Mr. Thornley.

dealing with the other marines who maybe did have an education or did not have an education, I didn't get any, ever get any impression one way or the other that he had a tendency to react to this.

Mr. Jenner.

As between yourself and him; your association, what was your feeling? Did he regard himself as compatible with you and you with him?

Mr. Thornley.

Yes; definitely. I didn't get any idea that he was--I thought his education was about the same as my own which certainly isn't spectacular by any means. I thought he might have had a year of college. I knew he had--I figured he had graduated from high school. It never occurred to me to think any more about it. I did, as I mentioned before, notice once in a while that he had gaps in his knowledge, but many people do, in fact all of us do, I am sure, in some fields.
But in-Oswald's case they perhaps had an unusual pattern to them or something. that made me notice them, perhaps. Perhaps he was better read, for example, on Marxist economics than any other school of economics, things like this. But that was the extent of it.

Mr. Jenner.

Was there in your kicking around with him in your discussions--was there ever any discussion of your past, of his past, his life?

Mr. Thornley.

None whatsoever. This I am almost certain of. I had no idea, for example, that he was from Texas or where he was from. At that time I don't recall him having a Texas accent, either. I had no idea that his father had died when he was young. I had no idea about his family, anything along this line and I don't think I ever discussed my past with him.

Mr. Jenner.

Was any mention ever made of his attendance at or even the name of the Albert Schweitzer College?

Mr. Thornley.

No.

Mr. Jenner.

No discussions about any plans of his or possibility of his seeking further education of any kind or character when he was mustered out of the Marines?

Mr. Thornley.

None whatsoever. For one thing we were not close enough friends to have any personal interests in each other. I looked upon him as somebody to argue with, another atheist--therefore, without the problem of religion between us--and to argue philosophy and politics about, and I think he looked upon me in about the same light.

Mr. Jenner.

What was your dexterity with Marine weapons?

Mr. Thornley.

Mine?

Mr. Jenner.

Yes.

Mr. Thornley.

I was a sharpshooter.

Mr. Jenner.

What was his?

Mr. Thornley.

I believe well, at that time I didn't know.

Mr. Jenner.

You didn't know. I want your viewpoint as of that time. While you were based at El Toro, did the unit engage with any regularity in rifle practice?

Mr. Thornley.

None whatsoever. At that time, the whole time I was there, we did not engage in rifle practice.

Mr. Jenner.

As a matter of curiosity on my own part, why was that?

Mr. Thornley.

Well, in the Marine Corps you are required once a year to go to the rifle range and qualify. I was not there an entire year. Point No. 2, this was the Marine air wing which has much less of an emphasis on, in general, on rifle practice because it is not going to be utilized in battle, and a much stronger emphasis, in the case of the outfit we were in, on our particular military occupational specialty.

Mr. Jenner.

Which was?

Mr. Thornley.

6749 Aviation Electronic Operator.

Mr. Jenner.

Was this true when you reached Japan?

Mr. Thornley.

More so. When I reached Japan, however, we did go to the rifle range one time shortly after I got there, and qualify. I recall at that time that in Japan we weren't even having rifle inspections. There you could put your rifle away in your locker and forget about it, and take it out every couple of months and make sure it hadn't corroded away, and put it back again.

Mr. Jenner.

But you didn't even have rifle inspection?