Mr.Specter. Would it refresh your recollection if I said you had a telephone call with him at about 6:50 on that day?
Mr.Wall. No, sir; it wouldn’t because I call him quite frequently. I just made a telephone call to him day before yesterday. Unless it was just to say hello and everything. We did not decide to go down to Galveston until that afternoon, the day after the assassination.
Mr.Specter. How long have you known Edward Parker of Fort Worth?
Mr.Wall. Eddie Parker is—came to work for us for Bottoms Up at the Adolphus and he would help in costume changes and setting up the props. We had a portable stage which he would set up and get everything ready before the show would start. That would be about a year and a half, but we performed at the Playbill Club, we performed a show which he also helped us in, called Razzmataz was the name of the show.
Mr.Specter. Do you recall telephoning him on October 1st, 3d, and 4th, 1963?
Mr.Wall. No, sir; I would call him in any respect to the show. The only reason I would have anything to do with him would be to tell him whether we would do a television show, needed him there and needed Carl Tressler, who was in our show. They are roommates. Anytime I would call them would be in reference to the show.
Mr.Specter. You already mentioned you called him on November 22.
Mr.Wall. To tell him probably that the show had been canceled.
Mr.Specter. At about what time was that call made, if you recall?
Mr.Wall. Well, it would probably be around, I would say, 1 or 2 o’clock. As soon as Mr. Anderson told us we would not perform that night or Saturday.
Mr.Specter. Could it have been as late as 6 that evening?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir; it could have been as I was going out of town to tell him I was leaving and would be in Galveston; if they needed to get hold of me to call the operator.
Mr.Specter. But you didn’t go to Galveston on Friday, November 22, did you?
Mr.Wall. No, sir; that was just to tell him we were not going to do a show that night.
Mr.Specter. Do you know a Patricia Farmer?
Mr.Wall. No, sir.
Mr.Specter. Do you know a Clarence Vought?
Mr.Wall. No, sir.
Mr.Specter. What relatives, if any, does Tom McKenna have in Dallas?
Mr.Wall. The only one that would be there would be his son who is 18 years old, George McKenna, who was working on a construction job at the Republic National Bank.
Mr.Specter. Do you know R. D. Matthews?
Mr.Wall. No, sir.
Mr.Specter. Do you know whether Jack Ruby knew anybody by the name of R. D. Matthews?
Mr.Wall. Only if that was the man I couldn’t think of in the previous statement. I said I knew their faces but not their names, but the name doesn’t ring a bell at all.
Mr.Specter. Do you know anything about Jack Ruby’s trip to Cuba?
Mr.Wall. I have never heard of anything like that at all.
Mr.Specter. Do you know anybody by the name of Henry Atcheson, A-t-c-h-e-s-o-n, or Henry Acteson, A-c-t-e-s-o-n?
Mr.Wall. No, sir.
Mr.Specter. Did you make any telephone call from the Adolphus Hotel to anyone in Canada during March of 1964?
Mr.Wall. I can’t remember ever calling Canada. As I stated before to you the only one that I ever knew in Canada was Kay Sutton, who was a performer in our show who was somewhere in Canada.
Mr.Specter. Do you know James F. Mahon?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir; he is my attorney, too.
Mr.Specter. Did you make a call to him on November 23, that is Saturday after the assassination?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir; possibly.
Mr.Specter. What was the purpose of that call, if I may ask?
Mr.Wall. Well, to find out, possibly, if he knew anything about Jack; to see if he was going to represent Jack or anything. He also knew Jack Ruby.
Mr.Specter. This was the day before the shooting of Oswald?
Mr.Wall. Well, it could be any business thing. Phil handled most of our things but as things stand right now Jim Mahon handles everything for us, our bookkeeping and everything, so it could have been anything at all.
Mr.Specter. Did you make any other calls on November 23, 1963, if you can remember?
Mr.Wall. The 23dwas——
Mr.Specter. That is Saturday.
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir; I could have called any number of people.
Mr.Specter. Did you make a call to RI 8-1434?
Mr.Wall. That number—that could have been Jim Mahon.
Mr.Specter. Was Jim Mahon’s number Riverside 8-4361 or do you recall?
Mr.Wall. No; that is his number. I do know—Riverside, 1434, I don’t know, sir. I’m sure I placed quite a few calls that day. I talked to a lot of people.
Mr.Specter. Did you ever have a financial interest with Jack Ruby in the Sovereign Club?
Mr.Wall. No, sir; not as far as putting in our own money at all; only that we would retain a percentage of the club.
Mr.Specter. What do you mean by “retain a percentage of the club”?
Mr.Wall. For doing our shows there because we only received a small salary, as I said, $125 a week. He said he would give us a portion of the club.
Mr.Specter. Do you mean a percentage of the gross receipts or a percentage of the net receipts?
Mr.Wall. I mean a percent of the club, period.
Mr.Specter. Half ownership in the club?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir.
Mr.Specter. Was that ever formalized into a written contract?
Mr.Wall. As far as I know it was, sir, but I don’t remember where the papers are. I think they were destroyed in the fire at the Playbill Club.
Mr.Specter. Did you ever get such an interest in the Sovereign Club?
Mr.Wall. No, sir.
Mr.Specter. Have you ever been interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation or any other other Federal agency regarding your connection with Jack Ruby?
Mr.Wall. I have never been called into an office and interviewed at all. Possibly there were some men who came by and asked me a few questions but I can’t remember it. It was that vague. I do know Joe Peterson was interviewed by some representatives of the FBI.
Mr.Specter. Do you think you may have been interviewed by the FBI, but you are not sure?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir.
Mr.Specter. Did you ever tell the FBI anything about Ruby’s telephone call on the night of November 23 to you in Galveston?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir; if they interviewed me I definitely told them about it because it was very important.
Mr.Specter. But you are just not sure whether or not they interviewed you?
Mr.Wall. I will tell you, things happened so fast. I definitely remember Joe came back and said, “Two representatives want to talk to you,” but I don’t remember ever talking to them.
Mr.Specter. You don’t have any specific recollection of ever talking to them or telling them about that telephone call from Jack Ruby on Saturday, November 23?
Mr.Wall. No, sir.
Mr.Specter. Mr. Wall, did you and I have a brief interview before this deposition started today?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir.
Mr.Specter. And during the course of that interview did I ask you the outline of the questions which we have covered here on the record?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir.
Mr.Specter. And were your answers the same as you told me here this afternoon?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir.
Mr.Specter. Do you have anything to add which you think would be helpful in any way to the President’s Commission?
Mr.Wall. Well, the only thing that I stated to you before is that previously I said that Jack and Joe got into a fight when he blew his stack but then on the other hand there was a time when we needed $300 very desperately and Jack in a matter of 10 minutes went over and got a loan on his own car for us so that the man does have feelings and he can flare up in 5 minutes and then forget about it, you know. I can’t, but he is one type of person who can. You never know what he is going to do next.
Mr.Specter. Do you know Ralph Paul?
Mr.Wall. That was the name of the gentleman who was visiting Jack at the same time I was that I could not remember.
Mr.Specter. Aside from that time in the jail have you ever talked to Ralph Paul?
Mr.Wall. Very, very little. Jack at one time has taken Joe and I to a bowling alley—I remember Ralph Paul was along—and took us for breakfast. We bowled a game but I still didn’t say seven or eight words to the man. I was very friendly but I still didn’t say anything to him.
Mr.Specter. Did you make any effort to telephone Ralph Paul anytime on November 22 or 23?
Mr.Wall. No, sir.
Mr.Specter. Or November 24?
Mr.Wall. No, sir. I wouldn’t even know how to get ahold of the man.
Mr.Specter. Mr. Wall, if you wish, we can make available the typed-up copy of this deposition for you to read and sign, or if you are willing, you can waive that signature which means that you will not read and sign the transcript. Do you have any preference on the subject?
Mr.Wall. I will do whatever is the easiest, for you all and the best way.
Mr.Specter. Are you willing then to waive your reading and signature?
Mr.Wall. Yes, sir.
Mr.Specter. Fine. We appreciate that. We will then accept your waiver. It may or may not be made available for you to read and sign. Thank you very much for your appearing here today.