Senator COOPER. And it provoked your interest.
Mrs. PAINE. I can answer it this way. I was interested at the party to
hear something of what he had to say. I was hopeful when I wrote and
inquired if I could see Marina where they lived; and knowing that he
would be at work, that I would try to go during the week when I would
have a chance simply to talk with her.
Senator COOPER. That night he did say that he did not like the
capitalist system?
Mrs. PAINE. That is my best recollection.
Senator COOPER. Were you interested, then, in finding out what it was
about it he didn't like?
Mrs. PAINE. No.
Senator COOPER. In reference to his experience in Russia or for any
other reason?
Mrs. PAINE. No.
Senator COOPER. You didn't inquire further to have him elaborate on his
reasons for not liking the capitalist system?
Mrs. PAINE. No. Of course, it is a rather short space of time we are
talking about, perhaps 45 minutes or so or less. People were inquiring
of him.
Mr. JENNER. But others did inquire on these subjects?
Mrs. PAINE. For the most part the other people asked questions, yes.
Mr. JENNER. On the subject that Senator Cooper has inquired about, is
that true?
Mrs. PAINE. I don't recall.
Mr. JENNER. Now perhaps to help your recollection a little bit on that,
was this roommate of whom you speak named Volkmar Schmidt?
Mrs. PAINE. Volkmar sounds familiar.
Mr. JENNER. Do you recall a couple by the name of Richard Pierce, or
a gentleman at least by the name of Richard Pierce who attended that
meeting?
Mrs. PAINE. Yes; that would be the other roommate, not a couple, he was
single, Richard Pierce.
Mr. JENNER. Was there not present a Miss Betty MacDonald?
Mrs. PAINE. Which I had completely forgotten about, yes; there was.
Mr. JENNER. And you still are unable to recall the name of the other
couple?
Mrs. PAINE. I am unable to. Betty MacDonald I do recall lives in the
same apartment building as this couple, and it is a long German sort of
name, I think.
Mr. JENNER. Had you become acquainted with Mr. Glover through your
husband?
Mrs. PAINE. Well, you might say so. We both became interested in going
to madrigal sings at the same time. My interest in madrigals was
developed by Michael, but that was before we ever moved to Texas.
Mr. JENNER. Were you teaching Russian at this time?
Mrs. PAINE. No.
Mr. JENNER. You were not? Had you done any teaching of Russian prior to
this occasion?
Mrs. PAINE. No.
Mr. JENNER. You subsequently did some teaching; have you done some
teaching of Russian?
Mrs. PAINE. Just this past summer.
Mr. JENNER. Yes. I will get to that in due course. Did you do some
translating that evening for Marina?
Mrs. PAINE. No.
Mr. JENNER. You did not?
Mrs. PAINE. I spoke to her very little. I was embarrassed to.
Mr. JENNER. Why was that?
Mrs. PAINE. Because my Russian was so poor, and the De Mohrenschildts
could both do it all so much better.
Mr. JENNER. Was Mr. Oswald's command of Russian very good, also?
Mrs. PAINE. I didn't hear him speak Russian that night at all.
Mr. JENNER. Oh, is that so?
Mrs. PAINE. He may have, but I don't recall.
Mr. JENNER. He did no translating?
Mrs. PAINE. No. For her, no.
Mr. JENNER. For Marina. And on no occasion--he sat there and on none of
the occasions did he translate, but, rather, Mr. De Mohrenschildt did
the translating?
Mrs. PAINE. I don't even believe that was translating. They would
address themselves to her in a separate conversation from what was
going on from these three or four around him.
Mr. JENNER. So that those who did not understand Russian got nothing
from it?
Mrs. PAINE. Those who did not understand English got nothing from what
he was saying--is that what you mean, or do you mean the other way?
Mr. JENNER. If no one interpreted her in English, translated for her.
Mrs. PAINE. No one understood it; yes.