Mrs. OSWALD. They showed it to me--yes, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. Have you ever seen that picture since?
Mrs. OSWALD. On a Wednesday--Lee was shot on a Sunday--neither Marina
nor I knew how he was shot. They kept it from us. You have to visualize
this.
We were at the Six Flags with approximately 18 to 20 FBI agents, Secret
Service men running in and out, a woman with a Russian girl and two
sick babies, and the girl and I do not know what is going on.
Mr. RANKIN. When you had gotten over to the Six Flags, you must have
skipped something there--you were in the Executive Inn before.
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes. I was going to make a point about letting you know
why I didn't know.
Mr. RANKIN. All right.
Mrs. OSWALD. All right--let's go back to the Executive Inn.
So that night I was very upset and very worried. I realized that we
were there alone. And we were not going to go in town, into Dallas.
I wasn't going to take this Russian girl and the two babies. And the
babies were all chapped. We had no diapers. We were not prepared for
this. And it was hectic, gentlemen.
So all night long I am wondering how can I get in touch with Robert,
what can I do.
And I was a little suspicious of Mrs. Paine. I was suspicious of Mrs.
Paine from the time I entered her home.
Mr. RANKIN. Had you found out how much money the Life man gave you?
Mrs. OSWALD. No, not even yet.
Mr. RANKIN. All right.
Mrs. OSWALD. So I signed for the food. I called the operator and I
asked the operator what name the room was registered under. She said,
"Well, this is an unusual request. Don't you know what room--what
name?"
I said, "Frankly, I don't. We are three couples. I don't know which
name they used."
So she told me that the room was registered under Mrs. Allen Grant,
which is the name of the Life representative. So I charged and signed.
And they would have that for proof--Mrs. Allen Grant, on the food.
Mr. RANKIN. Why did you say three couples?
Mrs. OSWALD. I just said that to the operator, because I had to give
her a reason why I didn't know which name the room was registered under.
So I just wanted to elaborate a little bit--let her know. I didn't want
to give my name. Because I was by this time a little concerned about
the situation.
During the night I thought--"We are in a position here, I am in a
position with a Russian girl and two babies, and I just don't know what
to do."
I had no contact with Robert. Robert was trying to get an attorney. And
I didn't know if Robert knew where we were. And I did not want to call
Mrs. Paine. I wanted to stay clear of Mrs. Paine.
So this is a very unusual coincidence.
Now, I have to go back a little bit. But, believe me, gentlemen, the
story will get together for you to understand.
About 1 month prior to this, there was an ad in a Fort Worth paper that
the public library was going to have language lessons, and one was
Russian classes.
Well, I then, as I told you--I was employed for the 3 to 11 shift. And
I was getting a day off. And this would have been a steady job because
this woman was not that sick, just an invalid.
So I decided on my day off I wanted to do something. So I decided I
would call up about it, and on my day off--make Tuesday my day off and
take up Russian in case--because I had always hoped in my heart that
Marina and Lee would contact me some day. After all, I am a mother
first.
So I went to the library. And Mr. Peter Gregory was the instructor.
Now, you must remember--I did not know that he knew Marina and Lee.
This is public notice for the Russian language.
So Mr. Peter Gregory is the instructor.
I went to the second class. My car broke down just one block from the
library, and I had to have it towed, and I went to the class. And Mr.
Peter Gregory was there, and several of the women waiting for his
classes to start. I said I don't imagine I will learn anything, because
my car has broken down and I am pretty upset. And Mr. Gregory said,
"Where do you live, Mrs. Oswald? Maybe I could help you and take you
home." And the other couple said, "We would be happy."
And I said I live in Arlington Heights. And he happens to live about 10
blocks away.
Now, I have to go back.
The point I am going to make is this: Mr. Peter Gregory is the engineer
who knew my son Robert, who was friends with Lee and Marina. Yet when
I registered for a class, and the librarian had come back down before
the class, and read off the names of the people that were going to take
the Spanish lesson, isn't it peculiar that Mr. Gregory did not remember
me as the mother of Lee--didn't acknowledge me as the mother of Lee? I
find that very peculiar.
Even the second lesson, there was no acknowledgment.
So I went home with Mr. Peter Gregory. And there was still no
acknowledgment.
So we were talking about the Russian language, that is is very hard to
learn. And I said, "I am sure I will never master it." And I thought
I think I will tell him why I want to take lessons is because of my
Russian daughter-in-law, and my son speaks Russian. But I didn't do it.
But I am going to point out again that Mr. Gregory did not acknowledge
me.
I am going to give and take. Maybe he didn't connect me. But it would
seem very odd--Mrs. Marguerite Oswald was the name--that he didn't
connect as Marina's mother-in-law and Lee's mother, when he was such a
friend with them.
Mr. RANKIN. I am not clear as to what lessons you were taking.
Mrs. OSWALD. Russian lessons at the public library in Fort Worth, Tex.,
and Mr. Gregory was the teacher.
Mr. RANKIN. You said something about Spanish.
Mrs. OSWALD. Oh, did I? I am sorry. No, sir, the Russian language.
The CHAIRMAN. What days were these?
Mr. RANKIN. What days were these that you talked to Mr. Gregory?
Mrs. OSWALD. You mean the Russian language?
Mr. RANKIN. Yes.
Mrs. OSWALD. I do not have this information. But I can get it for you
from the public library, because there was a public notice in the paper.
Mr. RANKIN. Can you tell us approximately?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, it was just right before the assassination. I had
taken two lessons. Yes, I had taken two lessons, and then I didn't go
for the third lesson, because this was on a Friday--the lessons were on
a Tuesday. So I had taken two lessons, the two Tuesdays prior to the
assassination.
Mr. RANKIN. I see.
So it would be around a little over 3 weeks before the assassination?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, sir. Two Tuesdays before, and then my next lesson
would have been the Tuesday after the Friday of the assassination.
Yes, sir, that is the time.
So then I thought of Mr. Gregory.
Now, believe me, gentlemen--and I will swear again, if you want me
to--nothing was said about Mr. Gregory and Marina being friends. But I
do have a guardian angel. And, as I go along, some of the things I know
have been from this guardian angel.
This was just a coincidence.
I thought of calling Mr. Peter Gregory. I have no friends in Fort
Worth. I never--I live a very lonely life. I am not lonely. But I live
to myself. I am kept very busy. I had my work, 24 hour duty. So really
I have no friends. And because of Lee's defection, I didn't make any
new friends.
So I am racking my mind who can I call for help. And I think of Mr.
Peter Gregory. So I call Mr. Peter Gregory at 6:30 in the morning,
Sunday, the 24th--Sunday morning the 24th.
And I didn't want the hotel operator to know who I was. So I gave a
fictitious name. He said, "I am sorry,"--I said, "I can't tell you who
I am, Mr. Gregory."