Mr. Rankin.

Do you remember who else besides Lee Harvey Oswald was in the showup?

Mr. Wade.

No; I am just telling you about the showup room. Now, they had had showups on him but I wasn't there at any of those, but this was, the purpose of this, was to let the press see Oswald, if I understand it.
And the police were yelling, "Everybody wants to see him, wants a picture of him." They started in the screened-in portion and a howl went up that you can't take a picture through that screen. Then they had a conference with, among some of them, and the next thing I knew I was just sitting there upon a little, I guess, elevated, you might say a speaker's stand, although there were
300 people in the room, you couldn't even actually get out, you know.

Mr. Rankin.

Did they ask you whether they should do this?

Mr. Wade.

I don't think I said yea or nay to the thing so far as I know, because it was--and I actually didn't know what they were doing until, the next thing I knew they said they were going to have to bring him in there.
Well, I think I did say, "You'd better get some officers in here or something for some protection on him."
I thought a little about, and I got a little worried at that stage.
So about 12 officers came in and they were standing around Oswald, and at this time I looked out in the audience and saw a man out there, later, who turned out to be Jack Ruby. He was there at that scene.

Mr. Rankin.

How did you happen to pick him out?

Mr. Wade.

Well, I don't know. He had--I had seen the fellow somewhere before, but I didn't know his name, but he had a pad, and the reason I remember him mostly----

Mr. Rankin.

You mean a scratch pad?

Mr. Wade.

He had some kind of scratch pad. The reason I mentioned him mostly, I will get into him in a minute and tell you everything about him. He was out there about 1 minute, I would say, and they took pictures and everything else and Oswald was here and the cameras were in a ring around him, and as they left----

Mr. Rankin.

Excuse me. Where was Ruby from where you told us where Oswald was?

Mr. Wade.

Well, he was, I would say, about 12 feet. I am giving a rough----

Mr. Rankin.

When. you saw him----

Mr. Wade.

We went all through this at the trial, and it varied on where Ruby was, but when I saw him he was about four rows back in the aisle seat, standing up in the seat.

Mr. Rankin.

Were there press men around him?

Mr. Wade.

All kinds of press men around him, and also press men 10 deep between him and Oswald.
Now, one of their--you mentioned the gun awhile ago---one of their defenses in the trial was if he had a gun, he had a gun there, he could have killed him if he wanted to. It is the first I heard him say that he didn't have a gun that you mentioned awhile ago. So when I got--when they got through, they started asking him questions, the press.
Senator COOPER. Wait a minute. How close were the nearest people in the audience to Oswald?

Mr. Wade.

I would say they were that far from him.
Senator COOPER. How far is that?

Mr. Wade.

Three feet.
Senator COOPER. You mean some of the reporters and photographers were within 3 feet of him?

Mr. Wade.

They were on the ground, they were on the ground, and they were standing on top of each other, and on top of tables, and I assume in that room there were 250 people. It was just a mob scene.
Senator COOPER. I believe I have seen the room. Isn't it correct that at the end where the showup is held that is an elevated platform?

Mr. Wade.

There is a platform up there where the microphone is.
Senator COOPER. Was he standing up on the platform?

Mr. Wade.

No; he was not at the platform.
Senator COOPER. Was he on the floor level?