Mr. Herndon. Not beneficial, but it would not necessarily hinder the tracing.
Mr. Specter. Fine.
Proceed.
Mr. Herndon. During my initial adjustments of Mr. Ruby to the polygraph, I noticed that he had a breathing rate of approximately 21 cycles per minute, which is well within normal respiratory patterns. I noticed that his heart rate was approximately 78 beats per minute, which is well within normal heart rate of individuals, and that there appeared to be no physical problems with regard to obtaining a satisfactory cardiogram, which monitors the cardiovascular system.
During series 1, two relevant questions were asked which were pertinent to the investigation.
Question No. 4, in which Ruby was asked, “Did you know Oswald before November 22, 1963?”
Mr. Specter. And what was his response to that question?
Mr. Herndon. To that question he responded, “No,” and an interpretation of the charts based on the premise that Ruby was mentally sound and competent would fail to indicate any physiological response which would be suggestive of deception.
Mr. Specter. And what is the basis for your conclusion that there was no deceptive response elicited to that question?
Mr. Herndon. This conclusion is actually based on my interpretation and study of the overall charts which are still to come up. Actually, in series 1, I noticed, however, that Mr. Ruby did respond physiologically to a control type question: “Have you ever been arrested?”