Mr. LIEBELER. How do you spell that?
Mrs. MELLER. Steed [spelling], from oilman, wife.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did either Oswald or Marina at any time that you knew
them tell you or say in your hearing what kind of a job Oswald had
while he was in Russia?
Mrs. MELLER. Oh, my goodness, yes; he mentioned something but,
something--how to explain--something that you have with machinery. I
mean something to fix like hard--just like hardware store, something
with those things. I think it was a dirty job. Not exactly locks but
some kind of job in factory with screws and some gauges, I think is
kind of work he did but I am very sorry I never was listening real good.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he tell you how much he was paid at the job?
Mrs. MELLER. I don't recall; I just did not pay much attention. I know
he was having a pretty good room there.
Mr. LIEBELER. What did he tell you about that?
Mrs. MELLER. That he was having good room and something--maybe I am not
right, sir, I am afraid to say, like $80 month.
Mr. LIEBELER. Eighty rubles?
Mrs. MELLER. Eighty rubles a month.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he say or indicate he received help from the Red
Cross or any other phase of the Embassy?
Mrs. MELLER. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. As far as you know any money he ever received in Russia
is from his job, is that correct?
Mrs. MELLER. Yes; and I am not clear here because I may have heard
something and never paid much attention.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he ever mention anything about hunting trips he used
to go on in Russia?
Mrs. MELLER. Something he said one time that he went with some Russian
boys, probably young people, hunting one time, I think he mentioned and
it was something like duckhunting, something like that.
Mr. LIEBELER. To the best of your recollection, he said that he only
went on one hunting trip?
Mrs. MELLER. I mean I heard him saying one time that, just sort
mention; he will not go in any detail anywhere I think as much as I
know him.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he tell you or did Marina tell you about the
circumstances under which Marina and Lee met and became married in
Russia?
Mrs. MELLER. Just far away rumors like I cannot imagine because I am
not clear with that. It is so far away and so unclear I am afraid to
let you know but in short, I think Marina said she met him at somewhere
at a dancing place.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did Marina tell you that she had lived in Leningrad for
awhile?
Mrs. MELLER. I think she was born there and lived some time and then
was in Minsk.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did she tell you why she moved from Leningrad to Minsk?
Mrs. MELLER. No; never asked much.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did Oswald ever tell you why he decided to return to the
United States?
Mrs. MELLER. I do not remember.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he speak of any difficulties that he had in returning
to the United States, that you remember?
Mrs. MELLER. No; I will not say; it was mentioned Embassy and that
Embassy even decided to help with the money. That was all I think I
remember.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did Oswald ever express any dislike toward the State
Department or the Embassy because they delayed his return to the United
States?
Mrs. MELLER. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he ever express any hostility toward the U.S.
Government, that you can remember?
Mrs. MELLER. I will not say. I just do not recall. He never said too
much is what I say.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever hear him speak of President Kennedy?
Mrs. MELLER. No, never.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he ever speak of Governor Connally?
Mrs. MELLER. No.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he appear to you to be a dangerous person at the time
that you knew him in the sense that he would become violent?
Mrs. MELLER. Not exactly dangerous but he would look ridiculous in
ways. He was some kind of strange person; you cannot talk to him. You
could not find two sentences that will go without difficulties. He will
always say something against--some way.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever get the impression as to whether Oswald was
well liked when he was in Russia or was he unpopular when he was in
Russia, do you know?
Mrs. MELLER. My personal opinion, this person could never be friendly
with anybody, very friendly, I mean. He was such a person that you
never can come near even if you want to.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did Marina ever tell you or give you any indication as to
why she married Lee Oswald?
Mrs. MELLER. That's quite a question--why she married Lee Oswald?
Mr. LIEBELER. Yes.
Mrs. MELLER. I don't remember what she said but I remember one sentence
which is even caught in my head that she said. She wished all her life
to have room of her own, is what she said after, you know; that she's
tired living not like a human living. She wanted to have piece of her
personal life and piece of her room just to her own. I remember her
expressing that very, very deeply.
Mr. LIEBELER. Now, do you remember that some time in the fall of 1962,
after the Oswalds had moved out of their apartment in Fort Worth that
Marina called you on the telephone one evening and told you that she
wanted to leave Oswald? Would you tell us about that?
Mrs. MELLER. Yes, yes, sir. It was in November, I think on certain
Monday about 10 in the evening, she will call me and say that her
husband beat her and she came out from the apartment and reached the
filling station and said the man--she did not have a penny of money,
and the good soul helped her to dial my number and she's talking to me
if she can come over my house. I was speechless because to this time I
even didn't know they were in Dallas. To understand, sir, we went to
Fort Worth two or three times to help Marina and then was for certain
period quiet and then I do not know how long, maybe 6 weeks, maybe
month, maybe 3 weeks and then I had this call. I said "Where are you?"
She said "In Dallas." Certainly, then my husband was at home; I came
to my husband and I asked him if we can take Marina. He did not want
to. We have one bedroom apartment and he said "Do not have very much
space." I like a maniac woman, started to beg and said "We have to help
poor woman; she's on the street with baby. We could not leave her like
that; we had our trouble and somebody helped us." My husband said "Okay
let her come. She said to me she did not have a penny of money. I said
"Take a taxi and come here and we will pay the way." So, about 11 or
10:40 she came over our house so like she was staying in light blouse
and skirt with baby on her hand, couple diapers and that was all; no
coat, no money, nothing.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did she appear to have been beaten up at that time; did
she have bruises?
Mrs. MELLER. She was very nervous; did not try to cry very much but you
can see she was shaking.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did she appear to be bruised?
Mrs. MELLER. I will not say exactly but she was out of herself.
Mr. LIEBELER. She seemed to be upset?
Mrs. MELLER. Nervous, upset and looked like--she did not cry exactly
and at me now but looks like she cried--her eyes.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did she tell you what she and Oswald had been arguing
about?
Mrs. MELLER. I do not remember. She said he beat her and I do not
remember asking really for what or something. I did not ask for
arguments, really, because it was so shocking and so unagreeable. I do
not think I went into detail.
Mr. LIEBELER. How long did Marina stay with you?
Mrs. MELLER. Marina stay, I think 1 week, 5 days at my home, something
like Monday until Friday and Friday she went to another family by the
name of Mr. Ford, Mr. and Mrs. Ford.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did Marina tell you any time during that week that she
stayed with you what she and Oswald had been arguing about and what
their difficulties were?
Mrs. MELLER. No, no; she did not say much. She mention that her husband
could not find proper jobs. They don't want to take him or he could not
find; she did not know herself very much. You can see without speaking
word of English I do not know what he could come home and tell her; I
cannot imagine. She said Lee could not find job and they are in trouble
and she did not say much. By the way, she was so skinny to this time
and so undernourished; look as skinny as she could be and she did not
feel good. She had pain everywhere in her body and looking at her I
decided to take her to doctor and let check her health a little bit.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you take her to the doctor?
Mrs. MELLER. So, I took her during this week she stay with me. I took
her to the G-y-n by the name Doctor Paul Wolff.
Mr. LIEBELER. W-o-l-f [spelling]?
Mrs. MELLER. Yes, W-o-l-f-f [spelling].
Mr. LIEBELER. W-o-l-f-f [spelling].
Mrs. MELLER. He give her examination and said in my presence, said
she's very undernourished and if she will not put at least 5 pounds
immediately she will have pain everywhere; that she is just weak and
need to eat better and mean she was not eating good at all. She had bad
appetite.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did Marina tell you how long she had been living in
Dallas?
Mrs. MELLER. I do not remember, sir, exactly.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you remember her saying anything about living in the
home of Elena Hall?
Mrs. MELLER. Elena Hall; yes.
Mr. LIEBELER. What did she tell you about that?
Mrs. MELLER. That Mrs. Hall was very good to her and she stayed there
probably about 3 weeks if not more.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did she tell you how long it had been since she lived in
Mrs. Hall's home?
Mrs. MELLER. Can you repeat that question?
Mr. LIEBELER. Yes; did she tell you how long it had been since she had
left Mrs. Hall's home? In other words, I want to know how long she had
been living in Dallas with Oswald.
Mrs. MELLER. No; I do not recall her saying. But may I go back?
Mr. LIEBELER. Yes.
Mrs. MELLER. It is time--thank you for remembering, helping me here.
It was the time between Fort Worth and our family and, in other words,
I think now like it is my recollection he lost a job in Fort Worth and
went to Dallas look for job. During this time Marina stay at Mrs. Hall
home for 3 or 4 weeks, if I am correct. It is not easy to remember,
really, and during this time we heard, I think he called on telephone
to us, Lee Harvey, and asked if we know something, if we can help him
with a job. In all time when we visited them in apartment in Fort
Worth and I heard from Marina that her husband may lose job pretty
soon, maybe next week or later because he was temporary there, just
like good soul, I say "You have to come to Dallas which is larger town
and maybe he find job." I did not say personally about George Bouhe
maybe he find job there, just mention in general. So he called and
ask if we can help him and again, as I repeat, for the sake of the
poor woman which could not speak word of English and her little baby,
I asked my husband. I was stupid enough to beg him to help to find job
for Lee Harvey in Dallas. Mr. Meller has a former friend with whom he
was working back at Harris but this time it was not Sanger-Harris. It
was just A. Harris store and he was working with certain Mrs. Helen
Cunningham. Later, Mrs. Cunningham left A. Harris and was working for
employment office in Dallas.
Mr. LIEBELER. The Texas Employment Commission?
Mrs. MELLER. Texas Employment Commission; so, I asked him and I said
"Your former friend, Mrs. Helen Cunningham, maybe she can find job for
him. Please ask her." He did not want to do it. He said just because I
ask him and begged him so much he called Mrs. Helen Cunningham; told
her we had a couple which arrived from Russia; she's Russian, and he
is American. They are not very long here and he is looking for job but
he made a note and he said, "Mrs. Cunningham, be careful and check him
because he came from Soviet Union." He said be careful so we would not
have any trouble and you understand, because we did not like they came
from Soviet Union and I do not know, however, we heard somebody mention
he was checked and Mrs. Cunningham said, "Don't worry, Mr. Meller; we
will try do right thing," and that was all when he called to us. He
came one time during this period without Marina for half hour to my
house. I give him sandwich and cup of tea and he went back to look for
jobs.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did he tell you at that time where he had been looking
for jobs?
Mrs. MELLER. He will not mention exactly. He was sleeping; I think he
was staying YMCA this time, living there and looking for job. He said
he has little piece of paper and some notices there.
Mr. LIEBELER. Names on them?
Mrs. MELLER. But he never go into detail, never, never, never. He will
mention but you will never find details out.
Mr. LIEBELER. Did you ever hear of any other place where Lee Oswald
stayed during this period other than the YMCA?
Mrs. MELLER. Never hear and when Marina Oswald later called me at
night, I was speechless that she was already in Dallas and we did not
know a word and when she mention name where she--they were living, I
did not have address. I did not know where they were living, how long
they are; they did not say a thing but I took her home, over my house
for 5 days.
Mr. LIEBELER. Then she went to Mrs. Ford's?
Mrs. MELLER. Then she went to Mrs. Ford's.
Mr. LIEBELER. Do you know how long she stayed there?
Mrs. MELLER. I believe 1 week, sir.