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

Mrs. Oswald. We used to come early in the morning and leave at night. We would spend the entire day with them. We went there by bus.

Mr. Rankin. Did you have an automobile of your own at any time during this period?

Mrs. Oswald. No.

Mr. Rankin. Did any of these people have meals in your home when they visited you?

Mrs. Oswald. No. They usually brought—they usually came for short visits and they brought their own favorite vegetables such as cucumbers, George liked cucumbers.

Mr. Rankin. When you moved to Dallas, where did you live the first time?

Mrs. Oswald. I did not move to Dallas together with Lee. Lee went to Dallas when he found the job, and I remained in Fort Worth and lived with Elena Hall.

Mr. Rankin. For how long a period did you live with Mrs. Hall?

Mrs. Oswald. I think that it was about a month and a half.

Mr. Rankin. During that month and a half what did your husband do?

Mrs. Oswald. He had a job. He was working. He would call me up over the telephone but how he spent his time, I don't know.

Mr. Rankin. Do you know during that month and a half where he lived?

Mrs. Oswald. At first, I know that he rented a room in the YMCA but very shortly thereafter he rented an apartment. But where I don't know.

Mr. Rankin. During that month and a half did he come and see you and the baby?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, two or three times he came to see us because he had no car. It was not very easy.

Mr. Rankin. Were these trips to see you on the weekends?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes.

Mr. Rankin. When he came did he also stay at the Hall's?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes.

Mr. Rankin. When you were staying at the Hall's did you pay them for your room and your meals?

Mrs. Oswald. No. No, she was very friendly toward us and she tried to help us.

Mr. Rankin. What did you and your husband do when he came to see you? Did he spend his time with you there in the home or did you go some place?

Mrs. Oswald. No, we didn't go anywhere.

Mr. Rankin. Did he do any reading there?

Mrs. Oswald. No. I remember that it was only a couple of times that he came for a weekend. Generally, he only came for a very short period of time, because he would come together with our friends, and they could not stay very long.

Mr. Rankin. When he came during that period did he discuss what he had been doing in Dallas, his work and other things?

Mrs. Oswald. He liked his work very much.

Mr. Rankin. After this month and a half did he find a place for you all to live together?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, but it wasn't a problem there to find a place, no problem there to find a place.

Mr. Rankin. Did you then move to a home in Dallas?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, on Elsbeth, Elsbeth Street in Dallas.

Mr. Rankin. Do you remember the number?

Mrs. Oswald. No.

Mr. Rankin. How did you move your things from Mrs. Hall's to the place on Elsbeth Street?

Mrs. Oswald. A friend who had a car helped us—I don't remember his name, Taylor, Gary Taylor.

The Chairman. Suppose we take a recess now for about 10 minutes to allow Mrs. Oswald to refresh herself.

(Short recess.)

The Chairman. The Commission may be in order.

Mr. Rankin. Did that require one or more trips to move your things from Fort Worth to Dallas when you went to Elsbeth Street?

Mrs. Oswald. One trip was enough.

Mr. Rankin. Did you observe any guns in your things when you moved?

Mrs. Oswald. No.

Mr. Rankin. What kind of place did you have at Elsbeth Street, was it rooms or an apartment?

Mrs. Oswald. An apartment.

Mr. Rankin. How many rooms in the apartment?

Mrs. Oswald. One living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and the bathroom. It sounds very small for all of you but for us it was quite sufficient.

Mr. Rankin. Did you have a telephone there?

Mrs. Oswald. No.

Mr. Rankin. Do you recall what rent you paid?

Mrs. Oswald. It seems to me that it was $60, plus the utilities.

Mr. Rankin. That would be $60 a month?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, and electricity and gas but the water was free. Sixty dollars a month including water.

Mr. Rankin. Did your husband help you with the housework at that address?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, he always helped.

Mr. Rankin. What about his reading habits there, were they the same?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, about the same.

Mr. Rankin. Can you tell us a little more fully about his reading? Did he spend several hours each evening in this reading?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes.

Mr. Rankin. Do you recall any of the books that he read at Elsbeth Street?

Mrs. Oswald. No. He had two books, two thick books on the history of the United States.

Mr. Rankin. Did your husband come home for a midday meal?

Mrs. Oswald. No.

Mr. Rankin. Did you go out in the evenings?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes.

Mr. Rankin. Where did you go?

Mrs. Oswald. Sometimes we went shopping to stores, and movies, though Lee really went to the movies himself. He wanted to take me but I did not understand English. Then on weekends we would go to a lake not far away or to a park or to a cafe for some ice cream.

Mr. Rankin. When you went to the lake or the park did you take food with you and have a picnic?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes.

Mr. Rankin. How did you get to the lake or the park, by bus or car, or what means of transportation?

Mrs. Oswald. It was only 10 minutes away, 10 minutes walking time from us.

Mr. Rankin. Were either you or your husband taking any schooling at that time?

Mrs. Oswald. Lee took English courses or typing courses.

Mr. Rankin. During what days of the week were these typing courses?

Mrs. Oswald. It was three days a week. I don't remember exactly what the days were. It seems to me it was 1 day at the beginning of the week and 2 days at the end of the week that he took these night courses.

Mr. Rankin. Would it help you to recall if I suggested they were Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday?

Mrs. Oswald. It seems to me that is the way it was. I know it was on Monday.

Mr. Rankin. Do you recall what hours of the evening he was supposed to be at these classes?

Mrs. Oswald. It seems that it was from 7 until 9.

Mr. Rankin. About what time would he get home from work?

Mrs. Oswald. About 5 to 5:30.

Mr. Rankin. Then would you eat your evening meal?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes.

Mr. Rankin. How soon after that would he leave for the class?

Mrs. Oswald. When Lee took his courses he generally did not come home for dinner, usually he didn't.

Mr. Rankin. Did he practice his typewriting at home at all?

Mrs. Oswald. At home, no. But he had a book, a textbook on typing which he would review when he was at home.

Mr. Rankin. How soon after the class was over did he come home ordinarily?

Mrs. Oswald. Nine o'clock.

Mr. Rankin. Did he tell you anything about friends that he met at these classes?

Mrs. Oswald. No.

Mr. Rankin. While you were at Elsbeth Street do you recall seeing any guns in your apartment?

Mrs. Oswald. No.

Mr. Rankin. Do you remember exhibiting any guns to the De Mohrenschildt's while you were at Elsbeth Street?

Mrs. Oswald. That was on Neely Street, perhaps you are confused, this was on Neely Street.

Mr. Rankin. When did you move to Neely Street from the Elsbeth Street apartment?

Mrs. Oswald. In January after the new year. I don't remember exactly.

Mr. Rankin. Do you remember why you moved from Elsbeth to Neely Street?

Mrs. Oswald. I like it better on Neely Street. We had a porch there and that was more convenient for the child.

Mr. Rankin. What size apartment did you have on Neely Street?

Mrs. Oswald. The same type of apartment.

Mr. Rankin. Was the only difference the terrace then?

Mrs. Oswald. Yes, except that it was on the second floor. It was a second-floor apartment.