Mr. Oswald. I recall replying to his letter and stated that to my knowledge, and I could see no reason why they would have any charges against him for going to Russia, because he was an American citizen, and he was free to do as he chooses as long as it was not harmful to the United States Government and I didn't feel like he had done anything harmful to the United States Government by going to Russia.
Mr. Jenner. Did you ever write in any of the letters that you wrote him, did you raise the question with him of whether he had in fact renounced or attempted to renounce his United States citizenship?
Mr. Oswald. I was advised that, at the time, that we became aware that Lee was in Russia by newspaper correspondents in Fort Worth, Tex., that the United States Embassy acting on their own accord, would not allow him to sign any final papers denouncing his United States citizenship. Whether he wanted to or not they were attempting to prevent him from doing this. I never did hear any more about that. Perhaps during the correspondence or on his return from Russia, this was certainly evident that he had not signed any final papers denouncing his United States citizenship.
Mr. Jenner. I take it from your response, sir, that you did not raise that matter with him in any letters that you wrote to him?
Mr. Oswald. Not to my recollection, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Did you have any discussion with him on the subject on his return to the United States?
Mr. Oswald. Possibly so, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Do you recall that distinctly at the moment?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir, I do not.
Mr. Jenner. Did your brother Lee raise again with you, following your response to his request that you investigate whether or not there were any other charges against him; did he raise again with you the question of whether you had made an investigation, whether there were charges?
Mr. McKenzie. When you say did he raise again——
Mr. Jenner. At any time subsequent thereto, that is apart from the correspondence which has been introduced in evidence.
Mr. McKenzie. There are several instances in the correspondence, Mr. Jenner, there are questions raised about this.
Are you talking about after he returned from—to the United States from the Soviet Union?
Mr. Jenner. Yes, sir; I am at the moment.
Mr. McKenzie. All right.
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; not to my recollection.
Mr. Jenner. When he returned to the United States and while he was living with you, was there or were there any occasions in which there was discussion of his trip back from Russia and the course they took in returning to the United States, the means and manner of return?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; there was.
Mr. Jenner. Give us your recollection of what that discussion was and what your brother and/or Marina said to you and your wife Vada or either of them?
Mr. Oswald. I recall asking him how his trip was from Russia to New York City by boat. I asked him what route they had traveled, and he advised me then, that is as I believe he advised me in one of his letters, the first one, was to go from Minsk to Moscow and then from Moscow to Holland, I believe, to board a ship that touched at England, and from England to New York City.
Mr. Jenner. Did he or they——
Mr. Oswald. He.
Mr. Jenner. This is a conversation with him?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir, that is correct.
Mr. Jenner. Did you have any conversation with Marina on this subject or in her presence?
Mr. Oswald. Not that I recall, no, sir.
Mr. Jenner. But he did state specifically that they had gone to Moscow?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenner. And from Moscow to where?
Mr. Oswald. To Holland, if my memory serves me correct, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Did he say, did he indicate, how they had traveled from Moscow to Holland, by what means of conveyance?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir, he did not.
Mr. Jenner. Was anything said about how long they stayed in Moscow before they took off for Holland?
Mr. Oswald. In this discussion, I do not recall that he did, sir.
Mr. Jenner. And did he say how long they stayed in Holland, if they stayed there at all?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir, he did not.
Mr. Jenner. But you do recall his stating specifically they touched England in the sense that the ship——
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; for supplies or for some other reason, it appeared not to be, I say appeared, I assume it was not a very long stay there and that they did not leave the ship.
Mr. Jenner. He did state that they did not leave the ship at that point?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; this is an assumption on my part—the way he put it to me.
Mr. Jenner. And they proceeded from there directly to New York Harbor, New York City.
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that is correct.
Mr. Jenner. By what means? And he did report that to you?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Did this series of letters you received in the early portion, period of his stay in Russia excite your suspicions as to whether he was or might be a Russian agent?
Mr. Oswald. If I understand the question correctly this was the early stay of his in Russia in 1959?
Mr. Jenner. Yes, sir, 1959 and let us say to the early part of 1961.
Mr. Oswald. No, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Did you have any occasion to discuss that subject during this period of time with your mother or she with you?
Mr. Oswald. Prior to his return in 1961 she did discuss this with me.
Mr. Jenner. All right.
Where did this discussion take place?
Mr. Oswald. If I may fix the date approximately, sir, if you could give me the date of her trip to Washington, D.C.
Mr. Jenner. You have me at a disadvantage because Mr. Liebeler has been called out and he can furnish that. I don't want to guess at it.
Mr. McKenzie. May I then ask if possibly the Chairman might recall?
Mr. Dulles. The date of that visit to Washington?
Mr. McKenzie. Yes, sir.
Mr. Dulles. No, I don't think I do.
Mr. McKenzie. Possibly Mr. Rankin might know.
Mr. Jenner. Our information was that that was January 26, 1961.
Mr. Oswald. Thank you, sir. If I may have, the question again, please.
(The question was read by the reporter.)
Mr. Jenner. Whether the suspicions, on the part of yourself or your mother, were that your brother was or might be an agent for the Russian Government.
Mr. Oswald. Pardon me, sir, I believe I misunderstood. I thought it was in reference to whether or not Lee might have been an agent of the United States Government.
Mr. Jenner. No. It was the Russian Government I asked about.
Mr. Oswald. I am sorry, sir. At no time was any discussion that I have been into indicated that in any way.
Mr. Jenner. Now, you have referred then to, or had in mind, a conversation with your mother as to whether your brother was an agent of the United States Government.
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that is correct.