Mr. Oliver. Oh, no; that is not the implication. I certainly would not imply that the unit knew it, because Cloy states specifically that they did not. They were told that it was a rehearsal for the anticipated demise of President Hoover.
Mr. Jenner. Is it in your implication then, sir, in your speech, that somebody else or some agency, somebody else connected with the Government of the United States or some agency of the Government of the United States, including the Army, Navy, Air Corps, Marines, wherever they may be, anticipated the assassination of the President a week in advance and directed the unit to begin preparing for the funeral?
Mr. Oliver. No; that is not my implication. If you raise a question it would be an interesting one for you to investigate; yes.
Mr. Jenner. Well, we wish to investigate anything that you readily seek to imply, and to some, at least, and frankly to me, that sentence that you have just read carries the clear implication that President Kennedy’s assassination was anticipated by somebody in the Government service or Government-connected, and the unit, Captain Cloy’s unit was told to begin rehearsing for a funeral, the pretext being the funeral or possible funeral of President Hoover, whereas those who directed it had specifically in mind the assassination of President Kennedy, is that what you intended to imply?
Mr. Oliver. That is not what I intended to imply in this passage here.
But it is certainly an inference that could be drawn from the facts; yes, I mean it is a possibility.
Mr. Jenner. In fairness to yourself and others possibly involved, Doctor, what did you intend to imply?
Mr. Oliver. I was primarily concerned in making the point that the viewers suffered an illusion. That they had assumed this horse belonged to Mrs. Kennedy, whereas he certainly did not. I further intended to imply there was no conceivable connection between Mrs. Kennedy and the horse, since she can’t ever have ridden it if nobody rode it.
Mr. Jenner. Did you intend to imply by that statement that the assassination of President Kennedy was anticipated and that the practice instructions issued to Captain Cloy and his unit were in anticipation of, in fact, not the possible death of Hoover but the assassination of the President of the United States?
Mr. Oliver. That is not what I intended to imply. I did not intend to exclude that possibility, of course.