(Testimony of John Lester Quigley)
The Chairman.
Did he ask you to be of any assistance to him?
Mr. Quigley.
No, sir; he did not.
Mr. Stern.
Mr. Quigley, did you believe he was telling you the truth in all respects?
Mr. Quigley.
No; I did not, sir.
Mr. Stern.
In what respect did you think he was not telling the truth?
Mr. Quigley.
Well, as I stated before, when--I accepted basic information that he furnished to me regarding background, about what occurred at the time of his arrest. Then when I began questioning him as to who A. J. Hidell was, who the members of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee were in New Orleans, where they held their meetings, what literature he read, which he claimed he had been receiving from the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, he was noncommittal or wouldn't discuss it.
At one point of the interview he told me that he had held one of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee meetings at his home. I asked him, "Well, how did you get in touch with the other people?" "Well, I don't care to discuss that." "Who were the persons at the meeting?" "I don't know." "Did you know any names at all?" "Yes. They were introduced to me by first names Only." "What were their first names?" "I cannot remember." So it was apparent to me that he was not certainly going to furnish anything that he had made his statement, why I did not know. But when I pressed him for details he declined to furnish anything.
Another one, for example, I asked him about A. J. Hidell, obviously you can see why I would have been interested in this. "Well, Mr. Hidell had a telephone." "What was Mr. Hidell's telephone number?" "Mr. Hidell's telephone has been disconnected." "What was. the number?" "I can't remember." This was the end of it, so this is the basis for my thinking.
Mr. Stern.
Yes.
Mr. Quigley.
One more thing I would like to add that might help clarify it, as to why I felt it was a self-serving statement is that he told me that he was distributing these throwaways for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee because of a patriotic duty, as a patriotic American citizen. This I felt was certainly, in his opinion a self-serving statement.
Mr. Stern.
Did he elaborate on that? Did he tell you in what respect he thought he was performing a patriotic duty by distributing this pamphlet?
Mr. Quigley.
No; not in so many words, but he did explain that he felt that the goal and theme of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee was that it was his patriotic duty to bring to the attention of as many people as he could, the fact that the United States should not attack Cuba at the time or interfere into their political affairs, and that by spreading what he considered the philosophy of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, that the American people would better understand the internal conditions there, and the American people should be given an opportunity to go to Cuba and let them make their own mind up as to what the situation was as of that time rather than just merely reading it in the newspaper.
Senator COOPER. I have a question I would like to ask. You have just stated that Oswald told you something about his own purposes and also the objectives of this Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Did he make any comment on the policy of the United States toward Cuba?
Mr. Quigley.
No, sir; he did not.
Senator COOPER. Did he say----
Mr. Quigley.
To my recollection.
Senator COOPER. Did he say anything affirmatively opposing or stating what the policy of the United States was and to be opposed to it?
Mr. Quigley.
I have no recollection of that, sir.
Senator COOPER. Did he mention any official of the United States as opposing his policy?
Mr. Quigley.
No, sir; he did not.
Senator COOPER. The President of the United States, President Kennedy?
Mr. Quigley.
No, sir; everything that he told me I recorded in my notes, so everything that I have here in this document is what he told me. Now bear this in mind when it was apparent to me that he was not giving me information
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