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

Mr. Jenner. Was the Secret Service mentioned as having interviewed her?

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

Mr. Jenner. The only expression was that, had she been interviewed.

Mr. Oswald. I believe, sir, that is correct.

Mr. Brown did use the term had she been interviewed. And my reply, I believe, verbatim would be—my answer to that question, sir, is yes.

Mr. Jenner. And the Secret Service, as the interviewers, had been mentioned?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner. By you?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir.

Mr. Jenner. By Mr. Brown?

Mr. Oswald. Implied, sir, by Mr. Brown.

Mr. Jenner. Is that the end of that incident?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Representative Ford has a notation here to obtain from you all the details on when you knew that your brother Lee wished to return from Russia, and you have given us those details, have you not? The information and knowledge came to you through the correspondence which now has been identified and admitted in the record?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. And you had no other source?

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

Mr. Jenner. Did you have any discussion with your mother with respect to supplying funds—either her doing so or your doing so—to your brother Lee when he was in Russia?

Mr. Oswald. My mother did write me on one occasion, sir, requesting that——

Mr. Jenner. This is while he was in Russia?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct. I believe at this time she was residing in Crowell, Texas.

Mr. Jenner. She wrote you a note?

Mr. Oswald. Stating that if I wanted to help Lee in any way, that I had to go through her to do it to the extent that she was going to handle everything, and that she was demanding—and that was the word she used in the letter—that I do so.

Mr. Jenner. That you do what?

Mr. Oswald. Send any funds that I might want to send to Lee to her, to forward to Lee.

This I did not do, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Did you respond to that letter?

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

Mr. Jenner. Can you fix, approximately, when you received that letter?

Mr. Oswald. Approximately July or August of 1961, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Other than that letter, did you have any—well, in addition to the letter, did you ever have a discussion with your mother on the subject matter of supplying funds for your brother while he was in Russia?

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

Mr. Jenner. And she had none with you, and none occurred in your presence?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir, she did not.

Mr. Jenner. What part, if any, did you play in assisting, if you did assist, your brother Lee in his making of repayments of the funds he had borrowed from the State Department?

Mr. Oswald. I did not assist him in any way, sir.

Mr. Dulles. He did not request it?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; he did not. He wanted to do this on his own.

Mr. Jenner. Did you discuss that subject with him?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I did.

Mr. Jenner. And did he so express himself?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Did you offer to help him?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I did.

Mr. Jenner. And he refused?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner. At any time—let us confine it first to the period that your brother resided with you in your home, upon his return from Russia—did he express to you any opinion or make any comment on his regard for, or affection for, or lack of affection for, or regard for Marina?

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

Mr. Jenner. Was the subject ever discussed between you during that month that he was at your home?

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

Mr. Jenner. Was the subject ever discussed at any time thereafter?

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

Mr. Jenner. Did you have occasion—obviously, you did—to observe the relationship between your brother Lee and your sister-in-law Marina, in their—as husband and wife?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I did observe that.

Mr. Jenner. And would you please state what you observed in that respect?

Mr. Oswald. I felt on two or three occasions that Lee's tone of voice to Marina—not understanding what was being said—but by the general tone of voice, that he was being overbearing or forceful.

Mr. Jenner. Inconsiderate?

Mr. Oswald. Sir?

Mr. Jenner. Inconsiderate?

Mr. Oswald. Inconsiderate.

Mr. Jenner. Of her?

Mr. Oswald. Of her—some little thing she might want to do. I say some little thing—something that she was going to do there at the house or something, or was doing—I don't recall any specific incident.

Mr. Dulles. Do you recall her reaction?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I do.

Mr. Dulles. What was it?

Mr. Oswald. It was usually silence.

Mr. Jenner. Usually what, sir?

Mr. Oswald. Silence.

Mr. Jenner. A silence that indicated resentment on her part, or rejection on her part, of comments your brother was making to her?

Mr. Oswald. Generally, sir, I formed my opinion by the expression on her face, and her reaction as indicated, that it was not very pleasing to her to be perhaps reprimanded.

Mr. Jenner. In the presence of somebody else?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Tell us, if you will, please, from your observation of your brother and Marina, during all of the period of time up to and through Thanksgiving of 1962, her attitude towards your brother in the normal course.

Mr. Oswald. I believe, sir, it would be described as just a normal attitude of a wife to a husband. They seemed affectionate—both of them appeared to be—and I believe this still to be so—very affectionate to the baby June Lee Oswald.

Mr. Jenner. And it is your opinion, based on your observation during this period of time, up to and including August of 19—Thanksgiving Day 1962—it is your opinion that they led a reasonably normal married life, having in mind all the problems that were facing them?

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

Mr. Jenner. Did your brother ever discuss with you any incident in which he thought that Marina had been guilty of some misconduct—I don't mean sexual misconduct, but did he complain about her conduct?

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

Mr. Jenner. Any kind or character, at any time?

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

Mr. Jenner. Was there ever a discussion in your presence by anyone, including your brother and/or your sister-in-law, on the subject of his having physically harmed her?

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

Mr. Jenner. The subject was never discussed in your presence?

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

Mr. Jenner. By anyone?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Did it come to your attention at any time prior to November 23, 1962, or November 22, 1963, that your brother had inflicted some physical harm on your sister-in-law?

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

Mr. Jenner. Did you ever see her when she had darkened eyes, as though a black eye had been inflicted upon her?

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

Mr. Jenner. Or any other physical injury?

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

Mr. Jenner. Your mother, in her appearance before the Commission, has stated, and implied, at least, that your sister-in-law Marina could understand English and could read English—let's confine it to the period up to and including November 22, 1963.

What is your opinion on that subject?

Mr. Oswald. It is my opinion even now, sir, if I may go a little bit further, that her understanding of the English language is less than what it appears to be. She does not understand a considerable amount that she, by her actions, appears to understand. This has come to my attention since her visit to Washington.

Mr. Jenner. You mean since she appeared before the Commission?