Mr. McCullough. Well, my own personal opinion—I feel that it would have been perfectly proper for them to have not permitted news media representatives on that particular floor. But there, again, having said this, I would like also to say I don’t think there is any police department in the country that is set up to handle an investigation following the assassination of a President. I think they were extremely sensitive to public opinion, and were trying to do their best to show that they were doing a good job.
Mr. Griffin. How many other police departments have you had experience with in your years as a reporter?
Mr. McCullough. Well, as a police reporter it was pretty much in Philadelphia. But as far as security around a President—I have traveled with several Presidents, in political campaigns and tours, and so that I have seen the police operate in New York and Chicago.
Mr. Griffin. How many years experience have you had in Philadelphia as a police reporter?
Mr. McCullough. Ten.
Mr. Griffin. I am asking here now for a personal opinion. In your estimation, do the police have an affirmative obligation to render affirmative assistance to newspaper reporters in covering matters?
Mr. McCullough. I think they do. Yes; so long as it does not hinder the investigation, as such. Actually, I think that in most cases this can be done without any hindrance to the investigation. Of course, while I say it would have been proper for the Dallas police to have not permitted the reporters in the immediate vicinity of the area where Oswald was being questioned, I think—I cannot think of any city where I could have expected the thing to be handled in a different way than from what it was handled in Dallas. I think the thing was a crime of such magnitude that the police themselves wanted—having had an arrest, I think that they were then anxious to show that they had solved the shooting, and that they were trying to erase what they considered to be a stigma on the name of Dallas.
Mr. Griffin. Looking back over your experiences on those 3 days, do you have any suggestions as to how the police could have handled the press consistent with what you consider to be their obligation to render assistance to the press in the performance of the press duties?
Mr. McCullough. Nothing, beyond the fact that they might have, and there would have been a tremendous yell of censorship and violation of freedom of the press—they could have kept the media, the news media, in one area, and established some sort of a liaison, appointing an officer to bring information to them. This I have never seen done. But it could be done. It is entirely a personal opinion. I think that the Dallas police performed pretty well. As I say, I was asked constantly for credentials. And most of the reporters near me were also asked for credentials. Especially on the morning—Sunday morning, in which it was planned to move Oswald, they were very strict.
Mr. Griffin. Do you think it would have been proper or improper for the police to have barred the press from the basement area at the time that Oswald was being transferred?