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

第二章 With the assistance of Agent in Charge Sorrels of the

This chapter traces Lee Harvey Oswald’s journey from New Orleans to Mexico City and back, covering his efforts to obtain visas to Cuba and the Soviet Union, his activities in Mexico City, and his eventual return to Dallas. The narrative draws on witness testimony, bus records, hotel registration information, and embassy communications to reconstruct the timeline of Oswald’s travels between September 25 and October 3, 1963.

Departure from New Orleans

Oswald remained in New Orleans until September 25, 1963. The night before his departure, his whereabouts are uncertain, though limited finances suggest he likely returned to his apartment, checked his luggage at a bus station, or stayed at an inexpensive hotel. After 5 a.m. on September 25, he collected a $33 Texas unemployment compensation check from his New Orleans post office box, which he cashed between 8 a.m. and noon at a store on Magazine Street. This gave him approximately $200 for his trip to Mexico. He departed New Orleans by bus, likely Continental Trailways Bus No. 5121, which left at 12:20 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Houston at 10:50 p.m.

Journey to Houston

During the evening bus trip to Houston, Oswald telephoned the home of Horace Elroy Twiford, a Socialist Labor Party member. Mrs. Twiford, who answered, believed the call was made locally before 10 p.m., though it may have originated from Beaumont or another stop. Given the bus schedule, it was probably made from Houston later than she remembered. Oswald identified himself as a member of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee and expressed interest in meeting her husband before flying to Mexico. Mrs. Twiford explained that her husband, a merchant seaman, was at sea, and Oswald indicated he could not wait because he was flying to Mexico. The Twifords reported no further contact with Oswald.