Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Redlich. Do you know when it was signed? Can you approximate the date?
Mr. Martin. I confirmed it by wire to them. It is in the exhibits.
Mr. Redlich. We have not introduced——
Mr. Martin. You haven't come to that yet.
Mr. Redlich. We do not intend to introduce the specific documents into the record, just this summary.
Mr. Leech. Give him an approximate date.
Mr. Redlich. You say it was confirmed by telegram.
Mr. Martin. Yes, it was confirmed by telegram to Spiegelberg.
Mr. Leech. When?
Mr. Martin. In New York. December 16 at 2:45 p.m.
Mr. Redlich. The next item on Commission Exhibit No. 325 also refers to Stern Magazine, an item of $2,650.
Could you comment on that?
Mr. Martin. This was a recent development wherein since they could not send an author in to talk to Marina, they purchased seven photographs for a total of $2,650, to take the memoirs later.
However, they will not hold off the memoirs forever.
Mr. Redlich. These seven photographs are photographs of what?
Mr. Martin. Of Marina and Lee Harvey Oswald together and separate.
Mr. Redlich. These were photographs which were not turned over to the Dallas police?
Mr. Martin. No. They were photographs that we were given prints of by the FBI. The FBI sent prints of these photographs to us.
Mr. Redlich. Am I correct in assuming that all of the photographs which were in the possession of Marina Oswald and Lee Harvey Oswald, either in his apartment or in the Paine's apartment, were turned over to the Dallas police?
Is that right?
Mr. Martin. As far as I know.
Mr. Redlich. To the best of your knowledge?
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Redlich. And that any photographs which you have and which have been the basis of any contract are copies which were made available to you by some law enforcement authority?
Mr. Martin. Yes. Now, there was a check, there was a $250 cash down payment made on this $2,650. Then a check for $2,400; the check was stopped, payment on the check was stopped because of a letter written by William McKenzie saying that I had no authority to sign any contracts whatsoever for Marina, and that if they did use anything that I had sold them, litigation would follow immediately. So consequently they stopped payment on the check. I still have the check. It is still attached to the letter that was sent with it.
Mr. Dulles. Could I ask who is that check made out to?
Mr. Martin. Made out to me.
Mr. Dulles. To you as agent?
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Dulles. Or to you just in your name?
Mr. Martin. I think it is just made out to me.
Mr. Dulles. I don't know if it is important.
Mr. Leech. You go ahead and I'll find it.
Mr. Martin. Under the contract all checks were supposed to be made payable to me. Then I would deduct my fee and forward the balance to Marina.
Mr. Redlich. The next item on Commission Exhibit No. 325 refers to Meredith Press.
Mr. Martin. The Meredith Press is a book publisher with their main office in Des Moines, Iowa. I had talked with Mr. Ted Purdy at great length and on numerous occasions by phone. We had negotiated world book rights for Marina Oswald's story. For this Meredith Press would pay a $25,000 advance to her. Then on the first printing would be a 10 percent commission of the retail price of the book.
On the second printing would be 12½ percent commission, and on the third and succeeding printings it would be 15 percent commission.
Now, of course, the commissions were to be deducted from the advance.
Mr. Redlich. And this was to be her life story?
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Redlich. Had you discussed with Marina at all the contents of this book? Had you started making any preparations for writing?
Mr. Martin. No. I am not a writer, and wouldn't know the first thing to do about a book. But we had negotiated with one writer, Isaac Don Levine, who Meredith Press felt would be the best writer available for this type of book because of the Russian attachment.
Mr. Redlich. When you told us this morning of your initial concern over the Nixon shooting incident, did it relate to these various agreements that you have been working on concerning the sale of Marina Oswald's story?
Mr. Martin. Did it relate to them?
Mr. Redlich. Yes.
Mr. Martin. How do you mean?
Mr. Redlich. Were you concerned about the publicity, the effect of the publicity of the Nixon incident on these various agreements which you were negotiating at the time?
Mr. Martin. No. As a matter of fact, it would enhance the price of it.
For instance, the Post magazine, the Saturday Evening Post, said that they would like to buy American serial rights if there was something in Marina's story that the Commission did not know.
Mr. Redlich. When did they tell you this?
Mr. Martin. Around the first of the year I guess.
Mr. Redlich. Around the first of the year. Did Marina know about this?
Mr. Martin. No.
Mr. Redlich. This is the Saturday Evening Post you are talking about?
Mr. Martin. Yes. I talked to a Mr. Black.
Mr. Redlich. And the Saturday Evening Post said to you that they would buy the serial rights provided there was some information which would not be known to the Commission?
Mr. Martin. Yes. I told them there was no realm that would apply, and we closed negotiations.
Mr. Redlich. And you say you didn't relate this fact at all to Marina Oswald?
Mr. Martin. No.
Mr. Redlich. These negotiations with the Post.
Mr. Martin. No.
Mr. Redlich. Was there in fact to the best of your knowledge material which she did not in fact relate to this Commission?
Mr. Martin. Not to my knowledge other than the Nixon affair.
Mr. Redlich. And were you aware at the time she completed her testimony here that she had not related this information to the Commission?
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Redlich. Was there any connection between her failure to tell the Commission of the Nixon incident and the negotiations, the temporary negotiations that you had had with the Saturday Evening Post?
Mr. Martin. No, none whatsoever. That was closed off at least 30 days before she testified.
Mr. Redlich. Was there any attempt on your part or anyone acting on Marina Oswald's part that you know of to negotiate the sale of the information concerning the Nixon shooting incident?
Mr. Martin. No, not to my knowledge.
Mr. Redlich. When Marina—did Marina ever give you an explanation for why she did not tell the Commission about the Nixon incident?
Mr. Martin. No. I have never talked to her about that other than the first time that she told me about it. I asked John Thorne if she had mentioned it. I didn't discuss it with her.