Mr. Oswald. In the telegram to Secretary of State Christian Herter, I requested his assistance in contacting Lee Oswald through any means available.
Mr. Jenner. Did you indicate for what purpose, sir?
Mr. Oswald. I don't believe I did, sir.
And the telegram to Lee Harvey Oswald, I asked him to contact me through any means available. I did use the word "mistake."
Mr. Jenner. Would you please give me your best recollection of the message, as you recall it, that you dispatched or ordered dispatched?
Mr. Oswald. My best recollection of that is I sent the telegram to Lee Harvey Oswald care of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, requesting Lee to contact me through any means available, and the one word "mistake. Keep your nose clean," signed "Robert L. Oswald, 7313 Davenport."
Mr. Jenner. The word "mistake" was by itself?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that is correct. The phrase of "keep your nose clean," is something we have said to each other since knee high, so he would know that I did send the telegram.
Mr. Jenner. Did you receive a response to that telegram?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I did not receive a response to either one of the telegrams.
Mr. Jenner. Neither from the State Department, Mr. Herter, nor an assistant on that telegram, nor from your brother Lee on his telegram?
Mr. Oswald. That is correct, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Other than the letter of November 8, 1959, now identified as Commission Exhibit No. 294?
Mr. Oswald. That is correct, sir.
Mr. Jenner. It is the first word you had from him in which he acknowledges or made plain that he had received the telegram?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that is correct.
Mr. Dulles. Excuse me, has 294 been submitted?
Mr. Jenner. I think it has not. May I offer in evidence as Commission Exhibit 294 the document that has been so identified.
Mr. Dulles. Accepted.
(The document heretofore marked Commission Exhibit No. 294 was received in evidence.)
Mr. Jenner. It being understood with Mr. McKenzie that we may introduce in evidence the photostatic copy in lieu of the original, the original having been produced before the Commission.
Mr. McKenzie. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Did you speak, did you have any conversation with your brother upon his return from Russia respecting your dispatch of the telegram and his reaction to it?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I did not. I had more or less forgotten it myself.
Mr. Jenner. There is a reference in your brother's letter of November 8 to his reluctance to engage in a telephone conversation. Had you attempted to reach him by telephone?
Mr. Oswald. I had decided to try to reach him by telephone on Sunday, November 1, 1959. I did not.
Mr. Jenner. You were unable to, you mean?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I did not. I placed the call and I received the New York operator, overseas operator, and there was some discussion as to what time it was in Moscow, and so forth, and I changed my mind and did not. However, I am aware that my mother tried and did for a moment have Lee on the telephone in Moscow.
Mr. Jenner. At that time?
Mr. Oswald. At approximately that same date.
Mr. Jenner. Did you ever make any effort to reach him by telephone thereafter?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I did not.
Mr. Jenner. Did he reach you by telephone or attempt to do so as far as you know?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; not to my knowledge did he.
Mr. Jenner. There is a reference in the letter of November 8 to his willingness to accept money from you if you would send any. Did you send him any money?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I did not. My reply to that was if he used it to come back I would gladly send it.
Mr. Jenner. Your reply—did you write him a letter?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Do you have a copy of that letter?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I do not have a copy of any letter that I wrote to him.
Mr. Jenner. You do not know the whereabouts of that letter?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I do not, other than to say that I asked Mrs. Marina Oswald if Lee kept any of my letters and her reply was that "No, he always threw them away."
Mr. Jenner. In view of that, Mr. Oswald, would you please recite to the best of your recollection the contents of your letter in response to your brother's letter of November 8, 1959?
Mr. Oswald. Sir, I do not remember anything other than that statement referring to the money request. I do not recall anything else in the letter.
Mr. Jenner. You have heard Mr. McKenzie read that letter through. Did it refresh your recollection, or does it as to whether you made any comment upon his political statements in his letter to you of November 8?
Mr. Oswald. I do not believe I did at any time make any statement in reference to his political statements that he made in the letter of November 8. Generally, my statements to the members of the press at the time was that I felt Lee was not aware of what he was doing. I believe I referred to him as a kid. And that he just generally didn't know what he was doing, and that was just about the general text of anything I had to say to the members of the press at that time.
Mr. Jenner. There is an entry in your brother's diary of November 1, 1959, somewhat cryptic, referring to three telephone calls from mother and brother. Now you say you didn't call. Do you know whether your brother John ever called him?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir, not to my knowledge. However, that was November 1, sir, 1959.
Mr. Jenner. That is when the entry was made.
Mr. Oswald. I would say that he did not at that time try to contact Lee by telephone, because I do not believe at that early date—he was in Japan and was not aware that Lee had gone to Russia, because we were just aware of it on October 31, and recalling a letter from John over there, that he was not aware of it for a number of days after he actually went over there.
Mr. Jenner. I see. But efforts were made on the part of your mother to reach him or she did reach him by telephone?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir, I understand he spoke to her briefly, and then he hung up.
Mr. Jenner. For the purpose of refreshing your recollection, would you be good enough to read your brother's letter to you or what purports to be your brother's letter to you of November 26, 1959, and in reading through it—the reason I have asked you to look at it is that the letter is framed as a response to what apparently were questions that you put to him in your letter which was in response to his letter of November 8, and seeking to refresh your recollection as to the contents of your letter.
Mr. Chairman, this is a fairly long letter, and if Chief Justice Warren has a little time perhaps we might have Mr. Oswald read the letter over this evening since we are quite late in the day and I can pursue it tomorrow.
Mr. Dulles. I think we had better adjourn fairly soon.
Mr. Jenner. This would be a convenient time if it is convenient with you gentlemen.
The Chairman. What does Mr. McKenzie think, I see him smiling.
Mr. McKenzie. I am not going to place myself in a position, Mr. Chief Justice, of overruling either you or Mr. Dulles.
Mr. Jenner. I can question the witness with respect to some unrelated matters. That matter is not related to