Mrs. FORD. She didn't talk about it freely, I thought she was rather
hesitant about going into particulars.
Representative FORD. Did she ever indicate why she had not discussed
this incident with anybody, including the Commission?
Mrs. FORD. Well, right during that time, just before that, in the
office, Mr. McKenzie, and I told her before that, "if you know anything
that I think that would help either the Commission or the FBI I thought
it my duty to tell them," and I told her that if she doesn't want me to
say to anybody just don't talk to me about it, that is what I told her.
But because and maybe that is why she was hesitating to talk to me,
Mr. McKenzie told it to her and had a written statement to her, too,
if he feels there is anything he will have to say he will say it in
connection with the President.
So it was said right before that, and I feel maybe that is why she was
hesitating to talk to me.
Representative FORD. That is all.
The CHAIRMAN. Mrs. Ford, you are an American citizen now, aren't you?
Mrs. FORD. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. How did you acquire it, by marriage to your first soldier
husband?
Mrs. FORD. No. I had to apply for it.
The CHAIRMAN. Where were you naturalized?
Mrs. FORD. In Dallas, Tex.
The CHAIRMAN. In the Federal court?
Mrs. FORD. That is correct.
The CHAIRMAN. When was that about?
Mrs. FORD. I have it on my bracelet, so I will give you the correct
time, I got it in 1952.
The CHAIRMAN. In 1952?
Mrs. FORD. This I got on "This is Your Life". I was on "This is Your
Life".
Representative FORD. Mr. Chairman, I have one or two more questions.
The CHAIRMAN. Go right ahead.
Representative FORD. I wish you could clarify, if you can, the comment
you made about Marina mentioning two guns.
Mrs. FORD. She did not mention two guns ever to me or anything like
that. But I don't know how or why he advised her to say that at all, I
don't know, it was not clear to me.
Representative FORD. When you say he, was that Mr. McKenzie?
Mrs. FORD. That is right, because the only reason--the only thing I
remember about Marina was saying that Lee had laughed about the attempt
to kill General Walker, that he said that they were even too stupid
to find out what gun was used to kill him because it was written up a
different type of gun was used other than the one really used by Lee.
Representative FORD. Marina said that?
Mrs. FORD. That is right. Lee had commented on that they were not even
smart enough to identify the gun by a bullet.
Representative FORD. When did Marina say Lee said that?
Mrs. FORD. Well, soon after he--maybe that evening or the next day but
I mean after he had attempted to shoot the General.
Representative FORD. After he had attempted to shoot General Walker?
Mrs. FORD. That is right. And the bullet was found in the room and I
suppose by the bullet they had tried to identify the gun or whatever he
used to shoot him and it was identified wrong.
It was not, I don't know what kind of gun he used, frankly, I don't
know, but he said, he just made a comment, they weren't even smart
enough to identify the gun by the bullet.
Representative FORD. Lee said that to Marina?
Mrs. FORD. To Marina, that is right.
Representative FORD. Right after the incident?
Mrs. FORD. Right after the incident, that is correct.
Representative FORD. And Marina told Mr. McKenzie that?
Mrs. FORD. I don't know.
Representative FORD. You don't know?
Mrs. FORD. But I think right after that it was in the papers that
a different type of gun was used, and to shoot the President was
different again, there were supposedly two guns, you see, so maybe that
is why he advised her, that he had only one gun. I really don't know
how this came out.
The CHAIRMAN. That is all. Thank you very much for coming, you have
been very helpful.
Mrs. FORD. I hope so. I frankly wish I had questioned her more but I
didn't feel it was my duty, but I wanted to tell you what she said to
me.
The CHAIRMAN. We will take a short recess.
(Short recess.)