(Testimony of Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald Resumed)
Mr. Rankin.
And he was dressed up with a pistol at the same time, was he?
Mrs. Oswald.
Yes.
Mr. Rankin.
You have examined that picture since, and noticed that the telescopic lens was on at the time the picture was taken, have you not?
Mrs. Oswald.
Now I paid attention to it. A specialist would see it immediately, of course. But at that time I did not pay any attention at all. I saw just Lee. These details are of great significance for everybody, but for me at that time it didn't mean anything. At the time' that I was questioned, I had even forgotten that I had taken two photographs. I thought there was only one. I thought that there were two identical pictures, but they turned out to be two different poses.
Mr. Rankin.
Did you have anything to do with the prints of the photograph after the prints were made? That is, did you put them in a photographic album yourself?
Mrs. Oswald.
Lee gave me one photograph and asked me to keep it for June somewhere. Of course June doesn't need photographs like that.
Mr. Rankin.
Do you recall how long after that the Walker matter occurred?
Mrs. Oswald.
Two, perhaps three weeks later. I don't know. You know better when this happened.
Mr. Rankin.
How did you first learn that your husband had shot at General Walker?
Mrs. Oswald.
That evening he went out, I thought that he had gone to his classes or perhaps that he just walked out or went out on his own business. It got to be about 10 or 10:30, he wasn't home yet, and I began to be worried. Perhaps even later.
Then I went into his room. Somehow, I was drawn into it--you know--I was pacing around. Then I saw a note there.
Mr. Rankin.
Did you look for the gun at that time?
Mrs. Oswald.
No, I didn't understand anything. On the note it said, "If I am arrested" and there are certain other questions, such as, for example, the key to the mailbox is in such and such a place, and that he left me some money to last me for some time, and I couldn't understand at all what can he be arrested for. When he came back I asked him what had happened. He was very pale. I don't remember the exact time, but it was very late. And he told me not to ask him any questions. He only told me that he had shot at General Walker.
Of course I didn't sleep all night. I thought that any minute now, the police will come. Of course I wanted to ask him a great deal. But in his state I decided I had best leave him alone it would be purposeless to question him.
Mr. Rankin.
Did he say any more than that about the shooting?
Mrs. Oswald.
Of course in the morning I told him that I was worried, and that we can have a lot of trouble, and I asked him, "Where is the rifle? What did you do with it?"
He said, that he had left it somewhere, that he had buried it, it seems to me, somewhere far from that place, because he said dogs could find it by smell. I don't know---I am not a criminologist.
Mr. Rankin.
Did he tell you why he had shot at General Walker?
Mrs. Oswald.
I told him that he had no right to kill people in peacetime, he had no right to take their life because not everybody has the same ideas as he has. People cannot be all alike. He said that this was a very bad man, that he was a fascist, that he was the leader of a fascist organization, and when I said that even though all of that might be true, just the same he had no right to take his life, he said if someone had killed Hitler in time it would have saved many lives. I told him that this is no method to prove your ideas, by means of a rifle.
Mr. Rankin.
Did you ask him how long he had been planning to do this?
Mrs. Oswald.
Yes. He said he had been planning for two months. Yes--perhaps he had planned to do so even earlier, but according to his conduct I could tell he was planning--he had been planning this for two months or perhaps a little even earlier.
The Chairman.
Would you like to take a little recess?
Mrs. Oswald.
No, thank you. Better to get it over with.
|
