The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Whaley, the purpose of our meeting today is to
take some further testimony concerning the events surrounding the
assassination of President Kennedy, and we understand you have some
facts that will bear on it in a way and we would like to ask you
questions concerning it.
Will you rise, please, raise your right hand to be sworn?
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. WHALEY. I do, sir.
The CHAIRMAN. Will you be seated, please? Mr. Ball will conduct the
examination.
Mr. BALL. Mr. Whaley, what is your business?
Mr. WHALEY. I am a taxi driver, sir.
Mr. BALL. How long have you been a taxi driver?
Mr. WHALEY. 37 years.
Mr. BALL. You worked all that time in Dallas?
Mr. WHALEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What is your residence?
Mr. WHALEY. 619 Pine Street, Route 2, Louisville, Tex., 26 miles north
of Dallas.
Mr. BALL. But you drive a taxicab in Dallas?
Mr. WHALEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Whom do you work for?
Mr. WHALEY. City Transportation Company.
Mr. BALL. You are an employee of theirs, are you?
Mr. WHALEY. Yes.
Mr. BALL. You don't own your own cab?
Mr. WHALEY. No, sir; they don't allow that in that city.
Mr. BALL. How long have you worked for that company?
Mr. WHALEY. 37 years. Not for that company, sir, but for the original
owners, it started out. I have been in with that original company but
all banded together in one cab company.
Mr. BALL. Were you on duty on the 22nd of November 1963?
Mr. WHALEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What were your hours that day at work?
Mr. WHALEY. Well, my hours run from 6 to 4, sir; 6 in the morning to 4
in the afternoon.
Mr. BALL. What kind of a cab were you driving on that day?
Mr. WHALEY. A 1961 Checker.
Mr. BALL. Was it equipped with radio equipment?
Mr. WHALEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. You can call in to your dispatcher?
Mr. WHALEY. Yes, sir; I can.
Mr. BALL. By a two-way radio?
Mr. WHALEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Do you operate on cab stands or do you cruise?
Mr. WHALEY. No, sir; you just go out in the morning and wherever they
send you you go to work and wherever you unload you check in they give
you another call like that.
Mr. BALL. About 12:30 that day where were you?
Mr. WHALEY. Well, about 12:30 as you say, sir; I was at the Greyhound
bus station. I have a copy of my trip sheet here.
Mr. BALL. Could I see that, please?
Mr. WHALEY. The FBI took the original and the pictures of the cab and
everything.
Mr. BALL. That is what I have been waiting for.
Mr. WHALEY. I think it is supposed to be delivered to you, sir.
Mr. BALL. That is right. I am glad you have that copy.
Mr. WHALEY. I thought maybe you might need it. You look down there it
says Greyhound, 500 North Beckley, I think it is marked 12:30 to 12:45.
Now that could have been 10 minutes off in each direction because I
didn't use a watch, I just guess, in other words, all my trips are
marked about 15 minutes each.
Mr. BALL. I am going to let you use this manifest to refresh your
memory, Mr. Whaley. I have seen it. I am going to ask you some
questions and you refresh your memory if you will from the manifest.
First of all, describe the document you are using, what is that?
Mr. WHALEY. It is a trip sheet manifest. The company gets the amount of
money you have run, your meter reading and all, and they have to keep
it because of the city ordinance requirement that the taxis make this
kind of manifest.
Mr. BALL. Tell me when you make the entries, you make the entries when?
Mr. WHALEY. Sometimes I make them right after I make the trips, sir,
and sometimes I make three or four trips before I make the entries.
Mr. BALL. Are you required by your employer to describe the trip, where
you went, how far it was?
Mr. WHALEY. Not by the employer, sir. All the employers are interested
in are the meter reading and your tolls. The city of Dallas ordinance
requires that you put down where you picked the passenger up, where you
unload the passenger. They are not interested in the price, the number
of passengers and the time.
Mr. BALL. Now, the manifest does contain that information, though, does
it?
Mr. WHALEY. Yes, sir; it does.
Mr. BALL. Will you describe the different columns of the manifest, that
information that is in each column generally?
Mr. WHALEY. Over on the left side, where you see call or pickup, if you
get the call on your radio you mark with a "C" and if somebody hails
you on the street that is marked "P" for pickup.
In the next column it has the trip numbers from one to fifty.
Mr. BALL. The number of the trips you make that day?
Mr. WHALEY. Yes, sir. In the third column it says "from." Like this
first one, 4924 Belmont and then to the next column, to the airport.
The next column is the "meter reading," what the meter said, $1.75. The
next column says "flat rate." If it had been an extra passenger or so
and you had a flat rate you would put it in that column.
The third column is "charge," the people who have the charge accounts
through the company in the car, you put the meter reading in there
because you don't get cash and you put charge, the company takes it off.
The next column says the number of passengers and that first trip was
four passengers, time out six o'clock, I got that trip out of the barn
and it is marked "call."
6:20 is "time in." "Mileage in" was 44. Now, see I didn't put the
mileage out on the first one, the mileage out is up here, 35 to 44. It
would have been nine miles I made on the first trip.
Over here on the side here, it has the number of trips I made that
day which is 21, on the meter registered 21 trips 45 cents a trip is
$9.45. 157 units, a unit is a dime clicks every four-tenths of a mile.
That would be 157 units at $15.70. Added total of $25.15. I used 5-1/2
gallons of gas, had eight pickups in 13 calls and 29 passengers. That
is it complete, sir.
Mr. BALL. I see.
Now, look at your manifest and tell me where you were at 12 o'clock the
day of November 22, 1963.
Mr. WHALEY. 12 o'clock I got a call to the Travis Hotel. I have got it
marked 16 which is the Continental bus station, stand No. 15, 55 cents.
I unloaded that at 12:15.
Mr. BALL. Then where did you go at 12:15 according to your record?
Mr. WHALEY. According to my record I got a pickup at the Continental
bus station which is stand 16 and went to the Greyhound which is 55
cents. I unloaded at the Greyhound, I have got it marked 12:30. See
there is that 15 minutes you say I am off, I just mark it 15, I don't
put the correct time on the sheet because they don't require it, sir,
but anywhere approximate.