Did Ruby talk about Oswald at Ray McKeown's before the assassination?

[Chris Newton]

Ruby makes a series of brief phone calls to Candy Barr and then drives down to give her some dachshunds.

Here's a map of approximately what that trip looked like. If you've ever lived in Texas you'll know that a 1-2 hr. drive to go anywhere is the "norm".

...almost forgot, there's a blue "squiggly" leading SE from Houston. That leads to McKeown's (which is the next thing we'll look at).

Edited September 18, 2016 by Chris Newton

[Chris Newton]

McKeown financed his J & M Drive-l n with a loan from his close friend, Carlos Prio Socarras, the former President of Cuba.

One important distinction to make is revealed in a subtle mistake in the sentence above.

It was not the J & M Drive-in

It was the J & M Drive Inn

The first one gives the impression of a sixties style hamburger drive up with smiling girls on roller skates.

In reality the "J & M Drive Inn" was a bar with a liquor license and a boat ramp and McKeown was doing what barkeeps do, pouring and talking.

[Chris Newton]

Max McKeown's house and L & M Drive Inn were 4/10's of a mile apart.

That is the only way I know.

He called the Sheriff's Department.

I was living about 35 miles or so. I was in the country, I was not in the city of Houston.

I was in a little place called Seabrook. I had bought a house down there and then I bought this acre of land and I built a little shopping center there.

The money was furnished to build this shopping center, and I think I was waiting for the trial.

That is the only time I have ever seen him, when he came to my club. He came there four or five times.

I finally got them out of the house and they went.

It was a big house right on the water and they had their car parked out there.

Here's that house in the Shady Lake subdivision :

Here's the approximate site of McKeown's L & M Drive Inn:

And finally the "commute" between them:

Edited September 18, 2016 by Chris Newton

[Chris Newton]

adding this to the timeline (post #44):

Edited September 19, 2016 by Chris Newton

[Jim Hargrove]

IMHO... I think the HSCA had a "game plan" to question McKeown on three specific items and they did a really poor job of analyzing "new" information that McKeown revealed almost to the point of simply ignoring it. They were obviously "prepared" because they surprised McKeown and got him to purger himself on several occasions.

Interesting interpretation. What were the three specific questions, and how do you think McKeown perjured himself? I haven't seen the immunity agreement, but from the testimony, it may have been at least fairly broad. A few minutes searching didn't produce much.

The HSCA put up quite a bit of info on McKeown in Vol 9, but I wouldn't take much of it for granted without far more research. McKeown's testimony smacks of an implied conspiracy, a well-financed set-up of LHO, and a massive cover-up after the assassination. HSCA brass couldn't let that go unchallenged, could they?

Interesting thread.

[Chris Newton]

The areas that the HSCA were prepared to explore:

1. McKeown's associations with organized crime

2. His dealings with Jack Ruby in the context of his Jan 1964 FBI 302

3. His meeting with LHO and why this was withheld in 1964

Immunity from persecution was granted on all his testimony unless he was found to have made a false statement:

http://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=955#relPageId=614&tab=page

Note: this immunity would, of course, not extend to the dangers inherent with providing testimony about the mob.

I'll get into the specifics of McKeown's testimony, obfuscation and questionable statements in coming posts.

[Jim Hargrove]

McKeown financed his J & M Drive-l n with a loan from his close friend, Carlos Prio Socarras, the former President of Cuba.

One important distinction to make is revealed in a subtle mistake in the sentence above.

It was not the J & M Drive-in

It was the J & M Drive Inn

The first one gives the impression of a sixties style hamburger drive up with smiling girls on roller skates.

In reality the "J & M Drive Inn" was a bar with a liquor license and a boat ramp and McKeown was doing what barkeeps do, pouring and talking.

Are you sure it was called the "J & M Drive Inn," Chris? Page 587 of the HSCA's Vol 9 refers to it as "J & M Drive-In." As I say, I'm not inclined to believe much the HSCA had to say in a great many of its summary write-ups, but I don't see why they would have played loose with the name of McKeown's little business.

[Chris Newton]

Are you sure it was called the "J & M Drive Inn," Chris? Page 587 of the HSCA's Vol 9 refers to it as "J & M Drive-In." As I say, I'm not inclined to believe much the HSCA had to say in a great many of its summary write-ups, but I don't see why they would have played loose with the name of McKeown's little business.

Jim,

So far unverified - but the locals called it the "Drive Inn". I am trying to hunt down the business in public records ...will update when I have an answer.

[Chris Newton]

I smell something rotten in Denmark.

Please complete this sentence:

Jack Ruby took ________________to Candy Barr.

a.) a puppy

b.) 2 puppies

c.) an AC unit

d.) Lee Harvey Oswald

This next document suggests he flew down from Dallas and then rented the car at the airport. He returned the car the next morning at 5:37 AM (and then checked into the Hilton, btw).

[Chris Newton]

Does anyone see a pattern here?

The document above says the guy at the Avis desk advised the FBI that, six months ago, Ruby was taking a puppy to Candy Barr.

The document below.... the bell captain at the Hilton apparently offers the nugget that Ruby was on the very same mission. It seems all of Texas knew why Ruby had to get to Edna (El Campo, btw).

Candy needed puppies!

[Jim Hargrove]

Well... Candy was pretty doggone sexy! Maybe that's why all of the Southwest remembered it.

Or, I suppose, it could have been some sort of diversion.

[Chris Newton]

She also told Barrios that when Ruby brought the dachshunds to Edna, he was accompanied by a man who stayed in the car. When Ruby got ready to leave, Barr walked out to the car with him and asked the man whether he wanted a drink of water. He told her no, they had to get on back to Dallas. A few weeks later, she sat down to a Sunday dinner she had prepared for herself and her two pals, the dachshunds, said grace over the meal and then watched Ruby on live TV shoot the man who had been in the car with him in Edna.

[Chris Newton]

If I understand...

flys to houston

rents a car

takes dog to Edna

returns car 5:37 AM the next day

checks in at Hilton the next day

Bellhop at Hilton he just checked into (the next day) says he was there to give Candy a dog

Edited September 21, 2016 by Chris Newton

[Sandy Larsen]

I'll get into the specifics of McKeown's testimony, obfuscation and questionable statements in coming posts.

Thanks for doing that, Chris. This is indeed an interesting thread, as Jim said.

[Paul Brancato]

Chris - Great work.

I'm not really a nuts and bolts guy, but I read it all. What I'd like to ask you Chris is how you would interpret a prior relationship between Ruby and Oswald? What story does that tell about 11/23/63?