Mr. RANKIN. How much did that amount to, that was divided in your home?
Mrs. OSWALD. Very little. My contributions up to now are just a little
over $900--about $905. That is the money that has been given direct to
me, the mother of Lee Harvey Oswald.
So about 3 weeks later--now, Mr. Lane comes in here. He has all of
these documents and all of these dates and everything. I don't know
about the dates.
Mr. Thorne--from Mr. Thome's office and Mr. Martin I receive an
envelope about this size with mail for me, Mrs. Marguerite Oswald--not
"and Marina"--everyone open, gentlemen--opened, no cash, but checks,
made out to Mrs. Marguerite Oswald, that nobody else of course could
have any benefit from. This late date. And there were checks way in
November, in the beginning of December, that were held all this time.
But until I complained, then they decided to send them to me.
Mr. Lane has in his possession photostatic copies of my mail that has
been opened by the Fort Worth Police. I had a tip from a reporter that
my mail at the mayor's office and the Fort Worth Police and the chief
of police was being photostatic copied. So I sent a telegram--and I
have these things--you will have everything I have--to each one, the
same telegram, saying that any mail addressed to Mrs. Marguerite Oswald
should be forwarded to her immediately--to me immediately at 2220
Thomas Place. I received no mail.
Three days later--I received no mail.
So I called Mr. Sorrels and told Mr. Sorrels about the tip that I had.
And I knew it was a positive tip--I could feel sure this young man
was giving me the right information. I had much information that the
public knows, that they have helped me in this case, Mr. Rankin. So Mr.
Sorrels sent Mr. Seals, I think his name was, a Secret Service man down
and the chief of police gave Mr. Seals--we have this--my mail opened
and photostatic copies. I can produce this evidence.
Now, what right--I am not an attorney--but we have a moral issue all
through this that I am fighting for.
If the mail went to the chief of police, Mrs. Marguerite Oswald, in
care of the chief of police--it well could be that they have the legal
right to open such mail. But they do not have the moral right, because
I was an international figure, and everybody knew my address. And the
chief of police and everybody else knew my address. And that mail
should have remained unopened. How much cash was taken out of those
mails? I do not know. And I am not really saying there was. But there
is quite a possibility that it was.
Then I received another package from Mr. Thorne, and my mail was
opened. I called Mr. Sorrels about that. He said he knew nothing about
it.
First I called Mr. Thorne and he said that is the way he got the mail.
So then I called Mr. Sorrells and he said he knew nothing about it.
I said, "Mr. Sorrels, I'm getting awfully tired of this. Mr. Thorne
doesn't know how my mail is being opened. He says that he got the mail
from the Secret Service. And now you are telling me that you do not
give the mail to Mr. Thorne. Where does my mail come from opened?" So
nobody knows anything, the things that have happened to me.
My rights have been invaded continuously--continuously. Every
newspaper clipping was taken out of my home. Three letters from Lee,
from Russia. I offered all my information, as I explained over and
over, to the Secret Service. And while in my home, I was showing
them things--because I was proud of the things I have, and I think,
gentlemen, when you see everything I have you will see a different
picture of this boy.
There were three letters taken from my letters from Lee. And how I came
to know that--a New York reporter had offered--he was going to write a
story and had offered to buy three of my letters. I told him he could
have his choice. And so he looked through the letters, and I looked
through them with him, and I missed these three letters. These three
letters would have been of importance to the Secret Service and to our
government.
But you must remember, I have offered over and over to give any
information I have.
One letter stated that Marina's uncle was a colonel in the Russian
Army--I may produce this now. Is that what we need to do next--the
letters?
Representative BOGGS. Was a colonel in what?
Mrs. OSWALD. Pardon?
Representative BOGGS. One letter said he was a colonel in what?
Mrs. OSWALD. That Marina's uncle was a colonel in the Russian Army.
Would you like to look at these letters while I continue, Mr. Doyle?
Mr. DULLES. Are these the lost letters?
Mrs. OSWALD. No, sir, these are letters from Lee to me from Russia.
Mr. DULLES. I thought you said three were lost.
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, three were lost. The one about the Russian colonel
was lost--that the Secret Service men took--three letters--that would
be of importance for them. But I offered to give it to them. But they
were taken from my home.
Representative BOGGS. How did you get them back?
Mrs. OSWALD. I am going to tell the story, and I have witnesses.
So when I missed them, Mr. Jack Langueth, who we can call as a witness,
who is a reporter for the New York Times, wanted to pay me for
letters--he printed the story in the paper with the three letters that
he bought from me, three different letters I am talking about now, and
printed how many letters I had, including the three letters that the
FBI man that Marina's uncle was a colonel. He printed the things in the
paper.
So approximately 5 or 6 days later the Secret Service man--and I can
find his picture probably--came to my home and returned the three
letters and got a receipt from me for the three letters.
Mr. RANKIN. How much did this reporter offer to pay you for the letters
and other things?
Mrs. OSWALD. I got $50 for each letter. And I have the receipt.
Mr. RANKIN. I don't understand yet. You offered to sell the letters to
him, or let him have use of them for $50 apiece?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. $150.
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. And then he published them?
Mrs. OSWALD. No. Yes--he published the letters. It was published in the
New York Times, the three letters.
Mr. RANKIN. Then they were returned to you.
Mrs. OSWALD. No, he never did take the letters. Mr. Langueth never
did take the letters he bought from me out of my hand. As I told
you gentlemen, we went to a photostatic place and the letters were
copied, and I kept the originals. He paid me $50. That was printed
in the story. But the three letters that the Secret Service men had,
he printed in the story about Marina's uncle being a colonel in the
Russian Army. And that is the letter that the Secret Service man had.
Mr. RANKIN. And you did not get paid for those at all?
Mrs. OSWALD. No--these are different letters. So they returned those
letters to me, the Secret Service, and I gave them a receipt for them.
But they did not ask my permission to take them, or let me have a
receipt when they took them. So I am trying to point out the fact that
I got the three letters back, I would think, because the story in the
paper said that the Secret Service had these three letters and parts of
what they contained. So the three letters were returned to me, and I
had to sign a receipt for those three letters.
Am I making that clear now?
May I have some water, please?
Representative FORD. Are we going to get these letters in the record?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, sir. Let me get the letters in the record, then.
Mr. DOYLE. Let me go off the record a minute.
(Discussion off the record.)
Mrs. OSWALD. I am not able to go into the defection now, because I am
not through with this part. The defection starts an entirely different
story, if you want to know the true facts, and it will take quite a
while.
What sticks in my mind is this one particular letter about Marina's
uncle. The other two I am not quite sure.
Representative BOGGS. What does it say about her uncle?
Mrs. OSWALD. Well, I have to find the letter, sir.
I want to say this, gentleman. And maybe you are not in agreement with
me. But all my life I have known and I have thought that a title does
not make a man. It may be presumptuous of me that I am accusing the
Secret Service--because they are the Secret Service. But there are men
in our Government, and the Secret Service, who are undesirable, just
like in any other organization--let's face it. We have such men as
Bobby Baker, who was a citizen well thought of. Charles Van Doren who
was well thought of. Mr. Fred Korth who was under investigation, he was
a wonderful citizen. I can go on and on. Yet these men turned out not
to be the right type.
I say this because my son was a self-styled Marxist, and a known
defector, and that is why his guilt was proven by the Dallas Police.
And my son--had he been a Senator or someone in the higher field, maybe
they would not have picked him up so fast. Now, that is a fact of our
way of life, of human nature. Having a title doesn't mean that you are
the man back of the title.
Mr. RANKIN. Could we take those letters now and have the reporter
identify them? Here is the one about the uncle in the Army?
Mrs. OSWALD. That is one I am sure of.
Now, I did not finish the story of the woman offering Marina a home. I
have not finished that story, really. This affidavit that I showed you
about the woman offering Marina the home the morning of the 28th--I
picked up the newspaper and I read in the newspaper--I will be through
with this story in 1 minute. I picked up the newspaper on the 28th
of November and I read in the newspaper where this woman had offered
Marina a home. So I said to the agent that was sitting up--everybody
was sleeping, and as I told you I sat up all night----
Mr. RANKIN. This was 1963, after the assassination?
Mrs. OSWALD. 1963. November 28. It was on the 27th that I knew my
daughter was offered a home. Nothing was said where. In fact, at the
time I thought she was going to live in Mr. Gregory's home. I just
thought that. I did not ask. I was so hurt, I did not ask.
But on the morning of the 28th I picked up the paper and read this
story about the woman going to the Dallas Police offering Marina a
home. So I said to this agent, "Evidently that is who Marina is going
to live with." But I did not know. But on the 28th is when I saw the
story of the woman offering Marina the home.
Mr. RANKIN. Now, you have produced a number of letters that you
described as being letters received from your son, Lee Oswald, while he
was in the Soviet Union.
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. RANKIN. And we have asked you if you could identify the three
letters that the Secret Service brought back to you and asked you to
give a receipt for. You said it is very difficult, if not impossible,
for you to do that. Is that right?
Mrs. OSWALD. No, sir, I did not say that. I said that one letter I was
sure of, because it stated that her uncle was an officer in the Soviet
Union. That letter I am sure of. The other two letters--I would have
to go through the letters. I think I could spot them, because it would
be of importance to our country and the Secret Service to know--in
other words, it was important for them to know she had an uncle in the
Soviet Union. And the other two letters would be on that order. And
I believe maybe I could--I would not want to state a fact that these
two letters--I think I would be pretty close to choosing the other two
letters as the proper letters.
Mr. RANKIN. Mrs. Oswald, I wonder if it would be agreeable to you if
we would identify all of those letters that you received from your son
while he was in the Soviet Union, and then possibly when we recess you
could look them over and see----
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, sir, that's perfectly all right.
Mr. RANKIN. See if you can pick out the ones you gave a receipt for.
Mrs. OSWALD. That is perfectly all right. Any way you want to do it is
all right with me.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Reporter, I will ask you to mark them, and Mr.
Liebeler, will you help in the marking, because the letters are covered
with glassine, and it may be hard to mark them with ink. I think by
putting those stickers on we can help you.
Mrs. OSWALD. Not all of the letters have dates. I think by taking the
date on the back of the envelope it would be all right. And we had them
in order. I don't know if they are still in order. But we had them by
the dates.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Reporter, I offer in evidence Exhibits 170 to 179,
both inclusive, being pictures of the funeral and the casket that
Mrs. Oswald has produced here for the Commission, and ask leave to
substitute copies.
The CHAIRMAN. They may be so introduced.
(The photographs referred to were marked Commission Exhibits Nos. 170
to 179 inclusive for identification, and received in evidence.)
Mr. RANKIN. I then offer the various letters that Mrs. Oswald produced,
that she said were sent to her by her son, Lee Harvey Oswald, from
the Soviet Union. And I think it would be better for our record if I
briefly state the date that the envelopes bear in each case, so it can
be compared with the number.
The CHAIRMAN. Very well.
Mr. RANKIN. Exhibit 180 bears the date of July 18, 1961, on the
envelope.
Mr. DULLES. Mr. Rankin--is that the American or the Russian postmark?
Mr. RANKIN. That is the American postmark.
Mr. DULLES. Time of receipt in this country?
Mr. RANKIN. That's right.
Now, Mrs. Oswald, I understand from you there was one letter before the
letter bearing the date July 18, 1961, on the American postmark on the
envelope, and you do not have that here?
Mrs. OSWALD. I may have it. I have many more papers and documents. I
have a suitcase almost full that I have not yet opened. The suitcase
was lost. We did not receive it until about 9 o'clock last night.
Mr. RANKIN. You have not produced it today, though.
Mrs. OSWALD. No. But there is one more letter. It is the very first
letter I received from Lee.
Mr. RANKIN. I call the attention of the Commission to the statement in
Exhibit 180, "She was living at her aunt's place when I met her. They
are real nice people. Her uncle is a major in the Soviet Army."
Exhibit 181, dated August 3, 1961, was the envelope postmarked United
States, August 10, 1961. I also offer that.
Exhibit 182, dated October 2, 1961, with the American postmark October
10, 1961. I also offer that.
In each case, Mr. Chairman, I ask leave to substitute copies in
accordance with our understanding.
The CHAIRMAN. Yes. We will make a blanket ruling on all of them when
you finish.
Mr. RANKIN. Yes, sir.
Exhibit 183, dated October 22, 1959, with the American postmark on the
envelope October 30, 1961. I offer it.
Mr. DULLES. Did you say 1959 and then 1961?