Mr. PAINE. So we did not talk about it until later, then she took the
letter back and put it in an envelope or something, she didn't want me
to see it. She was sort of irked that I didn't.
Mr. LIEBELER. Look at it when she wanted you to look at it?
Mr. PAINE. Pay more attention to this thing, yes. But she didn't want
me to see it again. "If you didn't see anything in it never mind
looking at it."
Mr. LIEBELER. Did she tell you about any discussions she had with
Marina Oswald about Oswald's having been in Mexico?
Mr. PAINE. I was under the impression that Ruth didn't know he had been
in Mexico until after the assassination and, therefore, and I think
Ruth later said, was dismayed also that Marina had been apparently, had
apparently known and deceived her in this matter.
Mr. LIEBELER. Well, did Ruth mention the fact that Marina had a little
charm made out of Mexican peso.
Mr. PAINE. Yes; but we didn't put that two and two together there until
the FBI came and we looked on our drill press to see if they had used
the tools in the shop to mount the sights on the gun and we found these
little metal filings and then Ruth remembered that he had drilled out
a coin to give to Marina and she never--I can't remember whether she
realized then that it was a peso or Ruth hadn't thought that much about
it until afterward.
Mr. LIEBELER. And you didn't discuss that subject prior to the
assassination, with your wife?
Mr. PAINE. I didn't know about this whole thing, this medallion.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did your wife mention the fact that Marina Oswald had a
record of Mexican music?
Mr. PAINE. No; I didn't know that until now. I don't recall it.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did your wife tell you anything about the nature of her
relationship with Marina Oswald during this period from the first of
October up to the assassination?
Mr. PAINE. It all seemed perfectly reasonable to me. When Ruth had met
Marina back in the spring, I had seen that Marina Oswald--when I met
them in their apartment, Oswald had spoken very loudly and harshly
to Marina, and I thought to myself, isn't it amazing to see a little
fellow who insists on wearing the pants, strongly. And then later on in
discussions which followed the discussion which followed, that evening
at the house, our house, he would not let her have a contrary opinion,
and I also saw she was allergic to gibes, and he would gibe frequently.
Mr. LIEBELER. She was allergic to them?
Mr. PAINE. It seemed to me so.
Mr. LIEBELER. They affected her greatly?
Mr. PAINE. Yes. This all went on in Russian, and I don't know what he
was saying. But I could see the object about which the statement was
made, and later Ruth also told me some of the things that he had said.
But I felt that he was keeping her a vassal, and since I was more eager
to hear her opinions of Russia than his opinions of Russia, I was eager
that she should learn English, and when--Ruth told me that Marina
thought she must have to go back to the Soviet Union, and I thought out
of largesse of this country it should be possible for her to stay here
if she wanted to stay here and she quite apparently did, she struck me
as a somewhat apolitical person and yet true, just, and conscientious,
so it was agreeable to me to look forward to financing her stay until
she could make her own way here.
It added--Ruth also wanted to learn Russian, this was a cheap way for
her to learn Russian, than to pay tutoring. And, as it happened, it was
costing me less. She didn't go out shopping so much.
Mr. LIEBELER. When she was home learning Russian from Marina?
Mr. PAINE. When Marina was there to keep her company. She would go mad
with boredom, I would think. So that it--we were somewhat saddened, or
I think Ruth was, I think we shared--Ruth, of course, didn't want to
stand in the way of Marina and Lee if they were happy together, but
would have been glad to see Marina break away and make her own way. And
she was a nice companion for Ruth.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you have any impression of how Marina and Ruth got
along together, what they did with their time during the day, that sort
of thing?
(Discussion off the record.)
Mr. LIEBELER. Mr. Paine, you mentioned before these curtain rods that
were in your garage. Can you tell us approximately how many curtain
rods there were in the garage when you last saw them and tell us when
you last saw them?
Mr. PAINE. I saw them quite recently, 2 weeks ago.
Mr. LIEBELER. How many curtain rods were there then?
Mr. PAINE. There might be as many as four.
Mr. LIEBELER. Were there ever any more than that?
Mr. PAINE. I don't believe so. These were normally up on the shelf
above the bench, and for some reason, they recently, I had to take them
down, or something like that.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you remember seeing them shortly before November 22 at
any time?
Mr. PAINE. They never particularly impressed themselves on my
recollection.
Mr. LIEBELER. Those are all the questions I have.