The President's Commission reconvened at 2 p.m.
Mr. DULLES. The Commission will come to order.
Mr. DULLES. Mr. Jenner, will you please continue?
Mr. JENNER. Thank you, sir.
Mr. Reporter, would you read the last question and answer we have so we
can orient ourselves.
To refresh your recollection, Mr. Oswald, I had commenced to examine
you with respect to the interests of yourself, your brother John, and
your brother Lee in firearms, even at the children's stage. And you had
indicated developments in that area as you became older.
I think you reached the point where, as an example, you said of course
your brother John and yourself had attended military school.
Mr. OSWALD. And, also, I believe, sir, the question referred to all
three of us.
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mr. OSWALD. To what extent we were familiar with firearms.
To elaborate, at military school John was by far the better shot of the
two of us. He was on the school rifle team. And, at this time, I was 10
years old--when I first attended there. My hunting instinct came alive.
Mr. JENNER. Hunting?
Mr. OSWALD. Hunting instinct came alive, and at the first opportunity I
started hunting squirrels and so forth there in Mississippi. I did this
on practically every occasion I had. John was on the rifle team. And
up to that time, a number of years after that, we never had a firearm
in the house. My mother didn't like them. She was scared of them. And
after we moved to 7408 Ewing Street, none of us owned a rifle, even
a .22, or a shotgun, or any type of firearm. And when I wanted to go
hunting from there, I had various friends that had rifles that I would
borrow, and I would go to the west side of Fort Worth, and Benbrook,
and do my squirrel hunting.
I don't recall at anytime during that period that Lee went with me.
I don't know that John did--because approximately this time he had
reached the age of 17, at which time he joined the U.S. Coast Guard.
Mr. JENNER. This is when you moved over to Ewing Street in Fort Worth?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Up to that time, had you and Lee at any time gone hunting?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; I do not recall any time that we went hunting at
that time.
Mr. JENNER. This was 1948-49. So he was 9 to 10 years old?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Had, to your knowledge, Lee gone hunting or used firearms
or played or been interested in firearms with you or with your brother?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir. To my knowledge I don't remember any time he went
hunting with myself or my older brother John. As I stated, there was no
firearms in the house.
He liked cap pistols, like any other kid. And to the extent that we
didn't even own a BB gun.
Mr. JENNER. Had you ever had BB guns around your home?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Had you boys ever owned one?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir.
Mr. JENNER. By this time, I assume you had shot one.
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Owned by one of your pals or somebody around the
neighborhood?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And Lee had what you would describe as a normal interest in
firearms?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. That every boy has?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. But not beyond that?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Were there any pistol or rifle ranges around that you boys
attended?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; there was not.
Mr. JENNER. Now, your brother John at this point entered the Coast
Guard?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. You were attending--you were then 15. You were now
attending high school, I assume.
Mr. OSWALD. Junior high school.
Mr. JENNER. In Fort Worth?
Mr. OSWALD. Fort Worth, W. C. Stripling Junior High School.
Mr. DULLES. What was the name of that?
Mr. OSWALD. W. C. Stripling Junior High School.
Mr. JENNER. Did your brother John attend high school?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. What high school did he attend?
Mr. OSWALD. We went for awhile--to get this thing in sequence, before
he went into the Coast Guard he attended Arlington Heights High School
in Fort Worth, I believe, for one-half year, and then he transferred to
Paschal High School in Fort Worth.
Mr. JENNER. Had you attended either of those high schools?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; Arlington Heights High School.
Mr. JENNER. I think I might go back a little bit. I will return to the
firearms.
But to maintain the sequence, when you and your brother John came to
Benbrook, Tex., after you completed your schooling at the military
school, I assume you attended school in Benbrook, Tex.
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; we did not, because we were just there during the
summer months. And we moved prior to the school year of 19----
Mr. JENNER. '48?
Mr. OSWALD. '48--we moved to the address on Ewing Street.
Mr. JENNER. All right. And each of you then enrolled in Arlington?
Mr. OSWALD. I was in the ninth grade, which was junior high school in
Texas. I enrolled in W. C. Stripling.
Mr. JENNER. First?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir. And John Edward enrolled in Arlington Heights
High School.
Mr. JENNER. W. C. Stripling High School was a junior high school?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. And Arlington Heights High School was senior high school?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; the last 3 years.