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

Mr. Chairman, may I withdraw that question and put it to the witness first.

Did you, at any time prior to November 22, 1963, know of or hear of any of the following persons:

One, George Senator?

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

Mr. Jenner. And that name is unfamiliar to you?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. Ralph Paul?

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

Mr. Dulles. We will assume that each of those questions the name is also unfamiliar to you.

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

If you would like, may I suggest that you read the entire list and if any of them are familiar to me I would stop you on that occasion.

Mr. Jenner. Thank you.

Andrew Armstrong; Karen Bennett, also sometimes known as Carlin; Bruce Carlin; Roy William Pike, alias Mickey Ryan; Robert Kermit Patterson, alias Bobby Patterson; Donald C. Stuart; Charles Arndt; Stanley or Katch Skotnicki; Larry Crafard; Eva Grant; Joe Bonds; Joyce Lee McDonald, also known as Joy Dale.

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I have not heard of any of those people mentioned by name, nor am I familiar with any of their names.

Mr. Jenner. And as far as you know, none of the members of your family, including your brother Lee, and Marina, knew of, or were acquainted with any of these people?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. And this likewise would include your wife Vada and your mother and your brother John?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. Do you know whether or not your brother Lee ever visited any of the following night clubs, bars, or taverns or restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area:

The Bullpen Drive-In; the Carousel Club.

Mr. Oswald. Pardon me, Mr. Jenner. This is prior to November 23, 1963—is that correct?

Mr. Jenner. It is, sir.

Mr. Oswald. Thank you.

Mr. Jenner. I will repeat the list.

The Bullpen Drive-in; the Carousel Club; the Vegas Club; the Sovereign Club.

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I am not aware at any time that he did enter these establishments.

Mr. Jenner. Have you been in any of these establishments?

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

Mr. Jenner. This leads me to ask you about your brother's drinking habits, if any. Did he take an occasional drink—I mean of intoxicating liquor?

Mr. Oswald. To the best of my remembrance, sir, on that particular point, I have never known him to take a drink of an alcoholic beverage.

Mr. Jenner. And have you been with him on occasion when you have had alcoholic beverage, whereas at the same time he declined to have any, or did not have any?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I do not recall any occasion such as that.

Mr. Jenner. Were there occasions on which you would have drawn to your attention the fact that your brother was not a drinking man—even a social drinker?

That is, were you present when others might have been having a social drink at which your brother either declined or just didn't have one?

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I do not recall any such incident.

Mr. Jenner. But you do have a firm recollection or opinion, in any event, that your brother was not a drinking man, even a social drinker?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. And am I correct that you did testify a moment ago that there was never an occasion when you saw your brother imbibe an intoxicating liquor?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. What about Marina in that respect?

Mr. Oswald. There, again, sir, we are referring to the time prior to November 23, 1963, is that correct?

Mr. Jenner. Well, let's take that first.

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

Nor was I present on any occasion that she did take a drink of any type of alcoholic beverage.

Mr. Jenner. Now, I will take the period from the 22d of November to the present time.

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir, I have been in her presence on a number of occasions where she has taken a drink of an alcoholic beverage.

Mr. Jenner. And has it been just an occasional drink, purely social drinking?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Jenner. And——

Mr. Oswald. If I may qualify one point of that statement, as to being a social drink—during the period that we was at the Inn of the Six Flags in Arlington, Tex., the baby, Rachel Oswald, being breast fed, and due to the nature that she was quite upset at that particular time, that she was not eating proper, and that they were having some difficulty—she was having difficulty maintaining the natural milk supply in her own body for the baby, that one six-pack of beer was brought in, and at no time did I see her drink other than one beer at a time or one beer per day to help fortify herself in this production of milk.

Mr. Jenner. Did you ever hear any conversation in which your brother participated or Marina participated with you or in your presence respecting the subject of his or her or their attendance at any night club, bar, tavern, or restaurant in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and when I use the word restaurant, I am thinking of a restaurant in which intoxicating liquors or entertainment might be employed.

Mr. Oswald. I am sorry I keep referring to this point again, sir, but this was prior to November 23, 1963?

Mr. Jenner. Yes, sir.

Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I was not aware of that.

Mr. Jenner. All right. That is, your brother and Marina were not in the habit of—you know of no occasion on which they attended bars or restaurants with entertainment which might be described as night clubs and that sort of thing?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct, sir.

Mr. Jenner. And I take it that is not your habit, either?

Mr. Oswald. That is correct.

Mr. Dulles. To your knowledge, did he have any friends in this circle, the nightclub circle?

Mr. Oswald. Not that I was aware of, sir, prior to November 23, 1963.

Mr. Jenner. Do you know of any friends or classmates or associates, either of yourself or your brother Lee, who have become nightclub entertainers? And may I say that includes so-called stripteasers or musicians or singers, or masters of ceremony.

Mr. Oswald. If I may refresh my memory to the question, sir, you did include myself in that statement, did you not?

Mr. Jenner. Yes, sir.

Mr. Oswald. The only gentleman that I was ever in a remote way acquainted with who has become perhaps what might be determined an entertainer as you have outlined was a boy that attended high school with me in Fort Worth, Tex., and he is now known as, as then—I believe his correct name is Mr. Van Williams. If I might pinpoint the series of programs on television that he appeared in was Surfside Six, and other western and detective type series programs on television.

Mr. Jenner. Do you know whether your brother was acquainted with him?

Mr. Oswald. I would be of the opinion, sir, that he was not acquainted with Mr. Williams.

Mr. Jenner. Now, do you know of any friends, classmates or associates of either yourself or your brother Lee who have become waitresses, bartenders, or, to use the vernacular, bouncers?

You know what a bouncer is?

Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.

To answer your question, sir, I do not know of any that are personally acquainted to myself or that I would be of the opinion that were acquainted with Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mr. Jenner. And the same question as to members or employees of any gun clubs or shooting ranges, rifle ranges.

Mr. Oswald. Yes; 1 am acquainted with at least two people who have joined or belonged to a gun club or something of that nature.

Mr. Jenner. Would you please identify them, and also state whether or not your brother Lee was acquainted with these people.

Mr. Oswald. Mr. Bill Harlan, formerly of the Acme Brick Co., in Fort Worth, Tex., and Mr.—I am quite sure that Mr. Harlan is not acquainted with my brother, Lee Harvey Oswald.