President's Commission on the Assassination of - The Warren Commission (Complete Edition)

(Documents were marked Commission Exhibits Nos. 244 through 250 for identification.)

Mr. Rankin. Mrs. Oswald, will you examine Exhibits 244 through 250, both inclusive, and tell us whether or not those are photostatic copies of communications of your son that you recognize the handwriting on of the originals?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Doyle. If you do not on any one of them, announce the number.

Mrs. Oswald. This is one I would believe that I have stated—if he wrote it, he wrote it very careful. It is not scribbled like he usually does.

Mr. Doyle. That is 246.

Mr. Rankin. Can you tell whether or not that is his signature on the second page of Exhibit 246?

Mrs. Oswald. It is just a little different. That could be forged. Just a little difference. We write left handed, and we have a trend.

Mr. Rankin. Is that one that you said before that you thought you could recognize?

Mrs. Oswald. I don't know, sir. I have no way of knowing. How would I know?

Mr. Rankin. Do you recognize the handwriting now?

Mrs. Oswald. As I have stated before, when I am looking at it, it doesn't appear to be immediately as Lee's handwriting. But it could be something that he has recopied over and over to get such a perfect lettering. It is not scribbled like we usually scribble. Now, this was one also that I would say——

Mr. Rankin. That is Exhibit 247.

Mrs. Oswald. That is scribbled.

Mr. Rankin. That is more scribbled, you say?

Mrs. Oswald. It is not quite as his ordinary writing. It is a little more thoughtfully written.

Mr. Rankin. You think it is his, though?

Mrs. Oswald. I would say this is his.

Mr. Rankin. Yes.

Mrs. Oswald. Now, this is thoughtfully written, too, yet it is his.

Mr. Rankin. Exhibit 248.

Mrs. Oswald. I am looking at this handwriting, because the rest of it is printed. I do not know too much about Lee's printing.

Mr. Rankin. Can you tell about the handwriting?

Mrs. Oswald. The signature looks like Lee's signature.

Mr. Rankin. Yes.

Mrs. Oswald. I will state again this looks like Lee's handwriting, but very thoughtfully written.

Mr. Rankin. That is Exhibit 249. Is that right?

Mrs. Oswald. That is right. And this is Lee's signature.

Mr. Rankin. That is Exhibit 250 that you just referred to?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. Now, I would say it is all Lee's handwriting, but very thoughtfully written.

Mr. Rankin. Thank you. We offer in evidence Exhibits 244 through 250, both inclusive.

The Chairman. They may be admitted.

(The documents referred to were received in evidence as Commission Exhibits Nos. 244 through 250, inclusive.)

(A group of documents was then marked 251 through 258 for identification.)

Mr. Rankin. Mrs. Oswald, I will hand you Exhibits 251 through 257, both inclusive, and ask you to examine those, and state whether you recognize the handwriting.

Mrs. Oswald. That doesn't look too much like Lee's handwriting. It could be a finer pen and more thoughtfully written. But I cannot identify this as Lee's handwriting.

Mr. Rankin. Can you tell about the signature?

Mrs. Oswald. The signature looks a little like Lee's signature.

Mr. Doyle. You refer to 251, when you are discussing this?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, 251.

Now, this one I would say was not Lee's handwriting.

Mr. Rankin. That is 252?

Mrs. Oswald. 252.

I have never known Lee to sign Lee Harvey Oswald. He always signed Lee H. There again, that could be Lee's handwriting with a fine pen. But very thoughtfully written. But I will say it is not Lee's. I don't think it is. I cannot be positive. But I do not think it is Lee's handwriting.

Mr. Rankin. That is Exhibit 252 that you have been referring to?

Mrs. Oswald. Exhibit 252.

Here is another of the same caliber. It is too perfect. The writing is too perfect.

Mr. Rankin. What about the signature?

Mrs. Oswald. The signature looks like Lee's signature.

Mr. Doyle. That is 253.

Mrs. Oswald. 253. Yes, sir. This is a little different signature, I would say, than his normal signature.

Mr. Rankin. 254?

Mrs. Oswald. 254, yes, sir.

Mr. Rankin. You think that Exhibit 254 is your son's handwriting or not?

Mrs. Oswald. I would have to say with reservations again. It would have to be rewritten very thoroughly. It is not scribbled enough.

Mr. Rankin. You think that those letters, 251 through 254, are too carefully done for your son Lee?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. And if he did do them, he would have to have four or five copies to do it so perfect.

This is a little more scribbled. This signature looks more like Lee's than the other did.

Mr. Rankin. That is 255?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. 255.

This looks like Lee's handwriting—a lot of misspelling, and his signature. 256.

Now his Russian handwriting I know only from return addresses. However, I do have two brown papers with Russian writing on, from gifts that were sent to me. But I don't know if Lee addressed them or not.

And this is Lee's handwriting with a very fine pen. Isn't this handwriting backwards for a left hand? It seems when I looked at "my," it should be going this way—because I write like Lee, left handed.

Mr. Rankin. When you refer to this—or asked whether it was backwards, you were referring to Exhibit 257, were you?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes. This "m" should be going this way—which it is really. But it is kind of hard to testify to. I would say this is Lee's handwriting with a very fine pen, with reservations.

Mr. Rankin. Exhibit 257.

We offer in evidence Exhibits 251 through 257, both inclusive.

The Chairman. They may be admitted.

(The documents referred to were received in evidence as Commission Exhibits Nos. 251 through 257, inclusive.)

The Chairman. Mrs. Oswald, are you now ready—we are not going to ask you to do it right now, but we are going to recess at 2 o'clock. But are we now at the point where we can hear whatever you want to tell us about your life?

Mrs. Oswald. I am sorry, but I would like to have lunch.

The Chairman. I said that we were going to have lunch. But when we return—you have things up to that point of your story?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir.

The Chairman. Very well.

You have another question you want to ask before we recess for lunch?

Mr. Rankin. I should like to offer for the limited purpose, Mr. Chairman, of the fact that we presented this picture to Mrs. Oswald and she said it was not the picture that was presented to her—for that limited purpose I should like to offer Exhibit 237.

The Chairman. It may be so admitted.

(The picture referred to was received in evidence as Commission Exhibit No. 237.)

Mr. Doyle. Mr. Chief Justice, during the noon hour may I have the custody of this transcript of a tape recording of an interview with Mrs. Oswald, the 28 pages which was tendered to us by Mr. Rankin this morning—and I will return it.

Mr. Rankin. That is for them to have.

The Chairman. That is to become your own.

Mr. Doyle. To become the property of Mrs. Oswald.

The Chairman. The property of Mrs. Oswald, yes. That is what we gave it to you for. She requested that.

Mr. Doyle. Thank you very much.

The Chairman. Very well, we will recess now until 2 o'clock.

(Whereupon, at 12:55 p.m., the President's Commission recessed.)

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The President's Commission reconvened at 2:05 p.m.

The Chairman. All right, Mr. Rankin, will you proceed with the hearing?

Mr. Rankin. Mrs. Oswald, you said that you would like to turn now to telling us about your life. We would appreciate that if you would do that.