CHARLES HALL STEELE, JR.

The testimony of Charles Hall Steele, Jr., was taken on April 7, 1964, at the Old Civil Courts Building, Royal and Conti Streets, New Orleans, La., by Mr. Albert E. Jenner, Jr., assistant counsel of the President's Commission

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Charles Hall Steele, Jr., 1488 Madrid Street, New Orleans, La., after first being duly sworn, testified as follows:
Mr. JENNER. You are Charles Hall Steele, Jr., is that right?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And your address is 1488 Madrid Street here in New Orleans?
Mr. STEELE. That's right.
Mr. JENNER. And is that spelled S-T-E-E-L-E?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. I am Albert E. Jenner, Jr., attorney on the legal staff on the President's Commission, investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding the assassination last November of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Did you receive a letter from Mr. Rankin, general counsel for the Commission?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER And enclosed with that letter were Senate Joint Resolution 187, which authorized the creation of the Commission to investigate the assassination of the late President; is that right?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And the Executive Order No. 11130 of President Lyndon B. Johnson, appointing that Commission and fixing its powers and duties. That was enclosed also in the letter?
Mr. STEELE Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And a copy of the rules and regulations under which we take testimony, both before the Commission and also by way of deposition, such as in this instance. You received that also?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Now, you have appeared here voluntarily today, is that right?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. From those papers that you received, did you become aware of the purpose for the existence of the President's Commission, that it is enjoined by legislation to investigate the circumstances and all the facts relating to the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on the 22d of November 1963, and the subsequent death and murder of Lee Harvey Oswald on the 24th of November 1963?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER We of the legal staff are questioning various people, sometimes before the Commission and sometimes in private depositions, such as this one, who in the ordinary course of their lifetime touched the life of Lee Harvey Oswald, or someone in his family, the facts of which might help the Commission in its ultimate determination of this tragedy, and we understand that you are one of those who came into contact with Lee Harvey Oswald during the time he lived in New Orleans; is that right?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER First, are you a native born American?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Here in New Orleans?
Mr. STEELE. In New Orleans; yes.
Mr. JENNER. And your father likewise is a native born American, is that right?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. In Louisiana?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And your mother?
Mr. STEELE. From New Orleans, La.
Mr. JENNER. How old are you?
Mr. STEELE. Twenty.
Mr. JENNER. Are you a student?
Mr. STEELE. Well, that's hard to say, I haven't graduated or got my diploma yet from Delgado. However, I finished a course up there, and they let me out.
Mr. JENNER. Delgado--is that a trade school?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Are you working part time or what?
Mr. STEELE. I was working part time and going to school. I was working after

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school, and then after they let me out I started to work full time. However, right now, I am waiting to go into the service.
Mr. JENNER. Do you know a young lady by the name of Charlene Stouff?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Is she a friend of yours?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Do you recall an occasion when you accompanied her to the employment service office?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. When was that?
Mr. STEELE. As to the date I couldn't say, but that's the date they took films of me passing out leaflets.
Mr. JENNER. On Canal Street?
Mr. STEELE. Well, not on Canal Street; it was in front of the Trade Mart Building.
Mr. JENNER. What street is the Trade Mart Building on?
Mr. STEELE. Well, I don't know the street offhand. I know where it is. I have been there many times for different things; it's down the street from Canal Street, just one block.
Mr. JENNER. You say you have been there many times?
Mr. STEELE Yes; buying wholesale stuff for my father, and all.
Mr. JENNER How did you become involved in that passing out literature business?
Mr. STEELE. Well, she had to take this test for the school board building.
Mr. JENNER. She did?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. You are talking about Charlene Stouff?
Mr. STEELE. That's right.
Mr. JENNER. For what purpose did she have to take this test?
Mr. STEELE. Applying for a job.
Mr. JENNER. What kind of a job?
Mr. STEELE. Secretary of some sort; I don't know exactly what job that was to be.
Mr. JENNER. And you accompanied her?
Mr. STEELE. Well, she asked me if I would drive her down there, and I drove her down.
Mr. JENNER. Was this the U.S. Employment Service?
Mr. STEELE. I couldn't say. It's the one on Canal Street, approximately in the 500 block, I think.
Mr. JENNER. All right, proceed; tell me all about it, what happened, and everything.
Mr. STEELE. To tell you the truth, I never thought any more about it until Mr. Rice came to see me, but I was just sitting around there and had about an hour to kill more or less. I was there a good while waiting for her.
Mr. JENNER. You were waiting for her to take the test?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. All right, what happened?
Mr. STEELE. This gentleman came up and introduced himself to me.
Mr. JENNER. What did he look like?
Mr. STEELE. It was Oswald, he turned out to be. He introduced himself and asked me if I would like to make a couple of dollars.
Mr. JENNER. Did he introduce himself as Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. STEELE. Well, I couldn't tell you that. I presume he did, but that's only presumption on my part. I don't remember names too well; just faces, and that's about all, so then after he asked me if I would like to make some money, I asked him, "Doing what?" and he said, "Passing out these leaflets in front of the Trade Mart Building, and I said, "About how long will it take?" and he said, "About 15 or 20 minutes at the most." I figured $2 for 20 minutes, and I am going on vacation next week, that could come in handy, and so I said, "All right," that I would go over there and do it, and so in the meantime Charlene had come back. She had finished her test, and she had to go back to the school board building to see some guy that she saw before about the job, so I brought

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her over to that gentleman, and then I went back over to the Trade Mart Building, where he and another fellow came up, and he handed me these leaflets, so I just started passing them out.
Mr. JENNER. Did you look at them before you started passing them out?
Mr. STEELE. No; I didn't look at them. I have walked down Canal Street myself a lot of times, and somebody has handed me a leaflet like that, and I just take it, and most of the time I just throw it in the nearest trash can; I don't read them.
Mr. JENNER. Did you have a sign, or was anybody carrying a sign there?
Mr. STEELE. No; but these pictures that Mr. Rice showed me, the FBI agent, I saw myself on those, and there was a gentleman in the rear who was also passing out leaflets, and I never saw him at the time I was there, but he's in the pictures.
Mr. JENNER. What did he look like, this man who was there also passing out leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. Well, I shouldn't say this, I guess, but he was sort of Cuban looking, like that.
Mr. JENNER. Olive skinned, do you mean?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; olive skinned, but he was back in the rear, passing out leaflets, and I never did even see him.
Mr. JENNER. And this man, Oswald, who asked you to pass out the leaflets for 15 or 20 minutes, was he also passing out the leaflets at the same time?
Mr. STEELE. I never noticed.
Mr. JENNER. Did you notice whether he was there, or whether he remained there after he gave you these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. Oh, he was there. In fact, he had leaflets in his hand.
Mr. JENNER. Do you think he was passing them out?
Mr. STEELE I guess so, but, I mean, to say that he was just standing there passing them out, I didn't pay any attention to that. I was just trying to get mine passed out and get my $2 and leave. I didn't even look at him after a few minutes.
Mr. JENNER. Did you more or less walk up and down in front of the building passing out these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. More or less. I figured the sooner I got rid of them the sooner I could leave, so that's all I was interested in doing.
Mr. JENNER. Did anybody talk to you about it, or say what the purpose of this was?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. Did anybody protest that you were passing out leaflets of which they disapproved?
Mr. STEELE. Nobody. As a matter of fact, I didn't have any trouble getting rid of them. The people just sort of grabbed them as they passed by. It was just something free, you know, and I guess there's always a feeling that when you get something free you might as well take it.
Mr. JENNER. What time of day did you go into the unemployment office with your girl friend?
Mr. STEELE. Before 12, possibly 11 or 11:30; I don't remember that.
Mr. JENNER. Do you remember the conversation with your girl friend when you told her that you were going to pass out these leaflets in front of this building?
Mr. STEELE. No; she was just saying she had to go back to the school board building to see this guy.
Mr. JENNER. Did you have any discussion with her as to whether she would accompany you?
Mr. STEELE. Accompany me where?
Mr. JENNER. Accompany you to where you were going to pass out these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. Did you drive her somewhere before you went back to pass out these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. To the school board building.

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Mr. JENNER. The Orleans parish school board?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Did you return there and pick her up?
Mr. STEELE. I returned there, but I didn't pick her up. I don't know what happened, but I missed her somehow.
Mr. JENNER. You say Lee Oswald told you it would take 15 or 20 minutes to pass out these leaflets. What time did you get back to pass them out after you had taken your girl friend to the school board building?
Mr. STEELE. I don't know what time it was, but I figure I was in front of the Trade Mart Building about 15 minutes--12 or 15 minutes; I think it was about 25 after 12, maybe 20 minutes after, when I got there. It only takes a few minutes to get from the school board building down to the Trade Mart.
I had to be to work for 2 o'clock.
Mr. JENNER. You had to go to work that afternoon, that this happened?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; I had to be at work at 2 o'clock that afternoon. Later on that night she called me and told me that my picture was on television.
Mr. JENNER. Did you see her before she came to see you about your picture being on television?
Mr. STEELE. No; I saw her later.
Mr. JENNER. You saw her later that night?
Mr. STEELE. I don't think any more that night; I think it was the next day.
Mr. JENNER. Did you have a conversation with her about passing out these leaflets.
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. What did you say to her and what did she say to you?
Mr. STEELE. She told me that I was in trouble, that there was some kind of a deal on television about passing out these leaflets or something, and from what she had read before, it sounded like communism, or something. Now, I had taken a course in high school on that, so I knew a little bit about that, so I thought I had better tell my boss about it, which I did.
Mr. JENNER. You told your boss about it?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; after I had that talk with her, when she told me I was in trouble.
Mr. JENNER. Do you remember what time it was she called you and told you about this being on television?
Mr. STEELE. Well, I know it was after 6 o'clock.
Mr. JENNER. That same day, when this occurred?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; it was that same night.
Mr. JENNER. And then you told your boss about it?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. That same night?
Mr. STEELE. That same night.
Mr. JENNER. Who was your boss?
Mr. STEELE. Henry Muller.
Mr. JENNER. Henry Muller?
Mr. STEELE. Well, I think it was Alfred Muller.
Mr. JENNER. Alfred Muller?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, I think that's Henry's brother.
Mr. JENNER. What did your girl friend say when you had this discussion with her, to the effect that this literature might be communistic, or whatever it was she said? Was she alarmed?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, she was pretty excited, but we never really discussed it. I just told her I didn't know a thing about it, that I just made $2 by passing these leaflets out, but I didn't know what it was all about.
Mr. JENNER. But she did think you were in trouble?
Mr. STEELE. Well, from what she saw on television, she thought I was.
Mr. JENNER. What was your reaction? 
Mr. STEELE. I got a little scared and worried, and so 1 called the FBI and told them about it.
Mr. JENNER. You called the FBI right away?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.

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Mr. JENNER. Do you recall some pictures being taken during that time you were passing out this literature?
Mr. STEELE. At the time, when I noticed the cameras, that's when I looked down at the leaflets to see what I was passing out.
Mr. JENNER. That's when you really took an interest in these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. Yes. That's when I looked at one of them and saw what it was.
Mr. JENNER. Did you go and call the TV station?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; I called three of them. One of them didn't know anything about it.
Mr. JENNER. Why did you call the TV stations?
Mr. STEELE. To get my picture off of the television.
Mr. JENNER. Had you told your father in the meantime?
Mr. STEELE. No; I called him, but they were out to dinner. They had gone to Camp Leroy Johnson, I believe.
Mr. JENNER. Was there any trouble during the time you were passing out these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. Nobody tried to interfere with your passing them out?
Mr. STEELE No.
Mr. JENNER. Nobody was arrested?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. The police didn't come?
Mr. STEELE. No. I think you are talking about a different occasion now. I didn't know anything about that at the time, not until I was in the Federal Building, and they said something about it.
Mr. JENNER. You say somebody else was helping pass out these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. That's right.
Mr. JENNER. Was it somebody that walked up with Oswald?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. But when you arrived on the scene, he was not there, is that right?
Mr. STEELE. Do you mean Oswald?
Mr. JENNER. Yes; and this man that walked up with him.
Mr. STEELE. No; I waited for him.
Mr. JENNER. For Oswald?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; I waited for him maybe a minute, or a few seconds--I don't know how long it was, but it wasn't long.
Mr. JENNER. And then he came?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. And somebody was accompanying him?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Did you know that man?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. Was he introduced to you?
Mr. STEELE. He was introduced to me, but I don't remember him.
Mr. JENNER. Did you eventually look at these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; after a few minutes. When I saw the cameras, I got suspicious then and looked at one of them.
Mr. JENNER Did you have two supplies of these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Tell me the circumstances. About how many had you given out at the time you quit?
Mr. STEELE. I had given out one supply and had gone back, and he had handed me some more, and at that time I seen the cameras, and that's when I looked to see what I was passing out.
Mr. JENNER. Looked at these leaflets?
Mr. STEELE Yes; at the leaflets.
Mr. JENNER. All right, and then what happened?
Mr. STEELE. Well, it didn't sound right to me. I don't remember exactly what it said, but it said something about keeping hands off of Cuba, or something like that, and it just didn't sound right, and I knew that we were on bad terms with Cuba.

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Mr. JENNER What did you do then?
Mr. STEELE. I told Oswald that I didn't want any more to do with it, and I wasn't going to pass out any more leaflets, and he said, "Well, all right," and he gave me the $2, and I left.
Mr. JENNER. He didn't pursue it any further?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. But he went ahead and gave you the $2; is that right?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; and then I walked off.
Mr. JENNER. Did you have any leaflets left when you left the scene?
Mr. STEELE. No. I got rid of the ones I had left.
Mr. JENNER. Do you remember telling the FBI that you threw the remainder of the leaflets in a trash can there at the scene?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; I threw what I had left in the trash can. I mean, when I left there, I didn't have any with me.
Mr. JENNER. You threw the remaining leaflets away that you had?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir; I threw them in the trash can around there some place, but after leaving that spot, you know. I mean, the can wasn't right there where I was passing them out.
Mr. JENNER. Did you have any conversation with Oswald about whether these leaflets were or were not communistic in nature?
Mr. STEELE. I did ask him if they were communistic, and he said they were not. He said they were from an organization affiliated with Tulane University, or something to that effect, of somehow being connected with Tulane. I believe I had asked him something about the leaflets before, and he told me about them being connected with Tulane some connection there. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I do remember him telling me about that, you know, the other time I asked him, and so then I told him I didn't want any more to do with it, and he gave me the $2.
Mr. JENNER. He did persist in your continuing to pass them out?
Mr. STEELE. No; he didn't.
Mr. JENNER. Did he deny they had any connection with communism, in so many words?
Mr. STEELE. He denied that; yes, sir. He didn't really say what it was for.
Mr. JENNER. He just said it was from an organization connected with Tulane University?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. But that didn't reassure you, did it?
Mr. STEELE. No; it didn't. It made me stop and wonder though if it was or wasn't, but then I didn't think any more about it.
Mr. JENNER Anyhow, you didn't want any more to do with it once you saw the cameras, did you?
Mr. STEELE. No; I didn't.
Mr. JENNER. And you got your $2, which was the price agreed on, and you left, is that right?
Mr. STEELE. That's right.
Mr. JENNER. This man that came along with Oswald, have you ever seen him since then?
Mr. STEELE No.
Mr. JENNER. Had you ever seen him before that time?
Mr. STEELE. No; I never did.
Mr. JENNER. Was there any conversation between Oswald and the man he brought along with him that you might have overheard?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. What was your impression of the connection between them, if any?
Mr. STEELE. The same as mine. He was getting them out of this unemployment place, just like he did me. 
Mr. JENNER. When you first went into this unemployment place, did you notice Oswald in there at that time?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. When did you first notice him?

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Mr. STEELE. When he came up to me and asked me if I wanted to make a couple of dollars.
Mr. JENNER. Tell me about that, when you first noticed him--when he approached you, and what he said. First, how was he dressed, if you remember?
Mr. STEELE. He had on a white shirt and tie and black pants, and he had a little brief case with him I think.
Mr. JENNER. Probably containing a supply of these leaflets, do you think?
Mr. STEELE. Well, I don't know.
Mr. JENNER. But he had a little briefcase that you saw, is that right?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; he had a briefcase with him.
Mr. JENNER. Have you ever heard of the name Hidell--A. J. Hidell?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. You have never heard of him?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. What did the FBI say to you after you talked to them?
Mr. STEELE. That night?
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mr. STEELE. They told me they couldn't do anything about keeping my picture off of television, and that the best thing for me to do would be to call the stations and tell them about it, and ask them to keep my picture off.
Mr. JENNER. All right now; have you told me everything you know about this incident?
Mr. STEELE. As far as I remember.
Mr. JENNER. And everything as far as your participation in this is concerned?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Did Oswald ever contact you again to pass out any more leaflets?
Mr. STEELE. No, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Did anyone ever contact you on his behalf and ask you to pass out leaflets at all?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. I'm going to show you some pictures that are marked Pizzo Exhibits Nos. 453-A and 453--B, and Exhibit No. 1, Deposition, Carlos Bringuier, April 7, 1964. Disregarding the various arrows and marks, because they will serve only to confuse you, do you see the man known as Lee Harvey Oswald on any of those pictures?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; in all three.
Mr. JENNER. All three?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Point to the one on your left, which is 453-A, which is Oswald?
(The witness has pointed to the figure of a man over whose head there is a green cross.)
Mr. JENNER. Now, the second picture, which is 453-B, do you see him on that one?
(The witness points to a man over whose head there is a green vertical stripe.)
Mr. JENNER. And do you see him on the third picture, which is the one identified as Exhibit No. 1? Point to him.
(Let the record show that the witness has indicated by pointing the figure of the man identified as Lee Harvey Oswald.)
Mr. JENNER. Put an "X" on his body, if you will.
(Let the record show that the witness has put a red "X" mark on the body of the man known to be Lee Harvey Oswald, and that he is the same man shown in each picture, and so identified by the witness.)
Mr. JENNER Now, taking a look at 453--A, you see there is an arrow over the head of a man to the left of the man over whose head you put the green cross?
Mr. STEELE. What's that?
Mr. JENNER. You see that arrow over the head of the man to the left of the man with the green cross over his head?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Do you recognize this man over the head of whom there is an arrow?

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Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. Was he there the day that you were passing out this literature?
Mr. STEELE. Not that I could see at the time, but from previous pictures that I have seen, he apparently was though.
Mr. JENNER. Previous pictures that you have seen from whom?
Mr. STEELE. The FBI and the Secret Service.
Mr. JENNER. Are you shown on any of these pictures now?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. You are?
Mr. STEELE. Oh, am I shown?
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. Do you see yourself on any of these pictures?
Mr. STEELE. No, I don't; not on these.
Mr. JENNER. Do you see anybody else on those pictures that you now recognize as having been present on the first occasion, on the occasion when you were there, other than Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. STEELE. That I remember; no.
Mr. JENNER. No one else?
Mr. STEELE. No.
Mr. JENNER. There was no incident on the day that you passed out this literature?
Mr. STEELE No.
Mr. JENNER. And the police didn't come?
Mr. STEELE No.
Mr. JENNER. When was that, August 16?
Mr. STEELE. I can't give the date on that; I don't know.
Mr. JENNER. It was in August though, wasn't it?
Mrs. STEELE. It was in August all right, but I don't remember the exact date.
Mr. JENNER. Do you remember that some people were taking pictures?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; I do.
Mr. JENNER. And you remember your girl friend calling you that evening and saying you were on television?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; she came over.
Mr. JENNER. She came over to your place?
Mr. STEELE Yes, sir. I remember now; she came over.
Mr. JENNER. Where were you then?
Mr. STEELE. I was at work.
Mr. JENNER. Did you call the FBI then?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And the FBI said what?
Mr. STEELE. I had asked them about getting my picture off of television, and they said they couldn't do anything about it, that there was nothing wrong with it--that it was news.
Mr. JENNER. They couldn't interfere with the news media?
Mr. STEELE. That's right.
Mr. JENNER. That's what they told you?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Did you call the television stations?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. What did you tell them?
Mr. STEELE. I asked them if they would take my picture off of the television screen. I told them who I was, and I told them about it, that I was the gentleman that had passed out the literature, and I told them that my father was with the sheriff's office, and it wouldn't be too good with him, and at the time didn't know what I was passing out, until I had seen the cameras, and then looked at them, and they said, "Well, all right then," and it never came on television anymore, until the President's death.
Mr. JENNER. Describe this man who came along with Oswald.

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Mr. STEELE. Right now I haven't the slightest idea what he looked like. I think, as I recall, he was about Oswald's height.
Mr. JENNER. Oswald was 5 foot 9. You say he was the same height, or taller, or what?
Mr. STEELE. Well, he wasn't shorter. He was either the same height or slightly taller.
Mr. JENNER. Would it refresh your recollection if I told you that when you were interviewed by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the 24th of November, 1963, that you told them that he was aged 19 or 20 years, that he was about 6 feet tall, slender built, dark hair, and olive complexion?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Was that the way you recall him?
Mr. STEELE. Yes; he was slender built and about my complexion.
Mr. JENNER. You have dark skin?
Mr. STEELE. Caucasian, dark.
Mr. JENNER. What would you say he weighed?
Mr. STEELE About 170, 175, I guess.
Mr. JENNER. How tall are you?
Mr. STEELE. Six
Mr. JENNER. Would this man have been about your height?
Mr. STEELE. I guess so, but it didn't seem like he was quite as tall as I am.
Mr. JENNER. Do you think he was more slender, than you?
Mr. STEELE. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. How was he dressed?
Mr. STEELE. Sport shirt, as far as I can remember.
Mr. JENNER. White or colored, or what?
Mr. STEELE. I don't even remember the man right now, to tell you the truth. I just have a very vague recollection of what he looked like.
Mr. JENNER. But you are sure he was slender built?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Now, you have the right, if you wish to exercise it, of reading over your deposition and signing it, or you may waive that right and let the court reporter transcribe your testimony, and it will be forwarded direct to Washington. What do you prefer to do?
Mr. STEELE. Well, I will do what you consider best.
Mr. JENNER. Well, you are willing to waive the necessity of reading your deposition and signing it then?
Mr. STEELE. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. All right. Is there anything else that occurred that you haven't told me about, or that I haven't asked you about, that would be of assistance to the Commission?
Mr. STEELE. No; I can't think of anything else.
Mr. JENNER. All right. Thank you for coming in voluntarily and testifying.

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Charles Hall Steele, Sr.
Page 71
TESTIMONY OF CHARLES HALL STEELE, SR.

The testimony of Charles Hall Steele, St., was taken on April 7, 1964, at the Old Civil Courts Building, Royal and Conti Streets, New Orleans, La. by Mr. Albert E. Jenner, Jr., assistant counsel of the President's Commission.

Charles Hall Steele, Sr. 1488 Madrid Street, New Orleans, La. after first being duly sworn, testified as follows:
Mr. JENNER. You are Mr. Charles Hail Steele, Sr., is that right?
Mr. STEELE. Right. 
Mr. JENNER. And you have seen the letter received by your son from Mr. Rankin, general counsel of the President's Commission, have you not?