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

I might add in that connection that I have instructed my office to have Marina Oswald bring the letter to my office this afternoon or this evening, have a photostatic copy made of Mr. Thorne's letter, and I further instructed my office to contact Mr. Thorne by mail, certified mail, return receipt requested, and requesting in such letter to have Mr. Thorne contact me directly relative to the representation of Marina Oswald.

And I have directed a copy of that letter to be sent to the Grievance Committee of the Dallas Bar Association.

Mr. Jenner. I take it there at least was, and there is a dispute about it at the moment, as to whether it is still legally effective, an agreement between, or a contract between Marina on the one hand and Robert Martin and Thorne on the other.

Mr. McKenzie. Yes, Mr. Jenner. And all of those agreements are in the record, and have been produced.

And I might also say that Marina Oswald had placed both Messrs. Thorne and Martin on notice that she has discharged them as her attorney and business agent, respectively, and, further, that I have likewise notified them since Mrs. Oswald has turned the matter over to me.

And, further, for the purpose of the record, I will state that Mrs. Oswald has paid me the sum of $25, which is not my usual fee, to represent her as a retainer.

Mr. Jenner. And you do represent her?

Mr. McKenzie. And I do represent her, and do not desire one dime out of any contributions that she may have received by anyone for the benefit of herself or her children, nor would I accept same.

Mr. Jenner. Do you have a written contract with her?

Mr. McKenzie. I have no written contract with her.

Mr. Jenner. Do you know whether Marina knows or can use or understand any language other than Russian, and other than English, to the extent that she is able to use and understand it?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I do not. I do know that she knows a little French.

Mr. Jenner. And that is the extent of your information on the subject?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner. How do you know that she knows a little French?

Mr. Oswald. During her recent stay at my home in Denton, Tex.——

Mr. Jenner. How recent was that? Just a few days ago?

Mr. Oswald. Within the past 10 days to two weeks—I believe this was brought about, to the best of my recollection, due to a television commercial with a little French involved. I gave my total French vocabulary of parlez vouz Français, or something, and she replied to that. And we asked her did she speak French, and she said four or five other words, and she said that was about all of it.

Mr. Jenner. Did your brother ever speak to you or raise the subject of his jealousy or possible jealousy concerning Marina and any other man or men?

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

Mr. Jenner. And did any discussion of that subject or possible subject ever take place in your presence by anybody?

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

Mr. Jenner. Do you know any of the following members of the Russian emigré group? I will omit those you have already identified.

George Bouhe?

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

Mr. Jenner. Have you ever heard of that name?

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

Mr. Jenner. Teofil Meller?

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

Mr. Jenner. Have you ever heard the name before?

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

Mr. Jenner. Elena Hall?

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

Mr. Jenner. Have you ever heard the name before?

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

Mr. Jenner. Mrs. Frank H. Ray?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir, I have.

Mr. Jenner. Have you heard that name or know of it during the lifetime of your brother Lee?

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

Mr. Jenner. You became acquainted with that name, with that person, subsequent to his death?

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

Mr. Jenner. Are you acquainted with her?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir, I am.

Mr. Jenner. What were the circumstances, and when?

Mr. Oswald. On February 19, 1964, I went to Mr. and Mrs. Declan Ford's home from Denton, Tex., on my way to Washington, D.C., to visit with Marina briefly, and on arrival there Mrs. Ray—and I feel like this is the same one—was babysitting with the youngest child of Lee Harvey and Marina N. Oswald. Also, Mr. and Mrs. Declan Ford's child and her own child. And I had a cup of coffee and waited on a taxicab.

Mr. Jenner. That is the extent of your acquaintance with her?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner. That is the first time you ever saw or met or heard of her?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner. To the best of your information, did Marina ever tease your brother Lee in public?

Mr. Oswald. Not to my knowledge, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Did she, in your presence, or to your knowledge, through other means ever make fun of his ideas? Deprecate his ideas?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; not to my knowledge.

Mr. Jenner. Did she ever, in your presence, ever make any comments with respect to your brother's sexual power?

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

Mr. Jenner. Was the subject of sex as between your brother and Marina ever discussed?

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

Mr. Jenner. And do you know whether any remarks of that nature were made by anyone, including Marina, to or in the presence of your wife, Vada?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Has anyone or did anyone during the lifetime of your brother ever discuss or raise the subject with you?

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

Mr. Jenner. Did you ever during all the period of your brother's lifetime, ever hear any discussion?

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

Mr. Jenner. On that subject?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir.

Mr. Jenner. Do you record in your memorandum, diary, all of the course of events of November 22, 1963, in which you took any part? In particular, your visit to the police station on November 22d.

What I am getting at, Mr. Oswald—if what you have written in your memorandum represents your best and sharpest recollection of the course of events recorded there as of the time you wrote that—that may satisfy the gentleman who wished that inquiry to be made.

Mr. Oswald. Referring to the time I arrived at the Dallas police station?

Mr. Jenner. Yes.

Mr. Oswald. On the night of November 22, 1963?

Mr. Jenner. Yes, sir.

Mr. McKenzie. Is there anything——

Mr. Jenner. And any other visits that you made on the 23d or 24th.

Mr. McKenzie. Other than what is in your diary, is there anything else you could add to it in the way of expanding on what is in your diary?

Mr. Chairman, also in the interests of a chronological and connected record, having in mind the context of the record when it is read, may I suggest that the memorandum diary which we have identified and admitted in evidence, be set forth in full in the transcript?

Mr. Dulles. I think it would be useful to do that.

Mr. Jenner. I think this would be a good point to do that. I will ask Mr. Oswald a few things.

Have you recorded in your notebook how the assassination of the President first came to your attention, where you were, where you proceeded from that point on, and what occurred with respect to the subject matter really from minute to minute or hour to hour throughout the course of the day?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I have.

Mr. Jenner. And all of your conversations and your contacts with anyone during the course of the day having relation to the subject matter of the assassination of President Kennedy on that day?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I believe I do.

Mr. Jenner. And the subsequent arrest of your brother and your visit to the City Jail?

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

Mr. Jenner. And is that likewise true—that is a detailed recording of the course of events as you participated in them on the 23d and 24th of November?