Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Oswald’s Arrival and Welcome in Minsk

Oswald arrived in Minsk on January 7 and was met at the station by two “Red Cross” workers who took him to the Hotel Minsk, where two English-speaking Intourist employees were waiting. One of them, a young woman named Roza Kuznetsova, became a close friend and attended Oswald’s 21st birthday party in October 1960 (Commission Exhibit No. 2609, p. 271). On the following day, Oswald met the “Mayor,” who welcomed him to Minsk, promised him a rent-free apartment, and warned him against “uncultured persons” who sometimes insulted foreigners.

Oswald’s Employment at Belorussian Radio and Television Factory

On January 13, Oswald reported for work at the Belorussian Radio and Television Factory, a major producer of electronic parts and systems employing about 5,000 persons. Two days earlier he had visited the factory and met Alexander Ziger, a Polish Jew who had emigrated to Argentina in 1938 and then to Russia in 1955; Ziger, a department head, spoke English and he and his family became good friends of Oswald, corresponding with him after his return to the United States. Oswald’s union card described him as a “metal worker,” and Marina testified that he fashioned parts on a lathe. In Oswald’s later account, the “experimental shop” in which he worked employed 58 workers and 5 foremen, was housed in a two-story red-brick building in the middle of the factory area, began the workday at 8 o’clock sharp, and assigned work by numbered “pay levels” from one to five with a top “master” level, with workers permitted to request testing for promotion at any time.

Oswald’s Income and Apartment in Minsk

Oswald had hoped to continue his education in Russia and was disappointed at being assigned to a factory. His salary ranged from 700 to perhaps 900 rubles per month ($70–$90), a figure normal for his type of work, though high compared to certain professional groups in Russia. It was supplemented by 700 rubles per month from the “Red Cross,” giving Oswald a total income he said was about equal to that of the factory director. In August he applied for union membership and became a dues-paying member in September. More notably, in March 1959 he was given an attractive small flat with a balcony overlooking the river, for which he paid only 60 rubles a month; in his diary he called it “a Russian dream.” Had he been a Russian worker, he would likely have waited several years for a comparable apartment and would have received one only if he had a family. The “Red Cross” subsidy and the apartment exemplified the favorable treatment the Soviet Union typically extended to defectors.

Oswald’s Social Life and Friendships in Minsk

Oswald’s diary records that he enjoyed his first months in Minsk: his work at the factory was easy, his coworkers were friendly and curious about life in the United States, and he declined an invitation to speak at a mass meeting. He took Roza Kuznetsova, his interpreter and language teacher, to the theater, a movie, or an opera almost every night, until he moved into his apartment and temporarily lost contact with her, writing in his diary, “I’m living big and am very satisfied.” In March or April he met Pavel Golovachev, a coworker at the factory whom he described as intelligent, friendly, and an excellent radio technician (Commission Exhibit No. 2609, p. 271). Oswald helped Golovachev with English, and they became friends who corresponded after Oswald’s return to the United States until at least September 1963. The spring and summer passed easily and uneventfully with picnics and drives in the country, which Oswald described as “green beauty.” On June 18 he obtained a hunting license and soon purchased a 16-gage single-barrel shotgun; his license identified him as “Aleksy Harvey Oswald,” and he was called “Alec” by his Russian friends. He joined a local chapter of the Belorussian Society of Hunters and Fishermen, sponsored by his factory, and hunted small game in the farm regions around Minsk about half a dozen times during the summer and fall, spending nights in small villages and often leaving game with the villagers; Oswald described the peasant life he observed as crude and poor.