Rankin. This might be, yes.
Mr. Martin. Oh, I don't know about specific incidents. She would remark about she knew—I am trying to think of a specific—one was, let's see, she left Leningrad and went to Minsk because of an association with a married man there.
Representative Ford. In Leningrad?
Mr. Martin. It was either she left Leningrad to go to Minsk or vice versa.
Representative Ford. But she left one or the other to go to the other because of an association with a married man?
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. Where was the association, in Leningrad or in Minsk?
Mr. Martin. Well, it was in the city that she left.
Mr. Rankin. She was getting away from that association, was she?
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. By going to the other city?
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. Do you recall any other conversation when she told you something that you don't believe?
Mr. Martin. Oh, she remarked about people that she knew in Russia that had, we will say, lovers——
Mr. Dulles. Did she tell anything about a letter that she wrote to a boy friend in Minsk?
Mr. Martin. After she was here in New Orleans?
Mr. Dulles. Yes.
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Dulles. What did she say about that?
Mr. Martin. Let's see, she said she wrote the letter, and I believe what it was she told the boy that she wasn't—she wanted to come back to Russia, to him, she loved him, and the letter was returned, I believe, for lack of postage, and Oswald got hold of the letter, and he asked her about it, and I think he asked her either to read it or he would read it. I believe she read it to him. This caused quite a bit of difficulty. Now, that is when she was in New Orleans.
Mr. Rankin. When she was telling you about these people that had lovers in Russia, you didn't believe these stories? Is that what you are saying?
Mr. Martin. Well, of course, I know nothing about Russian life.
Mr. Rankin. Yes.
Mr. Martin. So I more or less took it with a grain of salt. I didn't put any credibility to it or any doubt to it. It was just something that was said and I didn't either accept it or reject it.
Mr. Rankin. How did she happen to tell you about going to Minsk to get away from a married man in Leningrad?
Tell us how that came up.
Mr. Martin. I think she was just talking about boy friends, I guess.
Mr. Rankin. Did she tell you she had quite a few boy friends?
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. Was that in Russia that she had the boy friends?
Mr. Martin. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. How many did she tell you about?
Mr. Martin. Oh, boy. Well, she didn't mention any names as such, and I don't know whether different stories got confused to being two different people or—I would say 10 or 12.
Mr. Rankin. Did she include Lee Oswald among those?
Mr. Martin. Well, you mean as a boy friend?
Mr. Rankin. Yes.
Mr. Martin. No.
Mr. Rankin. Did she tell you anything about her relations with these boy friends?
Mr. Martin. No.
Mr. Rankin. You say you didn't believe these stories?
Mr. Martin. Well, I didn't have any reason to disbelieve or to believe them. They were just conversation.
Mr. Rankin. Now, on the Nixon matter, when that came to your attention, did you tell anyone else about it?
Mr. Martin. I discussed it with my wife, and with John Thorne.
Mr. Dulles. Excuse me just a moment.
Mr. Martin, this is Congressman Boggs, a member of the Commission, and this is Mr. Leech, counsel for Mr. Martin.
Mr. Leech. I know Mr. Boggs, I met him in New Orleans years ago.
Mr. Rankin. Will you tell us about the conversation when you related this to someone else?
Mr. Martin. It was on the telephone, and I was quite shocked at first about it and then thinking it over, it didn't sound logical.
Mr. Rankin. You believed it at first?
Mr. Martin. Yes. I guess I didn't see any reason for it not to be true. But then I didn't see any reason for it to be a lie, either, and I supposed it was possible.
Mr. Rankin. When did you tell Mr. Thorne about it with reference to when Marina told you?
Mr. Martin. The same day. I don't recall the date at all.
Mr. Rankin. What did you say to Mr. Thorne about it?
Mr. Martin. I just related the incident, what she had told me.
Mr. Rankin. Did you say anything to him about telling the Commission about it?
Mr. Martin. No.
Mr. Rankin. Did he say anything about telling the Commission about it?
Mr. Martin. No, I don't believe so.
Mr. Rankin. Was there anything else said in this telephone conversation with Mr. Thorne except relating what Marina had said?
Mr. Martin. I remarked what a big bombshell that would be as far as publicity was concerned if the newspapers ever got hold of something like that.
Mr. Rankin. That it would be helpful in regard to Marina's story, did you say that?
Mr. Martin. No, I did think it would be harmful.
Mr. Rankin. Did you say that to him?
Mr. Martin. I believe so.
Mr. Dulles. Why would it be harmful?
Mr. Martin. Well, this purportedly took place after the Walker incident, and she had made a statement that if Oswald repeated anything of a similar nature as the Walker incident she would turn him over to the police, and this was a repeat or similar, he actually didn't shoot at him but threatened to, and she did not report it to the police.
Mr. Dulles. I see.
The
