Mr. FAIN. I had access to anything in our files there pertaining to
this case.
Representative FORD. You had information. For example, you were
familiar with the statement in a report that, and I quote, "Subject
allegedly told the embassy he had advised unnamed Soviet officials
that as a former Marine radar operator he would make available to them
information about his Marine Corps specialty when he became a Soviet
citizen."
Mr. FAIN. Yes, sir; that was an allegation that was made over there.
As I recall that was obtained in a check at the embassy, United States
Embassy.
(At this point in the proceedings, Mr. Dulles enters the hearing room.)
Representative FORD. Did you make any inquiry as to whether or not
that was an accurate statement alleged to have been made by him to an
embassy official?
Mr. FAIN. Mr. Carter and I asked him, all about those things. Of
course, he denied it.
Representative FORD. Did he make any specific denial of that, as you
recall?
Mr. FAIN. Yes; we asked him if he had been asked about anything
concerning his specialty while in the Marine Corps and I think he said
no, that he had not.
Representative FORD. What confuses me is, one, that he denied this to
you, but then he apparently at some prior time had told the Embassy
that he had advised unnamed Soviet officials that as a former Marine
radar operator he would make available to them information about his
Marine Corps specialty when he became a Soviet citizen.
Mr. FAIN. Yes, sir; we were aware of that, that statement. He denied
it, and he also denied that he had ever denounced his United States
citizenship, and he denied to Mr. Carter and me that he had ever
applied for Soviet citizenship specifically.
Mr. STERN. Was it your practice, Mr. Fain, to review the files on a
subject before you interviewed him?
Mr. FAIN. Yes, sir.
Mr. STERN. Can you recall whether you did that in this case?
Mr. FAIN. I certainly did, yes, sir; there were so many details and
so many allegations you had to study it long hours to get the thing
further in mind.
Mr. STERN. But you think you did that before you interviewed Oswald?
Mr. FAIN. Yes, sir.
Mr. STERN. In view of the purpose of the investigation, the interest
that you had, what was your overall evaluation of Oswald as a result of
this interview?
Mr. FAIN. Well, that was--of course, that would be calling for my
opinion, and we are interested only in getting facts on this case,
facts, and all I could say is that he seemed tense.
Mr. DULLES. He seemed tense?
Mr. FAIN. Tense, yes, sir; and drawn up. I don't know whether he was
just scared or what his situation was, but he was--he exhibited an
arrogant attitude, arrogant, cold, and inclined to be just a little
insolent.
Mr. STERN. When he did tell you something would you tend to believe
that he was telling you the truth or not? Did you form an impression of
his veracity?
Mr. FAIN. Well the information we had was that he had applied to
renounce his citizenship, and he had applied for Soviet citizenship,
and yet he denied that. It was just a flat denial and I had no way of
knowing whether he was telling the truth or not. It is a thing that you
cannot always tell. We got answers from him as set out here. He would
give you some kind of answer.
Mr. STERN. Who was your immediate superior on a case like this, not his
name, but describe his function.
Mr. FAIN. He was on the desk in Dallas, and all of these
investigations, all of my work, went across his desk. He would make the
assignments also.
Mr. STERN. Tell the Commission what you mean by "the desk," please.
Mr. FAIN. The supervisory desk in the Dallas office that handled
security-type matters, and this report would go across his desk, and
the assignments that would come to me would be made by him.
Mr. STERN. Did you discuss the Oswald case with your desk supervisor at
this time, upon the completion of this interview?
Mr. FAIN. I don't recall specifically talking to him at this time. If I
had been over there in the next few days I imagine I would have talked
to him or did talk to him. You see, I was in Fort Worth.
Mr. STERN. Yes.
Mr. FAIN. And normally I would dictate my reports, and they would go by
mail to Dallas and, of course, we were in telephonic contact, any time
anything came up of any problem nature.
Mr. STERN. Would you have discussed the case with your supervisor if
you thought that there was a particular and immediate problem?
Mr. FAIN. Oh, certainly; yes, sir.
Mr. STERN. Did you think that there was a particular and immediate
problem following your interview?
Mr. FAIN. Well, I didn't feel satisfied because of his answers there as
to why he went to Russia. He was evasive, and that was the reason I set
out a lead to have him reinterviewed.
Mr. STERN. What do you mean by that, Mr. Fain?
Mr. FAIN. To talk to him again. You see, at this time he had just come
to town and he was out there at his brother's place. He had a wife
and a little 4-month-old baby that he had brought from Russia, and
he didn't have any established place to live, and I can see how the
newspapers may have harrassed him, and it might have been, very likely
was, that he didn't want to show himself out of the house, but I felt
under the circumstances he ought to be talked to again, he ought to be
interviewed in detail about these same things and, consequently, I did
set out a lead.
Mr. STERN. What does that mean in terms of your procedures?
Mr. FAIN. In my report I just suggested that he be reinterviewed.
Mr. STERN. Is that in this report?
Mr. FAIN. That might have been my transmittal--no, it doesn't show
here. It is probably on the transmittal to the chief of the Dallas
office.