Mr. WHITE. Captain.
Mr. BALL. Which captain?
Mr. WHITE. Lawrence.
Mr. BALL. Now, the Commission was established to investigate the facts
and circumstances surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy.
We want to ask you some questions about information that you might have
that might aid us in that investigation.
I am a Staff officer of the Commission named Ball. Joseph A. Ball. I am
authorized to administer the oath to you, to make this inquiry. During
the course of our investigation in Dallas we discovered that you and
the man that you were working with that day, Mr. J. W. Foster, knew of
some facts that might aid us in the investigation. We asked Chief Curry
if we could have you come up here and testify, and I guess that is the
reason you are here.
You are willing to testify, are you not?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Tell us whatever you know about it.
Mr. WHITE. I don't know.
Mr. BALL. Well, I can ask you.
Mr. WHITE. Okay.
Mr. BALL. I will ask you questions. Where were you born?
Mr. WHITE. Van Alstyne, Tex.
Mr. BALL. Where did you go to school?
Mr. WHITE. Van Alystyne, Tex.
Mr. BALL. How far through school?
Mr. WHITE. Ninth grade there.
Mr. BALL. Then what did you do?
Mr. WHITE. I went into the Army.
Mr. BALL. And how long were you in the Army?
Mr. WHITE. About 3 years.
Mr. BALL. And what did you do?
Mr. WHITE. Went to driving a city bus.
Mr. BALL. How long did you drive a city bus?
Mr. WHITE. 6 years.
Mr. BALL. Then what did you do?
Mr. WHITE. Joined the Police Department.
Mr. BALL. How long ago?
Mr. WHITE. 1956.
Mr. BALL. And what are you now?
Mr. WHITE. Accident investigator.
Mr. BALL. And your rank is a patrolman?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Now, on November 22, 1963, did you have an assignment?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Where?
Mr. WHITE. On the triple underpass.
Mr. BALL. And were you there with someone?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Who?
Mr. WHITE. J. W. Foster.
Mr. BALL. Where were you?
Mr. WHITE. Standing on the west side of the overpass.
Mr. BALL. On the west side of the overpass?
Mr. WHITE. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Where were you with reference to Elm, Main or Commerce as
they go underneath the overpass?
Mr. WHITE. Approximately at the north curb of Main Street.
Mr. BALL. Approximately the north curb of Main on the corner of the
north curb of Main? That would be----
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. On the west side of the overpass?
Mr. WHITE. Yes.
Mr. BALL. I'm going to get another copy of this map. Let me see. I can
use this. Mark this as Exhibit A to your deposition. Now, a diagram
that was drawn by a patrolman, Joe Murphy, and he has made some marks
and other witnesses have, but don't pay any attention to that. I want
you to look at this drawing and take a pen and mark your position on
the railroad overpass in a circle, and put your initials beside it.
You have made an "X".
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. And you have initialed J. C. White, is that right?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Over the--what would be the west curb of Main?
Mr. WHITE. North curb of Main.
Mr. BALL. The north curb?
Mr. WHITE. Yes.
Mr. BALL. North curb of Main?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. And west side of the overpass?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Is there a rail there?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. How many people were on that overpass that day?
Mr. WHITE. On the same side I was on?
Mr. BALL. Yes.
Mr. WHITE. None.
Mr. BALL. None? Any people attempt to come up on the overpass around
noon?
Mr. WHITE. Not on my side.
Mr. BALL. They did not?
Mr. WHITE. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Had you seen your partner send any people away from the
overpass?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. You had certain instructions, didn't you?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What were they?
Mr. WHITE. Not to let any unauthorized personnel on top of the overpass.
Mr. BALL. Now, you did permit some people to stay on the overpass,
didn't you?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Who were they?
Mr. WHITE. Workers of the railroad company.
Mr. BALL. Were they people you knew?
Mr. WHITE. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Well, how did you know they were workers with the railroad
company?
Mr. WHITE. Majority of them were there when we got there, working on
the rails.
Mr. BALL. And you let them stay there?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did you see the President's car come into sight?
Mr. WHITE. No, sir; first time I saw it it has passed, passed under the
triple underpass.
Mr. BALL. You were too far away to see it, were you?
Mr. WHITE. There was a freight train traveling. There was a train
passing between the location I was standing and the area from which the
procession was traveling, and--a big long freight train, and I did not
see it.
Mr. BALL. You didn't see the procession?
Mr. WHITE. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Before the train went by, did you see some railroad personnel
over on the--would it be the----
Mr. WHITE. East side?
Mr. BALL. East side of the overpass?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. How many people?
Mr. WHITE. About 10, approximately. I didn't count them.
Mr. BALL. Did you hear any shots?
Mr. WHITE. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Didn't?
Mr. WHITE. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. First time you saw the President's car it was going
underneath?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What did you do after that?
Mr. WHITE. As soon as the train passed I went over and on the northwest
side of the Depository Building. On the northwest side of the book
store up there with the rest of the officers and after about 30 minutes
they told me to go out and work traffic at Main and Houston, and I
stood out there and worked traffic.
Mr. BALL. All right, now, you heard no sound of no rifle fire or
anything?
Mr. WHITE. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Freight train was going through at the time?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Making noise?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir; noisy train.
Mr. BALL. Mr. White, Mr. Foster was on the east side of the overpass?
Mr. WHITE. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. This deposition will be written up and submitted to you for
your signature if you wish to sign it, or you can waive your signature.
Which do you wish to do?
Mr. WHITE. You said a while ago to him it would be written up like
this? Is that correct?
Mr. BALL. No, it will be written up in the form of a deposition.
Mr. WHITE. I will waive.
Mr. BALL. You waive it. Okay. Fine.