Evening star. [volume], November 24, 1963, Page A-5, Image 5

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Russia Once Spurned Alleged Slayer of President
By BERNARD GWERTZMAN
Bur Staff Writer
Lee Harvey Oswald, the ac
cused slayer of President Ken- •
nedy, is a moody young man
who turned to Cuba for love
after Russia spumed him.
A man who served with Os
wald in the Marines has de
scribed him as a “lonely, in
troverted, aloof boy.’* His
section chief, however, remem
bers him as a “hothead” who
was “always having beefs with
the guys in the barracks.”
His landlady In Dallas told
police, "I told myself that he
was a peculiar man. I took it
for granted that he didn’t care
for people. But he never both
ered anyone*
Oswald, himself, once said
his infatuation with Marxism
was a result of the hardships
suffered by his mother. She
told police yesterday her son
“is really a good boy.”
“My mother has been a
worker all her life* he told
an American reporter in Mos
cow in 1959 when he was seek
ing Soviet citizenship. “She's
a good example of what hap
pens to workers in the United
States.”
Although he was not bom
until 1939. he apparently liked
to talk about the problems his
mother had during the hard
days of the depression in the
etu-ly 19305.
Bitter Abont Mother
Allen D. Graf of Buffalo,
who served with him in the
Marines, said Oswald "was
bitter about the tough time his
mother had during the depres
sion.”
Oswald explained that he en
listed in the Marines in 1956
when he was 17 because “we
were poor and I didn't want
to be a burden on my mother.”
His father, an insurance
salesman, died before Oswald
was bom. Reared in New
Orleans (his birthplace) and
Port Worth, he spent two years
in New York during his teens.
Oswald spent only 23 days
in high school and yet claims
to have read “Das Kapital” by
Karl Marx, a weighty tome
from which many scholars have
shied away.
He claims that he came across
Marx when he was 15, "after
watching the way workers are
treated in New York and
Negroes in the South.”
He decided after reading
“Das Kapital” that, as an
American, he would wind up
"either a worker exploited for
capitalist profit, or an exploiter
or, since there are many in this
category. I’d be one of the un
employed.”
Scored as Sharpshooter
As a Marine. Oswald had an
undistinguished career. He
never rose above private first
class, and was called before
two courts-martial, once for
unauthorized possession of a
weapon, and once for "using
provoking words to a non-com
missioned officer.”
As a marksman, he was some
what above average, qualifying
as a “sharpshooter,” with a
score of 212 out of 250 with a
standard M-l rifle. “Sharp
shooter” is the second highest
of the three qualifying categor
ies.
He was taught to be an avia
tion electronics operator and
served overseas in Japan.
Later, Oswald said that in
Japan, he “had a chance to
watch American militarist im
perialism in. action.”
He received a hardship sep
aration from the Marines in
September, 1959, one month
before his three-year hitch ex
pired. But instead of going
home to his mother, Oswald
took his saved-up Marine
money and headed for Russia
to become a Soviet citizen.
Like other defectors before
him, Oswald looked to Russia
to solve all his problems. He
went to the American Embassy
and told officials: "I am a
Marxist.”
State Department records
show that on November 2,
1959, Oswald turned in his
passport and said in an af
fidavit: “I affirm that my al
legiance is to the Soviet So
cialistic Republic.”
Married in Russia
But Soviet officials were not
eager to grant Oswald citizen
ship. They put him off, offer
ing, however, to allow him to
live in Russia as a resident
alien.
He was permitted to live In
the city of Minsk in the Byelo
russian Republic—a far cry
from Moscow. There, he met
and married on April 80, 1961,
Mariana Nikolaevna Prusa
kova, a pharmacist. They have
two daughters.
About this time, apparently
he became angry with Soviet
authorities for not allowing
him citienship, and asked for
an exit visa. He also sought
VtJtMLUtMa y-xy
Jb-fr* 2*4* ,
? u * < 41 jfU 4fe*4«p , AX,
•Q * . ifciuAn" *>/
This is a portion of the Oswald letter released by Senator Tower.
, x AP wtrephcto
~ mm
I
jJ' /* M B M
! z. W |jj|L f \\ j
Lee Harvey Oswald holds up his manacled hands as he is led through
the Dallas police station.—AP Wirephoto.
the return of his American
passport.
In early 1962, he wrote a
letter to Senator Tower, Re
publican of Texas, asking his
help. Senator Tower released
the letter on Friday night. The
text; with Oswald's spelling
and punctuation, follows:
"My name is Lee Harvey
! Oswald, 22, of Fort Worth.
: up till October 1959 when I
i came to the Soviet Union
for a residenual stay. I
took a residenual document
, for a non-Soviet person 11 v
■ ing for a time in the USSR.
■ The American embassy in
i Moscow is familiar with my
. case.
"Since July 20. 1960, I
have unsuccessfully applied
for a Soviet exit visa to
leave this country, the So
viets refuse to permit me
• and my Soviet wife, (who
: applied at the US Embassy
Moscow, July 8, 1960 for
immigration status to the
1 UJB.A.) to leave the Soviet
; Union. I am a citizen of
the United States of Amer
ica (passport No. 1733242,
’ 1959) and I bessech you,
' Senator Tower, to rise the
1 question of holding by the
1 Soviet Union of a citizen
; of the U.S. against his will
' and expressed desires."
Wrote to Connally
i About the same time, he
wrote a letter to John Con
| nally, the Texas Governor
whom he wounded on Friday.
The letter was addressed to
Mr. Connally as Secretary of
the Navy, a job he had by that
time turned over to Fred A.
1 Korth.
1 The Pentagon yesterday re
; leased the text of that note
; which protested his “undesire
-1 able discharge” from the Ma
! rine Reserves on September
1 30. 1960. The discharge fol
lowed stories from Moscow
> about his decision to renounce
1 his American citizenship.
• In his letter, Oswald tried
’ to disassociate himself from
k his earlier professed allegiance
to Russia. The text of the
i letter, with his own spelling
and punctuation:
| “I wish to call your atten
. tion to a case about which
. you may have personal
knowledge since you are a
resident of Ft. Worth as I
am.
“In November, 1959, an
event was well publicated in
; the Ft. Worth newspapers
■ concerning a person who had
■ gone to the Soviet Union to
> reside for a short time,
t (much in the same way E.
Hemingway resided in Paris.)
> "This person in answers to
• questions put to him by re
t porters in Moscow criticized
t certain facets of American
, life. The story was blown up
• into another ‘turncoat’ sen
i sation, with the result that
the Navy Department gave
r this person a belated dis
t honourable discharge, al
! though he had received an
r honourable discharge after
t three years service on Sept.
11, 1959 at El Toro. Marine
Corps base in California.
"These are the basic facts
of my (underlined) case.
, "I have and allways had
the full sanction of the U. S.
Embassy, Moscow USSR, and
! hence the U. S. government.
; In as much as lam return
ing to the U. S. A. in this
year with the aid of the U. S.
Embassy bring with me my
family (since I married in
the U. S. S. R.) I shall em
ploy all means to right this
gross mistake or injustice to
a boni-fied U. S. citizen and
ex-serviceman ("ex” is un
derlined twice). The U. S.
government has no charges
or complints against me. I
ask you to look into this case
and take the nercessary steps
to repair the damage done to
me and my family. For in
formation, I would direct you
to consult the American Em
bassy, Chikovskl St. 19/21,
Moscow, USSR.”
In February, 1962. after a
review of his case, the State
Department decided that since
he never received Soviet citi
zenship, Oswald could be given
another American passport. He
also was given a loan of $435
to help pay his expenses com
ing home. It is not known if
he ever repaid the loan.
Oswald’s name reappeared in
news last August when he be
came involved in the politics
of Cuban refugees.
He was the secretary of the
> New Orleans chapter of a Fair
' Play for Cuba group, and on
‘ August 9 he was arrested to
r gether with anti-Castro Cubans
• after a street fracas. He plead
’ ed guilty to disorderly conduct
on August 13 and was fined $lO.
1 This publicity led to his ap
pearance on a New Orleans
radio station as part of a panel
| discussion on Cuba. His com
ments often seemed to ramble,
and they were largely made up
’ of Marxian cliches about Cuban
; society.
( Described as Quiet
k
At one point, he was asked
1 if he agreed with Fidel Castro
i that President Kennedy was
» “a ruffian and a thief.”
. His reply was that “I would
> not agree with that particular
wording. However I and the
Fair Play for Cuba committee
does think that the United
States Government through
certain agencies, mainly the
State Department and the CIA,
have made monumental mis
takes in its relations with Cu
ba.”
On September 26, President
Kennedy’s plans for a visit to
Dallas were announced. A few.
days later, Oswald got a job at
the Texas School Book De
pository as a temporary ware
house worker. The man whif
hired him, R. 8. Truly, said
yesterday:
“He was a pretty quiet in
dividual, His work was fine
and I had no reason to believe
—no idea the man had ever
been in Russia. He was very
quiet with nice manners and
a nice appearance.”
On October 14, with just a
satchel and a few clothes on
coat hangers in his possession.
Oswald rented an $8 a week
room—a barren 5 by 12 foot
room. He usually retired by
10 pm. He kept his room clean,
according to his landlady, and
never spent the week ends
there.
During the Friday noon hour,
the housekeeper was watching
a television report of President
Kennedy’s shooting when she
said of Oswald:
“He came in running like the
dickens, and I said to him.
‘you sure are in a hurry,’ but
he didn’t say anything—just
ran to his room and got a short
tan coat and ran back out.”
Connolly Son, 17,
Will Represent
Him at Funeral
DALLAS. Nov. 23 (AP).
t Gov. John B. Conn ally, wounded
, when President Kennedy was
> assassinated, will send his 17-
' year-okl son to Mr. Kennedy's
i funeral as his personal repre
> sentatlve, the Governor’s staff
i said today.
The boy is John B. Connally
t HI.
The Governor’s aides at
i Parkland Hospital also said Lt.
' Gov. Preston Smith, Texas At
-1 tomey General Waggoner Carr
and Texas House Speaker Byr
! on Tunnell will be the official
' representatives of Texas.
1 Gov. Connally, meanwhile,
showed much improvement last
1 night.
A late medical bulletin re
’ ported Gov. Connally’s color,
' pulse and blood pressure good.
The bullet splintered a rib,
[ causing considerable damage to
I the surrounding area. He may
be in the hospital from 10 to
; 14 days.
Parkland Hospital assigned
some of its area to Mr. Con
nally for use as the Governor’s
office. Communications experts
installed special equipment.
| '/ GRAB THIS GUY 1
*
I Officers' Own Story
; Os Oswald Capture
By m. n. McDonald
Dallas Patrolman
t (Written for the Associated Press)
> DALLAS, Tex.. Nov. 23 (AP).
(I—Yesterday I grabbed this guy
t they say shot the President.
Today, I get two kids stealing
' | hub caps.
1 That makes me an ordinary
l cop, I guess.
Right after the police radio
• began carrying news of Presi-
I
i Dollas Police Potrolmon M. N. Mc-
Donald went into an Oak Cliff the
t ater Friday and wrestled with Lee
[ Harvey Oswald, the man charged
with assassinating President Ken
i nedy. This is how he remembers it.
1 dent Kennedy’s being shot, the
’ alerts in different parts of the
city began jamming the radio.
I was cruising toward Oak
Cliff, across the river (Trinity
that splits Dallas almost in
half).
I got my call about 1:30 pin.
Tip From Theater
The radio dispatcher, G. D.
Henslee, first told me to check
the alleys. The next tip was
that & guy that fitted the de
scription they were giving was
in a branch library out in Oak
Cliff. This didn’t take long to
be a phony.
The next one said a man
acting funny was holed up in
the balcony of the Texas
Theater. I headed that way in
a hurry.
The cashier at the picture
show was the one who called
in to say this guy was. acting
suspicious and hidden out in
I the balcony.
Sc
- i ■ « fMm * 3L * -
President Kennedy slumps against his wife as
the bullet from an assassin’s rifle strikes him
in the head. Gov. Connally, who was wounded
in the attack begins to turn around just to the
DALLAS
Captured Suspect Clings to Denial
That He Fired Shots Fatal to Kennedy
Continned From Page A-l
able discharge from the Marine
Reserve. The request was de
| nied.
Chief Curry was asked If
police are considering the pos
sibility that the sniper who
killed President Kennedy may
have been aiming at Texas
Gov. Connally. He said he did
not think so because the Presi
dent was hit twice while the
Texas Governor suffered only
one wound.
Added to the case against
1 the self-proclaimed Communist
5 sympathizer and admirer of
- Fidel Castro was an FBI dis
s closure that it had made paras
- fin tests of Oswald’s skin and
f found definite traces of nitrate
(an ingredient of gunpowder)
r on both his hands. No traces of
gunpowder were found on Os
. wald’s face, the tests disclosed.
The paraffin test disclosure,
j it was pointed out, does not
! specify what type of gun was
fired; only that the body was
[ in contact with a discharged
firearm. Oswald is also accused
of slaying a policeman with a
; pistol soon after the assassina
' tion.
Investigators now are await
-1 ing the results of ballistics and
• fingerprint tests being per
■ formed at the FBI Crime Lab
■ oratory in Washington.
» FBI Director J. Edgar Hoov
' er’s scientists are examining a
) “weak” latent fingerprint found
on the rifle used by the sniper
1 to slay President Kennedy yes
• terday.
s Other technicians are con
s ducting ballistics testa»with the
rifle and the slugs that struck
I went in from the rear and
came out through the curtains
on the side of the screen.
I noticed about 10 to 15 peo
ple sitting in the theatre, and
they were spread out good. A
man sitting near the front, and
I still don’t know who it was.
tipped me the man I wanted
was sitting on the third row
i from the rear on the ground
floor and not in the balcony.
I went up the aisle and talked
to wto people sitting about in
- the middle. I was crouching
1 low and holding my gun in
1 case any trouble came. I want
ed to be ready for it.
I walked up the aisle and
; turned in Oswald’s row.. We
; were no more than a foot from
1 each other when he suddenly
; stood up and raised both hands.
; “It’s all over now,” he told
r me
1 Then he hit me a pretty good
one in the face with his fist.
I saw him going for his gun
and I grabbed him around the
waist. We struggled and fell
around the seats for a few sec
onds, and I got my hand on the
' butt of his pistol. But he had
his hand on the trigger. I was
pulliing the gun toward me,
and I heard the hammer click.
The primed (which detonates
the bullet) was dented, and it
didn’t fire. This might have
saved me. I got the pistol out
of his hand and another officer.
Bob Carroll, reached me and
took the pistol from me. I held
Oswald.
As we took him out of the
show he calmed down.
I’m sure glad that shell didn’t
fire.
down the President and serf
. ously wounded Gov. Connally.
The two bullets that mortal
ly wounded the President in
the head and neck are con
’ sldered to be in relatively good
. condition for ballistics testing
, techniques. One of the bullets,
r as was learned, was found on
the stretcher that bore Presl
* dent Kennedy from his car
1 into the Dallas Hospital where
* he died. It apparently had
5 fallen clear after penetrating
f the President’s body.
Dallas police said they ex
t pect to receive reports on the
t laboratory tests late today or
f tomorrow but already are on
- record as saying they consider
- the evidence against Oswald
i to be “ample.”
s The rifle and three expended
> cartridge shells were found on
f the sixth floor of the Texas
- School Book Depository build
ing overlooking the roadway
, | where Mr. Kennedy was shot,
t j Oswald was employed as a
8 wrapper in the book company,
s In other developments dls
-1 closed today:
11. It was learned police have
1 located a man who drove
■; Oswald to work yesterday
morning and said the suspect
■ was carrying a long package
1 that could have concealed an
■ object the size of the rifle.
■ 2. Police Chief Jesse E.
Curry revealed that detectives
■ are questioning another man
J in connection with the assas
-1 sination of Mr. Kennedy
r •
Quiz Fellow Worker
The second man being ques
‘ tioned in the case is described
; by police as a fellow worker
1 of Oswald at the book com
pany, of Latin origin.
Chief Curry said the only
reason for interrogating the
second man was that his name
has turned up among a list
of those in the Dallas area who
have attended left-wing or
ganization meetings.
Earlier Chief Curry declared,
and then retracted the state
ment that the FBI had ques
tioned Oswald in recent weeks
, and had not notified the Dal
. las police that he was in the
’ area. The FBI promptly de-1
nied this statement, and said
j its agents had interviewed Os
* wald only once more thtin a
■ year ago when he got into
some trouble in New Orleans.
i “I didn’t mean to accuse
/ the FBI of not co-operating,”
1 the chief said. "Somebody told
. me last night they had talked
l to him, but I dont know who it
i was. I don’t Know if they
; knew he was in Dallas or not.”
l FBI sources indicated Os
■ wald came to Dallas from Fort
Worth about two months ago
l J but said the suspect s presence
s here was not known to them.
I Rejects Lie Detector Test
Meanwhile, District Attorney
[ Henry Wade told reporters this
afternoon Oswald had been
. asked if he wished to submit
, to a lie detector test but that
i he had declined. He said Os
i wald continues to deny any
l knowledge of the shooting of
President Kennedy or Police
i man J. D. Tippitt.
[ Mr. Wade said the State has
: at least 15 witnesses in connec
tion with the two murder
charges against Oswald includ
: ing some persons who saw him
fatally wound the 39-year-old
policeman in the forehead two
, miles away and 50 minutes
after President Kennedy was
slain.
Mr. Wade said “We have suf
ficient evidence to prove he
killed the President.”
He said he expects to present
the evidence against Oswald to
a 12-member Dallas County
THE SUNDAY STA*
Witkiito*. D. C, Novwbw 24, 19ii
left of Mrs. Kennedy. This picture of Friday’*
assassination was made by Mrs. Mary Ann
Moorman, wife of a Dallas plumber.—AP Wire
photo.
-grand jury next Wednesday on
on Monday, December 2.
If the grand Jury returns in-;
dictments against Oswald, the
Prosecutor said he expects to
be able to go to trial no later
than January. Oswald will be
tried for the murder of Mr.
Kennedy first, District At
torney Wade declared.
He said Oswald, who now is
being held without bond for
1 the grand jury, is entitled to
; appear himself or present wit
nesses of his own to the secret
. panel. However, he said the
> suspect is not required to do
r this.
i If indicted, Oswald is en
r titled to a habeas corpus hear-
I ing to determine if he can be
held without bond, but Mr.
I Wade pointed out that Texas
[ law provides that no bond be
, set in cases involving capital
. crimes.
, Mr. Wade said he will de
, mand that Oswald be found .
, guilty and demand his death
. in the electric chair for the
crimes of which he is accused.
Oswald was not represented
by counsel on either occasion,
i last night when he was given
' | preliminary hearings on the
; two State murder charges
> against him.
1 Charged as Kennedy’s Killer
Both times, five hours apart,;
| Justice of the Peace David
, Johnston apprised Oswald of
, his rights, read the charges !
| and then ordered him held j
! without bond.
! The complaint, filed by
Capt. Will Fritz of the Homi-
I cide Squad at 12:26 am. (EST)
■ today, read:
“Lee Harvey Oswald, here
| after styled defendant, here
■ tofore on or about the twenty
i second day of November A.D.,
: 1963, in the County of Dallas,
State of Texas, did then and
i there voluntarily and with
malice beforethought unlaw
fully kill John F. Kennedy by
shooting him with a gun.”
Mr. Wade said he had talked
with Oswald’s relatives and
understood from them that
'counsel was being sought for
the youth. It Oswald does not
I obtain counsel of his own
choosing, the prosecutor said,
Texas jurisprudence provides
that a court-appointed lawyer
enter the case.
He reiterated that he con
siders Oswald to be “perfectly
sane.” But he said the suspect
will soon be given a psychiatric
examination to establish his
' mental condition. He said Os
wald may even have himself
examined by a psychiatrist of
his own selection if he wishes.
Chief Curry told reporters
today detectives lyid found a
quantity of Communist books
and pamphlets in the room
Oswald occupied in the Oak
Cliff section near the movie
theater in which he was cap
tured. He said Oswald appar
ently had left the book build
ing immediately after the
shooting and had gone home
to change his clothes.
Chief Curry said he did not
know why Oswald wanted to
change his attire nor have po
lice established just how the
suspect traveled the two miles
from the assassination scene in
downtown Dallas across the
Trinity River to his home. He 1
said it is possible someone in
advertantly gave Oswald a lift
away from the scene or that
Oswald may simply have taken
a bus.
Police first became aware of
Oswald when they learned he '
had been seen leaving the
building immediately after the
President was shot from one of 1
its upper windows. People in i
A-5
i the building. Chief Curry said,
i thought nothing of it at the
time because, to them, Oswald
, belonged there. Later, however, -
police decided to investigate
him because of his quick de
parture, and a radio lookout
was broadcast.
He theorized that Pvt. Tip
pitt, 39-year-old father of
three, may have recognized
Oswald on the street from the
description and tried to ques
tion him.
Witnesses said Oswald fled
: one block on foot after shoot
ing the policeman in the fore
head and was trapped in the
Texas Theater where he had
| taken refuge.
Meanwhile. Oswald’s family
, rallied to his support. His
, blond, 22-year-old Russian
bom wife. Marina, carrying
their infant daughter in her
arms, gave every indication she
is standing by her husband
when she was brought to the
FBI field office here for ques
| tioning.
Russian Wife Questioned
Although there is reason to
suspect she speaks English bet
ter than she admits, FBI
agents had to bring in an in
-1 terpreter to question the young
mother. Even so, her answers
were noncommital and defen
sive, it was reported.
Mrs. Oswald would not even
tell questioners why she and
her husband had been living
apart for the past several
weeks—the suspect in a fur
nished room in Southwest Dal
las and his wife and child in a
home in the nearby town of
Irving.
The suspect’s mother, Mr*.
Marguerita Oswald, a practical
nurse who lives in Fort Worth,
and his brother, Robert Lee
Oswald, indicated to District
Attorney Henry Wade that they
were seeking a lawyer for Lee
I Harvey Oswald.
H. Louis Nichols, president *
of the Dallas Bar Association, *
who met with Oswald this af*- *
ternoon, said Oswald told him •
he would like to be represented ~
by John Abt of New York City .
A well-known New York lawyer *
named John Abt has defended -
many Communists on various
charges.
If he could not get Abt, Mr. I
Nichols said, Oswald would like *
a lawyer from the American
Civil Liberties Union, of which
he is a member.
Mr. Nichols said he went to -
see Oswald because he had *
heard that Oswald had been *
unable to get legal counsel. ;
ILA to Observe
Day of Mourning -
The International Long- !
shoremen’s Association has
asked its members not to re
port for work tomorrow in ob
servance of the national day of
mourning for the late President
Kennedy.
ILA President Thomas W.
Gleason, inastatementre.
leased here, also expressed the »
AFL-CIO union’s grief over
I “the tragic assassination of our l
j great President.”
His union covers ports on the -
Great Lakes and Atlantic and "
Gulf coasts from Portland,
Maine, to Brownsville, Tex.
On the West Coast, president
Harry Bridges of the Interna- ’*
tional Longshoremen’s and
Warehousemen's union an
nounced in San Francisco that
his union also will not work to
morrow.