Mr. Voebel.

In fact, I had an incident like that happen to me over at that school where this boy marked me out. He said he didn't like the way I looked, so he just kept talking and trying to force me into an incident, and finally he got it. I beat the dickens out of him, and it was after school, almost the same way this happened to Lee.
Word got around at the school what I had done, and a whole gang of people met me after school one day, but I was lucky enough to talk myself out of it. Now, when they passed the post on Lee, he was inclined to fight back, but I had sense enough to know that you can't fight a whole gang, so I talked myself out of it. This gang came over to my house and piled out of automobiles and started joshing and using all kinds of vulgar language to try to get me to come out, and my uncle ran them off, and after that I didn't have any more trouble. You just had to prove yourself to gain the respect of those gangs.

Mr. Jenner.

They didn't attack you any more?

Mr. Voebel.

No.

Mr. Jenner.

Would you say that the course of conduct of Lee Oswald was normal, having in mind the problems he was facing?

Mr. Voebel.

Yes, except that he didn't make friends.

Mr. Jenner.

He did not?

Mr. Voebel.

No; he was not inclined to make friends.

Mr. Jenner.

But you don't know why he was so disinclined?

Mr. Voebel.

Well, let's just put it this way; he didn't make friends. It was just that people and things just didn't interest him generally. He was just living in his own world, let's say.

Mr. Jenner.

But you did have some measure of common interest that you told me about?

Mr. Voebel.

I guess you are trying to get at the gun. Is that what you have in mind?

Mr. Jenner.

Well, I am not going to say what I'm trying to get at.

Mr. Voebel.

Well, I know Lee seemed to have an interest in guns.

Mr. Jenner.

And these were regular weapons, not toys?

Mr. Voebel.

That's right, military weapons. My uncle started a collection while he was in the service, and he brought back a few foreign military weapons.

Mr. Jenner.

Was that World War I?

Mr. Voebel.

World War II.

Mr. Jenner.

Your uncle?

Mr. Voebel.

That's right, my uncle.

Mr. Jenner.

And you also would say that you had an interest in guns; is that right?

Mr. Voebel.

Yes, I was interested in guns. In fact, we had guns around the house all the time. We were always interested in them, my uncle and I, and I learned to shoot a pistol when I was about, oh, 7 years old, you see.

Mr. Jenner.

Did Lee share your enthusiasm for collecting weapons?

Mr. Voebel.

Oh, no; I don't think I even told Lee about how I felt about that. I don't think Lee was interested in weapons for the same reason I was. I mean, I like weapons because I like mechanics. I like anything you can take apart and especially weapons, and I've always liked reading about the history of different guns, and I have often thought about what could have happened in a situation had they had this weapon or that weapon, you know more modern weapons than the ones they did have. I don't think Lee was interested in the history of any weapons. For example, he wanted a pistol, but it just seemed like he wanted the pistol just to have one, not for any purposes of collecting them or anything.
I also like sport cars. You've heard of people who like mechanics and cars. I wanted them for a purpose, whereas Lee would be inclined to want something just to have it, I think.

Mr. Jenner.

Did you have an interest in automobiles at that time?

Mr. Voebel.

Yes, sir; I did.

Mr. Jenner.

Did Lee?

Mr. Voebel.

No.

Mr. Jenner.

You couldn't interest him in that?