Commission Conclusion on Oswalds’ Soviet Departure Treatment
Based on the evidence presented, the Commission concluded that there was no reason to believe the Oswalds received unusually favorable treatment in being permitted to leave the Soviet Union. Rather, the evidence indicated that Soviet authorities first attempted to dissuade Marina from going to the United States and then, when she failed to respond to the pressure, permitted her to leave without undue delay. The Commission noted that the Soviet treatment of another recent defector who left the USSR to return to the United States resembled that accorded to the Oswalds.
Associations in the Dallas-Fort Worth Community
This section introduces the broader topic of the Oswalds’ associations in the Dallas-Fort Worth community after their return from Russia in June 1962, setting the stage for detailed discussion of the Russian-speaking community, the De Mohrenschildts, and the Paine family.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Russian-Speaking Community
The Russian-speaking community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area consisted of a loosely knit group of Russian-born or Russian-speaking persons who were drawn together by common background, language, and culture. Many were well-educated, accomplished, and industrious, with several connected to the oil exploration, production, and processing industry in the area. These individuals assisted the Oswalds in various ways: providing gifts of food, clothing, and baby furniture; arranging medical and dental appointments and transportation; housing Marina and the child during Oswald’s job search and marital difficulties. The Commission thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of these individuals and Oswald’s relationships with them.
Oswald’s Initial Contact with the Russian-Speaking Community
The Commission found no basis to suppose Oswald came to Fort Worth specifically to establish contacts with the local Russian-speaking community; his mother had lived nearby, his brother Robert resided in Fort Worth, and he had spent several grammar-school years there. Upon arrival, Oswald did not know any members of the small community. He obtained the names of two Russian-speaking persons from the Texas Employment Commission. The first contact attempt failed, but the second—Peter Paul Gregory, a consulting petroleum engineer and part-time Russian-language instructor at the Fort Worth Public Library—proved productive. Gregory introduced the Oswalds to George Bouhe and Anna Meller of Dallas, through whom other members of the community became acquainted with the Oswalds.
Strained Relations Between the Oswalds and the Russian-Speaking Community
The Oswalds met approximately 30 persons in the Russian-speaking community, of whom 25 testified before the Commission or its staff. The relationship between Oswald and the community was short-lived and strained. During separations in October and November 1962, Marina and the baby stayed with various community members, including Elena Hall. Oswald openly resented the help his wife’s “Russian friends” provided and their efforts to induce Marina to leave him; George Bouhe, who had tried to dissuade Marina from returning to Oswald in November 1962, became displeased with her when she did. Relations had practically ceased by the end of 1962, as Katherine Ford summarized. After Oswald’s move to New Orleans in April 1963, only minor contact occurred until November 22, 1963, when Ilya Mamantov served as interpreter for Dallas Police questioning of Marina.
The De Mohrenschildts’ Background and Association with the Oswalds
George De Mohrenschildt and his wife continued to see the Oswalds on occasion until Oswald’s trip to New Orleans on April 24, 1963. De Mohrenschildt was apparently the only Russian-speaking Dallas resident for whom Oswald had appreciable respect, despite his having helped Marina leave Oswald briefly in November 1962. The Commission examined an incident shortly after Oswald shot at General Walker: on April 13, 1963, the De Mohrenschildts visited the Oswalds’ Neely Street apartment to bring an Easter gift. Mrs. De Mohrenschildt spotted a scoped rifle in a closet, and Mr. De Mohrenschildt made a joking remark asking if Oswald had “take[n] a pot shot at Walker.” Oswald visibly reacted with an uncomfortable expression and claimed he did “targetshooting.” The De Mohrenschildts departed shortly afterward and never saw the Oswalds again, eventually leaving for a business venture in Haiti. The Commission’s extensive investigation of both De Mohrenschildts found no signs of subversive or disloyal conduct and no evidence linking them to the assassination of President Kennedy. George De Mohrenschildt’s background includes birth in the Russian Ukraine in 1911, flight from Russia in 1921, education in Europe, emigration to the United States, work in petroleum engineering, and a 1960 hike from the U.S.-Mexican border to Panama. Jeanne De Mohrenschildt was born in Harbin, China, of White Russian parents, came to New York in 1938, and became a dress designer before marrying George in 1959.
The original text of this work is in the public domain. This page focuses on a guided summary article, reading notes, selected quotes, and visual learning materials for educational purposes.