PSC482G, Spring 2000
Answers to Assignment 15
Warren Commission Report 6
(N.B. This assignment is for your guidance only. It need not be turned in.)
Read: Warren Commission Report Chapter V (pp. 196–240) and Chapter VI (243–254).
Answer these questions (briefly):
1. Briefly describe the events of Oswald's first day in captivity (until about 1:30 a.m. Saturday). Brought to third floor of police station about 2 p.m. Interrogated in Capt. Fritz's office. First lineup at 4:05 p.m. Searched. Further questioning at 4:20. Second lineup and more questioning at 6:20. Charged at 7:00 with murdering Tippit; arraigned at 7:10. Third lineup and more questioning at 7:40. Fingerprints, palmprints taken; paraffin test given. Charged at 11:26 with murdering JFK. Appeared before the press just after midnight. Placed in fifth-floor cell at 12:20 a.m. Arraigned at 1:30 a.m. for murdering the president.
2. When and for how long was Oswald interrogated? Between 2:30 p.m. Friday and 11:15 a.m. Sunday, he was interrogated for about 12 hours. By whom? By Captain Fritz and about 25 others.
3. How did Lee Harvey Oswald respond to questions put to him during interrogation by the Dallas Police Department (DPD)? He answered openly except to questions directly bearing on either killing, at which points he became hostile and lied profusely. Do his responses imply anything about his guilt or innocence? They point toward his guilt but do not prove it.
4. Were Oswald's legal rights respected by the Dallas Police? Apparently so. He was not mistreated physically. He was allowed to eat and rest. When he complained about his handcuffs, they were removed. When being charged, he was advised of his rights. He never complained to any of his captors.
5. What was the official attitude of the DPD toward the presence of the press in the Police Station during 22–24 November 1963? They were told to go out of their way to cooperate with the press. What was the press’s general attitude? Pushy, pushy. Might either attitude have made the killing of Oswald more likely? Both attitudes led to too much crowding and confusion, and so probably made it easier for Ruby to get into the basement and mix with the crowd of reporters without being challenged.
6. Describe the security precautions taken by the DPD for the transfer of Oswald to the County Jail. More than 70 officers were assembled; armored truck to be used; basement office cleared. What might the police have overlooked? Ramp, stairs, lights. Should have cleared entire basement. Should have transferred Oswald in secret and at night.
7. How did Jack Ruby enter the basement of the DPD building? Apparently just walked down the ramp from Main St. Is there any evidence that he was assisted in doing so? No; he was apparently not noticed or else allowed in because he was a semiinsider.
8. Discuss the timing of Ruby’s arrival in the DPD basement Sunday morning relative to his earlier activities that morning. At 11:17 am, he sent a money order from Western Union office nearby. At 11:21, he shot Oswald. He probably could not have arrived in the basement more than 30 sec before Oswald appeared. What does this say about a possible conspiracy involving Ruby? Considering that Chief Curry announced that Oswald would be transferred any time after 10 a.m., either Ruby was acting on his own without planning the shooting in advance or he was part of an intricate conspiracy that could keep him apprised of Oswald’s whereabouts so that he could time his arrival to appear casual. Given the unpredictabilities of standing in line at Western Union and that Oswald was already 90 minutes late to be transferred, no respectable conspiracy would want to have Ruby arrive so late.
9. Does the mode of Oswald’s leaving the TSBD and returning to Oak Cliff imply anything about possible conspiracy in the shooting and his potential involvement in it? If he was part of a conspiracy, he was not provided for by the others. (Maybe a patsy?)
10. Was there any credible evidence that Oswald had accomplices on the sixth floor of the TSBD? No. No fingerprints of possible accomplices were identified on the cartons of books piled near the window. Charles Givens was briefly on the sixth floor about 11:55 a.m. and saw no one but Oswald. Bonnie Ray Williams ate a quick lunch near the middle of the east wall and saw no one. Most witnesses saw only one person in the window. Arnold Rowland later claimed to have seen a second person there, but he was prone to exaggerating and lying.