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

Final Soviet Departure and Travel Arrangements

On May 10, the Embassy wrote that everything was in order and suggested Oswald bring his family to sign final papers. He was discharged from the factory around May 18. He picked up his Soviet exit visa on May 22 and had an interview with an MVD official for final departure clearance. By May 24, the Oswalds had arrived in Moscow and completed documents at the American Embassy, with Marina receiving her U.S. visa. On June 1, Oswald signed a promissory note for a repatriation loan of $435.71. The family boarded a train for Holland, passing through Minsk that night, and crossed the Soviet frontier at Brest on June 2. Two days later, they departed Holland on the SS Maasdam.

Disillusionment Notes Aboard SS Maasdam

Probably while aboard the Maasdam, Oswald wrote notes on ship stationery summarizing what he believed he had learned from living under both capitalist and Communist systems, reflecting his “unhappy and deepening feeling of disillusionment” with both. He observed that reform groups always claim to serve their people and country, and asked what would happen “if somebody was to stand up and say he was utterly opposed not only to the governments, but to the people, too the entire land and complete foundations” of his society. He proposed a “third choice” between communism and capitalism, writing: “I have lived under both systems, I have sought the answers and although it would be very easy to dupe myself into believing one system is better than the other, I know they are not.” He also acknowledged that his “Red Cross” subsidy had actually been paid by the Soviet Government and declared, “I shall never sell myself intentionlly, or unintentionlly to anyone again.” Likely also aboard ship, Oswald drafted two sets of anticipated answers to questions about his decision to go to Russia and return—one apologetic in tone, the other asserting he had gone to study the Soviet system while remaining a loyal American who owed no apologies.

KAPITEL II. With the assistance of Agent in Charge Sorrels of the

Chapter II, compiled with the assistance of Agent in Charge Sorrels of the FBI, follows Lee and Marina Oswald from their arrival in Hoboken, New Jersey, on June 13 through the summer and early fall of 1962 in the Fort Worth–Dallas area. It traces their initial reception by social welfare agencies, reunion with Robert Oswald, Oswald’s attempt to have his Soviet manuscript typed and verified, two FBI interviews, their residential moves in Fort Worth, Oswald’s employment at the Leslie Welding Company, integration into a local Russian-speaking émigré community, the friction that developed between Oswald and his benefactors, his abrupt move to Dallas, and the beginning of his job search through the Texas Employment Commission.

Oswalds’ Arrival in Hoboken and Initial Aid

The Maasdam docked at Hoboken, New Jersey, on June 13, where Spas T. Raikin of the Traveler’s Aid Society—contacted by the Department of State—met the Oswalds. Raikin believed Oswald was trying to avoid meeting anyone. Oswald reported he had only $63 and no plans for the night or onward travel to Fort Worth, but he accepted the society’s help “with confidence and appreciation.” The couple passed through immigration without incident, and Raikin assisted them through customs. The society then referred them to the New York City Department of Welfare, which secured them a room at the Times Square Hotel. To the welfare representatives and Raikin, Oswald claimed he had been a marine stationed at the American Embassy in Moscow, had married a Russian woman, renounced his citizenship, worked in Minsk, discovered Soviet propaganda to be inaccurate, and waited more than two years for an exit visa for his wife and child, which he said he had paid for himself.

Oswalds’ Travel to Fort Worth

The New York welfare department called Robert Oswald’s home in Fort Worth; his wife answered and said they would help, and Robert sent $200 immediately. Oswald initially refused the money and insisted the department itself should pay the fare to Texas, threatening that they would travel as far as their $63 would allow and rely on local authorities for the rest. He ultimately accepted the money, and on the afternoon of June 14 the Oswalds left New York by plane for Fort Worth.