Mr. Wade.

I said, "the evidence is pretty strong against your brother, what do you think about it?" He said, "Well, he is my brother. and I hate to think he would do this." He said, "I want to talk to him and ask him about it."
Now, I never did see him. Roughly, that is about all I remember from that conversation. We rambled around for quite a bit.
I know I was impressed because he got out and walked out the front of my office and in front of my office there were 15 or 20 press men wanting to ask him something, and he wouldn't say a word to them, he just walked off.
I told him they would be out there, and he said, "I won't have anything to say."

Mr. Dulles.

Was this the morning after the assassination?

Mr. Wade.

Yes, sir; Saturday morning.

Mr. Dulles.

About what time?

Mr. Wade.

I would say between 9 and 10 is when I talked with him.
And so the main purpose in the office, we believed, the main purpose of me and the lawyers in the office were briefing the law on whether to try Oswald for the murder of the President, whether you could prove the flight and the killing of Officer Tippit, which we became satisfied that we could, I mean from an evidentiary point of view.

Mr. Rankin.

By "we" who do you mean, in your office?

Mr. Wade.

Well, I think I had seven or eight in there, Bowie, and Alexander, and Dan Ellis, Jim Williamson, but there was a legal point.
My office was open, but that, with reference to this case, there were other things going on, but in reference to this case, this is what we spent our time trying to establish whether that would be admissible or not.

Mr. Rankin.

Did you consult with any Federal officers in regard to how you should handle the case or what you should say about it at any time?

Mr. Wade.

No; I didn't discuss, consult with any of them. I did talk to some of the FBI boys and I believe there was an inspector.

Mr. Rankin.

Secret Service?

Mr. Wade.

No.

Mr. Rankin.

FBI?

Mr. Wade.

There was an inspector of the FBI who called me two or three times. I don't remember.

Mr. Rankin.

Did they tell you how to handle the case in any way?

Mr. Wade.

I don't think so. I mean it wasn't really up to them.

Mr. Rankin.

The only time you ever talked to Barefoot Sanders about it was in regard to this conspiracy, possibility of, that you have already described?

Mr. Wade.

Frankly, that is hard to say. I think we talked off and on every day or two about developments in it, because, you see, well, I don't know whether we talked any more but before the killing by Ruby, but we had nearly a daily conversation about the files in the Oswald case, what we were going to do with them. You see, they were going to give them all to me, and at that stage we didn't know whether it was going to be a President's Commission or a congressional investigation or what. After the President's Commission was set up, I arranged through him and Miller here in the Justice Department that rather than give the files to me, to get the police to turn them over to the FBI and send them to you all, or photostat them and send them to you all.
Barefoot and I talked frequently, but I don't know of anything significant of the Oswald angle that we discussed, and we spent the last 2 months trying to get some of the FBI files to read on the Ruby trial. I mean we talked a lot but I don't know anything further about Oswald into it or anything on Ruby of any particular significance.

Mr. Rankin.

Was Barefoot Sanders suggesting how you should handle the Oswald case except the time you already related?

Mr. Wade.

I don't recall him doing, suggesting that.

Mr. Rankin.

Any other Federal officers suggesting anything like that to you?

Mr. Wade.

The only thing I remember is the inspector of the FBI whom I don't think I ever met. I was there in the police one time during this shuffle, and I think it was some time Saturday morning, and he said they should have nothing, no publicity on the thing, no statements.
Now, I don't know whether that was after Ruby shot Oswald or before,