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

Verification of Oswald’s Presence in Minsk

Evidence establishes beyond doubt that Oswald was in fact located in Minsk on at least two occasions. The Commission obtained two photographs taken by American tourists in Minsk in August 1961 that show Oswald; the tourists did not know or speak with him. Oswald was also noticed in Minsk in the spring of 1961 by a University of Michigan student traveling with the band on a tour of Russia. Oswald corresponded with the American Embassy in Moscow from a Minsk address and wrote letters from Minsk to his family in the United States. He and his wife had many photographs showing Minsk backgrounds and identifiable residents. After returning to the United States, Oswald conversed about the city with Russian-born American citizens familiar with it, and Marina Oswald was also familiar with it. The Commission independently verified the existence of many of the acquaintances Oswald and his wife said they knew in Minsk.

Oswald’s Income, Benefits, and Cost of Living in the Soviet Union

After being accepted as a resident alien, Oswald received considerable benefits beyond those of ordinary Soviet citizens in his position. Upon being informed he could remain and being sent to Minsk, he was given 5,000 rubles (about $500) by the Soviet “Red Cross” for expenses; he used 2,200 rubles to pay his hotel bill and 150 rubles for a train ticket, leaving him feeling “like a rich man.” Although he did not receive the free quarters the “Mayor” of Minsk had promised, about six weeks after arrival he was given a pleasant apartment for 60 rubles ($6) per month—considered “almost rent free.” He received a job at the Byelorussian Radio and Television Factory, where his piecework pay ranged from 700 to 900 rubles ($70–$90) per month, which Marina Oswald said was average for his occupation and good by general Soviet standards. In addition to his salary, Oswald regularly received 700 rubles ($70) per month from the Soviet “Red Cross.” His only recorded complaint was that there was “no place to spend the money.”

Analysis of Oswald’s Soviet Benefits for Undercover Activity Evidence

The Commission found no basis for associating Oswald’s preferred income with Soviet undercover activity. Marina Oswald testified that foreign nationals are commonly given special treatment in the Soviet Union, and the CIA confirmed it is standard practice to subsidize Americans and other foreign defectors from countries with higher standards of living, apparently to prevent disillusionment and return home. The Commission also assumed it is customary for Soviet intelligence agencies to keep defectors under surveillance through periodic interviews of their neighbors and associates, and Oswald once mentioned that Soviet police questioned his neighbors occasionally. Oswald learned about the supplementary “Red Cross” funds from his own writings alone; he recognized during his return trip that the “Red Cross” subsidy had nothing to do with the International Red Cross and stated the money was paid to him for having “denounced” the United States and came from the “MVD.” The “Red Cross” subsidy was terminated as soon as Oswald wrote the American Embassy in February 1961 asking to be permitted to return. Marina Oswald confirmed he was no longer receiving the monthly grant by the time she knew him, though he had accumulated some savings from the months he had received it.

Oswald’s Employment and Job Performance at Minsk Radio Factory

Oswald was employed at a large Minsk factory manufacturing electronic parts and radio and television sets. Marina Oswald testified he was an “apprentice machinist” who ground small metallic parts for radio receivers on a lathe. Oswald never straightforwardly described his Soviet job to acquaintances in the United States. Some Dallas and Fort Worth acquaintances believed he was disappointed at being assigned a menial job rather than to an institution of higher learning. Marina Oswald confirmed this and testified that her husband was not interested in his work and was not regarded at the factory as a very good worker. Soviet-supplied documents, including a report from Oswald’s factory superior, were consistent with her testimony and critical of his job performance. His employment and job performance were consistent with his known occupational habits in the United States and otherwise afforded no ground for suspicion.