Mr. OSWALD. I am aware where this picture was taken. This is in
Arlington Heights High School. I believe this exhibit right behind him
in the background was on the third floor of Arlington Heights High
School.
Mr. JENNER. And that was taken at the high school?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And he was of what age at that time?
Mr. OSWALD. 17.
Mr. JENNER. Well, it is pretty clear, since there is a gentleman and
a lady in this picture, the only two persons indicated, and you have
identified your brother--would you still, however, put a arrow pointing
to your brother. Thank you.
Turning to page 74-A, which is Commission Exhibit 287, there are two
pictures reproduced in the lower right-hand corner.
(The material referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 287 for
identification.)
Mr. JENNER. Do you recognize those?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I do.
Mr. JENNER. And would you state what they are?
Mr. OSWALD. Both pictures are pictures of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. JENNER. And he appears to be in military garb. Were those taken
when he was in the Marines?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. By the way, did you see him in his service uniform at any
time?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; I did not.
Mr. JENNER. But you do recognize these pictures as depicting your
brother?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. On pages 74 and 75 of Life Magazine, which will be
Commission Exhibits 288 and 289, there is a spread picture.
(The material referred to was marked Commission Exhibit Nos. 288 and
289, respectively, for identification.)
Mr. JENNER. Do you recognize any of the persons depicted in that spread
picture?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I do, but only one.
Mr. JENNER. Identify the one you recognize, and locate it in the
picture.
Mr. OSWALD. I recognize Lee Harvey Oswald being in the foreground of
the picture, approximately in the center of the picture.
Mr. JENNER. Would you identify him with this brush pencil?
Then on Exhibit 288, which is page 74-B of this issue of Life Magazine,
there appears at the bottom a reproduction of identity cards. I direct
your attention to the left-hand identity card upon which appears a
photograph, a reproduction of a photograph. Do you recognize that?
Mr. OSWALD. I would have to say that he appears heavier, his face is
fuller, he has more hair on his head, but the eyes and the nose and the
mouth are Lee Harvey Oswald's. I had not studied that picture before.
But he does seem to be quite fullfaced, if that is the terminology to
use there, and much more hair on his head--there again in relation to
the hair I am assuming here this photograph of Lee was taken after he
returned from Russia.
Mr. JENNER. I would rather not have you assume anything at the moment.
Do you identify that as a reproduction of a picture of your brother?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I do.
Mr. JENNER. Are you acquainted with--were you at the time acquainted
with the circumstances under which there was issued or purported to be
issued a Selective Service System classification card in the name of
Alek James Hidell?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; I was not.
Mr. JENNER. And did you ever have a discussion with your brother with
respect to his use, if he did, of the name Alek James Hidell, A. J.
Hidell, or any combination of that, in which the surname Hidell was
employed?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; I did not. And if I may say, at no time have I
ever known him to use any other name than Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. JENNER. I take it, then, you are unacquainted with any
circumstances under which he employed, if he did employ at any time,
the surname Hidell?
Mr. OSWALD. That is correct, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Or any other alias?
Mr. OSWALD. That's correct, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Did you ever know him to employ an alias?
Mr. OSWALD. No, I had not.
Mr. JENNER. Have you ever employed one?
Mr. OSWALD. Off the record, please.
Mr. JENNER. I will withdraw that question.
Mr. OSWALD. This is what it amounts to.
Mr. McKENZIE. Let me state this for the purposes of the record. In
order to avoid publicity or avoid newsmen, we did travel to Friendship
Airport from Dallas, Texas, yesterday evening, February 19th, and
Robert Oswald traveled under the name of F. M. Johnson.
Mr. DULLES. Off the record.
(Discussion off the record.)
Mr. DULLES. Back on the record.
Mr. JENNER. On the following page, which is page 76, Commission Exhibit
290, is a photograph, reproduction of a photograph in the lower
right-hand corner.
(The material referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 290 for
identification.)
Mr. JENNER. You recognize the person depicted in that photograph?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I do.
Mr. JENNER. Would you identify them?
Mr. OSWALD. I recognize the two people in the photograph--the woman
being Mrs. Marina Oswald, and the man being Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. JENNER. Have you ever seen that picture before?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I believe I have.
Mr. JENNER. Did you see it prior to November 22, 1963?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I believe I did, and the reason why I say I
believe--I believe I either have a copy of this photograph myself, or
one very, very similar to it.
Mr. JENNER. How did you come into the possession of the photograph?
Mr. OSWALD. Lee had sent it to me from Russia, showed me pictures of
him and his wife on their wedding day in April, 1961. I received the
photographs, though, in approximately May, 1961.
Mr. JENNER. Do you still have those photographs in your possession?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I do. If I may say, I did turn over I believe
four photographs that Lee had sent me from Russia, and I believe in all
four photographs Lee and Marina were in them. And I turned these over
to Mr. Jim H. Martin.
Mr. JENNER. But they are your personal property.
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; they are.
Mr. JENNER. I want to get into that period of time when you were in
correspondence with your brother at a later moment.
Turning now to page 78, which is Commission Exhibit 291, in the lower
left-hand corner of that is a reproduction, or what purports to be a
reproduction of a photograph.
(The material referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 291 for
identification.)
Mr. JENNER. Do you recognize either of the two persons depicted in that
photograph?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I recognize the man on the right with the piece
of paper in his hand, and a notebook I believe under his left arm, to
be Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. JENNER. Do you recognize the other man who is partially shown in
that photograph?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; I do not.
Mr. JENNER. Did you see that photograph at any time prior to November
22, 1963?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; I had not.
Mr. JENNER. And on page 80, which is Commission Exhibit No. 292, there
are two photographs, one showing a lady and a child, in the upper
right-hand corner.
(The material referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 292 for
identification.)
Mr. JENNER. Directing your attention to that picture first, do you
recognize either of the persons shown in that photograph?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I do. I recognize both persons.
Mr. JENNER. Would you identify them, please?
Mr. OSWALD. The child is June Lee Oswald, and the woman is Mrs. Marina
Oswald.
Mr. JENNER. And June Oswald is your brother's child?
Mr. OSWALD. That's correct, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Had you seen that photograph at any time prior to November
22, 1963?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; I had not.
Mr. JENNER. In the lower right-hand corner is a photograph of a man
holding a firearm or rifle with a pistol on his right hip and some
papers of some kind in--he is holding the rifle in his left hand, the
papers in his right hand. Do you recognize the person depicted in that
photograph?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I do. I recognize him to be my brother, Lee
Harvey Oswald.
Mr. JENNER. Had you seen that photograph at any time prior to November
22, 1963?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; I had not.
Mr. JENNER. Have you seen the photograph of which that is a
reproduction since November 22, 1963?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I have.
Mr. JENNER. Under what circumstances?
Mr. OSWALD. At the Inn of the Six Flags at Arlington. Tex.,
approximately November 27, 1963, in the presence of U.S. Secret Service
and Marina Oswald and myself.
Mr. DULLES. Your mother was not there then?
Mr. OSWALD. She was there at the time, but I do not believe she was in
the room when this photograph was shown.
Mr. JENNER. Mr. Chairman, I offer in evidence as Commission Exhibits
281 through 292 the pages of the issue of Life Magazine I have
identified that bear those exhibit numbers.
Mr. DULLES. Yes. I understand counsel for Mr. Oswald has pointed out
that I believe you are offering only the photographs and not the text?
Mr. JENNER. Thank you, sir. May I amend my offer. I offer in evidence
the reproduction of photographs which the witness has identified that
appear on Commission Exhibits 281 through 292.
Mr. DULLES. They may be accepted.
(The portion of the documents heretofore marked Commission Exhibits
Nos. 281 through 292 for identification were received in evidence.)
Mr. JENNER. I do not offer any of the text or any other portions of
those pages.
Mr. DULLES. That is so noted.
Mr. JENNER. Are there any other events or happenings or circumstances
during this 10-day period in New York City that come to your mind?
You have told of the incident of taking the photograph which was
identified. You told of visiting various places in New York City and
being with your brother Lee. Was it a good deal during this 10-day
period?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; practically every day, and practically every
night, with two exceptions at night, where my brother John fixed me up
with a blind date for one night only--no, I take that back. It would be
just one night Lee was not with me, and that would be on the night I
had a blind date with a girl from New York City, with my brother John
and his wife.
Mr. JENNER. Did you and your brother Lee visit your brother John's home
during this 10-day stay?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir, we did not.
Mr. JENNER. Did you have any discussion with your brother Lee--put it
this way--did you become aware during this 10-day period as to whether
your mother and brother had stayed with your brother John at any time
during their New York visit?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir. It was my understanding that when they first
arrived in New York for a brief period they stayed together.
Mr. JENNER. Was there any discussion with you as to why they left the
home of your brother John?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; not to any extent--no, sir, no discussion.
Mr. JENNER. No discussion of any difficulties or any incidents that had
arisen while they were living with your brother John's family?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir.
Mr. JENNER. That induced or had a bearing upon leaving and taking an
apartment in the Bronx?
Mr. OSWALD. I do not know of any discussion or any difficulty that was
mentioned to me, but I understand there was some difficulty.
Mr. JENNER. Please, Mr. Oswald--the subject was not discussed with you
during the 10-day period you were on leave?
Mr. OSWALD. That's correct, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Was it discussed with you at any time prior to November 22,
1963?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; it was not.
Mr. JENNER. Was there any discussion on the subject of your brother's
progress in schooling in New York City?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; there was not.
Mr. JENNER. Was the subject of his attendance at school, whether the
attendance was good or bad--was school discussed at all, as you recall?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; not to my recollection.
Mr. JENNER. And as a layman, and acquainted with your brother, what
was your impression? Give us your present impression of your brother's
state of mind during that 10-day period. Was he normal and happy and
friendly?
Mr. OSWALD. He was very normal. He did not appear to be unhappy. He was
quite happy to see me. We spent a good deal of time together during
that 10-day visit. At no time did he act abnormally.
Mr. JENNER. Did he complain to you about school?
Mr. OSWALD. No, sir; he did not.
Mr. JENNER. In general did he complain about anything--any special
gripes?
Mr. OSWALD. None that I recall, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Do you recall that as being a happy 10-day visit on your
10-day leave in New York City?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. Both you and your brother?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; that's correct.
Mr. JENNER. Did you spend time with your mother as well as your brother
Lee during the 10-day period?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; I did.
Mr. JENNER. That would be when--the evenings and on Sunday?
Mr. OSWALD. Generally in the evenings. That is the way I recall it.
Mr. JENNER. You and your brother Lee and your mother--did you do any
visiting during the evening, movies, any entertainment, go out?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; Lee and I did. Mother did not join us.
Mr. JENNER. What was your impression of your mother's state of mind and
well-being and her general feeling while you were there during that
10-day period?
Mr. OSWALD. May I have that again, please?
(The reporter read the pending question.)
Mr. OSWALD. My impression of my mother at that time was that she was
still having a little difficulty making enough money to have the things
that she wanted to have, I should say. But generally her health was
good, and nothing that I recall comes to mind that would indicate that
there was any difficulty between her and Lee. They seemed to be getting
along quite well.
Mr. JENNER. Your impression during the 10-day period, I take it then,
was that the relationship between your mother and Lee was friendly, was
it?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; that's correct.
Mr. JENNER. Were there any arguments during the time you were there
between them?
Mr. OSWALD. Yes, sir; there were.
Mr. JENNER. Did he at any time during that period--was he discourteous
to his mother?