which he worked, called the "experimental shop," 572 employed 58 workers and 5 foremen. It was located in the middle part of the factory area in a 2-story building made of red brick. The workday began

at 8 o'clock sharp. Work was assigned according to "pay levels," which were numbered from one to five plus a top "master" level. A worker could ask to be tested for a higher level at any time.573

Oswald had hoped to continue his education in Russia, and was disappointed by his assignment to a factory.574 His salary varied from 700 to perhaps as high as 900 rubles per month ($70-$90) Although high compared with the salaries of certain professional groups in Russia, which in some areas have not grown proportionately with the wages of factory workers,576 his salary was normal for his type of work.577 It was supplemented, however, by 700 rubles per month, which he received from the "Red Cross," and, .according to Oswald, his total income was about equal to that of the director of the factory.578 In August he applied for membership in the union; he became a dues-paying member in September.580

Undoubtedly more noteworthy to most Russians than his extra income was the attractive apartment which Oswald was given in March 1959. It was a small flat with a balcony overlooking the river,581 for which he paid only 60 rubles a month.582 (See Commission Exhibit No. 2606, p. 271.) Oswald describes it in his diary as "a Russian-dream." 583 Had Oswald been a Russian worker, he would probably have had to wait for several years for a comparable apartment, and would have been given one even then only if he had a family.584 The "Red Cross" subsidy and the apartment were typical of the favorable treatment which the Soviet Union has given defectors.585

Oswald's diary records that he enjoyed his first months in Minsk. His work at the factory was easy and his coworkers were friendly and curious about life in the United States; he declined an invitation to speak at a mass meeting. He took Roza Kuznetsova, his interpreter and language teacher,586 to the theater, a movie, or an opera almost every night, until he moved into his apartment and temporarily lost contact with her. He wrote in his diary, "I'm living big and am very satisfied." 587 In March or April, he met Pavel Golovachev, a co-worker at the factory, whom Oswald described as intelligent and friendly and an excellent radio technician. (See Commission Exhibit No. 2609, p. 271.) Oswald helped Golovachev with English.588 They became friends,589 and corresponded after Oswald returned to the United States until at least as late as September 1963.590

The spring and summer passed easily and uneventfully. There were picnics and drives in the country, which Oswald described as "green beauty." 591 On June 18, he obtained a hunting license and soon afterward purchased a 16-gage single-barrel shotgun. His hunting license identifies him as "Aleksy Harvey Oswald." (He was called "Alec" by his Russian friends, because "Lee" sounded foreign to them and was difficult for them to pronounce.)592 He joined a local chapter of the Belorussian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, a bunting club sponsored by his factory, and hunted for small game in the