Oswald. I told you that I had told them that I didn't want them to visit us, because we wanted to live peacefully, and that this was disturbing to us.
Mr. Rankin. Was there anything else?
Mrs. Oswald. There was more, but I don't remember now.
Mr. Rankin. Now, during this period of time——
Mrs. Oswald. Excuse me. He said that he knew that Lee had been engaged in passing out leaflets for the Committee for Cuba, and he asked whether Lee was doing that here.
Mr. Rankin. Did you answer that question?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. What did you say?
Mrs. Oswald. I said that Lee does not engage in such activities here. This was not like an interview. It was simply a conversation. We talked about even some trifles that had no relationship to politics.
Mr. Rankin. Do you know whether or not your husband had any interviews or conversations with the FBI during this period?
Mrs. Oswald. I know of two visits to the home of Ruth Paine, and I saw them each time. But I don't know of any interviews with Lee. Lee had told me that supposedly he had visited their office or their building. But I didn't believe him. I thought that he was a brave rabbit.
Mr. Rankin. Did your husband continue to call you daily from Dallas after he got his job?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes.
Mr. Rankin. Did he tell you what he was doing?
Mrs. Oswald. Usually he would call me during the lunch break, and the second time after he was finished work, and he told me that he was reading, that he was watching television, and sometimes I told him that he should not stay in his room too much, that he should go for a walk in the park.
Mr. Rankin. What did he say in answer to that?
Mrs. Oswald. Or I would tell him to go out and eat, and he said that he would listen to me. I don't know to what extent he fulfilled my requests.
Mr. Rankin. Did your husband come back from Dallas on November 8th?
Mrs. Oswald. I don't remember.
Mr. Rankin. Do you know whether he came back on Saturday of that week?
Mrs. Oswald. I remember that there was one weekend when he didn't come on a Friday, but said that he would come on a Saturday. And he said that that was because he wanted to visit another place—supposedly there was another job open, more interesting work.
Mr. Rankin. Did he say where this other job was that he thought was more interesting?
Mrs. Oswald. He said that this was also based upon an ad in a newspaper, and that it was connected—that it was related to photography. And he went there in the morning and then—on a Saturday—and then came to us, still during the morning.
Mr. Rankin. He came home, then, on Saturday, some time before noon of that day?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, before noon.
It seems to me that there was a holiday on that day, on the 8th—elections—were there elections on that day?
Mr. Rankin. Are you thinking of November 11th, Veterans Day?
Mrs. Oswald. I remember that day exactly. We didn't go anywhere on that Saturday.
Mr. Rankin. Did you and your husband buy groceries in Irving some place?
Mrs. Oswald. Not always. Sometimes we would go together with Ruth and buy a few things.
Mr. Rankin. Do you remember the Hutch's Supermarket, owned by Mr. Hutchison?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. Did you ever shop there with your husband?
Mrs. Oswald. We never went just Lee and I.
Mr. Rankin. Did the three of you—Mrs. Paine and you and your husband go together to shop?
Mrs. Oswald. And her children.
Mr. Rankin. Did your husband try to cash checks at the Hutch's market?
Mrs. Oswald. He may have tried to cash checks sometimes when he received unemployment compensation.
Mr. Rankin. Do you recall that he tried to cash a check of $189 at this market?
Mrs. Oswald. He didn't have such a check.
Mr. Rankin. As far as you know, he didn't try to cash a check of that size at this market?
Mrs. Oswald. I don't remember this market. I do remember one time when Lee wanted to cash a check, but it was $33.
Mr. Rankin. Is that the only time that you recall he tried to cash a check?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes.
Are you speaking of a store in Dallas or in Irving?
Mr. Rankin. It is in Irving.
Mrs. Oswald. Then I understand it. Because in Dallas I could not have been with him.
The Chairman. The hour of adjournment has arrived. So we will adjourn now until tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock.
(Whereupon, at 4:30 p.m., the President's Commission adjourned.)
Wednesday, February 5, 1964
TESTIMONY OF MRS. LEE HARVEY OSWALD RESUMED
The President's Commission met at 10 a.m., on February 5, 1964, at 200 Maryland Avenue NE., Washington, D.C.
Present were Chief Justice Earl Warren, Chairman; Senator Richard B. Russell, Senator John Sherman Cooper, Representative Hale Boggs, Representative Gerald R. Ford, Allen W. Dulles, members.
Also present were J. Lee Rankin, general counsel; Norman Redlich, assistant counsel; Leon I. Gopadze and William D. Krimer, interpreters; John M. Thorne, attorney for Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald; and Ruben Efron.
The Chairman. The Commission will be in order. We will continue with the examination. Mr. Rankin, you may proceed.
Mr. Rankin. Mrs. Oswald, have you become familiar with the English language to some extent?
Mrs. Oswald. I have never studied it, but simple language I do understand.
Mr. Rankin. We had reports that you made some study at the Southern Methodist University. Is there anything to that?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr. Rankin. How about Mr. Gregory? Did you study English with him?
Mrs. Oswald. No.
Mr.
