Mr. REDLICH. The witness has produced before the Commission a newspaper
story which we have labeled as Commission Exhibit No. 329, the headline
of which reads, "Money Gifts to Tippit's Near $200,000 Mark."
Mr. Chairman, I request that Commission Exhibit No. 329 be admitted in
evidence.
Mr. DULLES. Any objection?
Mr. LEECH. No.
Mr. DULLES. It shall be admitted.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 329 for
identification and received in evidence.)
Mr. REDLICH. Mr. Martin, I hand you Exhibit No. 329 and ask you if it
is inaccurate in any respect.
Mr. MARTIN. The article states that Mrs. Shirley Williamson, a Fort
Worth housewife, who felt compassion for the widow, Mrs. Oswald, and
the two babies said the fund for the Russian-born widow had reached
$76,000."
The fund that Mrs. Williamson collected amounted to some $2,600. That
was her total. That is the inaccuracy there.
Mr. DULLES. Is she referring to the funds she collected or the whole
collections?
Mr. MARTIN. Her funds. This has come up numerous times. We even called
her about it one time. She had given out press releases that she had
collected personally, I think, in excess of $8,000, whereas what she
was doing was adding what she had collected to what had already been
sent to Marina, and saying that she was holding that money.
Mr. DULLES. But even that total is exaggerated, is it not?
Mr. MARTIN. At that time, yes.
Mr. DULLES. The total collections?
Mr. MARTIN. At that time, yes.
Mr. REDLICH. Mr. Martin, this article also makes reference to the fund
on behalf of the wife of Officer Tippit with which, of course, you have
no connection.
I would like to ask you, however, whether at the time you extended the
offer to Marina Oswald to live in your home you were aware of the fact
that there were funds being raised for Officer Tippit's wife.
Mr. MARTIN. I was undoubtedly aware of it but I don't recall any
conscious knowledge of it or thinking of it.
Mr. REDLICH. Do you recall whether you were aware at the time that
there were any funds coming in on behalf of Mrs. Oswald?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. You were not aware?
Mr. MARTIN. Not aware, no.
Mr. REDLICH. The witness has offered to, has presented to, the
Commission a newspaper story appearing in the Buffalo Evening News,
December 7, 1963, headline of which reads, "Oswald's Widow Reported
Hoping to be U.S. Citizen."
This story has been identified as Commission Exhibit No. 330 and I ask
that it be introduced in evidence.
Mr. DULLES. Any objection?
Mr. LEECH. None.
Mr. DULLES. Accepted.
(The newspaper article referred to was marked Commission's Exhibit No.
330 for identification and received in evidence.)
Mr. REDLICH. Mr. Martin, I show you Commission's Exhibit No. 330
and ask you if it is inaccurate in any respect to the best of your
knowledge?
Mr. MARTIN. In the second paragraph it says, "Mrs. Oswald, 23," which
is inaccurate--"Russian-born Mother of Three--"
Mr. REDLICH. Will you state the inaccuracy?
Mr. MARTIN. The age is inaccurate. She is 22, "Russian-born Mother of
Three" that is inaccurate. She is the mother of two, "burst into tears
when she learned at least $7,700 had been sent to her by sympathetic
Americans."
There was no burst of tears.
Mr. REDLICH. Will you tell the Commission what the reaction was?
Mr. MARTIN. I would say of happiness rather than--she was glad that
that was there, which is normal.
Mr. REDLICH. Do you recall anything she told you?
Mr. MARTIN. No. This was December 7. No, I have no recollection of
anything that she said?
Mr. DULLES. Didn't you testify before, maybe it is with regard to
another or similar clipping, that she had some reference to the silly
Americans who were giving this money?
Mr. MARTIN. Well, it was a comment she had made at sometime or another.
I don't know whether it was during this particular thing or not. I
think it was further on.
Mr. DULLES. On a similar occasion?
Mr. MARTIN. A little later date, yes.
Mr. REDLICH. Mr. Martin, you have commented on the respects in which
the newspaper clippings were at variance with the facts about Marina
Oswald as you knew them.
Are there any other facts which perhaps were not reflected in these
clippings but which you might be aware of in respect to which the
public image of Marina Oswald differed from the true person that you
knew on the basis of your contact with her?
Mr. MARTIN. No. Of course, she is not the least bit frugal. She spends
money quite freely, which it is her money to spend, but it won't last
very long at the rate it is going.
Mr. REDLICH. In connection with that did Marina Oswald ever discuss
with you the financial difficulties she may have encountered while she
was married to Lee Oswald?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes. She remarked one time that she had always wished for
$500 just to do with as she wanted. She also mentioned that the small
amount of money that it took them to live upon. She said it ran between
$130 and $135 a month.
Representative FORD. Did she complain about this limited amount?
Mr. MARTIN. No. I asked her how she could live on that little and she
said well, all they had was rent and food, and occasionally she would
get a dress or get a pair of shoes. She said that she didn't object to
it.
Representative FORD. But when more money became available she found
ways and means of spending it?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes. Well, she mentioned one time to me that--I told her
she was spending too much money, and she said, "Well, when it is all
gone I will go to work." That is----
Mr. DULLES. That is a little Russian, may I say for the record.
Mr. REDLICH. Mr. Martin, this Commission has recovered information to
the effect that the public announcements which you made concerning the
amount of funds which had been collected on Marina Oswald's behalf
actually reflected figures that were less than the amount which had
actually been collected on her behalf.
Without getting into specific figures at this time, are these reports
correct in your opinion?
Mr. MARTIN. Which report?