(Testimony of Raymond Franklin Krystinik)
Mr. Liebeler.
But so far as you know, he was not sent to Los Angeles on Bell Helicopter business?
Mr. Krystinik.
No, sir; so far as I feel that if he had, that he would have told me.
Mr. Liebeler.
You are a friend of Michael Paine's?
Mr. Krystinik.
I would like to consider myself a friend of his, and by my telling you things, I feel that I am still a friend of his. I think that he is--I feel that he has absolutely nothing to hide, and in all honesty, I don't feel that what I tell you can in any way hurt him, and if it would hurt him, he has been going--he has been doing something he shouldn't have been doing, and if he has, why we need to know about it, because that is just the way I feel. I don't feel like I am squealing on him.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did Michael tell you that his father had called him shortly after the assassination?
Mr. Krystinik.
No, sir; he didn't.
Mr. Liebeler.
As far as you know, the last contact Michael had with his father is when he went to Los Angeles shortly prior to the time he bought this tract in Irving?
Mr. Krystinik.
Yes, sir; that is the last comment he made to me.
Mr. Liebeler.
Where were you when you learned that fact that the President had been shot?
Mr. Krystinik.
At the research laboratory. We were listening to the radio. We had listened to the President's speech from the Texas Hotel parking lot in Fort Worth. I think that almost every one at the laboratory honestly really liked President Kennedy and was all for him. We were much interested in him whenever he did make a speech. I believe during working hours we always listened to his speech, and we were listening to the radio at the time. When the first report came in, they had been talking about the motorcade through downtown Dallas, and switched to the Market Hall, and the commentator was talking from the Market Hall, and the first comment there, was a report that there was shots fired at the President. And he didn't say he had been hit.
Then there was some discussion on the radio, and then it came through, this is official that the President of the United States has been fired at by an assassin or an attempted assassination. And in a little while it came through he had been hit and taken to Parkland Hospital, and the reports were that he and Governor Connally were both hit and both considered to be in serious condition. And it came through that they were both alive but both in extremely critical condition. And finally, I think it was about an hour later the report came through the President had expired. And Michael exhibited real outward emotion. He had his back turned and his head was down slightly and he really cried. And I don't feel that Michael is the type that could make crocodile tears in seriousness.
Mr. Liebeler.
Was Michael with you when you first heard of the fact that the President had been fired at?
Mr. Krystinik.
Yes, sir; we were all in the lab in the office.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you eat lunch with Michael that day?
Mr. Krystinik.
No, sir; I didn't. I don't think I did. I do eat with him quite often off and on. Most of the time I stay at the lab and drink my can of Metrecal.
Mr. Liebeler.
To the best of your knowledge, you did not eat with Michael?
Mr. Krystinik.
I recall I did not that day, no.
Mr. Liebeler.
But also to the best of your recollection, you were both in the lab?
Mr. Krystinik.
We were both in the office portion of the lab. Michael has a stereo hi-fi that he brought to the lab for use by all of us.
Mr. Liebeler.
You were there at that time when you first heard that the President had been fired at?
Mr. Krystinik.
And immediately when the first report came in that the President had been fired at, three or four of us, I forget them, myself, Michael Paine, Ken Sambell, and Clarke Benham all gathered right around the radio like a bunch of ticks and stayed there.
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