Mr. Weissman. Well, because the way it was right away, the announcers, even before it was ascertained that President Kennedy was dead, or that he had really been shot, that it was a rightwing plot and so forth. And he had every reason to be frightened.
Mr. Jenner. Why did he have every reason to be frightened?
Mr. Weissman. Because, let's face it, the public feeling would suddenly be very antirightwing, and no telling what would happen if a mob got together and discovered him. They would tear him apart.
Bill and I were frightened to the point because I knew about the ad. And I knew exactly what—at least I felt in my own mind I knew what people would believe. They would read the ad and so forth, and associate you with this thing, somehow, one way or another. So we went to another bar—I don't remember the name of it—the Ducharme Club was closed, by the way, that afternoon.
Mr. Jenner. When you reached the Ducharme Club, it was closed, but you found Mr. Schmidt there?
Mr. Weissman. Larrie was waiting on the corner. He got in the car. We sat and talked for a few minutes. We went to another bar a few blocks away. We drank beer and watched television. And we had been in the bar, I guess, about an hour when it come over that this patrolman Tippit had been shot, and they trapped some guy in a movie theater. And maybe half an hour, an hour later, it came out this fellow's name was Lee Harvey Oswald. This is the first time I ever heard the name.
Mr. Jenner. What was said at that time?
Mr. Weissman. By us?
Mr. Jenner. Yes. When it was announced it was Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. Weissman. We were relieved.