I do not recall, other than general discussion, about the Marine Corps. I recall—and I believe this was on his leave in 1958, when we discussed this—I had asked him did he know any of my drill instructors, and I at the time recalled a senior drilling instructor at Camp Pendleton, by the name of Sgt. Cobie. And he stated he did not. However, he did run across, while he was in boot camp, some other drill instructor, but he could not recall his name, who stated he recalled me, or asked him one day did he have a brother that had been in the Marine Corps a few years before. He said yes, he had. And apparently this man did remember me, because he asked was I the right guide in that platoon. And my brother Lee did not know that I was. I do recall that conversation.
Mr. Jenner. Did you have any other conversation with him or any correspondence from him in which the subject matter of his career in the Marines was discussed, or to which allusion was made?
Mr. Oswald. I certainly received other letters during the course of his enlistment in the United States Marine Corps. I do not recall any specific instance that reflected what his opinion was of the Marine Corps, nor that at any time I remember did he refer to any happenings or incidents while he was in the Marine Corps that perhaps might upset him, or might have made him happy.
Mr. Jenner. Nothing either way?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Completely bland in that respect?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Dulles. Do you recall whether any of those letters are available now? Do you have those letters?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I believe I do not have those. I say I believe I do not. I have looked for just everything that I could possibly find on Lee's life, and letters and so forth, and I have not run across any others.
Mr. Jenner. I was about to ask you that. You have made a thorough search?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; I have.
Mr. Dulles. If you should find them, you will make them available to us, will you not?
Mr. Oswald. Certainly, sir.
Mr. Dulles. Thank you.
Just one more question on that, if I may. I would gather that the correspondence you had during his stay in Russia was more voluminous than while he was in the Marine Corps, from what you tell me.
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; it certainly was. There was certainly a larger flow of letters from him, and from me to him, at this time than there was during his stay in the United States Marine Corps.
Mr. Dulles. Thank you.
Mr. Jenner. So while he was in Russia, he wrote you considerably more often, at least after the first year, I guess it was, or nine months, than he had theretofore?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir. If I might there again refer to the letters from Russia received from Lee Harvey Oswald and placed in evidence before this Commission, when he notified us in 1959 that he was no longer going to write or contact us, and did not want us to contact him in any way, it was until April of 1961 before I heard from him again, which was, of course, a period of time after one year.
Mr. Jenner. Had you written him in the meantime?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I did not.
Mr. Jenner. Did you know where he was in the meantime—that is, any particular town or city in Russia?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I did not.
Mr. Dulles. And you had the impression that he did not want you to write to him at that time?
Mr. McKenzie. Mr. Dulles, he says that in the letters.
Mr. Jenner. Yes—one of these letters I am about to examine him about so states.
That is correct, is it not?
Mr. Oswald. That is correct.
Mr. Jenner. I take it, then, however, that in contrast, commencing with the letter in 1961, April I believe you said it was—from that time forward, there was, by comparison, a considerable number of letters, and a larger volume of correspondence than you had ever had from your brother?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir, there was a continuous flow. Realizing the period that it would take to make a complete cycle of the exchange of one letter to another, of approximately two weeks—the letters were quite regular.
Mr. Jenner. And this had not been the pattern even in prior years.
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; it was not.
Mr. Jenner. When he was in the Marine Corps, or when you were in the Marine Corps?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; it was not.
Mr. Jenner. Confirmatory of that, Mr. Oswald, I note in Commission Exhibit No. 296, is the last paragraph which reads, "I know I haven't written in a long time. Please excuse me. Well, there really isn't too much news here. But I would like to hear from you and the family. Write soon. Your brother, Lee". I take it from that that there had been—this was the first communication you had had from him, as he says, in a long time.
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir, that is correct.
Mr. Jenner. Does your memory serve you sufficiently now to define more clearly the period to which he refers as "a long time"?
Mr. Oswald. I would say in between the leave in 1958, and his letter received, postmarked in June 1959, I would not have received over two or three letters.
Mr. Jenner. His leave in '58 was when, again, please?
Mr. Oswald. I recall this to be in the early fall of the year—perhaps September.
Mr. Jenner. All right. Directing your attention now back to the letter of November 8, 1959, which is Commission Exhibit 294, I will ask you this: Is this the first letter you received from him from Russia?
Mr. Oswald. That is correct.
Mr. Jenner. Is it the first communication of any kind, at least directly from or initially by him, that you had from him?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir, that is correct.
Mr. Jenner. This is, then, the first time you heard from him from the day he departed to go to New Orleans, as he had stated to you, for the purpose of finding employment?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir, that is correct.
Mr. Jenner. You testified yesterday that you responded to this letter—that is, Commission Exhibit 294, dated November 8, 1959. Is that correct?
Mr. Oswald. That is correct.
Mr. Jenner. You were unable to recall particularly well yesterday your letter in response to Commission Exhibit 294. Has the reading of the letter of November 26, 1959, which is Commission Exhibit 295, and your re-reading of the letter of November 8, Commission Exhibit 294, served to refresh your recollection as to the contents of your letter which you wrote in response to Commission Exhibit 294?
Mr. Oswald. To some degree, sir, it most certainly has.
Mr. Jenner. All right. Would you now, having had your recollection
