(The documents heretofore marked Commission Exhibits Nos. 180 through 198 for identification, were received in evidence.)
Mrs. Oswald. I don't believe this letter belongs with the letters. May I see it, please? Is that a letter from Russia? I don't think so, from what I can see from here.
Mr. Rankin. It purports to be, Mrs. Oswald. I hand it to you. It is Exhibit 198 you are speaking of?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes. I'm sorry. There was another very important letter of this size that I thought maybe became confused with the Russian letters. You will have to forgive me, Chief Justice Warren, but this is quite a big undertaking.
The Chairman. Yes. I just wanted to keep the record straight. It is all right.
Mr. Rankin. I ask leave, Mr. Chairman, to substitute copies in each instance.
The Chairman. That may be done.
Mr. Rankin. Now, Mrs. Oswald, will you proceed with telling us how you determined or concluded that there was a conspiracy between the Secret Service people that you described and Marina Oswald?
Mrs. Oswald. Well, when I stopped—I have to remember where I stopped. Now, am I still at the Six Flags?
Mr. Rankin. The last I recall you were still there. You had also described, if you remember, the offer of Mrs. Pultz to take your daughter-in-law and provide her a home. You have said that you had not seen your daughter for quite some time, and you tried to communicate with her.
Mrs. Oswald. Oh, yes—I was trying to communicate with her.
Mr. Rankin. And you talked to Mr. Thorne?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes—that was where my mail had been opened. And Mr. Mark Lane has my mail and the photostatic copies of the mail.
Mr. Rankin. I think the Commission would be very much interested in how you conclude that there was a conspiracy—if you can help on that.
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, I can help you. But I have many, many stories. I have to start from the defection. I have a story of Lee's life at age 16 that maybe you know about, maybe you don't. And I have many stories, gentlemen. I cannot do all these stories in these 6 hours I have been here today. I have covered quite a bit. I have many stories.
Representative Boggs. Why did your son defect to Russia?
Mrs. Oswald. I cannot answer that yes or no, sir. I am going to go through the whole story, or it is no good. And that is what I have been doing for this Commission all day long—giving a story.
Representative Boggs. Suppose you just make it very brief.
Mrs. Oswald. I cannot make it brief. I will say I am unable to make it brief. This is my life and my son's life going down in history. And I want the opportunity to tell the story with documents, as I have been doing. I am not going to answer yes or no, because it is no good.
Representative Boggs. Well, you use the expression "defector." I did not use that expression.
Mrs. Oswald. I said "so-called defector." The papers have "defector" and blown it up.
The Chairman. Well, Mrs. Oswald, you have told us, though, that you believed that Mrs. Marina Oswald and Mrs. Paine and two Secret Service agents were in a conspiracy that resulted in the assassination of the President.
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. And I also say——
The Chairman. What Mr. Rankin has asked you is what led you to the belief that there was such a conspiracy?
Mrs. Oswald. I can answer that, sir. But just to answer in one sentence——
The Chairman. No, you don't have to do it in one sentence. Take your own time, but stick to that one subject, please, until we get rid of that, and then we will go to the other things.
Mrs. Oswald. Well, it is now quarter to four. And this is a very long story.
The Chairman. Don't worry, we will give you the time.
Mrs. Oswald. Would you please consider I am very emotionally upset and tired, sir. I was up until 1 o'clock this morning fixing these papers for the Commission. When Mr. Rankin asked me to come on Thursday, they were not in the order they are now.
The Chairman. You mean you cannot go on this afternoon?
Mrs. Oswald. Not the whole story.
The Chairman. Well, give us as much as you can of it, and we will stop whenever——
Mrs. Oswald. Well, I have so far given you enough story to state this as a fact—that I believe—I am saying as I believe, sir, because if I knew who shot President Kennedy, I would be more than happy to tell you, and we would end it right then and there. But there is speculation among everyone. So naturally there is speculation by myself, and these stories I have told you are fact.
Marina became very unhappy with America. This I know for a fact. And then I will say this is part of another story.
Marina told me at Mrs. Paine's home that she wrote to the Russian counsel to go back to Russia because, "Lee not get work." Now, that is why Lee tried to get a visa in Mexico. But you see, sir, I was going to tell that whole story of that. But I will answer this—and that is what I based that on, too.
It was Marina who wrote to the Russian counsel for exit visas, and Lee followed it up. That is Marina having Lee do this. And she told me herself. Yet she states that Lee wanted to live in Russia and Cuba. But Marina wrote to the Russian counsel, "Mama, Lee not get work." So she wanted to go back to Russia. She liked America. She wanted to stay here.
Mr. Rankin. About what date was this?
Mrs. Oswald. This was the night in Mrs. Paine's home. I didn't tell you that, because these other stories are important, and I was going to bring it in for the Mexican trip. That is why I think you are confusing me. I'm sorry. But these stories—the way I want to say it, I would not forget anything by going in sequence. This way, when you are bringing me questions from the Mexican story and from the defection, you are throwing my mind off.
The Chairman. What story do you want to get to now?
Mrs. Oswald. I have so many stories. And I have gone through about three or four today, complete stories.
The Chairman. Well, select one of them, please, and let's don't argue about the order. I want you to tell your story——
Mrs. Oswald. My energy is exhausted, sir.
The Chairman. I want you to tell your story in your own way. And if this one exhausts you, select another story, and tell that.
Mrs. Oswald. Well, can you tell me what short story I can tell, Mr. Doyle?
Mr. Doyle. Why don't you start with—start and tell the members of the Commission about your accident and Lee's going to Russia.
Mrs. Oswald. That is a very long story.
Mr. Doyle. I know. But start it, and if you get tired at all, you advise the Commission, and I am certain that——
Mrs. Oswald. I will have something very important to this Commission that I would like to say, that would take up some time.
Mr. Rankin, I spoke with you, I think it was Thursday, December 6th, and I told you that since it was publicly known I was going to appear before the Warren Commission, that I would like to have protection, as you recall. I did not get protection, sir. And so the next morning I called you, approximately 9 o'clock, in the morning and told you that I didn't have protection, and I was very concerned. And this would have been Friday, the second call, and that I was going to the bank, to my safety deposit vault, and get the necessary papers. And I definitely wanted complete surveillance, because the papers were going to be with me in my home, and the public knew I was going to testify, and I wanted that protection.
Now, you said, you would get in touch with Mr. Sorrels, sir, and have Mr. Sorrel's call me, which he did approximately an hour after my request to you that I did not have protection.