The proceeding was reconvened at 2 p.m.
Mr. JENNER. As I recall, yesterday you testified your recollection was
that early in your acquaintance with the Oswalds, you approached Sam
Ballen to see if he could undertake or might be able to employ Oswald.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. To refresh your recollection in that regard, Mr. Ballen
says his recollection is that he first met Lee in December 1962 or
January 1963 at your home.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. It could be.
Mr. JENNER. And he was aware that you had approached Mr. Ballen's wife
and other people to assist the Oswalds, and also to have them out
socially.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. You did do that, did you?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes, I don't remember whether I asked the Ballens
to invite them, but I did ask some other people to invite them, because
they were so lonesome. And maybe fortunately for them, they refused.
I remember I asked a physicist to invite them in Dallas, and they just
refused. He said, "I don't know those people. I don't want to have
anything to do with them."
Mr. JENNER. His recollection is about 10 days after he met them at your
home, you called him and asked if he might be able to employ him, or
might be helpful in his obtaining a job.
Does that stimulate your recollection that the events you mentioned
yesterday occurred probably in December 1962 or January 1963--that is,
the event regarding your effort to induce Mr. Ballen?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes--it should be probably at that time,
because--I had the impression that it was earlier than that--when he
was moving from Fort Worth to Dallas, at the very beginning. I still
have the impression. Because that is where I was interested, to help
them, you see.
I did not know that he lost his job with the other company. I didn't
know that.
All this is later, after we had already gone.
So I have the impression that maybe he confused the time. It seems
to me that I asked him at the very beginning when I met the Oswalds,
when he lost his first job in Fort Worth and was trying to move to
Dallas--that was the time.
Mr. JENNER. He lost his job at Leslie Welding Co.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes. I don't know the name of that company, but
it was some welding outfit.
Mr. JENNER. Sheetmetal work.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes, that is right.
Mr. JENNER. Do you recall the period when Marina stayed at the Fords,
in November?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. When she stayed at the Fords?
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. That was the time when we took Marina and the
child away from Lee and put her in the house of Mellers, and then the
Mellers asked Mrs. Ford to take her. I think that was the time.
And then, later on, the Fords asked Mrs. Ray to take Marina. She moved
from one place to another--three times, as far as I remember, she
changed domiciles.
And finally returned to Lee.
Mr. JENNER. You remember this event you related yesterday, when you
took Marina from the home?
Mr. DE MOHRENSCHILDT. Yes.