(Testimony of James Lehrer)
Mr. Lehrer.
I can only asume it was Ryder.
Mr. Liebeler.
What leads you to that assumption?
Mr. Lehrer.
Well, it was just circumstantially--I believe it was. I mean, he was given this name and the information that this man is supposed to have mounted the sight on Oswald's rifle.
Mr. Liebeler.
And the name he was given was Dial Ryder; is that right?
Mr. Lehrer.
That's right; that's right.
Mr. Liebeler.
And he was told to check that story?
Mr. Lehrer.
That's right.
Mr. Liebeler.
And he proceeded to do it?
Mr. Lehrer.
He proceeded to do it. He dialed a number and got somebody on the line and started talking and when he got through, he said, "That's right." I looked at his notes--I don't have a specific recollection of what the notes said, but I remember that he had some quotes there, I mean, he had some information in the notes that verified the story, and at that time--one of the reasons I was interested in it--I was working on the story we finally ran the next day on the FBI looking for where Oswald might have possibly test fired this rifle, so that was one of the reasons I was particularly interested in it, because I wasn't coordinating our assassination coverage, but I was vitally involved in it, I would say, at that time, and I was working on this, and I think he gave the notes to a rewrite man. I'm not sure, but I don't know what happened after that.
Mr. Liebeler.
In any event, you have the specific recollection that Schmidt engaged in a conversation over the telephone for some period of time at a time when he was supposed to be checking out this story of the gunsmith in Irving?
Mr. Lehrer.
That's right.
Mr. Liebeler.
After this conversation was over, he indicated to you that the story checked out?
Mr. Lehrer.
That's right.
Mr. Liebeler.
Subsequently that day the story, in fact, appeared in the newspaper, indicating that there was evidence to show that Oswald had taken his rifle to this particular gunshop.
Mr. Lehrer.
Right.
Mr. Liebeler.
Have you discussed this situation with Schmidt recently?
Mr. Lehrer.
No; actually, I talked to him about it briefly this morning.
He was somewhat--he didn't recall who was sitting next to him and I told him I had, because I didn't think there was any problem, and I just mentioned that. Now, the FBI--one thing--as far as that's concerned--and as far as the fact that somebody might think that Hunter and I got together on this--the day the FBI got this, and apparently it was sent down by the Commission who said, "Check this out"--that Ryder apparently--there was some question about it--and the FBI came up there and a guy by the name of--well, there were two agents from Oklahoma City who were working a special on the assassination at that time just the assassination story. It was Petrakis and some other guy--I don't remember the other guy's name, but they came up and talked to Ken Smart. You see, there was no byline on the story and they said, "Who wrote the story?" and Smart apparently said he didn't know and they went back and looked in the files and that indicated who wrote it and so Ken came over to me and showed me the story with Petrakis and this other guy there, and he said, "Did you write the story?" And I said, "No, Hunter Schmidt wrote the story"; that's how they found out Hunter even wrote it--where he got the information was when I told him and so then we talked about this thing briefly, you know, and Ken said, "Apparently Ryder is saying that he didn't talk to anybody at the time," and I told Smart and Petrakis and this other fellow here that I was sitting right next to the fellow and that he was talking to somebody and I assumed it was Ryder and then I hadn't even mentioned it to Hunter, because Hunter was not in the office that day and Petrakis finally got ahold of him at home on the phone, I believe, or talked to him later and Hunter didn't even know until this morning.
As I say, then Hunter told me that--it was you, I believe, that told him that
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