So I told them about the interview with Ruby in the jail up in the
jailhouse. I did not go into detail about the other, because I did not
consider that my interview.
Mr. HUBERT. You are talking there about the second interview?
Mr. SORRELS. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you mention you had been present?
Mr. SORRELS. I do not recall that I did.
Mr. HUBERT. Coming back to the Curry matter, what was your motivation
in calling Curry?
Mr. SORRELS. I felt that the testimony or the statements, rather,
made by Ruby right after he had shot Oswald would be of benefit to
the district attorney in the prosecution of this case, the statements
that he made as to the fact that he had worked himself into a state of
insanity, also the statement that he guessed he had to show the world
that a Jew had guts. And I also recall that during the questioning by
Captain Fritz during the interview there that Ruby had made the remark,
“Well, I would make a good actor, wouldn’t I?” to Captain Fritz. And I
felt that possibly I could not testify, because of the fact that I had
not warned Ruby of his constitutional rights.
I thought of that before I talked to him, but the part that I
was interested in, that is, determining whether or not anyone
else was involved with him, or whether or not he knew Oswald, I
didn’t consider--I mean I considered that if I warned him of his
constitutional rights on that particular angle, that he might not
even tell me that, and that is the reason I did not warn him of his
constitutional rights, because I felt it was of paramount interest to
our Service to determine whether or not others were involved in this
thing besides Ruby, and of paramount interest to determine whether or
not Oswald and Ruby knew each other, or had any connection.
Mr. HUBERT. Is it a custom, rule, or regulation of your Service that
you must warn a person of his constitutional rights before you can
question him?
Mr. SORRELS. On our investigations; yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. And is that a custom, or is it actually a published
regulation?
Mr. SORRELS. Well, we know that we are going to get in serious trouble
in court if we don’t do it, because that is always--the question is
always asked, especially by a defense attorney, and so forth.
And we know that we are supposed to do it.