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

Mr. Redlich. Did Marina tell you all about this?

Mr. Martin. Yes.

Mr. Redlich. In English?

Mr. Martin. Yes.

Mr. Redlich. She knew English well enough to be able to relate this type of story?

Mr. Martin. She learned very rapidly.

Mr. Redlich. Do you recall approximately when that was?

Mr. Martin. No. It was the same day it came out in the paper.

Representative Ford. Did she know of her own knowledge about General Walker? Did she indicate any background information about General Walker?

Mr. Martin. No.

Representative Ford. She only told what Lee told her about it?

Mr. Martin. Lee told her he was a Fascist.

Mr. Dulles. Did she recount to you, that is, did Marina account to you, what she said to Lee Harvey after this incident, after the Walker incident, after he told her about the Walker incident?

Mr. Martin. Yes, she said that she hid the note that he left in a cookbook and told him if he ever did anything like that again that she would turn that note over to the police and turn him over to the police also.

Mr. Redlich. Mr. Martin, were you aware that Marina Oswald had given this information voluntarily to the Secret Service or the FBI concerning the Walker incident?

Mr. Martin. No.

Mr. Redlich. Did you ever ask her about it?

Mr. Martin. Well, it was in the newspapers so I assumed they knew about it.

Mr. Redlich. And you assumed she had volunteered this information?

Mr. Martin. Well, of course now, I was a little concerned to begin with as to how it got out.

Mr. Redlich. Why were you concerned?

Mr. Martin. Well, if she had told it to the FBI and the FBI only then how did it get in the newspapers?

Mr. Redlich. What was the—you say you were concerned that certain aspects of her story were being released. What was the nature of your concern?

Mr. Martin. Well, I was just wondering how that information got to the newspapers?

Mr. Redlich. Did you ask her?

Mr. Martin. No, I didn't ask her because she didn't see any newspaper reporters at all.

Mr. Redlich. Did you ask any of the agents of the FBI or the Secret Service?

Mr. Martin. Yes, Mr. Heitman.

Mr. Redlich. What did Mr. Heitman tell you?

Mr. Martin. He said it didn't come from the Dallas office. He said it must have come from Washington. The Houston Chronicle brought it out.

Mr. Redlich. By Washington he meant the Washington office?

Mr. Martin. Of the FBI, the Justice Department.

Mr. Redlich. FBI. That was his opinion as to where this information could come from?

Mr. Martin. Yes.

Mr. Redlich. Did you ever ask Mrs. Oswald why she had not revealed this information prior to that time?

Mr. Martin. No. I tried to stay as far away from this investigation as possible, because I didn't want to get into it at all to be real frank about it. I figured there are people better equipped than I to ferret out information and they have methods of doing it that I have no idea about.

Mr. Redlich. At that time, however, you were acting as her business representative.

Mr. Martin. Yes. Because I had to refute something in the paper.

Mr. Redlich. Were you assisting her at that time in the preparation of any narratives that she was preparing in connection with her story?

Mr. Martin. No. She has never written anything other than the manuscript that she wrote for the Commission. And we have never pre-prepared anything.

Mr. Dulles. Has she had conversations with others, to your knowledge, who have been writing material, Isaac Don Levine, for example?

Mr. Martin. The only one would be Levine.

Mr. Dulles. The only one would be Isaac Don Levine?

Mr. Martin. Levine told me she told him that her husband was a Trotskyite. Now what that means, I don't know but he seemed to think quite a bit.

Mr. Dulles. Marina told Isaac Don Levine?

Mr. Martin. Yes.

Mr. Dulles. That Marina's husband?

Mr. Martin. Lee Oswald was a Trotskyite.

Mr. Dulles. He was a Trotskyite.

Mr. Redlich. Mr. Martin, in what way do you consider yourself a patsy?

Mr. Martin. Well, because this, for instance——

Mr. Redlich. May we introduce this in evidence so we know what we are talking about?

Mr. Chairman, I offer——

Mr. Dulles. Identify it.

Mr. Redlich. In the course of the witness' explanation of his business representation of Mrs. Oswald the witness has presented before this Commission a list of arrangements that he has entered into or is considering entering into concerning the sale of certain aspects of Mrs. Oswald's story. This document is, we are told, written in Mr. Martin's handwriting. I show the witness Commission Exhibit No. 325 and ask you whether this document is one that you have brought before the Commission and whether its contents are as I have described them.

Mr. Martin. Yes, it is.

Mr. Redlich. Mr. Chairman, I ask that Commission Exhibit No. 325 be admitted.

Mr. Dulles. It shall be admitted.

(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 325 for identification and received in evidence.)

Mr. Redlich. It is understood that a photostat of this exhibit will be made part of the permanent record of the Commission, and that the original will be returned to the witness.

Mr. Dulles. I wonder if you wouldn't leave us the original in this case because this was prepared for the Commission?

Mr. Martin. You can have the original.

Mr. Dulles. We will keep the original and we will be glad to give you a photostat for your records.

Mr. Martin. I have it right up here.

Mr. Dulles. Do you want to read that into the record, it is quite short and it might make the record more intelligible.

Mr. Redlich. Since this is in the handwriting of the witness may I suggest that the witness read it?

Mr. Dulles. Right.

Mr. Martin. Texitalia Films, $75,000 movie and the TV rights, World Wide plus $7,500 plus expenses per film appearance, plus $1,500 per—plus expenses for personal appearance. Contract was signed February 11.

Life Magazine was $5,000, North American rights for Lee had photo with rifle and pistol.

Stern Magazine, $12,500, story serial rights for Germany and Italy only, with a 70–30 percent reciprocal for serial rights in Europe, 70 percent to Marina.

Stern Magazine, $2,650 picture rights on the seven photos with same arrangements as above.

Mr. Redlich. Finish the documents.

Mr. Martin. Meredith Press, $25,000 advance on world book rights.

London Daily Mirror $2,200 guarantee on 50–50 reciprocal for British Commonwealth rights on rifle photo.

Detroit Free Press stole photo and has sold it to foreign news media thereby leaving themselves liable.

This Week Magazine, $1,500 for 500-word article.

Total is $132,350.

Mr. Redlich. Mr. Martin, it is in connection with this document that you have referred to yourself as a possible patsy?

Mr. Martin. Yes.

Mr. Dulles. Could I ask just one moment before that, how much has been received and how much is——

Mr. Martin. $50,000 of it. The rest is being held, $75,000 in Texitalia Films they have the money.

Mr. Dulles. Who is they?

Mr. Martin. Texitalia Films. But they don't want to part with it until this is settled.

Mr. Redlich. Until what is settled?

Mr. Martin. Until there is an amicable settlement between Marina Oswald and myself.

Mr. Redlich. Concerning your representation of her?

Mr. Martin. Yes.

Mr. Dulles. You mean they are holding their own money and not paying it at the present time?

Mr. Martin. Yes.

Mr. Redlich. It hasn't been put in escrow or anything of that kind?

Mr. Martin. No. We have received $5,000 from Life Magazine. That is in an escrow account. I have a check for $2,400 from Stern Magazine, which is uncashed because the attorney McKenzie who has been hired by Robert wrote a letter to Stern Magazine saying that I had no authority to make any deals for Marina. So they stopped payment on the check. Of course, I haven't tried to cash the check, so it is sitting.