Mr. Jenner.

[Referring to calendar] December 2 was a Monday.

Mrs. Bates.

Well, no; they came to my home on Saturday after the story broke.

Mr. Jenner.

Did they interview you twice?

Mrs. Bates.

Well, they didn't interview me the second time really. They just--uh--I had received a letter, I think it was, that I turned over to them.

Mr. Jenner.

I see. Could it have been Saturday, the 30th of November?

Mrs. Bates.

It was the following Saturday after the story broke. Saturday the 30th of November. Yes, sir.

Mr. Jenner.

Do you recall saying to the FBI men who interviewed you that the story was accurate----

Mrs. Bates.

Yes, sir; gave him a copy of it.

Mr. Jenner.

In every detail, with one exception--which was that Lee Oswald never stated that he was working for the U.S. State Department.

Mrs. Bates.

Well, that is not in the story.

Mr. Jenner.

Tell me about that.

Mrs. Bates.

That was what--the radio and television was trying to put words in my mouth at that time. And--uh--I don't know how many times I had to call and tell them to retract that. I never stated that. I stated that when he first said that he went to Russia and had gotten a visa that I thought--it was just a thought--that maybe he was going over under the auspices of the State Department--as a student or something.

Mr. Jenner.

Uh-huh.

Mrs. Bates.

From that, they got that he was a secret agent for the----
If you think that's bad, you ought to see what they did to me over the weekend. I had to get them to retract--according to the Associated Press Monday they had it on the wire that you people had come out to my house over the weekend and interviewed me--and I was on my way to Washington Monday!

Mr. Jenner.

You mean, this past weekend?

Mrs. Bates.

Yes; The Star Telegram called me Monday----

Mr. Jenner.

Uh-huh.

Mrs. Bates.

And asked me about it and I said, "I don't know what you are talking about."
And they said, "Well, somebody has just jumped the gun."
And I said, "Well, you'd better do something about it. That's not true. And I certainly don't want to get in trouble with those people."

Mr. Jenner.

I think some one of the young men around here told me that--but I put no stock in it, so----

Mrs. Bates.

Well, I didn't know anything about it. I don't have a telephone at home. I had it taken out. And there wasn't any way anybody could contact me. I did get my letter Friday. But that's all. Well, they had me on the plane Monday to Washington! [laughing]. That's the press.

Mr. Jenner.

They try to put two and two together and hope they'll hit it one out of three times.

Mrs. Bates.

Well, anyhow, The Star Telegram took care of it. They said that I had gotten the letter--that they understood I had gotten the letter and I would be called as a witness---and that was it.
I told them--I said, "You'd better get that off the wires because it's not true and I'm certainly not going to be accountable for anything like that. No one has contacted me except by letter." But they were putting all kinds of words in my mouth.

Mr. Jenner.

They hadn't talked to you at all?

Mrs. Bates.

Who?

Mr. Jenner.

The newspaper people over this weekend?

Mrs. Bates.

No; I don't have a phone at home. And I was home very ill with bursitis.

Mr. Jenner.

Oh, you were?

Mrs. Bates.

I've got it right now. It's about to drive me crazy.

Mr. Jenner.

That's pretty bad stuff.

Mrs. Bates.

But, all this stuff about the Secret Service, I mean, that's strictly radio and television and reporters. The UP and the Associated Press drove me crazy calling me at 2 and 3 in the morning--"Mrs. Bates, can't you add