(Testimony of Bernard William , Accompanied By Weissman)
Mr. Dulles.
That is Friday evening, November 22?
Mr. Weissman.
Yes; I think Larrie went home late that evening, and Bill and I met him there.
Mr. Jenner.
You went to Larrie's home?
Mr. Weissman.
To Larrie's apartment; yes. And I said what are we going to do? And Larrie said, "Well"--he had talked to Joe Grinnan, and Joe said don't say anything, don't do anything, don't get any more involved than you have to, lay low, keep out of it, it is going to be pretty bad. And it was. Thereafter, a day or so later----
Mr. Jenner.
What did you mean by that-it is going to be pretty bad?
Mr. Weissman.
In other words-this is just exactly the way it worked out. For example----
Mr. Jenner.
You are now explaining what you mean by "and it was"?
Mr. Weissman.
Right. Stanley Marcus, who was a Dallas businessman, financier----
Mr. Jenner.
Nieman Marcus?
Mr. Weissman.
Of the Nieman Marcus group, yes, and he was a well-known and rather very rabid liberal. And sure enough, even though the following day it was then established that Oswald was a Marxist and so forth, and there was some question as to whether or not it was a Communist plot, pros and cons, and Marcus put his 2 cents in in the Dallas Times Herald, and he starts blaming the rightwing for the trouble. And I was told--I didn't see this----
Mr. Jenner.
This was on the 23d now?
Mr. Weissman.
This was on the following day; yes, sir. And, in other words, he and friends of his, I guess, did everything they could to solidify their position as being always in the right, and throw the blame, even though Oswald is obviously a Marxist--they tried to transfer the blame to the rightwing. They had us on the run and they were going to keep it that way.
Mr. Jenner.
How did this come to your attention?
Mr. Weissman.
Just by reading the newspapers.
Mr. Jenner.
The Dallas Times Herald and the Dallas Morning News?
Mr. Weissman.
There was very little in the Morning News about the right-wing, that was antirightwing, and the Dallas Times Herald was full of it.
Mr. Jenner.
Would you please delineate what you mean by "us" who were on the run?
Mr. Weissman.
I mean any conservative in Dallas at that time was keeping quiet.
Mr. Jenner.
Including yourself and the other men you mentioned?
Mr. Weissman.
Including myself and everybody I was associated with; yes, sir. And a day or so after that, I think it was Sunday or Monday, I had suggested to Larrie, and I spoke to Joe Grinnan on the phone, that maybe I should call the FBI and give them the story on this ad.
And he said, "Now, look, if they want you, they will find you. They know where you are, probably. So if they want you, they will find you." So I waited. And several times I was going to make that phone call, and I did not. Then finally we just ran out of money.
Mr. Jenner.
You are probably a few days beyond the 23d now?
Mr. Weissman.
Right; I am. I am going now---everything was rather stable, static up until the Wednesday, the following Wednesday, when I left Dallas.
Mr. Jenner.
I want to complete your whole day of the 23d before you move beyond that. Did you or Bill leave your apartment on the 23d?
Mr. Weissman.
Yes; we were over at Larrie's house. I don't remember exactly the times. We had been to Larrie's place several times.
Mr. Jenner.
Were you in the Dallas downtown business district at anytime on the 23rd?
Mr. Weissman.
I don't think so--no--no, as a matter of fact. In fact, I didn't get around to the business district until--yes. We went into the outer-edge of the downtown area to get to the post office, to pick up the letters.
Mr. Jenner.
That is right. On the 23d you went to the post office box and picked up the 60-odd letters that you have at home in New York.
Mr. Weissman.
That is right. And then we went directly back to the apartment, and opened these letters.
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