The testimony of James N. Crawford was taken at 11:15 a.m., on April
1, 1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building,
Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Joseph A. Ball, assistant
counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. BALL. Mr. Crawford, I'm Joe Ball and this is Lillian Johnson.
Mr. CRAWFORD. Glad to know you. I know Lillian Johnson. How is Irving,
by the way?
Mr. BALL. Will you stand up, please, and hold up your right hand?
Mr. CRAWFORD (complying).
Mr. BALL. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you will give before this
Commission shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the
truth, so help you God?
Mr. CRAWFORD. I swear.
Mr. BALL. My name is Joe Ball. I'm staff counsel with the President's
Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy and I have been
authorized to question you and ask you to give us such information as
you have as to the facts of the assassination and those things that you
observed on November 22, 1963. Will you state your name for the court
reporter?
Mr. CRAWFORD. My name is James N. Crawford.
Mr. BALL. What is your occupation?
Mr. CRAWFORD. I am deputy district clerk.
Mr. BALL. You received a request from the Commission in writing, did
you not, requesting you to give this testimony?
Mr. CRAWFORD. I did.
Mr. BALL. You received it some time last week?
Mr. CRAWFORD. Actually, it came to the office Saturday. I did not
receive it until Monday.
Mr. BALL. That will be Monday, March 30?
Mr. CRAWFORD. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Where were you born?
Mr. CRAWFORD. I was born in Greenville, Texas.
Mr. BALL. What was your general education?
Mr. CRAWFORD. High school in Greenville, Texas, and college at Texas A.
& M.
Mr. BALL. What did you do after that, just a general sketch of some of
your occupations?
Mr. CRAWFORD. I worked for the Texas Company in New Orleans and have
been in and out of the furniture business and in the oil business here
in Dallas until I went with the county.
Mr. BALL. How long have you been with the county of Dallas?
Mr. CRAWFORD. About 10 years.
Mr. BALL. You are a deputy county clerk there?
Mr. CRAWFORD. District clerk.
Mr. BALL. On November 22, 1963, about around 12 o'clock or so, where
were you?
Mr. CRAWFORD. I was in the office of the district clerk.
Mr. BALL. Did you later leave and go out into the street?
Mr. CRAWFORD. About 12:25, we left the office and went out to the
corner of Houston and Elm.
Mr. BALL. You went with whom?
Mr. CRAWFORD. Mary Ann Mitchell.
Mr. BALL. She works in the office with you?
Mr. CRAWFORD. She is in the office with me.
Mr. BALL. What is her occupation in the office?
Mr. CRAWFORD. Assistant to the district clerk.
(At this point, Mr. James Underwood enters the hearing.)
Mr. BALL. Where is your office located in Dallas?
Mr. CRAWFORD. It's located on the ground floor of the Records Building.
Mr. BALL. What street?
Mr. CRAWFORD. That's Record and Elm--that's Commerce, isn't it, Jim?
Mr. UNDERWOOD. What's that?
Mr. CRAWFORD. What is the street just north of the courthouse--that's
Elm.
Mr. UNDERWOOD. It's bordered by Elm, Main, Record, and Houston.