vault?
Mr. Rankin. Well, then, did you go to the funeral?
Mrs. Oswald. Well, let me get—we will get to the story of the ministers.
Mr. Rankin. All right.
Mrs. Oswald. Now, I was not consulted. Had Robert asked me—they are Lutheran, we are raised Lutherans. I have no church affiliation. I have learned since my trouble that my heart is my church. I am not talking against the church. But I go to church all day long, I meditate. And my work requires that I don't go to church. I am working on Sunday most of the time, taking care of the sick, and the people that go to church, that I work for, the families, have never once said, "Well, I will stay home and take care of my mother and let you go to church, Mrs. Oswald, today."
You see, I am expected to work on Sunday.
So that is why—I have my own church. And sometimes I think it is better than a wooden structure. Because these same people that expect me to work on Sunday, while they go to church, and go to church on Wednesday night—I don't consider them as good a Christian as I am—I am sorry.
Well—I would not have let Robert be so upset trying to get a Lutheran minister. If he could not get a Lutheran minister, I would have called upon another minister, because there would have been many, many ministers of many denominations that would have been happy to come and help the sorrowing family.
Well, a Reverend French from Dallas came out to Six Flags and we sat on the sofa.
Reverend French was in the center, I and Robert on the side. And Robert was crying bitterly and talking to Reverend French and trying to get him to let Lee's body go to church. And he was quoting why he could not.
So then I intervened and said, "Well, if Lee is a lost sheep, and that is why you don't want him to go to church, he is the one that should go into church. The good people do not need to go to church. Let's say he is called a murderer. It is the murderers and all we should be concerned about".
And that agent—I am going ahead of my story a little bit—that man right here——
Mr. Rankin. You are pointing to——
Mrs. Oswald. This agent right here. You may pass the picture around.
Mr. Rankin. The figure on the left hand of the picture you have just produced?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir. I do not know his name. The man had the decency to stay at the far end of the room, near the entrance door, while the minister and myself and Robert were sitting on the sofa. And when I said to the minister about the lost sheep, this agent, who I will have a much longer story to talk about, left the group and came and sat on the other sofa—there were two sofas and a cocktail table—and he said, "Mrs. Oswald, be quiet. You are making matters worse."
Now, the nerve of him—to leave the group and to come there and scold me.
This Mr. French, Reverend French, agreed that we would have chapel services, that he could not take the body into the church. And we compromised for chapel services.
However, when we arrived at the graveyard, we went to the chapel. There is the body being brought into the chapel. There is another picture. Here is another picture of the chapel.
Mr. Rankin. Before we go on——
Mrs. Oswald. And the chapel was empty. My son's body had been brought into the chapel, but Reverend French did not show up. And because there was a time for the funeral, the Star Telegram reporters and the police, as you see in the picture, escorted my son's body from the chapel and put it at the grave site. And when we went to the cemetery, we went directly to the chapel, because we were promised to have chapel services. And the chapel was empty. My son's body was not in it. Robert cried bitterly.
Mr. Rankin. Mrs. Oswald, can I interrupt a minute?
We will have the reporter identify this photograph that you just referred to, where the FBI agent is in the lefthand corner.
(The photograph referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 165 for identification.)
Mr. Rankin. The photograph I have just referred to is Exhibit 165, is it?
Mrs. Oswald. Exhibit 165.
Mr. Rankin. And the FBI agent you refer to is in the upper lefthand corner of that exhibit.
Mrs. Oswald. That's right. And this is the other FBI agent, Mr. Mike Howard, who is going to be involved quite a bit. He is the one that was taking care of Baine Johnson. He is the one that they have now sent to protect me in Fort Worth. He was the lead man at Six Flags.
Mr. Rankin. And he stands right behind you there in that picture?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, that is Mr. Mike Howard.
Mr. Rankin. Isn't he a Secret Service man?
Mrs. Oswald. Secret Service man—they are both Secret Service.
Representative Ford. That was the point I wanted to make, because she had said he was an FBI agent.
Mrs. Oswald. Yes—please interrupt. It is awful hard for me to remember and say things. So I appreciate you doing that. It is a long story. And I have many stories, gentlemen. I have many stories that I am sure you do not have.
Mr. Rankin. Mrs. Oswald, I'll ask the reporter to mark the other picture with the chapel and the casket as Exhibit 166.
(The photograph referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 166 for identification.)
Mr. Rankin. Can you tell us if Exhibit 166 is a photograph showing the removing of the casket?
Mrs. Oswald. The way the men are coming this way, they are leaving the chapel. That is the way I would assume. They are leaving the chapel. But the body was not at the chapel. What an awful thing we went through, gentlemen.
Mr. Rankin. We offer in evidence Exhibits 165 and 166, and ask to substitute copies.
The Chairman. They may be admitted.
(The documents heretofore marked Commission Exhibits Nos. 165 and 166 were received in evidence.)
Mr. Rankin. Mr. Reporter, I will ask you to mark the picture of the chapel with the casket apparently going in as Exhibit 167.
(The photograph referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 167 for identification.)
Mr. Rankin. And the picture of the chapel and the casket being placed on a carrier in front of it, as Exhibit 168.
(The photograph referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 168 for identification.)
Mr. Rankin. Mrs. Oswald, do you recall that Exhibit 167 is the picture of them taking the casket into the chapel?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. And Exhibit 168 is apparently a picture in front of the chapel where they are putting the casket on a carrier?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Rankin. We offer in evidence Exhibits 167 and 168 and ask leave to substitute copies.
The
