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

第六章 , the Commission has considered whether there is any evidence

This chapter considers whether Jack Ruby received assistance from Dallas policemen or others in gaining access to the police basement on the morning of November 24, 1963, when he shot Lee Harvey Oswald. The Commission found no evidence that Ruby received any assistance, but his means of entry is significant in evaluating the adequacy of the precautions taken to protect Oswald. The chapter examines Ruby’s account of entering via the Main Street ramp, establishes a timeline of pre-shooting events, evaluates witness testimony, investigates alternative entry routes, debunks claims about a press badge or police car entry, reviews the police department’s investigation into possible complicity, considers whether Ruby received a tip about the transfer time, discusses the Dallas Police Department’s press access policy, and assesses the adequacy of security precautions. This chapter segment details the Commission’s analysis of security failures, uncoordinated law enforcement planning, and excessive press accommodation policies that created the conditions for Lee Harvey Oswald’s fatal shooting while in Dallas police custody. This chapter examines the Dallas Police Department and local prosecutorial authorities’ extensive public disclosure of investigation details related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the tangible harms caused by those disclosures, and the Commission’s formal assessment of the appropriateness and consequences of the authorities’ media policy. The Commission outlines its assessment of responsibility for press control failures and associated law enforcement breakdowns in the immediate aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, evaluating the roles of the Dallas Police Department and news media, documented press misconduct, and proposed measures to establish ethical standards for press conduct.