Post by Rob Caprio on Nov 29, 2024 20:56:16 GMT -5
All portions are ©️ Robert Caprio 2006-2025
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The Warren Commission (WC) claimed that Jack Ruby had no assistance entering the Dallas Police Department (DPD) basement on November 24, 1963, when he shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO). They were adamant that he did this all on his own and that no one from the DPD assisted him with gaining entry and moving in place to shoot LHO.
As we have seen in this long-running series before, this is NOT true, and this article will again show that he most likely had assistance from someone or some group in his killing of LHO.
*****************************************************************
Deep in the twenty-six volumes is an interesting letter discussing how Jack Ruby may have been given assistance in gaining access to the DPD basement. It is found in the exhibits that deal with witnesses that testified before the WC. Reserve DPD Officer Harold Holly said that he arrived for duty just minutes after Ruby shot LHO and he was eventually sent to Parkland Hospital (PH) to work traffic duty. Here is the relevant portion from his December 1, 1963, interview.
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historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh20/pages/WH_Vol20_0092b.gif
While there, Holly stated that an unknown reserve police officer related to him that he, the unknown reserve officer, had passed Jack Ruby into the basement of the City Hall after Ruby had presented press credentials.
Captain Soloman advised the undersigned officers to be skeptical of this information and not to place too much credence in it. (Holly 5109, p. 164; p. 1 in original)
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh20/html/WH_Vol20_0092b.htm
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This would be a killer for the WC version of events as it would show not only that Ruby had help getting into the basement, but that someone supplied him with press credentials (unless Ruby made them himself, but this is doubtful in my opinion). So, needless to say, it was deemed "not credible" by the DPD. This is the same group who would suffer IF this was true, so their opinion is worthless. What makes this not credible?
Holly would be called by the WC to testify which is unusual as they usually avoided witnesses like this. Notice what he says about Ruby here.
Mr. HUBERT. Was he speaking, from what you could tell, of Ruby being down in there on the morning that Oswald was assassinated?
Mr. HOLLY. Yes. I asked him--the conversation went like, well, how in the world could they ever let him in. Everybody knew him, which most reserves do know him.
Mr. HUBERT. You knew him?
Mr. HOLLY. Oh, yes; I knew him. I did business with him. And I would know him if I saw him. But I wasn't stationed down there, so therefore, I don't know.
And he said he saw him down there, or did see of him, or he in some way, one of the reserves had let him in, and he had a lapel pass on. (XII, p. 262)
The WC claimed that Ruby barely knew anyone on the DPD, but here Holly said that Ruby knew most of the reserves! How could he know most of the reserves, but not know most of the regulars? That seems highly unlikely to me. Notice he says that he was told that the Ruby had "a lapel pin" on when he came into the basement, and it was NOT via the Main Street ramp as the WC lawyer kept claiming. That was debunked a long time ago. Where would he get the pin and credentials from?
Initially Holly did not know the name of the other reserve officer who told him about Ruby, but eventually he would identify him as William J. Newman.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, do you know who he was, this reserve?
Mr. HOLLY. No. I tried to go through the photographs of who I thought it was. I never have learned if it was him.
Mr. HUBERT. You did pick out a person?
Mr. HOLLY. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know the name of the man you picked out?
Mr. HOLLY. No. Captain Solomon mentioned his name, but I don't recall it.
Mr. HUBERT. Does the name Newman refresh your memory?
Mr. HOLLY. Newman? It's been so long ago, I wouldn't say.
Mr. HUBERT. Was there any doubt about your identification?
Mr. HOLLY. Well, other than I described the man to him, and, of course, I went over the photographs with Captain Solomon on Sunday.
Mr. HUBERT. A week later?
Mr. HOLLY. On that following Sunday after the date. No; it was a week later, I beg your pardon. It was a week later, and I met him up there Sunday, and we went over the photographs with men in their uniforms, and the boy I picked out, Captain Solomon said, "Well, that is one of the men that is down in the basement," and that is the only one I could think it could have been.
And he contacted the man and the man was hunting at that time, and I never did hear of any more of it.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, what I mean is, the man you did pick out, is there any doubt in your mind that you picked out the man you spoke to at the hospital who told you he had seen Ruby?
Mr. HOLLY. There is a little doubt there, yes. I wouldn't be too positive of it. But I feel----
Mr. HUBERT. Have you seen this man since?
Mr. HOLLY. No; I haven't seen him since. I didn't know him and never had seen him before that. But I am pretty positive I picked out the right man, the one that I did see and talk to.
Mr. HUBERT. Let me see if I can get you straight. You say that you are pretty positive that you did pick out the right man, but a little while before you said that you weren't quite sure? There is a little difference between the two?
Mr. HOLLY. I went over several photographs with Captain Solomon and he is the only one that resembles him.
The photographs he showed me were old photographs, so there was a little doubt there, and that is the only part I can be doubted on. I think he said the photographs he showed me were maybe 3 years old. (Ibid., pp. 262-263)
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The WC tried hard to shake him off his identification, but he finally said he was pretty sure it was William Newman who told him that. I have a thought, instead of having Holly go through photographs, why didn't the DPD gather all their reserve officers together and ask them about this issue? Why were they afraid to do this? It seems pretty easy to me. "Gentleman, Officer Holly said he talked to one of you out at PH and he was told about Ruby and how he entered the basement. Did any of you speak with him?"
Why was this so hard to do? In fact, you didn't even need to call in all reserve officers as the duty sheet should have shown which ones were sent to PH on November 24, 1963. Why were they having Holly look over a bunch of photographs? It was as IF they were hoping he couldn't identify the guy.
And, after he identified the man he thought it was, Captain Soloman never brought him to Holly and asked if he was the guy!
Mr. HUBERT. But he didn't get the man and confront you with him?
Mr. HOLLY. No. (Ibid., p. 263)
This pretty much sums up how serious the DPD was about finding this guy, doesn't it? It seems that Captain Soloman knew he picked the right man as well.
Mr. HUBERT. So, the way I see it, among those pictures that Captain Solomon showed you, you picked out the man you thought was the man?
Mr. HOLLY. I still think it was the same man that Captain Solomon--he didn't tell me prior, but after I picked him out, he said that is the only man it could have been, because he was down in the basement, and the way I described it, it fitted the description I had given. He did explain after it was over that the photographs were about 3 years old. (Ibid.)
This proves he picked the ONLY guy it could have been, and this man was still NOT brought in to make sure. Some search for the truth, huh? It would seem that there was some validity to this story to me.
Surprisingly, the WC would call Newman to testify about this issue. Here is what he told them.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, did you go out to Parkland Hospital?
Mr. NEWMAN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you speak to a man, reserve officer by the name of Holly?
Mr. NEWMAN. I don't recall. I spoke to several reserve officers. I can't recall any of them as to who they were. (XII, p. 332)
Why can't anyone remember anyone's name in this case? Especially when they are wearing NAME BADGES on their uniform! So, let me get this straight, you talk with another officer and tell him that Ruby had a lapel pin on and press credentials, but you do NOT look at his name badge?
Newman said in an interview with DPD staff that he saw something that is interesting, but hard to believe.
Quote on
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh24/pages/WH_Vol24_0083a.jpg
Newman stated, after reading his original report, that he recalled observing an unknown white male run down the Main Street ramp into the basement of the City Hall, approximately one minute before the shooting of Oswald. This unknown male disappeared into a group of newsmen and police officers and was not observed by Newman again.
Patrolman Newman states that he observed this individual just prior to someone in the crowd announcing, "Here he comes!" Less than a minute lapsed from this time until the shooting of Oswald. Newman states that he did not know Jack Ruby. (Commission Exhibit (CE) 2002, p. 147)
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh24/html/WH_Vol24_0083a.htm
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IF he did see a man do this it could NOT be Ruby as this has been looked into very thoroughly. The officer on the ramp, Roy Vaughn, passed a lie detector saying that Ruby or no one else went past him. Furthermore, his location in the basement is important. He could have thought this man came from the ramp when he didn't. It could have been optics that made him think this.
Another thing that makes it not likely that it was Ruby is that Newman said that he did not observe the man again. That is a key statement because if the shooting was in less than a minute and Ruby did it, how could he not see him again? That would seem very unlikely to me. So, who could this man have been IF Newman was correct?
Further doubt on this matter comes from a memorandum from December 6, 1963, that states Newman was not sure if the man went over the railing before or after the shooting. (Newman Exhibit No. 5038-B, p. 647)
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh20/pages/WH_Vol20_0334a.gif
Since there is a possibility that this man could have done this after the shooting then he would not seem that vital to the shooting. Newman would say he was wearing a suit but could not say he had a hat on.
Holly would do an interview with the FBI on December 7, 1963, and you can read that here:
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh20/html/WH_Vol20_0093b.htm
It cannot be shown for sure that this is totally true, but the fact that the DPD and the WC were so adamant about discrediting Holly when he had NO reason to lie and invent this makes me suspicious. This should have been easy to look into, but that seemed like the last thing the DPD and FBI wanted to do beyond some interviews.
It is common sense that Ruby had assistance getting into the basement so easily and even the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) said this, so to think he was given press credentials to do this is not far-fetched to me at all.
Because the WC did not have this thoroughly investigated, I am going to say it sinks their final conclusion regarding Ruby and his entry into the basement. NO surprise there as almost all of the evidence in the twenty-six volumes does this!
media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/01/07/oswald072way_custom-29193fbe090a5248aa65888a6856dd13a5c3b62c-s1400.jpg
assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2011/04/gettyimages-615319776.jpg
1.bp.blogspot.com/-X-QmVAy323s/UpH_i6bH_7I/AAAAAAAAJ8A/0jJ1joUbrtE/s1600/Dallas+Police+Dept.+Basement+(Main+Street+Ramp).jpg
cdn.f1connect.net/photo/tributes/t/9/r/600x314/5580786/Harold-Holly-1576746618.jpg
The Warren Commission (WC) claimed that Jack Ruby had no assistance entering the Dallas Police Department (DPD) basement on November 24, 1963, when he shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO). They were adamant that he did this all on his own and that no one from the DPD assisted him with gaining entry and moving in place to shoot LHO.
As we have seen in this long-running series before, this is NOT true, and this article will again show that he most likely had assistance from someone or some group in his killing of LHO.
*****************************************************************
Deep in the twenty-six volumes is an interesting letter discussing how Jack Ruby may have been given assistance in gaining access to the DPD basement. It is found in the exhibits that deal with witnesses that testified before the WC. Reserve DPD Officer Harold Holly said that he arrived for duty just minutes after Ruby shot LHO and he was eventually sent to Parkland Hospital (PH) to work traffic duty. Here is the relevant portion from his December 1, 1963, interview.
Quote on
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh20/pages/WH_Vol20_0092b.gif
While there, Holly stated that an unknown reserve police officer related to him that he, the unknown reserve officer, had passed Jack Ruby into the basement of the City Hall after Ruby had presented press credentials.
Captain Soloman advised the undersigned officers to be skeptical of this information and not to place too much credence in it. (Holly 5109, p. 164; p. 1 in original)
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh20/html/WH_Vol20_0092b.htm
Quote off
This would be a killer for the WC version of events as it would show not only that Ruby had help getting into the basement, but that someone supplied him with press credentials (unless Ruby made them himself, but this is doubtful in my opinion). So, needless to say, it was deemed "not credible" by the DPD. This is the same group who would suffer IF this was true, so their opinion is worthless. What makes this not credible?
Holly would be called by the WC to testify which is unusual as they usually avoided witnesses like this. Notice what he says about Ruby here.
Mr. HUBERT. Was he speaking, from what you could tell, of Ruby being down in there on the morning that Oswald was assassinated?
Mr. HOLLY. Yes. I asked him--the conversation went like, well, how in the world could they ever let him in. Everybody knew him, which most reserves do know him.
Mr. HUBERT. You knew him?
Mr. HOLLY. Oh, yes; I knew him. I did business with him. And I would know him if I saw him. But I wasn't stationed down there, so therefore, I don't know.
And he said he saw him down there, or did see of him, or he in some way, one of the reserves had let him in, and he had a lapel pass on. (XII, p. 262)
The WC claimed that Ruby barely knew anyone on the DPD, but here Holly said that Ruby knew most of the reserves! How could he know most of the reserves, but not know most of the regulars? That seems highly unlikely to me. Notice he says that he was told that the Ruby had "a lapel pin" on when he came into the basement, and it was NOT via the Main Street ramp as the WC lawyer kept claiming. That was debunked a long time ago. Where would he get the pin and credentials from?
Initially Holly did not know the name of the other reserve officer who told him about Ruby, but eventually he would identify him as William J. Newman.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, do you know who he was, this reserve?
Mr. HOLLY. No. I tried to go through the photographs of who I thought it was. I never have learned if it was him.
Mr. HUBERT. You did pick out a person?
Mr. HOLLY. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know the name of the man you picked out?
Mr. HOLLY. No. Captain Solomon mentioned his name, but I don't recall it.
Mr. HUBERT. Does the name Newman refresh your memory?
Mr. HOLLY. Newman? It's been so long ago, I wouldn't say.
Mr. HUBERT. Was there any doubt about your identification?
Mr. HOLLY. Well, other than I described the man to him, and, of course, I went over the photographs with Captain Solomon on Sunday.
Mr. HUBERT. A week later?
Mr. HOLLY. On that following Sunday after the date. No; it was a week later, I beg your pardon. It was a week later, and I met him up there Sunday, and we went over the photographs with men in their uniforms, and the boy I picked out, Captain Solomon said, "Well, that is one of the men that is down in the basement," and that is the only one I could think it could have been.
And he contacted the man and the man was hunting at that time, and I never did hear of any more of it.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, what I mean is, the man you did pick out, is there any doubt in your mind that you picked out the man you spoke to at the hospital who told you he had seen Ruby?
Mr. HOLLY. There is a little doubt there, yes. I wouldn't be too positive of it. But I feel----
Mr. HUBERT. Have you seen this man since?
Mr. HOLLY. No; I haven't seen him since. I didn't know him and never had seen him before that. But I am pretty positive I picked out the right man, the one that I did see and talk to.
Mr. HUBERT. Let me see if I can get you straight. You say that you are pretty positive that you did pick out the right man, but a little while before you said that you weren't quite sure? There is a little difference between the two?
Mr. HOLLY. I went over several photographs with Captain Solomon and he is the only one that resembles him.
The photographs he showed me were old photographs, so there was a little doubt there, and that is the only part I can be doubted on. I think he said the photographs he showed me were maybe 3 years old. (Ibid., pp. 262-263)
Quote off
The WC tried hard to shake him off his identification, but he finally said he was pretty sure it was William Newman who told him that. I have a thought, instead of having Holly go through photographs, why didn't the DPD gather all their reserve officers together and ask them about this issue? Why were they afraid to do this? It seems pretty easy to me. "Gentleman, Officer Holly said he talked to one of you out at PH and he was told about Ruby and how he entered the basement. Did any of you speak with him?"
Why was this so hard to do? In fact, you didn't even need to call in all reserve officers as the duty sheet should have shown which ones were sent to PH on November 24, 1963. Why were they having Holly look over a bunch of photographs? It was as IF they were hoping he couldn't identify the guy.
And, after he identified the man he thought it was, Captain Soloman never brought him to Holly and asked if he was the guy!
Mr. HUBERT. But he didn't get the man and confront you with him?
Mr. HOLLY. No. (Ibid., p. 263)
This pretty much sums up how serious the DPD was about finding this guy, doesn't it? It seems that Captain Soloman knew he picked the right man as well.
Mr. HUBERT. So, the way I see it, among those pictures that Captain Solomon showed you, you picked out the man you thought was the man?
Mr. HOLLY. I still think it was the same man that Captain Solomon--he didn't tell me prior, but after I picked him out, he said that is the only man it could have been, because he was down in the basement, and the way I described it, it fitted the description I had given. He did explain after it was over that the photographs were about 3 years old. (Ibid.)
This proves he picked the ONLY guy it could have been, and this man was still NOT brought in to make sure. Some search for the truth, huh? It would seem that there was some validity to this story to me.
Surprisingly, the WC would call Newman to testify about this issue. Here is what he told them.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, did you go out to Parkland Hospital?
Mr. NEWMAN. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you speak to a man, reserve officer by the name of Holly?
Mr. NEWMAN. I don't recall. I spoke to several reserve officers. I can't recall any of them as to who they were. (XII, p. 332)
Why can't anyone remember anyone's name in this case? Especially when they are wearing NAME BADGES on their uniform! So, let me get this straight, you talk with another officer and tell him that Ruby had a lapel pin on and press credentials, but you do NOT look at his name badge?
Newman said in an interview with DPD staff that he saw something that is interesting, but hard to believe.
Quote on
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh24/pages/WH_Vol24_0083a.jpg
Newman stated, after reading his original report, that he recalled observing an unknown white male run down the Main Street ramp into the basement of the City Hall, approximately one minute before the shooting of Oswald. This unknown male disappeared into a group of newsmen and police officers and was not observed by Newman again.
Patrolman Newman states that he observed this individual just prior to someone in the crowd announcing, "Here he comes!" Less than a minute lapsed from this time until the shooting of Oswald. Newman states that he did not know Jack Ruby. (Commission Exhibit (CE) 2002, p. 147)
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh24/html/WH_Vol24_0083a.htm
Quote off
IF he did see a man do this it could NOT be Ruby as this has been looked into very thoroughly. The officer on the ramp, Roy Vaughn, passed a lie detector saying that Ruby or no one else went past him. Furthermore, his location in the basement is important. He could have thought this man came from the ramp when he didn't. It could have been optics that made him think this.
Another thing that makes it not likely that it was Ruby is that Newman said that he did not observe the man again. That is a key statement because if the shooting was in less than a minute and Ruby did it, how could he not see him again? That would seem very unlikely to me. So, who could this man have been IF Newman was correct?
Further doubt on this matter comes from a memorandum from December 6, 1963, that states Newman was not sure if the man went over the railing before or after the shooting. (Newman Exhibit No. 5038-B, p. 647)
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh20/pages/WH_Vol20_0334a.gif
Since there is a possibility that this man could have done this after the shooting then he would not seem that vital to the shooting. Newman would say he was wearing a suit but could not say he had a hat on.
Holly would do an interview with the FBI on December 7, 1963, and you can read that here:
historymatters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh20/html/WH_Vol20_0093b.htm
It cannot be shown for sure that this is totally true, but the fact that the DPD and the WC were so adamant about discrediting Holly when he had NO reason to lie and invent this makes me suspicious. This should have been easy to look into, but that seemed like the last thing the DPD and FBI wanted to do beyond some interviews.
It is common sense that Ruby had assistance getting into the basement so easily and even the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) said this, so to think he was given press credentials to do this is not far-fetched to me at all.
Because the WC did not have this thoroughly investigated, I am going to say it sinks their final conclusion regarding Ruby and his entry into the basement. NO surprise there as almost all of the evidence in the twenty-six volumes does this!