Mr. Rankin. What communistic material did he read?
Mrs. Oswald. It was a small book that he had gotten out of the library. And I knew he was reading it, Mr. Rankin.
Mr. Rankin. Was it in Marxism, or what was it about?
Mrs. Oswald. No—if you are saying the title is Marxism—no, sir, the title was not.
Mr. Rankin. Was it about communism?
Mrs. Oswald. It was more about communism. I knew he was reading it. But if we have this material in the public libraries, then certainly it is all right for us to read. And I think we should know about these things, and all of our scholars and educators and high school boys read subversive material, which we call subversive material. So I, as a mother, would not take the book away from him. That is fine. Lee is a reader. I have said from early childhood he liked histories and maps.
So that is fine.
What I am saying now—we are getting to this agent part.
He is with this recruiting officer and he is studying the Marine manual—he knew it back and forth. In fact, he would take the book and have me question some of the things. And he was reading communism.
Lee lived for the time that he would become 17 years old to join the Marines—that whole year.
Mr. Rankin. What did he do during that time?
Mrs. Oswald. Pardon?
Mr. Rankin. What did he do during that year?
Mrs. Oswald. What did he do during that year? He was working for—as a messenger for Tujaque and Son.
Mr. Rankin. He had quite a few jobs, did he not?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes. I can explain that to you.
His first job was Tujaque and Son, who was steamship people, and he was a messenger. And then he had a lot of friends.
Now, they say Lee didn't have friends. There were boys of his age—while he was working he had an opportunity to make friends, coming to my home. And one of the young men knew of a better paying job, where they had coffee breaks and everything, so Lee took that job, which was with a dental laboratory—if you have that information, sir.
And I think that is the only two jobs—no, Lee worked after school for Dolly Shoe Co. I was working there, in charge of the hosiery department, and Lee worked on Friday afternoon and Saturday as a shoe salesman.
That was his first job—while he went to school he worked there.
And then when he left school, as I told you, at age 16—the first job was Tujaque and Company, steamship, and then the dental laboratory. And that is the only jobs he had in New Orleans.
Mr. Rankin. Were there not times he didn't have any job during that year?
Mrs. Oswald. No, sir—because when we left New Orleans, Lee left this dental laboratory job—that is correct.
So I moved back to Fort Worth, Tex., because Robert did not want to live in New Orleans. Robert was raised in Texas, and has his girl friends and all his friends in Texas. So when Robert got out of the Marines, he wanted to live in Texas. So I know that Lee wants to join the Marines at age 17, so in the month of July 1956—and, gentlemen, I have always been broke, and I mean broke. About a week before rent time, we had it pretty hard in order to have that rent. Yet I take my furniture and ship it to New Orleans so Lee could be with his brother and we could be with the family—thinking maybe with Robert he would not join the Marines at age 17 and finish his schooling.
When Lee became age 17, October 18th, he joined the Marines.
The reason why he didn't go into the Marines until October 24th was the recruiting officer at the Marines could not understand his birth certificate, because his father had died 2 months before. So I had to send for an affidavit, even though I had the death notice from the paper and everything, and they could have—they could not understand that about that two months. I had to send to New Orleans for an affidavit of his father's death.
And so then Lee joined the Marines on October 24th.
From the 18th to the 24th every day Lee was leaving. We even laughed about it. Because he would leave in the morning and come home in the evening. And it was because he was born 2 months before his father—so he did join the Marines at age 18.
Now—that, Mr. Dulles, is the part you wanted to know. But, before, that has something to do with it. Lee——
Mr. Rankin. Mr. Dulles wanted to know what you based this idea that he was an agent on?
Mrs. Oswald. That is one part. That is the beginning of it, Mr. Dulles. I have much more. That is the beginning of it, sir.
Mr. Dulles. Did he join at 18 or 17?
Mrs. Oswald. He joined at age 17. I signed the paper. You will please forgive me when I make mistakes, and if you will correct me.
Now, at age 15½ Lee was a member of the Civil Air Patrol.
Do you have that information, gentlemen?
I don't think you have.
Now, just a minute. I am sorry—this morning, when they were copying my papers. I put this in my bag.
I have a picture right here—this is Lee at age 15½ in the uniform of the Civil Air Patrol. This is before the recruiting officer. We are going back.
And this is what helped Lee to make up his mind to join the service.
The Chairman. Go right ahead, Mrs. Oswald.
Mrs. Oswald. At age 15½ or so, Lee joined the Civil Air Patrol. He went on an airplane, on flights and everything. I got him the uniform, with Robert's help. This young man—now, I do not know his name. He is from New Orleans. And I am checking on these things. I have to do research on all of this, and do it alone.
This young man and Lee were very friendly. The young man that gave Lee the idea of—went to Beauregard School with him, and he and Lee joined the Civil Air Patrol together. That is the way I wish to state this. And he often came to the house. So there is a close friend of Lee. Lee is not supposed to have any friends.
Mr. Rankin. Did he have any girl friends, too?
Mrs. Oswald. No. Now, neither did Robert or John Edward. No, sir. Neither of my boys had girl friends until after about age 17.
Mr. Rankin. Did he have other close friends, boy friends, besides these that you recall?
Mrs. Oswald. No, sir, I would not say he had—unless during working—he was working at this time, and I was working during the day. But I mean at the house this young man came to the house, and several of the other young men, as I told you before.
Now, we are at the Civil Air Patrol.
And that is why Lee went to the Marine Corps, is because of the Civil Air Patrol. He wasn't in the Civil Air Patrol long.
Mr. Rankin. Now, up to this point, you haven't told us anything that caused you to think he was an agent, have you?
Mrs. Oswald. Well, maybe, sir, I am not doing a very good job of what I am saying.
Mr. Rankin. What do you think you have said that caused you to think——
Mrs. Oswald. I have said that a Marine recruiting officer came to my home, and that Lee then continued reading Robert's manual by heart, and started reading communist literature. He is preparing himself to go into the Marine service—at age 17—this year before he actually joined the service. I am saying he is already preparing himself.
Mr. Rankin. To become an agent?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, I think with the influence of this recruiting officer.
Mr.