By Jeff Meek
January 14, 2020
Former Dallas police officer W.E. “Rusty” Robbins had a ringside seat for aspects of the Nov. 22, 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, which he shared with me during a Dec. 4 interview at his Texas home.
Robbins was born and raised in the Dallas area. In 1953, the U.S. was at war with Korea and Robbins was looking for a way around the draft, so he joined the Air National Guard/Air Police unit. During that time he got to know several Dallas Police Department officers.
“That’s when I decided I wanted to become a police officer,” Robbins said. So on Dec. 26, 1956, be began what became a distinguished 30 years with the department.
Interestingly, before his official training began, he was told the rookie class had already started, how about doing some undercover work? He did, with no badge, no training, no gun, no partner, nothing until he was able to borrow a badge from another officer so he would have something to show when making an arrest.
In rookie school he learned a lot about law, city ordinances, how to take down an offender and self-defense. He worked the north Dallas area with a training partner in the Royal Lane area with cotton fields all around. Eventually he officially became a patrolman in 1957.
“Every day was different than the day before. I think that holds true even today,” said Robbins.
Jumping ahead to November 1963, when he and other officers attended a briefing on President Kennedy’s trip, he was assigned to crowd control for the 1800 block of Main Street which was the street that led into Dealey Plaza where the assassination took place.
As the motorcade approached, Robbins kept his eye on the crowd, but admitted he did glance at the President as his limo passed by. “I saw everything. I was right there on the curb,” said Robbins.
After the motorcade passed, the crowd quickly dispersed and Robbins went back to headquarters. He was changing into his civilian clothes when someone said Kennedy had been shot. He thought it was a joke, but within another minute or 2 he knew it wasn’t.
He put his uniform back on and was told to go to the nearby Sheraton Hotel, to a particular room where the White House Communications team was set up, and assist them as needed. Obtaining a patrol car, Robbins went to the room and a man (to this day he does not know his name) said he needed to get to Love Field to board Air Force One. Minutes later the man came out with communications equipment and off they went with lights and siren. As they entered the airport grounds they could see that the President’s jet was taxiing for takeoff. They were too late. The man told Robbins to drop him at the airport’s front door and he’d catch a commercial flight. Back at headquarters Robbins again changed into his civilian clothes. His Nov. 22 duties were over.
Robbins backtracked a bit to say while at headquarters he also learned that Officer J.D. Tippit had been shot. He knew Tippit and said he was a really good guy.
Two days later, on Nov. 24, nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald in the Dallas P.D. basement. Robbins was at home getting ready to report in. He stopped to watch the transfer of Oswald and saw the shooting. “I told my wife, that’s Jack Ruby,” Robbins said. He knew Ruby from working the area of downtown Dallas where Ruby’s Carousel Club was located. “I had talked to Jack many, many times as well as other bar operators,” he told me. Asked if he ever saw other D.P.D. persons in the club, Robbins said, “never.”
On one occasion Robbins was in the club’s kitchen fixing a pizza and was offered non-alcoholic champagne by Ruby. “So we had a little drink back in the kitchen.”
Back to the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald: he reported in and was told to get a car and go to Parkland Hospital’s morgue. His assignment was to guard the door that led to the room where Oswald’s body was to be autopsied. “I was told not to let anybody through that door. I don’t care if it’s a doctor or the FBI, don’t let them through.”
In online photographs you can see Robbins and another P.D. officer with their shotguns, guarding the area. In one photo you can see a gurney. Under that white sheet lay Oswald’s body. A few photographers asked Robbins if he would let them in the autopsy room for a quick photo. Of course the answer was no.
About 2 hours later he was told to get a car and be ready to be part of an escort of Oswald’s body over to Fort Worth. He did so and explained that about halfway, Fort Worth P.D. took over the escort and D.P.D. came back to Dallas.
Later, Robbins told me he was asked if he wanted to see Oswald’s body, which he did briefly. “The sheet (covering Oswald) was pulled all the way down to his waist,” Robbins remembers. Thus ended a wild weekend for Robbins who said of the aftermath of the killings that police just went about their business.
At this point I asked him again about Jack Ruby. He then told me of a time when the 2 of them went bowling. “This is a very important point I’d like to make,” he said. After making a stop at Ruby’s apartment, they went to the bowling alley where Robbins worked part time as security for the parking lot. He described a frame in which Ruby bowled a strike. “He was so thrilled, he had finally done something,” Robbins explained. Further. he said Ruby went to the lanes to the right and left telling other bowlers what he’d done. “Nobody cared except Jack.
He was wanting recognition for bowling that strike. Later when he had the opportunity to shoot Oswald it was like bowling that strike. It was a chance to be somebody. I do not believe that there is any other reason why Jack Ruby shot him.” Robbins doesn’t believe the Mafia or anyone else told Ruby to kill Oswald. “This was just his chance to be somebody.“
What about Oswald? Was he a lone assassin? Robbins said he doesn’t know, but prefers to think Oswald did it alone.
Asked if he thought Ruby had mob connections, Robbins said Ruby worked in the area where the mob was present and invited them to his club. “But beyond that I really doubt it. He added, “Jack was a failure. Jack had several different (business) places that served beer and every one of them had gone under. There were 3 places like that downtown and his was the poorest of the 3, had the least number of customers. He was a failure.”
After 30 years with the Dallas police force Robbins worked a few other jobs including with the Department of Transportation as a parking enforcement officer and also with the Texas Lottery Commission.
