Rumor of Janitor Witness Held in Protective Custody
A rumor that a Black janitor witness who could identify Oswald was held in protective custody by Dallas police was investigated and found to have no factual basis. No such witness was kept in custody, and the story originated from a newspaper account based on hearsay.
Rumor of Marina Oswald’s Secret Service Incarceration
A claim that the Secret Service incarcerated Marina Oswald after the assassination was examined. The Commission found that she was given protection by the Secret Service but retained freedom to communicate, move about, and terminate the protection at any time.
Rumor of Marguerite Oswald Shown Jack Ruby Photo
A rumor that FBI agent Bardwell D. Odum showed Marguerite Oswald a photograph of Jack Ruby the night before Ruby killed her son was investigated. Odum did show her a picture of a man on November 23, 1963, to see if she recognized him, but the Commission examined a copy of the photograph and determined it was not a picture of Jack Ruby.
Rumor of Tippit Witness’s Son Arrest and Fatal Fall
A claim that the son of the Tippit slaying witness was arrested and died after falling from a jail window was investigated. William Edward Markham had no personal knowledge of the shooting. On June 30, 1964, another of Mrs. Helen Markham’s sons, James Alfred Markham, was arrested for burglary; while attempting to escape, he fell from a bathroom window to a concrete driveway, was treated at Parkland Memorial Hospital, and remained in Dallas County Jail awaiting trial with a parole violation warrant outstanding.
Rumor of U.S. Army Funeral Rehearsal Before Assassination
A claim that the U.S. Army headquarters detachment began rehearsing for President Kennedy’s funeral more than a week before the assassination was traced to an interview with Army Captain Richard C. Cloy. Cloy clarified that the rehearsal was conducted because of grave concern for former President Hoover’s health, not in anticipation of Kennedy’s death.
Rumor of Oswald’s 1959 Ship Stopping in Havana
A rumor that the ship carrying Oswald to Europe in 1959 stopped in Havana was examined. The SS Marion Lykes sailed from New Orleans on September 20, 1959, and docked in Le Havre, France, on October 8, with only one previous stop at the French port of La Pallice—not Havana.
Appendix XIII: Lee Harvey Oswald Biography
Appendix XIII presents a comprehensive biography of Lee Harvey Oswald, drawing on witness testimony, family records, and contemporary accounts to trace his life from his mother’s early years through his upbringing, family circumstances, and formative experiences in New Orleans.
Oswald’s Early Years and Family Background
Marguerite Claverie, Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother, was born in 1907 in New Orleans into a family of French and German extraction. After her mother died when Marguerite was young, she and her siblings were raised by their father, a streetcar conductor. Though the family was poor, Marguerite recalled a happy childhood. She completed one year of high school and, shortly before turning 17, began working as a receptionist for a New Orleans law firm.
Marguerite Oswald’s Marriages and Early Children
In August 1929, Marguerite married Edward John Pic, Jr., a stevedoring company clerk. The marriage failed, and by summer 1931 they were separated; Marguerite was pregnant and said Pic refused to support her. Their son John Edward Pic was born on January 17, 1932. Marguerite then began seeing Robert Edward Lee Oswald, a married insurance premium collector. After both obtained divorces in 1933, they married on July 20 in a Lutheran church. Their son Robert, Jr., was born on April 7, 1934. In 1938, the Oswalds purchased a house on Alvar Street across from the William Frantz School. Robert Oswald died suddenly of a heart attack on August 19, 1939, and Lee Harvey Oswald was born on October 18, 1939.
Oswald Children’s Time at Bethlehem Children’s Home
Following Robert Oswald’s death, Marguerite placed her two older sons, John and Robert, in the Evangelical Lutheran Bethlehem Orphan Asylum (Bethlehem Children’s Home) in January 1942, contributing $20 monthly plus clothing. Lee was later admitted on December 26, 1942, after Marguerite could no longer leave him with her sister. The children had generally pleasant memories of the home, which had a Christian atmosphere, allowed considerable freedom, and was visited regularly by their mother.
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