Mr. JENNER. What did the voice on the other end of the phone say?
Mr. WEISSMAN. He said yes--yes something.
Mr. JENNER. Did you identify yourself?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes; I did.
Mr. JENNER. Did you identify yourself before or after you asked whether
the voice was that of Mr. Lane?
Mr. WEISSMAN. I identified myself--I called the radio station and it
was a telephone thing that was broadcast over the air, question and
answer--you telephone in a question and he answers. So I telephoned,
and just by luck I happened to get through on the first ring. And
somebody said, "Who is calling?" I said, "I would like to speak with
Mr. Lane. This is Bernard Weissman calling, chairman of the American
Fact-Finding Committee." And so I got him on the phone, because they
could not pass this up. And I told him, I identified him that "You are
the attorney for the assassin Oswald"--this is just what I said to him.
Mr. JENNER. What did he say?
Mr. WEISSMAN. And he said--he murmured in agreement. He did not say
emphatically "Yes; I am." But he said, "Um-hum," something to that
effect. And I said, "I know what you are trying to do. I think you are
hunting for headlines. But you had been talking to some liar in Dallas
who has been feeding you all this baloney about me. You are making all
these allegations at the Town Hall and now on radio. And you have never
taken the trouble to contact me. My name has been in the paper. It is
very well known where I live. I am in the phone book. You could have
at least tried to contact me." And I pinned him up against the wall
verbally. And he agreed at that time----
Mr. JENNER. What did he say?
Mr. WEISSMAN. He said that he had no definite proof, that he would have
to check on it.
Mr. JENNER. Proof of what?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Proof of the allegations.
Mr. JENNER. Did you mention what the allegation was when you talked
with him on the telephone?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes; I did.
Mr. JENNER. What did you say?
Mr. WEISSMAN. I said, "You are alleging that I had a meeting with
Patrolman Tippit in Jack Ruby's bar with some unidentified third person
about a week before the assassination." I said, "You are going strictly
on the story of some liar in Dallas." I said, "If you had any courage
or commonsense or really wanted to get at the facts, you would have
called and asked me, too." And he agreed, yes, he should have talked to
me.
Mr. JENNER. Did he say yes he should have talked to you?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes; and that he would also recheck his facts in Dallas.
And that ended the essence of the conversation.
Mr. JENNER. Have you exhausted your recollection as to that
conversation?
Mr. WEISSMAN. As to that particular conversation; yes.
Mr. JENNER. When you adverted to his assertion in the Town Hall
meeting, that you had been present in the Carousel Club in a meeting
with Officer Tippit, did you say that you denied that you were ever in
the Carousel Club?
Mr. WEISSMAN. I denied that; yes.
Mr. JENNER. That was what you said.
Mr. WEISSMAN. I said, "I did not know Lee Harvey Oswald. I did not know
Jack Ruby. I have never been in the Carousel Club."
Mr. JENNER. And you said that to him over the telephone on that
occasion----
Mr. WEISSMAN. That's right.
Mr. JENNER. What was his response to that?
Mr. WEISSMAN. This is when he came up with he would have to recheck
his facts and he would have to check into it. Subsequently, I had
talked to him later that same evening--the show went off at 1 a.m. in
the morning. And I had been given a private number to call at the radio
station. I talked to him on the telephone.
Mr. JENNER. How did you get that number?
Mr. WEISSMAN. The announcer gave it over the air. And he said, "If you
want to speak with Mr. Lane"--because I was getting pretty hot.
Mr. JENNER. You mean angry?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Angry; yes. And he said, "If you want to talk to Mr. Lane
call him after the show is over, about 5 after 1." I forget the number
of the station. And I telephoned him.
Mr. JENNER. You called the same number again.
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. You asked for Mr. Lane.
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes; I did.
Mr. JENNER. And somebody responded?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Mr. Lane got on the wire.
Mr. JENNER. Was it the same voice?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. What did he say in the way of acknowledging that it was Mr.
Lane?
Mr. WEISSMAN. I went into it again.
Mr. JENNER. Did you say, "Mr. Lane"?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. And the voice's response was what?
Mr. WEISSMAN. I said, "Hello, Mr. Lane." And he said--I said, "Hello,
Mr. Lane." And he said, "Yes."
"This is Bernie Weissman" or Mr. Weissman. And he said "Yes." And
then I reiterated what I had said, and that he had better check his
facts--and "I am going to get a hold of some friends in Dallas to check
on your witness and find out who he is."
Mr. JENNER. Please identify these people.
Mr. WEISSMAN. I was saying this to Mark Lane. And Mark Lane repeated
again----
Mr. JENNER. Please say again what you said to Mr. Lane, and then what
his response was, because with the rapidity with which you speak, it is
difficult to sort out his words from your words.