theoretical communism apparently dominated his stay at El Toro. He
was still withdrawn from most of his fellows, although his special
interests appear to have made him stand out more there than he had at
other posts and to have given him a source for conversation which he
had hitherto lacked.[A13-422] According to several of the witnesses,
names like “Ozzie Rabbit” still clung to him;[A13-423] others recalled
no nickname or only shortened versions of his real name.[A13-424] His
reading acquired direction; books like “Das Kapital” and Orwell’s
“Animal Farm” and “1984” are mentioned in the testimony concerning
this period.[A13-425] He played chess;[A13-426] according to one of
his opponents he chose the red pieces, expressing a preference for the
“Red Army.”[A13-427] He listened to classical music.[A13-428] For a
short time, he played on the squadron football team.[A13-429] According
to Donovan, who coached the team, Oswald was not very good; he lacked
team spirit and often tried to call the plays, which was not his
job.[A13-430] Delgado thought Oswald was a mediocre player.[A13-431]
Donovan did not know whether Oswald quit or was thrown off the
team.[A13-432] He spent most of his weekends alone, as he had at
Keesler, and did not leave the post as often as the other men.[A13-433]
Delgado once rode with him on the train to Los Angeles but separated
from him there; Oswald returned to the base after one night.[A13-434]
Delgado recalls that on another weekend Oswald accepted his invitation
to go to Tijuana: they stayed there for one night.[A13-435]
At the end of January 1959 and at the end of July, Oswald was given
his semiannual ratings, scoring 4.0 in conduct both times, and 4.0
and 4.2 in proficiency.[A13-436] (The July ratings were repeated in
September, when he was transferred from MACS-9 in preparation for his
discharge.)[A13-437] On March 9, he was promoted as of March 1, to the
rank of private, first class, for the second time.[A13-438] He took
a series of high school level general educational development tests
on March 23 and received an overall rating of “satisfactory.” His
best scores, in the 76th and 79th U.S. percentiles, were in English
composition and physical sciences; his worst was English literature, in
which he placed in the 34th percentile.[A13-439]
In the spring, Oswald applied to Albert Schweitzer College in
Churwalden, Switzerland, for admission to the spring term in 1960;
the application is dated March 19.[A13-440] Schweitzer is a small
school, which specializes in courses in religion, ethics, science,
and literature. He claimed a proficiency in Russian equal to 1
year of schooling[A13-441] and that he had completed high school
by correspondence with an average grade of 85 percent.[A13-442] He
listed philosophy, psychology, ideology, football, baseball, tennis
and stamp-collecting as special interests, and writing short stories
“on contemporary American life” as his vocational interest.[A13-443]
Jack London, Charles Darwin, and Norman Vincent Peale were listed
as favorite authors.[A13-444] He claimed membership in the YMCA
and the “A.Y.H. Association,” and said that he had participated in
a “student body movement in school” for the control of juvenile
delinquency.[A13-445] Asked to give a general statement of his reasons
for wanting to attend the college, he wrote:
In order to aquire a fuller understanding of that subject which
interest me most, Philosophy. To meet with Europeans who can
broaden my scope of understanding. To receive formal Education
by Instructers of high standing and character. To broaden my
knowlege of German and to live in a healty climate and Good
moral atmosphere.[A13-446]
On the basis of these representations, Oswald’s application was
approved by the college.[A13-447] He enclosed a registration fee of
$25 in a letter dated June 19, in which he said that he was “looking
forward to a fine stay.”[A13-448] Few of the other marines seem to have
known about this application. He told Delgado, however, that he planned
to attend a Swiss school to study psychology, and Delgado knew that
some application had been made.[A13-449] Another marine, Richard Call,
also knew something of his plans.[A13-450]
Oswald was obligated to serve on active duty until December 7,
1959 (the date having been adjusted to compensate for the period
of confinement),[A13-451] On August 17, he submitted a request for
a dependency discharge, on the ground that his mother needed his
support.[A13-452] The request was accompanied by an affidavit of Mrs.
Oswald and corroborating affidavits from an attorney, a doctor, and
two friends, attesting that she had been injured at work in December
1958, and was unable to support herself.[A13-453] Oswald had previously
made a voluntary allotment of part of his salary to his mother, under
which arrangement she received $40 in August, and had submitted an
application for a “Q” allotment (dependency allowance) in her behalf
of $91.30; one payment of the “Q” allotment, for the month of August,
was made in September.[A13-454] On August 28, the Wing Hardship or
Dependency Discharge Board recommended that Oswald’s request for a
discharge be approved;[A13-455] approval followed shortly.[A13-456]
On September 4, he was transferred from MACS-9 to the H. & H.
Squadron,[A13-457] and on September 11, he was released from active
duty and transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve, in which he was
expected to serve until December 8, 1962.[A13-458] He was assigned to
the Marine Air Reserve Training Command at the Naval Air Station in
Glenview, Ill.[A13-459]
Almost exactly 1 year later, on September 13, 1960, Oswald was given an
“undesirable discharge” from the Marine Corps Reserve,[A13-460] based
on:
reliable information which indicated that he had renounced his
U.S. citizenship with the intentions of becoming a permanent
citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Further,
that petitioner brought discredit to the Marine Corps through
adverse newspaper publicity, which was generated by the
foregoing action, and had thereby, in the opinion of his
commanding officer, proved himself unfit for retention in the
naval service.[A13-461]
SOVIET UNION
On September 4, the day on which he was transferred out of MACS-9 in
preparation for his discharge, Oswald had applied for a passport at
the Superior Court of Santa Ana, Calif. His application stated that
he planned to leave the United States on September 21 to attend the
Albert Schweitzer College and the University of Turku in Finland,
and to travel in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, England, France,
Germany, and Russia.[A13-462] The passport was routinely issued 6 days
later.[A13-463]
Oswald went directly home after his discharge, and arrived in
Fort Worth by September 14.[A13-464] He told his mother that he
intended to get a job on a ship or possibly in the “export-import
business.”[A13-465] If he stayed in Fort Worth, he said, he would be
able to earn only about $30 per week; on a ship, he would earn “big
money” and be able to send substantial amounts home.[A13-466] Three
days after he arrived in Fort Worth, he left for New Orleans.[A13-467]
While he was in Fort Worth he had registered his dependency discharge
and entry into the Marine Reserve at the Fort Worth Selective Service
Board,[A13-468] and visited his brother Robert and his family.[A13-469]
He also gave his mother $100.[A13-470]
On September 17, Oswald spoke with a representative of Travel
Consultants, Inc., a New Orleans travel bureau; he filled out a
“Passenger Immigration Questionnaire,” on which he gave his occupation
as “shipping export agent” and said that he would be abroad for 2
months on a pleasure trip. He booked passage from New Orleans to Le
Havre, France, on a freighter, the SS _Marion Lykes_, scheduled to sail
on September 18, for which he paid $220.75.[A13-471] On the evening of
September 17, he registered at the Liberty Hotel.[A13-472]
The _Marion Lykes_ did not sail until the early morning of September
20.[A13-473] Before its departure, Oswald wrote his mother a letter,
which was her last news of him until she read stories of his defection
in Fort Worth newspapers:
Dear Mother:
Well, I have booked passage on a ship to Europe, I would of
had to sooner or later and I think it’s best I go now. Just
remember above all else that my values are very different from
Robert’s or your’s. It is difficult to tell you how I feel,
Just remember this is what I must do. I did not tell you about
my plans because you could hardly be expected to understand.
I did not see aunt Lilian while I was here. I will write again
as soon as I land.
Lee[A13-474]
The _Marion Lykes_ carried only four passengers.[A13-475] Oswald shared
his cabin with Billy Joe Lord, a young man who had just graduated from
high school and was going to France to continue his education. Lord
testified that he and Oswald did not discuss politics but did have a
few amicable religious arguments, in which Oswald defended atheism.
Oswald was “standoffish,” but told Lord generally about his background,
mentioning that his mother worked in a drugstore in Fort Worth and that
he was bitter about the low wages which she received. He told Lord that
he intended to travel in Europe and possibly to attend school in Sweden
or Switzerland if he had sufficient funds.[A13-476] The other two
passengers were Lt. Col. and Mrs. George B. Church, Jr., who also found
Oswald unfriendly and had little contact with him. Oswald told them
that he had not liked the Marine Corps and that he planned to study
in Switzerland; they observed some “bitterness” about his mother’s
difficulties, but did not discuss this with him. No one on board
suspected that he intended to defect to Russia.[A13-477]
Oswald disembarked at Le Havre on October 8. He left for England that
same day, and arrived on October 9.[A13-478] He told English customs
officials in Southampton that he had $700 and planned to remain in the
United Kingdom for 1 week before proceeding to a school in Switzerland.
But on the same day, he flew to Helsinki, Finland, where he registered
at the Torni Hotel; on the following day, he moved to the Klaus Kurki
Hotel.[A13-479]
Oswald probably applied for a visa at the Russian consulate on October
12, his first business day in Helsinki.[A13-480] The visa was issued
on October 14. It was valid until October 20 and permitted him to take
one trip of not more than 6 days to the Soviet Union.[A13-481] He also
purchased 10 Soviet “tourist vouchers” which cost $30 apiece.[A13-482]
He left Helsinki by train on the following day, crossed the
Finnish-Russian border at Vainikkala, and arrived in Moscow on October
16.[A13-483]
He was met at the Moscow railroad station by a representative of
“Intourist,” the state tourist agency, and taken to the Hotel Berlin,
where he registered as a student.[A13-484] On the same day he met the
Intourist guide assigned to him during his stay in Russia, a young
woman named Rima Shirokova. They went sightseeing the next day. Almost
immediately he told her that he wanted to leave the United States and
become a citizen of the Soviet Union. According to Oswald’s “Historic
Diary,” she later told him that she had reported his statement to
Intourist headquarters, which in turn had notified the “Passport and
Visa Office” (probably the Visa and Registration Department of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs, the MVD[A13-485]). She was instructed
to help Oswald prepare a letter to the Supreme Soviet requesting that
he be granted citizenship. Oswald mailed such a letter that same
day.[A13-486] (The “Historic Diary” is Oswald’s handwritten account of
his life in Russia.[A13-487] The earlier entries were written after
the events which they describe; later, in Minsk, he probably kept a
contemporaneous record of his experiences.[A13-488] The Commission
has used the diary, which Oswald may have written with future readers
in mind, only as Oswald’s record of his private life and personal
impressions as he sought to present them and has relied wherever
possible on official documents, correspondence, and the testimony of
witnesses.)
The diary records that when Oswald told Rima Shirokova that he intended
to defect she was “flabbergassted,” but agreeed to help.[A13-489] She
was “politly sympathetic but uneasy” when he told her that he wanted
to defect because he was “a Communist, ect.”[A13-490] As an Intourist
guide, Rima toured parts of Moscow with Oswald in the next few days.
His primary concern, however, appeared to be his effort to become a
Soviet citizen, and she also aided him in his dealings with the Soviet
Government.[A13-491] He thought that Rima felt sorry for him and tried
to be a friend because he was “someth. new.”[A13-492] On his 20th
birthday, 2 days after he arrived in Russia, she gave him Dostoevski’s
“The Idiot,”[A13-493] in which she had written: “Dear Lee, Great
congratulations! Let all your dreams come true! 18.X 1959”[A13-494]
On October 19, Oswald was probably interviewed in his hotel room
by a man named Lev Setyayev, who said that he was a reporter for
Radio Moscow seeking statements from American tourists about their
impressions of Moscow,[A13-495] but who was probably also acting
for the KGB.[A13-496] Two years later, Oswald told officials at
the American Embassy that he had made a few routine comments to
Setyayev of no political significance. The interview with Setyayev
may, however, have been the occasion for an attempt by the KGB, in
accordance with regular practice, to assess Oswald or even to elicit
compromising statements from him; the interview was apparently never
broadcast.[A13-497] (As discussed in ch. VI of this report, the
Commission is aware that many of the Soviet officials with whom Oswald
came into contact were employees of the KGB, the agency which has
primary jurisdiction for the treatment of defectors.)
On the following day, Rima Shirokova told him that the “Pass. and
Visa Dept.” wanted to see him,[A13-498] and on the morning of October
21, he was interviewed by an official concerning his application
for citizenship. The official offered little information and no
encouragement; he told Oswald only that he would check to see if the
visa could be extended. Oswald returned to the Hotel Berlin.[A13-499]
That afternoon, he was notified that his visa had expired and that he
had to leave Moscow within 2 hours.[A13-500]
Oswald responded to the unfavorable decision by cutting himself
above his left wrist, in an apparent suicide attempt. Rima Shirokova
found him unconscious in his hotel room and had him taken to the
Botkinskaya Hospital. His diary states: “Poor Rimmea stays by my side
as interrpator (my Russian is still very bad) far into the night,
I tell her ‘Go home’ (my mood is bad) but she stays, she is ‘my
friend.’”[A13-501]
For 3 days Oswald was confined in the psychiatric ward of the
hospital. He was examined by a psychiatrist, who concluded that he
was not dangerous to other people and could be transferred to the
“somatic” department. Hospital records containing the results of the
examination[A13-502] state that Oswald came to Russia in order to
apply for citizenship, and that “in order to postpone his departure
he inflicted the injury upon himself.”[A13-503] They note that Oswald
understood some Russian and, presumably based on information which he
provided, that he had “graduated from a technical high school in radio
technology and radio electronics.”[A13-504] The record states: “He
claims he regrets his action. After recovering he intends to return to
his homeland.”[A13-505]
Oswald resented being in the psychiatric ward and told Rima Shirokova
that he wanted a transfer.[A13-506] She visited him at the hospital
frequently and his diary records that “only at this moment” did
he “notice [that] she is preety.”[A13-507] Another entry for the
hospital period says: “Afternoon I am visited by Roza Agafonova of
the hotel tourist office, who askes about my health, very beautiful,
excelant Eng., very merry and kind, she makes me very glad to be
alive.”[A13-508] These entries reflect an attitude gentler and
friendlier than his attitude before the suicide attempt, when he seemed
to be coldly concerned only with his status in Russia. Once Oswald
was out of the psychiatric ward, he found the hospital more pleasant.
The new ward, which he shared with 11 other patients, was “airy,” and
the food was good. His only complaint, according to his diary, was
that an “elderly American” patient was distrustful of him because he
had not registered at the American Embassy and because he was evasive
about the reasons for his presence in Moscow and confinement in the
hospital.[A13-509]
He was released from the hospital on October 28,[A13-510] and,
accompanied by Rima Shirokova, was driven to the Hotel Berlin in an
Intourist car. After he said goodby to Lyudmila Dmitrieva, head of
the Intourist office at the Berlin, and to Roza Agafonova, another
Intourist employee at the hotel, he checked out of the Berlin and
registered at the Metropole,[A13-511] a large hotel under the same
administration as the Berlin.[A13-512] The Government had undoubtedly
directed him to make the change. His visa had expired while he was in
the hospital, and his presence in Russia was technically illegal; he
had received no word that the decision that he must leave had been
reversed. Later that day, however, Rima told him that the “Pass and
Registration Office” wished to talk to him about his future.[A13-513]
According to the diary, when Oswald appeared at the office he was
asked whether he still wanted to become a Soviet citizen and he
replied that he did; he provided his Marine Corps discharge papers
for identification. He was told that he could not expect a decision
soon, and was dismissed. During this interview, Oswald was apparently
questioned about the interview which preceded his hospitalization,
which led him to conclude that there had been no communication between
the two sets of officials.[A13-514] That evening he met Rima, on whom
he vented his frustration at being put off by the authorities.[A13-515]
Oswald ate only once on the following day; he stayed near the
telephone, fully dressed and ready to leave immediately if he were
summoned. He remained in his room for 3 days, which seemed to him “like
three years,”[A13-516] until October 31, when he decided to act. He
met Rima Shirokova at noon and told her that he was impatient, but did
not say what he planned to do; she cautioned him to stay in his room
“and eat well.”[A13-517] She left him after a short while and, a few
minutes later, he took a taxi to the American Embassy, where he asked
to see the consul. (See Commission Exhibits Nos. 24, 912, 913, pp. 264,
263, 261.) When the receptionist asked him first to sign the tourist
register, he laid his passport on the desk and said that he had come
to “dissolve his American citizenship.” Richard E. Snyder, the Second
Secretary and senior consular official,[A13-518] was summoned, and he
invited Oswald into his office.[A13-519]
Oswald’s meeting with Snyder, at which Snyder’s assistant, John A.
McVickar, was also present, is more fully discussed in appendix XV to
the Commission’s report. Oswald declared that he wanted to renounce his
American citizenship; he denounced the United States and praised the
Government of the Soviet Union. Over Oswald’s objections, Snyder sought
to learn something of Oswald’s motives and background and to forestall
immediate action. Oswald told him that he had already offered to tell a
Soviet official what he had learned as a radar operator in the Marines.
The interview ended when Snyder told Oswald that he could renounce his
citizenship on the following Monday, 2 days later, if he would appear
personally to do so. During the interview, Oswald handed to Snyder a
note[A13-520] which suggests that he had studied and sought to comply
with section 349 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which provides
for loss of American citizenship.[A13-521] The note contains paragraphs
which read like inartistic attempts to cast off citizenship in three
of the ways specified by the statute. The attempts failed but there is
no reason to doubt that they were sincere. Snyder has testified that
he believed that Oswald would immediately have formally renounced his
citizenship had he been permitted to do so.[A13-522]
The interview lasted for less than an hour. Oswald returned to his
hotel angry about the delay but “elated” by the “showdown” and sure
that he would be permitted to remain after his “sign of * * * faith”
in the Russians.[A13-523] Soon after he returned to the hotel, he was
approached by A. I. Goldberg, a reporter for the Associated Press,
whom the Embassy had told about Oswald’s actions. Oswald refused to
speak to him.[A13-524] He answered a few questions for two other
reporters, R. J. Korengold and Miss Aline Mosby, but again refused to
be interviewed.[A13-525] Thereafter, the news services made repeated
unsuccessful attempts to interview him, which he thought was an
indirect form of pressure from the Embassy to return to the United
States.[A13-526]
On the day after Oswald’s meeting with Snyder, his family read in
the newspapers about his appearance at the Embassy and tried to
contact him. Mrs. Oswald testified that she was shocked at her son’s
decision to defect but respected his motives for doing so; later
she suspected that he had been forcibly removed to Russia.[A13-527]
She placed a telephone call to him,[A13-528] but he either refused
to speak to her[A13-529] or cut her off very quickly.[A13-530] So
too, on November 2, he rejected the Embassy’s efforts to deliver or
read on the telephone a telegram from his brother Robert.[A13-531] A
call from Robert was either canceled before it was completed or was
refused.[A13-532] Robert’s telegram, along with a message asking Oswald
to contact him immediately, which Robert had asked the State Department
to deliver,[A13-533] was finally sent to Oswald from the Embassy by
registered mail.[A13-534]
A few days later, the Embassy received a letter from Oswald dated
November 3 which requested that his citizenship be revoked.[A13-535]
The letter stated that he had appeared at the Embassy “for the purpose
of signing the formal papers to this effect” and protested against
the “conduct of the official” who had refused him “this legal right.”
Oswald noted that his application for Soviet citizenship was pending
and said that if it were granted he would ask the Soviet Government “to
lodge a formal protest” on his behalf.[A13-536] The Embassy replied on
November 9 that Oswald could renounce his citizenship by appearing at
the Embassy and executing the necessary papers.[A13-537]
Oswald’s diary describes the period from November 2 to November 15,
during which he continued to isolate himself, as “days of utter
loneliness.”[A13-538] On November 8, he wrote to his brother:
Dear Robert
Well, what shall we talk about, the weather perhaps? Certainly
you do not wish me to speak of my decision to remain in the
Soviet Union and apply for citizenship here, since I’m afraid
you would not be able to comprehend my my reasons. You really
dont know anything about me. Do you know for instance that I
have waited to do this for well over a year, do you know that
I * * * [phrase in Russian] speak a fair amount of Russian
which I have been studing for many months.
I have been told that I will not _have_ to leave the Soviet
Union if I do not care to. this than is my decision. I will not
leave this country, the Soviet Union, under any conditions, I
will never return to the United States which is a country I
hate.
Someday, perhaps soon, and than again perhaps in a few years,
I will become a citizen of the Soviet Union, but it is a very
legal process, _in any event_, I will not have to leave the
Soviet Union and I will never * * * [word missing].
I recived your telegram and was glad to hear from you, only one
word bothered me, the word “mistake.” I assume you mean that
I have made a “mistake” it is not for you to tell me that you
cannot understand my reasons for this very action.
I will not speak to anyone from the United States over the
telephone since it may be taped by the Americans.
If you wish to corespond with me you can write to the below
address, but I really don’t see what we could take about if you
want to send me money, that I can use, but I do not expect to
be able to send it back.
Lee[A13-539]
Oswald’s statement that he had been told that he could remain in Russia
was not true. According to his diary, he was not told until later
that he could remain even temporarily in Russia,[A13-540] and only in
January was he told that he could remain indefinitely.[A13-541] The
Embassy tried to deliver a typed copy of a telegram from his brother
John on November 9; Oswald refused to answer the knock on his door, and
the message was then sent to him by registered mail.[A13-542]
Toward the end of this waiting period, probably on November 13, Aline
Mosby succeeded in interviewing Oswald.[A13-543] A reporter for United
Press International, she had called him on the telephone and was told
to come right over, Oswald’s explanation being that he thought she
might “understand and be friendly” because she was a woman.[A13-544]
She was the first person who was not a Soviet citizen to whom he
granted an interview since his meeting with Snyder at the Embassy on
October 31. Miss Mosby found him polite but stiff; she said that he
seemed full of confidence, often showing a “small smile, more like a
smirk,” and that he talked almost “non-stop.” Oswald said to her that
he had been told that he could remain in the Soviet Union and that job
possibilities were being explored; they thought it probably would be
best, he said, to continue his education. He admitted that his Russian
was bad but was confident that it would improve rapidly. He based his
dislike for the United States on his observations of racial prejudice
and the contrast between “the luxuries of Park Avenue and workers’
lives on the East Side,” and mentioned his mother’s poverty; he said
that if he had remained in the United States he too would have become
either a capitalist or a worker. “One way or another,” he said, “I’d
lose in the United States. In my own mind, even if I’d be exploiting
other workers. That’s why I chose Marxist ideology.”
Oswald told his interviewer that he had been interested in Communist
theory since he was 15, when “an old lady” in New York handed him “a
pamphlet about saving the Rosenbergs.” But when Mosby asked if he
were a member of the Communist Party he said that he had never met a
Communist and that he “might have seen” one only once, when he saw
that “old lady.” He told her that while he was in the Marine Corps
he had seen American imperialism in action, and had saved $1,500 in
secret preparation for his defection to Russia. His only apparent
regrets concerned his family: his mother, whom he had not told of his
plans, and his brother, who might lose his job as a result of the
publicity.[A13-545]
The interview lasted for about 2 hours. According to Oswald’s own
account, he exacted a promise from Miss Mosby that she would show
him the story before publication but she broke the promise; he found
the published story to contain distortions of his words.[A13-546]
Miss Mosby’s notes indicate that he called her to complain of the
distortions, saying in particular that his family had not been
“poverty-stricken” and that his defection was not prompted by personal
hardship but that was “a matter only of ideology.”[A13-547]
According to the diary, Oswald was told in mid-November that he could
remain temporarily in Russia “until some solution was found with what
to do” with him.[A13-548] Armed with this “comforting news,”[A13-549]
he granted a second interview, again to a woman, on November
16.[A13-550] Miss Priscilla Johnson of the North American Newspaper
Alliance knocked on the door of his room at the Metropole, and Oswald
agreed to come to her room at the hotel that evening. This interview
lasted about 5 hours, from 9 p.m. until about 2 in the morning. During
the interview he frequently mentioned the fact that he would be able
to remain in Russia, which gave him great pleasure, but he also showed
disappointment about the difficulties standing in the way of his
request for Soviet citizenship. He repeated most of the information
he had given Aline Mosby and again denied having been a member of the
Communist Party or even ever having seen a Communist in the United
States. When Miss Johnson asked him to specify some of the socialist
writers whose works he had read during the past 5 years, he could name
only Marx and Engels; the only title he could recall was “Das Kapital.”
They talked for a long while about Communist economic theory, which
Miss Johnson thought was “his language”; she became convinced that his
knowledge of the subject was very superficial.[A13-551] He commented
that the Russians treated his defection as a “legal formality,” neither
encouraging nor discouraging it.[A13-552] When she suggested that if
he really wished to renounce his American citizenship he could do so
by returning to the Embassy, he said that he would “never set foot
in the Embassy again,” since he was sure that he would be given the
“same run-around” as before. He seemed to Miss Johnson to be avoiding
effective renunciation, consciously or unconsciously, in order to
preserve his right to reenter the United States.[A13-553]
For the rest of the year, Oswald seldom left his hotel room where he
had arranged to take his meals, except perhaps for a few trips to
museums. He spent most of his time studying Russian, “8 hours a day”
his diary records. The routine was broken only by another interview at
the passport office; occasional visits from Rima Shirokova; lessons in
Russian from her and other Intourist guides; and a New Year’s visit
from Roza Agafonova, who gave him a small “Boratin” clown as a New
Year’s present.[A13-554] He replied to a letter from Robert in a letter
quoted at length in chapter VII of this report, which contains his most
bitter statements against the United States.[A13-555] Robert received
a third letter on December 17, in which Oswald said that he would
not write again and did not wish Robert to write to him. The letter
concluded:
I am starting a new life and I do not wish to have anything to
do with the old life.
I hope you and your family will always be in good health.
Lee[A13-556]
His mother mailed him a personal check for $20 dated December 18. It
was returned to her on January 5 with the notation that he could not
“use this check, of course”; he asked her to send him $20 in cash and
added that he had little money and needed “the rest,” presumably a
reference to the $100 he had given her in September. Mrs. Oswald later
sent him a money order for about $25.[A13-557]
On January 4, Oswald was summoned to the Soviet Passport Office and
given Identity Document for Stateless Persons No. 311479.[A13-558] He
was told that he was being sent to Minsk,[A13-559] an industrial city
located about 450 miles southwest of Moscow and with a population in
1959 of about 510,000.[A13-560] His disappointment that he had not been
granted Soviet citizenship was balanced by relief that the uncertainty
was ended; he told Rima Shirokova that he was happy.[A13-561] On the
following day, he went to a Government agency which the Russians call
the “Red Cross”; it gave him 5,000 rubles (about 500 new rubles, or
$500 at the official exchange rate).[A13-562] He used 2,200 rubles to
pay his hotel bill and 150 rubles to purchase a railroad ticket to
Minsk.[A13-563]
Oswald arrived in Minsk on January 7. He was met at the station by two
“Red Cross” workers who took him to the Hotel Minsk. Two Intourist
employees, both of whom spoke excellent English, were waiting for
him.[A13-564] One of them, a young woman named Roza Kuznetsova, became
his close friend and attended his 21st birthday party in October
1960.[A13-565] (See Commission Exhibit No. 2609, p. 271.) On the
following day, Oswald met the “Mayor,” who welcomed him to Minsk,
promised him a rent-free apartment, and warned him against “uncultured
persons” who sometimes insulted foreigners.[A13-566]
Oswald reported for work at the Belorussian Radio and Television
Factory on January 13.[A13-567] Two days earlier he had visited the
factory and met Alexander Ziger, a Polish Jew who had emigrated to
Argentina in 1938 and went to Russia in 1955. Ziger was a department
head at the factory; he spoke English, and he and his family became
good friends of Oswald and corresponded with him after his return
to the United States.[A13-568] The factory, a major producer of
electronic parts and systems, employed about 5,000 persons.[A13-569]
Oswald’s union card described him as a “metal worker”;[A13-570] Marina
testified that he fashioned parts on a lathe.[A13-571] As Oswald later
described it, the shop in which he worked, called the “experimental
shop,”[A13-572] employed 58 workers and 5 foremen. It was located in
the middle part of the factory area in a 2-story building made of
red brick. The workday began at 8 o’clock sharp. Work was assigned
according to “pay levels,” which were numbered from one to five plus a
top “master” level. A worker could ask to be tested for a higher level
at any time.[A13-573]
Oswald had hoped to continue his education in Russia, and was
disappointed by his assignment to a factory.[A13-574] His salary varied
from 700 to perhaps as high as 900 rubles per month ($70-$90).[A13-575]
Although high compared with the salaries of certain professional groups
in Russia, which in some areas have not grown proportionately with
the wages of factory workers,[A13-576] his salary was normal for his
type of work.[A13-577] It was supplemented, however, by 700 rubles
per month, which he received from the “Red Cross,” and, according
to Oswald, his total income was about equal to that of the director
of the factory.[A13-578] In August he applied for membership in the
union;[A13-579] he became a dues-paying member in September.[A13-580]
Undoubtedly more noteworthy to most Russians than his extra income
was the attractive apartment which Oswald was given in March 1959. It
was a small flat with a balcony overlooking the river,[A13-581] for
which he paid only 60 rubles a month.[A13-582] (See Commission Exhibit
No. 2606, p. 271.) Oswald describes it in his diary as “a Russian
dream.”[A13-583] Had Oswald been a Russian worker, he would probably
have had to wait for several years for a comparable apartment, and
would have been given one even then only if he had a family.[A13-584]
The “Red Cross” subsidy and the apartment were typical of the favorable
treatment which the Soviet Union has given defectors.[A13-585]
Oswald’s diary records that he enjoyed his first months in Minsk.
His work at the factory was easy and his coworkers were friendly and
curious about life in the United States; he declined an invitation
to speak at a mass meeting. He took Roza Kuznetsova, his interpreter
and language teacher,[A13-586] to the theater, a movie, or an opera
almost every night, until he moved into his apartment and temporarily
lost contact with her. He wrote in his diary, “I’m living big and am
very satisfied.”[A13-587] In March or April, he met Pavel Golovachev,
a co-worker at the factory, whom Oswald described as intelligent and
friendly and an excellent radio technician. (See Commission Exhibit No.
2609, p. 271.) Oswald helped Golovachev with English.[A13-588] They
became friends,[A13-589] and corresponded after Oswald returned to the
United States until at least as late as September 1963.[A13-590]
The spring and summer passed easily and uneventfully. There were
picnics and drives in the country, which Oswald described as “green
beauty.”[A13-591] On June 18, he obtained a hunting license and soon
afterward purchased a 16-gage single-barrel shotgun. His hunting
license identifies him as “Aleksy Harvey Oswald.” (He was called
“Alec” by his Russian friends, because “Lee” sounded foreign to them
and was difficult for them to pronounce.)[A13-592] He joined a local
chapter of the Belorussian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, a hunting
club sponsored by his factory, and hunted for small game in the farm
regions around Minsk about half a dozen times in the summer and fall.
The hunters spent the night in small villages and often left their bag
with the villagers; Oswald described the peasant life which he saw as
crude and poor.[A13-593] Sometime in June, he met Ella German, a worker
at the factory, of whom he later said he “perhaps fell in love with
her the first minute” he saw her.[A13-594] (See Commission Exhibit No.
2609, p. 271.)
At the same time, however, the first signs of disillusionment with
his Russian life appeared. He noted in his diary that he felt “uneasy
inside” after a friend took him aside at a party and advised him to
return to the United States.[A13-595] Another entry compared life in
Minsk with military life:
I have become habituatated to a small cafe which is where I
dine in the evening. The food is generaly poor and always
eactly the same, menue in any cafe, at any point in the city.
The food is cheap and I don’t really care about quiality after
three years in the U.S.M.C.[A13-596]
In an entry for August-September, he wrote that he was becoming
“increasingly concious of just what sort of a sociaty” he lived
in.[A13-597]
He spent New Year’s Day at the home of Ella German and her family. They
ate and drank in a friendly atmosphere, and he was “drunk and happy”
when he returned home. During the walk back to his apartment he decided
to ask Ella to marry him. On the following night, after he had brought
her home from the movies, he proposed on her doorstep. She rejected
him, saying that she did not love him and that she was afraid to marry
an American. She said that the Polish intervention in the 1920’s had
led to the arrest of all people in the Soviet Union of Polish origin
and she feared that something similar might happen to Americans some
day. Oswald was “too stunned to think,” and concluded that she had gone
out with him only because she was envied by the other girls for having
an American as an escort.[A13-598] But in one of the entries in the
diary he appears to have attributed her failure to love him to “a state
of fear which was always in the Soviet Union.”[A13-599] His affection
for Ella German apparently continued for some time;[A13-600] he had his
last formal date with her in February and remained on friendly terms
with her as long as he was in Russia.[A13-601]
After he returned to the United States, Oswald often commented
on Russian life. He discussed the Soviet systems of public
education[A13-602] and medical care.[A13-603] He observed to
one acquaintance that everyone in Russia was trained to do
something,[A13-604] and discussed with another the system of regular
wage and salary increases.[A13-605] His most frequent criticisms
concerned the contrast between the lives of ordinary workers and the
lives of Communist Party members. He told an acquaintance in Dallas
that the working class in the Soviet Union made just about enough
to buy clothing and food and that only party members could afford
luxuries.[A13-606] On another occasion, he remarked that if he had had
as much money as some of the “managers,” he could have visited the
Black Sea resorts.[A13-607] He complained about the lack of freedom in
Russia;[A13-608] the lack of opportunity to travel;[A13-609] inadequate
housing;[A13-610] and the chronic scarcity of food products.[A13-611]
To one acquaintance, he observed that the party members were all
“opportunists,” who “shouted the loudest and made the most noise,” but
who were interested only in their own welfare.[A13-612]
He expressed similar views in a manuscript which he worked on in
Russia[A13-613] and probably intended to publish; soon after he
returned to the United States, he hired a stenographer to prepare a
typed draft from his notes.[A13-614] Oswald described the manuscript,
which amounted to 50 typed pages, as “a look into the lives of
work-a-day average Russians.”[A13-615]
The manuscript describes the factory in which Oswald worked and
suggests that political considerations of which Oswald disapproved
dominated its operation. He attributed the lack of unemployment to the
shortage of labor-saving machinery and the heavy load of bureaucracy,
which kept “tons of paper work” flowing in and out of the factory and
required a high foreman-worker ratio.[A13-616] In addition, he wrote,
there was “a small army of examiners, committees, and supply checkers
and the quality-control board.”[A13-617]
He described life in Russia, including life at the factory, as centered
around the “Kollective.” The head of the Kollective in his shop,
Comrade Lebizen, saw to it that everyone maintained shop discipline,
attended party meetings, and received all the new propaganda as it
came out. He hung the walls of the shop with signs and slogans of the
Communist Party. Meetings of the Kollective were “so numerous as to be
staggering.” In a single month, there were scheduled one meeting of
the professional union, four political information meetings, two young
Communist meetings, one meeting of the production committee to discuss
ways of improving work, two Communist Party meetings, four meetings of
the “School of Communist Labor,” and one sports meeting. All but one
of them were compulsory for Communist Party members and all but three
were compulsory for everyone.[A13-618] (Marina Oswald testified that
her husband did not attend the courses in Marxism and Leninism given
in the factory for party members and those who wished to become party
members.)[A13-619] They were scheduled so as not to interfere with
work, and lasted anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours. Oswald said that
no one liked the meetings, which were accepted “philosophically”; at
the political meetings especially, everyone paid strict attention, and
party members were posted in the audience to watch for the slightest
sign that anyone’s attention might relax, even for a moment.[A13-620]
Oswald wrote that the “spontaneous” demonstrations on Soviet holidays
or for distinguished visitors were almost as well organized as the
Kollectivist meetings at the factory.[A13-621] He noted that elections
were supervised to ensure that everyone voted, and that they voted
for the candidates of the Communist Party. The manuscript touches
on other aspects of Soviet life--as the housing shortage and the
corruption which it evoked, the “rest-homes” where workers had their
vacations, television and the omni-present radio, and Russian reading
habits.[A13-622] This writing also may include only what Oswald thought
might be acceptable.
On January 4, 1961, I year after he had been issued his “stateless”
residence permit, Oswald was summoned to the passport office in Minsk
and asked if he still wanted to become a Soviet citizen. He replied
that he did not, but asked that his residence permit be extended for
another year.[A13-623] The entry in his diary for January 4-31 reads:
“I am stating to reconsider my disire about staying. The work is drab.
The money I get has nowhere to be spent. No nightclubs or bowling
allys, no places of recreation acept the trade union dances. I have had
enough.”[A13-624]
The American Embassy in Moscow had not heard from Oswald after it
received his letter of November 3, 1959.[A13-625] On February 13,
1961, it received an undated letter from him which had been mailed in
Minsk about a week earlier. He asked for the return of his passport
and stated that he wanted to return to the United States if he could
“come to some agreement [with the American Government] concerning the
dropping of any legal proceedings” against him. He noted that he had
not become a Soviet citizen and was living in Russia with “nonpermanent
type papers for a foreigner,” and said that he did not appear
personally because he could not leave Minsk without permission. The
letter concluded: “I hope that in recalling the responsibility I have
to America that you remember yours in doing everything you can to help
me, since I am an American citizen.”[A13-626] In this letter, Oswald
referred to a previous letter which he said had gone unanswered; there
is evidence that such a letter was never sent.[A13-627]
The Second Secretary, Richard Snyder, answered on February 28 that
Oswald would have to appear at the Embassy personally to discuss
his return to the United States.[A13-628] In the meantime, Oswald’s
mother, who in January had inquired at the Department of State about
his whereabouts,[A13-629] had been notified of his letter.[A13-630]
A second letter from Oswald, posted on March 5, reached the Embassy
on March 20; it reiterated that he was unable to leave Minsk without
permission and asked that “preliminary inquiries * * * be put in the
form of a questionnaire” and sent to him.[A13-631] His diary entry
for this period records his “state of expectation about going back to
the U.S.,” and adds that a friend had approved his plans but warned
him not to discuss them with others.[A13-632] (The Soviet authorities
had undoubtedly intercepted and read the correspondence between
Oswald and the Embassy and knew of his plans.[A13-633] Soon after the
correspondence began, his monthly payments from the “Red Cross” were
cut off.)[A13-634] Having informed Washington,[A13-635] the Embassy
wrote to Oswald on March 24, stating again that he would have to
come to Moscow.[A13-636] Later, the Department of State decided that
Oswald’s passport should be returned to him only if he appeared at
the Embassy for it and the Embassy was satisfied, after exploring the
matter with him, that he had not renounced his citizenship.[A13-637]
Sometime in the second week of March, Miss Katherine Mallory, who
was on tour in Minsk with the University of Michigan symphonic band,
found herself surrounded by curious Russian citizens. A young man who
identified himself as a Texan and former marine stepped out of the
crowd and asked if she needed an interpreter; he interpreted for her
for the next 15 or 20 minutes. Later he told her that he despised the
United States and hoped to stay in Minsk for the rest of his life. Miss
Mallory is unable to swear that her interpreter was Oswald, but is
personally convinced that it was he.[A13-638]
A few days later, probably on March 17, Oswald attended a trade union
dance with a friend, Erik Titovyets, at the Palace of Culture for
Professional Workers in Minsk.[A13-639] The dance followed a lecture
by a Russian woman who had recently returned from a trip to the United
States.[A13-640] Marina Nikolayevna Prusakova arrived too late to
hear the lecture[A13-641] but was at the dance. Oswald noticed her
and asked Yuriy Merezhinskiy, the son of the lecturer and a friend
of both Oswald and Marina, to introduce him to her. Oswald asked her
to dance. According to the diary, they liked each other immediately
and he obtained her telephone number before she left.[A13-642] Marina
testified that she told Oswald that she might see him at another
dance, but did not give him her telephone number.[A13-643] Oswald was
smitten.[A13-644]
Marina Prusakova was 19 years old when she met Oswald. (See
Commission Exhibit No. 1395, p. 270.) She was born on July 17,
1941, at Severodvinsk (formerly Molotovsk), Arkhangel Oblast’,
Russia.[A13-645] A few years later, her mother, Klavdiya Vasilievna
Prusakova, married Aleksandr Ivanovich Medvedev, who became the
only father Marina knew.[A13-646] While she was still a young girl,
Marina went to Arkhangel’sk, Arkhangel Oblast’, to live with her
maternal grandparents, Tatyana Yakovlevna Prusakova and Vasiliy
Prusakov. Her grandfather died when Marina was about 4 years old;
she continued to live with her grandmother for some time.[A13-647]
When she was not more than 7, she moved to Zguritva, Moldavian SSR
(formerly called Bessarabia) to live with her mother and stepfather,
who was an electrical worker.[A13-648] In 1952, the family moved to
Leningrad,[A13-649] where her stepfather obtained a job in a power
station.[A13-650] Marina testified that neither he nor her mother was a
member of the Communist Party.[A13-651]
In Leningrad, Marina attended the Three Hundred and Seventy-Fourth
Women’s School. After she had completed the seventh grade at the school
in 1955,[A13-652] she entered the Pharmacy Teknikum for special
training, which she had requested on the ground that her mother was ill
and Marina might need to have a specialty in order to support herself.
While she was at the Teknikum, she joined the Trade Union for Medical
Workers[A13-653] and, in her last year there, worked part time in the
Central Pharmacy in Leningrad. She graduated from the Teknikum with a
diploma in pharmacy in June 1959.
Marina’s mother had died in 1957, during Marina’s second year at the
Teknikum; she continued to live with her stepfather, but had little
contact with him. She testified that she did not get along with her
stepfather, whom she displeased by her fresh conduct; she said that
she was not easily disciplined[A13-654] and was a source of concern to
him.[A13-655] Because of the friction between them, Marina regarded her
childhood as an unhappy one.
After her graduation, Marina was assigned to a job preparing and
packing orders in a pharmaceutical warehouse in Leningrad; as a new
employee she had the right to leave this job within 3 days after the
assignment,[A13-656] and she did so after the first day. She took no
job for the next 2 months, at the end of which she went to live in
Minsk with an aunt and uncle, the Prusakovs, who had no children. She
had known them since she was a child and there was a mutual affection
between her and them.[A13-657] Her uncle, a member of the Communist
Party,[A13-658] was assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and
headed the local bureau concerned with lumber. The Prusakovs had one of
the best apartments in a building reserved for MVD employees.[A13-659]
Marina was 18 when she arrived in Minsk. She had had boyfriends in
Leningrad but was not interested in marriage. In October 1960 she
started work in the drug section of the Third Clinical Hospital where
she earned about 450 rubles per month;[A13-660] at about the same
time she became a member of the local Komsomol, the Communist youth
organization.[A13-661] Her friends were mostly students, whose social
life consisted of meeting in cafes to sip coffee, read newspapers,
gossip, and carry on discussions. The group of friends “ran together,”
and Marina did not attach herself to a particular boyfriend. She
enjoyed this life, which she had been leading for about 7 months
when she met Oswald at the dance at the Palace of Culture in March
1961.[A13-662]
When Marina met Oswald, she thought he was from one of the
Russian-speaking Baltic countries because he spoke with an accent;
later that same evening she learned that he was an American.[A13-663]
She met him again at another dance a week later.[A13-664] They danced
together most of the evening, at the end of which he walked home with
her. They arranged to meet again the following week.[A13-665] Before
the scheduled time, Oswald called to say that he was in the hospital
and that Marina should visit him there.[A13-666] Medical records
furnished to the Commission by the Russian Government show that
Oswald was admitted to the Clinical Hospital--Ear, Nose, and Throat
Division, on Thursday, March 30, 1961.[A13-667] Marina visited him
often,[A13-668] taking advantage of her uniform to visit him outside
regular visiting hours, which were only on Sunday.[A13-669] On Easter
Sunday, the first Sunday after his admission to the hospital, she
brought him an Easter egg.[A13-670] On a subsequent visit, he asked her
to be his fiancee, and she agreed to consider it.[A13-671] He left the
hospital on April 11.[A13-672]
During these visits, Marina apparently discussed with Oswald his
reasons for coming to Russia and his current status. According to
her later account, he told her that he had surrendered his American
documents to the Embassy in Moscow and had told American officials
that he did not intend to return to the United States. He did not say
definitely that he was no longer an American citizen, but said in
answer to a question about his citizenship that he could not return to
the United States.[A13-673]
Oswald visited Marina regularly at her aunt and uncle’s apartment;
they were apparently not disturbed by the fact that he was an American
and did not disapprove of her seeing him. He continued to ask her
to marry him and, according to her recollection, she accepted his
proposal on April 20;[A13-674] Oswald’s diary puts the date 5 days
earlier.[A13-675] Marina testified that she believed that Oswald could
not return to the United States when she agreed to marry him, and that
she had not married him in hope of going to the United States.[A13-676]
After filing notice of their intent to marry at the registrar,
obtaining the special consent necessary for an alien to marry a
citizen, and waiting the usual 10 days, they were married on April
30.[A13-677] The diary entry for the wedding day reads:
two of Marinas girl friends act as bridesmaids. We are married.
At her aunts home we have a dinner reception for about 20
friends and neboribos who wish us happiness (in spite of
my origin and accept [accent?] which was in general rather
disquiting to any Russian since for. are very rare in the
soviet Union even tourist. After an evening of eating and
drinking in which * * * [Marina’s uncle] started a fright
[fight?] and the fuse blow on an overloaded circite we take our
leave and walk the 15 minutes to our home. We lived near each
other, at midnight we were home.[A13-678]
They both took 3 days off from their jobs, which they spent in
Minsk.[A13-679]
Oswald wrote in his diary for May 1, 1 day after the wedding: “In spite
of fact I married Marina to hurt Ella I found myself in love with
Marina.”[A13-680] The next entry, marked simply “May,” reads in part:
The trasistion of changing full love from Ella to Marina was
very painfull esp. as I saw Ella almost every day at the
factory but as the days & weeks went by I adjusted more and
more [to] my wife mentaly * * * She is maddly in love with me
from the very start. Boat rides on Lake Minsk walks through
the parks evening at home or at Aunt Valia’s place mark
May.”[A13-681]
And in June: “A continuence of May, except that; we draw closer and
closer, and I think very little now of Ella.”[A13-682]
Sometime within the first month or two after they were married Oswald
told his wife that he was anxious to return to the United States. The
diary says that he told her “in the last days” of June and that she was
“slightly startled” but encouraged him to do as he wished.[A13-683]
Marina’s recollection is that she learned of his plan between May
and July. Embassy records show that Oswald notified the Embassy in
a letter received on May 25 that he was married and his wife would
seek to accompany him to the United States.[A13-684] At about this
time, the Oswalds began to make inquiries in Soviet offices about exit
visas.[A13-685]
While these preparations were being made, the Oswalds apparently
enjoyed their new life.[A13-686] They ate most of their meals in cafes
or at restaurants where they worked.[A13-687] For amusement, they
went boating, attended the opera, concerts, the circus, and films;
occasionally, they gathered with a group of friends for a cooperative
meal at someone’s apartment.[A13-688] His Russian improved, but he
retained an accent and never learned to speak grammatically or to write
well.[A13-689] He read the English language edition of the Daily Worker
and books, also in English, on Marxism and Leninism; he also read some
Russian newspapers.[A13-690]
Before he married Marina (and presumably before February, when he
had begun his efforts to return to the United States) Oswald had
applied for admission to the Patrice Lumumba Friendship University in
Moscow. He received a letter dated May 3 apologizing for the delay in
responding to his application and turning it down on the ground that
the university had been established exclusively for students from the
underdeveloped countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.[A13-691]
Oswald expressed his disappointment at having been turned down to
Marina.[A13-692]
Oswald reopened his correspondence with his family on May 5, with
a friendly letter to his brother Robert. He said nothing about his
contacts with the American Embassy, but mentioned that he had married,
and that he had a job as a “metal-smith” and was living well. He asked
his brother for their mother’s address, and encouraged him to come to
Minsk for a visit.[A13-693] Robert answered the letter quickly. On May
31, Oswald wrote again and expressed his pleasure at having heard from
Robert after so long. Apparently in response to an offer to send him
whatever he needed, Oswald wrote that he needed nothing and thanked
Robert for the thought; he suggested, however, that Marina might like
a small wedding present. At the end of the letter he said that he did
not know whether he would ever return to the United States; he said
that before he could return he would have to obtain the permission of
the Soviet Union for him and Marina to leave and insure that no charges
would be lodged against him in the United States. In this letter, he
mentioned that he was in touch with the Embassy in Moscow.[A13-694] At
about this time, Oswald wrote also to his mother.[A13-695]
On May 25, the Embassy received a letter mailed in Minsk about 10
days before, in which Oswald asked for assurances that he would not
be prosecuted if he returned to the United States, and informed
the Embassy that he had married a Russian woman who would want to
accompany him.[A13-696] The Embassy communicated this development
to Washington[A13-697] and did not answer Oswald immediately. In
addition, he had had no word since March concerning the return of his
passport. Impatient for action,[A13-698] he appeared without warning
at the Embassy on July 8; it was a Saturday and the offices were
closed.[A13-699] He used the house telephone to reach Snyder, who came
to the office, talked with him briefly, and suggested that he return on
the following Monday.[A13-700] Oswald called Marina and asked her to
join him in Moscow. She arrived on Sunday, July 9,[A13-701] and they
took a room at the Hotel Berlin,[A13-702] where he had stayed when he
first arrived in Russia.
Oswald returned to the Embassy on Monday. Marina waited outside during
his interview with Snyder,[A13-703] who asked to see Oswald’s Soviet
papers and questioned him closely about his life in Russia and possible
expatriating acts. Oswald stated that he was not a citizen of the
Soviet Union and had never formally applied for citizenship, that he
had never taken an oath of allegiance to the Soviet Union, and that
he was not a member of the factory trade union organization. He said
that he had never given Soviet officials any confidential information
that he had learned in the Marines, had never been asked to give such
information, and “doubted” that he would have done so had he been
asked.[A13-704] Some of Oswald’s statements during this interview were
undoubtedly false. He had almost certainly applied for citizenship in
the Soviet Union[A13-705] and, at least for a time, been disappointed
when it was denied.[A13-706] He possessed a membership card in the
union organization.[A13-707] In addition, his assertion to Snyder that
he had never been questioned by Soviet authorities concerning his life
in the United States is simply unbelievable.
Oswald showed anxiety, already displayed in his letters, that he might
be prosecuted and imprisoned if he returned to the United States.
Snyder told him informally that he did not know any grounds on which
he would be prosecuted but that he could give no assurances in this
regard.[A13-708] Snyder testified that Oswald seemed to have matured
while he was in Russia and did not show the bravado and arrogance which
characterized his first contacts with the Embassy. Oswald told him that
he had “learned a hard lesson the hard way” and had acquired a new
appreciation of the United States and the meaning of freedom.[A13-709]
Since Oswald’s passport would expire on September 10, 1961,[A13-710]
before which date he probably would not be able to obtain Russian exit
papers, he filled out an application for its renewal.[A13-711] On a
questionnaire attached to the application,[A13-712] he reiterated
his oral statements that he had obtained only a residence permit in
the Soviet Union and was still an American national. On the basis of
Oswald’s written and oral statements, Snyder concluded that he had not
expatriated himself and returned his passport, stamped valid only for
direct travel to the United States,[A13-713] to him. Accompanied by
his wife,[A13-714] Oswald came to the Embassy again on the following
day,[A13-715] to initiate procedures for her admission to the United
States as an immigrant; they had a routine interview with McVickar,
Snyder’s assistant.[A13-716] Three days later, they returned to
Minsk.[A13-717]
On the same day, Oswald wrote to his brother. He told Robert that he
had his passport again and that he and Marina were doing everything
possible to leave the Soviet Union. Apparently referring to his initial
reappearance at the Embassy in quest of his passport, he wrote: “I
could write a book about how many feeling have come and gone since that
day.” The letter closed with an affectionate greeting to his brother
and his family.[A13-718] The letter’s tone of firm purpose to return to
the United States in the face of heavy odds reflected Oswald’s attitude
thereafter.
As soon as they returned to Minsk, the Oswalds began to work with local
authorities for permission to leave the country.[A13-719] His diary
entry for July 16 through August 20 reads,
We have found out which blanks and certificates are nessceary
to apply for a exit visa. They number about 20 papers; birth
certificates, affidavit, photos, ect. On Aug 20th we give
the papers out they say it will be 3½ months before we know
wheather they let us go or not. In the meantime Marina has had
to stade 4 differant meeting at the place of work held by her
boss’s at the direction of “someone” by phone. The Young Comm.
leauge headquttes also called about her and she had to go see
them for 1½ hours. The purpose (expressed) is to disuade her
from going to the U.S.A. Net effect: Make her more stubborn
about wanting to go. Marina is pregnet. We only hope that the
visas come through soon.[A13-720]
In a letter dated July 15, he reported their efforts to the Embassy,
and said that he would keep it informed “as to the overall picture.”
The letter mentioned that Marina was having difficulties at work
because of her decision to leave but added that such “tactics” were
“quite useless” and that Marina had “stood up well, without getting
into trouble.”[A13-721] For August 21 through September 1, the diary
reads:
I make repeated trips to the passport & visa office, also
to Ministry of For. Affairs in Minsk, also Min. of Internal
Affairs, all of which have a say in the granting of a visa. I
extrackted promises of quick attention to us.[A13-722]
For September through October 18, “No word from Min. (‘They’ll call
us.’).”[A13-723]
Marina testified that when the news of her visit to the American
Embassy in July reached Minsk, she was dropped from membership
in “Komsomol,” the Communist Youth Organization,[A13-724] and
that “meetings were arranged” at which “members of the various
organizations” attempted to dissuade her from leaving the Soviet
Union.[A13-725] Her aunt and uncle did not speak to her for “a long
time.”[A13-726] Paul Gregory, to whom Marina taught Russian in the
United States, testified that she once referred to this period of her
life in Minsk as “a very horrible time.”[A13-727]
Oswald wrote to the Embassy again on October 4, to request that the
U.S. Government officially intervene to facilitate his and his wife’s
applications for exit visas.[A13-728] He stated that there had been
“systematic and concerted attempts to intimidate [Marina] * * * into
withdrawing her application for a visa” which had resulted in her
being hospitalized for a 5-day period on September 22 for “nervous
exhaustion.”[A13-729] Marina has denied that she was hospitalized
for a nervous disorder[A13-730] and he made no mention of it in his
diary or letters to his family; he probably lied to the Embassy. The
Embassy replied to his letter on October 12, saying that it had no way
of influencing Soviet conduct on such matters and that its experience
had been that action on applications for exit visas was “seldom taken
rapidly.”[A13-731]
In October 1961 Marina took her annual vacation.[A13-732] She and
Oswald agreed that she should get a “change of scenery,”[A13-733] and
she spent about 3 weeks with an aunt in Khar’kov. It is possible that
they were not getting along well together during this period.[A13-734]
A diary entry after her return indicates that they were having some
quarrels and that she was wavering in her decision to go to the United
States, which Oswald attributed to anxiety about their applications
for visas and the fact that she was pregnant; he in turn dreaded the
approach of the “hard Russian winter.”[A13-735] He noted in his diary
that he was lonely while she was gone, but that he and his friend
“Erich,” presumably Erik Titovyets, went to some dances and other
public amusements.[A13-736] On his 22nd birthday he went alone to see
his favorite opera, “The Queen of Spades.”[A13-737] Marina sent him a
gold and silver cup, inscribed “To my dear husband on his birthday,
18/x/61” and other gifts, for which he wrote to thank her.[A13-738] She
returned on November 12, in Oswald’s words, “radient, with several jars
of preserses for me from her aunt.”[A13-739]
Sometime after Marina’s return Oswald applied for an interview with
Col. Nicolay Aksenov, an official in the local MVD, in an effort to
expedite their application for exit visas; he was told by the colonel’s
subordinates that they were competent to handle the matter. Oswald then
insisted that Marina seek an interview; she agreed reluctantly. The
interview was granted;[A13-740] Marina thought that this might have
been due to the fact that her uncle was also a high-ranking official in
the Minsk MVD, but she did not believe that he would personally have
presumed on his official position to obtain special treatment.[A13-741]
Colonel Aksenov questioned her about her reasons for wanting to go to
the United States and, noticing that she was pregnant, suggested that
she at least delay her departure so that her child could be born in
Russia, but did not otherwise try to discourage her. He finally told
her that there were many others seeking visas and that she and her
husband would have to wait their turn.[A13-742]
Throughout this period, Oswald continued to correspond with his mother
and brother. His letters contained the usual chatter among members
of a family and occasional references to the progress of the visa
applications.[A13-743] He wrote to the Embassy on November 1, saying
that if, as he anticipated, his residence permit were renewed in
January for another year, it would be over his protest.[A13-744] On
November 13 the Embassy replied, telling Oswald that retention of his
Soviet passport, which was of the kind issued to persons considered
to be stateless, or an extension of it, would not prejudice his claim
to American citizenship. The letter added that he could discuss the
renewal of his American passport whenever he appeared in person at the
Embassy to do so.[A13-745]
Late in December, Oswald wrote a letter to Senator John G. Tower of
Texas, which was received in Washington near the end of January. He
stated that he was an American citizen and that the Soviet Government
refused to permit him and his wife to leave the Soviet Union. He asked
Senator Tower to raise “the question of holding by the Soviet Union
of a citizen of the U.S., against his will and expressed desires.”
The letter was referred to the State Department and no further action
concerning it was taken.[A13-746] On December 25, Marina was called to
the Soviet Passport Office and told that exit visas would be granted to
her and her husband; she was surprised, having doubted that she would
ever be permitted to leave. Oswald wrote to the Embassy on December 27
that they would be given visas and asked that his passport be extended
without another trip to Moscow; he added, however, that he would come
to Moscow if this would expedite the processing of his application. In
his diary, he wrote, “It’s great (I think?).”[A13-747] Before the year
ended, Marina went on maternity leave from her job.[A13-748] They spent
New Year’s Eve at a dinner party given by the Zigers.[A13-749]
Oswald wrote to his mother on January 2, 1962, and told her that he
and his wife expected to arrive in the United States sometime around
March. He asked her to contact the local Red Cross and request that it
put his case before the International Rescue Committee or some other
group which aids immigrants to the United States. He told her that he
would need about $800 and that she should insist on a gift rather than
a loan; he told her not to send any of her own money.[A13-750] Despite
his instructions, she requested a loan from the Red Cross.[A13-751] On
January 13, Oswald wrote to the International Rescue Committee himself;
he asked for $800 with which to purchase two tickets from Moscow to
Texas.[A13-752] He wrote to the Committee again on January 26, this
time asking for $1,000.[A13-753]
In the meantime, letters of Oswald[A13-754] and the American
Embassy,[A13-755] both dated January 5, crossed in the mail. The
Embassy’s letter suggested that since there might be difficulties in
obtaining an American visa for Marina, he consider returning alone
and bringing her over later. He replied on the 16th that he would not
leave Russia without her.[A13-756] In his letter, Oswald requested that
the U.S. Government loan him the money for his and Marina’s airplane
tickets or arrange a loan from another source. The Embassy replied on
January 15 that Marina had not yet obtained an American visa and that
no evidence had yet been submitted that she would not become a public
charge in the United States.[A13-757] It suggested that Oswald’s mother
or some other close relative file an affidavit of support in Marina’s
behalf. Before receiving this letter, Oswald wrote out such a document
himself[A13-758] and mailed it to the Embassy.[A13-759]
On January 23, after receiving the Embassy’s letter, he wrote that his
own affidavit should be sufficient, since he had been away from the
United States for more than 2 years and could not be expected to obtain
an affidavit from someone else.[A13-760] But on the same day, he wrote
to his mother asking that she file an affidavit of support with the
Immigration and Naturalization Service.[A13-761] On January 24, the
Embassy acknowledged receipt of his affidavit, but again suggested that
he obtain one from someone else.[A13-762]
Late in January, Oswald received a letter from his mother telling
him that he had been given a dishonorable discharge from the
Marines.[A13-763] (The discharge had actually been “undesirable,” a
less derogatory characterization.)[A13-764] This apparently revived his
fear of prosecution, and on January 30, he wrote to his brother for
more information.[A13-765] On the same day he wrote also to John B.
Connally, Jr., then Governor of Texas, who Oswald believed was still
Secretary of Navy. The letter read:
I wish to call your attention to a case about which you may
have personal knowlege since you are a resident of Ft. Worth as
I am.
In November 1959 an event was well publicated in the Ft. Worth
newspapers concerning a person who had gone to the Soviet Union
to reside for a short time, (much in the same way E. Hemingway
resided in Paris.)
This person in answers to questions put to him by reporteds
in Moscow criticized certain facets of american life. The
story was blown up into another “turncoat” sensation, with the
result that the Navy department gave this person a belated
dishonourable discharge, although he had received an honourable
discharge after three years service on Sept. 11, 1959 at El
Toro, Marine corps base in California.
These are the basic facts of _my_ case.
I have and allways had the full sanction of the U.S. Embassy,
Moscow USSR, and hence the U.S. goverment. In as much as I
am returning to the U.S.A. in this year with the aid of the
U.S. Embassy, bring with me my family (since I married in the
USSR) I shall employ all means to right this gross mistake or
injustice to a boni-fied U.S. citizen and _ex_-service man. The
U.S. government has no charges or complaints against me. I ask
you to look into this case and take the neccessary steps to
repair the damage done to me and my family. For information I
would direct you to consult the American Embassy, Chikovski St.
19/21, Moscow, USSR.[A13-766]
Connally referred the letter to the Department of the Navy,[A13-767]
which sent Oswald a letter stating that the Department contemplated no
change in the undesirable discharge.[A13-768] On March 22, Oswald wrote
to the Department insisting that his discharge be given a further,
full review.[A13-769] The Department promptly replied that it had no
authority to hear and review petitions of this sort and referred Oswald
to the Navy Discharge Review Board.[A13-770] Oswald filled out the
enclosed application for review in Minsk but did not mail it until he
returned to the United States.[A13-771]
The Department of State had notified Oswald’s mother that it
would need $900 to make the travel arrangements for her son and
daughter-in-law.[A13-772] On February 1, Oswald sent his mother a brief
letter rejecting her suggestion that she try to raise money by telling
the newspapers about his financial plight.[A13-773] Five days later,
the Embassy wrote to Oswald and asked him to make formal application
for a loan.[A13-774] Oswald wrote to his mother again on February 9,
reminding her to file an affidavit of support and asking that she send
him clippings from the Fort Worth newspapers about his defection to
Russia, a request which he later repeated to his brother. He told her
that he wanted to know what had been written about him, so that he
could be “forewarned.”[A13-775]
Oswald took Marina to the hospital on the morning of February 15. A
baby girl was born at about 10 a.m.[A13-776] He had gone on to the
factory where news of the birth awaited him on his arrival.[A13-777]
In accordance with regular hospital practice,[A13-778] he did not see
the baby until Marina left the hospital.[A13-779] He was excited by
the child,[A13-780] who was named “June Lee” in accordance with the
Russian custom and law that a child’s second name must be the father’s
first name or a variation of it. He had wanted to name his child “June
Marina,” and protested the application of the law to her, since he
had a United States passport. His diary contains the wry comment,
“Po-Russki.”[A13-781] His coworkers at the factory gave the Oswalds
“one summer blanket, 6 light diapers, 4 warm diapers, 2 chemises,
3 very good warm chemises, 4 very nice suits and two toys” for the
baby.[A13-782] Marina came home on February 23.[A13-783]
There was less urgency about the departure for the United States after
June Lee was born.[A13-784] Oswald wrote to his mother,[A13-785] and
brother,[A13-786] that he would probably not arrive for several months.
The Embassy received a letter on March 3, in which Oswald applied for
a loan of $800;[A13-787] the Embassy replied that it was authorized
to loan him only $500.[A13-788] It had in the meantime decided that
his own affidavit of support for Marina would be sufficient under the
circumstances.[A13-789] On March 15, he received notification from the
Immigration and Naturalization Service that Marina’s application for
a visa had been approved.[A13-790] By March 28, he had received an
affidavit of support in Marina’s behalf from his mother’s employer,
Byron K. Phillips,[A13-791] which he filed although it was no longer
necessary to do so.[A13-792] A few days before, Marina, still on
maternity leave, had quit her job.[A13-793] Discussions with the
Embassy to complete financial and travel arrangements continued in
April and May.[A13-794] In a letter to Robert on April 12, Oswald wrote
that only “the American side” was holding up their departure, but added
that the winter being over, he didn’t “really * * * want to leave until
the beginning of fall, since the spring and summer * * * [in Russia]
are so nice.”[A13-795]
On May 10, the Embassy wrote that everything was in order and suggested
that Oswald come to the Embassy with his family to sign the final
papers.[A13-796] At his request,[A13-797] he was discharged from the
factory on about May 18.[A13-798] His work had apparently never been
very good. Marina testified that he was rather lazy and resented having
to take orders.[A13-799] This estimate is confirmed by a report of the
plant director and personnel department chief, filed on December 11,
1961, which was apparently a routine assessment of his work. The report
noted that he did not “display the initiative for increasing his skill”
in his job, that he was “over-sensitive * * * to remarks from the
foremen, and * * * careless in his work”; Oswald took “no part in the
social life of the shop” and kept “very much to himself.”[A13-800]
Oswald picked up his Soviet exit visa on May 22;[A13-801] at about this
time, he also had an interview with an official of the MVD to obtain
final clearance for his departure.[A13-802] He wrote to Robert that he
and his family would leave for Moscow on the following day and depart
for England 10 to 14 days later. He expected to cross the Atlantic by
ship, probably docking in New Orleans. Returning to a point which he
had made in an earlier letter to his mother, he commented that he knew
from the newspaper clippings what Robert had said about him when he
left for Russia; he thought that Robert had talked too much at that
time, and asked that Robert say nothing to the newspapers now.[A13-803]
The Oswalds arrived in Moscow by May 24[A13-804] and on that date
filled out various documents at the American Embassy;[A13-805] Marina
was given her American visa.[A13-806] Final arrangements for their
emigration were made with Soviet officials.[A13-807] On June 1,
Oswald signed a promissory note at the Embassy for a repatriation
loan of $435.71.[A13-808] He and his family boarded a train for
Holland,[A13-809] which passed through Minsk that night.[A13-810] They
crossed the Soviet frontier at Brest on June 2. Two days later, they
departed from Holland on the SS _Maasdam_.[A13-811] Onboard ship, the
Oswalds stayed by themselves; Marina testified that she did not often
go on deck because she was poorly dressed and Oswald was ashamed of
her.[A13-812]
Probably while he was on board the _Maasdam_ Oswald wrote some notes
on ship stationery, which appear to be a summary of what he thought he
had learned by living under both the capitalist and Communist systems.
The notes reflect his unhappy and deepening feeling of disillusionment
with both the Soviet Union and the United States. Oswald observed that
although reform groups may oppose the government in power, they always
declare that they are for their people and their country, and he asked
what “would happen if somebody was to stand up and say he was utterly
opposed not only to the governments, but to the people, too the entire
land and complete foundations” of his society. He condemned existing
political groups and proposed the formation of a third choice between
communism and capitalism, neither of which was acceptable to him. “I
have lived,” he said, “under both systems, I have _sought_ the answers
and although it would be very easy to dupe myself into believing one
system is better than the other, I know they are not.” In these notes,
he acknowledged that his “Red Cross” subsidy had been paid by the
Soviet Government rather than the international organization, and said,
“I shall never sell myself intentionlly, or unintentionlly to anyone
again.”[A13-813] (Commission Exhibit No. 25, p. 273.) It was probably
also onboard ship that Oswald wrote two sets of answers to questions
which he anticipated about his decision to go to Russia and later to
return to the United States. Although the sets of answers are somewhat
similar, but the tone of one is apologetic, while the other suggests
that Oswald went to Russia to study the Soviet system, but remained a
loyal American and owed no apologies.[A13-814]
The _Maasdam_ landed at Hoboken, N.J., on June 13.[A13-815] The Oswalds
were met by Spas T. Raikin, a representative of the Traveler’s Aid
Society, which had been contacted by the Department of State; Raikin
had the impression that Oswald was trying to avoid meeting anyone. He
told Raikin that he had only $63 and had no plans either for that night
or for travel to Fort Worth, and accepted the society’s help, according
to Raikin, “with confidence and appreciation.”[A13-816] They passed
through the immigration office without incident,[A13-817] and Raikin
helped them through customs.[A13-818]
The society referred the Oswalds to the New York City Department
of Welfare, which helped them find a room at the Times Square
Hotel.[A13-819] Oswald told both Raikin and representatives of
the welfare department that he had been a marine stationed at the
American Embassy in Moscow, had married a Russian girl, renounced his
citizenship, and worked in Minsk; he soon found out, he said, that the
Russian propaganda was inaccurate but had not been able to obtain an
exit visa for his wife and child for more than 2 years. He said also
that he had paid the travel expenses himself.[A13-820]
The welfare department called Robert Oswald’s home in Fort Worth. His
wife answered and said that they would help. She contacted her husband
who sent $200 immediately.[A13-821] Oswald refused to accept the money
and insisted that the department itself should pay the fare to Texas;
he threatened that they would go as far as they could on $63 and rely
on local authorities to get them the rest of the way. In the end he
accepted the money.[A13-822] On the afternoon of June 14, the Oswalds
left New York by plane for Fort Worth.[A13-823]
FORT WORTH, DALLAS, NEW ORLEANS
Oswald had originally indicated that he and his family would stay with
his mother in Vernon, Tex.[A13-824] His decision to stay with Robert
Oswald in Fort Worth apparently had been prompted by his brother’s
invitation in a letter to him in Russia.[A13-825] Oswald listed only
his brother as a relative on an “Intake Interview” form which he
prepared for the New York Department of Welfare.[A13-826]
Robert took his wife and children to Love Field, the Dallas airport,
to meet Lee and Marina and their baby, June Lee.[A13-827] He testified
that the most noticeable change in his brother’s appearance was that
he had become rather bald; he seemed also to be somewhat thinner
than he had been in 1959. Robert thought that his brother had picked
up “something of an accent” but, except for these changes was “the
same boy” whom he had known before.[A13-828] Lee commented on the
absence of newspaper reporters and seemed to Robert to be disappointed
that none had appeared.[A13-829] Later on, Lee was anxious to avoid
publicity.[A13-830]
Robert drove the Oswalds to his home at 7313 Davenport Street.[A13-831]
For a few days, Lee seemed tense,[A13-832] but the brothers got along
well,[A13-833] and to Robert it was “more or less * * * [as if Lee]
had not been to Russia”; they were “just together again.”[A13-834]
They did not discuss politics, according to Robert because of a
“tacit agreement” between them.[A13-835] Lee indicated to his
brother that he hoped to have his undesirable discharge from the
Marines corrected.[A13-836] Robert and his wife “took to Marina and
June,” and enjoyed showing Marina “things that she had never seen
before.”[A13-837] Marina rested and took care of her baby, and when she
could, helped in the household.[A13-838] She testified that, apart from
a trip to the library, Lee spent about a week “merely talking.”[A13-839]
On June 18, 4 days after he arrived in Fort Worth, Oswald went to the
office of Mrs. Pauline Virginia Bates, a public stenographer whose name
he had found in the telephone directory,[A13-840] and asked her to type
a manuscript from the “scraps of paper,” on which he had recorded his
impressions of the Soviet Union.[A13-841] Intrigued by his tale that
he had just returned from the Soviet Union and had smuggled his notes
out of that country, she agreed to type the notes for $1 per page or
$2 an hour, 50 cents less than her usual hourly rate.[A13-842] On that
day and the succeeding 2 days, Mrs. Bates spent 8 hours typing for
Oswald while he remained in her office helping her with the notes and
translating portions of them which were in Russian.[A13-843] At the end
of each session he collected his notes and as much of the manuscript
as she had done and took them away with him.[A13-844] On June 20, he
gave Mrs. Bates $10 for the 10 completed pages; he told her that he had
no more money and refused to accept her offer to postpone payment or
continue the work for nothing.[A13-845]
Oswald told Mrs. Bates that there was an engineer in Fort Worth who
wanted to help him publish his notes.[A13-846] On June 19,[A13-847]
he had called Peter Gregory, a petroleum engineer who was born in
Siberia and taught Russian at the Fort Worth Public Library as a “civic
enterprise.”[A13-848] He asked if Gregory could give him a letter
testifying to his ability to read and speak Russian, so that he could
obtain work as an interpreter or translator. Gregory suggested that
Oswald come to his office, where Gregory opened a Russian book at
random and asked Oswald to read from it. Oswald read well, and Gregory
gave him the letter he wanted.[A13-849] Gregory and Oswald had lunch
together and discussed Oswald’s life in the Soviet Union,[A13-850] but,
according to Gregory’s testimony, nothing was said about publishing
Oswald’s manuscript.[A13-851] About a week later, Gregory and his son
Paul, a college student, visited the Oswalds at Robert Oswald’s home
and arranged for Marina to give Paul lessons in Russian during the
summer.[A13-852]
On June 26, Oswald was interviewed by FBI agents in Fort
Worth.[A13-853] One of the agents who interviewed him described
him as tense and “drawn up”; he said that Oswald “exhibited an
arrogant attitude * * * and [was] inclined to be just a little
insolent.”[A13-854] Oswald declined to say why he had gone to Russia,
saying that he refused to “relive the past.”[A13-855] He said that he
had not attempted to obtain Soviet citizenship, had not been approached
by Soviet officials for information about his experiences in the
Marines, and had not offered them such information. Marina’s Soviet
passport required her to notify the Soviet Embassy in Washington of her
address in this country, and Oswald told the agents that he planned
to contact the Embassy for this purpose within a few days.[A13-856]
He promised to notify the FBI if he were contacted by Soviet agents
“under suspicious circumstances or otherwise.”[A13-857] Oswald told
his brother about the interview, saying that it had been “just
fine.”[A13-858]
Oswald and his family remained with Robert for about a month.[A13-859]
While they were there his mother moved to Fort Worth from Crowell,
Tex.,[A13-860] and, sometime in July they moved into her apartment
at 1501 West Seventh Street.[A13-861] Mrs. Oswald testified that she
had visited them at Robert’s house in June[A13-862] and moved to Fort
Worth because she thought that the house was too crowded and wanted
to help them.[A13-863] Mrs. Oswald described the period when her son
and his family lived with her as “a very happy month”; according to
her testimony, she and her son and daughter-in-law got along well. She
mentioned that she not only helped Marina keep house and care for the
baby but also aided her son in his efforts to find employment.[A13-864]
Marina testified, however, that Lee did not get along well with his
mother and that he decided after several weeks that they should move
to their own apartment.[A13-865] He did not file a change-of-address
card at the post office when the family moved to West Seventh
Street, as he did when they made their next move,[A13-866] so he may
have contemplated from the beginning that they would stay with his
mother for only a short while. Around the middle of August,[A13-867]
the Oswalds moved to a one-bedroom furnished apartment at 2703
Mercedes Street, for which they paid $59.50 in advance for 1 month’s
rent.[A13-868]
In the third week in July, Oswald had obtained a job as a sheet metal
worker with the Louv-R-Pak Division of the Leslie Welding Co.,[A13-869]
a manufacturer of louvers and ventilators,[A13-870] to which he
had been referred by the Texas Employment Commission.[A13-871] On
his application for employment, filled out several days before, he
wrote falsely that he had had experience as a sheet metal worker and
machinist in the Marines and had been honorably discharged.[A13-872]
He usually worked 8 or 9 hours a day, for which he was paid $1.25
an hour.[A13-873] Marina testified that Oswald did not like his
work,[A13-874] but he was regarded as a good employee[A13-875] and
remained with the company until October, when he quit.[A13-876] On the
job, he kept to himself and was considered uncommunicative.[A13-877]
Mrs. Oswald visited her son and his family at their apartment and tried
to help them get settled; she testified that she bought some clothes
for Marina and a highchair for the baby but that Oswald told her that
he did not want her to buy “things for his wife that he himself could
not buy.”[A13-878] Finally, Oswald apparently decided that he did not
want his mother to visit the apartment anymore and he became incensed
when his wife permitted her to visit despite his instructions.[A13-879]
After he moved to Dallas in October, Oswald did not see his mother or
communicate with her in any way until she came to see him after the
assassination.[A13-880] Witnesses have described the Mercedes Street
apartment as “decrepit” and very poorly furnished;[A13-881] there was
no telephone service.[A13-882] Acquaintances observed that Marina and
the baby were poorly clothed, that the Oswalds had little food, and
that at first there was not a bed for the baby.[A13-883]
On August 16, the FBI again interviewed Oswald. This interview took
place in the back seat of a car in front of his home and covered
substantially the same material as the previous interview. Oswald again
denied having made any deal with representatives of the Soviet Union.
He protested his undesirable discharge from the Marines, and stated
that his wife was registered at the Soviet Embassy. He still refused to
discuss why he had gone to the Soviet Union, but he was less hostile
than he had been during the previous interview.[A13-884] According to
his wife, however, he was very upset by the interest the FBI showed in
him.[A13-885]
The Oswalds became acquainted with a growing number of people of the
Russian-speaking community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, who were tied
together socially by a common origin, language, and religion. The group
was not restricted to people from Russia but was composed primarily
of people from Eastern European countries.[A13-886] The Oswalds’
initial contact with this group was through Peter Gregory. Marina gave
conversational Russian lessons to Paul Gregory 2 days a week during
August and early September, for which she was paid $35. Most of the
lessons took place at the Mercedes Street apartment and Oswald was
generally present.[A13-887] In addition, Paul Gregory occasionally took
the Oswalds shopping; after they became friendly, he had a number of
discussions with Oswald, some of them politically oriented.[A13-888]
Sometime around August 25, Peter Gregory invited the Oswalds and
several members of the Russian community to his house for dinner. One
of the guests was George Bouhe, a Dallas accountant and a leader of the
Russian community. He was very interested in meeting and conversing
with Marina, because she had spent much of her life in Leningrad, which
was his birthplace.[A13-889] Also present was Mrs. Anna Meller, the
Russian-born wife of a Dallas department store employee.[A13-890] Near
the end of August, the Oswalds met Declan Ford, a consulting geologist
in the Dallas area, and his Russian-born wife at Mrs. Meller’s home.
The Oswalds were also introduced to Mrs. Elena Hall, who was born in
Tehran, Iran, of Russian parentage. She worked in a dental laboratory
and at this time was divorced from her former husband John Hall, whom
she subsequently remarried. In order to obtain dental aid for Marina,
George Bouhe had brought her to Mrs. Hall’s house.[A13-891] In early
September, the Oswalds met Alexander Kleinlerer, another member of
the Russian group, who was then courting Mrs. Hall.[A13-892] Mrs. Max
Clark was introduced to Marina during this period by George Bouhe and
Anna Meller. Max Clark met the Oswalds at a later time.[A13-893] At
about the same time, they were visited by George De Mohrenschildt, a
petroleum engineer born in Russia,[A13-894] who had heard of them from
one of the Russian-speaking group.[A13-895] Later on, the Oswalds met
his wife, Jeanne, and his daughter and son-in-law, Gary and Alexandra
Taylor.[A13-896]
Most of the members of the Russian community were interested in the
Oswalds not only because they needed help, but also because they
could provide the latest information about what was happening in
Russia.[A13-897] Some members of the group were at first apprehensive
about them because the apparent ease with which they had left
Russia seemed suspicious.[A13-898] Nevertheless, many of the group
provided small amounts of money, groceries, clothing, and furniture
for the Oswalds; George Bouhe, Anna Meller, and Elena Hall were the
primary contributors, although others provided help in the form of
transportation and groceries.[A13-899] These acquaintances occasionally
visited the Oswalds, and the Oswalds in turn visited some of them in
Dallas.[A13-900]
It was evident that Oswald did not appreciate the help of the Russian
community.[A13-901] At least once he flew into a rage and shouted
that he did not need any of the things that people were giving to
him.[A13-902] Some felt that he resented the gifts because he could not
give his wife what the others were providing;[A13-903] he apparently
was critical of them also because he felt that they were overly
concerned with improving themselves economically.[A13-904]
Oswald became increasingly unpopular with his Russian-speaking
acquaintances, partly because of his resentment of their
assistance.[A13-905] Alexander Kleinlerer stated that none of them
cared for Oswald “because of his political philosophy, his criticism of
the United States, his apparent lack of interest in anyone but himself
and because of his treatment of Marina.”[A13-906] Some of them believed
that Oswald was mentally disturbed.[A13-907] However, they felt sorry
for Marina and the child and continued to help.[A13-908]
On a weekend afternoon early in October, the Oswalds were visited by
his mother and a number of people from the Russian community, including
George Bouhe, Anna Meller, the Halls, the De Mohrenschildts, and the
Taylors.[A13-909] Oswald had apparently decided to look for a new job,
and discussed his lack of job prospects and the fact that his rent
was overdue.[A13-910] He was advised to seek employment in the Dallas
area.[A13-911] Elena Hall invited Marina to move into her house in Fort
Worth until Oswald found a job in Dallas. She accepted the proposal,
and Mrs. Hall moved Marina, her daughter June, and the Oswalds’ few
household goods in a pickup truck belonging to the dental laboratory
where she was employed.[A13-912]
Oswald worked at the Leslie Welding Co. on Monday, October 8,
but failed to appear on the following day. He was already in
Dallas.[A13-913] He falsely told his wife that he had been
discharged,[A13-914] and told George Bouhe that the job had been a
temporary one.[A13-915] Sometime later, the company received an undated
letter from him stating that he had “moved permanently to Dallas,”
and asking that the wages due him be forwarded to him at box 2915 in
Dallas.[A13-916] He did not tell his mother that he was leaving Fort
Worth.[A13-917]
While they were in Fort Worth, the Oswalds were having marital
problems.[A13-918] Several people noted that Marina had a blackened eye
when they visited her at the Mercedes Street apartment.[A13-919] She
told her mother-in-law and George Bouhe that her husband had struck
her, but said to Anna Meller that she had walked into a door.[A13-920]
It seems clear that Oswald had in fact hit her.[A13-921] People
observed friction between the Oswalds on various occasions,[A13-922]
although their disputes became more apparent later. Marina has written
that this was a difficult period for them and that her husband was
“very irritable” and sometimes some completely trivial thing would
“drive him into a rage.”[A13-923]
She testified that:
* * * immediately after coming to the United States Lee
changed. I did not know him as such a man in Russia. * * * He
helped me as before, but he became a little more of a recluse
* * * He was very irritable, sometimes for a trifle * * *[A13-924]
She has denied, however, that their separation was the result of
quarrels between them.[A13-925]
Marina spent the first few weeks after Oswald’s departure at Elena
Hall’s house in Fort Worth, except for a brief stay at Gary Taylor’s
house in Dallas after one of her appointments at the Baylor Dental
Clinic.[A13-926] While she was in Dallas, Mrs. De Mohrenschildt brought
her to the clinic on October 8, October 10, and October 15;[A13-927]
George Bouhe had given Mrs. De Mohrenschildt the money to cover the
expense of Marina’s dental care.[A13-928]
Even before Oswald went to Dallas, some of his acquaintances were
helping him in his effort to find a job there.[A13-929] George De
Mohrenschildt directed him to Samuel B. Ballen, a Dallas financial
consultant, but no employment resulted.[A13-930] George Bouhe
recommended that Oswald go to the Texas Employment Commission in
Dallas; and Anna Meller had her husband ask Mrs. Helen Cunningham, a
counselor in the clerical and sales division of the Dallas office of
the employment commission, to help Oswald find a job.[A13-931] Oswald
first came into the office of the employment commission on October 9.
He was reluctant to accept industrial employment, and was placed in the
clerical category and turned over to Mrs. Cunningham for counseling. He
indicated that he had an interest in writing. The results of general
aptitude tests which he had taken at the Fort Worth employment office
had been transmitted to the Dallas office, and indicated that he had
some aptitude in this direction and for clerical work. It was noted
on his application form that he had “outstanding verbal-clerical
potential.” He demonstrated ability to perform many skilled and
semi-skilled jobs, and there was some indication that he could do
college work. Mrs. Cunningham gave him three special tests: for general
clerical work, work as an insurance claims examiner, and drafting work.
He scored high on all three. His application form indicated that he
did not have a driver’s license, and noted: “well-groomed and spoken,
business suit, alert replies--expresses self extremely well.” He told
Mrs. Cunningham that he hoped to develop qualifications for responsible
junior executive employment by a work-study program at a local college
but that this must be delayed because of his immediate financial needs
and responsibilities.[A13-932]
Mrs. Cunningham concluded that although Oswald would be classified
for clerical work, she should try to get him any available job, since
he badly needed money. He was referred to an architect for an opening
as a messenger but was not hired. On October 11, he was referred to
Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall Co., a graphic arts company, in response to
a call from John Graef, head of the photographic department of the
company, who had told the employment commission that he needed a
photoprint trainee. Oswald was enthusiastic about his prospects and
apparently made a good impression; Graef picked him over several other
applicants.[A13-933] On the following day he began working in his
new position as a trainee making prints of advertising material. He
worked a 40-hour week at approximately $1.35 per hour; his take-home
pay varied from $49 to $74 a week.[A13-934] According to his wife, “he
liked his work very much.”[A13-935]
Oswald moved into the YMCA on October 15, and stayed there until
October 19, paying $2.25 a night.[A13-936] He had used the
Taylors’ address and telephone number as a place where he could be
reached,[A13-937] but on October 9 had also rented post office box 2915
under his own name at the main post office on Ervay Street.[A13-938] On
October 10, he filed a change-of-address form indicating that mail for
2703 Mercedes Street should be forwarded to the box.[A13-939] Marina
has written that Oswald wrote her letters and telephoned her during the
separation.[A13-940]
On October 16, Mrs Hall brought Marina and June to Dallas to have
June baptized. Marina apparently did this surreptitiously, because
her husband opposed baptism; they did not contact him in Dallas, but
left birthday gifts for him at the Taylors. Oswald did not appear very
disturbed when he found out about the baptism.[A13-941]
Two days later, Mrs. Hall had an automobile accident and went to the
hospital, where she remained until October 26; Marina remained in the
Hall house. Mrs. Max Clark and Alexander Kleinlerer, a friend of Mrs.
Hall, checked up to make sure that she was getting along without too
much trouble.[A13-942] After Oswald left the YMCA on October 19, he
moved to a room or apartment somewhere in Dallas,[A13-943] which has
not been located.[A13-944] It seems likely, however, that during that
time he spent several weekends with Marina at the Hall house.[A13-945]
Four days after Mrs. Hall returned from the hospital, she left for New
York to visit friends. By the time she returned, Marina had moved to a
three-room apartment at 604 Elsbeth Street in Dallas, which Oswald had
rented on Saturday, November 3;[A13-946] the landlady stated that he
had looked at the apartment about a week before. The monthly rent was
$68, in addition to which he had to pay several dollars a month for
utilities. He paid the rent plus a $5 deposit on November 3,[A13-947]
but probably spent that night with Marina at the Hall house. On Sunday
the Taylors helped the Oswalds move their belongings to the Elsbeth
Street apartment with a rented trailer.[A13-948] Oswald had asked
Kleinlerer to help them move, and Kleinlerer also was present when they
departed.[A13-949]
Soon after the Oswalds were reunited, their marital difficulties
started again. While they were moving to Elsbeth Street, Kleinlerer
noticed that Oswald slapped his wife for not having the zipper on her
dress completely closed.[A13-950] They argued over his refusal to
allow her to smoke.[A13-951] There was a quarrel also when he told
the landlady that Marina was from Czechoslovakia; he was angered when
Marina, who disapproved of this deception, told the landlady the
truth.[A13-952]
Although several people tried to help Marina improve her scanty
knowledge of English, Oswald discouraged this,[A13-953] perhaps
because he wanted to keep up his Russian.[A13-954] Some witnesses
testified that she commented about his sexual abilities.[A13-955]
He apparently continued to beat her, and once she suggested to
George De Mohrenschildt that she should “get away” from Oswald.
When De Mohrenschildt criticized Oswald’s conduct, Oswald replied,
“It is my business.”[A13-956] Marina testified that when they moved
into the Elsbeth Street apartment, her husband became “nervous and
irritable” and was very angry over “trifles.”[A13-957] She said that
it was sometimes her fault that he beat her,[A13-958] for example
when she wrote to an old boyfriend in Russia that she wished she had
married him; the letter was returned for postage due, and Oswald read
it.[A13-959]
Because of this quarreling, a few of their acquaintances felt that
Marina would be better off alone. George Bouhe offered to help her if
she promised to leave Oswald permanently.[A13-960] Finally, in early
November, Marina, helped by the De Mohrenschildts, moved into Anna
Meller’s house with the intention not to return to Oswald. He was
apparently quite upset and did not want Marina to leave him.[A13-961]
Oswald did not visit his wife at Anna Meller’s house,[A13-962]
and for a short time did not even know where she was.[A13-963]
According to Marina, he called her after she moved and they met at De
Mohrenschildt’s house. He asked her to return home. She insisted that
he stop quarreling and that he change his ways. He said that he could
not change. Marina would not agree to return home with him and he
left.[A13-964]
Marina was uncomfortable at the Meller house, where there was very
little room. She moved to Katherine Ford’s house[A13-965] where she
apparently stayed from November 11 to 17. She indicated that she had
decided never to return to her husband;[A13-966] it was Mrs. Ford’s
impression that Marina was going to stay at other people’s houses
until a permanent place could be found for her.[A13-967] When Mr. Ford
returned from a business trip on November 17, Marina and June moved to
the home of Mrs. Frank Ray, where they spent the day. Mrs. Ray, the
wife of a Dallas advertising man, was also of Russian origin. Since
Mrs. Ray had no baby bed, Marina returned to the Fords that evening.
On the next day, however, Marina moved her belongings to the Rays’
house. That same day, Oswald called and asked to visit his wife, whom
he had called and written. Mr. Ray picked him up and took him to
Marina.[A13-968]
Marina testified that at this meeting Oswald professed his love for
her. She stated: “I saw him cry * * * [he] begged me to come back,
asked my forgiveness, and promised that he would try to improve, if
only I would come back.”[A13-969] On another occasion she said: “* * *
he cried and you know a woman’s heart--I went back to him. He said he
didn’t care to live if I did not return.”[A13-970] That same day she
decided to return to him. Mr. Ray packed her belongings and took her
back to the Elsbeth Street apartment.[A13-971]
Members of the Russian community who had taken care of Marina so
that she would not have to live with Oswald felt that their efforts
had been in vain. George Bouhe was so irritated that he never again
tried to help either of the Oswalds.[A13-972] Contacts between them
and members of the Russian community diminished markedly.[A13-973]
Oswald did not care for most of these people and made his feelings
apparent.[A13-974] Even the De Mohrenschildts, whom he liked most,
saw much less of them.[A13-975] Lydia Dymitruk, another Russian born
woman in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, testified that she saw the Oswalds
on only one occasion, and did not care to see them again. She drove
Marina and June, who had a high fever, to the hospital; Oswald told the
hospital that he was unemployed in order to avoid paying for June’s
treatment and later left Mrs. Dymitruk without thanking her.[A13-976]
Mrs. Ford testified that Marina had told her that she contemplated
suicide during this period because Oswald was treating her badly and
she had no friends; she felt that she had “no way out.”[A13-977] Marina
acknowledged to the Commission that she had had such thoughts.[A13-978]
In an effort to renew family ties, Robert Oswald wrote to Lee and John
Pic on November 17, inviting them and their families to Thanksgiving
dinner. Lee accepted the invitation. He and Marina traveled to Fort
Worth by bus on Thanksgiving Day, and John Pic and Robert met them at
the station.[A13-979] Pic had not seen his half-brother for 10 years.
He observed, as many others have also attested, that Lee seemed to be
a good father and to take an active interest in June.[A13-980] After
dinner, Marina phoned Paul Gregory, who later drove the Oswalds to his
house for sandwiches and then took them to the bus station for the
return trip to Dallas.[A13-981] Thereafter, Robert spoke to his brother
once by telephone and received a post card and a letter from him, but
he eventually lost contact with Lee and did not see him again until
after the assassination.[A13-982]
Despite his disillusionment with Soviet life, Oswald kept up his
interest in Russia. He wrote to the Soviet Embassy in Washington for
information on how to subscribe to Russian periodicals and for “any
periodicals or bulletins which you may put out for the benefit of your
citizens living, for a time, in the U.S.A.”[A13-983] He subsequently
subscribed to several Russian journals.[A13-984] In December 1962,
the Soviet Embassy received a card in Russian, signed “Marina and Lee
Oswald,” which conveyed New Year’s greetings and wishes for “health,
success and all of the best” to the employees at the Embassy.[A13-985]
The Oswalds continued to correspond with acquaintances in
Russia.[A13-986]
Soon after his return to this country, Oswald had started to correspond
with the Communist Party, U.S.A., and the Socialist Workers Party.
He subscribed to the Worker in August 1962.[A13-987] He wrote for
additional literature from these organizations, and attempted to
join the Socialist Workers Party, which, however, had no branch in
Texas.[A13-988] He sent samples of his photographic work to the
Socialist Workers Party, the Worker, and the Hall-Davis Defense
Committee, and offered to aid them in printing and photographic work in
connection with posters; these offers were not accepted.[A13-989]
He continued to read a great deal on a variety of subjects.[A13-990]
George Bouhe testified that Oswald’s fare consisted of books by Marx,
Lenin, “and similar things.”[A13-991] Marina said that he read books
of a historical nature, including H. G. Wells’ two volume “Outline of
History,” and biographies of Hitler, Kennedy, and Khrushchev.[A13-992]
Despite the Oswalds’ break with the Russian community, De
Mohrenschildt, knowing that they would be alone during the Christmas
season, asked the Fords whether he could bring the Oswalds to a party
celebrating the Russian Christmas at the Fords’ home; the Fords
assented. The party was attended by many members of the Russian
community.[A13-993] Oswald spoke at length with Yaeko Okui, a Japanese
woman who had been brought to the party by Lev Aronson, first
cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra;[A13-994] she told Federal
investigators that she never saw Oswald again.[A13-995] The Oswalds
were not invited to three other Russian Christmas season gatherings
which occurred during the next few days.[A13-996]
Marina visited the De Mohrenschildts several times after
Christmas.[A13-997] They invited both Lee and Marina to a small
dinner party in February 1963; also present were Everett Glover, a
chemist employed in Dallas, and his roommate Volkmar Schmidt.[A13-998]
On February 22, Glover had a gathering at his house, one of the
purposes of which was to permit his friends, many of whom were
studying Russian, to meet the Oswalds.[A13-999] They were the objects
of much attention.[A13-1000] Marina conversed at length with another
guest named Ruth Paine, who had recently separated from her husband,
Michael Paine, a research engineer at the Bell Helicopter plant in
Fort Worth. Mrs. Paine, who was studying Russian, obtained Marina’s
address[A13-1001] and shortly thereafter wrote Marina asking to see
her. Marina responded by inviting Mrs. Paine to visit her.[A13-1002]
The Oswalds moved out of their Elsbeth Street apartment on March 3,
1963, to an upstairs apartment several blocks away at 214 West Neely
Street. Oswald inquired about the apartment in response to a “For Rent”
sign; the rent was $60 per month, not including utilities,[A13-1003]
They moved without assistance, carrying their belongings in their hands
and in a baby stroller.[A13-1004] Marina preferred the Neely Street
apartment because it had a porch and was, she felt, more suitable for
June.[A13-1005]
Aware of Oswald’s difficulties in obtaining employment, George Bouhe
had advised him as early as October 1962 to attend a night school in
Dallas.[A13-1006] On January 14, Oswald enrolled in a typing course
in the night school of Crozier Technical High School, and started
attending on January 28. The class ran from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. on
Mondays, Tuesday, and Thursdays. Although Oswald reviewed a typing
textbook at home, he attended the course irregularly and stopped going
altogether on about March 28.[A13-1007]
Ruth Paine and Marina started to exchange visits in March. Mrs. Paine
invited the Oswalds for dinner, and on April 20 she took them on a
picnic. When Oswald was not present, the two women frequently discussed
their respective marital problems, and Marina disclosed to Mrs. Paine
that she was pregnant.[A13-1008] Marina wrote of these meetings:
One day we were invited to a friend’s house, where I met Ruth
Paine, who was studying Russian here in America and wanted to
improve her conversational knowledge. We began to see each
other. Ruth would come to see me with her children. This was
very good for both me and for June. She was growing up alone
and becoming terribly wild, so the company of other children
was good for her. Sometimes we went out on picnics at a nearby
lake. Lee loved to fish, and we would look and rejoice if he
caught a little fish. Several times we went to visit Ruth who
lived in Irving.[A13-1009]
Using the name of A. J. Hidell, Oswald had ordered a Smith & Wesson
.38 revolver from Los Angeles on a form which he dated January 27. On
March 12, he ordered a rifle from Klein’s Sporting Goods in Chicago
under the name of A. Hidell.[A13-1010] Oswald used the name “Alek
James Hidell” on identification cards which he probably produced at
Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall. One of his fellow employees taught him various
photographic techniques, which he could have used to prepare not only
these cards, but also the samples of his work which he sent to various
organizations.[A13-1011]
Both weapons were shipped on March 20.[A13-1012] Oswald kept the rifle
in a small storeroom at the Neely Street apartment. He spent long
periods of time in the storeroom, which he told Marina she was not to
enter.[A13-1013] He told her that he intended to use the rifle for
hunting[A13-1014] and that he practiced with it. She saw him leave with
it once, and clean it several times.[A13-1015] He also posed for two
pictures, taken by Marina in the backyard of the Neely apartment, in
which he held his rifle and copies of the Worker and the Militant and
the revolver was strapped to his belt. He gave one of the pictures to
his wife and asked her to keep it for June.[A13-1016]
Over the weekend of March 9-10, Oswald photographed the alley which
runs behind the home of Gen. Edwin Walker, and probably at about the
same time he photographed the rear of Walker’s home and a nearby
railroad track and right-of-way.[A13-1017] He prepared and studied a
notebook in which he outlined a plan to shoot General Walker, and he
looked at bus schedules.[A13-1018] He went to the Walker residence on
the evening of April 6 or 7, planning to make his attack. However,
he changed his plans, hid his rifle nearby, and determined to act on
the following Wednesday, April 10, when a nearby church was planning
a meeting which, Oswald reasoned, would create a diversion that would
help him escape.[A13-1019] On Wednesday, Oswald left a note for Marina
telling her what to do if he were apprehended. He retrieved his rifle
and fired at Walker, but the bullet narrowly missed Walker’s head.
Oswald secreted his rifle again and took the bus home.[A13-1020]
When Oswald told Marina what he had done, she became angry and made
him promise never to repeat such an act. She testified that she kept
his letter, intending to give it to the authorities if he repeated
his attempt. He told Marina that he was sorry he had missed Walker
and said that the shooting of Walker would have been analogous to
an assassination of Hitler.[A13-1021] Several days later, the De
Mohrenschildts visited the Oswalds, bringing an Easter present for
June. During the visit, Jeanne De Mohrenschildt saw the rifle and
told her husband about it. Without any knowledge of the truth,
De Mohrenschildt jokingly intimated that Oswald was the one who
had shot at Walker. Oswald apparently concluded that Marina had
told De Mohrenschildt of his role in the attempt and was visibly
shaken.[A13-1022]
On April 6, Oswald was dropped by Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall because,
in his supervisor’s opinion, he could not do the work, although
he was trying; in addition, he did not get along with his fellow
employees.[A13-1023] The fact that he brought a Russian newspaper
to work may also have been of some significance.[A13-1024] Marina
testified that her husband, who had always worried about his job
security at Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall,[A13-1025] was quite upset by the
loss of his job since he had liked the work.[A13-1026]
Oswald again resorted to the Texas Employment Commission.[A13-1027]
On April 8, he informed the Commission that he was seeking employment
but was referred to no employers. He stated that he had been laid off
at Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall due to lack of work.[A13-1028] On April
12, he made a claim for unemployment benefits; 4 days later the
commission mailed him a determination disapproving his claim because of
insufficient wage credits.[A13-1029]
For a while after the Oswalds moved into the Neely Street
apartment they got along well,[A13-1030] but they soon began to
quarrel.[A13-1031] Oswald was apparently still preventing Marina from
learning English,[A13-1032] and there is some indication that he
continued to beat her.[A13-1033] Since February, he had been urging
her to return to Russia.[A13-1034] Marina wrote several letters to the
Russian Embassy requesting a visa to return to Russia;[A13-1035] she
testified, however, that Oswald forced her to write them, and that she
never wanted to return to Russia.[A13-1036]
When Ruth Paine visited the Oswalds at their apartment on April 24,
she was surprised to learn that Oswald was packed and ready to leave
for New Orleans by bus. He explained that he had been unable to find
employment in or around Dallas, and that Marina had suggested that
he go to New Orleans since he had been born there.[A13-1037] Marina
has testified that the real reason behind her suggestion was that she
wanted to get him out of town because of the Walker incident.[A13-1038]
Mrs. Paine offered to drive Marina to New Orleans at a later date, and
also to have Marina and June stay with her rather than at the apartment
in the meantime. Oswald helped the women pack Mrs. Paine’s car, and the
two women moved everything from the Neely Street apartment to the Paine
house in Irving.[A13-1039]
When he arrived at the bus station in New Orleans, Oswald telephoned
his aunt, Lillian Murret, to ask if he could stay at her home at 757
French Street while he looked for employment. She had been unaware that
he had returned from Russia or that he was married and had a child
and was surprised to hear from him. She said that she did not have
room to accommodate three guests, but that since he was alone he was
welcome.[A13-1040]
Oswald had been born in New Orleans, and on his return showed great
interest in finding out what had happened to the other members of his
father’s family. He visited the cemetery where his father was buried
and called all the Oswalds in the telephone book. By this method he
located one relative, Mrs. Hazel Oswald of Metairie, La., the widow of
William Stout Oswald, his father’s brother. He visited her at her home;
she gave him a picture of his father and told him that as far as she
knew the rest of the family was dead.[A13-1041]
On April 26, Oswald began his search for employment. He went to the
employment office of the Louisiana Department of Labor and stated that
he was qualified as a commercial photographer, shipping clerk, or
“darkroom man.” The interviewer noted on Oswald’s application card:
“Will travel on limited basis. Will relocate. Min. $1.25 hr. Neat.
Suit. Tie. Polite.”[A13-1042] Although the employment commission made a
few referrals, Oswald relied primarily upon newspaper advertisements,
and applied for a number of positions.[A13-1043] Mrs. Murret testified
that he would spend the day job hunting, return to her home for supper,
watch television, and go to bed.[A13-1044]
On April 29, he filed a request for reconsideration of the employment
commission’s disapproval of his unemployment compensation claim.
His complaint that he had not been credited for his employment at
Jaggars-Chiles-Stovall was ruled valid on May 8, and he was granted
maximum benefits of $369, payable at the rate of $33 per week. He filed
interstate claims on May 7 and 15, and received $33 in response to
the latter; the former claim was filed before the expiration of the
prescribed waiting period.[A13-1045] Not only had Oswald in fact been
working since May 10, but he included on his claim sheet, as concerns
with which he had sought work, fictitious employers and employers whom
he apparently had not contacted.[A13-1046]
Oswald wrote to Marina: “All is well. I am living with Aunt Lillian.
She has very kindly taken us in. I am now looking for work. When I find
it I will write you.”[A13-1047] And on May 3, he wrote to Marina and
Ruth Paine: “Girls, I still have not found work, but I receive money
from the unemployment office in the amount 15 to 20 dollars. They were
mistaken in the Dallas office when they refused, but I straightened
everything out. Uncle ‘Dyuz’ offered me a loan of $200.00 if needed.
Great, eh?!”[A13-1048]
On May 9, responding to a newspaper advertisement, Oswald completed
an application for employment with William B. Reily Co., Inc., at 640
Magazine Street, an enterprise engaged in the roasting, grinding,
canning, bagging, and sale of coffee. On his application form, Oswald
listed as references in addition to John Murret, “Sgt. Robert Hidell”
and “Lieut. J. Evans,” both apparently fictitious names.[A13-1049]
His application was approved and he began work on May 10, at the rate
of $1.50 per hour. His task was the lubrication of the company’s
machinery.[A13-1050] Oswald did not enjoy this work,[A13-1051] and
told his wife and Mrs. Paine that he was working in commercial
photography.[A13-1052]
Also on May 9, Oswald obtained an apartment at 4905 Magazine Street
with the help of Myrtle Evans, who had known him when he was a child.
The rent was $65 a month. Oswald moved in on May 10,[A13-1053] after
telephoning Marina on the ninth and asking her to come to New Orleans.
Ruth Paine testified that the invitation elated Marina: “Papa nas
lubet”--“Daddy loves us,” she repeated again and again. Mrs. Paine
drove Marina and June to New Orleans; they left Dallas on May 10, spent
the night in Shreveport, and arrived on the 11th. Mrs. Paine stayed
with the Oswalds for 3 days; the three of them, with June and Mrs.
Paine’s children, toured the French Quarter. On May 14, Mrs. Paine left
New Orleans to return to her home.[A13-1054]
The Murrets and the Oswalds exchanged visits from time to time; Marina
testified that the Murrets were very good to them.[A13-1055] Mrs.
Murret’s daughter, Marilyn, took the Oswalds on an outing.[A13-1056]
But, according to Marina’s testimony, aside from Ruth Paine and Ruth
Kloepfer and her daughters, the Murrets were the only social visitors
the Oswalds had.[A13-1057] Ruth Kloepfer was a clerk of the Quaker
Meeting in New Orleans whom Ruth Paine had written in the hope that she
might know some Russian-speaking people who could visit Marina. Mrs.
Kloepfer herself visited the Oswalds but made no attempt to direct any
Russian-speaking people to them.[A13-1058]
On July 19, Oswald was dismissed by Reily because of inefficiency
and inattention to his work. He had spent many of his working hours
next door at the Crescent City Garage, where he read gun magazines
and discussed guns with one of the owners, Adrian Alba.[A13-1059] On
the following Monday, July 22, Oswald again visited the Louisiana
employment office to seek new employment and file a claim for
unemployment compensation. Thereafter, he collected unemployment
compensation weekly and, although apparently making some effort
to obtain another job, again listed a number of fictitious job
applications on his unemployment compensation claim forms.[A13-1060] He
soon gave up his search for employment, and began to spend his days at
home reading.[A13-1061] He received another setback on July 25, when he
was notified that in response to the request for review which he had
made in 1962, his undesirable discharge from the Marine Corps had been
affirmed.[A13-1062]
During this period, Oswald began to evidence thoughts of returning to
the Soviet Union or going to Cuba. On June 24 he applied for a new
passport, which he received on the following day.[A13-1063] Apparently
at Oswald’s request,[A13-1064] Marina wrote to the Russian Embassy,
expressing a desire to return to Russia and indicating that she would
be accompanied by her husband. She explained that she wanted to return
because of family problems, including the impending birth of her
second child.[A13-1065] Accompanying her letter was a letter written
by Oswald dated July 1, in which he asked the Embassy to rush an
entrance visa for his wife and requested that his visa be considered
separately.[A13-1066] Marina believed that Oswald was really planning
to go only to Cuba.[A13-1067] She testified that “his basic desire was
to get to Cuba by any means, and that all the rest of it was window
dressing for that purpose.”[A13-1068]
During the early days of the New Orleans period, the Oswalds’ marriage
was more harmonious than it had been previously. Marina wrote:
* * * our family life in New Orleans was more peaceful. Lee
took great satisfaction in showing me the city where he was
born. We often went to the beach, the zoo, and the park. Lee
liked to go and hunt crabs. It is true, that he was not very
pleased with his job * * * We did not have very much money, and
the birth of a new child involved new expenses * * * As before,
Lee spent a great deal of time reading.[A13-1069]
Marina testified, however, that after they had been in New Orleans for
a while, Oswald became depressed and that she once found him alone in
the dark crying.[A13-1070] She wrote to Ruth Paine that his “love” had
ceased soon after Mrs. Paine had left New Orleans.[A13-1071] Mrs. Paine
testified, however, that she had noticed friction between the Oswalds
before she left.[A13-1072] On July 11, Mrs. Paine wrote Marina that
if Oswald did not wish to live with her any more and preferred that
she return to the Soviet Union, she could live at the Paines’ house.
Although Mrs. Paine had long entertained this idea, this was the first
time she explicitly made the invitation. She renewed the invitation on
July 12, and again on July 14; she attempted to overcome any feeling
which Marina might have that she would be a burden by stating that
Marina could help with the housework and help her learn Russian, and
that she would also provide a tax advantage.[A13-1073]
Marina replied that she had previously raised the subject of a
separation and that it had led to arguments. She stated that she was
happy and that for a considerable period of time Oswald had been good
to her. She attributed this improved attitude to the fact that he
was anticipating their second child. Marina turned down Mrs. Paine’s
invitation but said that she would take advantage of it if things
became worse.[A13-1074] Mrs. Paine replied that she was taking a trip
north to visit her parents and would visit Marina in New Orleans about
September 18. She also suggested that Marina come to her house for the
birth of the baby.[A13-1075]
On July 6, Eugene Murret, a cousin of Oswald who was studying to be a
Jesuit Priest in Mobile, Ala., wrote and asked if Oswald could come to
Mobile and speak at the Jesuit House of Studies about “contemporary
Russia and the practice of Communism there.” Oswald accepted, and on
July 27 he and his family, joined by some of the Murrets, traveled to
Mobile; Charles Murret paid the expenses. Oswald spoke concerning his
observations in Russia and conducted a question and answer period; he
impressed his listeners as articulate. He indicated that he had become
disillusioned during his stay in Russia, and that in his opinion the
best political system would be one which combined the best points of
capitalism and communism.[A13-1076] While he left his listeners with
the impression that he was an atheist, he avoided a direct discussion
of religion. The group returned to New Orleans on July 28.[A13-1077]
In late May and early June, Oswald had apparently begun to formulate
plans for creating a New Orleans branch of the Fair Play for Cuba
Committee. Using the name “Lee Osborne” he ordered a number of printed
circulars demanding “Hands off Cuba” in large letters, and application
forms and membership cards for the proposed chapter.[A13-1078] On
August 5, he visited a store managed by Carlos Bringuier, a Cuban
refugee and avid opponent of Castro and the New Orleans delegate of the
Cuban student directorate. Oswald indicated an interest in joining the
struggle against Castro. He told Bringuier that he had been a marine
and was trained in guerrilla warfare, and that he was willing not only
to train Cubans to fight Castro but also to join the fight himself.
The next day Oswald returned to the store and left his “Guidebook for
Marines” for Bringuier.[A13-1079]