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

But it is my best recollection that he was there in that period of time.

Mr. Jenner. Mr. McKenzie, that may well be so.

Our information indicates to the contrary—that he was in Dallas on the 21st of November 1963.

Mr. McKenzie. That is what I say, sir.

Mr. Jenner. You said several weeks prior.

Mr. McKenzie. I said some time within 6 weeks prior to November 22d.

Mr. Jenner. Well, our information is that he was in Dallas on the 21st of November 1963, and not prior to that time.

But we will——

Mr. Dulles. I think there is a misunderstanding there. You are technically correct. It was the day before.

Mr. McKenzie. I couldn't remember the exact date, Mr. Dulles, and I wasn't going to be tied down to any exact date.

Mr. Dulles. You are technically correct.

Mr. McKenzie. November 21 was before November 22.

Mr. Jenner. Well, the inference of the 6 weeks——

Mr. McKenzie. Mr. Jenner, the reason I say 6 weeks—as I explained to Mr. Dulles, I don't know exactly when it was, but I know it was prior to November 22d, Dick Nixon was in Dallas.

Mr. Jenner. Well, Mr. Chairman, we will obtain that information and make it part of the record.

Now, Mr. Oswald, in view of what you have related with regard to this particular event, I ask you this question: Would you please state why you did not report this circumstance to any agency or agent of the U.S. Government up to the time that you gave your diary to Mr. McKenzie and he turned it over to the FBI?

Mr. Oswald. An assumption on my part at the time this was told to me was that some Federal agents were aware of this. Nobody told me that they were aware of it. I repeat, again, it was an assumption on my part that somebody was perhaps aware of this, as they were, before I was—aware of the alleged shot at General Walker of the same year.

Mr. Jenner. I see.

Did you discuss this event with Mrs. Oswald, that is, your wife, Vada?

Mr. Oswald. Briefly I did, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Now, when did you do that?

Mr. Oswald. Some time around the latter part of January 1964, at which time——

Mr. Jenner. Excuse me. That is several weeks after you made this entry in your diary, and after the event occurred?

Mr. Oswald. Two or three weeks after I made this entry in my diary January 13, yes, sir, that is correct.

Mr. Jenner. What were the circumstances that led you to discuss the matter with her?

Mr. Oswald. My wife had read my diary, and she had come to this entry on January 13, 1964, and she asked me to fill in the blanks and state who it was, at which time I did.

Mr. Dulles. Did I understand you to say earlier that your wife also prepared a diary?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir, she did not. She had read my diary, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Until you retained Mr. McKenzie, had you retained counsel?

Mr. Oswald. I had consulted counsel.

Mr. Jenner. And what counsel?

Mr. Oswald. Mr. Weldon Knight, of Denton, Tex.

Mr. Jenner. Had you exhibited to Mr. Knight the diary we have been discussing?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; he was not aware of the diary we are discussing.

Mr. Jenner. I take it from your testimony you did not discuss this particular event with Mr. Knight.

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. Did you ever exhibit your diary to Mr. Thorne?

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

Mr. Jenner. Did you ever discuss the existence of the diary with Mr. Thorne?

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

Mr. Jenner. Prior to the time you delivered the diary to Mr. McKenzie, had you disclosed to anybody other than Mrs. Oswald, your wife Vada, the existence of the diary?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I did.

Mr. McKenzie. To whom?

Mr. Oswald. Mrs. Marina Oswald, approximately the first week of February 1964, or January 1964—I advised her that I——

Mr. McKenzie. You say approximately the first week of January or February. You mean approximately the first week of February or the last week of January?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir—thank you—that I was writing down various happenings that had occurred since November 22, 1964.

Mr. Jenner. And you were in the process of preparing a memorandum, really, rather than a diary, of past events?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. All right.

Did you do any more than just tell her that you were preparing such a statement or memorandum?

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

Mr. Jenner. You did not have occasion, then, at that time to discuss further with her the Richard M. Nixon matter?

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

Mr. Jenner. Since we have referred to this document, Mr. Chairman, could I pursue it, at least as to how it came into existence?

Mr. Dulles. Do you propose to introduce it in evidence?

Mr. Jenner. Yes, I do.

I propose now to qualify the diary which you so kindly produced yesterday, Mr. McKenzie.

Mr. McKenzie. Certainly.

Mr. Jenner. Mr. Oswald, yesterday morning your counsel, Mr. McKenzie, delivered to me as an agent of the Commission a ringed notebook, which you have before you, do you not?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. And is that notebook still intact as it was when you delivered it to me yesterday?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; it is.

Mr. Jenner. Does any part of that notebook contain any entries relating to anything involving your brother?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; it does.

Mr. Jenner. Would you note the particular pages and put a paper clip on them, please?

Would you read the first paragraph of the first page which has been clipped?

Mr. Oswald. "Dated December 6, 1963, for the history of the past 2 weeks as seen through my eyes, and heard with my ears, and felt with my body, I write for future reference for myself and for the future members of the family."

Mr. Jenner. Would you read the last sentence of the last page you have clipped?

Mr. Oswald. "Marina said she was shocked when the FBI told her this story."

Mr. Jenner. May I approach the witness, Mr. Chairman?

Mr. Dulles. Please.

What was "this story"?

Mr. Jenner. May we consider that a question to the witness, please?

Mr. Dulles. Yes.

Mr. Oswald. If I may read the entire entry dated January 19, 1964.

Mr. Jenner. Is this entry in your handwriting?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Was it made contemporaneously with the event recorded?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; it was.

Mr. Jenner. This event took place on Sunday, January 19, 1964?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner. And you made an entry contemporaneously or shortly thereafter?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner. For what purpose?

Mr. Oswald. For the purpose of writing down a reference for myself and for my family on all events that I could learn about in relation to Lee's life.

Mr. Jenner. Mr. Chairman, before the paragraph is read, if I may—is there another entry in your handwriting on that page?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; there is.

Mr. Jenner. Is it the only other entry on that page?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; it is.

Mr. Jenner. Is it the entry of January—Sunday, January 13, 1964, relative to Mr. Nixon about which you have already testified?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that is correct.

Mr. Jenner. And which you have read in full into the record?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I have.

Mr. Jenner. Now, you are going to read for the purpose of the record the balance of that page, are you not?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that is correct.

Mr. Jenner. All right.

Mr. Oswald. "Sunday, January 19, 1964. Marina and the Martins had gone to Kathy Ford's house in Richardson, when we arrived at the Martin's house around 2 p.m. They returned approximately about 4:45 p.m. On the way to the grocery, Jim said the FBI had asked Marina during the week if she knew"——