This might be a good moment to compare what we know about the occurrences in the basement with police testimony, with a focus on the officers who laid hands on “Ruby” in the “struggle”.
Some authors, including Anthony Summers, have reported the well-known clash between Griffin and Sgt Patrick Dean and the stories of Harrison taking sedatives before his polygraph, etc., but there is rarely an analysis of the physical actions of each person.
Some of the officers were nervous and guilty-sounding when they testified before the WC.
Miller, for example (the “Bagman”, who put a bag or some other covering over the shooter’s head, with help from Harrison to adjust it). In Summers' book: 'The Kennedy Conspiracy', he says that: "Miller behaved more like a suspect than a policeman".
Testimony of Louis D. Miller
Mr. MILLER. Before we do that, what are we doing here?
Mr. GRIFFIN. We are taking your deposition.
Mr. MILLER. I’d like to understand what we are doing here first.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Well, all right. I’ll be happy to explain it to you….
….If you would like to have the written notice and would like to have a copy of the
authorizing resolution, or would like to have an attorney present during this
deposition we would be happy-
Mr. Miller No; I just want to understand what is going on.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Well, do you have any question that you want to ask me about
it? I have given you a general statement here.
Mr. MILLER. What will this deposition be used for?
Mr. MILLER. Well, there is nothing that I know that possibly a hundred other
people don’t know, so, that part don’t bother me, but I don’t understand coming
down and giving a statement, that I am supposed to stand, and swearing, and
all that part of it.
(GRIFFIN) I do have the feeling in talking to you that maybe you would like to do this under some other circumstances, and I would be happy to explore this.
Mr. MILLER. I understand that you want a statement from me.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Well, I am going to examine you.
Mr. MILLER. And I’ll be more than glad to tell anything I know about it,
but I don’t understand swearing in. This is not a court.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Not a court in the sense that anybody is on trial….
Mr. MILLER. I still don’t understand the reason of it. Are you going to use
this thing to try to prosecute me?
Mr. GRIFFIN. No.
Mr. MILLER. What are you going to use it for?
Mr. MILLER. We have no authority to prosecute anyone except for perjury
before the Commission.
(Miller constantly played the poor memory card during the questioning.)
GRIFFIN. Did there come a time when you were requested to go down into
the basement?
Mr. MILLER. Yes.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now, what is your best estimate of when that was?
Mr. MILLER. I wouldn’t have any idea.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Before you got this request, had you been down in the basement
that day?
Mr. MILLER. It is possible that I had, but I don’t recall…….
Mr. MILLER. I don’t remember what day it was. I don’t believe it was on
that Sunday.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Do you remember what you were told to do when you were
asked to make out the report?
Mr. MILLER. No; I don’t.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Who instructed you to make out the report?
Mr. MILLER. I don’t recall who that was.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Well, was it just a general announcement that was made by one
of the chiefs or did somebody in particular approach you?
Mr. MILLER. It was probably someone in particular, but I don’t recall who it
was.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did you discuss this report with anybody before you made it?
Mr. NILLRR. It is possible that I did, but I don’t recall it if I did.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Who was it on the 24th that asked you to go down into the
basement?
Mr. MILLER. The best I recall, it was kind of a general announcement. Who
came up and requested or ordered, or however you wanted to put it, all of
the men to go to the basement, I don’t know who that was. As I say, I was working the papers, typing…….
Mr. MILLER. The best I recall. the elevator was full. As far as remembering
any one particular person that was on the elevator, I couldn’t say.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did you walk out of the juvenile bureau with anybody?
Mr. MILLER. I am sure I did. but I don’t recall any particular person that I
walked out with.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Do you recall how many people you walked out with?
Mr. MILLER. I sure don’t.
Mr. GRIFFIN. When Officer McLine, Policewoman McLine, told you that you
were supposed to go to the basement, what did she say?
Mr. MILLER. I don’t recall her specific words.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did she tell you Why you were supposed to go down?
Mr. MILLER. No.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did you have any idea of why you were to go down?
Mr. MILLER. No. I can’t say that I actually did.
Mr. GRIFFIN. As you walked down to the basement, did you look into the
homicide bureau?
Mr. MILLER. I don’t recall looking in there : no, sir.
Mr. GRIFFIN. When you got down to the basement, where did you go?
Mr. MILLER. The best I recall, I was standing outside of the windows there
in the hallway.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did you receive any instructions from anybody before you went
to this particular station that you mentioned?
Mr. MILLEB. No.
Mr. GRIFFIN. How did you know to walk over there?
Mr. MILLER. I didn’t.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Why did you happen to walk there?
Mr MILLER. There was no particular reason.
Mr. GRIFFIN. About how long was this before Lee Harvey Oswald came down?
Mr. MILLER. I don’t recall how long. It would be hard to estimate it. It
could have been 10 minutes or it could have been longer.
Mr. GRIFFIN. I have got another witness out here, Mr. Ward, and I think
maybe it might be well to take a break here a second. I want to talk to this
man.
(Discussion off of the record.)
Mr. GRIFFIN. Mr. Miller and I have been talking here for a few minutes off
of the record about some of the events prior to his going down into the basement.
Now, as I understand it, Mr. Miller. shortly after you got into the office on
Sunday morning. you went some place for some coffee?
Mr. MILLER. I went to the Deluxe Diner on Commerce Street and had breakfast.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Now who did you go over there with?
Mr. MILLER. Officer Harrison.
Mr. GRIFFIN. And what time of the morning was that?
Mr. MILLER. I don’t remember
(Miller has to be prompted to inform Counsel that he and Harrison left for breakfast at a diner – and that Harrison took a call there.)
(at the moment of the shot)
Mr. MILLER. The best I remember, someone, seemed like, hit Ruby from behind
and pushed him forward, Like I said, I was trying to move that way when this
happened, so I grabbed a hold of Ruby and helped take him into the jail
office.
(Now this is not quite right: the photos and footage show Miller take up position to the left of the swinging single door in the wall (left - as viewed from the wall), with McMillon to his left (or to the right from the viewer's perspective). When Oswald and his escort breeze past them, McMillion nods to Miller and they move after the Oswald escort. After the shot, Miller hesitates, looks carefully at the scene, of Leavelle and Graves holding the shooter, and then moves forward swiftly and covers the shooter’s head with some material. He claimed that he got the shooter “by the throat” (as did Montgomery, who claimed to have “Ruby” in a throat/head lock), but both his hands are seen to move smoothly and openly over the shooter’s head to fit the covering. He also claimed, according to the FBI report, that "Ruby" was “propelled” toward him, but this is clearly not true: the shooter was stuck in the small crowd of policemen, and his feet can be seen: they barely move until the cops shuffle him over to the right to let Oswald and Leavelle pass.)
From the FBI report:
(At the same time several officers converged upon that spot and someone must
have hit RUBY, since RUBY was propelled in his (Miller’s) direction .
MILLER was also moving toward the spot of the - shooting . He
grabbed RUBY by the neck and believes some other officer had a
hold of RUBY's arm and was trying to get a pistol away from him)
Mr. GRIFFIN. How about Officer McMillon?
Mr. MILLER. I didn’t-I don’t remember seeing Officer McMillon in the basement.
(Not true: they talked before Oswald arrived, and McMillon clearly signaled to Miller to move.)
In summary, Miller was clearly nervous about having to swear an oath in a court-like-manner. He was vague and claimed memory loss about the general order for all male officers to go to the basement and the order to set up two lines down each wall. He brushes off his actions after the shot as an instinctive move to grab Ruby but omits the fact that he swoops on the shooter as soon as the latter starts to rise up. At this point Miller swiftly puts something over the shooter’s head. After this he remains in the struggle, on the side facing the jail office, and participates in helping to cover the shooter’s face and hustle him out of sight back into the office. Afterwards, he reappears and assists in the farce of the ambulance security.
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