TESTIMONY OF DON EDWARD GOIN

The testimony of Don Edward Coin was taken at 7:10 p.m., on July 13, 1964, in the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building, Bryan and Ervay Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Leon D. Hubert, Jr., assistant counsel of the President's Commission Sam Kelley, assistant attorney general of Texas, was present
Mr. HUBERT. This is the deposition of Mr. Donald Goin.
Mr. GOIN. Don E. Goin.
Mr. HUBERT. Don? It is not Donald?
Mr. GOIN. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Don E. Goin [spelling] G-o-i-n.
Mr. Goin, my name is Leon Hubert. I am a member of the advisory staff of the general counsel of the President's Commission. Under the provisions of Executive Order 11130 dated November 29, 1963, and the joint resolution of Congress No. 137, and the rules of procedure adopted by the President's Commission in conformance with that Executive order and the joint resolution, I have been authorized to take a sworn deposition from you, among others.
I say to you now that the general nature of the Commission's inquiry is to ascertain, evaluate and report upon the facts relevant to the assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent violent death of Lee Harvey Oswald.
In particular as to you, Mr. Goin, the nature of the inquiry today is to determine what facts you know about the death of Oswald and any other pertinent facts you may know about the general inquiry.
Now Mr. Goin, you appear today by virtue of a letter request made to you by Mr. J. Lee Rankin, general counsel on the staff of the President's Commission. You received such notice?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. When did you receive it?
Mr. GOIN. I received it Thursday.
Mr. HUBERT. That would have been the 9th?
Mr. GOIN. I believe so.
Mr. HUBERT. I think you have it in your hand there?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Does it bear a stamp that indicates the date?
Mr. GOIN. Mailed the 8th.
Mr. HUBERT. From Washington, D.C.?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Now will you stand and raise your hand and take the oath?
Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give in this matter will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. GOIN. I do.
Mr. HUBERT. Will you state your full name?
Mr. GOIN. Don Edward Goin.
Mr. HUBERT. Where do you reside, sir?
Mr. GOIN. 1510 Crockett Circle.
Mr. HUBERT. Dallas?
 

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Mr. GOIN. Carrollton, Tex.
Mr. HUBERT. You just moved there, I think, today?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Your former address is 1800 Leonard Avenue?
Mr. GOIN. No; that is my business address.
Mr. HUBERT. Oh, that is your business address. That is where you received the letter?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; that is right.
Mr. HUBERT. But your home address is as you just gave it?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. What is your occupation, sir?
Mr. GOIN. Armored car operator.
Mr. HUBERT. How long have you been so occupied?
Mr. GOIN. Approximately 3 years.
Mr. HUBERT. What organization?
Mr. GOIN. Armored Motor Service Co.
Mr. HUBERT. Who is your immediate superior with that organization?
Mr. GOIN. Bert Hall.
Mr. HUBERT. That is, Marvin E. Hall is the actual name?
Mr. GOIN. That's right.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know Mr. Harold Fleming?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Who is he?
Mr. GOIN. The position with the company, one of the personal administrators. He has another position as general operations manager, I believe, something like that.
Mr. HuBERT. I was inquiring about your activities in connection with the use of armored cars on November 24, 1963, in an anticipated plan and movement of Lee Harvey Oswald from the Dallas City Jail to the county jail. In the first place, let me ask you, had you been to the police department at all on November 24 until you went with the armored car later?
Mr. GOIN. This was the Sunday morning in question?
Mr. HUBERT. Yes.
Mr. GOIN. No; I had not.
Mr. HUBERT. How did you first learn that your services would be needed on that Sunday, November 24?
Mr. GOIN. Telephone call.
Mr. HUBERT. From whom?
Mr. GOIN. From Hall.
Mr. HUBERT. At what time?
Mr. GOIN. I don't remember exactly.
Mr. HUBERT. What, approximately?
Mr. GOIN. I think it was 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning.
Mr. HUBERT. Were you at home?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; at home.
Mr. HUBERT. What did Mr. Hall ask or direct you to do?
Mr. GOIN. Asked if I would come to the office; meet him at the office.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he tell you what it was about on the phone?
Mr. GOIN. No; he didn't.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he express to you the necessity for being there quickly?
Mr. GOIN. I honestly don't recall. I just told him that I would be able to meet him there.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you immediately leave your home?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; in a matter of minutes.
Mr. HUBERT. Is there any way at all you can think of of fixing the time you left your home?
Mr. GOIN. No; I don't believe so, not exactly.
Mr. HUBERT. Would you say that it was within 5 minutes after you finished your telephone conversation with Mr. Hall that you did leave your home?
Mr. GOIN. I believe it would be about closer to 20 minutes after. As I recall, I was in the process of shaving and I finished shaving and dressing.
 

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Mr. HUBERT. Where did you live at that time?
Mr. GOIN. 6329 Denham Court, Dallas.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you drive your own automobile down to the terminal?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; I did.
Mr. HUBERT. The terminal is located where?
Mr. GOIN. 1800 Leonard Street.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you remember what route you followed in going from your home to the terminal?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Would you state what it is, please?
Mr. GOIN. The expressway into town across Good-Latimer.
Mr. HUBERT. What expressway?
Mr. GOIN. South Central. Followed the freeway to South Central.
Mr. HUBERT. Then South Central to what?
Mr. GOIN. To Good-Latimer.
Mr. HUBERT. Good-Latimer?
Mr. GOIN. Good-Latimer.
Mr. HUBERT. Good-Latimer to what?
Mr. GOIN. Let's see, Bryan to Fairmount, and to the office.
Mr. HUBERT. Fairmount to Leonard?
Mr. GOIN. No; Fairmount goes by the office, on the other side of the office.
Mr. HUBERT. How long did you estimate it took you to drive from your home to the terminal?
Mr. GOIN. Approximately 15 minutes.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you remember about what time you got there at the terminal?
Mr. GOIN. No; I don't, offhand.
Mr. HUBERT. Was anyone there? Were you the first to get there?
Mr. GOIN. No; Mr. Dietrich was there, and I believe Mr. Hall also.
Mr. HUBERT. So was Mr. Fleming there?
Mr. GOIN. I can't truthfully say.
Mr. HUBERT. In any case, two people were there before you?
Mr. GOIN. I believe so.
Mr. HUBERT. What did you proceed to do then after you arrived? What happened?
Mr. GOIN. I talked with Mr. Hall and was advised what we were going to do. I had guessed what we would do, but I had not been advised before then what we would do.
Mr. HUBERT. How long after you got there did Mr. Fleming arrive, do you know?
Mr. GOIN. I can't advise you there.
Mr. HUBERT. What happened next?
Mr. GOIN. We got keys to the armored trucks.
Mr. HUBERT. Where were the keys?
Mr. GOIN. In the office.
Mr. HUBERT. They weren't kept on your person or the person of Mr. Dietrich?
Mr. GOIN. No; I don't believe so. They are kept in the office itself.
Mr. HUBERT. In a safe?
Mr. GOIN. In security; yes.
Mr. HUBERT. You had keys to the office, though?
Mr. GOIN. No; I didn't.
Mr. HUBERT. Who had the keys to the office?
Mr. GOIN. I imagine Mr. Hall.
Mr. HUBERT. In any case, the office was opened and the keys to the truck or trucks were obtained?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Who actually obtained those keys?
Mr. GOIN. I don't recall that.
Mr. HUBERT. You didn't do it yourself then?
Mr. GOIN. I don't believe so. I may have. I don't recall distinctly, I am sorry.
Mr. HUBERT. Were the keys in a safe with a combination?
Mr. GOIN. No. Our office is a security lock.
 

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Mr. HUBERT. So the keys were in a box on a string or something?
Mr. GOIN. On a keyboard in the office.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you all enter the office prior to the arrival of Mr. Fleming, or after?
Mr. GOIN. I can't really tell you that.
Mr. HUBERT. What did you do, or what did the others do then? First of all, you got the keys, and the next thing that happened was what?
Mr. GOIN. I believe we got the trucks and prepared to leave. There was a little delay in some phone calls, I don't remember, by Mr. Hall or Mr. Fleming. I can't really say what was involved. I remember Mr. Dietrich now waiting a while.
Mr. HUBERT. Would you give us an estimate of how much time elapsed between the time you arrived at the terminal and the time you began to move to the city jail?
Mr. GOIN. Probably a half hour, I should say, possibly. I don't recall. I haven't put any thought on this, I am sorry.
Mr. HUBERT. Was there any difficulty in starting either of the two trucks?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; there was. Let's see, I believe truck no. 46 had a new battery and consequently hadn't been serviced properly or serviced with water and had to be used, what we call service cabled from another battery.
Mr. HUBERT. To get the motor started?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Was that truck No. 46 the larger or the smaller of the two trucks?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; it is our largest truck at present.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you have anything to do with the starting up of the truck, larger truck No. 46?
Mr. GOIN. I don't recall.
Mr. HUBERT. But you do recall that it was necessary to use another battery with cables to get it started?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; it was.
Mr. HUBERT. But who did the actual work of putting the other battery on to the necessary parts of the truck to get the truck started?
Mr. GOIN. I really can't give you an honest answer there.
Mr. HUBERT. You don't know whether you did it yourself?
Mr. GOIN. I may have been a part of it, but I don't distinctly remember doing it, I am sorry.
Mr. HUBERT. But you do remember that the front hood was opened so that the battery could be started?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. How much of a delay did that occasion, do you know?
Mr. GOIN. Not exactly. Probably 15 minutes. It would be an estimate, I am sorry.
Mr. HUBERT. How did you travel from the terminal to the city jail?
Mr. GOIN. In--I was trying to think what truck number--in the other truck.
Mr. HUBERT. In the smaller truck?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Were you driving?
Mr. GOIN. I believe I did.
Mr. HUBERT. Who was with you?
Mr. GOIN. Mr. Dietrich.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you precede the larger truck, or follow it?
Mr. GOIN. I don't remember exactly.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you remember the route that was used to go from the terminal?
Mr. GOIN. Ross Avenue to Harwood, down Harwood to the Commerce Street parking on Commerce.
Mr. HUBERT. When you got to Commerce Street, where did you park?
Mr. GOIN. I parked past the city jail, back exit.
Mr. HUBERT. There is an exit from the city jail coming up from the basement which comes out on Commerce Street?
Mr. GOIN. That's right.
 

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Mr. HUBERT. You say you had come down Harwood and turned left onto Commerce?
Mr. GOIN. I parked past the exit.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you park on the Main Street side of Commerce or the opposite side?
Mr. GOIN. I parked on the north side of Commerce.
Mr. HUBERT. Now the north side of Commerce would be to the right of Commerce or to the left, as you were going?
Mr. GOIN. As I were going, it would be to the left.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you park ahead or in back of the larger truck?
Mr. GOIN. The larger truck backed into the dock.
Mr. HUBERT. In other words, was it ahead of you at that point, or behind you?
Mr. GOIN. I don't remember exactly whether I followed him or whether he followed me.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, you parked on the same side of the street of Commerce Street as the exit, is that correct?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; that is correct.
Mr. HUBERT. You did not park on the opposite side of the street where the people were congregating, or did you?
Mr. GOIN. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Well now, when you parked there, did you ever move again until ultimately you moved away after the shooting?
Mr. GOIN. No; not that I recall.
Mr. HUBERT. In other words, your car was parked then past the Commerce Street exit from Harwood Street and on the side of the Commerce Street to your left, rather than the opposite side of Commerce Street, is that correct?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. How far past the entrance were you parked, or exit rather?
Mr. GOIN. The exit, a couple of car lengths, I believe. I believe there was a city or county car sitting behind us for a long time.
Mr. HUBERT. Was that a city or county car that was parked across the exit and therefore immediately in front of the larger truck?
Mr. GOIN. I believe it was the car that backed in front of the armored car.
Mr. HUBERT. That was the larger truck?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. About when, relative to the time you arrived, did this other car park in front of the armored car?
Mr. GOIN. I can't really give you an answer there, I am sorry.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you remember when the shot was fired? Did you hear any shot?
Mr. GOIN. No; I did not.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you leave your car at all at any time?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; left the armored truck.
Mr. HUBERT. The small one?
Mr. GOIN. The small armored truck on, I think, a couple of occasions and walked back to the back of the truck standing for a moment or for a few minutes, and walking back and getting back in.
Mr. HUBERT. But you never left the immediate vicinity of the small armored truck?
Mr. GOIN. No; I didn't get other than just a few feet at the most from the armored truck.
Mr. HUBERT. How did you first learn of the shooting?
Mr. GOIN. I don't remember exactly. The commotion began with someone trying to get the Ford sedan in front of our big armored truck out of the way, and I don't recall exactly from what source I learned the actual shooting, or maybe just overheard loud conversations, because I didn't have any direct conversation with anyone there.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you remember seeing yourself, the police car coming from around Harwood onto Commerce and backing so that it was placed in front of the large armored car? Did you see that yourself?
Mr. GOIN. Would you explain again?
Mr. HUBERT. You have stated to us that after the large armored truck was
 

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backed partially into the ramp, that a police car, which I think you said was a Ford, came around and backed up in front of the armored truck, isn't that correct?
Mr. GOIN. That's right.
Mr. HUBERT. Now you observed that yourself? Did you see it happen?
Mr. GOIN. Partially; if not all the way. I don't recall exactly if I was in the armored truck when this happened, or standing beside it.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, do I understand you to say that you are not sure whether you actually saw it, but that you ultimately saw it in that position?
Mr. GOIN. I am sure I saw it moving either in a rear view mirror or was standing beside the truck and saw it, because I was observing as much as I could.
Mr. HUBERT. How long after you had arrived at the parking position originally did this Ford police car back up in front of the large truck?
Mr. GOIN. I can't give you an answer to that, I am sorry.
Mr. HUBERT. Had you been there some considerable time?
Mr. GOIN. I can't really say.
Mr. HUBERT. How far were you--I think you have already stated you were two car lengths from the exit?
Mr. GOIN. If I remember, approximately a couple car lengths.
Mr. HUBERT. Was there another police car in front of you, or back of you parked in the same manner as you?
Mr. GOIN. I think before we left there was another police car that moved in front of us, I believe, as a lead position. Because as I recall us leaving, he was in front of us, or at least we started out moving and he was in front of us.
Mr. HUBERT. Well now, I understand then that there was another police car in addition to the Ford that backed up in front of the large truck, that came and placed itself in front of you, is that correct?
Mr. GOIN. I believe there was.
Mr. HUBERT. Did that car come before or after the first police car came?
Mr. GOIN. I can't be sure.
Mr. HUBERT. Were you double parked? I mean, were there cars parked on your left along the curbing?
Mr. GOIN. I believe there were.
Mr. HUBERT. When you first drove up, who gave you instructions as to where to stop?
Mr. GOIN. There was policemen on duty in the street.
Mr. HUBERT. And they told you where to stop?
Mr. GOIN. Yes. I am sure that we were double parked and there were other cars on the side.
Mr. HUBERT. On your left?
Mr. GOIN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Was there another car double parked in front of you when you first drove up?
Mr. GOIN. I don't think so.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, you say that the larger truck backed in into the exit. You must have been ahead of it, isn't that so? Otherwise it would have had to back around you if it had been ahead of you, isn't that so?
Mr. GOIN. I. believe I followed the larger car. In the trend of thinking back, I believe that I followed the larger car.
Mr. HUBERT. When your larger truck backed into the Commerce Street exit, was it in front of you or in back of you?
Mr. GOIN. Well, if I followed it to the office, it must have been in front, though I can't remember distinctly that part of it.
Mr. HUBERT. Did Mr. Dietrich ever leave the smaller truck that you were in with him?
Mr. GOIN. I believe he walked down beside the truck with me.
Mr. HUBERT. But no more than that?
Mr. GOIN. No; not that I recall.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you recall Mr. Fleming coming out and giving you instructions at any time as to what to?
Mr. GOIN. No; I don't.
 

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Mr. HUBERT. Do you recall Mr. Hall doing so?
Mr. GOIN. Mr. Hall?
Mr. HUBERT. Yes.
Mr. GOIN. It seems, I believe, Mr. Hall come out and spoke at one time.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you remember what he said to you?
Mr. GOIN. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you remember what instructions you had as to what to do?
Mr. GOIN. I was in question as to what would actually take place most of the time, as I recall.
Mr. HUBERT. You what?
Mr. GOIN. I was more or less uninformed as to what to do and was waiting instructions.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you ever receive them?
Mr. GOIN. No. The commotion began.
Mr. HUBERT. Prior to the beginning of the commotion, did you get any instructions as to what to do?
Mr. GOIN. I believe we talked. Mr. Hall had said something about traveling down Main Street, and I do not remember if we had agreed that there would be some other men probably want to ride in our truck, security men. I don't remember if that was discussed with some of the officers there, or with just Mr. Dietrich and myself.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you know Jack Ruby?
Mr. GOIN. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Have you seen pictures of him in the press or on TV or anything of that sort since?
Mr. GOIN. Yes; I have seen pictures in the paper.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you see anybody around there that day that either was Ruby or looked like him?
Mr. GOIN. At that time, I certainly didn't know him.
Mr. HUBERT. But now that you do know what he looks like, can you tell us whether or not you saw anybody?
Mr. GOIN. I am sorry, I wouldn't know him if I were to see him.
Mr. HUBERT. Now there was no conversation between us this afternoon? I mean tonight, other than what has been recorded by the stenographer, isn't that correct?
Mr. GOIN. That's right.
Mr. HUBERT. Thank you, Mr. Goin. I appreciate your coming down.
Mr. GOIN. Yes.