Mrs. Oswald. Why "separately"—the word "separately" here is underlined.
Mr. Rankin. I was going to ask you. But since you have not seen it before, I guess you cannot help us.
Is this the first time that you knew that he had ever asked that his visa be handled separately from yours?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, I didn't know this. Because I hadn't seen this letter.
Mr. Rankin. I offer in evidence Exhibit 13.
The Chairman. It may be admitted.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 13, and received in evidence.)
Mr. Rankin. Is the word "separately" the last word of the letter that you are referring to—that is the word that you asked about?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes. Was that underlined by Lee?
Mr. Rankin. That is the way we received it, Mrs. Oswald. We assume it was underlined by your husband. We know that it was not underlined by the Commission, and no one in the Government that had anything to do with it has ever told us that they had anything to do with underlining it.
Mrs. Oswald. I think that perhaps he asked for that visa to be considered separately because the birth of the child might complicate matters, and perhaps he thought it would speed it up if they do consider it separately.
Mr. Rankin. In connection with that thought, I will hand you Exhibit 14, and ask you to examine that and tell us whether you have seen that before.
Mrs. Oswald. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. Will you please compare the translation in English?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, the translation is all right.
Mr. Rankin. I offer in evidence the letter in Russian, Exhibit 14, and the English translation.
The Chairman. It may be admitted under that number.
(The documents referred to were marked Commission Exhibit No. 14, and received in evidence.)
Mr. Rankin. Did you have any impression that your husband may not have planned to go back to Russia himself, but was merely trying to arrange for you and your daughter to go back?
Mrs. Oswald. At that time I did not think so, but now I think perhaps. Because he planned to go to Cuba.
Mr. Rankin. By that you mean you think he may have planned to go to Cuba and never go beyond Cuba, but stay in Cuba?
Mrs. Oswald. I think that in time he would have wanted to come and see me.
Mr. Rankin. I hand you Exhibit 15 and ask you whether you remember having seen that before.
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. Can you tell whether your husband's handwriting is on that exhibit?
Mrs. Oswald. The signature is his, yes. I would like to have it translated.
Mr. Rankin. Would you translate it for her, please, Mr. Krimer?
Mrs. Oswald. A crazy letter. Perhaps from this I could conclude that he did want to go to the Soviet Union—but now I am lost, I don't know. Because—perhaps because nothing came out of his Cuban business, perhaps that is why he decided to go to the Soviet Union. The letter is not too polite, in my opinion.
Mr. Rankin. I offer in evidence Exhibit 15.
The Chairman. It may be admitted.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 15, and received in evidence.)
Mr. Rankin. Mr. Chief Justice, I think in the examination about this letter, if I would circulate it to the Commission it would be a little clearer what it is all about—if you could have a moment or two to examine it, I think it would help in your understanding of the examination.
Mrs. Oswald. This was typed on the typewriter belonging to Ruth.
Mr. Rankin. You can tell that by the looks of the typing, can you, Mrs. Oswald?
Mrs. Oswald. No, I don't know, but I know that he was typing there. I don't know what he was typing.
Mr. Rankin. And it is Ruth Paine's typewriter that you are referring to, when you say Ruth?
Mrs. Oswald. Ruth Paine. Because Lee did not have a typewriter, and it is hardly likely that he would have had it typed somewhere else.
Mr. Rankin. I hand you Exhibit 16, which purports to be the envelope for the letter, Exhibit 15. Have you ever seen that?
Mrs. Oswald. The envelope I did see. I did not see the letter, but I did see the envelope. Lee had retyped it some 10 times or so.
Mr. Rankin. Do you recall or could you clarify for us about the date on the envelope—whether it is November 2 or November 12?
Mrs. Oswald. November 12.
Mr. Rankin. I offer in evidence Exhibit 16.
The Chairman. It may be admitted.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 16, and received in evidence.)
Mr. Rankin. I might call your attention, Mrs. Oswald, to the fact that Exhibit 15, the letter, is dated November 9. Does that help you any?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes. Then this must be 12.
Mr. Rankin. That is the only way you can determine it, is it?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. Did you have anything to do with the mailing of this letter, Exhibit 15?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. Yesterday you testified to the fact that your husband told you about his trip to Mexico when he returned, is that right?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. Where were you when he told you about it?
Mrs. Oswald. In the home of Mrs. Paine, in my room.
Mr. Rankin. Was there anyone other than yourself and your husband present when he told you about it?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. Will you tell us in as much detail as you can remember just what he said about the trip at that time?
Mrs. Oswald. Everything that I could remember I told you yesterday. I don't remember any more about it.
Mr. Rankin. At that time——
Mrs. Oswald. But I asked him that we not go to Russia, I told him that I did not want to, and he said, "Okay."
Mr. Rankin. That was in this same conversation, after he had told you about the trip to Mexico?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. When he asked you not to tell anyone about the trip to Mexico, did he tell you why he asked you to do that?
Mrs. Oswald. No. I knew that he was secretive, and that he loved to make secrets of things.
Mr. Rankin. Did you know the Comrade Kostin that is referred to in this letter of November 8, Exhibit 15?
Mrs. Oswald. I never wrote to him. I don't know. I don't know where he got that name from.
Mr. Rankin. Did your husband say anything about Comrade Kostin and his visit with him at the embassy in Mexico City, when he told you about the trip?
Mrs. Oswald. He did not name him. He didn't tell me his name. But he told me he was a very pleasant, sympathetic person, who greeted him, welcomed him there.
Mr. Rankin. Did your husband say anything to you about what he meant when he said he could not take a chance on requesting a new visa unless he used a real name, so he returned to the United States?
Mrs. Oswald. No, he didn't tell me about it.
Mr. Rankin. Did you understand that he had used any assumed name about going to Mexico?
Mrs.