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

Transfer from MACS-1 and Return to Atsugi

On September 14, Oswald sailed with his unit for the South China Sea area; the unit was at Ping Tung, North Taiwan on September 30 and returned to Atsugi on October 5. On October 6, he was transferred out of MACS-1 to general duty in anticipation of his return to the United States, spending several days thereafter in the Atsugi Station Hospital. On October 31, he received his final overseas ratings of 4.0 in both conduct and proficiency. Overseas, Oswald was generally regarded as intelligent, performing his work well and following orders, but he complained frequently, did not socialize much with other marines, and read extensively. Paul Murphy testified that Oswald could speak “a little Russian,” and Powers believed Oswald had become more assertive and may have had a Japanese girlfriend. He departed Yokosuka aboard the USNS Barrett on November 2, arrived in San Francisco 13 days later, and took 30 days’ leave beginning November 19.

Assignment to MACS-9 Radar Crew at El Toro

On December 22, Oswald was assigned to Marine Air Control Squadron No. 9 (MACS-9) at the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro, where he had been briefly before deployment. He was one of approximately seven enlisted men and three officers on a “radar crew” engaged primarily in aircraft surveillance. This work likely gave him access to certain classified material, some of which, such as aircraft call signs and radio frequencies, was changed after his defection. For part of his time at El Toro, Oswald may have been assigned to clerical or janitorial tasks. Some associates believed rumors, incorrect according to official records, that he had lost his clearance to work on radar crews, with one recalling he had once had clearance above “confidential” and lost it for allegedly pouring beer over a staff NCO’s head in an enlisted club in Japan.