Who was Jack Ruby?

[Jim Hargrove]

That’s reasonable speculation, but the evidence shows that, on the day of the assassination, Jack Ruby called KLIF radio founder Gordon McClendon’s unlisted private phone number.  McLendon was a former Naval Intelligence officer who was a close friend and confidant of CIA officer David Atlee Phillips. McClendon and Phillips had been friends since both attended school in Fort Worth and in 1975 McClendon joined Phillips in forming the Association of Former Intelligence Agents.

The night of the assassination, Ruby accompanied KLIF announcer Russ Knight in Dallas Police headquarters where the men talked to D.A. Henry Wade and Dallas Police Lieutenant James Gilmore.  Ruby told Gilmore that he was going to McClendon’s radio station, KLIF, to pass out sandwiches.  He arrived there about 1:30am on 11/23.

This is a likely a connection between Ruby and Phillips, with McClendon as the cut-out.  

[Ron Ecker]

It is well known that the CIA and the Mafia were in cahoots during this period. It would not be surprising if Ruby had some connections with both. But in the case of bumping off Oswald, the CIA didn't have to tell Ruby to do it when the CIA had the Mafia handy to do it for them. The Mafia had a well-established reputation for methods of dealing with people who didn't follow its orders or otherwise crossed it. Meat hooks come readily to mind. And the CIA would have had complete plausible deniability if Ruby had been found hanging from one.

 

 

 

 

[Sandy Larsen]

1 hour ago, Ron Ecker said:

It is well known that the CIA and the Mafia were in cahoots during this period. It would not be surprising if Ruby had some connections with both. But in the case of bumping off Oswald, the CIA didn't have to tell Ruby to do it when the CIA had the Mafia handy to do it for them. The Mafia had a well-established reputation for methods of dealing with people who didn't follow its orders or otherwise crossed it. Meat hooks come readily to mind. And the CIA would have had complete plausible deniability if Ruby had been found hanging from one.

 

Exactly.  IMO.

[Ron Bulman]

15 hours ago, Jim Hargrove said:

That’s reasonable speculation, but the evidence shows that, on the day of the assassination, Jack Ruby called KLIF radio founder Gordon McClendon’s unlisted private phone number.  McLendon was a former Naval Intelligence officer who was a close friend and confidant of CIA officer David Atlee Phillips. McClendon and Phillips had been friends since both attended school in Fort Worth and in 1975 McClendon joined Phillips in forming the Association of Former Intelligence Agents.

The night of the assassination, Ruby accompanied KLIF announcer Russ Knight in Dallas Police headquarters where the men talked to D.A. Henry Wade and Dallas Police Lieutenant James Gilmore.  Ruby told Gilmore that he was going to McClendon’s radio station, KLIF, to pass out sandwiches.  He arrived there about 1:30am on 11/23.

This is a likely a connection between Ruby and Phillips, with McClendon as the cut-out.  

It does all get deep.  You throw in Ruby going to H L Hunt's offices the day before.  Then Hunt supposedly monitoring what was happening regarding Oswald with his own security team at the time.  Hunt going to Mexico or Washington afterward and hiding out. 

[Ron Bulman]

On 6/20/2019 at 10:22 PM, Ron Bulman said:

Even a blind pig will stumble across a nugget now and then.

http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/R Disk/Ruby Jack As Gangster Related/Item 01.pdf

This is really enlightening to me, as well as intriguing and even confusing.  New (1978) FBI documents … Norman (Roughouse) Rothman, one of the original liaison's between the Mafia and CIA.  Santo's Trafficantie's right hand man.  Ruby's gun running  for Castro in 58 through/with Rothman?  Castro assassination transferred to Johnny Roselli.  He contact's Sam Giancana in Chicago to set up a meeting with Santos Trafficante in Miami.  Then has access to Rothman and other assets.  CIA station JMWAVE was in Miami.  

George Joannides worked out of the CIA's JMWAVE station in the summer of 63.  But maintained a residence in New Orleans.

Ruby, Rothman, pilot Eddie Browder.  Two planes, Cuba missions, deliveries..

[Steve Thomas]

1 hour ago, Ron Bulman said:

This is really enlightening to me, as well as intriguing and even confusing.

 

Ron,

 

I was reading through the "Rubygate" box on page 49 of the article (page 4 of the pdf) concerning Ruby's purchase of spy equipment, and the fact that his safe deposit box was empty.

Wasn't there something about Ruby having a safe installed in his office - a floor safe? Maybe he was storing tapes there.

 

Steve Thomas

[Jim Hargrove]

Ron,

The article you cite was published on Jan 23, 1978, just one week before Henry Gonzalez replaced Thomas Downing as chairman of the nascent HSCA.  Gonzalez immediately tried to fire Richard Sprague as chief council.  In the squabble that followed, Louis Stokes replaced Gonzalez and, on March 29, Stokes replaced Sprague with G. Robert Blakey.

In an old post on this forum, John Simkin added:

Sprague later told Gaeton Fonzi that the real reason he was removed as chief counsel was because he insisted on asking questions about the CIA operations in Mexico. Fonzi argued that "Sprague... wanted complete information about the CIA's operation in Mexico City and total access to all its employees who may have had anything to do with the photographs, tape recordings and transcripts. The Agency balked. Sprague pushed harder. Finally the Agency agreed that Sprague could have access to the information if he agreed to sign a CIA Secrecy Agreement. Sprague refused.... "How," he asked, "can I possible sign an agreement with an agency I'm supposed to be investigating?"

As you probably know, Blakey was a specialist in Organized Crime and refocused HSCA investigations away from the CIA.  The article you cite is skeptical of Ruby’s claim to prison Dr. Warner Teutor that he (Ruby) “had been part of a conspiracy to kill Kennedy that involved ‘high government agencies.’”  Nice timing.
 

[Ron Bulman]

On 6/22/2019 at 1:20 AM, Steve Thomas said:

Ron,

 

I was reading through the "Rubygate" box on page 49 of the article (page 4 of the pdf) concerning Ruby's purchase of spy equipment, and the fact that his safe deposit box was empty.

Wasn't there something about Ruby having a safe installed in his office - a floor safe? Maybe he was storing tapes there.

 

Steve Thomas

I think I have read something about him contemplating a safe but don't know if it ever happened.  Just recently on another thread it was brought up that Ruby was asking about what it would cost and DPD Officer Joe Cody claimed to have told him to buy a gun instead.  Then took him to buy the gun, in his name, that Ruby shot Oswald with.

The part that kind of mystifies me about the spy equipment is him buying it.  Of his own free will/initiative?  Out of his own pocket, $500 then is over $4000 today, quite a little investment.  The FBI didn't give him the equipment secretly to go on missions with.  Nor the CIA.  So was he recording his few meetings with the FBI to cover his rear?  

[Ron Bulman]

Ruby's finances and spending habits were interesting.  "The Dallas Morning News reported that police detectives found two large wads of cash of undisclosed amounts when they searched Ruby's apartment on November 24.  Police inventories reported that Ruby was carrying more than $2000 (that's near 17,000 bucks today) when he shot Oswald.  Bank bags containing $1017.78 ($ 8,100 today) were found in his possessions.  When out of town, luxury hotels, Sheraton Lincoln Houston 5/9/63, new York Hilton 8/4-6/63.  … moved to Dallas in 1947, visited New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Wichita, Tulsa, Hot Springs (with Dallas Sheriff Decker - the horse racing track?),  Las Vegas, New Orleans, Miami, Havana.

His phone calls in 1963 are pretty interesting too if I recall right. 

Edited June 26, 2019 by Ron Bulman

[Ron Bulman]

Check out the lyrics, and listen.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=ruby+ruby+ruby+song&form=PRUSEN&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&refig=c536156eb75c4a07a7dc9823a417881f&sp=2&ghc=1&qs=AS&pq=ruby+ruby&sk=AS1&sc=8-9&cvid=c536156eb75c4a07a7dc9823a417881f

[Ron Bulman]

Or maybe you prefer a classic from the year JFK died.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ruby+ruby+won't+you+be+mine&view=detail&mid=00351DF4D7AD33C5312200351DF4D7AD33C53122&FORM=VIRE

[Ron Bulman]

On 6/20/2019 at 10:22 PM, Ron Bulman said:

Even a blind pig will stumble across a nugget now and then.

http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg Subject Index Files/R Disk/Ruby Jack As Gangster Related/Item 01.pdf

Jim Hargrove, or anybody else.  What I've been getting at is that Ruby may have acted on behalf of the CIA both in the killing of Oswald and previously, indirectly.  I don't think he was ever contacted or contracted directly by anyone from the "Company".  He may have known who was ultimately behind some of the things that he did but his parts in what ever he did do were a result of contacts with others in the mob. 

Going back to the gun running in 58, per the article that was through/with/for Rothman who as the first Mafia contact with the CIA regarding later Castro assassination attempts, worked for Trafficante.  Interesting, I believe Rothman is a Jewish name, someone Rubenstein might have trusted, regarding his Jewish pride?

Along this line, but not CIA related, were Ruby's multiple trips to Cuba while Trafficante was in prison.  The whole jeeps and money for Trafficante's release bit.  Trafficante and Lansky were both personally involved with gambling and drug transport through Cuba.  Lansky got out in time.  Trafficante didn't.  The money for the jeeps, and any money itself had to come from somewhere, somebody had to put it up.   Could Lansky, maybe through Rothman have done so?  Rothman calling in a somewhat outside the scene former associate?  A Jewish trust if you will on behalf of Lansky's Cuba Florida Italian associate?

On the other hand, in Dallas...  If Roselli and Ruby were both from the Chicago mob, both sent to California in 1933 to work the new Santa Anita race track...  Might Roselli have enough pull to personally order Ruby to do Oswald on behalf of both the Mob and CIA?

[Ron Bulman]

Why did Rose Cheramie call Ruby Pinky and say he and Oswald had been shackin up?  Delusional, doped up?  She was supposed to be his former stripper involved in a dope run at the time.  Statement's documented by Deputy Fruge and hospital staff/doctors.  Wrong enough to be run over on a rural road south east of Dallas in front of the gate to a rich Dallasite's ranch entrance.

[Ron Bulman]

Just background, but includes Ruby.  1946 was an interesting year for organized crime in Dallas.  It had been organized, locally, for years. 

Benny Binon had controlled the policy and dice games for 10 years.  Civello, Campisi and others were active in multiple illegal enterprises.  Binion in particular owned the DA, who reputedly visited his locales for entertainment and Sheriff Schmood Schmid of 13 years who's campaigns he helped fund substantially, they and the Police Chief were all bribed.   Deputy Sheriff  Decker ran the department for Schmid who didn't do much.  Paul Roland Jones of the Chicago outfit and a couple of others came down on orders to check out the possibilities of expanding operations.  Decker arrested them for vagrancy, later took them to the county line, kicked them out of the car and said don't come back. After a murder he was later accused of orchestrating, Binion went by and picked up Decker and took him to the scene to investigate.

It was an election year.  Jones came back after the election, with more help and money.  Dallas traffic cop Steve Guthrie ran.  Schmood Schmid laughed.  Guthrie campaigned door to door.  In the run off a year after WWII the veterans voted for their fellow veteran.  He'd ran on shutting down gambling, saying he'd fire Decker.  The same Decker who told Roger Craig and his other deputies in 1963 to go out and watch the parade but not to participate in JFK's protection.  The same Decker who fired Craig for not shutting up.  New DA Will Wilson too (later to leave Washington during Watergate (?) ).  As well as new Police Chief Carl Hanson who Binion had harassed, mocked, made fun of previously for trying to impede his operations (gotten him appointed to night officer at the zoo).  Binion took a million and headed to Vegas to later establish the Horseshoe while retaining his power and income from Dallas dice for years. 

Jones contacted Guthrie and offered him big bucks to work with them.  Guthrie contacted the DPD, Officer George Butler, of later fame regarding Oswald's transfer, and The Texas Rangers helped him set up a sting.  Under a house Jones was told was Guthrie's they dug a hole under the living room and set up a gramophone with microphones in the room.  Recorded 18 hours of stuff.  One record went missing, when the HSCA looked, they said much of it was garbled.  The Warren Omission ignored it.  Supposedly Jones told Guthrie they would overcome Binion by taking over a club called the Chicken House at the intersection of Commerce and Industrial and expanding from there.  With gambling on the second floor, the first floor restaurant would be run by Jack Ruby.  Jones went to jail for three years.  Commerce and Industrial is a block south of Dealy Plaza, under the triple overpass and Stemmons freeway/I-35 (which weren't there in 1946).  Sight of the Lew Sterrett justice center, aka Dallas County jail for many years since.  Ironic.

In 1964 former Sheriff Guthrie told the FBI he positively did remember Paul Roland Jones telling him the contact, the payoff man with the syndicate, would be Jack Ruby.

[Ron Bulman]

Jack knew a lot pf people by 1963.  While he  wasn't a mafia don he'd met at least one, Trafficante in Cuba on behalf of them helping obtain his freedom, likely Meyer Lansly through Rothman in 59 sending guns to Castro, as well as his superiors in Chicago and the "local" national don for Dallas, Carlos Marcello.

Do you think he would have been able to have brought Jada from New Orleans to Dallas without Marcello's approval?

http://www.paraphiliamagazine.com/periodical/two-jacks-and-a-jada-50th-anniversary-of-jfk-and-jack-rubys-favorite-stripper/