Mr. Dowe. Yes; we didn’t—there was no air work per se done by the diskjockey. There was constant news coverage of the events that had taken place, and we were just, I was just sitting there running the control board monitor gains and things like that. Purely technical. I was on from 12 to 6. That was my shift that day, same as today, Saturday, 12 to 6.
Mr. Griffin. Did you have occasion to hear from somebody that you subsequently believed was Jack Ruby?
Mr. Dowe. Yes; I did that afternoon. Honestly, it has been too long, and I have told the story so many times, that I am really not sure, so I am going to give you the facts as I remember them as of this moment. At that time I got a telephone call.
Mr. Griffin. What time?
Mr. Dowe. Four or five o’clock. It seems to me in the afternoon.
Mr. Griffin. How do you fix the time?
Mr. Dowe. Well, because I didn’t have but a couple of hours left. I watched the clock constantly. That was part of my job. I give the time every few minutes, or after every record. And it seems that it was around 4 or 5. We have an awful large number of commercials to be played on Saturday, and I was quite busy, and I don’t remember that day having anything to do, and it was a long time, and I had been on the control board for quite a while, so I remember that I had been there for a while, and it seemed like it was around 4 or 5 o’clock. The newsman was Gary DeLaune, or something. I have forgotten.
Mr. Griffin. Where was he at the time?
Mr. Dowe. He was in the newsroom sitting almost opposite me in the newsroom, and the first call I got, this person who said he was Jack Ruby said, “Do you know Gordon McLendon’s telephone number?” I said, “No, sir; I don’t.” And he said, “Well, that is all right, because I know it anyway, but I need to talk to him.” And I said, “Well, I thought he was some crank that had gotten our hot line telephone.” The hot line is a DJ number and only the personnel of the radio station should know. And I said, “I don’t know his number.” Because we are not allowed to give numbers on the air. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know his number. And he said, “That is okay, because we are good friends. I know his number, and I will call him, and this is Jack Ruby.” And I said, “Fine: Jack Ruby, that is good.” And I put the telephone back where it was.
A few minutes later I got another telephone call. I got two or three that day, but I am almost sure that it was three. Anyway, in the course of the next conversation or conversations, this person who said he was Jack Ruby called again and said, “I understand they are moving Oswald over to the county jail. Would you like for me to go over there and get some news stories? Would you like me to cover it, because I am a pretty good friend of Henry Wade’s, and I believe I can get some news stories.” And I said, “Just a minute, let me see,” and I tried to talk to Gary DeLaune who was in the other room, and I said, “The news department is busy, Mr. Ruby, but if you want to help us any way you can, we will appreciate it.” And I put the phone down and I turned on the intercom system and I said, “Gary, who the devil is Jack Ruby? He called me twice on the hot line, and I don’t know who he was, and he said I am the guy that runs the Carousel Club down the street. I said I remember I met him when I first came up.” He said, “He is just a guy that calls on the telephone and he knows everybody in town and maybe he can help us. That is good.” And I said, “Okay.” I had asked Gary if he wanted to talk to Jack, but that was before the same telephone call, but he was busy, and he said, “No, no,” like this. He was preoccupied. So, that was when I talked to Jack and told him if he wanted to help us, he could, and that is the last I heard from him. I found out later that night that he came up and brought some sandwiches and things, but I had been gone quite a few hours.