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

Mr. Jenner. And you did undertake residence there?

Mr. Oswald. I did, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Have you continued to be a resident of Fort Worth, Tex., ever since?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir, I have not.

Mr. Jenner. Indicate in short compass where you have resided since you got out of the service?

Mr. Oswald. From 1955 I resided in Fort Worth, Tex., until March of 1963. From March of 1963 until September 1963, I resided in Malvern, Ark. And from September until present date I have resided in Denton, Tex.

Mr. Jenner. Did you visit your mother and your brother in New Orleans when you returned from the service in July of 1955?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I did. I did not—yes, sir, it was in July 1955 when I made my first trip from Fort Worth, Tex., to New Orleans, La. I had purchased a car the second day I was home from the service, a 1951 Chevrolet, and I drove it on the third day or the second night to New Orleans, La.

Mr. Jenner. Were your quarters in a hotel, or did you join your brother and mother?

Mr. Oswald. I joined my mother and brother.

Mr. Jenner. How long did you stay in New Orleans on that trip?

Mr. Oswald. Approximately 1 week.

Mr. Jenner. And you lived with your mother and brother?

Mr. Oswald. That's correct.

Mr. Jenner. That was in July of 1955?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that's correct.

Mr. Jenner. He was not in school at that time.

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; he was not.

Mr. Jenner. Now, how did you find your brother, as to the state of health and state of mind?

Mr. Oswald. He seemed to be the same to me. He had joined at that time—no, sir—he had not at that time been in the Civil Air Patrol. At that time Lee was working I believe for an export firm there in New Orleans. I do not know the name of it. I do not believe I ever heard the name of it. I might have. Mother was also working at that time.

Mr. Jenner. Had you seen your brother in the interim—that is the interim between the 10-day leave in New York City and your return from Korea in July of 1955?

Mr. Oswald. There was one leave, or perhaps it was this time in 1955 that Lee was in the Civil Air Patrol there in New Orleans, because I remember his uniform that he had. And we went out to lunch on a Sunday afternoon. And he had his uniform on—mother, he, and I.

Mr. McKenzie. Robert, he asked you this—if between the time you went to New York City and left there, and the time you went to Korea and came back, and you were mustered out of the Marine Corps, did you see your brother at any time during that period of time?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I recall now. Leaving Miami, Fla., in 1954—January or February—I took another 10-day leave, I believe it was, and I traveled to New Orleans first, where mother and Lee was, and at this time he was in the Civil Air Patrol. And I spent 3 or 4 days there in New Orleans.

Mr. Jenner. You stayed with your mother and brother?

Mr. Oswald. Yes; I did.

Mr. Dulles. When you come to a good place, Mr. Jenner, we will stop for 5 minutes.

Mr. Jenner. The Commission's convenience is my convenience.

Representative Boggs. May I ask one or two questions.

Your brother John—is he alive?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Representative Boggs. Where is he?

Mr. Oswald. San Antonio, Tex., in the U.S. Air Force.

Mr. Dulles. He is a half brother.

Representative Boggs. He is your older brother?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Representative Boggs. How old is he?

Mr. Oswald. He is 32 now.

Representative Boggs. You never had any problems in school or in the Marine Corps, did you—I mean serious problems?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; no serious problems.

Representative Boggs. You always had problems. But you never were in any trouble?

Mr. Oswald. I have never been in any serious trouble in my life.

Representative Boggs. Ever been arrested?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir. The only time I was on the inside of a jail was one time in Hazel, Tex., when I refused to sign a traffic ticket on the spot and I requested to be taken to the courthouse.

Representative Boggs. Did you ever have any psychiatric mental troubles?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir.

Representative Boggs. Did you consider your brother a normal human being?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I most certainly did.

Representative Boggs. In every way?

Mr. Oswald. In every way.

Representative Boggs. Did he ever give you any indications of being—did he ever discuss with you such things as shooting at General Walker?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir.

Mr. McKenzie. In order to clear something up, Mr. Boggs, let me ask one question, if I may, for the record.

Mr. Dulles. Please. Do you want this on the record or off?

Mr. McKenzie. Robert, from the time that your brother, Lee Harvey Oswald came back from Russia, when was this?

Mr. Oswald. This was in June 1962.

Mr. McKenzie. And then when was the next time that you saw him after he came to your home in Fort Worth, Tex., in June of 1962?

Mr. Dulles. Just after he returned from Russia?

Mr. McKenzie. Yes.

Mr. Oswald. I saw him on a number of occasions there in Fort Worth, Tex., after he moved out of my residence to mother's, from mother's apartment to his apartment with Marina, and the children, and when they moved to Dallas, Tex., that was the last time I saw him.

Mr. McKenzie. When did he move to Dallas, Tex.

Mr. Oswald. This was approximately October 1962.

Mr. McKenzie. All right, from the time of October 1962, when was—from then when was the next time you saw him?

Mr. Oswald. On November 23, 1963.

Mr. McKenzie. Where was that?

Mr. Oswald. At the Dallas County Jail or Dallas City Jail.

Mr. McKenzie. It was the Dallas City Jail.

Mr. Oswald. Dallas City Jail.

Mr. McKenzie. What were those circumstances? Were you in a room with him or were you talking to him through a partition or over a telephone or what, explain that to the Commission, if you will?

Mr. Oswald. I was talking to him over a telephone through a glass window, and he was on the locked side.

Mr. McKenzie. So for a period of over a year from the time he left Fort Worth and moved to Dallas, Tex., you did not see him, is that correct?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct, sir.

Mr. McKenzie. All right

Representative Boggs. When you last saw him was October 1962, is that what you said?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. McKenzie. And you had previously seen him when he resided in your home for how long a period of time?

Mr. Oswald. Approximately 6 to 8 weeks.

Mr. Dulles. I imagine this would be covered later but it fits in. I think you are quite right. I have a question or two.

Representative Boggs. I have to go back to the House in a few minutes.

Mr. Dulles. Go right ahead. Ask him any questions you wish to.

Representative Boggs. At the time he resided in your home these 6 or 8 weeks were your relations with him cordial or friendly?

Mr. Oswald. It was cordial, yes, more or less like he had not been to Russia. We were just together again.

Representative Boggs. Did you have any political discussions with him at any time?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I did not.

Representative Boggs. He never discussed political matters with you?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; he did not. I would say we had a tacit agreement it was never brought up.

Representative Boggs. By tacit, do you mean that——

Mr. Oswald. An unspoken agreement that we never would discuss it.

Representative Boggs. I understand. Had you arrived at this agreement because on previous occasions you had disagreed about political matters?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; that was not the reason. We just never discussed politics.

Representative Boggs. Did you have any interest in political affairs, I mean——