I have been in this Commission 3 days. And you know I am very definite.
So I was very definite with Mr. Carro. I did not mince my words. I
said, "Mr. Carro, my son is not reporting to you once a week. This is
not a criminal offense. He was picked up for truancy, he has assured
the judge, promised the judge that he would be back to school. He has
promised you he would be back to school. Let's give this boy a chance,
and let's see if he will go to school."
"And then, Mr. Carro, if he doesn't go to school, then you can have him
report to you."
Mr. Carro didn't take that graciously, which is true. When you don't
agree with anyone over you, then you are in the minority, and you just
as well make up your mind right then and there, that is it.
So from that time on Mr. Carro pestered me and Lee. Mr. Carro would
call me at work, sir, and say that he had gone by the school, and that
they were having trouble with Lee. And I went to the school and talked
to the principal and she said, "Mrs. Oswald, what happened while the
probation officer was here--Lee moved the chair back, and it made a
little noise."
And that is what Mr. Carro reported.
In plain words, gentlemen, Mr. Carro was indignant at my attitude,
because he was an official.
Mr. RANKIN. What school was that?
Mrs. OSWALD. This was the first school, sir.
Then I moved. I am a little confused. Just a minute.
I took Lee out of the first school because the children knew that he
had been in the home, and I thought he didn't stand a chance.
So I moved to help my child again.
And I personally went with Lee to the principal and told the
principal--not in front of Lee--had a talk with her--that Lee had been
in this home, and that if she could help him in any way, and knew of
any friends, children his age that lived in the neighborhood where we
lived, I would appreciate it. And she did help. There was a young lady
in this building that we lived, in the Bronx--now we are living near
the Bronx Zoo.
Mr. RANKIN. Is this the new school?
Mrs. OSWALD. This is the new school. And we are living near the Bronx
Zoo, which is 100 and something street.
Mr. RANKIN. And this is Public School 44?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, sir--Public School 44. So I talked to the principal
and told her about the trouble and asked if she could not help us.
Mr. RANKIN. Now, the place that he was committed to was--do you recall
that was Berkshire Farms?
Mrs. OSWALD. No, because he was not committed to a farm, as far as I
knew, sir. All I knew was that he was in this home in Brooklyn. He was
never committed to a farm, as far as I know, sir. He was in this home
all this time. And this is where I am assuming, because I knew nothing
about this--the psychiatric treatment took place, and naturally that is
why they would have him in this home to observe him.
And, by the way, I was called one day to go to the home and a young
lady talked with me. And I sensed that she was questioning me for
a reason, because I had been on my own all these years, and I am a
business woman. So I remembered one distinct incident. She said, "Mrs.
Oswald, how strong do you believe in education?"
And I said, "I believe strongly in education, but not to an extent
that a mother should go out and work and deprive her children of a
mother's home and love in order to make the extra money to give her
children a college education," because I happen to know that a college
education sometimes is not as important as wisdom. There are college
graduates that do not know how to apply their ability. And so to me--I
could never be home with my children. I had to work and leave my
children--which was a very sore spot, let's say. I would have given the
world if I could have been home and raised my children. And here are
women, because of material things, and because they want to give their
children a college education, deprive their children of this motherly
love, that I myself was deprived of because of an unfortunate affair.
So to get education to that extent, no, sir, I do not approve of it. I
think it is more important for children to come home and have someone
in that home when they come home from school, and do without a college
education. I am strongly for that, because of my experience.
Mr. RANKIN. Was Lee Oswald a good student?
Mrs. OSWALD. I have his records from all the schools in New Orleans,
sir. But we are not through with New York--that will show he passed
satisfactory grades.
Mr. RANKIN. How about New York? Was he a good student there?
Mrs. OSWALD. I think he was an average student. Yes.
Now, I personally brought Lee to the school and talked to some of the
teachers. And they told me that Lee was a bright boy, but that he was
bored with school--there was just something there. Lee was in a sense
bored with school in this sense--that Lee was an overly bright boy,
studious boy, and he should have been placed in a school that we have
now, I understand, for special children of this sort.
Mr. RANKIN. But his grades were not too good during this period?
Mrs. OSWALD. They were passing grades, I would say. Now, that is what I
know about the New York situation.
Now, it has come out, gentlemen, that he had had psychiatric treatment
there. I did not know of any psychiatric treatment there. But now I am
assuming naturally he did have it then. There is a report on it.
I wish to say this. I am just a practical nurse. I became a nurse
because of my experiences, and I wanted to devote my life to humanity,
which I have stated before. But I do know this. I work in hospitals,
rest homes, private homes, and all of our hospitals, and all of our
rest homes, and all of our institutions are understaffed.
Now, I think you will agree there. We are all understaffed. Every one
I have ever been in. So I will say if Lee had psychiatric treatment
in this home, there are hundreds and hundreds of children, he could
not have had a complete psychiatric examination. We do not know. I do
not know if he had a complete. But I will say that according to other
institutions, that this institution was also understaffed.
I am going to make one remark to Mr. Jack Ruby. He has to have five
psychiatrists. Now, here is one little psychiatric examination on a
13-year-old boy.
So, then we will go to Lee's schooling in New Orleans.
Mr. RANKIN. Before you leave New York, did you ever tell anybody that
you took Lee Oswald to New York so he could have mental tests at the
Jacobi Hospital?
Mrs. OSWALD. No, sir, never. My child was a normal child--and while
in New York. I explained to you he had a dog with puppies. The school
teachers talked well about him. He had a bicycle. There was nothing
abnormal about Lee Oswald.
It has been stated also I was offered psychiatric treatment which is
incorrect. This Mr. Carro I understand is a very big man. He may be
supplying the files with all of this. But, sir, it is untrue.
Mr. RANKIN. Then you went to New Orleans after that?
Mrs. OSWALD. No. Then they assigned a big brother to Lee. This is
important to the story.
So this man came out to the apartment on several occasions and saw the
type person I was and my son was. And he did not see anything wrong
with the child. Evidently not. Because he suggested that it might be a
good idea--I had told him the way Mr. Carro was doing. Mr. Carro was
pestering me, sir, at work, with just little insignificant reports that
I would call the school and the principal would assure me everything
was all right.
So he thought that it would be better if I would take the child away.
And I didn't know I could do that. I didn't know exactly the charge.