Warren Commission (15 of 26): Hearings Vol. XV (of 15) — John Shaqi
Warren Commission (15 of 26): Hearings Vol. XV (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (15 of 26): Hearings Vol. XV (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Yes; some vitamin deal down there. He mailed us a
sample that somebody was making something down there but I couldn’t see
it. He mailed me a sample of that, too, I believe. Somebody was making
a vitamin pill down there that Jack got ahold of and he became the
distributor.
Mr. GRIFFIN. He wanted you to sell them. You started out to tell us
about the twistboard.
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Yes.
Mr. GRIFFIN. And how Jack contacted you on the twistboard. Tell us what
happened.
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. He wanted me to call on the department stores on the
road. He says that is where they sell best. I would make about $3 a
dozen which is a good deal, because if they start selling the reorders
would come in automatically, the missionary work is hard, when you are
making $3 a dozen on an item that sells for $1.69 that is a pretty good
profit.
Mr. GRIFFIN. So you thought Jack’s idea as far as pricing was
concerned, he was talking about selling them for $1.69?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Retail, I think so.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Retail for somewhere less than $2?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Yes.
Mr. GRIFFIN. And you would have made?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Three dollars a dozen.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Three dollars a dozen, which would have been how much on
each item?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. A quarter on each item.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Is that the normal?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Yes; for a salesman, yes; that is about right.
Especially for an item like that, I don’t think it costs very much to
make, to be honest with you. Two pieces of board, and some kind of a
gimmick in the center in between.
Mr. GRIFFIN. All right. What was your response to that one?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. I hadn’t had a chance to take it out. It was shortly
before the incident.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did he send you anything else in connection with it
besides the board?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Literature. I think I got some literature if I can find
it. I have got the board home, that I can show you, with the original
wrapper.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Did he ask you to advertise in any newspapers or anything
for him?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. No; I don’t remember that.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Was it your intention to try to sell these and promote
them?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. I didn’t ask him for the board. He just mailed it to me
with all the literature after he spoke to me about it.
Mr. GRIFFIN. How many times did he speak to you about it?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. I don’t remember, several times, I would say.
Mr. GRIFFIN. Was he going to have a company name or anything that he
was going to use?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Yes.
Mr. GRIFFIN. What was it called?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Spartan; you see his nickname is “Sparky.” He was going
to call it Spartan Manufacturing and Promotional.
Mr. GRIFFIN. How did he get the nickname “Sparky”?
Mr. RUBENSTEIN. Fast, aggressive, quick thinker, always on the ball,
you know, I imagine that is where he got the name.
Mr. GRIFFIN. You don’t really know of your own knowledge?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account