(Testimony of Ruth Hyde Paine Resumed)
Mrs. Paine.
This was implied. I can't give you a specific reference, except that she did say her grandmother was a very religious person.
Mr. Jenner.
By the way, did she have her children baptized in this country?
Mrs. Paine.
One of the first things I knew--and this was told to me in March of 1963----one of the first times I went to see her at their apartment, on Neely Street, she showed me a baptismal certificate for June, and was Pleased with how nice it looked, its attractive form. I have since read in the paper that she had this baptismal ceremony without Lee's knowledge and consent. She made no reference to me at that time of that sort, and nothing to indicate that I shouldn't tell anyone I pleased, Lee included, that there was such a baptismal certificate, or refer to it freely.
Mr. Jenner.
In her discussions of her life in Russia, did there arise occasions when she discussed communism or the Communist Party or people who were interested in communism or the Communist Party in Russia?
Mrs. Paine.
She referred rather disparagingly to some of the young Communist youth group people. She felt they were rather dull and attended meetings and heard the same thing over and over, said much the same thing. She also spoke disparagingly of the content of this paper which I said she told me was from Minsk, and always containing many columns of speech by Khrushchev, speech by Khrushchev, speech by comrade chairman of the presidium, whatever Khrushchev was. And she found this very dull. Very repetitious. She, herself, expressed interest in the movies and theater activities in the town. She always turned to this portion----
Mr. Jenner.
Legitimate theater?
Mrs. Paine.
Yes. She turned to this portion----
Mr. Jenner.
When you say town, you mean Minsk?
Mrs. Paine.
Yes. She turned to this portion of the newspaper and really expressed herself as only interested in that. In this connection, I can say she told me the plots of movies that she had seen some years before, and retold them in some detail, with considerable interest.
Mr. Jenner.
Did she say anything about having seen movies in Russia originating in America, in the United States?
Mrs. Paine.
Possibly. I don't recall specifically.
Mr. Jenner.
Did she indicate how she had acquired her interest in the United States?
Mrs. Paine.
No; she didn't.
Mr. Jenner.
What was leading her to be favorably disposed to come and live in this country?
Mrs. Paine.
No; she did not.
She spoke of having met some young Cuban students who were traveling in Russia, or studying in Minsk, or both--I am not certain. But she commented on how Latin their personality was, how warm and open, and how they would strum guitars in the street and go about in noisy crowds.
Mr. Jenner.
Did she ever say anything to you or intimate at any time prior to November 22--let's say prior to November 23--of any desire, attempt or otherwise on the part of Lee Oswald to reach Cuba?
Mrs. Paine.
No; she did not.
Mr. Jenner.
Was--were the references to Cuba limited to those with regard to Castro on the FPCC incident in New Orleans?
Mrs. Paine.
Lee is the only one who mentioned the FPCC incident, and then without the initials or name of that organization. And then, of course, this reference in Minsk was to students who had been there only.
Mr. Jenner.
You have given me a number of specifics. But I don't think you have yet told me your opinion of Marina Oswald the person, insofar as her character, integrity, general philosophy--as a person and a woman.
Mrs. Paine.
I like her and care a lot about her. I feel that--as I have testified, any full communication between us was limited by my modest command of the language, and that we were also and are different sorts of people. I feel that I cannot predict how she might feel in a particular situation, whereas some of my friends I feel I can guess that they would feel as I would in a situation. I don't have that feeling about Marina. She is more of an enigma to me.
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