TESTIMONY OF CHARLES JACK PRICE
The testimony of Charles Jack Price was taken at 4:50 p.m., on March 25, 1964, at Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Arlen Specter, assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. SPECTER. May the record show that C. Jack Price is present to have his deposition taken in connection with the inquiry of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, which is concerned with the medical care rendered at Parkland Memorial Hospital to President John F. Kennedy and to Governor John B. Connally.
Authorization has been obtained to take the deposition of Mr. Price and he has had access to the copy of the Executive order creating the President's Commission---
Mr. PRICE. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. And the rules relating to the taking of depositions of witnesses. Is it satisfactory with you to have your deposition taken without having the 3-day waiting period between the request and the taking of the deposition?
Mr. PRICE. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you stand up, Mr. Price, and raise your right hand?
Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you give before the President's Commission and in this deposition proceeding will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but-the truth, so help you God?
Mr. PRICE. I do.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you state your full name for the record, please?
Mr. PRICE. Charles Jack Price.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is your official title here?
Mr. PRICE. Administrator, Dallas County Hospital district, comprised of Parkland Memorial Hospital and Woodlawn Hospital.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. Price, in connection with your duties at Parkland Memorial Hospital, did you request that all of the individuals who participated in the care and treatment of President Kennedy and Governor Connally, or at least those who were principally concerned with that treatment, prepare and submit reports to you concerning that treatment?
Mr. PRICE. Yes; through Dr. Kemp Clark, who is chairman of our medical records committee.
Mr. SPECTER. And where have those records been kept after submission through Dr. Kemp Clark?
Mr. PRICE. The records were brought directly to my office. In fact, some of the records were written in my office and since that time have been kept in my custody, specifically under lock and key in my desk drawer.
Mr. SPECTER. I show you a document which has heretofore been marked as "Commission Exhibit No. 392," and I ask you if this constitutes all of the records of the doctors who examined and treated President Kennedy and Governor Connally which are in your possession, that is all the records which were made by the examining doctors?
Mr. PRICE. (Examining instrument referred to.) Do you want my comments as I go through this or do you want me to look through it and say "Yes," or "No"?
Mr. SPECTER. Yes; I would like to just be sure for the record that those are all of the records. You and I went through them the other day informally and at that time you supplemented my records to some extent, which I will put on the
deposition record here.
Mr. PRICE. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Perhaps, before going to Commission Exhibit No. 392, permit me to have this photostatic copy marked Mr. Price's Exhibit No. 2.
(Instrument referred to marked by the reporter as Price Exhibit No. 2, for identification.)
Mr. SPECTER. And I ask you if this is a photostatic copy of a letter which was sent by Dr. Kemp Clark to Dr. Burkley, the President's private physician?
Mr. PRICE. It is.
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Mr. SPECTER. And with that, the summary of all the treatments performed at Parkland, which was prepared by Dr. Kemp Clark?
Mr. PRICE. That's right.
Mr. SPECTER. And below that, another summary sheet which bears the corrected notation, with your signature over it, that the President arrived at the emergency room at exactly 12:38 p.m., with 12:43 scratched out?
Mr. PRICE. That's correct.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, as you move through your file, permit me to also ask the reporter to mark as Mr. Price's Exhibit No. 3, an affidavit of Ulah McCoy, and I'll ask you if that is a copy of an original in your file?
(Instrument referred to marked by the reporter as Price Exhibit No. 3, for identification.)
Mr. PRICE. Yes; it is.
Mr. SPECTER. And I will ask her to mark as Mr. Price Exhibit No. 4 an affidavit of Doris Nelson and I'll ask you if that is a copy of a report in your possession ?
(Instrument referred to marked by the reporter as Price Exhibit No. 4, for identification. )
Mr. PRICE. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Your next report is one from Dr. M. T. Jenkins ?
Mr. PRICE. Professor and chairman of the department of anesthesiology.
Mr. SPECTER. And is that a copy of the document which you are looking at here?
Mr. PRICE. It is.
Mr. SPECTER. As part of Exhibit 392?
Mr. PRICE. That's right, and my next one is the statement of Dr. W. Kemp Clark.
Mr. SPECTER. And is that the original of a copy of which appears in this group of papers as Exhibit No. 392?
Mr. PRICE. Yes; it is. The next one that I have is the statement of Dr. Perry.
Mr. SPECTER. And is that the original of a copy of a statement which appears in Exhibit 392?
Mr. PRICE. Yes; the statement of Dr. Charles W. Baxter.
Mr. SPECTER. Is that the original of a copy which appears in Exhibit 392?
Mr. PRICE. Yes; it is; that's the statement of Dr. Carrico.
Mr. SPECTER. And is this the copy of the original of Dr. Carrico's statement?
Mr. PRICE. Yes; it is; and this is Dr. McClelland's statement.
Mr. SPECTER. I now show you a photostatic copy of what purports to be Dr. McClelland's statement, and is that a copy of the original in your file?
Mr. PRICE. Yes; it is.
Mr. SPECTER. What is your next report?
Mr. PRICE. My next report is Dr. Bashour's report.
Mr. SPECTER. And I show you a sheet in the group of papers marked Exhibit 392, and ask you if that is a photostatic copy of the original in your file?
Mr. PRICE. Yes; it is.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is next?
Mr. PRICE. My next one is the summary of Dr. Ronald C. Jones.
Mr. SPECTER.. Now, I'll ask you if this is a photostatic copy of the original of the statement by Dr. Ronald Jones which is in your file?
Mr. PRICE. May I see it, please?
Mr. SPECTER Yes.
(Handed instrument referred to to the witness.)
Mr. PRICE. Yes; it is.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, does that constitute all of the original records concerning the treatment of President John F. Kennedy in your file?
Mr. PRICE. With one exception---there is in the file that I have of Governor Connally the original of the transcript of "Registration of patients," which I furnished you a photostat of, our number being 01811.
Mr. SPECTER. And is this a photostatic copy of that registration of patients?
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Mr. PRICE. It is; and I think I reviewed it with you at the time I gave this to you---the transverse of patients No. 2 and No.
Mr. SPECTER. No. 5 is marked John Connally and No. 2 is John F. Kennedy, and how should that have been marked?
Mr. PRICE. The first patient in the hospital was Governor Connally.
Mr. SPECTER. So, he should have been No. 2?
Mr. PRICE. So, he should have been No. 2 as shown on the transcript.
Mr. SPECTER. And the President should have been noted as No. 5?
Mr. PRICE. 'The President should have been noted as No. 5.
(Instrument referred to marked by the reporter as Price Exhibit No. 5, for identification.)
Mr. PRICE. The simultaneous arrival at the ambulance dock would not affect the time as shown in the corrected copy that I gave you of the arrival there.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, turn if you will, to the records on Governor Connally and I will ask you if as part of Commission Exhibit 392, we have photostatic copies of the operative records starting, first with the operation performed by Dr. Shaw.
Mr. PRICE. I have the original of that but this is the complete medical charts that I have here.
Mr. SPECTER. As to this report alone, do you have the original in that record?
Mr. PRICE. Here it is.
Mr. SPECTER. And is this an exact photocopy of the original report prepared by Dr. Robert Shaw. the original of which appears in your record on Governor Connally?
Mr. PRICE. It is.
Mr. SPECTER. Is this an exact photostatic copy of the report of Dr. Charles Gregory?
Mr. PRICE. There has been since this photostat was made and forwarded to you-Dr. Gregory, prior to signing the official copy, did make some pencil corrections, and I will be glad to have the original photostated or Xeroxed now and give you a corrected copy if you would like?
Mr. SPECTER. That would be fine, and perhaps it would be faster just to read those changes into our record here. However, let's pursue the line of getting a Xerox copy. Now, turning to the report of Dr. Shires, is this a true and correct photostatic copy of Dr. Shires' report?
Mr. PRICE.. It is; it is a correct copy.
Mr. SPECTER Now, I show you a large group of papers which I am going to ask the reporter to mark Mr. Price Exhibits Nos. 6, 7. 8, and 9.
(Instruments referred to marked by the reporter as Price Exhibits Nos. 6. 7, 8, and 9, for identification.)
Mr. SPECTER. I now show you a group of papers, and as they are being marked, if you would take a look at them. Price Exhibit No. 6--I'll ask you if these are photostatic copies of reports which you have made available to me of originals which you have in your file made by various members of your staff. concerning the events of November 22, and November 24.
Mr. PRICE. Do you want these individually or as a group?
Mr. SPECTER. If you would identify the contents of the statement by the exhibit number which we have put on it, starting with the first numerical designation, would probably be the simplest. Exhibit 6 is what?
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 6 is a Xerox copy of the floor plan of the emergency area. This is correct. The Exhibit No. 7, the statement is unsigned, but this is the Xerox copy of the summary submitted to me by my assistant, Mr. Steve Landregan.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is his position with the hospital?
Mr. PRICE. He is assistant administrator.
Mr. SPECTER. In charge of press relations among other things?
Mr. PRICE. In charge of press relations among other things.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Exhibit No. 8?
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Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 8 is a Xerox copy of Peter Geilich's statement to me. Mr. Geilich is administrative assistant, with primary assignment over at the Woodlawn unit, and he is also the acting director of our outpatient clinic.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Exhibit No. 9?
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 9 is a summary of the activities of Robert Dutton, Bob Dutton, who is administrative assistant and is currently our evening administrator.
(Instruments marked as Price Exhibits Nos. 10 through 32 at this time, for identification.)
Mr. SPECTER. Exhibit 10 is what?
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit 10 is a summary of activities of Mrs. Carol Reddick, who is administrative aide. Exhibit No. 11 is a summary of activities of Mrs. Elizabeth L. Wright, our director of nursing service.
Mr. SPECTER. What is Exhibit No. 12?
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 12 is a summary, of the activities of Diana Bowron, who is an emergency room nurse.
Mr. SPECTER. Exhibit No.
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 13 is a summary of the activities of Sallie Lennon.
Mr. SPECTER. What is her position?
Mr. PRICE. She is a nurse.
Mr. SPECTER. I hand you Price Exhibit No. 14.
Mr. PRICE. This is a statement of the activities of C. Watkins, who is an R.N. in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. And I. hand you Price Exhibit No. 15
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 15 is a report of the activities of Faye Dean Shelby, and she is a nurse in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. Price Exhibit No. 16?
Mr. PRICE. This is the activities of Era Lumpkin, an aide in the emergency area.
Mr. SPECTER. Price Exhibit No. 17?
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 17 is a report on the activities of Jean Tarrant, who is an aide in the major medicine emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. I now hand you Price Exhibit No. 18.
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit 18 is the activities of Frances Scott, who is assigned to the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. Exhibit No. 19?
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 19 is the activities of Willie Haywood, who is an orderly in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. I now hand you Price Exhibit No. 20.
Mr. PRICE. This is a summary of the activities of Bertha L. Lozano, who is a registered nurse in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. Price Exhibit No. 21?
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 21 is a summary of the activities of Pat Hutton, who is an aide in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. I'll hand you Price Exhibit No. 22.
Mr. PRICE. I'm sorry, I said Hutton was an aide. She's an R.N. in registration a nurse.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Exhibit No. 22?
Mr. PRICE. It is a summary of the activities of Shirley Randall, an aide in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit No. 23?
Mr. PRICE. A summary of the activities of Rosa M. Majors, an aide in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit 24?
Mr. PRICE. Price Exhibit 24 is a summary of the activities of Jill Pomeroy, who is a ward clerk in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit No.
Mr. PRICE. A summary of the activities of David Sanders, who is an orderly in the emergency room.
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Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit No. 26?
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit 26 is a summary of the activities of Tommy Dunn, who is an orderly in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit No. 27?
Mr. PRICE. A summary of the activities of Joe Richards, an orderly in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit No. 28?
Mr. PRICE. Exhibit No. 28 is a statement of the activities of Jeanette Stand-ridge, an R.N. in the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit 29?
Mr. PRICE. A summary of the activities of O. P. Wright, who is the personnel director and a director of hospital security, and reports from the individual guards under his supervision.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit No. 30?
Mr. PRICE. A summary of the activities of Margaret Henchliffe, who is assigned to the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. What is Price Exhibit No. 31?
Mr. PRICE. A summary of the activities of Doris Nelson, who is the emergency room supervisor.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit No. 32?
Mr. PRICE. A summary of the activities of Robert G. Holcomb, who is assistant administrator in charge of correlating the professional services of the hospital.
Mr. SPECTER. What is Price Exhibit No. 33?
Mr. PRICE. This is a summary of my personal impressions of the events that transpired on November 24.
Mr. SPECTER. And what is Price Exhibit 34?
Mr. PRICE. This is a summary of my activities at the office Saturday and Sunday, the 23d and 24th.
Mr. SPECTER. Are those all of the summaries of those who made reports to you?
Mr. PRICE. Yes; they are. These are primarily the summaries of individuals who were involved in the care of our late President, in the care of Governor Connally, and in the care of Oswald, who were requested to make these summaries to my office as their activities would not normally be stated on patients' charts or in other records of the hospital.
Mr. SPECTER. I now hand you Price Exhibit No. 35 and ask you if that is a photostatic copy of the report of Dr. Charles Gregory, after it was altered in a few minor respects as shown on the face of the record?
Mr. PRICE. Well, if I may change this terminology?
Mr. SPECTER. Sure.
Mr. PRICE. This is a copy of Dr. Charles Gregory's records as it appears in Governor Connally's charts, which he corrected prior to signing the transcript. What I was trying to say, or wanted to make clear, was that frequently in transcribing, the medical secretaries who transcribe operative records, they make mistakes, and I wanted to be sure that there was no suggestion that the record was altered, when what Dr. Gregory has done was to write in corrections that were noticed at the time he read it and signed it.
Mr. SPECTER. I understand it was transcribed, and when he reviewed it before signing it he noticed inaccuracies in the transcription.
Mr. PRICE. That's right. This is correct. Your phraseology is much better than mine.
Mr. SPECTER. Thank you very much, Mr. Price.
Mr. PRICE. Thank you, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. That's all. I wanted to put all of these in the record, Jack, to show that they are duly authenticated by the appropriate custodian of the records.
Mr. PRICE. Well, I wanted to be sure that there was no hint that the record had been altered here.
Mr. SPECTER. Yes; I understand that. I think you are absolutely right on that. Thank you.
Mr. PRICE. All right. Thank you.