But he said he didn't know how to do that, and didn't enlarge any further on that subject.
Mr. Rankin. Had there ever been——
Mrs. Oswald. This was also somewhat unusual—his lack of desire to talk about that subject any further.
Mr. Rankin. Can you explain that to us?
Mrs. Oswald. I think about it more now.
At that time, I didn't pay any attention.
Mr. Rankin. How did you think it was unusual? Could you explain that?
Mrs. Oswald. The fact that he didn't talk a lot about it. He merely gave me—said something as an answer, and did not have any further comments.
Mr. Rankin. Do you mean by that usually he would discuss a matter of that kind and show considerable interest?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, of course, he would have told who would be there and where this would take place.
Mr. Rankin. Did you say anything about his showing a lack of interest at that time?
Mrs. Oswald. I merely shrugged my shoulders.
Mr. Rankin. Now, prior to that time, had there been any discussion between you concerning the proposed trip of President Kennedy to Texas?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. While you were in New Orleans, was there any discussion or reference to President Kennedy's proposed trip to Texas?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. Did your husband make any comments about President Kennedy on that evening, of the 21st?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. Had your husband at any time that you can recall said anything against President Kennedy?
Mrs. Oswald. I don't remember any—ever having said that. I don't know. He never told me that.
Mr. Rankin. Did he ever say anything good about President Kennedy?
Mrs. Oswald. Usually he would translate magazine articles. They were generally good. And he did not say that this contradicted his opinion. I just remembered that he talked about Kennedy's father, who made his fortune by a not very—in a not very good manner. Disposing of such funds, of course, it was easier for his sons to obtain an education and to obtain a government position, and it was easier to make a name for themselves.
Mr. Rankin. What did he say about President Kennedy's father making his fortune?
Mrs. Oswald. He said that he had speculated in wine. I don't know to what extent that is true.
Mr. Rankin. When he read these articles to you, did he comment favorably upon President Kennedy?
Mrs. Oswald. I have already said that he would translate articles which were good, but he would not comment on them.
Mr. Rankin. Can you recall——
Mrs. Oswald. Excuse me. At least when I found out that Lee had shot at the President, for me this was surprising. And I didn't believe it. I didn't believe for a long time that Lee had done that. That he had wanted to kill Kennedy—because perhaps Walker was there again, perhaps he wanted to kill him.
Mr. Rankin. Why did you not believe this?
Mrs. Oswald. Because I had never heard anything bad about Kennedy from Lee. And he never had anything against him.
Mr. Rankin. But you also say that he never said anything about him.
Mrs. Oswald. He read articles which were favorable.
Mr. Rankin. Did he say he approved of those articles?
Mrs. Oswald. No, he didn't say anything. Perhaps he did reach his own conclusions reading these articles, but he didn't tell me about them.
Mr. Rankin. So apparently he didn't indicate any approval or disapproval as far as he was concerned, of President Kennedy?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, that is correct. The President is the President. In my opinion, he never wanted to overthrow him. At least he never showed me that. He never indicated that he didn't want that President.
Mr. Rankin. Did you observe that his acts on November 21st the evening before the assassination, were anything like they were the evening before the Walker incident?
Mrs. Oswald. Absolutely nothing in common.
Mr. Rankin. Did he say anything at all that would indicate he was contemplating the assassination?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. Did he discuss the television programs he saw that evening with you?
Mrs. Oswald. He was looking at TV by himself. I was busy in the kitchen. At one time when we were—when I was together with him they showed some sort of war films, from World War II. And he watched them with interest.
Mr. Rankin. Do you recall films that he saw called "Suddenly," and "We were Strangers" that involved assassinations?
Mrs. Oswald. I don't remember the names of these films. If you would remind me of the contents, perhaps I would know.
Mr. Rankin. Well, "Suddenly," was about the assassination of a president, and the other was about the assassination of a Cuban dictator.
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, Lee saw those films.
Mr. Rankin. Did he tell you that he had seen them?
Mrs. Oswald. I was with him when he watched them.
Mr. Rankin. Do you recall about when this was with reference to the date of the assassination?
Mrs. Oswald. It seems that this was before Rachel's birth.
Mr. Rankin. Weeks or months? Can you recall that?
Mrs. Oswald. Several days. Some five days.
Mr. Rankin. Did you discuss the films after you had seen them with your husband?
Mrs. Oswald. One film about the assassination of the president in Cuba, which I had seen together with him, he said that this was a fictitious situation, but that the content of the film was similar to the actual situation which existed in Cuba, meaning the revolution in Cuba.
Mr. Rankin. Did either of you comment on either film being like the attempt on Walker's life?
Mrs. Oswald. No. I didn't watch the other film.
Mr. Rankin. Was anything said by your husband about how easy an assassination could be committed like that?
Mrs. Oswald. No. I only know that he watched the film with interest, but I didn't like it.
Mr. Rankin. Do you recall anything else he said about either of these films?
Mrs. Oswald. Nothing else. He didn't tell me anything else. He talked to Ruth a few words. Perhaps she knows more.
Mr. Rankin. By Ruth, you mean Mrs. Paine?
Mrs. Oswald. They spoke in English.
Yes.
Mr. Rankin. And did Mrs. Paine tell you what he said to her at that time?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. Do you recall your husband saying at any time after he saw the film about the Cuban assassination that this was the old-fashioned way of assassination?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. Do you recall anything being said by your husband at any time about Governor Connally?
Mrs. Oswald. Well, while we were still in Russia, and Connally at that time was Secretary of the Navy, Lee wrote him a letter in which he asked Connally to help him obtain a good character reference because at the end of his Army service he had a good characteristic—honorable discharge—but that it had been changed after it became known he had gone to Russia.
Mr.