Mr. Herndon. You see, this 100 percent American type question doesn’t necessarily lend itself to polygraph examination.
Mr. Specter. I agree with your conclusion, but what we’re trying to do now is to cover all of the important substantive questions which I think we have. After Mr. Ruby tells me that he is satisfied with what we have covered, I propose to ask the same question of Mr. Fowler and Mr. Alexander and also Mr. Tonahill, so that we will have covered the subject matter. We will do our utmost to be all-inclusive here, so that whatever effect the polygraph can gage as to Mr. Ruby’s truthfulness, we will do so.
Mr. Ruby. Let me put it this way: Here I run a nightclub. I run a nightclub and on Friday this tragic event happens and I get carried away more so than anyone else. Why? Why was I so sick mentally or so carried away?
I immediately replaced my newspaper ads so that I would be closed for those 3 days. This is the ironic part of it, that wouldn’t it be a tremendous hoax, or certain people would probably believe it that way, that here’s a fellow that didn’t vote for the President, closes his clubs for 3 days, made a trip to Cuba, relayed a message from a person—from Ray Brantley—look at circumstantially how guilty I am? If you want to put all these things together? Then, I happen to be down there, which is a million and one shot, that I should happen to be down there at that particular second when this man comes out of whatever it was—an elevator or whatever it was—all these things—plus the fact of the post office box and other rumors that they saw us together at the club—how can we give me the clearance that the ads I put in were authentic, my sincerity, my feeling of emotionalism were sincere; that that Sunday morning I got carried away after reading the article, a letter addressed to Caroline and then this little article that stated Mrs. Kennedy might be requested to come back and face the ordeal of the trial?
Also, if there was a conspiracy, then this little girl that called me on the phone in Fort Worth then is a part of the conspiracy. Do you follow me?
Mr. Specter. I understand you, Mr. Ruby, but you have testified about most of this on the prior occasion, such as seeing the article in the newspaper, about the letter to little Caroline and about the necessity for Mrs. Kennedy to return, and we have formulated the questions concerning the major topics which we have of concern and have supplemented those topics in the questions to you. I think in all fairness that we have gone as far as we can on any of the substantive questions, and I want you to be satisfied, and the Commission wants you to be satisfied, and that’s why I keep repeating the question—whether you have any other topic. I can see you are trying to recollect something else—so that you will have covered everything in a conclusive way.
Mr. Ruby. Yes.
Mr. Specter. As soon as you are satisfied on that, I’m going to ask the other gentlemen a question, as I say, and as a matter of fact, I can do that now while you are still thinking.
I will ask Mr. Fowler if there is any other question that he would like to have asked of you at this time?
Mr. Fowler. Sir, I know of no other questions that could be asked at this time.