(Testimony of Mr. Jack Ruby)
Mr. Ruby.
I did. I had it in a little bag with money constantly. I carry my money.
Chief Justice WARREN. Congressman, do you have anything further?
Mr. Ruby.
You can get more out of me. Let's not break up too soon.
Representative Ford.
When you got to Havana, who met you in Havana?
Mr. Ruby.
McWillie. Now here is what happened. One of the Fox brothers came to visit me in Dallas with his wife. They came to the Vegas Club with Mrs. McWillie, and we had taken some pictures, 8 x 10's.
Evidently the Foxes were in exile at that time, because when I went to visit McWillie, when he sent me the plane tickets, they looked through my luggage and they saw a photograph of Mr. Fox and his wife. They didn't interrogate, but they went through everything and held me up for hours.
Representative Ford.
Castro employees?
Mr. Ruby.
Yes; because evidently, in my ignorance, I didn't realize I was bringing a picture that they knew was a bitter enemy. At that time they knew that the Fox brothers weren't going to jail, or something was going to happen.
Whether it was they were in exile at that time, I don't know.
But they came to my club, the Vegas Club, and we had taken pictures.
Mr. McWillie was waiting for me, and he saw me go through the customs line for a couple of hours, and he said, "Jack, they never did this to anyone before." Evidently, they had me pretty well lined up as to where I come in the picture of Mr. Rivera Fox. I can't think of his name.
Representative Ford.
You spent 8 days there in Havana?
Mr. Ruby.
Yes; approximately.
Representative Ford.
And you stayed at the apartment of Mr.----
Mr. Ruby.
Volk's Apartments. I never used the phone. I wouldn't know how to use the phone. Probably to call back to Dallas. And the only time, McWillie had to be at the club early, so I remained a little later in town--not often--because I saved money when I rode with him; because they charge you quite a bit. But I didn't want to get there too early, because to get there at 7 o'clock wasn't very lively.
Because I would always be with him for the complete evening.
We leave the place and stop somewhere to get coffee, a little dugout--I saw Ava Gardner down there at the time when I was there. She was visiting there.
Representative Ford.
What prompted you to leave at the end of 8 days?
Mr. Ruby.
I was bored because gambling isn't my profession, and when you have a business to run, and there weren't many tourists I could get acquainted with there.
I went to the Capri rooftop to go swimming, and went to the Nacional to go swimming once.
Representative Ford.
Did you ever go to Mexico? Have you ever been to Mexico?
Mr. Ruby.
The only time, 30 or 40 years ago, 1934.
Representative Ford.
This trip to Cuba was the only time you left the country other than military service?
Mr. Ruby.
Actually I didn't leave in the military. I was stationed three and a half years here in the States. Let's see, never out of the United States except at one time to Havana, Cuba.
Chief Justice WARREN. Now you said there were some other things. Would you mind telling us anything you have on your mind?
Mr. Ruby.
No; because as I said earlier, you seem to have gotten the juicy part of the story up to now in the various spasmodic way of my telling it. How valuable am I to you to give you all this information?
Chief Justice WARREN. Well, how valuable is rather an indefinite term, but I think it is very helpful to our Commission report. I think the report would have been deficient if it had not been for this interview we have had with you.
So we are interested in anything that you would like to tell us, in your own language.
Mr. Ruby.
The only thing is this. If I cannot get these tests you give, it is pretty haphazard to tell you the things I should tell you.
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