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

MACS-1 Philippine Deployment and Performance Ratings

Five days after Oswald left the hospital, MACS-1 embarked aboard the Terrell County (LST 1157) for maneuvers in the Philippine Islands area. According to Powers, the squadron was expected to return to Atsugi, but an international crisis prompted it to debark at Cubi Point, Subic Bay, and set up a temporary installation. While in the Philippines, Oswald passed the eligibility test for corporal but received his lowest ratings yet: 4.0 in conduct and 3.9 in proficiency. The unit participated in exercises at Corregidor, then sailed for Atsugi on March 7, 1958, aboard the U.S.S. Wexford County (LST 1168), arriving 11 days later.

Second Court-Martial for Bluebird Cafe Altercation

Oswald was court-martialed a second time on June 27 for using “provoking words” to a noncommissioned officer (a sergeant) on June 20 at the Bluebird Cafe in Yamato and for assaulting the officer by pouring a drink on him. The court found that Oswald had spilled the drink accidentally but, when shoved away, had invited the sergeant outside in insulting language. Oswald admitted being drunk and inviting the sergeant outside but did not recall insulting him. He was sentenced to confinement at hard labor for 28 days and forfeiture of $55; the previously suspended sentence was also withdrawn. He remained in confinement until August 13. A previously granted extension of overseas duty was canceled, and he received ratings of 1.9 in conduct and 3.4 in proficiency.

Transfer from MACS-1 and Return to Atsugi

On September 14, Oswald sailed with his unit for the South China Sea area; the unit was at Ping Tung, North Taiwan on September 30 and returned to Atsugi on October 5. On October 6, he was transferred out of MACS-1 to general duty in anticipation of his return to the United States, spending several days thereafter in the Atsugi Station Hospital. On October 31, he received his final overseas ratings of 4.0 in both conduct and proficiency. Overseas, Oswald was generally regarded as intelligent, performing his work well and following orders, but he complained frequently, did not socialize much with other marines, and read extensively. Paul Murphy testified that Oswald could speak “a little Russian,” and Powers believed Oswald had become more assertive and may have had a Japanese girlfriend. He departed Yokosuka aboard the USNS Barrett on November 2, arrived in San Francisco 13 days later, and took 30 days’ leave beginning November 19.

Assignment to MACS-9 Radar Crew at El Toro

On December 22, Oswald was assigned to Marine Air Control Squadron No. 9 (MACS-9) at the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro, where he had been briefly before deployment. He was one of approximately seven enlisted men and three officers on a “radar crew” engaged primarily in aircraft surveillance. This work likely gave him access to certain classified material, some of which, such as aircraft call signs and radio frequencies, was changed after his defection. For part of his time at El Toro, Oswald may have been assigned to clerical or janitorial tasks. Some associates believed rumors, incorrect according to official records, that he had lost his clearance to work on radar crews, with one recalling he had once had clearance above “confidential” and lost it for allegedly pouring beer over a staff NCO’s head in an enlisted club in Japan.

Peer Accounts of Conduct and Ideology at El Toro

Peers at El Toro described Oswald as performing his duties adequately but deficient in discipline and barracks inspection. After a series of bad inspections, his quonset hut mates complained and secured his transfer to another hut. He was considered intelligent, somewhat better educated and more intellectually oriented than other men, with a pronounced interest in world affairs in which he was often better informed than officers. By the time he returned to the United States, he had lost all spirit for the Marines and was increasingly preoccupied with Russia. He requested a foreign language qualification test on February 25, 1959, receiving a “poor” rating. He subscribed to a Russian-language newspaper, was nicknamed “Oswaldskovich” to his apparent pleasure, had his name written in Russian on a jacket, played Russian music loudly, and frequently used Russian expressions like “da,” “nyet,” and “Comrade.” Lt. John E. Donovan, his commanding officer and a Georgetown School of Foreign Service graduate, found him competent and noted his calm handling of emergencies, his interest in Latin America and Cuba, his sympathy for Castro, and his subscription to what Donovan considered a Communist newspaper. Donovan never heard Oswald claim to be a Communist. Private Kerry Thornley, a close acquaintance, corroborated Donovan’s testimony but believed Oswald thought Marxist morality “the most rational morality” and communism “the best system in the world,” though he characterized this as theoretical and not an active commitment. Nelson Delgado, another marine, recalled that Oswald, who enjoyed speaking Spanish with him, was “a complete believer that our way of government was not quite right” but did not think he was a Communist. They discussed Cuba, both favored Castro, and fantasized about joining the Cuban Army; Oswald claimed to be in contact with Cuban diplomatic officials. Oswald read “Das Kapital,” Orwell’s “Animal Farm” and “1984,” played chess (always choosing the red pieces, citing a preference for the “Red Army”), and listened to classical music. He briefly played on the squadron football team but lacked team spirit and was a mediocre player. He spent most weekends alone on the base, though he once traveled to Tijuana with Delgado. Henry J. Roussel Jr. arranged a date between Oswald and his aunt, Rosaleen Quinn, an airline stewardess studying Russian, who found the evening uninteresting and described Oswald to Donovan as “kind of an oddball.”