Mr. Eberhardt.

How terrible it was for it to happen in the city, and then he left.

Mr. Griffin.

Did he seem--how would you describe his state of emotion over the President's death?

Mr. Eberhardt.

Well, he said that he he called me by my middle name he said, "It is hard to realize that a complete nothing, a zero like that, could kill a man like President Kennedy was." He said that, "It is hard to understand how a complete nothing," that is what he referred to him as, "a complete nothing could have done this," and then he left, and then I didn't notice where he went.

Mr. Griffin.

Now, do you remember anything else that was said in these 5 or 10 minutes that he was in there?

Mr. Eberhardt.

No; he just asked me how I was doing, how my wife and children are, which he always did any time he seen anybody.

Mr. Griffin.

All right. Now

Mr. Eberhardt.

I was trying to recall about this lapel deal and give it a lot of thought, and I can't remember visually what he had on his lapel, but I do remember him taking his notebook and hitting his lapel, and he said, "I am here as a reporter," and he took the notebook and hit like that He had something on his coat, but I can't visualize now what it was. I did not get one of his kosher sandwiches, either.

Mr. Griffin.

You didn't. Did he show them to you?

Mr. Eberhardt.

No; I never did ask the man anything about them.

Mr. Griffin.

Is it because of his statement about the kosher sandwiches that you place the time as between 6 and 7 p.m.?

Mr. Eberhardt.

Well, I had already eaten. That is why I placed the time around there in the evening.

Mr. Griffin.

Well, could it have been as late as 10:30 or 11?

Mr. Eberhardt.

Oh, no; no. See, we get off at 11.

Mr. Griffin.

Do you know if there were Israeli newspaper or Yiddish----
-Mr. EBERHARDT. There was a bunch of them running around there talking that unknown tongue. I don't know what they were saying. There were some orientals; there was some French; there were several dialects running around there that I didn't know what they were talking about.

Mr. Griffin.

Well, you saw Jack at a later time, also, didn't you?

Mr. Eberhardt.

Yes.

Mr. Griffin.

Now, could it have been at this later time that Jack told you about the kosher sandwiches?

Mr. Eberhardt.

I didn't speak to him at the later time. That is the only time I spoke to him. I just seen him.

Mr. Griffin.

Do you know, after Ruby killed Oswald, there were a number of rumors that circulated as to how he got into the basement, and one of the rumors was that he got in by the use of a press badge? Now, one thing we are interested in here is tracing how these rumors might have gotten started. You recall your actions after the assassination is that you might have described this particular episode that you just told us about now about being an Israeli interpreter. Do you recall that you mentioned that to anybody within the 24 hours after Ruby killed Oswald?

Mr. Eberhardt.

No; I didn't. The first one I talked to about it was when the FBI agents asked me about it.

Mr. Griffin.

Well, wasn't it common for all of you people to be talking about any contact that you had with Ruby on those 2 days?

Mr. Eberhardt.

See, I wasn't there. I was gone Sunday and Monday.

Mr. Griffin.

I see. But I mean, even when you came back, wasn't there a lot of gossip, what-not, guys exchanging views?

Mr. Eberhardt.

Yes.

Mr. Griffin.

Didn't you somewhere between the time you actually saw Ruby here and the time that you were interviewed by the agents, didn't you talk to somebody in the police department about your meeting Ruby?

Mr. Eberhardt.

Yes. We talked about him being up there in the office, and being around the city hall like that and wondered how he got in the basement, and then the only other thing I did on that was write a report to the chief of police on some information given to me.