Jack Ruby Files Released For First Time In 50 Years, Shedding Insight On JFK Assassination

Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald nearly 50 years ago, a shocking act that was caught on film. Ruby cut down John F. Kennedy’s alleged assassin before he could ever confirm or deny his involvement in the assassination.

Now, boxes full of documents and artifacts on Jack Ruby himself have been released, giving the world a glimpse of the conflicted man who killed Oswald, and some insight into what led him to the shooting.

The box had brass knuckles, a gun holster, and even an identification card for one of his nightclub dancers. Also included was a letter from Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother, claiming he didn’t kill JFK.

Ruby was a nightclub owner and operator in Dallas. Many believe he had ties to organized crime, and his killing Lee Harvey Oswald was part of a larger JFK conspiracy set in place by the mob.

But one piece of evidence from the Jack Ruby files gives possible insight into his true intentions. Shortly after Ruby was arrested for shooting Oswald, police administered a lie detector test.

During the test, Jack Ruby was asked if he shot Lee Harvey Oswald to save Mrs. Kennedy the pain of going through a trial. He answered yes.

The Jack Ruby files were featured this week on CBS This Morning, part of a media blitz of information related to the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination.

A number of conspiracy theories related to JFK’s death have also been revisited, many of them spurred by the infamous Zapruder footage.

Taken by bystander Abraham Zapruder, the footage captures the moment Kennedy is shot and killed. Many people who analyzed the tape believe it is impossible for Lee Harvey Oswald to have acted alone.

Dick Stolley, a journalist who worked with Zapruder to release the footage, believes the theories are unfounded:

“I think there was a single shooter, and I do not think there was any conspiracy before or after. The Zapruder film is the best evidence for the single-shooter theory that I hold.’ I was surprised at the time that Life was able to buy the film. Zapruder told me he talked to law enforcement people and that they told him it was his film and he could do with it whatever he wished. At this point, they hadn’t seen the film. They wanted a copy of it, but it was his to do whatever he wanted.”

The Jack Ruby files will soon be available for the public to peruse. Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins said he plans to loan some of the artifacts and documents to the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas.