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

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.