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

Marguerite Oswald

Marguerite Oswald’s testimony addresses the family’s early circumstances, her marriage to John Pic, her employment at hosiery shops (“Princess Hosiery” or “Jean’s Hosiery Shop”), and her meeting of Edwin Ekdahl. Her statements cover the period of Lee’s early childhood, the family’s move to New York, her decision to place Lee in a home, and subsequent custodial arrangements, though some accounts conflicted with those of John Pic and Robert Oswald.

Robert Oswald

Robert Oswald’s testimony provides a brother’s perspective on family life, including his recollection that the family moved to Benbrook after Christmas 1945 (when he and John spent time with school friends while the Ekdahls and Lee were in Boston), his accounts of family residences, his belief (apparently incorrect) that Ekdahl was already living in Dallas when the family moved there, and details about Lee’s behavior and development through childhood and adolescence.

John Pic

John Pic’s testimony as Lee’s stepfather covers the family home on Bartholomew Street, his accounts of the family’s employment history (including department stores and assistant store manager positions at Lerner Shops and Literary Guild), and the origins and escalation of the quarrel with Marguerite that led to family disruption. He places a particular visit by Lee much earlier (October or November 1952) than Robert Oswald’s recollection, and testified about learning chess from Hiram Conway.

Lillian Murret

Lillian Murret’s testimony, along with that of her daughter Marilyn Dorothea Murret, provides an aunt’s perspective on the Oswald family, including descriptions of the family home, the address (later changed to 809 French Street), Lee’s activities in New Orleans, his possible participation in the Sea Scouts (probably a confusion with the Civil Air Patrol), and family relationships during Lee’s developmental years.