Chairman, I offer in evidence as Commission Exhibit 293, the document so marked and identified.
Mr. Dulles. It may be accepted.
(The document heretofore marked Commission Exhibit No. 293 was received in evidence.)
Mr. Jenner. The letter of November 8, 19—do you have a better copy, is that 1959?
Mr. Oswald. It is 1959.
Mr. Dulles. May I just ask a question, are we putting in the original of that or is a photographic copy being substituted for it?
Mr. Jenner. We are employing as a substitute for the original a photostatic copy which has been marked Commission Exhibit 293.
Mr. Dulles. All right.
Mr. McKenzie. Mr. Chairman, could I be excused for just a moment, please?
(Short recess.)
Mr. Jenner. In view of the witness' testimony, may I suggest to the Commission the feasibility of identifying this particular exhibit since the witness referred to it in response to the questions put by Representative Ford.
Mr. Dulles. All right.
Mr. Jenner. Would you identify the date of Commission Exhibit 294, the original?
Mr. Oswald. The date of the letter is November 8, 1959.
Mr. Jenner. Whose handwriting is it?
Mr. Oswald. It is in Lee Harvey Oswald's handwriting.
Mr. Jenner. It is addressed, the second page of the exhibit, is an envelope, which is addressed to R. Oswald, 7313 Davenport Street, Fort Worth, Tex., U.S.A., is that you?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that is correct.
Mr. Jenner. Are you able to identify that which appears in the upper lefthand corner of the original.
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I am not.
Mr. Jenner. Is that in Russian?
Mr. Oswald. I would assume that it would be.
Mr. Jenner. Did you receive the letter, Commission Exhibit 294, in due course?
Mr. Oswald. I did. I received it on the 13th day of November 1959.
Mr. Jenner. Is this the letter to which you made reference in responding to Representative Ford's questions?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that is correct.
Mr. Jenner. Is the letter in the same condition now and is the envelope now in the same condition now that it was when you received it except that the envelope has been opened to remove the contents?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; they are.
Mr. Jenner. Does that include the scratching out that appears at the bottom of the second page?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; it does.
Mr. Jenner. Is that which appears under the attempted obliteration, can you see what was obliterated on the second page, when you examine the original?
Mr. Oswald. I might refer to the first cross out there, it looks like he had signed his name there "Lee." The second cross out, one word or three words or four words out of the five are legible "this written in Russian" the balance of the words that were crossed out, I cannot make out.
Mr. Jenner. Mr. Chairman, I would suggest, if I may, that the witness might read this short letter aloud to the Commission which will, indicate to the Commission the mental state of Lee Harvey Oswald at the time he went to Russia in the very early days, and bring it to your attention immediately.
Mr. Dulles. What is the date of this?
Mr. McKenzie. November 8, 1959, sir.
Mr. Dulles. Proceed, if you will.
Mr. McKenzie. Do you mind if I read it, Mr. Jenner, and saving his voice a little bit?
Mr. Jenner. No.
Mr. McKenzie. This I believe is the second letter that Robert received from Russia after he had sent a telegram to Lee telling him what a mistake he had made, and this is the contents of the letter.
"November 8, 1959. Dear Robert:
"Well, what shall we talk about? The weather perhaps? Certainly you do not wish me to speak of my decision to remain in the Soviet Union and apply for citizenship here since I am afraid you would not be able to comprehend my reasons.
"You really don't know anything about me. Do you know, for instance, that I have waited to do this for well over a year? Do you know that I" then there is a parenthesis and some Russian printing which I presume to be Russian and the parenthesis is closed, "speak a fair amount of Russian which I have been studying for many months? I have been told that I will not have to leave the Soviet Union if I did not care to. This then is my decision. I will not leave this country, the Soviet Union under any conditions. I will never return to the United States which is a country I hate. Some day perhaps soon and then again perhaps in a few years I will become a citizen of the Soviet Union, but it is a very legal process in any event. I will not have to leave the Soviet Union and I will never leave.
"I received your telegram and I was glad to hear from you. Only one word bothered me. The word 'mistake' I assume you mean that I have made a 'mistake.' It is not for you to tell me this. You cannot understand my reasons for this very serious action. I will not speak to anyone from the United States over the telephone since it might be tapped by the Americans. If you wish to correspond with me you can write to the below address, but I really don't see what we could talk about. If you want to send me some money that I can use but I do not expect to be able to pay it back."
Then it is signed "Lee", and then over to the left-hand side on the bottom of the page it says, "Lee Harvey Oswald, Metropole Hotel, Room 233, Moscow, USSR," and then underneath some writing in Russian, which I take to be Russian, which is scratched out.
Mr. Jenner. Thank you.
Mr. McKenzie, you have stated that this was the second letter that had been received by Mr. Robert Oswald following Lee Harvey Oswald's taking up residence in Russia. Is that correct, Mr. Oswald?
Mr. McKenzie. I said it is the second or third letter. I don't know exactly.
Mr. Oswald. I believe, sir, it is the first letter, if I may have a moment here.
Mr. Jenner. I thought it was the first.
Mr. McKenzie. There is one other letter here from Santa Ana, Calif.
Mr. Jenner. That was earlier.
Mr. Oswald. This was the first letter Lee had written to me from Russia.
Mr. Dulles. Could you refresh my memory as to the date of his arrival in Russia?
Mr. Oswald. October 13.
Mr. Dulles. October 13.
Mr. Oswald. 1959.
