TESTIMONY OF MITCHELL J. SCIBOR
The testimony of Mitchell J. Scibor was taken on May, 20, 1964, at 4540 West Madison Street, Chicago, Ill., by Mr. David W. Belin, assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mitchell J. Scibor, called as a witness herein, having been first duly sworn, was examined and testified as follows:
Mr. BELIN. Would you please state your name for the record?
Mr. SCIBOR. Mitchell J. Scibor.
Mr. BELIN. And where do you live?
Mr. SCIBOR. 2942 North Sayre Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
Mr. BELIN. What is your occupation?
Mr. SCIBOR. Employed by Klein's Sporting Goods.
Mr. BELIN. In what capacity?
Mr. SCIBOR. General operating manager.
Mr. BELIN. Were you so employed on or about November 22, 1963?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. Were you at any time on that date contacted by any law enforcement agency with regard to a particular rifle, Serial No. C-2766?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. And could you tell us the circumstances surrounding this?
Mr. SCIBOR. I got a call Friday evening, November 22, asking if it would be possible to get at the records---at our records to see if that gun had been in our possession or sold by us. I got permission from one of the executives to open the store and view our records, and I came down here somewhere between 10 and 11 o'clock.
Mr. BELIN. And what did you do when you got down here?
Mr. SCIBOR. We went in with the Government men and--just before we went in, Mr. Waldman came down and we came in and he took over as far as getting-- trying to find the information that we needed.
Mr. BELIN. How did you try to find that information?
Mr. SCIBOR. By looking in our microfilm records of sales of merchandise for that particular gun.
The FBI furnished us with information stating that we had received the gun from Crescent Firearms.
Mr. BELIN. Well, did you look at the microfilms of your purchasers or your sales or what?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes; we used two machines and looked at the microfilms of our sales until we had found that particular gun with the serial number.
Mr. BELIN. You were upstairs when Mr. Waldman was looking at the microfilm of which a printed copy is Waldman Deposition Exhibit No. 7; is that correct?
Mr. SCIBOR. Correct.
Mr. BELIN. And on Waldman Deposition Exhibit No. 7, there is a Serial No C-2766?
Mr. SCIBOR. Correct.
Mr. BELIN. Was this serial number on Waldman Deposition Exhibit No. 7 the first contact you had on Friday evening that led you to believe that you had shipped this particular rifle?
Mr. SCIBOR. That's correct.
Mr. BELIN. When did you discover or find out this information, if you know--strike the question.
I believe you said you got down here about 10 o'clock that night?
Mr. SCIBOR. Between 10 and 11.
Mr. BELIN. And then you started going through your microfilm records?
Mr. SCIBOR. Right.
Mr. BELIN. About when did you actually find the microfilm of which Waldman Deposition Exhibit No. 7 is a print?
Mr. SCIBOR. About 4 o'clock in the roaming, as far as I can remember.
Mr. BELIN. You then turned this information over to the FBI?
Mr. SCIBOR. Mr. Waldman did.
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Mr. BELIN. Now, I'm going to hand you what has been marked as Waldman Deposition Exhibit No. 4 and ask you to state if you know what this is.
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes; it's a copy of our receiving record which we use to identify firearms or guns by assigning a weapon a particular booking number or control number along with the serial number so at a future date we can identify that particular gun.
Mr. BELIN. Have you ever seen Waldman Deposition Exhibit No. 7 before?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. I notice the date and the notations in the upper lefthand corner, RR-1243; underneath that, the date 2-22-63. Do you know what that has reference to?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes; the "RR" stands for receiving record No. 1243, and that merchandise was booked or actually received by our receiving-department on 2-22-63.
Mr. BELIN. Does it show from whom it was received?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes; Crescent Firearms.
Mr. BELIN. And underneath the "Crescent Firearms," what does it say?
Mr. SCIBOR. Italian Carcano T38, 6.5 Italian caliber rifle.
Mr. BELIN. Now, there are some notations in the upper righthand corner, what does that have reference to?
Mr. SCIBOR. Those are notations strictly for the receiving department. I have the men back there keep these in rotation so that I can always fill--in the same rotation as they come out of.
Mr. BELIN. And did you do any of that writing at all?
Mr. SCIBOR. No.
Mr. BELIN. What is the fact as to whether or not these serial numbers are assigned by people under your supervision?
Mr. SCIBOR. Repeat that.
Mr. BELIN. Well, do you have any supervision or control over the people making the entries on the serial numbers and your control numbers?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. I don't believe we went into your background, general background. You might state where you were born and what educational background you have, for the record.
Mr. SCIBOR. I was born in Chicago, November 27, 1920. I finished 4 years of high school, 6 1/2 years in the Marine Corps, and Klein's Sporting Goods.
Mr. BELIN. You're married?
Mr. SCIBOR. I have been with Klein's for 18 years.
Mr. BELIN. You have been with Klein's for 18----
Mr. SCIBOR. Approximately 18 years.
Mr. BELIN. And you're married?
Mr. SCIBOR. Married and two children.
Mr. BELIN. Where is Waldman Deposition Exhibit No. 4 filed customarily?
Mr. SCIBOR. That is filed in a ,desk drawer back in the receiving department, which I designated that those should be filed.
Mr. BELIN. Do you have any master control ledger or book of any kind that has these control numbers on them?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes. One copy is sent to what we call the booking department, and those are put into a master book, control book.
Mr. BELIN. Are you required by law to keep records of serial numbers of guns?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. And do you find on Waldman Deposition Exhibit No. 4 your control number for a rifle with the serial number C-2766?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes.
Mr. BELIN. What is your control number?
Mr. SCIBOR. VC-836.
Mr. BELIN. How are these serial numbers obtained for placement on Waldman Deposition Exhibit No. 4?
Mr. SCIBOR. Directly off the guns.
Mr. BELIN. Does someone actually look at the gun?
Mr. SCIBOR. Yes; someone looks; visually they are taken off the guns.
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Mr. BELIN. We want to thank you very much, sir, for your cooperation in helping obtaining this information.