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

Background Investigation of Lee Harvey Oswald

Finding no evidence of other participants immediately surrounding the assassination, the Commission conducted an intensive investigation into Oswald’s life to detect any traces of conspiracy, compiling a detailed chronological biography set forth as appendix XIII. The period from Oswald’s 1939 birth through his 1956–1959 military service revealed no association with any sinister or subversive organization. The Commission noted that Oswald was young, inexperienced, had limited education, was unable to establish relationships with others, resented authority and discipline, demonstrated the ability to act secretively and alone (as in his defection to the Soviet Union), and did not appear to be the type of person normally selected as a conspirator.

Oswald’s 1959-1962 Soviet Union Residence

Lee Harvey Oswald was openly committed to Marxist ideology, defected to the Soviet Union in 1959, and resided there until June 1962, eventually returning to the United States with a Russian wife. To evaluate rumors that Oswald may have been a Soviet agent, the Commission investigated the facts of his stay in Russia, fulfilling its obligation to probe all possibly relevant facts without suggesting that Soviet rulers believed the assassination would advance their interests. Secretary of State Dean Rusk testified on June 10, 1964 that he had seen no evidence the Soviet Union considered Kennedy’s removal in its interest or was involved in any way.

第六章

Chapter VI examines whether the Soviet Union had any involvement in President Kennedy’s assassination, beginning with Secretary of State Dean Rusk’s testimony that he saw no evidence of Soviet desire to harm Kennedy, and proceeding through the Commission’s detailed investigation of Lee Harvey Oswald’s activities in the Soviet Union from 1959 to 1962, including his entry, defection, residence in Minsk, and return to the United States.