Doris Burns

 Doris Burns worked on the third floor at MacMillan & Company. The FBI first interview her on Nov 25^th 1963 and she states that she knew Oswald from riding the elevator with him a week prior the assassination, yet she had not seen him on Nov 22^nd. While the President passed by the building she had walked from her office to Allyn & Bacon to get a better look of the motorcade. As she walked to the office Steven Wilson’s states that there has been a shooting. Something she had been completely oblivious about, as she did not even hear the shots. She returns to her office and then uses the ladies room which is positioned near the back stairs and hears someone running down, but is unable to tell who that was.

Burns is interviewed by Billy Senkel, on Feb 18^th 1964. She states that she was in Steven Wilson’s office when she heard the last shot through the open window, but this is hard to believe as per Steven Wilson’s testimony and the Dillard photo the window was screwed shut due to the airco present on that floor!. This is contradicting her FBI statement.

She did know who Oswald was, as she rode on the goods elevator once with him. But she had not seen him on Nov. 22^nd. In CE 1381 (page 6) she mentions very little else of real value. In both statements she stated she heard one shot, just like Jack Dougherty did on the fifth floor.

In her W.C. testimony on April 7^th 1964.

Mr. BALL. On November 22d, what were you doing that day?

Miss BURNS. I was listening to the radio as I worked.

Mr. BALL. About noon, did you go to lunch?

Miss BURNS. Well, I had lunch at the office and then I didn’t intend to go see the President, didn’t have any desire to but I left about–I don’t remember the exact time but, anyway, when I left they said on the radio that he that the motorcade was coming up, I believe it was Cedar Springs; anyway, he hadn’t been away from the airport long and that he was going about 5 miles an hour so everybody could see him. Well, thinking he was going that slowly, I thought I had plenty of time, so I walked up to Sanger’s

Mr. BALL To where?

Miss BURNS. Sanger’s.

Mr. BALL. Where is that?

Miss BURNS. It’s about four blocks up Elm Street.

Mr. BALL. Which way on Elm—east?

Miss BURNS. East; you see, we are down at the extreme west end of the street; nothing else down there.

Mr. BALL. Then what happened?

Mr. BURNS. I bought some Kleenex and came back, and everybody was out on the steps to look, but I didn’t stop. I went on back to the office.

Mr. BALL. That is the third floor?

Miss BURNS. Yes.

Mr. BALL. Was anybody in the office?

Miss BURNS. Yes; Mrs. Case hadn’t ever gone out. She was there. I believe she was the only one.

Mr. BALL. What did you do?

Miss BURNS. I listened to the radio, and by that time they said that he was on Main and turning at Houston or Main by the courthouse, so since he was that close, I thought, well, I guess I will go look out the window. I didn’t care– enough to go downstairs, but I thought I will go look out the window. So I thought I would have plenty of time, if he was just coming around Main Street that I could still get around there, so I went around to American Book Co., which is the office closest to us that had a window looking out on Elm. There was nobody in there, so then I started down the hail to Allyn and Bacon. As I went down this hall towards the windows that looked out on Houston Street, I heard a shot, but I didn’t think much about it. I didn’t, of course, know it was a shot because when you hear tires backfire and all, they all sound alike to me, so I didn’t think a thing about that.

I went around to Allyn and Bacon, and Mr. Wilson, the manager, was at the window looking out. He was the only one in there, so I asked him if I could look out the window with him. About that time he said “Oh, my God, there’s been a shooting.” I still didn’t think anybody, of course, had been killed, just thought somebody had shot in the air or something, so I said “Has the President already passed? And he said “Yes,” so I looked out and that big bus that had the press in it, had the word “Press” or whatever it was on the bus, was passing. so I said “Well, I guess I have missed the President then,” and I started on back out of the office and I just said as I left, “Well, I hope nobody got hurt.”

Mr. BALL. You heard how many shots?

Miss BURNS. One.

Mr. BALL. Just one?

Miss BURNS. It must have been the last one because I didn’t hear any more.

Mr BALL. Did you have any idea where it was coming from?

Miss BURNS. Well, it just sounded as though it was back of me. You see, I was going towards Houston Street. I was facing east and it sounded to me as it came toward my back.

Mr. BALL. You were in the building?

Miss BURNS. Yes; I was in the building.

Mr. BALL. Walking down the hall?

Miss BURNS. Walking down the hall going towards Allyn and Bacon.

Mr. BALL. Now, what happened after that?

Miss BURNS. I came on back and listened to the radio some more and in a few minutes, why, they told it.

Mr. BALL. Did you ever know Lee Harvey Oswald?

Miss BURNS. I rode on the elevator with him one time.

Mr. BALL. That’s all?

Miss BURNS. But I didn’t know who he was–about a week before.

Mr. BALL. You never talked to him?

Miss BURNS. I never talked to him.

Mr. BALL. Who were you with at the time this happened?

Miss BURNS. The Macmillan Co.

Mr. BALL. Who was in the office with you?

Miss BURNS. Mrs. Case, but I couldn’t see her.

Mr. BALL. She was in the same office?

Miss BURNS. I have a private office. She was around the corner where her office is.

Mr. BALL. Mrs. Case?

Miss BURNS. Yes.

Mr. BALL. Did you hear anybody running down the stairs at any time?

Miss BURNS. Yes, but I didn’t know

Mr. BALL. When?

Miss BURNS. It was after that; I went to the restroom.

Mr. BALL. How long after?

Miss BURNS. I imagine maybe it was 25 minutes. I imagine it was the policeman or somebody; of course, I don’t know who it was.