(Testimony of Philip Eugene Vinson)
Mr. Vinson.
in the fifth and sixth grades, or I believe that is what he says in here. I believe he told me specifically the sixth, and then he said that he saw him again in high school when Oswald came to high school at Arlington Heights High School. And he said he approached him, that Oswald approached Garret something to the effect that, asked him if he remembered him from grade school, find I believe Garrett said that he didn't at first, but after awhile, he finally thought back and remembered who he was. And he told me that Oswald mentioned something about communism to him somehow. He was trying to sell Garrett on the idea of communism.
Mr. Liebeler.
That was while Oswald was in the Arlington High School?
Mr. Vinson.
That was what Garrett said, and Garrett said he went to the principal about this, and he said that a few days Inter he did not see Oswald any more, and he didn't know if he had been withdrawn or expelled or what the situation was.
Mr. Liebeler.
He never associated with Oswald to any particular degree at this point?
Mr. Vinson.
Not at this point. He said he "shied away from him after he gave me this communism pitch.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did Garrett tell you when this was? What grade in high school he was in?
Mr. Vinson.
If he did, I don't recall. I think it was the sophomore year in high school, the 10th grade. It says in this article, but if this has got to come from my recollection, I would think it was the 10th grade.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did Garrett tell you anything else?
Mr. Vinson.
That is all. I just let him go because he couldn't help me much. Somebody else was already doing the story on him and what he remembered about him, and I was just trying to pin down what school Oswald went to in the second grade, at that time.
Mr. Liebeler.
You said that you yourself wrote an article in the Fort Worth newspaper about your own acquaintanceship with Oswald in the second grade?
Mr. Vinson.
Yes.
Mr. Liebeler.
Do you have a copy of that with you?
Mr. Vinson.
No; I don't. I thought about bringing one, but I don't know if that would be needed or not, since what I am telling you is in effect what I said in there. I don't think there is anything I haven't told you that is in there, with the exception, I think I mentioned something in there that it seemed to me that he didn't make very good grades.
Now this was just something I am not sure of, but that is just the way it seemed. And I mentioned something else that to the best of my memory he read fairly well when the students were called on to read aloud. I don't recall that he had any difficulty, because I remember several who did, and he was not among those that I recall as having trouble along those lines.
Mr. Liebeler.
Other than Garrett, had you ever met anybody or talked to anybody who knew Oswald?
Mr. Vinson.
No; I hadn't. Well, excuse me, yes, I have, too, on the telephone. I talked to Mrs. Livingston who is mentioned in this story. Some people from Life contacted me that saw the story I had in the Star Telegram, and asked me to help try to locate some of the people in Fort Worth for their story, and I made a few phone calls for them, and I did talk to Mrs. Livingston. But what I talked to her about was not about Oswald himself, but rather we were trying to locate a class picture, and we didn't talk about his
personality or anything. It was just who had a picture that Life could borrow.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you find one?
Mr. Vinson.
Yes. Don Jackson, the author of the story came down, and at that time she said she didn't know of any. However, Jackson came down and went and talked to her and he turned up with these two down at the bottom of the page. One which shows him on the playground, and the other which shows Mrs. Livingston with a dog that Oswald had given her.
Mr. Liebeler.
You are referring to pages 68-B and 69, of the Life Magazine which we mentioned above?
Mr. Vinson.
Right.
Mr. Liebeler.
Do you recognize the scene in this picture on page 68-B?
Mr. Liebeler.
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