Captain Talbert. I instructed Lieutenant Pierce to——
Mr. Hubert. That is Rio Pierce?
Captain Talbert. Yes; Rio Sam Pierce. I instructed him to go over the detail and pull three squads from each of the three outlying stations and four from central stations to acquire as many men as possible by utilizing two-man squads, and search the basement area, clear it, and then keep it cleared of everything but authorized personnel.
Mr. Hubert. Now did you do that——
Captain Talbert. By basement area, let me refer back again to the area that we previously defined.
Mr. Hubert. Did you do that on your own initiative, or were you directed or requested to do that by anyone?
Captain Talbert. I did it on my own due to the buildup of public curiosity seekers around the building, as well as the buildup around the city jail, and traffic conditions in the downtown area on Sunday were extraordinarily heavy due to the situation that had just occurred. And I thought that if a transfer were made, then we should have some precautions to safeguard it, and also to keep from having chaos in attempting to do it immediately.
Mr. Hubert. Were you aware then that the transfer of Oswald would be made by utilizing some part of the basement area, or were you just assuming that it would?
Captain Talbert. Strictly an assumption, sir, and from the fact that he might not. Transfer was strictly an assumption from the press, what had been released in the press the day before.
Mr. Hubert. In other words, you did not know at that time that Oswald would be transferred on Sunday?