I asked him where he was going, and why he was getting dressed. He answered, "Nixon is coming. I want to go and have a look." I said, "I know how you look," or rather, "I know how you customarily look, how you customarily take a look," because I saw he was taking the pistol with him rather than I know how you look in the sense that you are dressed, how you look at things is what I mean.
Mr. Rankin.
Had it come to your attention, Mrs. Oswald, that Mr. Nixon was going to be in Dallas prior to that time?
Mrs. Oswald.
No; it did not.
Mr. Rankin.
Had you seen anything in the newspapers or heard anything over the radio or television?
Mrs. Oswald.
No; we didn't have TV. I didn't see this in the newspaper.
Mr. Dulles.
Do you know what newspaper it was in which your husband read this report?
Mrs. Oswald.
No; Dallas Morning News maybe. It was a morning paper.
Mr. Rankin.
Do you know whether there was any information at all in the papers about Mr. Nixon planning to come to Dallas about that time?
Mrs. Oswald.
I didn't ever read the newspaper and I did not know; therefore, didn't know whether there was any information in the newspapers prior to this time about Vice President Nixon's arrival in Dallas.
Representative Ford.
Could we establish the date more precisely, either by the newspapers or by testimony from Mrs. Oswald?
(At this point, the Chief Justice left the hearing room.)
Mr. Rankin.
Mrs. Oswald, can you help us by telling how many days it was before you went to New Orleans that this incident occurred?
Mrs. Oswald.
What day did I go to New Orleans?
Mr. Rankin.
Do you recall that your husband went to New Orleans on April 24?
Mrs. Oswald.
April 24? My husband?
Mr. Rankin.
Yes; and you went at a later date with Mrs. Paine, do you remember that?
Mrs. Oswald.
I remember it was about 2 weeks before.
Mr. Rankin.
Two weeks before April 24?
Mrs. Oswald.
Yes; but when was the incident with Walker?
Mr. Rankin.
April 10 was the Walker incident. Does that help you?
Mrs. Oswald.
This is a short distance, you know, I think maybe ----
Mr. Rankin.
So you think it had to be sometime between April 10 and April 24?
Mrs. Oswald.
This may be 10 days or more. I think it was closer to the time when my husband left for New Orleans than it was to the incident of General Walker. I think it was less than a week before my husband left for New Orleans. I did not think up this incident with Nixon myself.
Mr. Rankin.
What do you mean by that, Mrs. Oswald?
Mrs. Oswald.
I had forgotten entirely about the incident with Vice President Nixon when I was here the first time. When you asked me the questions about it, then I remembered it. I wasn't trying to deceive you the first time.
Mr. Rankin.
What did your husband say that day about Richard Nixon, when he got this gun and dressed up. Did he tell you anything about him?
Mrs. Oswald.
No; I just didn't know what to do, you know.
Mr. Rankin.
How did you know he was interested in doing something about Mr. Nixon at that time?
Mrs. Oswald.
My husband just said that Nixon is coming to Dallas.
Mr. Rankin.
Then what did you do?
Mrs. Oswald.
First I didn't know what to do. I wanted to prevent him from going out.
Mr. Rankin.
Did you say anything to him?
Mrs. Oswald.
I called him into the bathroom and I closed the door and I wanted to prevent him and then I started to cry. And I told him that he shouldn't do this, that he had promised me.
Mr. Rankin.
Are you referring to his promise to you that you described in your prior testimony after the Walker incident?
Mrs. Oswald.
Yes; that was the promise.
