Mr. Jenner.

Did you ever discuss with Oswald his degree of proficiency in the use of the rifle?

Mr. Thornley.

Not to the best of my knowledge.

Mr. Jenner.

Did you have any impressions that you gathered in that respect while you were with him at El Toro?

Mr. Thornley.

None whatsoever. Had somebody asked me to guess about Oswald, I would have said, well, he probably didn't qualify, just because that was the type of guy he was, but that is all.

Mr. Jenner.

You would never have expected him to have been a sharpshooter, for example?

Mr. Thornley.

It wouldn't have greatly surprised me if he was and it wouldn't have greatly surprised me if he wasn't. This is something very difficult: to look at a man and tell, at least it is very difficult for me. I have seen some drill instructors who could do it. But to tell whether he is going to be an expert or a sharpshooter, marksman, I am not qualified.

Mr. Jenner.

While you were stationed with him at E1 Toro, did you ever go off base with him?

Mr. Thornley.

No.

Mr. Jenner.

Did you ever have any discussion of dates?

Mr. Thornley.

No.

Mr. Jenner.

His attitude toward women?

Mr. Thornley.

No.

Mr. Jenner.

Sex?

Mr. Thornley.

None whatsoever.

Mr. Jenner.

Was there any scuttlebutt around the camp in that regard with respect to him..

Mr. Thornley.

Not to the best of my knowledge.

Mr. Jenner.

Sex habits, propensities?

Mr. Thornley.

No; you stand a risk in the Marine Corps, if you are at all quiet and tend to be introverted, of being suspected of being homosexual, but to the best of my knowledge there were never any comments made of this nature.

Mr. Jenner.

Do you recall some other readings of his in addition to "1984"?

Mr. Thornley.

I do recall having mentioned Dostoievsky to him and I know he had read something and I think it was "Crime and Punishment" but I am not sure. It was something I had not read by Dostoievsky when I had read about, I guess at that time, about three or four books.

Mr. Jenner.

It is a great book.

Mr. Thornley.

Someday I am going to get around to it.

Mr. Jenner.

Have you not read it yet? It is a really great book.

Mr. Thornley.

No; and I don't recall him mentioning any other books offhand. I don't-I can't think of a thing besides "1984" and some book by Dostoievsky.

Mr. Jenner.

While you were based at E1 Toro did he engage, did you notice, in any officer baiting on his part with respect, in particular, to such matters as foreign affairs?

Mr. Thornley.

Yes; not on foreign affairs, no, but the same officer, Lieutenant Donovan, spoke of in a foreign affairs lecture in the newspapers, I do remember him baiting him on a couple of occasions.

Mr. Jenner.

Oswald attempting to bait Lieutenant Donovan?

Mr. Thornley.

I don't remember what it was. I know, I believe Lieutenant Donovan was also a lieutenant which I had had a couple of run-ins with if I remember correctly.
If not, it was Lieutenant Delprado. It was one of the two of them. Mine were completely accidental and I went to great length to keep away from one of them because it seemed like any time I was around him I happened to do something to irritate him. But Oswald, I don't recall exactly what he said, but he a couple or three times went out of his way to say something to one of these lieutenants that would cause them to be irritated and in this you can't really say that he was exceptional. It happened many times. In Oswald's case though, it was exceptionally--

Mr. Jenner.

You mean it happened many times with respect to other noncoms in the Marines with respect to these officers?

Mr. Thornley.

Right; but in Oswald's case it seemed a little more deliberate.