a few more blocks and he was in the theater.
In 29 minutes time it cannot be done.
So I am convinced my son, and my son alone, if he is involved—I am a human being, and I say my son could have shot the President, and he could have been involved. I am not the type mother to think that he is perfect and he could not do it. But I say he did not do it alone—if he did it. Because it is utterly impossible.
And I do not believe my son did it.
I think my son was framed because, gentlemen—would his rifle be in the sixth floor window of the depository—unless you want to say my son was completely out of his mind. And yet there has been no statement to that effect. Wade has publicly said on the television when it happened that he is sane, he is well reasoned, he knows what he did. And Lee never did break, with his black eyes. He kept saying he was innocent. And yet in 12 hours time he was proven guilty. That doesn't make sense to me, an ordinary layman. So I have to consider who is involved.
Now, I am telling you that this girl was not happy with her situation. She had turned against me twice.
You, yourself, yesterday said that she testified that I told her to tear up the picture. God give me the grace—I did no such thing. My testimony is true.
So now she has lied there, I have found out.
And every evidence of any importance has come from this house. I have to face that.
Mr. Rankin. What else do you have that shows that she had any part in the conspiracy to assassinate the President?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes. I am under the impression that probably she—I think Lee is an agent. I have always thought that, and I have as much circumstantial evidence that Lee is an agent, that the Dallas police has that he is a murderer, sir.
Mr. Rankin. What do you base that on?
Mrs. Oswald. Well. I am going to tell my story. I have it all there. That is what I base it on.
Mr. Rankin. Can you tell us in summary?
Mrs. Oswald. No, sir, I don't think I want to tell it to you that way, because I cannot, almost.
Mr. Rankin. That is a very serious charge, that he was an agent, too.
Mrs. Oswald. Well, fine. So all right.
If I feel that way, sir, don't I have the right, the American way, to speak up and to tell you what I feel? Isn't that my privilege?
Mr. Rankin. Yes. But can't you tell us what you base it on?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir, I will, as I go along, sir.
Mr. Rankin. Is that the only way you can tell it?
Mrs. Oswald. I don't see how I can say to you I know he is an agent, and I have papers. I want to tell the whole story. I still have more papers. I have documents that I know you do not have, sir.
Mr. Rankin. Have you told us all that you know that would bear on your claim that Marina Oswald was——
Mrs. Oswald. Had a part in it.
Mr. Rankin. Had a part in it or conspired to assassinate the President?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir—I cannot prove it. And I cannot prove Lee is an agent. I cannot prove these things.
But I have facts that may lead up to them. I cannot prove it, because if I did we would not be having this Commission, sir. I could say who shot President Kennedy.
Mr. Rankin. So in both cases of the agent—Lee being an agent, your son, and Marina Oswald and the Secret Service agents or anybody else conspiring with him for the assassination of President Kennedy, that is just suspicions. You cannot prove it—is that right?
Mrs. Oswald. I would not use the word suspicion, because I am not the type person to be suspicious and imagine things.
You may think so, because I am a woman. And this is my son. But my children were never tied to my apron strings.
And I can prove to you, in his defection in 1959, I made the statement that Lee, as an individual, had the right to think and do what he wanted to. They even said he was a Communist. If that is what he studied, and that is what he wanted to do, I accepted that, because that was his privilege as an individual. And that is public in 1959, my statement, which shows that I am not the sobbing mother kind because he has gone to Russia, and cry about it. I acknowledge that.
I have acknowledged that if the children, like Lee, went to Dallas, as I testified that yesterday, and didn't tell me he was going to Dallas—I don't grieve and lose my sleep over that. I have accepted that fact, because when Lee and Marina got ready to come to me that would be fine. In the meantime, I still have to live.
Mr. Rankin. Are you telling the Commission that your son was part of a conspiracy to assassinate the President?
Mrs. Oswald. I am saying that I realize that my son could possibly be part—yes—I realize he is a human being and he could possibly be in this, yes, sir.
Mr. Rankin. Are you saying he was?
Mrs. Oswald. No, I do not know. I am saying possibly he is involved.
Mr. Rankin. And you are saying possibly Marina was involved?
Mrs. Oswald. Well, exactly what I am trying to say. If I had proof, sir, I would give the proof in an affidavit and this case would be closed, like Mr. Wade said.
But I have as much right to my way of thinking as Mr. Wade has.
Mr. Rankin. You are saying that possibly the Secret Service agents were involved, too? You don't have any proof of that?
Mrs. Oswald. That is exactly what I have been trying to say. I have told you how I was treated, which has given me cause for this particular way of thinking—because I believe that my son is innocent. And I think that is the purpose of this Commission, is to hear all witnesses and arrive at a conclusion. Am I not right, gentlemen?
So this is my way of thinking. So grant me my way of thinking. If I am wrong, fine. But you may learn something.
Mr. Rankin. What about the high official now. Can you tell us who that was?
Mrs. Oswald. No, sir. I wish I did know. I have my own idea about that. I would rather not—because it is a high official—I would rather not give a name.
But I have my own very strong suspicions as to the official who he might be.
Mr. Rankin. We would appreciate your telling us within this group what you think.
Mrs. Oswald. Fine—and I expect to, Mr. Rankin. I am a person that is very outspoken, as you know by now, and I will certainly do that.
But will you grant me the privilege first of finding out the name of the man in the State Department that wrote the letter to Senator Tower, because it is an incorrect—it is incorrect—the whole testimony is incorrect.
Mr. Rankin. We will get that correspondence for you.
Mrs. Oswald. All right. I was going to go into something else,
