The proceeding reconvened at 1:30 p.m.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, Mr. Crafard, this is a continuation of the deposition
which was recessed for the lunch hour. You understand that we are
continuing this deposition by the same authority that we commenced it
with, and likewise that you are under the same oath that you were under
and that you took at the beginning of that deposition?
Mr. CRAFARD. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Is that agreeable to you?
Mr. CRAFARD. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, when did you first hear that the President was going
to visit Dallas?
Mr. CRAFARD. I believe it was about 3 or 4 weeks before he came to
Dallas. It was advertised in the paper.
Mr. HUBERT. Were you working for Ruby at that time?
Mr. CRAFARD. Yes, sir; it came out in the papers that showed the
proposed route and the proposed secondary route of this trip through
the city.
Mr. HUBERT. Are you saying that the first time you found out that he,
President Kennedy, was going to visit the city, was when you read it in
the newspapers?
Mr. CRAFARD. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. And that in that account that you read in the newspapers,
the proposed route and an alternate route was given?
Mr. CRAFARD. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. That would have been just a very few days before he
actually came, wouldn’t it?
Mr. CRAFARD. I believe that was at least a week before he came that
that came out.
Mr. HUBERT. At any rate, whatever day the proposed route came out in
the papers that was the first day that you found out that the President
was coming to Dallas at all?
Mr. CRAFARD. They had been thinking he was going to come to Dallas.
They said something about it, but there was nothing definite at that
time, I didn’t know anything definite about it until I read it in the
paper.
Mr. HUBERT. You had read something in the paper about his coming prior
to the time that the route was set out?
Mr. CRAFARD. There was something in the paper about it figured he would
come or something but so far as I can recall there was nothing definite
until that same issue.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, did you ever talk to Ruby about it?
Mr. CRAFARD. No. There wasn’t much said about it in the club.
Mr. HUBERT. Was anything said about it?
Mr. CRAFARD. Something the day the paper came out with the proposed
route, we all said something about the fact that he was coming to town,
Dallas, that it would probably help Dallas a little bit.
Mr. HUBERT. Help in what way?
Mr. CRAFARD. Maybe bring a few more conventions or something.
Mr. HUBERT. Who said that?
Mr. CRAFARD. We all discussed it, Andy and Jack and I.
Mr. HUBERT. Including Ruby?
Mr. CRAFARD. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you remember specifically a conference, or conversation,
rather, of which there were three, at least, Jack Ruby and Andy
Armstrong, at which it was mentioned that it was a good thing for
Dallas because it would bring more conventions?
Mr. CRAFARD. It was in the paper, when Jack came to the club we already
had the paper there and Jack came to the club and he read the paper
and said something about it and then he said something to the effect
that it might help Dallas a little bit because it might bring more
conventions to Dallas, or something to that effect.
Mr. HUBERT. That was the day that the paper came out with the route?
Mr. CRAFARD. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Had you talked to Ruby about the President’s visit prior to
that day.
Mr. CRAFARD. Not that I can recall.
Mr. HUBERT. Had you talked to anyone else?
Mr. CRAFARD. Not that I recall.
Mr. HUBERT. You didn’t let me finish my question. Had you talked to
anyone else about the fact that the President might be coming to Dallas?
Mr. CRAFARD. I don’t recall anything about it, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. When you say there was no conversation in the club about it
other than what you have testified to----
Mr. CRAFARD. None that I can recall.
Mr. HUBERT. Was any mention made of the fact that in any conversation
between you and Jack or anybody else about the fact that the parade
would pass near the club?
Mr. CRAFARD. There was something said that we only have to walk a
block, I think, or something like that, up where we could see the
parade.
Mr. HUBERT. Who said that?
Mr. CRAFARD. I don’t remember whether it was Andy or myself.
Mr. HUBERT. Could it have been Ruby?
Mr. CRAFARD. It might have been. I don’t know.
Mr. HUBERT. In any case, either you or Andy made such a remark, and was
Jack present when it was made?
Mr. CRAFARD. I believe he was; yes.
Mr. HUBERT. You have a distinct recollection of that?
Mr. CRAFARD. I don’t have a distinct recollection; no.
Mr. HUBERT. Was it on the same occasion that you mentioned earlier that
he came in and said about how it would improve the business?
Mr. CRAFARD. I believe it was the day before the President’s trip,
arrival in Dallas, Andy and I had been saying something about wanting
to see it and some one of us said something about it was only about a
block or something like that to go to see it.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you ask Jack’s permission to leave to go watch it?
Mr. CRAFARD. I think we both told Jack that we was going to go watch it.
Mr. HUBERT. You and Andy did?
Mr. CRAFARD. Yes; I believe so.
Mr. HUBERT. Together?
Mr. CRAFARD. No; we didn’t figure on going. Andy was taking the day off
so he could go and I told Jack I was figuring going on up and watching
the parade.
Mr. HUBERT. What did he say about it?
Mr. CRAFARD. He didn’t say anything.
Mr. HUBERT. What?
Mr. CRAFARD. I don’t recall him saying anything.