Mr. HUBERT. Now where do you reside?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. 654 West Cross Timbers, Houston, Tex.
Mr. HUBERT. What is your occupation?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Professional bowler and bowling instructor and I sell
trophies for a bowling supply and bowling equipment office—balls, bags,
shoes—etc.
Mr. HUBERT. How long have you been so occupied?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Since January of this year—approximately the middle of
January.
Mr. HUBERT. What was your occupation prior to that time?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. From July 1963, until January of 1964, I did not work.
In July 1963, from March 1, 1962, until July 1963, I sold books and
worked myself up to a regional manager’s position.
Mr. HUBERT. Of what company?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I was with the Spencer International Press from March
of 1962 until May of 1963 working in Dallas-Fort Worth—made district
manager in San Jose, Calif., made regional manager February 1963, in
Atlanta, Ga., and stayed until May of 1963, and my father’s death
brought me back to Dallas. I left Spencer and went to work for Great
Books of the Western World in June, made district manager in 2 weeks,
and was terminated in July due to my past record.
Mr. HUBERT. What do you mean by “past record”?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I have a criminal record when I was 19 years old,
that’s 11 years ago.
Mr. HUBERT. What is the nature of it?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I forged some hot checks and paid them off, but because
I still had a bunch of them out—I had three charges in Fort Worth,
eight in Dallas, the sum total was roughly $3,000. Restitution was made
prior to the time I went to court. I went to court and received 3 years
concurrently on each charge, 3 years on each charge in Fort Worth, 3
years on each charge in Dallas, and concurrently backdated at Fort
Worth to August of 1952.
Mr. HUBERT. Was that in the Federal Court?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. No, sir; State and county. I was in prison from
February—well, I was arrested August 1952, pleaded guilty in Fort Worth
in November 1952, pleaded guilty in Dallas in January 1953, went to
Huntsville Prison in February 1953, made conditional pardon in December
1953—do you want all this?
Mr. HUBERT. Yes; and you were released then, I take it?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Right. Pardon was reversed because I was married and I
was voluntarily returned from Denver, Colo.; I just came back myself
and turned myself in at Huntsville and I was released in April of 1956.
Mr. HUBERT. You were actually released from Huntsville in December
1953, under a conditional pardon?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes, sir; to Denver, Colo.
Mr. HUBERT. That is to say, that it was with the permission of the
State of Texas—Texas authorities?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Were you on any terms of good conduct?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I had to report each month.
Mr. HUBERT. In Denver?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Right, and obtain a job, and I obtained one and my
parole officer—I asked him should I tell them I’m on parole, and he
said “No,” and three places I worked after I was there he called
and asked how I was doing and identified himself, which caused my
termination, and the last place I worked was a laundry. I was driving a
truck and the man told him—do you want the words he used?
Mr. HUBERT. Yes.
Mr. LITCHFIELD. “I don’t give a damn what he is doing, he is doing a
good job.” And I have a better recommendation from him that he sent me
when I came back to Texas.
Mr. HUBERT. You said something about turning yourself in?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes, sir; my parole was revoked in July 1955.
Mr. HUBERT. What was the reason for that?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. The reason on my revokement is “unadjustment, unable to
adjust.”
Mr. HUBERT. That was done in Texas or Colorado?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. It was done in Colorado—in Denver, and in August 1955,
I left Denver, Colo., and drove home and said goodbye to Mother and Dad
and drove down to Huntsville—in fact, my Dad drove down to Huntsville
with me.
Mr. HUBERT. In other words, when you found out that the Colorado people
had in effect recommended the revocation or revoked your parole, you
knew that you would be eventually sought?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Or just sent back.
Mr. HUBERT. So, you just bypassed that and drove yourself into
Huntsville?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I went to Austin first to the parole board and they
said, “We have already reviewed your case and formulated an opinion.
You are going back.” And I said, “Well, I’m not going back today. I’ll
go back tomorrow,” and I went back the following day and turned myself
in.
Mr. HUBERT. How long did you stay in?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. From August 1955 until April 1956, and I was discharged
in April 1956.
Mr. HUBERT. Were you discharged completely?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Completely.
Mr. HUBERT. Or on conditions?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Completely.
Mr. HUBERT. Completely?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. No conditions whatsoever.
Mr. HUBERT. No conditions at all. Have you had any difficulty since
then?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Do you want the FBI fingerprint record for the time
I have been picked up? I have been picked up six or seven times for
investigation. I was picked up in Arizona for investigation, I was
picked up in Florida for investigation. I got low on money—I wrote some
hot checks in 1957 in Arlington, Va., and I paid them off and that was
my latest.
Mr. HUBERT. You were not charged?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes: in Arlington, Va., in 1957, I got 6 months.
Mr. HUBERT. And did you serve any part of that time?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. And how much?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Five months—four months.
Mr. HUBERT. And then you were discharged from that without condition?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes—without condition. That was in a county jail. I was
a trustee—I was head cook.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, have you had any other convictions since then?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Since then—no, sir; one felony and one misdemeanor.
Mr. HUBERT. And that’s the two you have already told us about?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Right.
Mr. HUBERT. When you were 19 and the other one in 1957?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I was charged—excuse me—I was picked up in January or
February 1958 and returned to Arlington, Va., and I was released at
Arlington, Va., in August 1958.
Mr. HUBERT. Since August 1958, you have had no trouble with the law?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Other than the fact that I—of being picked up for
investigation.
Mr. HUBERT. But you had no convictions?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. None.
Mr. HUBERT. Were you ever charged at all—formally, I mean, by actual
indictment?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. No—no indictments.
Mr. HUBERT. You are not under any charge right now?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. You say you are married; when were you married?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I got married in 1961.
Mr. HUBERT. How did you support yourself between July 1963, and January
1964, when you were unemployed?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. My wife was working—my wife was working and I lived
with her and my mother.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you attempt to get work?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes—that’s one reason I left Dallas. The person who
is division manager of Great Books that terminated me, falsified—the
reason I was terminated, he accused me of something I did not do, and
I couldn’t prove it. It was my word against his. I couldn’t prove it,
and in January I had a chance to go to Houston to work for Great Books
and I went there and I tried to use the name of Robert Field—I had made
man-of-the-month for the Great Books organization of the whole United
States, and my picture was in their magazine called the Phenix. And the
division manager in Houston recognized me and checked it out and then 2
weeks later I had requested from this gentleman here about three orders
for me to be paid off. He had said they did not clear, that there was
no money involved and 3 weeks later through my bank here in Dallas,
Bank of Services and Trust, it just so happens that the man’s name is
Charles Counter. He has his personal account there also, and I’ve got
him on two counts of forgery right now. He took my paycheck, signed my
name, and endorsed it over to him. I have the photostats from the bank
and the photostats of the canceled checks that cleared the company.
Mr. HUBERT. But in any case, the point I think you are making—that your
opportunity to get with Great Books of the Western World in Houston was
frustrated because of the fact that you had changed your name and they
found out. That is, changed your name to the extent of leaving off the
first syllable of your last name?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes, and the division manager there even talked to the
president of the company and he said “No.” So, I went to work for this
bowling supply which is owned by F. M. Curtis and Mel Livingston and
I told them my past record, and Mr. Curtis is a highway patrolman, he
has an interest in the supply business and he said, “I’ll give you a
break,” and I’ve been doing real good since. He just gave me a break.
Mr. HUBERT. You say you are a professional bowler?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Have you competed?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes; in 1960 and 1961 I did, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Tell us about that.
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Well, I bowled in the All-American here in Dallas, the
PBA tour in 1961, I bowled in the Santa Fe Open in 1961 and I bowled in
the small—when I say “small” I mean $3,000 to $5,000 total first place,
singles and doubles tournaments.
Mr. HUBERT. Have you ever won any prizes?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes, I have won prizes but I have never won the first
place—no.
Mr. HUBERT. What is the most that you have won?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. $750.
Mr. HUBERT. Where was that?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Ardmore, Okla.
Mr. HUBERT. Ardmore, Okla.?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. When?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. 1961.
Mr. HUBERT. About what part of the year—what tournament was it?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. It’s called the Ardmore Classic. I think they run
it from about May to about August. It’s 8 games across 16 lanes,
handicapped from 2 to 10.
Mr. HUBERT. You won $750—which was not first place, but what?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. About eighth place.
Mr. HUBERT. And you won it under your name W. W. Litchfield or Bob
Litchfield?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, you were living in Dallas, I take it, in the last 6
months of 1963?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes; I was.
Mr. HUBERT. Where were you living then?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. 302 West Clarendon. I also lived at the Drexel House
Apartments.
Mr. HUBERT. Where are they located?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Oh, me, I have forgotten the address—Henderson and Knox.
Mr. HUBERT. Who runs that?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I’ve forgotten the lady’s name that runs that.
Mr. HUBERT. Bertha Cheek.
Mr. LITCHFIELD. No—she does not run it.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know Bertha Cheek?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes; I do.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know what street she lives on?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes; I do—Bertha Cheek lives on Swiss Avenue. She owns
an apartment house on Swiss, but the Drexel House is on—right off the
corner of Knox.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you ever live at Bertha Cheek’s boarding house or
apartment?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. No, sir; I did not.
Mr. HUBERT. Never?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Never.
Mr. HUBERT. How did you get to know her?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. I met her through a fellow at the bowling alley—I don’t
remember his last name. He owns an electric company here in town, the
one that has the lighting for all the fairgrounds, Bob Sands Electric
Co.
Mr. HUBERT. And he operates the bowling alley?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. No, sir; he was a bowler.
Mr. HUBERT. He was a bowler himself?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you ever visit at her place?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. That is to say, her apartment?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. When?
Mr. LITCHFIELD. Oh, let’s see, spasmodically from September to October
and November of 1963.