Mr. Rankin. ——to read the communist literature?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir—and Robert's Marine book.
Mr. Rankin. Is there anything else you base that on, except what you have told us?
Mrs. Oswald. About him being an agent?
Mr. Rankin. Yes.
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir, when I get through the whole story.
Mr. Rankin. I mean as far as the recruiting officer.
Mrs. Oswald. No. Otherwise than Lee's attitude. Lee read this manual. He knew it by heart. I even said, "Boy, you are going to be a general, if you ever get in the Marines."
Mr. Rankin. And you base the idea——
Mrs. Oswald. He had the idea.
Mr. Rankin. He was being prepared to become an agent, and inspired by this recruiting officer?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Rankin. By what you have told us about his reading the communist literature and this one pamphlet, and also the manual of the Marine Corps?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. And then living to when he is age 17 to join the Marines, which I knew, and which he did at age 17 on his birthday.
Mr. Rankin. Now, what else do you base your idea that he was—ever became an agent or was going to become an agent on?
Mrs. Oswald. Many, many things. We always watched—it is "I Led Three Lives"—the program—Philbrick. We always watched that. And when Lee returned from the service and the Marines, the three days—that program was on, and he turned it off. He said, "Mother, don't watch that, that is a lot of propaganda."
It has been stated publicly that the FBI did not know—didn't have Lee on the subversive list—I am probably not saying this right, gentlemen—but the rightwing in Dallas. I don't know anything politically. The FBI and Secret Service had a list of names in Dallas of people that had to be watched, and Lee Harvey Oswald was not on that list. That would lead to believe there was some reason he was not on the list.
Mr. Rankin. Who did you get that from?
Mrs. Oswald. From the newspapers and all over. And there has been a lot of comment about this all through.
Now, I don't say it is correct. But what I have explained to you before—my way of thinking has to go with this, because I know the boy and the whole life, and you do not, sir.
Mr. Rankin. Well, I want to try to find out all you know about it.
Mrs. Oswald. Fine. And I want you to.
Also, Lee's letters—and I have them in the hotel—I didn't bring them, because I thought we were through, and you have the copies—most every letter from Lee tells me something.
When Lee is coming back from Russia he says, "I plan to stop over in Washington a while."
Lee says in the letter, "Marina's uncle is a major in the Soviet Union."
"I am an American citizen and I will never take Soviet citizenship."
If you will read every letter—if you think he is an agent—every letter is telling his mother—"If something happens to me, Mother, these are facts."
I might be elaborating. But I think my son is an agent. And these things piece by piece are going together, as far as I am concerned.
Representative Ford. When did you first think he was an agent?
Mrs. Oswald. When Lee defected. And I have always said a so-called defection, for this reason.
Now, we come to another letter. I am going to have to take some time now, because we are not going in sequence. The letter Lee wrote to me from New Orleans is what I need.
Mr. Rankin. Do you have the letter in which he says he was going to Washington?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir, I gave you that copy yesterday. I don't have the letter with me. They are at the hotel.
Mr. Rankin. You gave it to us yesterday?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir—that he would stop over in Washington.
Mr. Rankin. Do you recall the date of that one?
Mrs. Oswald. Well, now, he was supposed to arrive in New York on the 13th of June, 1962. And that is the letter. When he arrived, I do not know. And I do not know if he went to Washington.
As I stated yesterday, he went to Robert's house, and I was on a case. So I don't know when he arrived in New York.
Now, this is the letter. Lee is out of the Marines, and he stays home with me 3 days. And I have publicly stated—and this came out of my book this morning—Lee came home September 14, 1959. He stayed 3 days with me. Said he would like to travel on a ship working his way. Possibly export and import. He remarked he could make more money that way.
The next page is the letter he sent me, and then came the news of his being in Russia.
This is the letter.
"Dear Mother"——-
Mr. Dulles. Is that dated?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. This is just dated September. He was released from the Marine Corps on September 14th—I believe I am correct, Mr. Rankin.
And he stayed with me 3 days.
And then this is—well, the date on the envelope is September 19th. He stayed with me 3 days.
"Dear Mother, well, I have booked passage on a ship to Europe. I would have had to sooner or later, and I think it is best to go now."
"I would have had to sooner or later, so I think it is best that I go now. Just remember above all else that my values are very different from Robert or us, and it is difficult to tell you how I feel. Just remember this is what I must do. I did not tell you about my plans because you could hardly be expected to understand. I did not see Lillian while I was here. I will write you again as soon as I land. Lee."
Mr. Rankin. What do you think he meant by that?
Mrs. Oswald. That is what I want to tell you. All of this speculation, gentlemen. And that is why I say the Warren Commission—unless they hear my story and the witnesses involved, cannot arrive at a true conclusion.
Now, what would you think about this?
A few days later you get headlines. "Fort Worth Boy Has Defected to Russia." And I made the letter public. This letter says to his mother he is defecting to Russia—right? That is the way you would read the letter.
It is easily read this way when you think a boy has defected to Russia. So you would read the letter that way.
Mr. Dulles. Mr. Rankin, do we have correspondence while he was in the Marines?
Mr. Rankin. Mrs. Oswald, do you recall any letters you received from your son during the time he was in the Marines?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. I have a special delivery letter. You see, gentlemen, that is why I have tried to explain to you before—if I could have gone from the story we would not all be so mixed up. This is a letter from the Marines saying he is going to contact the Red Cross—when I told him about my illness.
Mr. Rankin. Well, that is the correspondence in regard to his getting out of the Marines because of your need of his help and support.
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, that is right.
Mr. Rankin. Now, except for that correspondence, you don't have any other correspondence from him while he was in the Marines?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir, I did have several letters.
What has happened, Mr. Rankin—when Lee stayed with me the 3 days, he left his seabag with me. And that is why I have his discharge papers and things. And then, as you know, when the defection broke, I had no place to go. So the lady I was