Mr. Thornley.

before that trip or shortly afterwards, I can remember from the books I was reading at the time and things like that, that I met him.

Mr. Jenner.

Do you associate the books you were reading at that time with anything Oswald may have been reading?

Mr. Thornley.

Yes. Oswald was not reading but did advise me to read George Orwell's "1984" which I read at that time.

Mr. Jenner.

Was he on the base when you came there?

Mr. Thornley.

Well, I was on the base in a different outfit before I came into MACS 9, the outfit I was in.

Mr. Jenner.

Marine Air Control Squadron.

Mr. Thornley.

I was in MACS 4 which was right next door to MACS 9 or was at that time, on the base.

Mr. Jenner.

Were you aware of his presence when you were in the other MACS?

Mr. Thornley.

No; not until I came into his outfit. And only sometime after I came into that outfit did I become aware of his presence.

Mr. Jenner.

Were you--I will withdraw that. Was Oswald as far as you knew on the base before you came over to his unit?

Mr. Thornley.

I would assume so, but I wouldn't know for sure. I know he was recently back from Japan as were most of the men in Marine Control Squadron 9 when I came into it. How long he had been back I don't know. I certainly didn't know at that time. And thinking on what knowledge of him I have gained since then, I still couldn't say.

Mr. Jenner.

Well, in any event you first became acquainted with or aware of his presence around Easter time in 1959?

Mr. Thornley.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner.

And you were transferred from that base when?

Mr. Thornley.

June.

Mr. Jenner.

In June. So likely it was that you knew him in April, May, and in June until you were transferred out?

Mr. Thornley.

Right.

Mr. Jenner.

When in June were you transferred out?

Mr. Thornley.

Once again the exact date would be available in my military record, but offhand--

Mr. Jenner.

Give it to me as best you recall it, forepart, latter part, middle?

Mr. Thornley.

Let's see, it was toward the latter part. In fact, I can give you pretty close to the exact date. It was around June 25, because we arrived in Japan on July 4 and it took 11 days to get over there. It took us some time to get debarked or to get embarked, rather.

Mr. Jenner.

All right. I take it from the remark you have made in your reflecting on this matter that you were you devoted yourself to some fairly considerable extent to reading?

Mr. Thornley.

Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner.

And in what fields?

Mr. Thornley.

Completely omniverous. Anything that I would happen to get a hold of I would read. At that time I was reading, well, at Oswald's advice I read "1984." At someone else's advice I was reading a book called "Human-ism," by Corliss Lamont, as I remember, and I was reading either "The Brothers Karamazov" or the "Idiot" by Dostoievsky, I forget which, at that time.

Mr. Jenner.

But your reading had some reasonable amount of organization or direction?

Mr. Thornley.

None whatsoever; no, sir. It never has.

Mr. Jenner.

I see. You weren't engaged in any organized reading at that time, were you?

Mr. Thornley.

No.

Mr. Jenner.

But there were areas which did draw your attention by and large?

Mr. Thornley.

Definitely; yes.

Mr. Jenner.

What were those areas?

Mr. Thornley.

Philosophy, politics, religion.

Mr. Jenner.

Did you find that Oswald had reasonably similar interests?

Mr. Thornley.

Yes; I would say.

Mr. Jenner.

In his reading?