Mr. Rankin. Who are those? Are those reporters?
Mrs. Oswald. Star Telegram reporters, sent by the Star Telegram editor to escort me to Dallas.
Now, upon arriving in Dallas, I did not ask—I did not want to talk to the police. I asked specifically to talk to FBI agents. My wish was granted, I was sent into a room. I have to backtrack my story.
The policemen do not know I am here—"I want to talk to FBI agents."
Mr. Rankin. What time of the day is this?
Mrs. Oswald. This is approximately 3:30. So I am escorted into an office, and two Brown FBI agents, they are brothers, I understand, and there was another man that I do not know the name.
Mr. Rankin. By that you mean their names were Brown?
Mrs. Oswald. Their names were Brown. And I have the correct names, also. But we were in this room, and I told them who I was. And I said, "I want to talk with you gentlemen because I feel like my son is an agent of the government, and for the security of my country, I don't want this to get out."
But, first, I said to them, "I want to talk to FBI agents from Washington."
"Mrs. Oswald, we are from Washington, we work with Washington."
I said, "I understand you work with Washington. But I want officials from Washington," and I believed they would be in town because of protecting the President.
I said, "I do not want local FBI men. What I have to say I want to say to Washington men."
Of course they wanted the news. They said, "Well, we work through Washington."
I said, "I know you do. But I would like Washington men."
So I had no choice.
Mr. Rankin. Did you tell them why you thought he was an agent?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. I am coming to this.
So I said, "I have information that"—I told him who I was.
I said, "For the security of my country, I want this kept perfectly quiet until you investigate. I happen to know that the State Department furnished the money for my son to return back to the United States, and I don't know if that would be made public what that would involve, and so please will you investigate this and keep this quiet."
Of course that was news to them.
They left me sitting in the office.
And I also told them that Congressman Jim Wright knew about this.
"You can be sure we will question Jim Wright."
And I gave them the names of the four men I had talked with while in Washington.
Would you like those four names now?
Mr. Rankin. Yes.
Mrs. Oswald. One is Mr. Boster, who was special counsel in charge of Soviet affairs.
One was Mr. Stanfield. I should know the names.
Well, gentlemen, Mr. Doyle will see that I give you the names of these men. I had it in a little card and carried it all these years from my Washington trip and gave it to the FBI men to investigate.
So they left me.
Mr. Rankin. When you say you understand that the State Department paid your son's way back from the Soviet Union——
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Rankin. Did you ever learn that that was a loan?
Mrs. Oswald. I have the document to state that they loaned Lee the money to come back.
Mr. Rankin. But you didn't know that at the time?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. But I stated—you see, I was worried about the security of my country. I didn't know if the public would find out—how they would take the news that the State Department loaned him the money, since now he is a Marxist and an accused assassin.
I was worried about my country. And I didn't want the public to know. I wanted the FBI, not the police, to know.
Mr. Rankin. Did you know anything else that you told them about why you thought he was an agent?
Mrs. Oswald. No, I didn't tell them anything. But they questioned me, started to question me.
One of them said, "You know a lot about your son. When was the last time you were in touch with him?"
That wasn't the Browns. That was the other man.
I said, "I have not seen my son in a year."
He said sarcastically, "Now, Mrs. Oswald, are we to believe you have not been in touch with your son in a year? You are a mother."
I said, "Believe what you want. But I have not been in touch with my son in a year. My son did not want me involved. He has kept me out of his activities. That is the truth, God's truth, that I have not seen my son in a year."
And the gentleman left, and I did not see them after that.
They sent the stenographer that was in the outer office to sit with me, and she started to question me.
I said, "Young lady, I am not going to be questioned. You may just as well make up your mind that I am just going to sit here. What I want, if you will relay—have these two Star Telegram men come in here, please. I would like to ask them something."
So they came in. And I said, "Bob, I have rights and I want to see Lee."
Of course the men didn't answer.
But I sat in the office approximately 2 or 3 hours alone, gentlemen, with this woman who came in and out.
I said, "If you think you are going to question me or get information from me, you are not."
And I sat in the office 2 or 3 hours.
Every now and then I would walk up to the outer corridor and say to whoever was there, "Now, listen, I am getting tired of this. I want to see Lee."
Mr. Rankin. What office was this?
Mrs. Oswald. The courthouse in Dallas.
Mr. Rankin. Whose office was it in? Do you know?
Mrs. Oswald. No, I don't know. It was a private office that lead—for instance, it would be like in the corner, a glass-enclosed office. And then you could see the outer corridor where the stenographers and the police and everybody was.
Mr. Rankin. You don't know whose office it was?
Mrs. Oswald. No, sir, I do not. So I sat there approximately 3 hours. And I never did get to see Lee.
So at 5:30—then Robert came in. And he was questioned by the FBI.
Mr. Rankin. Were you there when he was questioned?
Mrs. Oswald. No, sir.
And I will state now emphatically that I have never been questioned by the FBI or the Secret Service—never, gentlemen. If they can produce my voice or anything, they can produce it.
So then I was escorted into the office where Marina and Mrs. Paine was. And, of course, I started crying right away, and hugged Marina. And Marina gave me Rachel, whom I had never seen. I did not know I had a second grandchild, until this very moment. So I started to cry. Marina started to cry. And Mrs. Paine said, "Oh, Mrs. Oswald, I am so glad to meet you. Marina has often expressed the desire to contact you, especially when the baby was being born. But Lee didn't want her to."
And I said, "Mrs. Paine, you spoke English. Why didn't you contact me?"
She said Marina didn't know how to get in touch with me.
She said, "Well, because of the way they lived, he lived in Dallas, and came home to my home on weekends. I didn't feel like I wanted to interfere."
And she acted as—excuse me, gentlemen,