Mr. Hubert.

Did he have a formal meeting with the press, or how did that take place?

Mr. Crull.

No; but they were the offices are small, and the corridor is not too big, and when you move that many television men and cameras and newspaper reporters into the corridor and into the offices, there was practically no space for anybody to work.

Mr. Hubert.

Well, what I was thinking about was where this conference that you mentioned took place which apparently you witnessed between Curry and members of the press?

Mr. Crull.

No; I gave you the wrong impression. It was a conference between me and the chief, and Chief Batchelor, his assistant.

Mr. Hubert.

What was the nature of that conference?

Mr. Crull.

The general situation. This was the first time I had had a chance to talk to Chief Curry, since he had left to go to the hospital after the President was killed, and we looked at the situation, and I agreed with the chief that we would continue to try to cooperate with the press, that there would have to be some order brought into the situation, but that it was important that the police department not be put in a position in which later people could charge that this man had been beaten, and had been kept under cover, and not been allowed to see him.

Mr. Hubert.

Was any consideration given to moving the press out completely?

Mr. Crull.

No; this could have been an alternative, but we did not consider it.

Mr. Hubert.

You mentioned that there was some discussion about controlling the situation?

Mr. Crull.

We had to get them out of the offices and pushed back out into the corridor so people could work. They flooded into the chief's office and the surrounding offices too.

Mr. Hubert.

They had been in the offices of the various divisions?

Mr. Crull.

No; at the end of that particular corridor are the top administrative offices, the office of the chief, the assistant chief, and the deputy chief, the four deputy chiefs, and his clerical help, and that is the office into which they had largely flooded.

Mr. Hubert.

Was Oswald in custody on the third floor at that time?

Mr. Crull.

He was--this is hearsay--I understand in custody in the homicide bureau at the other end of the hall on the same floor.

Mr. Hubert.

Was any consideration given as to the effect of the congregation of the press in that area?

Mr. Crull.

The press was not being allowed to go beyond the midpoint in the building.

Mr. Hubert.

How was that controlled?

Mr. Crull.

There were officers there. The homicide bureau was north of the midpoint in the bureau, and there was at that time and most of the time, I understand--again I am relying on hearsay--that that part of the corridor was kept comparatively free.
Now I was there at one time, and I can't say when, when they moved Oswald from homicide back up to the jail, I believe. At that time he was brought out through the corridor and did walk with the detectives holding him through the press, which was, or part of the press.

Mr. Hubert.

Did you speak to any members of the press or otherwise gain any impression as to their attitude about what their fights were, and so forth?

Mr. Crull.

I gained an impression from talking to some of the local news-papermen who came up to me and said, "Please don't blame us for what is going on. We don't act this way."

Mr. Hubert.

Could you tell us something about what those actions were that the local press seemed to be apoligizing for?

Mr. Crull.

This is something I don't know of my own knowledge at all.

Mr. Hubert.

I was thinking of what you yourself observed.

Mr. Crull.

Crowding, pushing, and attempting to take over. The free and easy use of the electrical system, which I think I noticed that most.

Mr. Hubert.

What was some example of that?

Mr. Crull.

I didn't check the details, but the switchboxes had been opened and the technicians pretty obviously had hooked on any place they could find a wire which would support the use.