No. 3: "Between the assassination and the shooting, did anybody you know tell you they knew Oswald?"
He responded "No," and there was no significant physiological change recorded on the polygraph. There is a noticeable change in the pneumograph pattern. However, this has been interpreted again as being caused by the relatively long length of this particular question.
Question No. 5 was: "Aside from anything you said to George Senator on Sunday morning, did you ever tell anyone else that you intended to shoot Oswald?" In comparison to his overall chart, there is nothing of particular significance in his physiological responses to this question, when he responded "No" to question 5.
Question No. 8 was: "Did you shoot Oswald in order to silence him?" This again being a relevant question He responded "No." There was no significant deviation in his physiological responses to this question.
During series 3 he was asked two control-type questions in which he did respond significantly with regard' to the physiological tracings. Question No. 4 was asked: "Are you married?" Mr. Ruby responded "No." An interpretation of his polygrams reveal a rather significant rise in his relative blood pressure. He also produced a rather vivid impact on the GSR tracings, and there was noticeable staircase suppression in his pneumograph pattern. This question was later discussed with Mr. Ruby, and he said that he was thinking of a young girl by the name of Alice Nichols who he had previously considered marrying. He admitted that he felt something "working on him," with regard to this particular question. An analysis of this question would indicate that Ruby did emotionally respond to the stimulus of the question "Are you married," and his thoughts of a former sweetheart. This does not indicate that there was any deception of course, but does suggest Mr. Ruby does respond physiologically to certain emotions that he feels when he hears the questions and decides how to answer them. In a sense this is a control-type question. Also in this series, in question No. 7, Mr. was asked: "While in the service did you receive any disciplinary action?" There is a noticeable rise in his blood pressure after he responded "No." This question had been discussed rather thoroughly with him, and after the series was run, he admitted that he had been called in before his commanding officer regarding a brawl he had while in the military service. He also commented: "Evidently you are getting a good reading." This could be interpreted as a deception pattern inasmuch as in his mind he realized he had been in some trouble in the military service; however, did not want to truthfully answer the question as he considered it insignificant.
However, he did admit that he had been in some trouble with his commanding officer regarding-fighting. This is considered a Control question, and its response is greater than his response to the previous relevant question which I had related.
Mr. Specter.
Would there be any difference in psychological reactions, Mr. Herndon, on a pattern of deception which the subject considered insignificant as opposed to a pattern of deception which the subject considered significant?
Mr. Herndon.
Generally the concept of the polygraph technique is that we are attempting to find out what a man's physiological responses will be in any area where he is attempting to deceive. The content of the actual deception is not particularly important. We want to get a tracing of where he is attempting to deceive. Now under a situation such as Mr. Ruby was in here, it is more probable that he is more concerned about these relevant questions than these irrelevant or control-type questions. In other words, the relevant questions have more to do with his well-being or what he is trying to prove to the Commission. However, the chart here still shows that he attempted to deceive with regard to what considered insignificant, but it tends to indicate to me that he will respond to a practice of deception, if that answers your question.
Mr. Specter.
What I am driving at here is whether there is any gage in whether he considers it insignificant or significant in the reading. Stated differently there would be a response even though he might consider a question to be insignificant.
Mr. Herndon.
That is right. If there is an attempt on his part to practice deception, if he again, as I say, is competent and reasoning rationally. In general practice of polygraph work, generally speaking the control questions are of lesser
