Mr. Curry. Yes; it was. Because we had to get the armored car in there after that. Anyway, after it was determined we would move him, Chief Batchelor, I believe, and Chief Stevenson and myself discussed this security and we decided it would be best to get an armored car down there in the event some one, some group tried to take our prisoner away from us, it would be better to have him in an armored car.
So. Chief Batchelor called the man, I don't recall his name now, that runs the armored motor service here in Dallas, and requested that we be furnished with an armored car, and I was told later that they had two sizes, an overland truck and a city truck and they would send them both over there when they could get the drivers and we could use whichever one we wanted.
Well, as I understand it, during this time the questioning of Oswald continued up in Captain Fritz' office, and I believe it was about a quarter to 11 or around 11 when we were told the armored cars were there and they backed them into the basement and they wouldn't go all the way down because of the height of the vehicle, and one of them was parked on the ramp and officers were placed on each side of it. In the meantime, I understand that the basement had been completely cleaned out of any unauthorized persons.
Mr. Hubert. Can you tell me why it was that the Commerce Street exit was chosen to put the armored car in and for the cars carrying Oswald to leave in, rather than the Main Street exit?
Mr. Curry. Because Commerce Street is one way east and all the traffic comes in on Main Street.
Mr. Hubert. Main Street is two-way traffic?
Mr. Curry. It is two-way traffic and the exit is one way east, so the vehicles were placed there.
Mr. Hubert. As a matter of geographical fact, except for the fact that you would have been going the wrong way, up the Main Street ramp and that you had two-way traffic on Main Street, the actual closest route would have been to go up the Main Street ramp, turn left up Main Street and go down?
Mr. Curry. Yes; it would. It would have been about three or four blocks closer, because when we came out of Commerce you had to go east to the second block and make a turn one block and make a turn back west.
Mr. Hubert. Chief, have you any comment to make as to why the longer route instead of the shorter route was taken?