Mrs. Robert Reid a.k.a. Jeraldean Bray
Mrs Robert Reid was born as Jeraldean Bray on 24 August 1912 in Cedar Hill, Dallas. She was married to a Robert A Reid, and she died on 21 April 1973 in Oak Cliff Medical & Surgical Hospital, Dallas. She was the clerical supervisor and worked under Roy Truly. She has also been referred to as Jereldean Reid by researchers. At the time of the assassination she was 51 years old.
French researcher Leo Sauvage was puzzled by the reference to a “switchboard operator” in the Dec. 6th issue of Time Magazine (see the gallery below for the excerpt). In February 64, he asked Roy Truly about it: yes, he confirmed, that was the story told to the FBI when—on the following week—they finally began questioning everyone who works in the School Depository. But, he added, it wasn’t the switchboard operator who spoke to Oswald. It was another woman working in the same office, and yes, that office is “right next to the lunchroom.” Did either of the two women notice the noise Oswald must have made in the corridor rushing in from the sixth floor? Mr. Truly didn’t know.
Her name pops up at first in Roy Truly’s handwritten DPD affidavit from November 23rd. Reid’s name in his handwritten statement is at the bottom of the second page is quite interesting. Reid stated in her handwritten statement here and here that she encountered Lee Oswald just after the so called lunch room encounter. Truly and Reid had their statements taken by Jim Leavelle btw.
But there are a few issues that are quite contradictory to Mrs. Reid’s statement:
- Oswald wore a white t-shirt, whereas Baker stated he wore long sleeved brownish shirt. In an interview of Roy Truly by Arch Kimbrough just before he gives his W.C. testimony he says that he saw Lee Oswald wearing just a white T-shirt, of course matching Mrs. Reid’s statement, but contradicting Marrion Baker’s. But there another important factor to consider and that is that Baker saw Oswald for the first time when he was being interrogated by Will Fritz while Baker’s statement was taken by Marvin Johnson. Reid and Truly remembered what Oswald wore while working inside the building.
- Oswald had a coke (which was inserted at the top in her handwritten statement on November 24, but appears as well in the November 26 FBI affidavit.It was Oswald who mentioned to Fritz he had gotten a coke from the second floor lunchroom, but Reid’s D.P.D. affidavit is the very first mention of a coke in Oswald’s hands. She also tells the same story in her Secret Service report from December 4 1964. And also in the Secret Service report from Dec 7 1964.
- If she was so certain the shots came from the TSBD, why on earth did she go back inside as fast as she said she had? The gunman was still in the building.
Reid’s hearsay is also written down in Pauline Sanders’ FBI statement from Nov. 24th, on page 2, as she had a telephone conversation with Sanders and this hearsay is declared as gospel.
In her WC testimony
Mrs Robert Reid also stated that Oswald made his way directly out of the building, how did she know this if she was inside the office and could at best see him go down the stairs due to his direction. But she assumed he went out in that t-shirt, which then causes an issue with Mrs. Bledshoe’s WC testimony as she saw Oswald on the bus shortly after. She stated that Oswald was wearing a long sleeved brown shirt. The Warren Commission never addressed the discrepancy that he must have been longer in the building after the shooting. Oswald must have gone to wherever he had hung his shirt, collect it and put it on before leaving and also as per his own statement spoke with Bill Shelley that there was no work to be done that day.
But what is most damning, is that the office Mrs. Reid saw Oswald walk though was occupied by someone else at that time, someone who stayed behind in the office by herself, while everyone else had left to watch the motorcade. Her name was Geneva Hine. Hine destroys Reid’s testimony about a possible encounter with Oswald in the 2nd floor office. Staying behind and saying thatduring her WC testimony she saw Mrs Reid walk back in the office alongside with a group of 5/6 others after 25 minutes.
Reid was timed by David Belin himself and they came to the conclusion that it took her two minutes to get up into the office, which of course contradicts with Hine’s FBI statement. It’s also worth observing the due diligence of David Belin timing Mrs Robert Reid. If only he had done the same with Victoria Adams and Sandra Styles, who was not called up as a witness……..
Mrs. Robert Reid doesn’t come well off in this enigma, she assisted Truly in nailing Oswald. She based Oswald T-shirt appearance on his regular dress inside the TSBD not what he was wearing at that so called encounter (because it did not happen!). Baker described him wearing outer wear!