(Testimony of Mrs. Marguerite Oswald Resumed)
The Chairman.
Admitted.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 200 and received in evidence.)
Mr. Rankin.
Now, this one starting, "Dear Mother, received your letter, and so forth"--that is the one about the Marines, when he was asking you about getting out of the service and your need, and so forth?
Mrs. Oswald.
This is the letter which shows the different character of the boy I that the newspapers are making of him-- when I wrote and told him I had sold my furniture, and that my compensation and medical was stopped, immediately my son sends a special delivery letter, and that is the letter "received your letter, was very unhappy. I have contacted the Red Cross, and they will contact you.." This is a nice boy to do this immediately, when he finds his mother is in trouble. He is not a louse, like the papers have been making him out. He might have some bad points, but so do all of us.
Mr. Rankin.
We will ask the reporter to mark this.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 201 for identification.)
Mr. Rankin.
Exhibit 201 is the letter you are just referring to?
Mrs. Oswald.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Rankin.
We offer in evidence Exhibit 201.
The Chairman.
Admitted.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No.. 201 and received in evidence.)
Mr. Rankin.
Then, Mrs. Oswald, the other one that you received from Russia, with the check and the little note from your son Lee is the one I am showing you?
Mrs. Oswald.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Rankin.
Will you mark that as Exhibit 202?
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No.. 202 for identification.)
Mr. Rankin.
We offer in evidence Exhibit 202 and ask leave to substitute a copy.
The Chairman.
Admitted.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 202 and received in evidence.)
Mrs. Oswald.
I have followed up that request and sent the $20 bill in an envelope. And I have all of this. But I am not going to go through all this paper. You will have all of this.
Mr. Dulles.
Did that get through--just as a matter of curiosity.
Mrs. Oswald.
Yes, that is what 1 am going to tell you. So I put a $20 bill immediately in an envelope and sent it to Lee. And then after I thought about it, I thought of a foreign money order. And gentlemen I have all this in black and white for you, and this gentleman will copy and have it--everything I am saying. So then I went to the bank and I got a foreign money order for $25, and I sent it to Lee. It all went air mail. But it came back about 2 months later, Mr. Dulles--the $20 bill I got back in cash and the Chase National Bank foreign money order, that check came back in cash. I will have that proof for you. I understand it comes back by boat, and that is why it took so long.
So I had no way of knowing that my contact with my son was successful. I didn't know until about 2 months later he had not received my money. And by that time well, I didn't know where he was, because I came to Washington in January of 1961, had a conference with Mr. Boster--Mr. Stanfield----
Mr. Rankin.
Did you think he was a Russian agent at this time?
Mrs. Oswald.
No, sir; I did not think he was a Russian agent.
Representative Ford.
I thought you answered in response to a question I asked, when you thought he was an agent, you said when he defected.
Mrs. Oswald.
I might have said defected to Russia. No, sir; I never thought Lee was a Russian agent.
Representative Ford.
I meant an agent of the United States. It is my
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