Journey to Houston
During the evening bus trip to Houston, Oswald telephoned the home of Horace Elroy Twiford, a Socialist Labor Party member. Mrs. Twiford, who answered, believed the call was made locally before 10 p.m., though it may have originated from Beaumont or another stop. Given the bus schedule, it was probably made from Houston later than she remembered. Oswald identified himself as a member of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee and expressed interest in meeting her husband before flying to Mexico. Mrs. Twiford explained that her husband, a merchant seaman, was at sea, and Oswald indicated he could not wait because he was flying to Mexico. The Twifords reported no further contact with Oswald.
Alleged Visit to Austin
A U.S. Selective Service System employee in Austin, Texas, stated that a man identifying himself as “Harvey Oswald” appeared at her office immediately after lunch on September 25 to discuss rectifying his undesirable Marine Corps discharge. However, all information she provided could have been derived from news media by the time she spoke with the FBI, and other Austin residents who should have observed him failed to corroborate her testimony. The Commission determined that the phone call to the Twifords—intended to arrange a Houston meeting that evening—indicates Oswald was in Houston or en route. He could not have traveled from New Orleans to Austin and back to Houston on September 25 unless by air, yet airline records show no such flights, and his limited finances and established frugality made such travel extremely unlikely.
Travel to the Mexican Border
On September 26, Oswald boarded Continental Trailways Bus No. 5133 in Houston, departing at 2:35 a.m. for Laredo via Corpus Christi and Alice. British tourists Dr. and Mrs. John B. McFarland boarded the same bus and noticed Oswald when they awoke around 6 a.m. He told them he was going to Cuba via Mexico City, that he had left New Orleans the previous afternoon, and that he was secretary of the New Orleans Fair Play for Cuba Committee, hoping to see Fidel Castro. The bus was scheduled to arrive in Laredo at approximately 1:20 p.m.
Journey to Mexico City
Oswald crossed the border from Laredo to Nuevo Laredo between 1:30 and 2 p.m. on September 26. He boarded Flecha Roja Bus No. 516 at 2:15 p.m., scheduled to arrive in Mexico City at 9:45 a.m. the following day, holding baggage claim check No. 320435. The McFarlands and two Australian girls who boarded at Monterrey saw him on the bus. He sat next to an elderly Englishman, probably Albert Osborne, an itinerant British preacher, whose denial of sitting beside Oswald the Commission found not credible. During the 20-hour trip, Oswald conversed with the Australian girls, mentioning his visit to Russia, recommending the Hotel Cuba, and apparently falsely claiming prior stays there. He did not speak Spanish, got off at every stop to eat large meals alone, and the bus arrived 15 minutes late at 10 a.m. on September 27.
Arrival in Mexico City
Oswald registered at the Hotel del Comercio within an hour of arrival, staying there throughout his visit. The hotel, located four blocks from the bus station, had perhaps the best appearance of nearby intercity bus-terminal hotels, and its owner understood some English. Oswald registered as “Lee, Harvey Oswald,” gave his occupation as “photo,” and was assigned room 18 at $1.28 per day.
Efforts to Obtain a Cuban Visa
Mexican officials would not permit a U.S. citizen without a Cuban visa to board a plane to Cuba, even with a valid American passport, but would allow passage with a visa even if the passport proscribed Cuban travel. Oswald’s 1963 American passport was stamped invalid for travel to Cuba, and he possessed neither a regular Cuban visa nor an intransit visa. On September 27, Oswald visited the Cuban Embassy and spoke with Senora Silvia Tirado de Duran, a Mexican employee. He applied for a visa to Cuba intransit to Russia, presenting his passport showing his three years in the Soviet Union, his Russian-language work permit, and letters, as well as proof of his marriage to a Russian woman and his role as New Orleans director of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. He claimed Communist Party membership and stated he intended to travel to Cuba on September 30, stay two weeks, and proceed to Russia.
The original text of this work is in the public domain. This page focuses on a guided summary article, reading notes, selected quotes, and visual learning materials for educational purposes.