Mrs. VOSHININ. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Before this last Haiti trip?
Mrs. VOSHININ. I believe so; yes; I don't remember very well; yes.
You know, when he went to Haiti to rest after his walking trip, we did
not get any cards from him then. But before that and then after they
moved to Haiti we did.
Mr. JENNER. You did get cards?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Yes; uh-huh.
Mr. JENNER. You were aware of his departing for Haiti on this present
sojourn of his?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Oh, yes; quite.
Mr. JENNER. Tell us about that. When you first learned of it, what he
said, what she said, and then his departure.
Mrs. VOSHININ. A few months before their departure, he told us that he
is working on getting a job with Haiti and that--I understood--that
foreign aid money was involved there and this was connected with
the State Department again. It was not just invitation of the Haiti
Government.
And he worked on that for a few months, and he was traveling quite a
lot.
Mr. JENNER. Back and forth to Haiti?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Not to Haiti. I don't know where. Because sometimes he
won't even mention where he goes, just when--or sometimes on business
trips.
Then, he went to Haiti to arrange the trip. He came back and he brought
from Haiti a newspaper in which--French newspaper--in French--and it
stated there about the survey which was given to De Mohrenschildt & Co.
I don't know who the company is. And he brought also some statement
from the bank he was showing that he had some money deposited there. It
wasn't a statement. It was a letter from the bank saying that $20,000
was deposited in his name at that particular bank, and I understand it
was by Haitian Government. That's what it was--as far as I remember.
Then, he said that he would like very much to invest some of his money
in sisal plantation--[spelling] s-i-s-a-l. You know, making in rope.
Mr. JENNER. Yes; you use sisal to make rope.
Mrs. VOSHININ. And I asked him whether he was going just to manage
sisal plantations or not, because he was mentioning them all the time.
He says, "No; I want to invest some money into that."
And I understood that his intention was to settle down in Haiti. It's
possible, you know. He was looking for some country for some longer
time to settle down and live in that country. He was considering Costa
Rica because he was there on his walking trip and he liked it very
much. And then he decided that Haiti would be very nice place to settle
down, also.
Mr. JENNER. This walking trip down through Mexico and Central and South
America, that was kind of a dangerous business, wasn't it?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Yes, I think so. And she said she was very ill on that
trip.
Mr. JENNER. She was?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Uh-huh.
Mr. JENNER. In these movies, how were they dressed?
Mrs. VOSHININ. According to the film, he was wearing shorts and she
was wearing very torn dress--which looked like that Tarzan lady on the
films, you know.
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mrs. VOSHININ. And some of the pictures were her with scarcely anything
on [laughing], with very little dress on.
Mr. JENNER. Did you get the impression that this was deliberate because
they were apprehensive that they might be attacked as they walked?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Robbed, you mean.
Mr. JENNER. Yes; robbed.
Mrs. VOSHININ. No, I thought it was more practical--because the
branches scratch and tear your clothing, and, you know, less clothing
you have always it is the better. However, they were traveling with a
mule which probably would be considered by Southern American robbers
as valuable thing. So, they could have been robbed. In fact, they were
attacked at night once and had to shoot it off. You know, they were
shooting.
But, they were very poorly dressed because Jeanne told me that they
were taken in the cities for paupers--they were mistaken for paupers,
and people would lend them money.
Mr. JENNER. Give them pesos?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Yes [laughing].
Mr. JENNER. All of which, I am sure, Mr. De Mohrenschildt enjoyed
thoroughly?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Tremendously [laughing].
Mr. JENNER. Now, if you can remember any more, I wish you would tell us
about De Mohrenschildt's comments with respect to the Oswalds and the
impressions that you gained of the Oswalds--as to how they got along
whether he treated her well or poorly?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Oswalds--his wife?
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mrs. VOSHININ. Treated very poorly. Because De Mohrenschildt told
us that he was beating her. Then, she ran away from him and De
Mohrenschildt tried to help her, you know, to settle down and to
separate somehow, but then, they reconciliated. And after the
reconciliation, Jeanne mentioned twice that Marina had blue eyes--was
beaten again, you know.
Mr. JENNER. Black and blue eyes?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Yes.
Mr. JENNER. Was anything said, that you can recall, of either of them
returning to Russia?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Either of whom?
Mr. JENNER. Either of the Oswalds?
Mrs. VOSHININ. Returning to Russia? No; I don't remember. No; I don't
think so.
Mr. JENNER. No mention of the fact--if it was a fact--that Oswald
wanted Marina to return to Russia?
Mrs. VOSHININ. No; I never heard that.
Mr. JENNER. Or, that they both desired to return to Russia?
Mrs. VOSHININ. No; I never heard that.