March 16, 1967
[March 16, 1967]
DEAN A. ANDREWS, Jr., after being duly sworn by the Foreman of the Orleans Parish Grand Jury, was questioned and answered as follows:
BY MESSRS. JAMES ALCOCK AND ALVIN OSER:
Q. State your name, please, and occupation?
A. Dean A. Andrews, Jr. -- lawyer.
Q. I want to present this waiver of immunity, have you read and sign it.
A. Before you do that, I want you to tell me my status here, because I don't need any waiver of immunity -- am I a suspect, a witness, what am I?
Q. We are questioning you in this matter in an area in which you are familiar. If you make any statements -- and you have been questioned in this area in the past -- and if you make any statement[s] that are conflicting, we intend to charge you with perjury.
A. Be my guest. You don't need that -- I won't take the Fifth Amendment.
Q. Then I take it you have no objection to signing this waiver of immunity?
A. No -- I won't do it -- I don't know what you people are trying to do -- I will answer every question I can. I am not going to sign a waiver of immunity. I see no necessity for doing it. I will not take the Fifth -- I will cooperate with you people every way possible. There is no necessity for it.
Q. I wonder if we could ask this witness to leave the room a minute -- do you have an attorney?
A. I am an attorney -- I didn't go to law school for nothing.
Q. Would you mind stepping outside --
A. No -- there is no necessity for immunity -- because I am a man, and I don't see why you insult my intelligence.
MR. OSER:
If you do not waive immunity, anything you say in here cannot be used against you -- you know the law as well as we do. We need a waiver of immunity signed by you.
A. Show me the law where you need it.
Q. We know the law.
A. Show it to me. Show me the law where you need for me a waiver of immunity.
Q. You have heard of the Smalton case?
A. Yes, I have heard of the Smalton case.
Q. The Callahan case?
A. Yes.
Q. Would you consult Monk [Zelden] on it?
A. Give me your waiver of immunity. I ain't going to take the Fifth Amendment.
Q. I know you aren't -- please read it.
A. I don't have to read it.
Q. We will read it out loud to you.
A. You guys are something else. You gotta [sic] change this -- this part reads: That I, the undersugned, do request that on this date I be allowed to appear and testify at a session of the Grand Jury empaneled. You popped me with a subpoena, so you take it out -- I ain't going to request anything; I am here. This paragraph is out. Explain me this: I have been informed that the subpoena to which I have responded has been satisfied, that the Grand Jury has released me from this obligation, that my presence is no longer required by the Grand Jury -- what does that mean?
BY MR. ALCOCK:
It means that you have satisfied the subpoena by coming here today, and making yourself present in this room. If you wish to testify and cooperate, please sign the waiver. It's as simple as that.
A. You guys are making me sound and look like a counterfeit.
Q. You know better than that, Dean. You have handled grand juries yourself.
A. Half of you think I assassinated the President, and the other half want to know how I did it. I tell you what I will sign: a simple statement that I waive all immunity. This humbug, I don't go for -- it's all hogwash.
BY MR. OSER:
Q. If you think the law is hogwash -- that is a matter of opinion.
BY MR. ALCOCK:
We made this to conform to decisions of the US Supreme Court; it covers all possible loopholes.
A. I understand, John, but why didn't you all ask me to come up here, why did you serve me with a subpoena and then ask me to sign a document stating that I request to appear and testify -- testify . . .
Q. You said that if we had called you, you would have come up, right? And there is difficulty . . .
A. Because it's a lie -- a lie -- I did not come up voluntarily -- I came here under compulsory process under penalty of law if I didn't come.
Q. That is exactly what it says -- that you are presenting yourself in response to a subpoena . . .
A. That's not . . . the undersigned now requests that I be allowed on this date to appear -- I be allowed to appear -- how do you connote that syllogistic term? If I don't answer the subpoena, then I am in contempt of the Grand Jury. Now I sign a document that I come up here and voluntarily ask to appear -- after the humbug I went through out there, I don't think that is justice to the Grand Jury, me, or anybody else.
Q. The only humbug I saw out there were the private press conferences you were giving.
A. Well, that's a different story. I will sign a waiver of immunity, but not this particular document. And I want each member of the Grand Jury to understand that I will waive whatever they want me to waive, but I will not sign that document, but I will sign a waiver of immunity. I will answer any question that I can intelligently answer, and I will not take the Fifth Amendment, but I will not sign this. Am I free to go?
MR. OSER:
Sure.
A. Good day, gentlemen.