Mr. MARTIN. You haven't come to that yet.
Mr. REDLICH. We do not intend to introduce the specific documents into
the record, just this summary.
Mr. LEECH. Give him an approximate date.
Mr. REDLICH. You say it was confirmed by telegram.
Mr. MARTIN. Yes, it was confirmed by telegram to Spiegelberg.
Mr. LEECH. When?
Mr. MARTIN. In New York. December 16 at 2:45 p.m.
Mr. REDLICH. The next item on Commission Exhibit No. 325 also refers to
Stern Magazine, an item of $2,650.
Could you comment on that?
Mr. MARTIN. This was a recent development wherein since they could not
send an author in to talk to Marina, they purchased seven photographs
for a total of $2,650, to take the memoirs later.
However, they will not hold off the memoirs forever.
Mr. REDLICH. These seven photographs are photographs of what?
Mr. MARTIN. Of Marina and Lee Harvey Oswald together and separate.
Mr. REDLICH. These were photographs which were not turned over to the
Dallas police?
Mr. MARTIN. No. They were photographs that we were given prints of by
the FBI. The FBI sent prints of these photographs to us.
Mr. REDLICH. Am I correct in assuming that all of the photographs which
were in the possession of Marina Oswald and Lee Harvey Oswald, either
in his apartment or in the Paine's apartment, were turned over to the
Dallas police?
Is that right?
Mr. MARTIN. As far as I know.
Mr. REDLICH. To the best of your knowledge?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes.
Mr. REDLICH. And that any photographs which you have and which have
been the basis of any contract are copies which were made available to
you by some law enforcement authority?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes. Now, there was a check, there was a $250 cash down
payment made on this $2,650. Then a check for $2,400; the check was
stopped, payment on the check was stopped because of a letter written
by William McKenzie saying that I had no authority to sign any
contracts whatsoever for Marina, and that if they did use anything that
I had sold them, litigation would follow immediately. So consequently
they stopped payment on the check. I still have the check. It is still
attached to the letter that was sent with it.
Mr. DULLES. Could I ask who is that check made out to?
Mr. MARTIN. Made out to me.
Mr. DULLES. To you as agent?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes.
Mr. DULLES. Or to you just in your name?
Mr. MARTIN. I think it is just made out to me.
Mr. DULLES. I don't know if it is important.
Mr. LEECH. You go ahead and I'll find it.
Mr. MARTIN. Under the contract all checks were supposed to be made
payable to me. Then I would deduct my fee and forward the balance to
Marina.
Mr. REDLICH. The next item on Commission Exhibit No. 325 refers to
Meredith Press.
Mr. MARTIN. The Meredith Press is a book publisher with their main
office in Des Moines, Iowa. I had talked with Mr. Ted Purdy at great
length and on numerous occasions by phone. We had negotiated world
book rights for Marina Oswald's story. For this Meredith Press would
pay a $25,000 advance to her. Then on the first printing would be a 10
percent commission of the retail price of the book.
On the second printing would be 12-1/2 percent commission, and on the
third and succeeding printings it would be 15 percent commission.
Now, of course, the commissions were to be deducted from the advance.
Mr. REDLICH. And this was to be her life story?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes.
Mr. REDLICH. Had you discussed with Marina at all the contents of this
book? Had you started making any preparations for writing?
Mr. MARTIN. No. I am not a writer, and wouldn't know the first thing
to do about a book. But we had negotiated with one writer, Isaac Don
Levine, who Meredith Press felt would be the best writer available for
this type of book because of the Russian attachment.
Mr. REDLICH. When you told us this morning of your initial concern over
the Nixon shooting incident, did it relate to these various agreements
that you have been working on concerning the sale of Marina Oswald's
story?
Mr. MARTIN. Did it relate to them?
Mr. REDLICH. Yes.
Mr. MARTIN. How do you mean?
Mr. REDLICH. Were you concerned about the publicity, the effect of the
publicity of the Nixon incident on these various agreements which you
were negotiating at the time?
Mr. MARTIN. No. As a matter of fact, it would enhance the price of it.
For instance, the Post magazine, the Saturday Evening Post, said that
they would like to buy American serial rights if there was something in
Marina's story that the Commission did not know.
Mr. REDLICH. When did they tell you this?
Mr. MARTIN. Around the first of the year I guess.
Mr. REDLICH. Around the first of the year. Did Marina know about this?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. This is the Saturday Evening Post you are talking about?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes. I talked to a Mr. Black.
Mr. REDLICH. And the Saturday Evening Post said to you that they would
buy the serial rights provided there was some information which would
not be known to the Commission?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes. I told them there was no realm that would apply, and
we closed negotiations.
Mr. REDLICH. And you say you didn't relate this fact at all to Marina
Oswald?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. These negotiations with the Post.
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. Was there in fact to the best of your knowledge material
which she did not in fact relate to this Commission?
Mr. MARTIN. Not to my knowledge other than the Nixon affair.
Mr. REDLICH. And were you aware at the time she completed her testimony
here that she had not related this information to the Commission?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes.
Mr. REDLICH. Was there any connection between her failure to tell the
Commission of the Nixon incident and the negotiations, the temporary
negotiations that you had had with the Saturday Evening Post?
Mr. MARTIN. No, none whatsoever. That was closed off at least 30 days
before she testified.
Mr. REDLICH. Was there any attempt on your part or anyone acting on
Marina Oswald's part that you know of to negotiate the sale of the
information concerning the Nixon shooting incident?
Mr. MARTIN. No, not to my knowledge.
Mr. REDLICH. When Marina--did Marina ever give you an explanation for
why she did not tell the Commission about the Nixon incident?
Mr. MARTIN. No. I have never talked to her about that other than the
first time that she told me about it. I asked John Thorne if she had
mentioned it. I didn't discuss it with her.
Mr. REDLICH. And since Marina Oswald's return from Washington after
having testified here, you say you have never discussed the Nixon
incident with Marina Oswald in any way?
Mr. MARTIN. No. I probably would have had there been sufficient time.
Of course, she left my home the following day after she got back from
Washington.
Mr. REDLICH. When you say you probably would have, in what way?
Mr. MARTIN. Well, since she didn't mention it to the Commission, I feel
the Commission should know about it.
Mr. DULLES. Did you know at this time she had not mentioned it to the
Commission?
Mr. MARTIN. I asked John Thorne.
Mr. DULLES. Oh, you asked John Thorne?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes.
Mr. REDLICH. What did John Thorne say?
Mr. MARTIN. Said she had not mentioned it.
Mr. REDLICH. Did you ask John Thorne why she had not mentioned it?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. Did John Thorne offer any information as to why she had
not mentioned it?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. Do you know whether John Thorne had urged her to mention
it?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. John Thorne was aware of the Nixon incident prior to
Marina Oswald's appearance before this Commission, was he not?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes.
Mr. REDLICH. Because you had apparently told him about that shortly
after you learned about it in January.
Mr. MARTIN. Yes.
Mr. REDLICH. Did you discuss the Nixon incident with Robert Oswald
after Marina Oswald's appearance before this Commission in February?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. You had not?
Mr. MARTIN. I don't know if I discussed it with him prior to the
Commission's testimony or not. I may or I may not have. I don't know. I
don't know whether I mentioned it to him or not.
Mr. REDLICH. Coming back to Commission Exhibit No. 325, the next item
under London Daily Mirror, am I correct in assuming that this is, that
this item refers to the rifle photo which you discussed earlier in your
testimony tonight?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes, that is right.
Mr. REDLICH. Do you have anything to add with regard to that rifle
photo that you have not already told us?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. Did you discuss with Marina Oswald at any time this rifle
photo and the circumstances under which it was taken.
Mr. MARTIN. I asked her at one time why he wanted a photograph taken of
that type, and she said she didn't know. He just wanted pictures taken
that way.
Mr. REDLICH. Did she tell you when this photograph was taken in
relationship to any other incidents such as the General Walker incident
or the Richard Nixon incident?
Mr. MARTIN. No.
Mr. REDLICH. Did you know where the photograph was taken?
Mr. MARTIN. I don't know, I don't even know if it was in Oak Cliff or
not. I have an idea that it was in Oak Cliff but I don't know whether I
know that or whether I have read it.
Mr. REDLICH. When you say Oak Cliff, some of us don't live in Dallas.
Mr. MARTIN. It is a suburb of Dallas, a section of Dallas.
Mr. REDLICH. Are you referring to the area where the Neely Street house
was located?
To refresh your recollection, Mr. Martin, the Oswalds lived in two
places in Dallas. One was on Elsbeth Street and the other on Neely. Are
they both in Oak Cliff?
Mr. MARTIN. Yes, Elsbeth Street is right around the corner from Neely
Street, I believe they lived in an apartment on Elsbeth.
It was a group of apartments in one building, and on Neely Street, I
think, that was similar to a duplex.
Mr. REDLICH. And you are not certain as to where this photograph which
was the subject of these negotiations was taken?
Mr. MARTIN. No, except that the Elsbeth address, I believe, was a brick
residence, I mean a brick apartment, it is a dark building, and the
Neely Street address is a white building.