TESTIMONY OF MR. LANE RESUMED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION

The Chairman. The session will be in order.

Mr. Rankin. Will you proceed, Mr. Lane, in executive session now, to describe the names?

Mr. Lane. The third name that I was informed—the person that I was informed was there, the third person, is named Jack Ruby. It was my feeling, of course, while his case was pending it would not be proper to comment on that in the presence of the press.

Mr. Rankin. You mean the third person in the group apparently conferring?

Mr. Lane. Yes. Tippit, Weissman, and Ruby.

The Chairman. Have you made any public statement of this kind before on this subject—about this meeting?

Mr. Lane. Not about Ruby—about a meeting between Weissman and Tippit, yes.

The Chairman. But you never named Ruby publicly?

Mr. Lane. No; I have not. I shall not.

The Chairman. I see. Do you know any way by which we might corroborate that meeting—the fact that it was held?

Mr. Lane. I am going this evening to see, or tomorrow—I will try this evening first—to see if I can secure permission by my informant to reveal his name, and I hope he will be willing to come forward and testify as to what took place.

The Chairman. The Commission would like to know it, if you can do that.

Mr. Lane. Yes; I shall inform you as soon as I discover that. I would like very much for the Commission to have that information. Can I indicate to my informant that the matter can be so raised so that his name will not be known to anyone other than the Commission?

The Chairman. Yes, sir; you may.

Mr. Lane. That will be extremely helpful.

The Chairman. If you can think of any way that can be corroborated, it would be most helpful to us.

Mr. Lane. I understand.

The Chairman. Congressman, you just got in as we are about to adjourn. Mr. Lane was telling us of one piece of information that he had concerning a meeting that was held at the Carousel Nightclub, about a week, did you say——

Mr. Lane. Yes.

The Chairman. About a week before the assassination, at which the man who financed this full-page article in the paper, Dallas paper, this morning, concerning President Kennedy, and Officer Tippit, and he told us in private here—he didn't want to mention it before the press—Jack Ruby. And he tells us that he will try to find out from his informant more about that, and if he possibly can deliver the information to us.

Senator Cooper. May I ask one question?

I assume from what you have said you wouldn't be able to answer it, but was there any reason ascribed for the presence of Tippit?

Mr. Lane. My informant does not know the reason.

Senator Cooper. Or Ruby, with Weissman?

Mr. Lane. My informant does not know that information.

Representative Ford. May I ask a question, Mr. Chief Justice? When did this information come to your attention, Mr. Lane?

Mr. Lane. Some weeks ago.

Representative Ford. Do you consider the informant a reliable, responsible person?

Mr. Lane. Yes. I cannot vouch, of course, for the information personally, but I believe the informant is a reliable and a responsible person.

Representative Ford. Would your informant be willing, as far as you know—be willing to testify and give the Commission this information directly?

Mr. Lane. I am going to try to arrange that this evening. The Chief Justice has indicated that his name would not be known if he did that, and that I did not know that I could make that statement to him before now. I hope that will be decisive.

The Chairman. Is there anything further, gentlemen?

If not——

Representative Ford. May I ask, Mr. Chairman, are we going to have a schedule laid out, are we going to have a meeting of the Commission where maybe we will know what the schedule is in the next week or 10 days or 2 weeks?

Mr. Rankin. We have a draft now.

The Chairman. We have a draft for you to see.

Mr. Lane. Perhaps I should withdraw at this time.

The Chairman. All right.

Mr. Lane, thank you very much, sir.

(Whereupon, at 5:45 p.m., the President's Commission recessed.)