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

Marina Oswald’s Testimony on Oswald’s Hunting Activity

Marina Oswald testified that her husband went hunting only once during their marriage. However, Oswald joined the Byelorussian Society of Hunters and Fishermen in the summer of 1960, before their April 30, 1961 marriage, suggesting he could have been more active as a bachelor. Oswald openly discussed his hunting club membership with friends after returning to the United States, mentioned it in a speech at a Jesuit Seminary in Mobile, Alabama in summer 1962, corresponded with his brother Robert about it, and retained his membership certificate and gun permit until his death.

Assessment of Hunting Club Membership as Covert Training

Given Oswald’s open and repeated references to his hunting club membership in multiple contexts, the Commission concluded it was unlikely that the membership was contrived to conceal secret training. The lack of secrecy surrounding the activity undermined any theory of covert purpose.

CIA Intelligence on Soviet Secret Training Facilities

The CIA informed the Commission that it possessed considerable information on the location of secret Soviet training institutions and that no such institution existed in or near Minsk during the period Oswald resided there. This further supported the conclusion that the hunting club membership was not cover for espionage training.

Oswald’s Marriage to Marina Prusakova

Oswald’s marriage to Marina Prusakova on April 30, 1961 warranted consideration. A foreigner living in Russia could not marry without Soviet governmental permission. The Commission observed that it seemed unlikely Soviet authorities would have permitted Oswald to marry and take his wife to the United States if they were contemplating using him alone as an agent, as a Russian wife would likely increase American security surveillance, make him more conspicuous as “an ex-Russian,” and decrease his mobility. Marina’s lack of English training and ignorance of the United States would also have made her unsuitable as a member of an “agent team” sent on a dangerous foreign enterprise.