Mr. JENNER. It might be well if you started over again. You called the
station. You asked for Mr. Lane and a voice responded.
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. You then said, "Mark Lane"? And he responded?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. All right. Now, carry on from there.
Mr. WEISSMAN. I told him that he had better check his facts, that he is
off on a tangent, that there is absolutely no factual background.
Mr. JENNER. For what?
Mr. WEISSMAN. For him saying, his allegations, that I had had this
meeting with Tippit in Ruby's bar.
Mr. JENNER. Did you repeat that again? Did you repeat again that you
had not been in the Carousel Club at anytime?
Mr. WEISSMAN. I don't know if I repeated it at that time. I just made
a point of saying that he had better check his facts and talk with me
also, and get both sides of the story here, before he got himself in
trouble. By trouble, I had assumed he knew what I meant--I meant a
lawsuit. And I would have sued him, but I could not find a lawyer to
handle the case. They said any publicity that comes out of it would be
only bad. So I dropped it. Several days later----
Mr. JENNER. Have you finished the conversation?
Mr. WEISSMAN. I have finished the conversation with him. Several days
later I got ahold of his office number.
Mr. JENNER. Would you fix the time of this Town Hall meeting broadcast,
as best you can.
Mr. WEISSMAN. I am pretty sure it was on the 28th or the morning of the
29th--on the Town Hall thing? That was the afternoon of the 28th of
April, I believe. I believe it was April. It was prior to his coming
to a hearing here at the Commission. And in any case, I telephoned him
several days after our radio and telephone conversation--I telephoned
him at his office in Manhattan and got him on the line again. And I
said, "Well, what has happened?" I was very curious as to what he had
done about this.
Mr. JENNER. Where did you reach him?
Mr. WEISSMAN. At his office in Manhattan. I do not know the address. I
had first contacted a law firm he was associated with previously, and
they gave me his office number in lower Manhattan. And I telephoned him
at his office. The secretary answered, then he got on the line. And he
said this time--I don't recall exactly what was said before or after
this particular part of the conversation. But I said that I want to
meet this guy in Dallas, the one who told him this story and call him
a liar to his face, and that I wanted it to be a public meeting, and
Mark Lane said he would arrange for a public meeting, he would pay my
transportation to Dallas to see this guy as soon as he could arrange a
meeting. And I have not heard from him since.
Mr. JENNER. To check that date you gave us again. Mr. Weissman--Mr.
Lane appeared before the Commission on Wednesday, March 4, 1964.
Mr. WEISSMAN. March 4? March? I did not think it was that long ago. If
he appeared March 4, then the conversation--well, I stand corrected. I
am not positive of the month.
Mr. JENNER. It might have been February 28?
Mr. WEISSMAN. It might have been. If it was March 4 he appeared here,
it might have been February 28, because there seemed to be several
weeks lapse between his coming here----
Mr. JENNER. Are you certain, however, that your telephone conversation
with him the evening of the broadcast following the Town Hall meeting
was before he appeared before the Commission?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Unless he appeared twice, I am a 100 percent positive.
Mr. JENNER. And from what source did your information come that he had
appeared before the Commission?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Newspapers.
Mr. JENNER. I think we can close this. I show you Garner Exhibit No. 1.
Did you ever see the person who is shown on that photograph?
Mr. WEISSMAN. No.
Mr. JENNER. I show you Commission Exhibit No. 520 and direct your
attention to the man in the white tee shirt between the two policemen.
Did you ever see him before?
Mr. WEISSMAN. No.
Mr. JENNER. Prior to November 22, 1963, had you ever seen him?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Never.
Mr. JENNER. And except for these photographs, and whatever newspaper
clippings or photos you have seen since November 22, or television
shows on or after November 22, have you ever seen that person in the
flesh?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Never.
Mr. JENNER. Did you ever have any contact with him of any kind?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Never.
Mr. JENNER. Telephone calls, letters, memoranda of any kind or
character?
Mr. WEISSMAN. Never.
Mr. JENNER. Mr. Chairman, there is correspondence that Mr. Weissman
has, and I wonder if it would be convenient with the Commission if we
could return at 2:30. In the meantime I will be able to look at some of
the material he has to see if any of it is relevant and helpful to the
Commission.
Mr. DULLES. I would like to adjourn at this time if we can, because I
have a luncheon appointment.
Mr. JENNER. That is what I am suggesting, sir.
Mr. DULLES. Good.
We will adjourn until 2:30.
(Whereupon, at 1:05 p.m., the President's Commission recessed.)