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

第五章

Chapter V examines the detention and death of Lee Harvey Oswald during the approximately 48 hours he spent at the Dallas Police and Courts Building between his arrest on November 22 and his shooting by Jack Ruby on November 24, 1963. Beyond the question of whether Oswald’s killing was part of a conspiracy with the assassination of President Kennedy, the events inside the building raise significant issues about law enforcement conduct, press responsibilities, the rights of the accused, and the administration of criminal justice. The Commission details Oswald’s treatment in custody, provides a chronology of his movements, describes the interrogation sessions, reviews the handling of his legal rights, and documents the overwhelming presence of newsmen on the third floor of the police department.

Detention and Death of Oswald

Lee Harvey Oswald spent nearly all of his final 48 hours at the gray stone Police and Courts Building in downtown Dallas, which housed the Dallas Police Department headquarters and the city jail. After his arrest early Friday afternoon, he was brought immediately to this building and held there until Sunday morning, November 24, when he was scheduled for transfer to the county jail. At 11:21 a.m. that morning, in full view of millions of television viewers, Oswald was fatally shot by Jack Ruby, who emerged suddenly from a crowd of newsmen and police and fired a single shot during the transfer. The question of whether Oswald’s killing was part of a conspiracy involving the assassination is addressed in chapter VI, but the events of November 22–24 also raise broader issues concerning law enforcement conduct, press responsibilities, the rights of the accused, and criminal justice administration, prompting the Commission to establish the facts and evaluate the actions of police and press involved.