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

Chapter VIII. She did not then know Oswald’s address in Dallas.[C6-367] (Part 4 of 6)

The Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was not an agent or informant for any U.S. government agency. Despite persistent rumors, particularly from his mother Marguerite, who believed her son had returned from Russia as an undercover operative, no evidence supported this claim. Director J. Edgar Hoover, Assistant Director Alan H. Belmont, and FBI Agents John W. Fain, John L. Quigley, and James P. Hosty Jr. all testified that Oswald was never an informant, was never assigned a symbol number, and was never paid by the Bureau. Director Hoover provided a sworn affidavit affirming that a thorough search of FBI records revealed no such relationship. CIA Director John A. McCone and Deputy Director Richard Helms testified similarly, with McCone stating unequivocally that Oswald was not an agent, employee, or informant of the CIA. The presence of Agent Hosty’s name and contact information in Oswald’s address book was explained: Hosty had left this information with Ruth Paine on November 1, 1963, so she could reach him when she learned Oswald’s Dallas address. Paine handed the slip to Oswald, and Marina Oswald noted Hosty’s license number at her husband’s request. The Commission also conducted a meticulous financial review of Oswald from his return from the Soviet Union on June 13, 1962, to his arrest on November 22, 1963. Investigators from the IRS and FBI examined banks, telegraph companies, and other potential sources of income across multiple states. Total funds available to Oswald during this period, $3,665.89 in cash from wages, unemployment compensation, loans, and gifts, proved sufficient to cover estimated disbursements of $3,501.79, leaving a balance within $19 of the $183.87 actually in his possession at arrest. Oswald’s pattern of living reflected his limited income: he lived in modest apartments, owned no major appliances or automobile, relied on dental and hospital clinics, and wore inexpensive clothing. Despite these constraints, Oswald repaid his $435.71 State Department loan, his $200 debt to his brother Robert, purchased the assassination rifle for $21.45 and the revolver for $31.22, and financed his Fair Play for Cuba Committee activities. Testimony from Leonard Hutchison, who claimed Oswald attempted to cash a $189 personal check at his Irving grocery store, proved unreliable due to inconsistencies with Oswald’s known movements. Claims by Western Union employee C.A. Hamblen that Oswald sent telegrams and received money orders at his office were similarly discredited when thorough searches of company records found no supporting evidence.

Chapter VIII. She did not then know Oswald’s address in Dallas.[C6-367] (Part 5 of 6)

The Commission undertook a detailed investigation into the possibility that Jack Ruby had conspired with Oswald or others in the assassination of President Kennedy, or that Ruby had acted with accomplices in killing Oswald on November 24, 1963. Investigators reconstructed Ruby’s movements from November 21 through November 24 with precision. On Thursday, November 21, Ruby attended to his usual duties as proprietor of the Carousel Club and Vegas Club, paying rent, conferring with an attorney about tax problems, and closing both clubs late at night. Friday morning found Ruby at the Dallas Morning News offices placing weekend advertisements. He was there when word spread of the President’s shooting; employee John Newnam recalled Ruby’s “stunned disbelief” and ashen appearance. Ruby telephoned his sister Eva Grant and his assistant Andrew Armstrong, expressing shock and announcing he would close the clubs. He denied traveling to Parkland Hospital, though reporter Seth Kantor claimed to have seen him there; the Commission found Kantor’s identification questionable given the time constraints and video evidence. On Friday evening, Ruby attended synagogue services at Temple Shearith Israel, then drove to the Dallas Police Department around 10:30 p.m. with sandwiches for officers. He was present at the midnight press conference when Oswald was shown to reporters, standing atop a table and even correcting District Attorney Henry Wade’s misidentification of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. Ruby introduced himself to Wade, Justice of the Peace David L. Johnston, and various reporters, and assisted KLIF radio in securing telephone interviews with the district attorney. Throughout Saturday, Ruby remained visibly shaken, expressing concern about the “Impeach Earl Warren” sign and the Bernard Weissman advertisement, which he believed were connected and possibly related to the assassination. He photographed the sign with handyman Larry Crafard and roommate George Senator, visited various establishments, and made numerous telephone calls. Saturday night included a conversation with Chicago friend Lawrence Meyers, to whom Ruby said “I’ve got to do something about this,” a remark Meyers initially understood to refer to Ruby’s competitors but later wondered might have had broader meaning. Ruby rose Sunday morning to make a $25 money order to dancer Karen Carlin at the Western Union office at 11:17 a.m. He then walked to the Dallas Police Department basement and, at 11:21 a.m., shot Oswald once in the abdomen.