Mr. TOMLINSON (interrupting). Here's the deal--I rolled that thing
off, we got a call, and went to second floor, picked the man up and
brought him down. He went on over across, to clear out of the emergency
area, but across from it, and picked up two pints of, I believe it
was, blood. He told me to hold for him, he had to get right back to
the operating room, so I held, and the minute he hit there, we took
off for the second floor and I came back to the ground. Now, I don't
know how many people went through that--I don't know how many people
hit them--I don't know anything about what could have happened to them
in between the time I was gone, and I made several trips before I
discovered the bullet on the end of it there.
Mr. SPECTER. You think, then, that this could have been either, you
took out of the elevator as you sit here at the moment, or you just
can't be sure?
Mr. TOMLINSON. It could be, but I can't be positive or positively
sure--I think it was A, but I'm not sure.
Mr. SPECTER. That you took off of the elevator?
Mr. TOMLINSON. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, before I started to ask you questions under oath,
which have been taken down here, I told you, did I not, that the Secret
Service man wrote a report where he said that the bullet was found on
the stretcher which you took off of the elevator--I called that to your
attention, didn't I?
Mr. TOMLINSON. Yes; you told me that.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, after I tell you that, does that have any effect on
refreshing your recollection of what you told the Secret Service man?
Mr. TOMLINSON. No; it really doesn't--it really doesn't.
Mr. SPECTER. So, would it be a fair summary to say that when I first
started to talk to you about it, your first view was that the stretcher
you took off of the elevator was stretcher A, and then I told you that
the Secret Service man said it was--that you had said the stretcher you
took off of the elevator was the one that you found the bullet off,
and when we talked about the whole matter and talked over the entire
situation, you really can't be completely sure about which stretcher
you took off of the elevator, because you didn't push the stretcher
that you took off of the elevator right against the wall at first?
Mr. TOMLINSON. That's right.
Mr. SPECTER. And, there was a lot of confusion that day, which is what
you told me before?
Mr. TOMLINSON. Absolutely. And now, honestly, I don't remember telling
him definitely--I know we talked about it, and I told him that it could
have been. Now, he might have drawed his own conclusion on that.
Mr. SPECTER. You told the Secret Service agent that you didn't know
where----
Mr. TOMLINSON (interrupting). He asked me if it could have been brought
down from the second floor.
Mr. SPECTER. You got the stretcher from where the bullet came from,
whether it was brought down from the second floor?
Mr. TOMLINSON. It could have been--I'm not sure whether it was A I took
off.
Mr. SPECTER. But did you tell the Secret Service man which one you
thought it was you took off of the elevator?
Mr. TOMLINSON. I'm not clear on that--whether I absolutely made a
positive statement to that effect.
Mr. SPECTER. You told him that it could have been B you took off of the
elevator?
Mr. TOMLINSON. That's right.
Mr. SPECTER. But, you don't remember whether you told him it was A you
took off of the elevator?
Mr. TOMLINSON. I think it was A--I'm not really sure.
Mr. SPECTER. Which did you tell the Secret Service agent--that you
thought it was A that you took off of the elevator?
Mr. TOMLINSON. Really, I couldn't be real truthful in saying I told him
this or that.
Mr. SPECTER. You just don't remember for sure whether you told him you
thought it was A or not?
Mr. TOMLINSON. No, sir; I really don't remember. I'm not accustomed to
being questioned by the Secret Service and the FBI and by you and they
are writing down everything, I mean.
Mr. SPECTER. That's all right. I understand exactly what you are
saying and I appreciate it and I really just want to get your best
recollection.
We understand it isn't easy to remember all that went on, on a day like
November 22d, and that a man's recollection is not perfect like every
other part of a man, but I want you to tell me just what you remember,
and that's the best you can do today, and I appreciate that, and so
does the President's Commission, and that's all we can ask a man.
Mr. TOMLINSON. Yes, I'm going to tell you all I can, and I'm not going
to tell you something I can't lay down and sleep at night with either.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you know where the stretcher came from that you found
on the elevator?
Mr. TOMLINSON. No, sir; I do not. It could have come from two, it could
have come from three, it could have come from some other place.
Mr. SPECTER. You didn't see anybody put it there?
Mr. TOMLINSON. No, sir--it was on the elevator when I got there. There
wasn't anyone on the elevator at the time when I keyed it off.
Mr. SPECTER. And when you say "keyed it off," you mean?
Mr. TOMLINSON. Put it in manual operation.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. Tomlinson, does it make any difference to you whether
you sign this deposition at the end or not?
Mr. TOMLINSON. No.
Mr. SPECTER. We very much appreciate your coming, Mr. Tomlinson. Thank
you very much. Those are all the questions I have.
Mr. TOMLINSON. All right. Thank you.
Mr. SPECTER. Off the record.
(Discussion between counsel and the witness Tomlinson regarding a
proposed exhibit.)
Mr. SPECTER. On the record.
Now that the deposition of Mr. Tomlinson has been concluded, I am
having the paper marked as Tomlinson Exhibit No. 2.
(Instrument marked by the reporter as Tomlinson Exhibit No. 2, for
identification.)
Mr. SPECTER. May the record show that Mr. Tomlinson is present, and
will you identify this paper marked Tomlinson Exhibit No. 2 as the one
which contains the diagram of the emergency room and the letters A and
B of the stretchers we have been discussing?
Mr. TOMLINSON. That's just the elevator lobby in emergency.
Mr. SPECTER. And this is the diagram which you drew for us?
Mr. TOMLINSON. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. That's all, and thank you very much.