Mr. JENNER. Was she a native born American?
Mr. MAMANTOV. Zhana, I think, probably in English would be Jane, and to
spell Zhana in English translation is Z-h-a-n-a [spelling]. This was
the way she was called in the Russian society.
Mr. JENNER. And translation of that would be Jane in English, you think?
Mr. MAMANTOV. I would say so--also of Russian.
Mr. JENNER. I was about to ask you--she was of Russian derivation?
Mr. MAMANTOV. That's correct.
Mr. JENNER. She was born in Russia?
Mr. MAMANTOV. That, I don't know--I don't know her, as well as I know
George.
Mr. JENNER. She was not an American born?
Mr. MAMANTOV. I don't think so, but I don't know for sure. I'll put it
this way. She speaks too good Russian to be an American born.
Mr. JENNER. What about De Mohrenschildt in that respect?
Mr. MAMANTOV. He speaks perfect Russian.
Mr. JENNER. Is he a native-born American?
Mr. MAMANTOV. No, sir; I don't think so, because he was educated in
Leige, Belgium--well, he finished here--I know for sure if we meet
again, I can bring you more details from our geological directories,
all this information, and if I remember right, shortly we met him
and Zhana together and we had service in our church, which was very
small--actually was just a regular residence.
Mr. JENNER. You told us earlier in the course of our visiting that you
participated in an effort to organize a church here in Dallas?
Mr. MAMANTOV. In Dallas.
Mr. JENNER. In which you anticipated people of Russian derivation would
be interested?
Mr. MAMANTOV. That's correct.
Mr. JENNER. And did that church have a name?
Mr. MAMANTOV. Saint Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church.
Mr. JENNER. Eastern Orthodox Church?
Mr. MAMANTOV. That's correct, and there I saw him and her, I'm
talking about Zhana, very improperly dressed for a church service. If
I remember right, either both of them or she came in shorts toward
the end of the service, which shocked all my family. I mean--just to
describe a man this way----
Mr. JENNER. You mean this is part of his personality?
Mr. MAMANTOV. Right; and every place we met him he was talking to
ladies elder than he, in a way normally a well brought up person
wouldn't do it.
Mr. JENNER. Well, what I am trying to have you do is tell us of your
acquaintance with George De Mohrenschildt, and avoiding speculation to
the extent you can--and the part he played in your life. I am getting
at the Russian emigre group here in Dallas.
Mr. MAMANTOV. Right.
Mr. JENNER. Excuse me, had you known him prior to the time you met him,
as you have described?
Mr. MAMANTOV. No--no, no; I haven't.
Mr. JENNER. Or known of him?
Mr. MAMANTOV. No; the first time I met him through Mr. Bouhe, and this
was a first acquaintance and just like I said, the only places--it was
in somebody's house and parties, we usually wouldn't stay too long
because of him. We just have some reason--we had a tendency to avoid
this person as much as possible.
Mr. JENNER. You acquired a normal or natural aversion to or dislike of
George De Mohrenschildt?
Mr. MAMANTOV. That's correct.
Mr. JENNER. From what he did and what you thought he represented?
Mr. MAMANTOV. That's correct, because being of the same nationality, I
thought he was hurting all of our emigre here in Dallas.
Mr. JENNER. Do you know whether Marina or Lee Oswald knew the De
Mohrenschildts?
Mr. MAMANTOV. I know that Marina related the conversations to my
mother-in-law as "our best friends in Dallas," referring to both of the
De Mohrenschildts.
Mr. JENNER. You are now stating that your mother-in-law told you that
Marina said to her, "These were their best friends in Dallas"?
Mr. MAMANTOV. That's correct.
Mr. JENNER. We both appreciate that that is pure hearsay, but that
remark was made to you?
Mr. MAMANTOV. I mean, it was made in a family--after my conversation
between my mother-in-law and Marina.