Commission Findings on Oswald’s Killing by Jack Ruby
Commission Findings on Oswald’s Killing by Jack Ruby The Commission’s findings on Jack Ruby’s November 24, 1963 killing of Oswald are: (a) Ruby entered the Dallas Police Department basement shortly after 11:17 a.m. and killed Oswald at 11:21 a.m.; (b) while evidence of Ruby’s entry method is not conclusive, the weight of evidence indicates he walked down the ramp leading from Main Street to the basement; (c) there is no evidence supporting rumors that Ruby was assisted by any Dallas Police Department personnel in the killing; (d) the Dallas Police Department’s decision to transfer Oswald to county jail in full public view was unsound, the transfer arrangements made only hours before the attempted move were inadequate, and news media and other individuals were not excluded from the basement even after police were notified of threats to Oswald’s life, all of which contributed to his death.
No Conspiracy Involving Oswald or Ruby
No Conspiracy Involving Oswald or Ruby The Commission found no evidence that either Lee Harvey Oswald or Jack Ruby was part of any domestic or foreign conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy, based on extensive investigation: no evidence exists that anyone assisted Oswald in planning or carrying out the assassination, after review of the motorcade route planning, Oswald’s October 1963 hiring by the Texas School Book Depository, how the rifle was brought into the building, carton placement at the firing window, Oswald’s escape from the building, and eyewitness testimony to the shooting; no evidence links Oswald to any person or group in a conspiracy to kill the President, after investigation of his associations, finances, personal habits, and activities after his June 1962 return from the Soviet Union; no evidence shows Oswald was employed, persuaded, or encouraged by any foreign government to carry out the assassination, or that he was a foreign government agent, after review of his 1959-1962 defection to and life in the Soviet Union, his Fair Play for Cuba Committee contacts, his September-October 1963 visits to Cuban and Soviet embassies in Mexico City, and his contacts with the Soviet Embassy in the U.S.; no evidence connects his attempts to affiliate with political groups including the Communist Party USA, Fair Play for Cuba Committee, and Socialist Workers Party to the assassination; no evidence supports speculation that Oswald was an FBI, CIA, or other U.S. government agent, employee, or informant, after thorough investigation of his pre-assassination relationships with all U.S. government agencies, with all contacts found to be part of the agencies’ regular duties; no direct or indirect relationship between Oswald and Ruby has been found, nor credible evidence that either knew the other, after investigation of all rumors and speculation of such a link; no evidence shows Ruby acted with any other person in killing Oswald; and no credible evidence shows Ruby knew Officer Tippit, or that Oswald knew Tippit. The Commission notes that while proving a negative to absolute certainty is difficult, any evidence of others being involved with Oswald or Ruby has not been uncovered by all U.S. investigative agencies and has not come to the Commission’s attention.
No Government Official Conspiracy
No Government Official Conspiracy Across its full investigation, the Commission found no evidence of conspiracy, subversion, or disloyalty to the U.S. government by any federal, state, or local official.
Oswald Acted Alone: Motive Analysis
Oswald Acted Alone: Motive Analysis Based on the evidence, the Commission concludes Oswald acted alone in the assassination, so his motives must be derived from examination of his own life. The Commission could not reach a definitive determination of his motives, but identified contributing factors: deep-rooted resentment of all authority and hostility toward every society he lived in; inability to form meaningful relationships and a continuous pattern of rejecting his environment in favor of new surroundings; a desire to leave a mark on history and despair over repeated failures in his undertakings; demonstrated capacity for violence via his attempted killing of General Walker; and his avowed commitment to his own interpretation of Marxism and communism, expressed via antagonism toward the U.S., defection to the Soviet Union, failure to reconcile with U.S. life after becoming disenchanted with the Soviet Union, and frustrated efforts to travel to Cuba. Each of these factors contributed to his willingness to commit cruel, irresponsible violent acts.
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