style="font-size:15px;"> Mrs. Oswald. No, sir, no sir, that ended that.
So I respected my son's wish, since he didn't want to tell me where he was in Dallas, that I would accept that fact.
Now, gentlemen, this may seem hard that I accept these things. But it is not. I am self-supporting. I have a life of my own. And if Lee decides that that is the way he wants it, I am not going to grieve and worry about it. I have to get my sleep in order to work. I have the ability of accepting things, the ability granted me by the grace of God, because of my difficulty in life. I have been a widow. I have had many, many obstacles, and I have had to face them. And my faith gets stronger. I do accept things.
As now, I accept the death of my son. I don't brood over that. I have that ability of doing that.
So I just accepted the fact—when Lee gets ready to let me know where he is, fine—up until that time, it is his privilege to do what he wants.
Now, that is the last contact I have had with Marina and Lee until the news broke in Dallas that Lee was picked up because of the assassination of President Kennedy.
Mr. Rankin. Tell us about this period you were talking about, when he went to Dallas. Was that before or after the time he went to New Orleans?
Mrs. Oswald. That was before the time, sir—he lived—from my apartment, the Rotary Apartments, when Lee got the job he lived on Mercedes Street from the end of July, I would say, or the beginning of September, until October, when he left to go to Dallas.
Mr. Rankin. What year was that?
Mrs. Oswald. That was in 1963.
Mr. Rankin. You mean '62?
Mrs. Oswald. I am sorry—1962. And that was the last I had seen of Marina and Lee.
Mr. Rankin. Did you ever find where they were in Dallas?
Mrs. Oswald. No, sir. I explained before that I made no attempt. I thought when they get ready to let me know, that is fine. Up until then, I had to do my own work and take care of myself. And I do respect other people's privileges. If that is the way they want it, fine.
When they get ready to let me know, I will welcome them. If not, I will go about my own business.
Mr. Rankin. Had you learned they had gone to New Orleans?
Mrs. Oswald. I had not learned of that until after the assassination. I knew nothing, I had no contact with them.
So, then, the next thing we should start then would be the Dallas—the assassination.
Mr. Rankin. Whatever you know.
Mrs. Oswald. Well, I was on a case in a rest home, and I had a 3 to 11 shift. I was dressed, ready to go to work. I was watching—I am a little ahead of my story.
I watched the television in the morning before I was dressed. And Richard Nixon was in Dallas, and he made a television appearance approximately 2 hours before President Kennedy was to arrive in Dallas. And, as a layman, I remember saying, "Well, the audacity of him, to make this statement against President Kennedy just an hour or two before his arrival in Dallas."
And then I had my lunch, and I dressed, with my nurse's uniform on, to go to work, for the 3 to 11 shift. And I have to leave home at 2:30. So I had a little time to watch the Presidential procession.
And while sitting on the sofa, the news came that the President was shot. And there was a witness on television, a man and a little girl on television. However, I could not continue to watch it. I had to report to work.
So I went in the car, and approximately seven blocks away I turned the radio on in the car. I heard that Lee Harvey Oswald was picked up as a suspect.
I immediately turned the car around and came back home, got on the telephone, called Acme Brick in Fort Worth, and asked where Robert was, because he had been traveling, and I must get in touch with Robert immediately, because his brother was picked up as a suspect in the assassination. So they had Robert call me.
Robert didn't know that Lee was picked up.
Mr. Rankin. Was this the day of the assassination?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir, the day of the assassination, they picked Lee up.
Mr. Rankin. And 3 to 11—that is in the afternoon?
Mrs. Oswald. This was 2:30, because I was on my way to work, and I had to be at work at 3 o'clock.
Mr. Rankin. Three in the afternoon is when you had to be at work?
Mrs. Oswald. Yes, sir, and it was 2:30 I heard the news and went back home.
I had Acme Brick call Robert to give him the news, and Robert called me, and he had not heard his brother was picked up.
Now, Robert is in Denton. So I called the Star Telegram, and asked that—if they could possibly have someone escort me to Dallas, because I realized I could not drive to Dallas. And they did. They sent two men to escort me to Dallas.
The name of one is Bob Shieffer, the other name I will have for you gentlemen.
Mr. Rankin. Who are those? Are those reporters?
Mrs. Oswald. Star Telegram reporters, sent by the Star Telegram editor to escort me to Dallas.
Now, upon arriving in Dallas, I did not ask—I did not want to talk to the police. I asked specifically to talk to FBI agents. My wish was granted, I was sent into a room. I have to backtrack my story.
The policemen do not know I am here—"I want to talk to FBI agents."
Mr. Rankin. What time of the day is this?
Mrs. Oswald. This is approximately 3:30. So I am escorted into an office, and two Brown FBI agents, they are brothers, I understand, and there was another man that I do not know the name.
Mr. Rankin. By that you mean their names were Brown?
Mrs. Oswald. Their names were Brown. And I have the correct names, also. But we were in this room, and I told them who I was. And I said, "I want to talk with you gentlemen because I feel like my son is an agent of the government, and for the security of my country, I don't want this to get out."
But, first, I said to them, "I want to talk to FBI agents from Washington."
"Mrs. Oswald, we are from Washington, we work with Washington."
I said, "I understand you work with Washington. But I want officials from Washington," and I believed they would be in town because of protecting the President.
I said, "I do not want local FBI men. What I have to say I want to say to Washington men."
Of course they wanted the news. They said, "Well, we work through Washington."
I said, "I know you do. But I would like Washington men."
So I had no choice.
Mr. Rankin. Did you tell them why you thought he was an agent?
Mrs.
