Description:

Dallas Detective Jim Leavelle TLS "Jack Ruby was a blabber mouth"

A typed letter signed by Dallas police detective, Jim Leavelle, refuting media claims about Jack Ruby. 1p, measuring 8.5" x 11", Garland, Texas, dated March 20, 1998. Signed "James R Leavelle", and addressed to a Mr. Heck. Leavelle defends the Dallas police in relation to the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby. Near fine, boldly signed.

The letter in part:

"One more time I will tell anyone such as your self not to believe everything you see in the movies or read in books. Those were produced for the primary purpose of making money…First off there was less than a half dozen policemen who ever frequented Ruby's club off duty. He did not have the run of city hall as it has been reported by the media. Many policemen just as I did knew Jack Ruby because he was a business man in business in Dallas. By the nature of his business caused officers to be in and out of his establishment more so than other businesses. The only times I was ever in his club I was on a call or investigation. He may have known some Mafa members but so did I and many other Officers. That did not make us a member of the Mob. To began with the Mob or Mafa would not trust him with anything. Jack Ruby was a blabber mouth. He would tell everything he knew. They did not get the organization they had by trusting people like Jack. When I transferred Jack Ruby on Monday after he shot Oswald he told me he shot Oswald so he could be a hero. Since this was before lawyers and media people got to him I think this is the truth. Jack got into the basement by coming down the entrance ramp. Yes where Roy Vaughn was…As he approached the ramp a marked police car came up he ramp driven by Lt. Pearce. When Officer Vaughn turned his back and walked out to the edge of the street to hold up traffic so that Lt. Pearce could make a left turn on to Main street. Jack told me that he stepped behind the car and walked down the ramp to mingle with the news media. A break of maybe 10 seconds in security…Roy Vaughn's only problem was he did not have eyes in the back of his head…" 

James Robert Leavelle (1920-2019) was a Dallas Police Department homicide detective. Two days after the assassination of President Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald was meant to be transferred from the city jail to the county jail. He was handcuffed between Leavelle and fellow detective L. C. Graves. Before leaving the station, Leavelle told Oswald, "Lee, I hope that if anybody shoots at you, they are as good a shot as you were.” Oswald reportedly grinned and replied, "Nobody’s going to be shooting at me." However, as he was being led through the basement of the Dallas Police Headquarters to an armored car, Oswald was shot at point-blank range by Jack Ruby. Leavelle prominently appeared in several famous photographs of the incident—including one that won a Pulitzer Prize. He later testified before the Warren Commission and would continue to refute any conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination.

Jack Ruby (1911-1967) was a Dallas nightclub owner, but is best known as the murderer of John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. Ruby shot Oswald on November 24, 1963, as Oswald was being transferred to the county jail. Many people still to this day believe that Ruby could have killed Oswald in an attempt to cover up a larger plot to assassinate Kennedy. Unfortunately for historians and conspiracy theorists alike, Ruby died in prison on January 3, 1967, without providing any further clarifications to the tragic incident. 

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses. 

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