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

Oswald’s Jacket During Tippit Murder

Speculation suggested that Oswald left his roominghouse at about 1 p.m. on November 22 wearing a zipper-type tan plaid jacket. The Commission found that the jacket Oswald wore during the Tippit slaying was light gray, and according to Marina Oswald, her husband owned only two jackets—one blue and the other light gray. The housekeeper at 1026 North Beckley Avenue, Mrs. Earlene Roberts, was not certain about the color of the jacket Oswald wore when he left the house.

Oswald’s Post-Arrest Jacket

Speculation claimed Oswald wore an olive-brown plain jacket visible in all pictures of him after his arrest. The Commission found that Oswald was not wearing a jacket at the time of his arrest, and the jacket subsequently recovered in a parking lot and identified as his was light gray. No witnesses stated that Oswald wore an olive-brown jacket immediately before or after his arrest, and the Commission saw no pictures of Oswald after arrest showing such a jacket, with pictures showing him in the shirt Mrs. Bledsoe described him wearing on the bus at approximately 1:40 p.m.

Oswald’s Landlady Gun Possession Testimony

Speculation suggested that Oswald’s landlady, Mrs. A. C. Johnson, said Oswald never had a gun in his room. The Commission found that Mrs. Johnson testified he “never brought that rifle in my house,” but acknowledged he could have had a pistol because they found the scabbard. As detailed in chapter IV, Oswald kept his rifle in the Paine garage in Irving while living in Dallas during October and November, and the pistol was small and easily concealed.