A Tale of Two Passes

I gave him my extra pass
The introduction to the Sam Pate Fan Club Newsgroup: Sam Pate Radio News Dallas Texas 1963 JFK Assassination the Radio Phantom witness for Jack Ruby subpoena to trial for Oswald. Talked with Jack Ruby the night Kennedy was shot in the basement of City Hall. He was looking for a press pass for the news hotline. And I gave him my extra pass.

I did a double-take when I read that last sentence.

Pate, when interviewed by the DPD on Nov 27, 1963 stated that he saw "no press badge on him" during the conference and made no mention that he was asked for one, or offered one.[1] Of course, any admission then that he'd given Ruby a press pass would have wrapped up the mystery of how Ruby gained entry to the police basement that Sunday morning as Oswald was in the process of being transferred to the Dallas County Jail. Pate was not called by the Warren Commission - yet another strange omission in their witness list given he caused the diversion which may have led to an unknown "person of interest" being able to leave the Texas School Book Depository at a time when police were beginning to seal it, and the alleged recording of shots he captured while in the plaza.

He was however interviewed by HSCA investigators, telling them that reporters were discarding their press passes throughout the weekend, and anybody could have picked one up off the floor.[2] Sam Pate either concealed pertinent information from authorities back then, or is lying now about giving Ruby a spare card.

I believe it is the latter, as this is far from the only new revelation to come from Pate in recent years. He claims to know much, but is too scared to tell; hints at the Mafia as being behind the Dallas hit and even names a shooter as "Bruno".

It reeks of an old man missing the spotlight.

If he wants redemption in his twilight years, let him just stick to what he knows as fact, and put it into a sworn declaration.

Jim Magnum and the found pass
One of Pate's colleagues at KBOX was Ron Jenkins. Information he provided to the DPD on Nov 27, 1963, supports Pate's latter statement insofar as press passes being found on the floor goes. In the words of the report, Jenkins observed a man wearing a press badge bearing the name of Jim Magnum, Associated Press. However, the man wearing the badge was not Magnum. He remarked to the man, "Jim Magnum?" the man replied, "No, I just found it and put it on." He did not know this man however, it was not Jack Ruby. He also states he found a press badge on the floor which belonged to a CBS reporter. He knew the man personally and returned it to him. He had lost it from his jacket.[3]

Det. BH Combest
But outside of a dime detective novel, there was no "Jim Magnum"; the name conjured up in the memory of Ron Jenkins. We learn the real identity of the reporter who lost his pass from the Warren Commission testimony of Detective Combest, taken on March 26, 1964:

Code:

Mr. Hubert.
Do you remember any instances in which you were involved in which you observed in which persons who were not properly--who didn't have a press card, were removed or questioned?
Mr. Combest.
Yes, sir; in my letter there to Chief Curry I recall there was girl that worked at the police information desk, which is in the basement, by the records bureau, had went out into the basement, at least on one occasion to summon officers that were wanted on the telephone. On the next time that I noticed her start to go into there, she was stopped by Sergeant Putnam, as I recall it. He advised her that she would not go into the basement if she had messages to officers that were in the basement, and she was not to leave her assignment behind the information desk until the transfer was over. Also, to a civilian employee that worked in the jail booking office proper. He had came out into the parking basement, appeared to have a look around to see what was going on. He was told to get back behind the desk in the jail booking office and remain there until after the transfer was over. Also, one other incident, I think I have also put in my letter there and regarding a reporter for the Oklahoma City News, I believe his name is Jim Standard. He did not have a press card. He was stopped and questioned, but he did have proper identification to prove that he did work for the Oklahoma City newspaper. He had a hospitalization card made out to a group policy of this newspaper in Oklahoma City. Had some letters and correspondence to him, addressed to him at that location, and after convincing myself and Beaty, he convinced Captain Talbert that he was a legitimate member of the press and he was admitted. Two or 3 days after the incident I was in Oklahoma City and I saw the article he had written showing this incident in Dallas and his picture was also in the Oklahoma City paper, and I remembered him. I recognized him. And he wrote a pretty good article on the security in the basement.

Combest's testimony then that Jim Standard had lost his press pass strongly supports Jenkins' statement that someone else was wearing it.

Let's just take a minute to reflect on what we have so far. There was someone other than Jack Ruby floating around DPD who, on the face of it, had no business being there.

A dedicated follower of fashion
Jack Ruby's sister said during an interview with KLIF after her brother's arrest that he did have a press pass. [4] This was confirmed by Ruby acquaintance, Alfred Davidson,Jr. Davidson was contacted in Hollywood by the FBI on November 25, 1963. He stated he came to Dallas around late September or early October representing Oleg Cassini in the promotion of a radio show called "The World of Fashion". He then met Ruby through a Credit Manager at Neiman-Marcus and was with Ruby on a regular basis up until about November 15, with Ruby acting as host and chauffeur for the fashion house rep.

Davidson stated during this interview that Ruby had both a press pass and a police pass in his car. He last heard from Ruby in what he described as a social phone call Ruby made to him on November 21.[5]

A chink in the story
On July 16, 1964, the Warren Commission wrote to the FBI requesting a reinterview of Davidson to determine the name of the Credit Manager at Neiman-Marcus whom Davidson had previously said was a friend of Ruby and had introduced him to Ruby.

Davidson was consequently contacted in Hollywood on July 24, but was unable to recall the name of the Credit Manager. The day prior, the FBI had already visited the Vice-President of Neiman-Marcus, Robert M Jeffery. Jeffery informed the FBI that he would know if any of his employees (in the credit department particularly) had any type of association with Jack Ruby, and that to his knowledge, none did.

He further stated that the former Credit Manager, William Cofer, had died on November 14 (the day prior to Davidson leaving town), and had been a person who had led a very sedate life. The implication was clear enough: he was not the sort of person to associate with a man like Ruby.

Meanwhile, Cofer's replacement, Mason Dumont and his assistant, Roy Jacobs both denied knowing either Ruby or Davidson.[6]

That Davidson appears to have lied about how he came to know Ruby is troubling. But even if it was no lie, it is equally worrisome that the person most likely to be the one he claimed had introduced him to Ruby died the day before Davidson left town. Nevertheless, his claim that Ruby had a press pass, as noted prior, was corroborated by Eva Grant, and is further supported by the finding of a card found in Ruby's car which might logically be mistaken for a "police card". Recall that Davidson had mentioned both a press and a police card.

This card, from former judge Glen Byrd, introduced the bearer as Jack Ruby and expressed appreciation from Byrd for any help given the bearer.[7]

That no press card was found in the car or on Ruby is no indication that Ruby never had one - especially since the record indicates that reporters were discarding the cards once they had gained entry.

ENDNOTES
[1] Warren Commission Exhibit 2249
[2] HSCA Report Volume IX p1126
[3] Warren Commission Exhibit 2249. The report does not make clear whether Jenkins' encounter with "Jim Magnum" was during the midnight press conference on Friday, the Sunday morning transfer, or at some other time. However, Det. Combest's testimony strongly suggests it was during the time of the transfer.
[4] Ibid
[5] Commission Exhibit 1735. Refer also to the works of Bruce Campbell Adamson and others regarding the connections between the Cassini brothers, George De Mohrenschildt and the Kennedys among the assorted characters within their sphere, for therein is a substantial area of inquiry which deserves closer scrutiny
[6] FBI 44-24016 Ruby HQ File, Section 77 pp 26-30
[7] Commission Exhibit 2002

Good stuff, Greg. The following is from Ruby’s testimony, which has been nagging at me for some time now.
 
“And I said, ‘I got to get into KLIF. I have got some sandwiches.’ And he said, ‘what about us?’ And I said, ‘some other time’. And it so happened I found Jerry cunkle [Kunkle] and Sam Pease, I found out they were the names, so I did get the number, because these fellows work for a rival radio station, and he gave me the number of KLIF…….There was an Officer talking –I don’t know what rank he had –talking to a Sam Pease in a car parked up on the curve. I walked down those few steps, and there was the person that – I wouldn’t say I saw red – it was a feeling I had for our beloved President and Mrs Kennedy, that he was insignificant to what my purpose was.”
 
Reading the above, along with the FBI interviews of Jerry Kunkle and Sam Pate, it’s apparent that the Sam Pease Ruby was referring to was actually Sam Pate.
 
http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?mode=searchResult&absPageId=334941
 
http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=10488&relPageId=472
 
So Ruby testifies that the reason he got into the basement was because Vaughn was distracted by Pate (so to speak). The problem is that Pate told the FBI (above) that he was at home when Oswald was shot. Ruby was lying about Pate’s presence, but why? As you wrote above, Pate claimed he gave Ruby his extra press pass. This will sound a bit bizarre, but was Ruby giving the WC a clue that he got into the basement because Pate did in fact give him an extra pass? It sure does seem a bit too coincidental that Ruby essentially pinned the blame on Pate for being given the opportunity to go down the ramp, and that Pate claimed he gave Ruby his spare pass. Then again, perhaps Pate read Ruby’s testimony and took advantage of it by inventing the story of him giving Ruby his spare pass.
 
What do you think?
 
P.S I don’t believe Ruby went down the ramp.

BUMP

Code:

Oswald was captured, all in Oak Cliff. I also lived in Oak Cliff, less than a mile away from these addresses. At the Dallas Police Station, I saw Marguerite Oswald, Marina Oswald, June and Rachel Oswald, Lee Harvey’s mother, wife and two daughters. I have a vivid memory of Marina Oswald, very attractive, very frightened. I did not talk to these women. However, I did talk briefly with Jack Ruby. I knew Ruby from his Carousel Club in downtownDallas at 1312 1/2 Commerce Street. Ruby had an obsession for law enforcement, media and political types. We
could drink for half price at the Carousel plus free admission. Thus, Ruby was a friend of the police and oftenhung around the Dallas Cop Shop. Dan Rather was there, he then worked for a Houston TV station, and we briefly compared notes.

I finally headed back to KBOX. which was at 9900 McCree Road, off the Northwest Hiway and Adelia Road. I did
telephone reports for our stations in St. Louis, Milwaukee and San Diego, plus for my friends at WKY in
Oklahoma City. Dick Moore learned the Dallas PD was bringing Oswald out for a 12 midnight press conference in
the assembly room. He gave me our best tape recorder and microphone and sent me out the door. When I walked in the assembly room, two KBOX newsmen, Sam Pate and Ron Jenkins were talking with Jack Ruby. I talked with them
briefly and then had to kneel down in front of the lone television camera. Dan Rather was beside me. The whole thing lasted less than five minutes. Rather and I got in the most questions. As the police took Oswald away, he was protesting “police brutality.”
http://enidhs1957.com/2009/07/05/kunkel-jerry/

Thanks for the info, Greg.

bump