| |
The testimony of Barnard S. Clardy was taken at 2:45 p.m., on March 24, 1964, in
the office of the U.S. attorney, 301 Post Office Building, Bryan and Ervay
Streets, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Leon D. Hubert, Jr., assistant counsel of the
President's Commission.
Mr. HUBERT. This is the deposition of Detective Barnard (spelling)
B-a-r-n-a-r-d?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Middle initial S. Clardy. Auto Theft Bureau, Criminal Investigation
Division, Police Department of Dallas. Mr. Clardy, my name is Leon D. Hubert. I
am a member of the advisory staff of the general counsel of the President's
Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. Under the provisions of
the Executive Order No. 11130 dared November 29, 1963, the Joint resolution of
Congress Number 137, and the rules of procedure adopted by the Commission in
conformance with the Executive order and the Joint resolution, I have been
authorized to take a sworn deposition from you, Detective Clardy.
I state to you now that, the general nature of the Commission's inquiry is to
ascertain, evaluate and report upon the facts relating to the assassination
403
Page 404
of President Kennedy and subsequent violent death of Lee Harvey Oswald. In
particular as to you, Detective Clardy, the nature of the inquiry is to
determine what facts you know about the death of Oswald and any other pertinent
facts that you may know about the general inquiry. Now, Detective Clardy you
appear here today by virtue of a general request made by the general counsel of
the staff of the President's Commission, Mr. J. Lee Rankin to Chief Curry. Under
the rules adopted by the Commission, you are entitled to a 3-day written notice
prior to the taking of this deposition, but those rules also provide that a
witness may waive the notice. Now, do your waive this 3-day notice?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Very well. Now, will you stand and be sworn, please. Raise your
right hand. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. CLARDY. I do.
Mr. HUBERT. Will you state your full name, please ?
Mr. CLARDY. Barnard S. Clardy.
Mr. HUBERT. Your age?
Mr. CLARDY. Thirty-seven.
Mr. HUBERT. Your residence?
Mr. CLARDY. 936 Ferncliff Trail.
Mr. HUBERT. And your occupation?
Mr. CLARDY. Police Detective.
Mr. HUBERT. How long have you been so occupied, sir?
Mr. CLARDY. Since November 5, 1950.
Mr. HUBERT. How long have you been connected with the criminal investigation
division?
Mr. CLARDY. Since December the 5th, 1955.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, is--who is head of the auto theft bureau?
Mr. CLARDY Captain Nichols.
Mr. HUBERT. Captain Nichols, and the entire criminal investigation division of
which the auto theft division is a part is headed by Chief Stevenson, is that
right, sir?
Mr. CLARDY. Chief Stevenson; yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, Detective Clardy, I'm going to mark three documents as I will
indicate, after which I wish to ask you some questions concerning those
documents. At first, a document consisting of three pages being, apparently,
copy of a letter dated November 27, 1963, addressed to Chief Curry, the original
of which was apparently signed by you, B. S. Clardy? I am marking the first page
of that document "Dallas, Tex., March 24, 1964, Exhibit-No. 5061. Deposition of
Detective B. S. Clardy."
Under which I am signing my name, and I am placing my initials in the right hand
lower corner of the second and third pages of that document. The second document
purports to be a report from the FBI concerning an interview with you on
November 25, 1963. I am marking that document in the lower right hand corner as
follows: "Dallas, Tex., March 24, 1964. Exhibit No. 5062 Deposition of B. S.
Clardy," and I am signing my name and putting my initials on the second page in
the lower right-hand corner.
The third document consists of three pages, and purports to be a report of an
interview of you on December 3d, by Agents Quigley and Dallman of the FBI. On
the first page I am marking as follows, to wit: "Dallas, Tex., March 24, 1964.
Exhibit No. 5063. Deposition of B. S. Clardy." Signing my name on the first
page, placing my initials on the second and third pages in the lower right-hand
corner on each of those pages.
Now, Detective Clardy, I hand you these three documents and--identified as 5061
and 5062 and 5063, and ask you if you have had an opportunity to read those
today?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir; I have.
Mr. HUBERT. Do those documents represent substantially the truth of all you know
concerning the matter under inquiry this morning--this afternoon?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir; they do.. The only thing that I find that I erred on was
in the time.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, now----
404
Page 405
Mr. CLARDY. On my statement, that the approximate time where I went down was
approximately 11 instead of 10, and the approximate time that we brought Mr.
Jack Ruby from the jail to Captain Fritz' office was approximately 3:30, instead
of 2:30.
Mr. HUBERT. Those corrections you wish to make on the document marked 5061 ?
Mr. CLARDY. 5061.
Mr. HUBERT. As I understood it, there were two time corrections that you think
should be made, is that correct ?
Mr. CLARDY. On that document alone, sir. And this was approximately closer to 11
a.m., on this other document.
Mr. HUBERT. Let's see. You wish to make a correction as to the time with
reference to Clardy Exhibit No. 5061, to wit, your letter to Chief Curry on
November 27th and----
Mr. CLARDY. And on that also. It was approximately 3:30 instead of 2:30.
Mr. HUBERT. Two corrections here.
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir; two corrections on that.
Mr. HUBERT. And in the second paragraph of that letter where you name the time
as 10 a.m.
Mr. CLARDY. Approximately; yes.
Mr. HUBERT. As the time at which Lieutenant Smart advised you and other officers
to report to the jail office. You now say the time should have been what?
Mr. CLARDY. Should have been 11 a.m.
Mr. HUBERT. Should have been 11 a.m. Do you have another time correction to
make?.
Mr. CLARDY. Time on the last paragraph there was the time that we brought the
prisoner out, Mr. Ruby, to Captain Fritz' office.
Mr. HUBERT. It reads now as "2:30 p.m."?
Mr. CLARDY. It reads 2:30. It should have been approximately 3:30 p.m.
Mr. HUBERT. Should have been 3:30 instead of 2:30. Both of those corrections
being as to Clardy Exhibit No. 5061. Did I understand that you might have a
correction as to Clardy Exhibit No. 5062 ?
Mr. CLARDY. Clardy Exhibit No. 5062. This. The second paragraph should have been
approximately 11 a.m. instead of 10 a.m.
Mr.-HUBERT. Now, your best recollection is that the time that Lieutenant Smart
advised you and other officers to go to the city jail office was 11 o'clock
rather than 10 o'clock ?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Have you anything you can tell us that would explain that error in
time that you made?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir; I don't.
Mr. HUBERT. You see, the point I am making is, that on November 27, you stated
10 a.m., apparently in your letter. Then--well, prior to that, on November 25,
when you were interviewed by the FBI you told them at 10 o'clock, and do you
think that it is simply a mistake in time, or----
Mr. CLARDY. Well, it is a mistake in time on me--on the--on my first report I
was under the impression that I told them 11 a.m., which--now, whether I did or
not, I don't know, sir, on my first interview.
Mr. HUBERT. Let me call your attention to the fact that on Document 5063, which
is the interview on December 3, you also mentioned 10 a.m., apparently. All I am
trying to do, Detective Clardy, is to find out why it is that you think it is 11
o'clock now, whereas before on three separate occasions you thought it was 10.
Mr. CLARDY. Sir, I thought I told the agent that I talked to that it was
possibly closer to 11 than it was to 10, when I talked to him. To be--just
preactly [sic] what time I went down there, I am just judging.
Mr. HUBERT. In any case, your present recollection is definitely----
Mr. CLARDY. That it would have been closer to 11 than it was to 10.
Mr. HUBERT. All right.
Mr. CLARDY. I am definitely sure in my own mind that it was sometime after
10:30.
405
Page 406
Mr. HUBERT. Is there anything that causes you to fix that precisely?
Mr. CLARDY. After just thinking, and all the other officers up in the bureau
sure that it was closer to 11 than it was to 10, I don't know whether I looked
at my watch or whether--on a previous deal, or where I got the 10 o'clock in my
mind.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, it is apparent then that you did have 10 o'clock in your mind
until when speaking to others you became convinced that you must be wrong and
the 11 o'clock is closer to it, is that correct?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir; I am sure it was that. I wasn't any--wasn't in the
basement more than 30 minutes.
Mr. HUBERT. Did anyone speak to you and ask you to correct your statement from
10 o'clock to 11 o'clock?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. You are doing that on your own volition?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. It is because you have become convinced that you are wrong.
Mr. CLARDY. I was wrong on the time, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. You were wrong?
Mr. CLARDY. That 10 o'clock is definitely wrong on time.
Mr. HUBERT. And you are, right now telling us that you are quite certain that it
was?
Mr. CLARDY. That it was closer to 11 o'clock than it was to 10.
Mr. HUBERT. That it was closer to 11 than 10. And that the previous statement
about 10 o'clock is simply wrong?
Mr. CLARDY. Simply wrong; yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. No one has asked you to change?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir. That wrong time was my fault, and nobody else's.
Mr. HUBERT. Did anyone speak to you about the wrong time?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Haven't done so to this time?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, I understand that you were off duty on November 22?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. And that you did not participate in reference to the investigation
concerning the President's death on November 23?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you know Jack Ruby?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. How long had you known him, and in what way?
Mr. CLARDY. I had known him approximately in the neighborhood of 8 or 9 years.
Mr. HUBERT. In what way? How did you come in contact with him?
Mr. CLARDY. To the best of my recollection I met him when I went into his place
of business that he owned on South Ervay in connection with work, when I was
working as a patrolman. I say I met him. I didn't meet him at that time. I knew
him, knew who he was. I--first time I was ever introduced to him, shook hands
with him, was at--after I went into criminal investigation possibly in the early
part of 1956. I was looking for someone in connection with an auto theft in the
vicinity of one of the places that he owned and he had an interest in the Vegas
Club. I'm not sure who I was with, or who introduced----
Mr. HUBERT. Could you speak a little louder, please?
Mr. CLARDY. I am not sure who I was with, or who introduced me to him at that
time. Then approximately--maybe 6 or 8 months before this come up he stopped me
downtown one day and started telling me about a traffic ticket he got. Other
than that, I had seen him at a distance and had spoke to him. I had seen him
quite frequently when I was working late nights where the B and B Club is, that
is on Oak Lawn, close to Lemmon. There is one place of business between the
Vegas Club and the B and B, and we would go in there quite frequently when we
were working late nights, and I have seen him in there on several occasions.
406
Page 407
Mr. HUBERT. Was your acquaintance with him such that you would recognize him
immediately upon seeing him?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Would you recognize him in that way, whether he had a hat on, or a
hat off?
Mr. CLARDY. I know the man well enough if I caught a glimpse of him I should
recognize him; yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. All right. Now, I am going to mark a chart of the basement area of
the Dallas Police Department, as follows, to wit: "Dallas, Texas, March 24,
1964, Exhibit 5064. Deposition of B. S. Clardy," under which I am signing my
name. For the purposes of identification, however, before I move to that, I want
to ask you concerning documents 5061, 5062, and 5063, previously identified,
which I now hand you again.
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Ask you if there are any other corrections you wish to make
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. With reference to the documents?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Does the information contained in those documents represent the
truth, so far as you know ?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir; I do.
Mr. HUBERT. Any modifications or changes or deletions that you would like to
make?
Mr. CLARDY. I don't believe there is, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Anything omitted, that you know of ?
Mr. CLARDY. Sir, the only thing that is not in there that I know anything about
is possibly some of these people that come in and talk to him after we took him
upstairs, which nobody that made any of these investigations asked me about.
Mr. HUBERT. All right. I will get to that later, but with the exception of these
omissions that you just mentioned, and to which I will come back at a later
time, these documents represent the truth? There is no deletion and nothing more
to add other than that other matter we have been talking about?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. I'll ask you to put your name under my signature where it appears,
and your initials under my initials where they appear on each of the documents.
Right there.
Mr. CLARDY. Right under here?
Mr. HUBERT. Yes. Just--now, we'll be using this chart later on, which has been
marked 5064, and I have signed it, and I will ask you, for the purposes of
identification, to put your signature under mine on that one, too. Now, these
documents have been corrected, I understand, that it was simply closer to 10
o'clock than to 11 that you received
Mr. CLARDY. Closer to 11 than 10.
Mr. HUBERT. I beg your pardon. Closer to 11 than to 10 when you received certain
instructions from Lieutenant Smart, is that correct?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Were these instructions the first connection that you had with the
movement of Oswald?
Mr. CLARDY. We had been told earlier that morning, approximately---come on duty
at 7 o'clock, and was--and was told to stay in the office. Now, that----
Mr. HUBERT. In other words, your normal tour began at 7, but you were told to
stay in the office?
Mr. CLARDY. Was told to stay in the office, that we would have to move the
prisoner.
Mr. HUBERT. Who told you that?
Mr. CLARDY. Lieutenant Smart.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he tell you anything about how the prisoner was going to be
moved, or at what time?
Mr. CLARDY. I was under the impression that he didn't know what time or how,
hisself, at the time.
Mr. HUBERT. What caused you to form that impression?
407
731-228 O---64---vol.XII-----27
Page 408
Mr. CLARDY. I think we went to get a cup of coffee, and I asked him, and he
said, "I don't know."
Mr. HUBERT. In other words, the impression that he didn't know what the plans
were, actually came from the statement that he himself actually told you to the
effect that he didn't know ?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. All right, then what happened after?
Mr. CLARDY. Sometime shortly before 11, they told us to report to the basement.
Mr. HUBERT. Smart did?
Mr. CLARDY. Lieutenant Smart.
Mr. HUBERT. Lieutenant Smart.
Mr. CLARDY. Lieutenant Smart, myself, and Detective McMillon, Detective Archer
and Detective Watson, and Detective Dawson out of our bureau.
Mr. HUBERT. You moved as a group ?
Mr. CLARDY. Uh-huh, all down on the same elevator, and there was some other
detectives from the juvenile bureau, I am sure, was on the same elevator.
Detective Lowery, Detective "Blackie" Harrison, and possibly some others. Those,
I'm sure.
Mr. HUBERT. What instructions were given to you ?
Mr. CLARDY. Went to the basement. Lieutenant Smart----
Mr. HUBERT. Speak a little louder.
Mr. CLARDY. Lieutenant Smart is the one, the only one who had any orders as to
what he wanted us to do. Said, "Line up along the wall here on each side," and
help keep the people back out of the way.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you do that?
Mr. CLARDY. Well, I tried to, sir. Don't look like we done much good.
Mr. HUBERT. I did not mean that to be facetious. I was simply following the line
of thought. Then you followed his instructions to line the----
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, I want you to take a look at this mockup here and show us where
you stood, if you did stay in one place, from the time that you got down in the
basement area until the shot was fired.
Mr. CLARDY. Let me get lined out here.
Mr. HUBERT. All right.
Mr. CLARDY. I was on this corner to--just to the right of it, most of the time.
Mr. HUBERT. Let's see. That would be here, isn't it? [Indicating.]
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, you have marked--you have indicated on the mockup here; a
position which I am now marking by a circle.
Mr. CLARDY. I was just down from the corner.
Mr. HUBERT. This way?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes.
Mr.. HUBERT. Now, I'll----
Mr. CLARDY. In other words, I was close enough to the corner that I could see
around both ways. One occasion, I went and talked to Detective McMillon.
Mr. HUBERT. In other words, you took this position, and went over there and came
back, and this is where you were at the time of the shooting?
Mr. CLARDY. At the actual shooting, I had moved approximately 3 steps to my
right. As they backed this car out, apparently, some reporters tried to come
across here [indicating]. And I had stepped up that way, not over--not that far
up, sir. I only took 2 or 3 steps. I would say maybe probably as far as from me
to you. I had stepped to my right.
Mr. HUBERT. All right, now, I have marked on Exhibit 5064, as a result of what
you have stated while looking at the mockup, 2 positions concerning you. One of
which I have marked, encircled, "Position of B. S. Clardy prior to shooting,"
and second one, which is, you say, is approximately 3 feet further towards the
Commerce Street entrance.
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Which was your position at the time of the shot?
Mr. CLARDY. At no time----
Mr. HUBERT. It that correct?
408
Page 409
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir; might add something a little further, that at no time
other than when I walked across to Detective McMillon do I recall being over 3
feet from that corner in any direction.
Mr. HUBERT. When did you first get to that corner, approximately?
Mr. CLARDY. That would have been approximately 11 o'clock, maybe 10:55. It would
have been pretty close.
Mr. HUBERT. So, that from the--from between 10:55 and 11 o'clock you stayed in
the position which is marked on Exhibit 5064, that being the position of B. S.
Clardy prior to the shooting. You stayed in that position all within 3 feet of
it the whole during the whole time until Oswald was shot, except on one occasion
when you said you went over to talk to Detective McMillon ?
Mr. CLARDY. That's right.
Mr. HUBERT. How far did you move, and in what direction did you go?
Mr. CLARDY. Certainly--well, sir; he was across the aisle on the other side.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, would you mark on the map approximately the position of
McMillon when you walked over to him?
Mr. CLARDY. Approximately--I walked over to him approximately in here
[indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. I am marking a circle, now, and I am putting on there, "Position of
McMillon when Clardy walked over," right?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Then, did you go back to your original position?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. I understand you to say that you stayed there except at the moment
of the shooting you were about 3 feet in the direction of Commerce Street from
that original basic position?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Can you tell us why you moved 3 feet towards Commerce Street, as you
say you did?
Mr. CLARDY. The best of my recollection, as they backed the car out, that there
was some of the press tried to come in front of the car, and I had to step to my
right to watch them, and I stepped to my right and Captain Fritz had come into
my view and stepped down to the right and turned slightly to my right, and
approximately at that time, I hadn't seen Oswald myself, but approximately at
the time I stepped to my right I saw a blur of fast movement and I tried to
turn, and heard the shot.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you recognize Ruby then?
Mr. CLARDY. I had not seen him to recognize him; no, sir. Just all--I was
turned, moved to the right, and all I could see was a fast blur of movement.
Mr. HUBERT. At any time during this time that you were standing in your original
position as marked on the map, or at any time when you went over to see McMillon,
or at any time for that matter, whatsoever, did you see Jack Ruby in the crowd?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir; I did not; and approximately 2 or 3 minutes before the
shooting I had looked over the crowd in the basement. Why, I don't know.
Mr. HUBERT. You did, in fact, look over there?
Mr. CLARDY. I had looked up to the right. Lieutenant Smart, and--I think--I am
not for sure--Chief Batchelor was with him at the armored truck, and I did look
on over the crowd on back around. Now, this could have been more than 3 minutes
before the shooting occurred.
Mr. HUBERT. Were the conditions such that if Ruby had been standing in that
crowd you could have singled him out and seen him?
Mr. CLARDY. As many people as there was in there at the time, sir, he could have
very easily been behind somebody where I couldn't have seen him.
Mr. HUBERT. Just how many people were in that area where Ruby apparently was ? I
don't mean an accurate count. Of course, you didn't count them..
Mr. CLARDY. In the area where I presume that he come from, 12 to 15, on over
behind the rail there was quite a few people, whether he come across the rail,
whether he come down the ramp, like he told us, I don't know.
Mr. HUBERT. But, the Main Street ramp itself going toward Main Street, you
figured there were about 15 people?
409
Page 410
Mr. CLARDY. From along here [indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. Don't say "along here," because that won't show up.
Mr. CLARDY. So that we'll understand what I mean here, take this. There was
people back over in here [indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. Let's call that area "B," and you are talking about area B, and you
say there was a considerable amount of people?
Mr. CLARDY. Considerable amount of people back in there and from along here
[indicating], across and along in here [indicating], there was----
Mr. HUBERT. Now, I am drawing a semicircle, is that approximately correct?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. And I am calling that "line X to Y."
Mr. CLARDY. I'd say there was a minimum of 15 people from here across here
[indicating]
Mr. HUBERT. Minimum of 15 people in the front row, or some in the back?
Mr. CLARDY. There were some in the back.
Mr. HUBERT. So, you think there were about 15 people strung along this line that
we have marked "X to Y," being a curving line, in--and that there was some back
of them, and up the Main Street ramp ?
Mr. CLARDY. At the time, I didn't see anybody back up in here anywhere.
Mr. HUBERT. That is to say, you didn't see anybody----
Mr. CLARDY. I didn't see anybody back as far as this [indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. Now, the second line which you have described, "as far as this,"
is--I'm going to mark that line and put it, for purposes of identification I'm
marking it as a line designated by "1" and "2." Both numerals being encircled. I
should like you to consider the area which is bounded by these two lines, "XY,"
and "1, 2," and the rail and at the wall is area A. Tell me how many people you
think were in area A?
Mr. CLARDY. In this area here? I----
Mr. HUBERT. In area A, which has been designated by you as being encompassed
between line "X" and "1," that being a curving line. Line "1,"--point "1" in a
point to point "2" in a circle, the rail and the wall----
Mr. CLARDY. I'd say there was approximately four or five people up and down here
[indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. You are describing with the pencil----
Mr. CLARDY. Where the circle is down across here [indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. You are describing with the pencil about four or five people along
the rail lining of the basement side of the rail, is that correct?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir--no, sir; on the ramp side.
Mr. HUBERT. Ramp side, parking area side?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir; on the ramp side. Not the parking area side. On the--this
being the ramp here [indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. Yes.
Mr. CLARDY. Coming off from Main.
Mr. HUBERT. I see what you mean, on the ramp side?
Mr. CLARDY. On the ramp side. There was a couple of uniformed officers in this
area. I am not sure.
Mr. HUBERT. McMillon was one of them, wasn't he?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Oh, it was. You put his position, also, did you see W. J. Harrison
in that group?
Mr. CLARDY. W. J.? That is a detective in the juvenile bureau?
Mr. HUBERT. Well, I don't know. I can't testify. I am not--well, that's all
right.
Mr. CLARDY. Sir, there was a detective, I am pretty sure the one you are talking
about. I don't know him real well?
Mr. HUBERT. That's all right.
Mr. CLARDY. I don't know whether it was Harrison that was along in here
[indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. Now, would you make a circle and state where you think "Blackie"
Harrison was at the time of the shooting?
410
Page 411
Mr. CLARDY. Time I saw Detective Harrison, to the best of my knowledge, he was
along in there [indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. I am marking that circle by putting "Position of 'Blackie' Harrison
at time of shooting," is that correct or at the time you saw him?
Mr. CLARDY. At the time I checked, looked over the basement, which would have
been approximately 3 minutes, 2 or 3 minutes before the shooting.
Mr. HUBERT. You saw him 2 or 3 minutes prior to the shooting. Now, I'll ask you
to check that again, that circle that I have designated by the legend, "position
of 'Blackie' Harrison at the time Clardy saw him 2 or 3 minutes prior to the
shooting." Is that approximately the position of Mr. Harrison at the time
designated?
Mr. CLARDY. Correct.
Mr. HUBERT. That was the time you looked over the crowd.
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. . HUBERT. In that area, again, can you tell us about how many people were
concentrated ?
Mr. CLARDY. Including a couple of uniformed officers in that area, there was
possibly six or seven people in that area at that time.
Mr. HUBERT. At the time you looked over at the crowd then you could see that if
he stays behind this crowd of people looking up the Main Street ramp----
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you see anybody come down at all ?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you see any movement there?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir. I saw the--I say "movement"--I saw the car that Lieutenant
Pierce drove out that ramp, and at the time that the car approached the top of
the ramp there was nobody in that area.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you see the car at the top of the ramp?
Mr. CLARDY. Sir, the car now as it went out--let me get this straight here.
Mr. HUBERT. Don't use the map now, if you can do it without it.
Mr. CLARDY. Let me get it straight here. I watched the car drive out until he
drove approximately half, or maybe three-fourths of the way up, and at that
time, clear back down to here [indicating] there was nobody in between.
Mr. HUBERT. All right.
Mr. CLARDY. Now, as to what--watching it drive on up to the top of the ramp, no,
sir.
Mr. HUBERT. You did not see it drive to the top?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. But, roughly between half and three-fourths of the way up the ramp?
Were you looking in that direction after the car had passed out of the ramp?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, do you think this, if anybody had come running down there you
would have seen them?
Mr. CLARDY. Sir, it is quite possible that somebody could have come running down
there and I wouldn't have seen them.
Mr. HUBERT. You did not, in any case, see anybody?
Mr. CLARDY. I did not see anybody. Now, I was facing more over in--oh, almost
straight across the ramp after I looked over the----
Mr. HUBERT. Over the crowd ?
Mr. CLARDY. Over the crowd.
Mr. HUBERT. And you looked over the crowd prior to the time the car passed?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. You did not look over the crowd then--after that?
Mr. CLARDY. No.
Mr. HUBERT. Do you think it is possible from your position that anybody could
have come down that ramp and you would not have seen them?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. What makes you think that, sir?
Mr. CLARDY. Well, I wasn't just in particular watching toward the direction--at
the time that Lieutenant Pierce come out, there was a lot of these people moving
around, and I was trying to keep an eye on them. At the time
411
Page 412
the other car was brought out--being brought out, there was a lot of those
people over in this area in here moving around [indicating].
Mr. HUBERT. Now, I think you have already testified that as to the actual
shooting itself, you just saw a movement?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Off to your left?
Mr. CLARDY. Just a blur of movement.
Mr. HUBERT. When did you first identify Ruby?
Mr. CLARDY. After he had been taken inside the jail office.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you speak to him then?
Mr. CLARDY. As I went inside the main jail office they had the cuffs on him, and
Detective McMillon said, "Well, let's take him on upstairs." And said, "Barney,
take my gun."
I took Detective McMillon's gun out of his holster, and at the time I did, Jack
Ruby said, "I'm Jack Ruby. Don't you know me? Don't you know me?" Said, "Yes, I
know you, Jack," something to that effect. I am not sure, because I was sick to
my stomach of what had happened, and then seeing him and wondering in my own
mind how in the world a man had ever got in there. I took Detective McMillon's
gun and mine and put it in one of the lockers in the jail office there, which is
provided for that purpose. And along with Detective McMillon, Detective
"Blackie" Harrison, and Detective Archer, and there was some other detectives on
the elevator with us, and I'm not sure who, and we took Ruby directly to the
fifth floor.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he make any comments during that trip?
Mr. CLARDY. Sir, I was on the--I was the last one that got to the elevator. If
he was--made any comment on the way up I didn't hear him.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, in your statement to the FBI agent which has been identified
as No. 5063, you stated he did mention other things. That you had heard Ruby
mention that he had intended to get off three shots, do you recall that?
Mr. CLARDY. That was after we got upstairs.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, tell us about that.
Mr. CLARDY. I am not sure who asked him the question. I believe it was Detective
Archer, and asked him in some way, "Did you intend to"--or, "Did you think you
could kill the man with one shot?" And he said, "I intended to get off three
shots." Said, "I didn't think that I could be stopped before I got off three
shots." But, that, I----
Mr. HUBERT. Did you ask Ruby, or did anyone ask Ruby in your presence how he had
gotten into the basement?
Mr. CLARDY. I asked Ruby.
Mr. HUBERT. You did by yourself?
Mr. CLARDY. I asked him myself, and I am sure there were several others who did.
Mr. HUBERT. That was when you were up on the fifth floor ?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir; shortly after he got----
Mr. HUBERT. Shortly after?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. What did you ask him, and what did he reply? What did you ask him
first?
Mr. CLARDY. I asked him how he got into the basement and how long he had been
there. I don't know whether that is the exact words I asked him in or not, and
he said that Lieutenant Pierce, or he called him Rio Pierce--I believe said Rio
Pierce, Lt. Rio Pierce drove out in the car and the officer stepped out from the
ramp momentarily to talk to Lieutenant Pierce, or said something to him, and I
come in behind him right on down the ramp, and says, "When I got approximately
halfway down the ramp I heard somebody holler, 'Hey, you,' but I don't know
whether he was hollering at me or not, but I just ducked my head and kept
coming."
Mr. HUBERT. Did he say anything further?
Mr. CLARDY. Further stated, said, "If I had planned this I couldn't have had my
timing better." Said, "It was one chance in a million." Or something to that
effect. Said, "If I had planned this, I couldn't have had my timing any better."
412
Page 413
Mr. HUBERT. Did he make any statement to you as to why he had done it?
Mr. CLARDY. He said--no, somebody--I was going to ask him and I am sure some
other officer asked him as to why. He said, "Somebody had to do it. You all
couldn't."
Mr. HUBERT. Is that the only explanation he offered?
Mr. CLARDY. Well, later on we talked to him a little further and he went into
this long story about how much he thought of President Kennedy, and how he was
remorseful. Didn't want Mrs. Kennedy to have to come to testify on trial,
and----
Mr. HUBERT. Did he say anything here to indicate that he had any accomplices in
his act?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he mention to you that he had been to the Western Union that
morning?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he say anything about where his car was?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Did he say anything about there being a dog in it ?
Mr. CLARDY. Sir, I recall that he said there was some money in the car. I don't
recall him saying it in my presence, about the dog being in it. I do recall that
he talked later about some dogs that he had that he thought so much of.
Mr. HUBERT. All right, now, a bit earlier when I asked you whether or not there
were any omissions from the documents, Exhibits Nos. 5061, 5062, and 5063, you
indicated there was an omission concerning what had been said to you by some
people who had talked to you. I think that is what the omission--it was
something along that line. Do you recall what that was now?
Mr. CLARDY. Well, I think some of the stuff that we have gone into there that
you have asked me as to some of the things that were said, or on down the line
that I don't--I don't recall any of the FBI agents asking me who come up there
and talked to him, whether they did or not, I don't know.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, can you tell me what you had in mind a little while ago in the
deposition when you said, "Yes, this is all right, but there has been omitted
something," and I told you at that time, "Well, we'll come back to it a bit
later," and now, I am coming back to it. I was wondering just what you had in
mind when you stated that there had been an omission ?
Mr. CLARDY. I don't believe it is in that report that Secret Service agent, Mr.
Sorrels, came up shortly after we arrived and talked to Mr. Ruby.
Mr. HUBERT. I think that----
Mr. CLARDY. Whether that is in there or not----
Mr. HUBERT. Is that what you had in mind ?
Mr. CLARDY. That and the FBI agent, Mr. Hall, then came up and talked to Ruby
off and on until the time that he was taken to Captain Fritz' office.
Mr. HUBERT. How long a period was that?
Mr. CLARDY. Sir, he was up there probably within 15 to 20 minutes after we had
taken Mr. Ruby upstairs. Agent Hall was, and he talked to Mr. Ruby at
considerable length until he had several telephone calls. I don't know who they
were from or what they was about, but, that he was called to the telephone
several times while he was up there.
Mr. HUBERT. And Mr. Sorrels was present also?
Mr. CLARDY. Mr. Sorrels had left before Mr. Hall come up there. Sorrels had
talked briefly to Mr. Ruby. I say, "briefly," he--approximately 10 minutes.
Mr. HUBERT. Let's see if I can get the time sequence. Within 15 minutes after
Ruby was brought to the top--to the fifth floor, Mr. Hall came?
Mr. CLARDY. Uh-huh.
Mr. HUBERT. And interviewed him, with some interruptions by telephone calls, for
approximately what, now, an hour and a half?
Mr. CLARDY. I'd say Mr. Hall was up there 3 1/2 hours.
Mr. HUBERT. Three and a half hours.
Mr. CLARDY. Yes.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, in the 15 minutes or so before Mr. Hall came, Mr. Sorrels came?
413
Page 414
Mr. CLARDY. Mr. Sorrels came.
Mr. HUBERT. And stayed about 10 minutes?
Mr. CLARDY. Mr. Sorrels came up just very briefly. Very shortly after.
Mr. HUBERT. Is that what you meant when you mentioned a little while ago that
there was some omissions from your statement?
Mr. CLARDY. That is what I had reference to; yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Did you have reference to any other omissions?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Then, let's put it this way. You have already stated that what is in
these records, these three exhibits, 5061, 5062, and 5063, are true and correct;
that you did not want to modify or change anything that you had previously said.
That it was some omissions, and now, do I understand you to say that the
omissions that you previously spoke of is what you just testified to?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Are there any other omissions that you know of?
Mr. CLARDY. None that I know of.
Mr. HUBERT. So, that by taking Exhibits 5061, 5062, and 5063, together with your
deposition today, is it fair to state that there is on record everything you
know about the assassination of Oswald ?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, other than the interview that you had with me earlier today,
have you been interviewed by any member of the Commission staff?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, the interview you had with me was prior to lunch, is that
correct ?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Can you state now whether there are any inconsistencies between your
deposition and what we discussed at the interview to which I have just referred
?
Mr. CLARDY. Nothing other than the--you were referring to those previous
statements?
Mr. HUBERT. No; I am referring to any inconsistencies between what you testified
today and the interview we had this morning?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Now, have you provided, or had--or did you provide in that interview
this morning any material as to which you have not testified to in this
deposition?
Mr. CLARDY. No, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. Is there anything else at all that you would like to state that has
not been said in one way or another by you?
Mr. CLARDY. Sir, the only thing that I could add in any way, that I can think
of, would be that the--Mr. Ruby appeared to be normal on that day.
Mr. HUBERT. Then do you think you knew him well enough to be able to judge
whether he was normal or not?
Mr. CLARDY. From his expressions or the way he talked led me to believe that the
man was normal, that he knew what he was doing.
Mr. HUBERT. Well, other than that observation then?
Mr. CLARDY. It wouldn't be anything that I could think of that I would add.
Mr. HUBERT. All right; if you do think of anything, I want to ask you to please
feel free to come forward and state it, because quite frankly, a person will
forget something, and if you do remember anything, don't hesitate to come
forward with it, even though you might say to yourself, "Well, I have already
said there is nothing more, and now I am coming back to add something." I ask
you not to feel that way, but on the other hand, to feel free to come forward,
because the Commission wants to know all the facts, and we want to get the
facts, even though you may not recollect them until after this deposition is
over. I trust you will do that?
Mr. CLARDY. Yes, sir.
Mr. HUBERT. All right, then, thank you very much. I want to thank you personally
and on behalf of the Commission for your assistance. Thank you, sir.
414
Contact Information
tomnln@cox.net
|