Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Cab Ride to North Beckley

Taxi driver Whaley testified that he picked up Oswald at the cabstand near the Greyhound Bus Station, who requested to go to “500 North Beckley.” With police sirens blaring through the area, the ride was largely quiet. Approaching the 500 block near Neches and North Beckley, Oswald said “This will do fine,” paid a dollar bill for a 95-cent fare, exited without speaking, and walked around the front of the cab to the east side of the street.

Whaley’s Imprecise Testimony

Whaley marked what he believed was the intersection of Neches and Beckley on a Dallas map with a large “X,” asserting this was the 500 block of North Beckley. However, Neches and Beckley do not actually intersect. Neches is within one-half block of the roominghouse at 1026 North Beckley, and the 500 block of North Beckley is five blocks south of that address.

Reconstructed Taxicab Route

After reviewing inconsistencies in Whaley’s testimony, Commission staff retraced the taxicab route under his direction. Whaley directed the driver to a point 20 feet north of the northwest corner of Beckley and Neely—the 700 block of North Beckley. The reconstructed run from the Greyhound Bus Station took 5 minutes and 30 seconds, and the walk from Beckley and Neely to 1026 North Beckley took 5 minutes and 45 seconds.

Oswald’s Clothing

Whaley testified that Oswald was wearing either the gray zippered jacket or the heavy blue jacket, but he was in error—the blue jacket was found in the “domino” room of the Depository in late November. Mrs. Bledsoe saw Oswald on the bus without a jacket, wearing a shirt with a hole at the elbow. Whaley correctly identified Commission Exhibit No. 150 as the shirt Oswald was wearing and noted a silver identification bracelet on his passenger’s left wrist, which Oswald was wearing at arrest.