Mr. JENNER. I think it might be well, Mr. De Mohrenschildt--I am trying
to make this informal. I want you to relax.
May I say, because of the considerations about which you are concerned,
I will tend to inquire into these things.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. I am very glad that you do, because you know what
I mean--it is probably being in a controversial business like I am,
international business----
Mr. JENNER. Also, I gather that you are a pretty lively character.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Maybe so. I hope so. All sorts of speculation
have arisen from time to time. And I don't mind, frankly, because
when you don't have anything to hide, you see, you are not afraid of
anything. I am very outspoken.
Mr. JENNER. I understand that you are, from witnesses I have
interviewed, and from these mountains of reports.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes; I can imagine. By the way, those
reports--again, you see this inquiry is probably going to hurt my
business. I hope they are conducted somehow delicately.
Mr. JENNER. Now, I was asking you to tell me about your father.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Up to the time of his death, from what you understand to be
the circumstances of death.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes; well, my father, then, therefore, was an
important official of the Czarist government. But he was a liberal--he
had very liberal ideas. He, for instance, was----
Mr. JENNER. Now, liberal, to me, over in that country would mean
nothing. You tell us what you mean by that.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Liberal means disliked anti-Semitism, the
persecution of Jews.
Mr. JENNER. He was opposed to that?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Opposed to that. Disliked the oppression, some
elements of oppression of the Czarist government.
Mr. JENNER. He was opposed to that?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Opposed to that. And preached constitutional
government. During the war he was a member--being an official--member
of the group which mobilized the Army, and all that.
Mr. JENNER. He mobilized the Czarist army?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. You are talking now about World War I?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. World War I. It is such a long time ago.
Mr. JENNER. I have to get these things on record, so that somebody who
is reading this, Mr. De Mohrenschildt, a hundred years from now--I
should tell you that your testimony will be reproduced in full just as
you give it, with all my questions put to you just as I put them. And
it will be printed as part of the report.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. I can imagine what a volume it will be for the
future Ph. D.'s to study. This is vague in my memory. I am saying what
I vaguely remember, because, at that time, I was 5 years old. But I
vaguely remember those days, the objections of my father against the
Czarist government to a degree, although he was an official. He was an
independent character, too. Finally he resigned his marshal of nobility
position, and became a director of Nobel interests, of which his older
brother was a president or chairman of the board--I don't know, I don't
remember any more, in Baku, Russia. So we spent a little time there--in
the oil fields. And then, of course, the revolution came.
Mr. JENNER. And that came when?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Beg pardon?
Mr. JENNER. When?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. 1918, I guess. Then the revolution came. We were
returned to Minsk.
Mr. JENNER. In 1918 where were you?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. In 1918 probably in St. Petersburg, or Moscow,
one or the other--in both towns at some times. Because the headquarters
of that Nobel enterprises were in Petersburg or Moscow. But I am not so
sure about that. Anyway, we lived there for awhile.
Mr. JENNER. You do have a personal recollection of having lived in St.
Petersburg and Moscow?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes, very vague. I never expected you to ask me
such questions. I really have to delve into my memory. It is not very
difficult, because, you know, I like to write things. So I did write a
story of my childhood, and it is called "Child of the Revolution," a
memory of the child of the revolution. It was poorly written. I showed
it to one of the editors, Scribners, I remember, and they wanted me to
change it, and I abandoned the whole thing. Well, so I do have a little
bit more recollection than I am supposed to have just by living so many
years, because I did write it down.
Mr. JENNER. Yes. You wrote it when you came over to this country.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. And you refreshed your recollection at that time?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. That is right.
Mr. JENNER. Discussions with your brother, I suppose?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. That is right.
Mr. JENNER. Now, you have mentioned Minsk.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. That was the province where my father was
governor--not governor, but marshal of nobility of.
Mr. JENNER. What province is that?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Province of Minsk. Surprisingly, that is where
Lee Oswald lived. This is one of the reasons I was curious about his
experiences, because I remember it very well. I remember that town very
well.
Mr. JENNER. What age were you when you left Minsk?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. So from Leningrad, during the occupation by the
Germans of Minsk, you see, we escaped from the Communists in Leningrad,
and moved to Minsk back again, because it was German occupied.
Mr. JENNER. This was in World War I?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes, in World War I. That was in 1918 or 1919. I
don't remember exactly what year it was. That area was still occupied
by the Germans. Anyway, there was famine in Moscow, or Leningrad, I
don't remember which one---there was famine there. So we escaped.
Mr. JENNER. Did your whole family escape to Minsk?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. I don't remember what my brother was doing at the
time. I think--I think just my father, mother, and myself. I think my
brother was in the Naval Academy at the time.
Mr. JENNER. I want to ask you about your brother in due course.
He is about 12 years older than you?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes--11.
Mr. JENNER. A man of some scholarly attainment, by the way.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. He certainly is. He loves books.