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

Oswald’s October 1963 Housing and Job Search

After deeming the local YMCA too expensive, Oswald first inquired about a room at his later residence 1026 North Beckley on October 7 but found no vacancies. He then responded to a “For Rent” listing at a 621 Marsalis Street rooming house, paid $7 in advance weekly rent, and moved in the same day. He immediately resumed job hunting via employment commission referrals, spent most of his non-working time in his room, and called his wife twice daily. On a Friday in mid-October, he told his landlady Mrs. Mary Bledsoe he would visit Irving for the weekend, and she refused to rent him the room for the following week due to personal dislike.

Oswald’s Mid-October Stay at the Paine Residence

Oswald spent the October 12-13 weekend at Ruth Paine’s residence, where he received a driving lesson. He told Mrs. Paine his final unemployment check had arrived but was smaller than prior payments, and was noted to be extremely discouraged by his wife Marina’s pregnancy, lack of job prospects, and loss of income. On the following Monday, Mrs. Paine drove Oswald to Dallas to retrieve his belongings from the Marsalis Street rooming house. He then rented a room at 1026 North Beckley Avenue from Mrs. A. C. Johnson for $8 weekly, registering under the alias O. H. Lee and moving in immediately. He found the new room more comfortable due to included television and refrigerator access, spent most evenings there, borrowed library books, and held subscriptions to periodicals including Time, the Worker, the Militant, and Russian-language publications.