TESTIMONY OF NAT A. PINKSTON beginning at 6H334...
The testimony of Nat A. Pinkston was taken at 12:10 p.m., on April 9, 1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building, Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex, by Mr. Joseph A. Ball, assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. BALL. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. PINKSTON. I do.
Mr. BALL. State your name, please.
Mr. PINKSTON. Nat A. Pinkston.
Mr. BALL. What is your occupation?
Mr. PINKSTON. I'm a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Mr. BALL. Have you had your deposition taken before this proceeding?
Mr. PINKSTON. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Your address is what?
Mr. PINKSTON. My residence address is 2106 Van Cleave Drive, Dallas,
Mr. BALL. And how long have you been a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau
Mr. PINKSTON. Be 24 years next month.
Mr. BALL. And you are assigned to what office?
Mr. PINKSTON. Dallas, Tex.
Mr.. BALL. Now, you did not receive a letter from the Commission asking you to testify, did you?
Mr. PINKSTON. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. You were asked to come over here by Mr. Shanklin?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes.
Mr. BALL. At my request, wasn't it?
Mr. PINKSTON. Well, I---
Mr. BALL. Anyway, you were asked to come over here by Mr. Shanklin and he advised you that your deposition would be taken at that time?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes.
Mr. BALL. The deposition taken in the course of an investigation 'by the Commission to investigate the facts concerning the circumstances surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy, and I am a staff officer. My name is Joseph A. Ball. I am authorized to administer the oath to you and to ask you certain questions concerning some matters which you do have knowledge of.
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Yon are willing to testify, are you not?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. In the course of your investigation, were you called to the Texas School Book Depository sometimes around the 2d of December 1963?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. And who asked you to come down there?
Mr. PINKSTON. I was instructed by one of my supervisors to conduct an investigation there on that date.
Mr. BALL. On that date?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did you see a fellow by the name of Frankie Kaiser?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes, sir.
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Mr. BALL. And Roy Truly?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. What did they tell you when you came down there?
Mr. PINKSTON. To the best of my recollection I was there waiting to see Mr. Truly. He was somewhere else in the building, and I was waiting. for him on the occasion in question. Frankie Kaiser came down the stairs and said that he had found something on the sixth floor. I didn't--I then accompanied him back to the sixth floor where he pointed out on the floor near the entrance to the stair well, a clipboard with some orders on it, and--pardon me a second, do you want me to testify to what Kaiser told me, which is hearsay
Mr. BALL. That is all right, but Kaiser told you that when you were downstairs, that something---didn't he? When he was--did Kaiser come downstairs?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes: Kaiser came downstairs and took me back upstairs with him and pointed out the clipboard which he had left on the floor.
Mr. BALL. Did he say he had left it there?
Mr. PINKSTON. He had seen it there and did not bother it.
Mr. BALL. I see.
Mr. PINKSTON. He did not put it there..
Mr. BALL. I see. Kaiser told you and you went upstairs and Kaiser pointed out the clipboard?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. First, the location of the clipboard.
Mr. PINKSTON. The clipboard was generally in the northwest corner of the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. It was on the floor behind the books, against the wall of the stair well.
Mr. BALL. There were some book cartons in front of it, were there?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes.
Mr. BALL. Now, did Frankie Kaiser say something? That is hearsay, but I would like to hear what it was.
Mr. PINKSTON. He told me this clipboard was the one that he had made, and had given to Oswald when Oswald went to work at the School Book Depository.
Mr. BALL. Did you examine the clipboard?
Mr. PINKSTON. I did, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did it have anybody's name on it?
Mr. PINKSTON. It had quite a bit of scribbling on it, and I believe well, I am not in a position to say right now exactly what it had on it other than some orders.
Mr. BALL. It did have some orders on it?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. And did you examine the orders?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes, sir.
Mr. BALL. Can you tell me the date of the orders and the general description of the orders?
Mr. PINKSTON. Three orders on this clipboard. Each order was dated November 22d. The first was an order from Mrs. Hazel Carroll of the Reading Clinic, SMU, for one Parliamentary Procedure at $1.40. Was published by Scott, Foresman & Co.
And this invoice bore No. 2454. The second one was an order from Dallas Independent School District from Mr. M. 3. Morton, purchasing agent, at the School Administration Building, 3700 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TEA., for 10 ERS, Basic Reading Skills, for high schools, revised, at $1.12, or total of $11.20. Published by Scott, Foresman & Co.
The Invoice was No. 6057.
The third order was an order to be sent to Mr. M. K. Baker, Junior High School, Reynosa, New Mex., for one TE Basic Reading Skills. 3. H. S. use. No charge. Sent at the request of Miss Mary Williams. Publisher; Scott, Foresman & Co., invoice 8291.
Each of these orders, as I say, were dated November 22, 1963.
Mr. BALL. What did you do when you--with the orders after you made these notations?
Mr. PINKSTON. I turned them over to Mr. Truly. He desired to fill the orders.
Mr. BALL. What did you do with the clipboard?
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Mr. PINKSTON. I returned the clipboard to my office and made an exhibit as I recall.
Mr. BALL. Is it still an exhibit? It is an FBI exhibit?
Mr. PINKSTON. I believe so.
Mr. BALL. In the possession of the FBI?
Mr. PINKSTON. I haven't seen it since then.
Mr. BALL. Will you try to determine if you still have that as an exhibit in our office, or in Washington?
Mr. PINKSTON. Yes.
Mr. BALL. All right Now, this will be written up and will be submitted to you for your signature, or you can waive your signature.
Mr. PINKSTON. I would like to--
Mr. BALL. See it and read it?
Mr. PINKSTON. See it and read it and sign it.
Mr. BALL. You will be notified to come to this office and read it and sign it.
(After the conclusion of the deposition and at 1 o'clock, p.m., on the same day as the taking of the deposition, Mr. Nat A. Pinkston appeared before me, Iris Leonard, stating that he wished the following statement to be incorporated with his deposition: "After reviewing my records, I am now able to state definitely that after examining the clipboard and the orders thereon, I left them at the Texas School Book Depository with Mr. Truly. The clipboard was picked up by another FBI agent at a later time and was made an exhibit.")