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

Sunday Morning Trip to Police Department

Leaving his apartment a few minutes before 11 a.m. with his dachshund Sheba and a portable radio, Ruby drove downtown, passing Dealey Plaza and noting crowds outside the county jail (which he assumed meant Oswald had already been transferred) and the Police and Courts Building. He parked his car across from the Western Union office, left his keys and billfold in the trunk (containing approximately $1,000 in cash) and the trunk key in the glove compartment, and did not lock his car doors. He then walked to the Western Union office, where he completed a $25 telegraph money order for Carlin at 11:17 a.m. CST, retaining a time-stamped receipt. After the transaction, Ruby walked toward the police department, entered the basement via the auto ramp, and stood behind newsmen and police awaiting Oswald’s transfer. When Oswald emerged from a basement office at approximately 11:21 a.m., Ruby moved forward and fired a single fatal shot into Oswald’s abdomen before being subdued by officers.

Evaluation of Ruby’s Activities

An examination of Ruby’s conduct in the days surrounding President Kennedy’s assassination found no evidence he was involved in the assassination itself. His pre-assassination activities were routine, and his public expressions of grief and shock were consistent with his known character, as were his concerns about the impact of the assassination on his businesses. Ruby’s obsession with the “Impeach Earl Warren” sign and Bernard Weissman ad was openly expressed, and no links between Ruby and any political organization were found. Larry Crafard’s sudden departure from Dallas on November 23, which raised initial conspiracy speculation, was determined to be innocent: Crafard had planned to leave Ruby’s employ prior to the assassination, had a minor argument with Ruby the morning of November 23, and had longstanding ties to family in Michigan that motivated his hitchhiking trip, with no connections to the assassination or Oswald’s shooting. Allegations that Ruby’s Saturday night phone calls to friends Ralph Paul and Breck Wall discussed shooting Oswald were unsubstantiated: phone records showed no suspicious activity, both men had no known subversive ties, and the sole source of the claim (Wanda Helmick) had delayed reporting it for months, with no corroborating witnesses. An investigation into Ruby’s 10:19 a.m. call with Carlin also found no evidence it was prearranged to provide Ruby an excuse to be near the police department or convey information about Oswald’s transfer.