Senator COOPER. When you were living on Neely Street--strike that. You
have told about his taking the rifle from the house on Neely Street and
then later cleaning the rifle. Do you know how many times that occurred?
Mrs. OSWALD. I saw him take the rifle only once when we were living
on Neely Street but he cleaned the rifle perhaps three or four times,
perhaps three times--three times.
Senator COOPER. Did he ever tell you that he was practicing with a
rifle?
Mrs. OSWALD. Only after I saw him take the gun that one time.
Senator COOPER. Did you ask him if he had been practicing with the
rifle?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes, I asked him.
Senator COOPER. What did he say?
Mrs. OSWALD. He said yes.
Senator COOPER. Did he ever give any reason why he was practicing with
the rifle to you?
Mrs. OSWALD. He didn't give me a reason. He just said that for a man it
is an interesting thing to have a rifle. I considered this some kind of
a sport for him. I didn't think he was planning to employ it. I didn't
take it seriously.
(At this point, Senator Cooper left the hearing room.)
Mr. RANKIN. At the time of the Nixon incident did you know who Mr.
Nixon was?
Mrs. OSWALD. I didn't know what position he held. I thought he was Vice
President.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you ever check to see whether Mr. Nixon was in fact in
Dallas anytime around that date?
Mrs. OSWALD. No.
Mr. RANKIN. After the day of the Nixon incident did you ever discuss
that incident again with your husband?
Mrs. OSWALD. No.
Mr. RANKIN. Did the Nixon incident have anything to do with your
decision to go to New Orleans to live?
Mrs. OSWALD. After the incident with Walker it became clear to me that
it would be a good idea to go away from Dallas and after the incident
with Nixon insisted--I insisted on it.
Mr. RANKIN. After the Nixon incident did you ever discuss that Nixon
incident again with your husband?
Mrs. OSWALD. No. I don't know why. Perhaps it didn't make a very strong
impression on me and that is why I didn't mention it in my first
testimony. Perhaps it is because the first incident with Walker made
such a strong impression that what happened afterward was somewhat
effaced by it. I was so much upset by this incident with General Walker
that I only just wanted to get away from Dallas as fast as possible.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you discuss the Nixon incident with anyone other than
your husband before the assassination of President Kennedy?
Mrs. OSWALD. No.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you ever consider telling the police about the Walker
and Nixon incidents?
Mrs. OSWALD. I thought of this but then Lee was the only person who was
supporting me in the United States, you see. I didn't have any friends,
I didn't speak any English and I couldn't work and I didn't know what
would happen if they locked him up and I didn't know what would happen
to us. Of course, my reason told me that I should do it but because of
circumstances I couldn't do it.
Mr. RANKIN. When did you first tell something about the Nixon incident?
Mrs. OSWALD. It was after the assassination; we were in Martin's house
and I think Robert was there also. That is when I first mentioned that.
I don't remember whether I told them both at the same time or told
Martin first and Robert second or Robert first and Martin second.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you know about when that was with reference to the time
you moved in with the Martins?
Mrs. OSWALD. I think it was in the first month. I don't remember which
day it was, though.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you recall whether you first told Robert about it some
time in January of this year?
Mrs. OSWALD. I think it was earlier than that, early in December.
Perhaps in the beginning of January, but I think it was before New
Year's.
Mr. RANKIN. If Robert has stated that it was on a Sunday, January 12 of
this year, do you think he is in error then?
Mrs. OSWALD. I don't think that Robert would make a mistake. I might
make a mistake myself but I don't think he would make a mistake because
he doesn't have quite as many, because he has not been in contact
with quite as many of these events and doesn't have quite as much to
remember as I have. And in general, I have a bad memory for figures.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you discuss the Nixon incident at anytime with Mr.
Thorne or Mr. Martin, your agent?
Mrs. OSWALD. I told Martin about it but I don't think I told Thorne
about it, and if Thorne learned about it it must have been from Martin.
Mr. RANKIN. You just related how you told Mr. Martin about it and the
occasion in your testimony a moment ago; is that right?
Mrs. OSWALD. I am certain that these were the circumstances in which I
told Martin about this. Whether or not the--it's possible I was just
talking with Martin and his wife about Lee and it just came into my
mind and I don't remember whether Robert was there or not, or whether I
told Robert later.
Mr. RANKIN. Did anyone at anytime advise you or tell you not to tell
the Commission about this incident?
Mrs. OSWALD. Martin told me that it is not necessary to mention this.
But when they were asking me here in the Commission whether I had
anything to add to my testimony, I really forgot about it. When Martin
and I were talking about it he said, "Well, try not to think about
these things too much."
Mr. RANKIN. Did he say anything about why it wasn't necessary to tell
about this incident?
Mrs. OSWALD. I don't remember. I don't think he told me why. Maybe
he told me and I just didn't understand because I didn't understand
English very well.
Mr. RANKIN. When you were telling about the Nixon incident you referred
to your husband's sadistic streak. Do you recall that?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. Can you tell us a little more about that, how it showed?
Mrs. OSWALD. Anytime I did something which didn't please him he would
make me sit down at a table and write letters to the Russian Embassy
stating that I wanted to go back to Russia. He liked to tease me and
torment me in this way. He knew that this--he just liked to torment
me and upset me and hurt me, and he used to do this especially if I
interfered in any of his political affairs, in any of his political
discussions. He made me several times write such letters.
Mr. DULLES. I have just one question: What did you or your husband do
with these letters that you wrote? Did any of them get mailed or did
they all get destroyed?
Mrs. OSWALD. He kept carbons of these letters but he sent the letters
off himself.
Mr. DULLES. To the Russian Embassy?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes; he didn't give me any money to buy stamps. I never
had any pocket money of my own.
Mr. RANKIN. But the letters to the Embassy you are referring to are
actual letters and requested--requests--they weren't practice letters
or anything of that kind to punish you, were they?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes; they were real letters. I mean if my husband didn't
want me to live with him any longer and wanted me to go back, I would
go back, not because I wanted to go back but I didn't have any choice.
Mr. RANKIN. I misunderstood you then because I thought you were
describing the fact that he made you write letters as a part of this
sadistic streak that would never be sent but what he actually did was
have you prepare the letters and then he proceeded to send them, is
that your testimony?
Mrs. OSWALD. He did send them and he really wanted this. He knew that
this hurt me.
Mr. RANKIN. Those are the letters to the Russian Embassy we have
introduced in evidence in connection with your testimony; is that right?
Mrs. OSWALD. Yes; those are the letters.
Representative FORD. Did he ever show you replies to those letters?
Mrs. OSWALD. At first--yes; there were. At first I didn't believe that
he was sending off those letters.
Representative FORD. But you did see the replies?
Mrs. OSWALD. I received answers from the embassy.
Mr. RANKIN. Now, I will turn to another subject, Mrs. Oswald.
Mr. DULLES. Would you like to have a 5-minute recess? We will proceed.
Mr. RANKIN. Now, Mrs. Oswald, I would like to ask you about the Irving
Gun Shop in Dallas.
Mrs. OSWALD. The what? I don't know anything about this at all.
Mr. RANKIN. Your counsel tells me I should correct that, that Irving
is not a part of Dallas. It is the city of Irving. A witness has said
that you and your two children and your husband came into a furniture
shop asking the location of a gunshop in that area in Irving, and after
appearing there that you and your husband, with your husband driving
the car, along with your two children, got in the car and went up the
street in the direction of where the gunshop was. Did you recall any
incident of that kind?
Mrs. OSWALD. This is just a complete fabrication. Lee never drove a car
with me. Only Ruth Paine drove a car with me. And I never took my baby
with me.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you ever go into such a furniture store in Irving?
Mrs. OSWALD. Never.
Mr. RANKIN. That you recall?
Mrs. OSWALD. I was only twice in a store in Irving where they sell,
like a cafe, where you can buy something to eat and where they sell
toys and clothes and things like that; a little bit like a Woolworths,
a one-story shop but without any furniture in it.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you know a Mrs. Whitworth who works in a furniture store
in Irving?
Mrs. OSWALD. I was never in Irving in any furniture store.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you know a Mrs. Whitworth?
Mrs. OSWALD. It is the first time I have ever heard that name.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you know a Mrs. Hunter, a friend of Mrs. Whitworth?
Mrs. OSWALD. No.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you ever go on a trip with your husband to have a
telescopic lens mounted on a gun at a gunshop?
Mrs. OSWALD. Never. No; this is all not true. In the first place,
my husband couldn't drive, and I was never alone with him in a car.
Anytime we went in a car it was with Ruth Paine, and there was
never--we never went to any gun store and never had any telescopic lens
mounted.
Mr. RANKIN. Did the four of you, that is, your husband, you, and your
two children, ever go alone any place in Irving?
Mrs. OSWALD. In Irving the baby was only 1 month old. I never took her
out anywhere.