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

Oswald’s Hypothetical Press Conference Preparations

Oswald’s Hypothetical Press Conference Preparations In preparation for a potential press conference upon his return to the U.S., Oswald drafted two sets of identical questions paired with vastly different answers. The first set reflected his genuine beliefs: he stated he defected to the Soviet Union as a protest against U.S. foreign policy, that he was fundamentally a communist who hated the Soviet system but believed Marxism could work under different circumstances, and that living standards and freedoms were roughly equivalent between the two superpowers. The second set contained far more conventional, palatable answers designed to minimize harm to his reputation as he reintegrated into American life, including denying he was a communist and praising U.S. freedoms over Soviet ones.

Oswald’s Ongoing Soviet Engagement

Oswald’s Ongoing Soviet Engagement Despite his stated hatred of the Soviet Union after his return, Oswald maintained active engagement with the country. He wrote to the Soviet Embassy in Washington shortly after his arrival requesting Russian periodicals and bulletins for U.S.-based Soviet citizens, and subsequently subscribed to several Soviet journals. He also pressed for a Soviet visa for himself and his wife multiple times: in July 1963, when he told New Orleans police he hated America and planned to return to Russia, during his September 1963 trip to Mexico City, and in a November 9, 1963 letter to the Soviet Embassy. While his primary long-term goal may have been travel to Cuba, his repeated requests for Soviet visas demonstrated his continued interest in the country.