Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Interpreter, can you help us in that regard, and tell
her whether it is a correct translation?
Mr. KRIMER. If I may translate it from the English, she could check it.
Mr. RANKIN. Would you kindly do that?
Mrs. OSWALD. That is a quite correct translation. I didn't want to, but
I had to compose some such letters.
Mr. RANKIN. I offer in evidence the photostatic copy of the letter in
Russian as Exhibit 6.
The CHAIRMAN. Together with the translation that is attached to it?
Mr. RANKIN. Together with the translation that is attached to it as
Exhibit 7.
The CHAIRMAN. It may be admitted and take the next number.
(The documents referred to were marked Commission Exhibit Nos. 6 and 7,
respectively, and received in evidence.)
Mr. RANKIN. I hand you again the declaration, Exhibit 8, and ask you if
that accompanied the first letter, Exhibit 6, that you have referred to?
Mrs. OSWALD. I don't remember whether it accompanied the first letter
or the second letter with which I had enclosed some photographs and
filled out questionnaires.
Mr. RANKIN. I hand you Exhibit 9 and ask you if that is the second
letter that you have just referred to.
Mrs. OSWALD. No, this was perhaps the third. Perhaps I could help you,
if you would show me all the letters, I would show you the sequence.
Mr. RANKIN. I hand you Exhibit 9, dated March 8, 1963, and ask you
if you can tell whether that is the letter which accompanied the
declaration.
Mrs. OSWALD. This is a reply from the Embassy, a reply to my first
letter.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Chairman, may we have a short recess to get the
original exhibits that we have prepared, and I think we can expedite
our hearing.
The CHAIRMAN. Very well. We will have a short recess.
(Brief recess.)
The CHAIRMAN. The Commission will come to order. We will proceed.
Mr. RANKIN. Mrs. Oswald, we will see if we have these in proper order
now.
I will call your attention to the photostats of the declaration and
the accompanying papers that I shall now call Exhibit 8 to replace the
references to Exhibit 8 and 9 that we made in prior testimony, and ask
you to examine that and see if they were sent together by you to the
Embassy.
Mrs. OSWALD. I sent this after I received an answer from the Embassy,
an answer to my first letter. This is one and the same. Two separate
photostats of the same declaration. All of these documents were
attached to my second letter after the answer to my first.
Mr. RANKIN. I call your attention to Exhibit 9, and ask you if that is
the answer to your first letter that you have just referred to.
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, this is the answer to that letter.
Mr. RANKIN. Will you compare the translation?
Mrs. OSWALD. The only thing is that the address and the telephone
number of the Embassy are not shown in the Russian original. They are
in the translation.
Mr. RANKIN. Otherwise the translation is correct, is it?
Mrs. OSWALD. Otherwise, yes.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Chairman, I ask leave to substitute the Exhibit No. 8
for what I have called 9, as the reply of the Embassy, so that we won't
be confused about the order of these.
The CHAIRMAN. The correction may be made.
Mr. RANKIN. I offer in evidence the original and the translation of
Exhibit 8, except for the address of the Embassy, which was not on the
original.
The CHAIRMAN. It may be admitted, and take the next number.
(The documents referred to were marked Commission Exhibit No. 8, and
received in evidence.)
Mr. RANKIN. Now, as I understand, what I will call Exhibit 9 now, to
correct the order in which these letters were sent to the Embassy,
was your response to the letter of the Embassy dated March 8, is that
correct?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. Will you compare the translation with the interpreter and
advise us if it is correct?
Mr. KRIMER. It says, "Application" in the translation; the Russian word
is "Declaration".
Mr. RANKIN. Will you note that correction, Mr. Krimer, please?
Mr. KRIMER. In pencil?
Mr. RANKIN. Yes.
Mr. KRIMER. Crossing out the word "application".
Mrs. OSWALD. That is correct.
Mr. KRIMER. Sir, this was a printed questionnaire, and there is a
translator note on here which states that since printed questions are
given both in Russian and English translation, only the answer portion
of the document is being translated.
Mrs. OSWALD. That is correct.
Mr. RANKIN. You have now examined Exhibit 9 and the translation into
English from that exhibit where it was in Russian and compared them
with the interpreter, have you?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, correct.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you find the translation is correct?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. I offer in evidence Exhibit 9, being the Russian
communications, and the English translations.
The CHAIRMAN. The documents may be admitted with the next number.
(The documents referred to were marked Commission Exhibit No. 9, and
received in evidence.)
Mr. RANKIN. Mrs. Oswald, do you recall that in the letter from the
Embassy of March 8, which is known as Commission's Exhibit 8, that you
were told that the time of processing would take 5 to 6 months?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you discuss that with your husband?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. And about when did you do that?
Mrs. OSWALD. What is the date of that letter?
Mr. RANKIN. March 8.
Mrs. OSWALD. At that time we did not discuss it. We discussed it in New
Orleans. Or more correctly, we thought that if everything is in order,
I would be able to leave before the birth of my second child.
Mr. RANKIN. And did you discuss that idea with your husband?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. And you think that you discussed it with him while you were
at New Orleans?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you recall that it is also requested in the letter of
March 8 from the Embassy, Commission's Exhibit 8, that you furnish one
or two letters from relatives residing in the Soviet Union who were
inviting you to live with them?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, but I didn't have any such letters and I did not
enclose any.
Mr. RANKIN. You never did send such letters to the Embassy, did you?
Mrs. OSWALD. No.
Mr. RANKIN. After you sent Exhibit 9 to the Embassy, did you have
further correspondence with them?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. I will hand you Exhibit 10, a letter purporting to be from
the Embassy dated April 18, and ask you if you recall that.
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, I remember that.
Mr. RANKIN. Will you please compare the translation with the Russian?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, the translation is correct.
Mr. RANKIN. We offer the exhibit in evidence, together with the
translation.
The CHAIRMAN. It may be admitted with the next number.
(The documents referred to were marked Commission Exhibit No. 10, and
received in evidence.)
Mr. RANKIN. Did you note that the Embassy invited you to come and visit
them personally?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you ever do that?
Mrs. OSWALD. No.
Mr. RANKIN. I hand you a letter purporting to be from the Embassy,
dated June 4, marked Exhibit 11, and ask you if you recall receiving
that?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes. This is a second request to visit the Embassy.
Mr. RANKIN. Will you please compare the translation with the Russian?
Mrs. OSWALD. Correct.
Mr. RANKIN. We offer in evidence Exhibit 11, being the Russian letter
from the Embassy together with the English translation.
The CHAIRMAN. It may be admitted and take the next number.
(The documents referred to were marked Commission Exhibit No. 11, and
received in evidence.)
The CHAIRMAN. We will now recess for lunch.
The Commission will reconvene at 2 o'clock.
(Whereupon, at 12:30 p.m., the Commission recessed.)