But it is kind of hard to testify to. I would say this is Lee's handwriting with a very fine pen, with reservations.
Mr. Rankin. Exhibit 257.
We offer in evidence Exhibits 251 through 257, both inclusive.
The Chairman. They may be admitted.
(The documents referred to were received in evidence as Commission Exhibits Nos. 251 through 257, inclusive.)
The Chairman. Mrs. Oswald, are you now ready—we are not going to ask you to do it right now, but we are going to recess at 2 o'clock. But are we now at the point where we can hear whatever you want to tell us about your life?
Mrs. Oswald. I am sorry, but I would like to have lunch.
The Chairman. I said that we were going to have lunch. But when we return—you have things up to that point of your story?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. Very well.
You have another question you want to ask before we recess for lunch?
Mr. Rankin. I should like to offer for the limited purpose, Mr. Chairman, of the fact that we presented this picture to Mrs. Oswald and she said it was not the picture that was presented to her—for that limited purpose I should like to offer Exhibit 237.
The Chairman. It may be so admitted.
(The picture referred to was received in evidence as Commission Exhibit No. 237.)
Mr. Doyle. Mr. Chief Justice, during the noon hour may I have the custody of this transcript of a tape recording of an interview with Mrs. Oswald, the 28 pages which was tendered to us by Mr. Rankin this morning—and I will return it.
Mr. Rankin. That is for them to have.
The Chairman. That is to become your own.
Mr. Doyle. To become the property of Mrs. Oswald.
The Chairman. The property of Mrs. Oswald, yes. That is what we gave it to you for. She requested that.
Mr. Doyle. Thank you very much.
The Chairman. Very well, we will recess now until 2 o'clock.
(Whereupon, at 12:55 p.m., the President's Commission recessed.)
Afternoon Session
TESTIMONY OF MRS. MARGUERITE OSWALD RESUMED
The President's Commission reconvened at 2:05 p.m.
The Chairman. All right, Mr. Rankin, will you proceed with the hearing?
Mr. Rankin. Mrs. Oswald, you said that you would like to turn now to telling us about your life. We would appreciate that if you would do that.
Mrs. Oswald. Yes.
The Chairman. Mrs. Oswald, if you would prefer not to tell the story of your life, that is perfectly all right.
Mrs. Oswald. I want to tell the story but there is something else that upsets me.
The Chairman. It is perfectly all right if you don't wish to. You may take your time now and go right ahead.
Mrs. Oswald. I am sorry, you will have to excuse me about the story of my life, and Mr. Doyle knows why, but there is one part of the story of my life that will have a great connection with this, I believe.
I married Mr. Edwin Ekdahl who was an electrical engineer and a $10,000 a year man with an expense account. Mr. Ekdahl had a woman before he married me. Of course, I didn't know about it, sir. I made him wait a year before I married him, but the way I found this out, I received a telephone call, a telegram rather, he traveled—lots of times Lee and I traveled with him—stating he wouldn't return home when he was supposed to and for me not to meet him.
So, I called his office, I was familiar with, knew his secretary, and I was going to tell her that Mr. Ekdahl would be delayed 3 or 4 days. But immediately she said, "Mrs. Ekdahl, Mr. Ekdahl is not in, he has gone out to lunch."
So, I said, the general conversation went "When will he be back" and so on, and so that evening I took the car and I went to the Texas Electric Co., works for the Texaco, the main office in New York, but he was working in Fort Worth at the time, went to the building and saw him leave the building and I followed him and to an apartment house, saw him go into this apartment house.
Then I went back home, and my oldest son, John Edward Pic, who is in the service, had a friend at the house who was about 2 years older. I told them about what happened. So it was night by this time. The kids went with me.
I called Mr. John McClain, who is an attorney, and we live next door to Mr. McClain, and told him that I had seen Mr. Ekdahl go into a home when he was supposed to be out of town and what should I do.
He said, "Mrs. Oswald, just ring the phone. Do you know the woman?"
And I said, "Yes."
"Just ring the phone and let him know that you know he is there, that you saw him."
After I thought about it I thought that is not a good idea because he could leave and say he was just there on business and I wanted to catch him there.
So the kids and I planned that we would say she had a telegram, so we went up the stairs, I believe it was the second or the third floor, and the young man knocked on the door and said, "Telegram for Mrs. Clary"—was her name.
She said, "Please push it under the door" and I told him no; he said, "No, you have to sign for it."
So with that she opened the door to sign for it and with that I, my son, and with the other young man walked into the room and Mrs. Clary had on a negligee, and my husband had his sleeves rolled up and his tie off sitting on a sofa, and he said, "Marguerite, Marguerite, you have everything wrong, you have everything wrong."
He says, "Listen to me."
I said, "I don't want to hear one thing. I have seen everything I want to see, this is it."
My two boys, in military school, the two older boys, I am paying for the two older boys because I have sold a piece of property. I wanted to take care as long as I had money of my own children and when I married Mr. Ekdahl if he would support me and Lee I would be able to take care of John Edward, and Robert in military school, we couldn't have them with us because Mr. Ekdahl traveled.
This man never let me share with his insurance policies, beneficiary, in other words, I was another woman to him. I received $100 a month and that was it. That was all the money I had from Mr. Ekdahl, and when we traveled, for instance, we were in Santa Fe, N. Mex., and he was with all the businessmen, we would have to wait until Mr. Ekdahl got through, the baby and I, in order to eat, whether it was 2 or 3 o'clock in the evening because here I was, registered under Mrs. Ekdahl and I had a checking account, but under the name of Oswald, which was the money I was using for the children so it was kind of inconvenient for me to write a check under the name of Oswald.
I
