TESTIMONY OF JOHN L. DANIELS
The testimony of John L. Daniels was taken at 10 a.m., on April 1, 1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building, Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Leon D. Hubert, Jr., assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. HUBERT. This is the deposition of John L. Daniels.
Mr. DANIELS. That's right.
Mr. HUBERT. Mr. Daniels, I have to read some things to you. Mr. Daniels, my name is Leon D. Hubert, and I am a member of the advisory staff of the General Counsel of the President's Commission. Under the Provisions of the Executive Order 11130, dated November 29, 1963, the Joint Resolutution of Congress No. 137, and the rules of procedure adopted by the Commission in conformance with that Executive order and the joint resolution, I have been authorized to take the sworn deposition of you. I state to you now that the general nature of the Commission's inquiry is to ascertain, evaluate and report upon the facts relative to the assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent violent death of Lee Harvey Oswald. In particular as to you, Mr. Daniels, the. nature of the inquiry today is to determine what facts you know about the death of Oswald and any other pertinent facts you may know about the general inquiry, including the parking of the car that belonged to Mr. Ruby at the parking lot next to you, I think.
Now, Mr. Daniels, I understand that you received a letter from Mr. J. Lee Rankin, General Counsel of the Commission asking you to appear to have your testimony taken by this deposition. Did you receive that letter over 3 days ago from today?
Mr. DANIELS. It has been longer than that.
Mr. HUBERT. It has been longer than that? All right, now, will you stand and take the oath, please, and raise your right hand.
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. DANIELS. Yes, I do.
Mr. HUBERT. Will you state your name, please. Sit down, please.
Mr. DANIELS. My name is John L. Daniels.
Mr. HUBERT. And your age?
Mr. DANIELS. My age is 32.
Mr. HUBERT. Where do you live, Mr. Daniels?
Mr. DANIELS. 2314 South Boulevard.
Mr. HUBERT. South Boulevard, Dallas, Tex.?
Mr. DANIELS. That's right.
Mr. HUBERT. What is your present occupation? Where do you work?
Mr. DANIELS. Working out of the Adolphus Garage now.
Mr. HUBERT. Adolphus Garage? That is connected to the Adolphus Hotel?
Mr. DANIELS. Across the street from it, but just the name of it. The one connected to the Adolphus Hotel is onto the building.
Mr. HUBERT. I see, is that located at 1326 Commerce Street?
Mr. DANIELS. That's right.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, on November 24, 1963, which was a Sunday, where were you working?
Mr. DANIELS. Working for Norton parking lot.
Mr. HUBERT. Working for Ralph Norton, Norton's Auto Park?
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Mr. DANIELS. Yes, auto park right across from Western Union.
Mr. HUBERT. That is Main Street?
Mr. DANIELS. Main Street, 2335 Main.
Mr. HUBERT. Is there another parking lot next to yours?
Mr. DANIELS. The one just--used to be the same lot, but divided it up.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know a man by the name of Theodore Jackson?
Mr. DANIELS. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Who is he?
Mr. DANIELS. He is the colored fellow working in the next block to me. On Sunday our lots work together.
Mr. HUBERT. What time did you go on duty at the parking lot, Mr. Daniels, on November 24?
Mr. DANIELS. November 24?
Mr. HUBERT. That was the day that Oswald was shot in the jail.
Mr. DANIELS. It was somewhere around, I imagine it was after the shot was made when I went on, and went down in the city hall, I imagine it was about----
Mr. HUBERT. Well, I am talking about the time you went to work.
Mr. DANIELS. Time I went to work?
Mr. HUBERT. Yes.
Mr. DANIELS. Somewhere around 12 o'clock, I believe it was. I never did pay much attention to the time.
Mr. HUBERT. Where did you come from when you went to work?
Mr. DANIELS. I came from home.
Mr. HUBERT. You hadn't been hanging around the Main Street prior to that, had you?
Mr. DANIELS. No; I hadn't been hanging around there.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, what time----
Mr. DANIELS. I lived about a street--I was staying at the Pacific Hotel, and had the radio on and heard about the shooting and got up and come on out of there then, about 2 blocks from there.
Mr. HUBERT. In other words you were in your home at the Pacific Hotel on Pacific Avenue, Pacific Street and turned the radio on and heard the shooting?
Mr. DANIELS. That's right.
Mr. HUBERT. Then you came down to the parking lot?
Mr. DANIELS. Ambulance came by blowing, and I got up and came on down to the parking lot then.
Mr. HUBERT. You saw the ambulance go by?
Mr. DANIELS. I heard it blowing.
Mr. HUBERT. Oh, I see.
Mr. DANIELS. They had the sirens blowing was all.
Mr. HUBERT. I see. Do you know Mr. Jack Ruby?
Mr. DANIELS. No, sir; I don't know him.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know anything about the parking of his car on Mr. Norton's lot?
Mr. DANIELS. No, sir; car was parked next lot to it.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you see it?
Mr. DANIELS. Yes; I seen the car.
Mr. HUBERT. How did you know it was Mr. Ruby's car?
Mr. DANIELS. Well, detectives come down and picked up the car. Me and this Jackson was there together and he put a ticket on the car so me and him went over to the car and he got a dime to call--to bring the key down there to unlock the car.
Mr. HUBERT. Who did that?
Mr. DANIELS. One of the detectives brought that letter you all sent to me.
Mr. HUBERT. He got a key, you say?
Mr. DANIELS. He called back to the city hall for them to bring Jack Ruby's key down. They searched the car good. The car was open. He had a dog laying in the car.
Mr. HUBERT. The windows were open?
Mr. DANIELS. One was cracked, and didn't lock the car. The trunk was locked.
Mr. HUBERT. The trunk was locked but the doors of the car were not locked and there was a little crack in the window for air, I suppose, for the dog?
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Mr. DANIELS. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, when the detectives came they could open the car? They didn't need a key for that, did they?
Mr. DANIELS. No, sir; they didn't.
Mr. HUBERT. Did they get a key from anybody?
Mr. DANIELS. I don't know if the key ever come. I think one of them had a key fit it or something.
Mr. HUBERT. Fit what?
Mr. DANIELS. They unlocked the trunk before the man got back with the key or something. I could tell, so they said, "We'll take the car. Call for the dog wagon to come and get the dog." Then they decided they'd take the car on down to the pound, the city pound.
Mr. HUBERT. And the dog was taken?
Mr. DANIELS. Take the dog with them.
Mr. HUBERT. They took the dog with them?
Mr. DANIELS. That's right.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, about how long after you got to work did the detectives come to the car?
Mr. DANIELS. Oh, in maybe an hour.
Mr. HUBERT. An hour?
Mr. DANIELS. Yes, sir; something like that.
Mr. HUBERT. So, you think they got there about 1 o'clock?
Mr. DANIELS. I don't know. Somewhere could have been a little later than that when they got there.
Mr. HUBERT. What time was it when they left with the car?
Mr. DANIELS. I don't know. The boy didn't punch the ticket out. He just picked it off, because they didn't pay the ticket out. I don't know what time, exactly.
Mr. HUBERT. How long were the detectives there from the time they first came until they left?
Mr. DANIELS. They stayed there about 5 or 10 minutes, and then the key, one of them had a key fit it. Must have been his car keys or something, and they left with the car.
Mr. HUBERT. You don't know where they found that car key that fit the car, do you?
Mr. DANIELS. No; I really don't know, because I walked back on over there. They raised the trunk up and looked in it.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you look in the trunk?
Mr. DANIELS. When they stared looking in the trunk they said, "Well, we'd better take the car on over to the pound." And searched the car there.
Mr. HUBERT. They did not take anything out of the car at that time?
Mr. DANIELS. Didn't take anything out of the car.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you know this man named Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. DANIELS. No, sir; sure didn't.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you know whether Mr. Ruby had ever parked his car there before?
Mr. DANIELS. No; I don't.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you recognize the car?
Mr. DANIELS. No, sir; sure didn't.
Mr. HUBERT. How long have you been working for the Adolphus Garage?
Mr. DANIELS. Been down there about a month now.
Mr. HUBERT. Mr. Daniels, do you know anything that might throw any light on the general inquiry?
Mr. DANIELS. No, sir; that's all I know.
Mr. HUBERT. Have you been interviewed by any member of the Commission's staff before this deposition?
Mr. DANIELS. Yes; one or two fellows, say the FBI, and talked to me.
Mr. HUBERT. They are members of the FBI, but I am talking about persons who identified themselves as members of the staff of the President's Commission?
Mr. DANIELS. No, sir; I don't
Mr. HUBERT. You have not been interviewed, for example, by me before this deposition?
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Mr. DANIELS. That's right, I haven't.
Mr. HUBERT. All right, sir. Thank you very much. I think that is all.
Mr. DANIELS. Okay.