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

Oswald’s Resentment of Community Aid and Marital Strains

It was evident that Oswald did not appreciate the community’s help. At least once he flew into a rage and shouted that he did not need what people were giving him. Some felt he resented the gifts because he could not provide his wife what others supplied, and he was also critical of the group for what he saw as an overemphasis on economic advancement. He became increasingly unpopular, partly because of his resentment, his political philosophy, his criticism of the United States, his apparent self-absorption, and his treatment of Marina; some in the group believed he was mentally disturbed. They continued to help, however, out of sympathy for Marina and the child. Marital problems were also apparent: several visitors noted that Marina had a blackened eye at the Mercedes Street apartment, which she attributed to her husband having struck her—though she told Anna Meller she had walked into a door—and friction between the couple was observed on various occasions. Marina wrote that the period was difficult, that her husband was “very irritable” and prone to rage over trivial things, and she testified that “immediately after coming to the United States Lee changed,” becoming more reclusive and irritable, though she denied that their later separation was the result of quarrels.

Oswald’s Move to Dallas and Marina’s Temporary Stay

On a weekend afternoon in early October, the Oswalds were visited by Mrs. Oswald and several members of the Russian community, including Bouhe, Meller, the Halls, the De Mohrenschildts, and the Taylors. Oswald discussed his lack of job prospects and overdue rent and was advised to look for work in the Dallas area. Elena Hall invited Marina to stay at her Fort Worth home until Oswald found a job in Dallas; Marina accepted, and Hall moved her, baby June, and the Oswalds’ few household goods in a pickup truck from the dental laboratory. Oswald worked at the Leslie Welding Company on Monday, October 8, but failed to appear the next day because he was already in Dallas. He falsely told Marina he had been discharged and told Bouhe the job had been temporary; the company later received an undated letter stating he had “moved permanently to Dallas” and asking that his wages be forwarded to box 2915 in Dallas. He did not tell his mother he was leaving. Marina spent her first weeks in Dallas at Gary Taylor’s house during dental appointments and otherwise remained at the Halls’ in Fort Worth, with Mrs. De Mohrenschildt bringing her to the Baylor Dental Clinic on October 8, 10, and 15, paid for by funds Bouhe had given Mrs. De Mohrenschildt. After the assassination, Oswald did not see or communicate with his mother until she came to see him.