Correspondence with US Officials and Family
Throughout this period, Oswald continued corresponding with his mother, brother, and the U.S. Embassy. In a November 1 letter to the Embassy, he stated that if his residence permit were renewed in January, it would be over his protest; the Embassy replied on November 13 that retention of his Soviet passport (issued to persons considered stateless) would not prejudice his citizenship claim. Late in December, Oswald wrote to Senator John G. Tower of Texas, stating he was an American citizen being held against his will and asking the Senator to raise the matter. The letter was referred to the State Department with no further action taken.
Financial Assistance and Affidavit Requests
On January 2, 1962, Oswald wrote to his mother asking her to contact the Red Cross and request aid from the International Rescue Committee or a similar group, stating he would need about $800 and instructing her to insist on a gift rather than a loan. Despite his instructions, she requested a loan. On January 13, Oswald wrote directly to the International Rescue Committee requesting $800 for two tickets from Moscow to Texas, and on January 26 he wrote again, this time asking for $1,000. Crossed letters of January 5 between Oswald and the Embassy included the Embassy’s suggestion that he consider returning alone, which he rejected on January 16. The Embassy also noted that Marina had not yet obtained a U.S. visa and that no evidence had been submitted showing she would not become a public charge, suggesting Oswald’s mother or another relative file an affidavit of support. Oswald drafted his own affidavit, mailed it, and on January 23 wrote to his mother asking her to file one as well. The Embassy acknowledged receipt on January 24 but again suggested obtaining an affidavit from another person.
Soviet Exit Visa Approval Notification
On December 25, Marina was called to the Soviet Passport Office and informed that exit visas would be granted to her and her husband—news that surprised her, as she had doubted she would ever be permitted to leave. Oswald wrote to the Embassy on December 27 confirming the visas and asking that his passport be extended without another trip to Moscow, offering to come if it would expedite processing. In his diary he wrote, “It’s great (I think?).” Before year-end, Marina began maternity leave, and the Oswalds spent New Year’s Eve at a dinner party given by the Zigers.
Birth of June Lee and Delayed Departure
Oswald took Marina to the hospital on the morning of February 15, 1962, where a baby girl was born at approximately 10 a.m.; he had gone on to the factory, where news of the birth awaited him. Per hospital practice, he did not see the baby until Marina’s discharge. The child was named “June Lee” under the Russian custom requiring a child’s second name to derive from the father’s first name—Oswald had wanted “June Marina” and protested the application of this law, noting wryly in his diary, “Po-Russki.” His coworkers gave the Oswalds gifts including a summer blanket, diapers, chemises, suits, and toys. Marina came home on February 23. With the child born, there was less urgency about departure; Oswald wrote to his mother and brother that he would probably not arrive for several months, and in an April 12 letter to Robert wrote that only “the American side” was holding up departure, though he added he didn’t “really * * * want to leave until the beginning of fall, since the spring and summer * * * [in Russia] are so nice.”
Military Discharge Status Inquiries
Late in January, Oswald received a letter from his mother stating he had been given a dishonorable discharge from the Marines (it was actually “undesirable,” a less derogatory characterization), reviving his fear of prosecution. On January 30, he wrote to his brother for more information and to John B. Connally, Jr., then Governor of Texas, whom he mistakenly believed was still Secretary of the Navy, asking him to look into the discharge as a “gross mistake or injustice” to a “boni-fied U.S. citizen and ex-service man.” Connally referred the letter to the Department of the Navy, which replied that no change in the undesirable discharge was contemplated. On March 22, Oswald wrote insisting on a full review; the Department replied that it had no authority to hear such petitions and referred him to the Navy Discharge Review Board. Oswald completed the enclosed application in Minsk but did not mail it until after returning to the United States.
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