v9.1 AGENCY : RECORD NUMBER : RECORD SERIES : AGENCY FILE NUMBER : TITLE: DATE: PAGES: SUBJECTS : DOCUMENT TYPE : CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : DATE OF LAST REVIEW : OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : NW 55923 Doold:32248510 JFK Assassination System Date: Identification Form Agency Information HSCA 180-10080-10068 NUMBERED FILES 008579 HSCA NICHOLS, ALICE 05/03/1978 9 MC WILLIE, LEWIS NICHOLS, ALICE; INTERVIEW RUBY, JACK; BACKGROUND; ASSOCIATES AND RELATIVES PAUL, RALPH PATRICK, LENNY SUMMARY Unclassified Open in Full Redact 11/19/1993 Box 156. Page i 9/21/201 Document Information ORIGINATOR : FROM: TO:
2 A INVESTIGATION INTERVIEW SCHEDULE Identifying Information: Name ALICE NICHOLS Address $70] FREDOMDO City/State DALLAS 2~/-/S- JFK Act 6 Date of Birth _ Social Securit Physical Description: . ae) Height 3-6 Weight /¢S~ TEXAS (3) Ethnic Group geri cad > Personal History: WW 55923 Doold:322468510 a. Present Employment: SOUTHLAND Address SOUTHLAND CENTER Telephone 21M | 2~SE- 100) _ b. Criminal Record 1. Arrests 2. Convictions __Additional..Personal. Information: a. Relative(s): Name Address b. Area frequented: c. Remarks: Spouse KENNEDY Date os a 18 89° PM derepnone 214/301-3687 Mors DIJOREED Dee Children PA4VUGATER Color Eyes Hair Special Characteristics © LIFE INSURANCE Co, Investigator \Raprey A. Mak aew’ Date Page 2 _so- a 9885 76 Form #4-B i
| 4 ! 1 i KENNEDY SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS Name Alice Nichols Date 5-3-78 Time 8:30 p.m. Address 8707 Redondo Place Residence Dallas, Texas 214/321-3687 Interview: Staff Investigators Joseph J. Basteri and Albert Maxwell conducted this interview at the home of Ms. Alice Nichols. She has been residing at this address since 1943. She had been married but was divorced back in 1947. Her former husband, George, died in 1961. Ms. Nichols has been employed for the past thirty years as a legal secretary for the Southland Life Insurance Com- pany. She has one child, a daughter from her previous marriage to George. The first time Ms. Nichols saw Jack Ruby was back in 1948 while shopping for her mother. She noticed him looking at her. Ms. Nichols did not see him again until several months later while having lunch at the B&B Restaurant. Ruby came over to her, introduced himself, and after learning she was not married ob- tained her phone number. Ruby called her several times and their first date was in September of 1949. He had informed her that he recently came from Chicago to help his sister run a nightclub ‘that she owned on Ervay Street called the Silver Spur. Ms. Nichols believes that Ruby had taken over the club as his sister, Eva, was not doting topgwell. ‘sil Interviewer Signature k [fale Mesteri and Al Maxwell Typed Signature Joe Date transcribed Rife 5-17-78 By? Form #4_p NW 55923 Docld:32248510 Page 3
Alice Nichols Interview Page 2. began doing very well so Ruby then purchased the Bob Willis Ranch House. She does not know from whom Ruby bought this club. Ms. Nichols does know that Ruby had no partners in this business venture although he had a man named Hy Farber who was working for him. The Ranch House was not doing too well and Ruby began concentrating his efforts on this club and neglect- ing the Silver Spur, resulting in both clubs doing poorly. The business at the Ranch House was so bad that Hy Farber just took it over as Ruby could not meet his obligations. Ms. Nichols then recalls that someone else took over the Silver Spur, leaving Ruby without any clubs. Ms. Nichols remarked that it was quite apparent that Ruby had no funds as he even sold his auto. She puts this period around 1952. Ruby appeared extremely worried. He looked around for something to do when he decided to return to Chicago. He was gone from two to six months and when he returned Ruby still appeared to be low on funds. Ms. Nichols made this observation because Ruby still had no car and would take her to clubs owned by his friend and in this way he would receive no check. He then went to work for a man named Marty Gimble who had taken over the Silver Spur. Eventually Ruby again took over the Silver Spur. About a year after returning from Chicago he purchased the Vegas Club from Abe Weinstein. Ms. Nichols did not know how much Ruby paid for the club. The Vegas Club began doing very well after Ruby featured Ed Burnett's jazz combo and Latin music. There were no female entertainers at this place. Ms. Nichols had no knowledge from whom Ruby had HW 55923 Doold:32248510 Page 4
Alice Nichols Interview Page 3. obtained the. funds to purchase this business from Abe Weinstein. Ms. Nichols could not determine how close Ruby and Weinstein were but she estimated that they were only acquaintances. The Vegas Club was located on Lemmon and Oak Lawn. Ms. Nichols stated that she did know a Joe Bonds but was never too close to him as she only knew him for a few years. She would only see him when Ruby would take her to Joe Bonds.’ place which was called the Sky Club. They would visit it about once every six weeks. It was located across the street from Pappy Dawson's place on Fort Worth Avenue. The Sky Club was a very popular place, featuring dance music and catering mostly to a younger crowd. Ms. Nichols' description of the Club was that it was quiet and conservative. She knew very little about Joe Bonds as she only knew him for a few years. She did not know how long Ruby and Bonds knew one another. Another club Ruby owned during that time was the Hernando's Hideaway. It was a small club with less than fifty tables and featured music from a juke box. Ruby had owned this club for less than a year. This place never did very well. She had only visited the Hernando's Hideaway once or twice. Ms. Nichols said she knew very little about Eva Grant or any of other members of Ruby's family. She thought Eva came to Dallas from Chicago to open a club. She is not familiar with any of Eva's business ventures. Ms. Nichols recalls that Earl Ruby was in business in Chicago and saw Ear] and Sam Ruby while NW 55923 Docld:32248510 Page 5
Alice Nichols Interview Page 4, they were in Dallas. Ruby appeared very fond of Earl as well as every member of his family. She does not remember Ruby tel- ling her that Earl had loaned him any money. Ms. Nichols fur- ther stated that Ruby had never asked her for any loans nor had she ever suggested loaning him any money. In the Spring of 1959, she and Ruby mutually agreed that they should cease dating one another. Ruby's reason was that he was not making any money and owed money to Ralph Paul and the Internal Revenue Service. Ms. Nichols' reason was that she was not too anxious to marry anyone connected with nightclubs. She next heard from Ruby when he had opened the Sovereign Club and she accepted his invitation to the opening night. That was the only time she visited this club. He later transformed it into a strip joint and called it the Carousel Club. During the period she was dating Ruby, he had done very little traveling. On occasions he would go to Chicago to visit his family and stay a week or two. Ms. Nichols never tra- veled with him. In September of 1959 Ruby called her and in- formed her that he was going alone to Cuba on vacation. He was away either one week or two. He did not ask her to go along. While in Cuba, Ms. Nichols received a postcard from him dated September 8, 1959. The postcard shows a photo of the Nacional Hotel in Havana, Cuba and in the card Ruby indicates that he is staying at this hotel with McWillie. Ms. Nichols saw him a week after he returned from Cuba and was told that McWillie was work- i NW S5923 Dooid: 32248510 Page 6
Alice Nichols Interview Page 5. ing at the Tropicana Hotel. He never explained to her as to the type of work McWillie performed at the hotel. Ms. Nichols did acknowledge knowing McWillie, having first met him in Abe Weinstein's Colony Club. She denied knowing what he did for a living and she never inquired as to his occupation. Ms. Nichols had never seen Ruby gambling and as far as she knew he never did gamble. They would visit the Artist Club which was owned by a man she only knew as Harris. They would have a drink or two and at no time did she ever witness anyone gambling at this club. She did not know how close an association Ruby had with Harris. When asked if gamblers frequented the . Vegas Club, she replied that she had never seen gamblers there. She did know a Tony Zoppi by seeing him frequently at different ! clubs. She knew him as a reporter and did read his column in : the Dallas Times Herald. | As to Ruby's relationship with the Dallas Police Depart- : ment, Ms. Nichols reported that he appeared to know many Dallas Police officers and would always greet them in the street. Ruby never mentioned that he had to or gave police officers any money or information. The following is a list of different residences that Ruby had resided in during the period that she knew him: 1. YMCA 2. Cotton Bowl Hotel - located on Haskell Street 3. Rear of Silver Spur 4. An apartment on Hawthorne Street NW 35923 Docld:32246510 Page 7
Alice Nichols Interview Page 6. 5. An apartment complex on Homer Street off Fitz Hugh 6. An apartment on North Central Expressway The reason Ms. Nichols gave for Ruby moving so frequently was that whenever he made money he would move to a better loca- tion. She does not recall Ruby living on Turtle Creek. One of the last contacts Ms. Nichols had with Ruby was on Thursday, November 22, 1963 after President Kennedy was killed. Ruby had called but she was out to lunch. When she returned from lunch she returned Ruby's call. He had called her about the President's death and he sounded shocked and despondent. The conversation was what was generally spoken by all people in regard to the President's death. He was not crying on the phone. She had never seen him cry. That night Ruby called her on the phone to express his grief and to inform her that he was going to the synagogue. That was the last time they spoke to one another. Ms. Nichols described Ruby as having a quick temper but not being too emotional. Ruby would "fly off the handle" and then would cet over it quickly. She did not think he was very politically mindedand did not know if he was a Republican or a Democrat. Ms. Nichols remarked that Ruby frequently did not even vote during an election year. Ms.Nichols never had the impression that Ruby was associated with any criminal element. She further classified him as a gentleman who always treated her as a lady. Ms. Nichols stated that she was shocked to read accounts of Ruby being connected with criminals. NW 55923 Docld: 32246510 Page &
Ciates by the course MW 35925 Doold:32246510 Page 9 Ms. Alice Nichols Interview Page 7. Nichols was then asked about the following asso- of Ruby and whether she knew them: 1. 10. ll. 12. 13. 14. 15. Ms. FBI R. D. Matthews - No, but name sounded familiar Irving Weiner - No Lewis McWillie - Met him a few times Leonard Meyers - No Lenny Patrick - No John Henry Dolan - No Barney Baker - No Harry Hall - No Alex Gruber - No James R. Todd - No Thomas McKenner - No George Senator - No, saw name in papers Ralph Paul - Knew him for several years Joe Campisi - Never met him but ate in the Egyptian Room a number of times Sam Campisi - Met Sam and wife in a nightclub Nichols stated that in 1963 she had been questioned and later by the Warren Commission. The following are additional facts gathered during the of interviewing Alice Nichols: 1. 2. She believes Jack Ruby never kept a diary. Ms. Nichols never saw LHO nor did his name ever come up in conversation with Ruby.
Alice Nichols Interview Page 8. 3. Ms. Nichols was of the opinion that Ruby always | carried a gun but she only saw it a few times. She surmised that he mostly carried his gun for protec- tion of the money he carried as the gun was always in the money bag. 4. He never complained to her of ill health. 5. Ms. Nichols never knew for certain if any of Ruby's clubs were ever closed for violations. 6. She never heard of any defense fund for Ruby's trial nor did she ever contribute any funds for his defense. 7. Ruby never wrote to her from jail. 8. The last time she saw or heard from McWillie was in 1958. 9. Ms. Nichols never recalls Jack Ruby ever being in New Orleans nor did he ever tell her he had ever been there. 10. Earl Ruby, during the trial, had called Ms. Nichols and said he would stop by to speak to her.. He never did keep the appointment. ll. Ms. Nichols heard the news of Ruby shooting Oswald from a co-worker who called and informed her what had happened. Ms. Nichols did not have the radio or T.V. on. Hw i wa224 Page 10 ne ae