Mr. PIC. I did not have this impression. She related this to me, sir. I
didn't feel she had it any tougher than a lot of people walking around.
Mr. JENNER. That is what I am getting at, this was an impression she
was seeking to create.
Mr. PIC. That is right, sir.
Mr. JENNER. You felt she did not have it any tougher. She was creating
an impression that did not square with the facts?
Mr. PIC. Yes, sir. Every time she met anyone she would remind them she
was a widow with three children.
Mr. JENNER. Do you have an opinion also as to whether this atmosphere
in which Lee lived had an effect upon him and his personality?
Mr. PIC. I am sure it did, sir. Also, Lee slept with my mother until I
joined the service in 1950. This would make him approximately 10, well,
almost 11 years old.
Mr. JENNER. When you say slept with, you mean in the same bed?
Mr. PIC. In the same bed, sir.
Mr. JENNER. As far as you know or say when Lee came and stayed with you
a short while in 1952 did he likewise sleep with your mother?
Mr. PIC. No, sir; he did not.
Mr. JENNER. He had reached a measure of independence by that time?
Mr. PIC. Well, sir; when I left and went into the service there was a
vacant bed in the house.
Mr. JENNER. And at that time was that literally the first time that Lee
had separate quarters for himself other than the period of time that
Mr. Ekdahl lived with you and the period of time when your stepfather
Lee Oswald was alive?
Mr. PIC. Lee wasn't born when Lee Oswald was alive, sir.
Mr. JENNER. That is right. Well, then, except for the time Mr. Ekdahl
lived with you?
Mr. PIC. That is true, sir. That would make him about 10-1/2 years old.
Mr. JENNER. Up to the time he was 10-1/2 years old, why he roomed and
slept with his mother in the same bed?
Mr. PIC. I would like to interject here.
Mr. JENNER. Yes, I am seeking something of the personality of your
mother and the effect on you, had an effect on Robert, and probably a
more material effect on Lee, is that correct?
Mr. PIC. Yes; I am sure it did. When I reached 17, I was eligible for
the service, but I was really in no hurry, I wanted to finish my high
school education, and when I decided to join the Coast Guard--at that
time to join the Coast Guard you needed your parent's consent up until
the age of 21. I asked her for it and she hesitated and I told her if
she didn't give it to me I would join another branch where I didn't
need it and then I got it. I am sure that neither Robert nor Lee needed
their mother's consent to join the Marine Corps at the age of 17. I
know for the Coast Guard we did, sir, the Coast Guard was not a part of
the Department of Defense at that time.
Mr. JENNER. Directing your attention to Exhibits Nos. 21 and 21-A, the
second page of that letter, Exhibit No. 21, reads, "Robert left Friday
morning for San Diego. He joined the Marines and signed for 4 years.
I am glad he decided to enlist. He realized his mistake about getting
married, and"--would you read the rest of it?