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

Oswald’s Assassination Interrogation

Speculation suggested the police questioned Oswald extensively about the Tippit murder on the first day of his detention but not about the assassination of President Kennedy. The Commission found that Dallas police officials stated they questioned Oswald repeatedly on November 22 about the assassination and his relationship to it, with Captain Fritz asking Oswald to account for himself at the time the President was shot during the first interrogation. FBI agents present also confirmed that he was questioned about the President’s assassination.

Oswald’s Access to Legal Counsel

Speculation suggested Oswald’s attempts to obtain legal counsel were deliberately thwarted by the police and he was cut off from outside calls. The Commission found that on November 23, Oswald was visited by Dallas Bar Association president H. Louis Nichols, who offered help in getting a lawyer, which Oswald refused. Oswald was told he could use the telephone when he wished and did make telephone calls, attempting to reach attorney John Abt in New York unsuccessfully, with Mrs. Paine also trying without success to reach Abt at Oswald’s request. Oswald was also visited by his wife, mother, and brother, any of whom could have helped him obtain counsel.

Oswald’s Alleged Soviet Affiliation

Oswald’s residence in the Soviet Union for more than 2½ years aroused speculation after his arrest that he was a Soviet agent, supported by assertions that he received exceptionally favored treatment from the Soviet Government in entering and leaving the country, particularly because his Russian wife and child were permitted to leave with him. The Commission’s careful analysis led to the conclusion that there is no credible evidence that Oswald was a Soviet agent and that he did not receive unusually favorable treatment in entering or leaving the Soviet Union or in returning to the United States.

Oswald’s Marine Corps Marxist and Russian Studies

Speculation suggested that a young private in the Marine Corps in the 1950s could not study Marxism, learn Russian, and read Soviet newspapers without adverse repercussions in his unit. The Commission found that while Oswald’s interest in the Soviet Union was well known, his interest in Marxism was apparently known to only a few fellow Marines, and while stationed in California, he studied Russian, taking an official proficiency test in February 1959 that rated him “Poor.” The reactions of fellow Marines aware of his Marxist and Soviet interests were apparently not antagonistic and did not deter him from pursuing them.

Oswald’s Marine Corps Russian Language Training

Speculation suggested Oswald learned Russian during his Marine Corps service as part of his military training. The Commission found that Oswald never received any Russian language training from the Marine Corps, and his Russian studies were entirely on his own time and at his own initiative.

Oswald’s 1959 Soviet Trip Savings

Speculation suggested Oswald could not have saved $1,600 from his Marine pay for his 1959 trip to Russia. The Commission found that in November 1959, Oswald told American reporter Aline Mosby in Moscow that he had saved $1,500 (not $1,600) while in the Marines, and it is consistent with Oswald’s known frugality that he could have saved the money from the $3,452.20 in pay he received. Additionally, despite his statement, he may not have actually saved $1,500, as the trip could have been made for considerably less.

Oswald’s Alleged Pre-1959 Soviet Agent Contact

Speculation suggested that Oswald likely had prior contacts with Soviet agents before entering Russia in 1959 because his visa application was processed and approved immediately upon receipt. The Commission found no evidence that Oswald was in touch with Soviet agents before his visit, and the time taken to receive his visa in Helsinki for entry to the Soviet Union, while shorter than average, was not beyond the normal range. Had Oswald been recruited as a Russian agent while in the Marines, it would be most improbable that he would have been encouraged to defect, as he would have been of greater value to Russian intelligence as a Marine radar operator.