(Testimony of George A. Bouhe)
Mr. Bouhe.
corner somebody's kid is sleeping on the floor, I will not digest that dinner so very good.
So being endowed with what I thought was boundless energy, when I saw the situation, I thought I would make an effort the first time to put them on their feet. I always thought that communism breeds among the down and out and the dissatisfied people. I certainly felt badly that there were no groceries in their icebox and the kid was sleeping on the floor and all that.
I thought that by, so to speak, putting a little meat on his bones, lift the kid into bed, buy a little clothes for the kid, meanwhile assembling from all of the ladies some clothes for Marina, who was in rags, I thought I will make him less bitter which he was, and he will see, as I told him, that it can be done here if you apply yourself. And I added to him, "Lee, I am exceedingly uneasy from being a foreigner by birth, telling you, a native-born American, that you can lift yourself by your own boot strap here and live a decent life because the opportunities are here if you just only take advantage them." Well, his handicap was, he never had any skill. That is true. Marines, no skill. Sheet-metal work, I don't know if that was true in Russia. He didn't know anything. I understood from other people that when he went to the Texas Employment Commission in Fort Worth to ask for a job and they said what can you do---nothing. Where did you work last--Minsk. Let's call it off. He couldn't progress. He couldn't get any place. So this is maybe facetious on my part and I admit it, but my policy in this thing was substantially the policy of the U.S. Government as I see it.
When we see that the Cambodians are leaning towards communism because they are barefooted, we'll rush in with all kinds of food, groceries, and rehabilitation equipment to see if they can get on their feet. I did exactly that as I saw it.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did Oswald seem to appreciate your efforts?
Mr. Bouhe.
No; he passed a remark shortly after the second or third visit to their house when the ladies and I brought the clothes to Marina and such--I even brought two shirts for him--not new, used, and that is where I saw him for the first time trying to show his displeasure over me.
He measured and he remeasured the shirts so many times, and those were not new shirts. Finally I said, "Lee, this is to go-to-work. Wear them 3 or 4 days, get them dirty, then throw them away." So finally he folded it up and gave it back to me. "I don't need any."
Then I understand he objected that myself and a couple of others brought groceries to the kid and something for them when the icebox was empty. I took him and Marina once to a supermarket, partly for the groceries and partly for an educational purpose to explain that this is Ajax and this is Kleenex and this is the economy size, and this is junior size, and how much per ounce, just to open her eyes.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you buy groceries for the Oswalds at any time?
Mr. Bouhe.
Once.
Mr. Liebeler.
Do you remember how much?
Mr. Bouhe.
Ten dollars.
Mr. Liebeler.
Could you tell us approximately how much you spent on the Oswalds?
Mr. Bouhe.
$75. You can make a list, if you wish, because I want to tell you.
Mr. Liebeler.
Go ahead.
Mr. Bouhe.
Probably groceries, $10. I gave him a $5 bill for the bus fare from Fort Worth to Dallas on some subsequent Sunday.
I did not know the exact amount of the fare. And when he arrived here and I met him I said, "Was that enough?" He said, "Oh, yes." But he didn't give me any change. I remember that.
Then I bought at Montgomery Ward a playpen for about $11 for the kid. I bought a pair of moccasins for Marina, in the presence of another lady, at Montgomery Wards for $5, and since she was without stockings, we had to run and get a pair of stockings because they wouldn't let her measure moccasins without stockings.
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