the west side of that railing itself. This would have been in front of the cameras. They curved slightly from the wall, from the west wall of the ramp over to the railing.

Mr. Hubert.

In Sort of a slight curve, sets easterly?
Chief BATCHELOR. Slightly to the south. Easterly, and slightly to the south in a very slight curve, and there were detectives standing there all along, and they didn't move out. They held their positions there, and the press was instructed that they were not to move out or attempt to talk to Oswald.

Mr. Hubert.

Did you instruct them yourself, or did you hear someone instruct them?
Chief BATCHELOR. No, I didn't instruct them myself, but I heard them instructed, and I can't recall who it was that told them, it was one of the supervisors, they were to stay back and not move in when they came out.

Mr. Hubert.

Did you hear anyone ask for permission to occupy that space on the Main Street ramp as they did in a slightly curved line, as you indicated a moment ago?
Chief BATCHELOR. Did I hear anyone ask for permission?

Mr. Hubert.

Yes, sir.
Chief BATCHELOR. The supervisor asked me if this would be all right. It was Talbert, I believe, that asked me that.

Mr. Hubert.

But you didn't hear the press people ask?
Chief BATCHELOR. No; the press people didn't ask me that.

Mr. Hubert.

Your instructions were that it would be all right if they kept back and if the line of policemen were put in front of them, and so far as you know, it was done?
Chief BATCHELOR. That was done. There were a number of policemen along there with them, and there were not very many people along there. That is not very wide across there. I imagine about maybe 12 feet. And they were not over about two deep where one could look over another's shoulder.

Mr. Hubert.

About what time did that happen? Was it after the armored truck arrived?
Chief BATCHELOR. They were lined up there at the time Lieutenant Pierce and the sergeant took that car out the Main Street ramp, because they had to part them to get the car through.

Mr. Hubert.

So that your conversation with Talbert about that would have been after you left the armored truck, I would think?
Chief BATCHLOR. No; not necessarily. They were standing there for some little time, because they didn't know exactly when he was coming down. No; it was before.
If you mean after the last time I walked down to the armored truck and got down to the basement--well, it could have been, because it was some little time after I searched that armored truck, and I didn't go back up there.
I say some little time, being probably 15 or 20 minutes, something like that. I can't recall definitely the exact time that Talbert asked me this, but it was during the last period of time I was in the basement.

Mr. Hubert.

What was your understanding, Chief, as to who, if any individual or group of individuals was responsible for carrying out the transfer movement?
That is to say, considering that the decision had been made by Chief Curry as to how .it would be done, what route would be followed, what automobiles would be used, what personnel would be used, who was to implement that by carrying out the orders; if there was any one individual or not, then who had responsibility for the various segments?
Chief BATCHELOR. The homicide bureau was responsible for actually transferring the prisoner. This was supplemented, as far as the guards in the basement were concerned, with a large number of detectives which had been told by Chief Stevenson earlier to stand by in the bureaus for assignment in the basement, and we came down to see about security and learned that Talbert had anticipated this thing.
And Chief Stevenson talked to Talbert. They sat there in the jail office and talked a while and found out what Talbert had assigned in terms of men that he had called in to assign along the route on Main Street.

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