Mr. RUBY. But you don’t ask me why I did it, though? Why I was carried
away so much—you don’t ask me that.
Mr. SPECTER. We did ask you—we asked you “Why did you shoot Oswald?”
Mr. RUBY. But you don’t ask me why I got carried away so?
Mr. SPECTER. Well, it’s the same question.
Mr. RUBY. Oh, it’s the same question.
Mr. SPECTER. This is the same question—in the form of: “Did you do it
in order to save Mrs. Kennedy the travail of a trip to Dallas?” That
subject matter has been covered as comprehensively as we can through
the polygraph.
Now, will you proceed, Mr. Herndon, and ask those final questions?
Mr. HERNDON. I would like to proceed with, “Are you Jack Ruby?”
Mr. SPECTER. That’s fine—that’s your line.
Mr. HERNDON. Then, I’ll ask you. “Do you consider yourself to be a 100
percent American patriot?”
Then, what was the last question you wanted asked, Mr. Specter?
Mr. SPECTER. “Is all of the testimony given by you today the complete
truth?”
Mr. HERNDON. I think I can ask those questions now.
Mr. Ruby, does this noise disturb you right now, are you conscious of
it or aware of it [referring to audible conversations between other
jail occupants outside this room]?
Mr. RUBY. I hear it.
Mr. HERNDON. Are you all right?
Mr. RUBY. Yes.
Mr. HERNDON. Are you tired?
Mr. RUBY. No; I’m all right.
Mr. HERNDON. Are you getting a little tired?
Mr. RUBY. I’m all right.
Mr. HERNDON. I’ll ask you just these last few questions. Would you once
again kindly put your feet flat on the floor, and let’s put these back
so you will be comfortable.
(Reporter’s note: 8:55 p.m.)
Mr. HERNDON. I will have to wait for the instrument to warm up just a
second. This will be series No. 11.
(Mr. Herndon snapped his fingers one time.)
Mr. HERNDON. Are you ready to proceed?
Mr. RUBY. Yes.
Mr. HERNDON. I’ll just ask these three questions, and once again, these
are more or less summation questions here, and I want you just to relax
and answer them simply, “Yes” or “No.”
The series will now begin.
“Are you Jack Ruby?”
Mr. RUBY. “Yes.”
Mr. HERNDON. “Do you consider yourself to be a 100 percent American
patriot?”
Mr. RUBY. “Yes.”
Mr. HERNDON. “Has all the testimony given by you today been the
complete truth?”
Mr. RUBY. “Yes.”
Mr. HERNDON. The series is over.
(Reporter’s note: 8:59 p.m.)
Mr. HERNDON. I have no questions, Mr. Specter.
Mr. SPECTER. Thank you. That concludes the polygraph examination.
Mr. HERNDON. Now, I will take all this paraphernalia off of you, Mr.
Ruby.
Mr. SPECTER. I would like to have you sign your name about 10 times,
for us, Mr. Ruby, and would you put the date on this for us too? The
date is July 18, 1964.
Mr. RUBY. Let me have my glasses, Joe.
Mr. TONAHILL (handed glasses to Mr. Ruby).
Mr. SPECTER. And now would you write the sentence at the bottom, “Now
is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.”
Mr. RUBY (complied with request of Mr. Specter).
Mr. SPECTER. Now, would you skip down and write that again. I would
like for you to write that three times in all, and you might sit down
and take a chair and do so.
Mr. RUBY (complied with request of Mr. Specter).
Mr. SPECTER. Very good.
Mr. RUBY. What time is it?
Mr. HERNDON. It’s 9 o’clock.
Mr. SPECTER. I have five after nine—Dallas, Tex., time.
Mr. RUBY. Joe, are you going to do what I asked you to?
Mr. TONAHILL. I’m going to do my best. You know me well enough to know
that I’m going to do my best.
Mr. RUBY. I know you well enough.
Mr. HERNDON. You were very cooperative, Mr. Ruby.
Mr. TONAHILL. Goodbye, Jack. Good to see you.
Mr. RUBY. You’re going to do what I ask you to do?
Mr. TONAHILL. I’m going to do my best. I told you I would. Everything I
do is for your best interest and I have worked awful hard.
Mr. RUBY. I know. You are a big man and I know how big you can be.
Mr. TONAHILL. I’m going to do my best, like I said, and not let
anything under the sun happen.
Mr. RUBY. You know what I’m talking about?
Mr. TONAHILL. I know exactly what you’re talking about.
(Before leaving the room Mr. Ruby conferred briefly with Messrs.
Tonahill and Alexander out of the hearing of others in the room, and
departed with Chief Jailer Holman at 9:07 p.m.)