MikhailT/lj-speech huggingface dataset:
An old lady handed me a pamphlet about saving the Rosenbergs. I looked at that paper and I still remember it for some reason, I don't know why. End quote.
Oswald studied Marxism after he joined the Marines and his sympathies in that direction and for the Soviet Union appear to have been widely known,
at least in the unit to which he was assigned after his return from the Far East.
His interest in Russia led some of his associates to call him "comrade" or "Oswaldskovitch."
He always wanted to play the red pieces in chess because, as he said in an apparently humorous context,
he preferred the, quote, Red Army, end quote.
He studied the Russian language, read a Russian language newspaper and seemed interested in what was going on in the Soviet Union.
Thornley, who thought Oswald had an "irrevocable conviction" that his Marxist beliefs were correct, testified, quote,
I think you could sit down and argue with him for a number of years, and I don't think you could have changed his mind on that unless you knew why he believed it in the first place.
I certainly don't. I don't think with any kind of formal argument you could have shaken that conviction. And that is why I say irrevocable.
It was just -- never getting back to looking at things from any other way once he had become a Marxist, whenever that was, end quote.
Thornley also testified about an incident which grew
out of a combination of Oswald's known Marxist sympathies and George Orwell's book "1984," one of Oswald's favorite books
which Thornley read at Oswald's suggestion.
Shortly after Thornley finished reading that book the Marine unit to which both men were assigned was required to take part in a Saturday morning parade
in honor of some retiring noncommissioned officers, an event which they both approached with little enthusiasm.
While waiting for the parade to start they talked briefly about "1984"
even though Oswald seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. After a brief period of silence Oswald remarked on the stupidity of the parade
and on how angry it made him, to which Thornley replied, quote, Well, comes the revolution you will change all that, end quote.
Thornley testified, quote, At which time he looked at me like a betrayed Caesar and screamed, screamed definitely, "Not you, too, Thornley!"
And I remember his voice cracked as he said this. He was definitely disturbed at what I had said and I didn't really think I had said that much.
I never said anything to him again and he never said anything to me again, end quote.
Thornley said that he had made his remark only in the context of "1984"
and had not intended any criticism of Oswald's political views which is the way in which, Thornley thought, Oswald took his remarks.
Lieutenant Donovan testified that Oswald thought that, quote, there were many grave injustices concerning the affairs in the international situation, end quote.
He recalled that Oswald had a specific interest in Latin America, particularly Cuba,
and expressed opposition to the Batista regime and sympathy for Castro, an attitude which, Donovan said, was, quote,
not unpopular, end quote, at that time. Donovan testified
that he never heard Oswald express a desire personally to take part in the elimination of injustices anywhere in the world and that he, quote,
never heard him in any way, shape or form confess that he was a Communist, or that he ever thought about being a Communist, end quote.
Delgado testified that Oswald was, quote, a complete believer that our way of government was not quite right, end quote.
and believed that our Government did not have, quote, too much to offer, end quote, but was not in favor of, quote, the Communist way of life, end quote.
Delgado and Oswald talked more about Cuba than Russia, and sometimes imagined themselves as leaders in the Cuban Army or Government,
who might, quote, lead an expedition to some of these other islands and free them too, end quote.
Thornley also believed that Oswald's Marxist beliefs led to an extraordinary view of history under which, quote, He looked upon the eyes of future people
as some kind of tribunal,
and he wanted to be on the winning side so that 10,000 years from-now people would look in the history books and say, "Well, this man was ahead of his time."
The eyes of the future became the eyes of God.
He was concerned with his image in history and I do think that is why he chose the particular method of defecting he chose and did it in the way he did.
It got him in the newspapers. It did broadcast his name out, end quote.
Thornley thought that Oswald not only wanted a place in history but also wanted to live comfortably in the present.
He testified that if Oswald could not have that, quote, degree of physical comfort that he expected or sought,
I think he would then throw himself entirely on the other thing he also wanted, which was the image in history.
I think he wanted both if he could have them. If he didn't, he wanted to die with the knowledge that, or with the idea that he was somebody, end quote.
Oswald's interest in Marxism led some people to avoid him,
even though as his wife suggested, that interest may have been motivated by a desire to gain attention. He used his Marxist and associated activities
as excuses for his difficulties in getting along in the world, which were usually caused by entirely different factors.
His use of those excuses to present himself to the world as a person who was being unfairly treated
is shown most clearly by his employment relations after his return from the Soviet Union. Of course, he made his real problems worse to the extent
that his use of those excuses prevented him from discovering the real reasons for and attempting to overcome his difficulties.
Of greater importance,
Oswald's commitment to Marxism contributed to the decisions which led him to defect to the Soviet Union in 1959, and later
to engage in activities on behalf of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee in the summer of 1963,
The Warren Commission Report. By The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. Chapter 7. Lee Harvey Oswald:
Background and Possible Motives, Part 3.
Defection to the Soviet Union
After Oswald left the Marine Corps in September of 1959, ostensibly to care for his mother,
he almost immediately left for the Soviet Union where he attempted to renounce his citizenship.
At the age of 19, Oswald thus committed an act which was the most striking indication he had yet given
of his willingness to act on his beliefs in quite extraordinary ways.
While his defection resulted in part from Oswald's commitment to Marxism,
it appears that personal and psychological factors were also involved.
On August 17, 1963, Oswald told Mr. William Stuckey,
who had arranged a radio debate on Oswald's activities on behalf of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee,
that while he had begun to read Marx and Engels at the age of 15, the conclusive thing that made him decide that Marxism was the answer
was his service in Japan.
He said living conditions over there convinced him something was wrong with the system, and that possibly Marxism was the answer.
He said it was in Japan that he made up his mind to go to Russia
and see for himself how a revolutionary society operates, a Marxist society.
On the other hand, at least one person who knew Oswald after his return thought that his defection had a more personal and psychological basis.
The validity of the latter observation is borne out by some of the things Oswald wrote in connection with his defection
indicating that his motivation was at least in part a personal one. On November 26, 1959,
shortly after he arrived in the Soviet Union, and probably before Soviet authorities had given him permission to stay indefinitely,
he wrote to his brother Robert that the Soviet Union was a country which, quote, I have always considered to be my own, end quote,
and that he went there, quote, only to find freedom. I could never have been personally happy in the U.S., end quote.
He wrote in another letter that he would, quote, never return to the United States which is a country I hate, end quote.
His idea that he was to find, quote, freedom, end quote, in the Soviet Union was to be rudely shattered.
Whatever Oswald's reasons for going to the Soviet Union might have been, however, there can be little doubt that his desire to go was quite strong.
In addition to studying the Russian language while he was in the Marines,
Oswald had managed to save enough money to cover the expenses of his forthcoming trip.
While there is no proof that he saved $1,500, as he claimed,
it would have taken considerable discipline to save whatever amount was required to finance his defection out of the salary of a low ranking enlisted man.
The extent of Oswald's desire to go to the Soviet Union
and of his initial commitment to that country can best be understood, however, in the context
of his concomitant hatred of the United States, which was most clearly expressed in his November 26,
and communist's would like to see the present capitalist government of the U.S. overthrown, end quote, Oswald stated
that that government supported an economic system, quote, which exploits all its workers, end quote,
and under which, quote, art, culture and the sprit of man are subjected to commercial enterprising,
and religion and education are used as a tool to suppress what would otherwise be a population questioning their government's unfair
economic system and plans for war, end quote.
He complained in his letter about segregation,
unemployment, automation, and the use of military forces to suppress other populations.
Asking his brother why he supported the American Government and what ideals he put forward, Oswald wrote, quote,
Ask me and I will tell you I fight for communism.
I will not say your grandchildren will live under communism, look for yourself at history, look at a world map! America is a dicing country,
I do not wish to be a part of it, nor do I ever again wish to be used as a tool in its military aggressions.
This should answer your question, and also give you a glimpse of my way of thinking. So you speak of advantages. Do you think that is why I am here?
For personal, material advantages? Happiness is not based on oneself, it does not consist of a small home, of taking and getting,
Happiness is taking part in the struggle, where there is no borderline between one's own personal world, and the world in general.
I never believed I would find more material advantages at this stage of development in the Soviet Union than I might of had in the U.S.
I have been a pro-communist for years and yet I have never met a communist, instead I kept silent and observed,
and what I observed plus my Marxist learning brought me here to the Soviet Union.
I have always considered this country to be my own. End quote.
Responding to Robert's statement that he had not "renounced" him,
Oswald told his brother, quote, on what terms I want this arrangement, end quote. He advised Robert that: 1.
In the event of war I would kill any American who put a uniform on in defense of the American government -- any American.
2. That in my own mind I have no attachments of any kind in the U.S.
3. That I want to, and I shall, live a normal happy and peaceful life here in the Soviet Union for the rest of my life.
That my mother and you are (in spite of what the newspaper said) not objects of affection, but only examples of workers in the U.S.
Despite this commitment to the Soviet Union
Oswald met disappointments there just as he had in the past. At the outset the Soviets told him that he could not remain.
It seems that Oswald immediately attempted suicide -- a striking indication of how much he desired to remain in the Soviet Union.
It shows how willing he was to act dramatically and decisively when he faced an emotional crisis
with few readily available alternatives at hand. He was shocked to find that the Soviet Union did not accept him with open arms.
The entry in his self-styled, quote, Historic Diary, end quote, for October 21, 1959, reports, quote,
I am shocked! My dreams! I have waited for 2 years to be accepted.
My fondest dreams are shattered because of a petty official. I decide to end it.
Soak fist in cold water to numb the pain. Then slash my left wrist. Than plunge wrist into bathtub of hot water.
Somewhere, a violin plays, as I watch my life whirl away.
I think to myself "How easy to Die" and "A Sweet Death, (to violins), end quote.
Oswald was discovered in time to thwart his attempt at suicide.
He was taken to a hospital in Moscow where he was kept until October 28, 1959.
Still intent, however, on staying in the Soviet Union,
Oswald went on October 31, to the American Embassy to renounce his U.S. citizenship.
Mr. Richard E. Snyder, then Second Secretary and senior consular official at the Embassy,
testified that Oswald was extremely sure of himself and seemed, quote, to know what his mission was.
He took charge, in a sense, of the conversation right from the beginning, end quote. He presented the following signed note:
Quote, I Lee Harvey Oswald do hereby request that my present citizenship in the United States of America, be revoked.
I have entered the Soviet Union for the express purpose of applying for citizenship in the Soviet Union, through the means of naturalization.
My request for citizenship is now pending before the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. I take these steps for political reasons.
My request for the revoking of my American citizenship
is made only after the longest and most serious considerations. I affirm that my allegiance is to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
End quote. As his, quote, principal reason, end quote, for renouncing his citizenship
Oswald stated, quote, I am a Marxist, end quote. He also alluded to hardships endured by his mother as a worker,
referring to them as experiences that he did not intend to have himself, even though he stated that he had never held a civilian job.
He said that his Marine service in Okinawa and elsewhere had given him, quote, a chance to observe American imperialism, end quote.
but he also displayed some sensitivity at not having reached a higher rank in the Marine Corps.
He stated that he had volunteered to give Soviet officials any information that he had concerning Marine Corps operations, and intimated
that he might know something of special interest. Oswald's "Historic Diary" describes the event in part as follows, quote,
I leave Embassy, elated at this showdown, returning to my hotel I feel now my energies are not spent in vain.
I'm sure Russians will accept me after this sign of my faith in them, end quote.
The Soviet authorities finally permitted Oswald to remain in their country.
No evidence has been found that they used him for any particular propaganda or other political or informational purposes.
They sent him to Minsk to work in a radio and television factory as a metal worker.
The Soviet authorities denied Oswald permission
to attend a university in Moscow, but they gave him a monthly allowance of 700 rubles a month
(old exchange rate) in addition to his factory salary of approximately equal amount
and considerably better living quarters than those accorded to Soviet citizens of equal age and station.
The subsidy, apparently similar to those sometimes given to foreigners allowed to remain in the Soviet Union, together with his salary,
gave Oswald an income which he said approximated that of the director of the factory in which he worked.
Even though he received more money and better living quarters than other Russians doing similar work,
he envied his wife's uncle, a colonel in the MVD, because of the larger apartment in which he lived.
Reminiscent of his attitude toward his superiors in the Marine Corps,
Oswald apparently resented the exercise of authority over him and the better treatment afforded to Communist Party officials.
After he returned to the United States
he took the position that the Communist Party officials in the Soviet Union were opportunists who were betraying their positions for personal gain.
He is reported to have expressed the conclusion that they had, quote, fat stinking politicians over there just like we have over here, end quote.
Oswald apparently continued to have personal difficulties while he was in Minsk.
Although Marina Oswald told the Commission that her husband had good personal relationships in the Soviet Union, Katherine Ford,
one of the members of the Russian community in Dallas with which the Oswalds became acquainted upon their arrival in the United States,
stated that Mrs. Oswald told her everybody in Russia, quote, hated him, end quote.
Jeanne De Mohrenschildt, another member of that group,
said that Oswald told her that he had returned because, quote, I didn't find what I was looking for, end quote.
George De Mohrenschildt thought that Oswald must have become disgusted with life in the Soviet Union as the novelty
of the presence of an American wore off and he began to be less the center of attention.
The best description of Oswald's state of mind, however, is set forth in his own "Historic Diary."
Under the entry for May 1, 1960,
he noted that one of his acquaintances, quote, relates many things I do not know about the U.S.S.R.
I begin to feel uneasy inside, its true! End quote.
Under the entry for August to September of that year he wrote, quote,
As my Russian improves I become increasingly conscious of just what sort of a society I live in.
Mass gymnastics, compulsory afterwork meeting, usually political information meeting.
Compulsory attendance at lectures and the sending of the entire shop collective (except me) to pick potatoes on a Sunday, at a state collective farm
A "patriotic duty" to bring in the harvest. The opinions of the workers (unvoiced) are that it's a great pain in the neck:
they don't seem to be especially enthusiastic about any of the "collective" duties, a natural feeling.
I am increasingly aware of the presence, in all thing, of Lebizen, shop party secretary, fat, fortyish, and jovial on the outside.
He is a no-nonsense party regular.
Finally, the entry of January 4 to 31 of 1961, quote,
I am stating to reconsider my desire about staying. The work is drab. The money I get has nowhere to be spent.
No night clubs or bowling alleys, no places of recreation except the trade union dances. I have had enough.
Shortly thereafter, less than 18 months after his defection, about 6 weeks before he met Marina Prusakova,
Oswald opened negotiations with the U.S. Embassy in Moscow looking toward his return to the United States.
Return to the United States. In view of the intensity of his earlier commitment to the Soviet Union,
a great change must have occurred in Oswald's thinking to induce him to return to the United States.
The psychological effects of that change must have been highly unsettling. It should be remembered
that he was not yet 20 years old when he went to the Soviet Union with such high hopes and not quite 23 when he returned bitterly disappointed.
His attempt to renounce his citizenship had been an open expression of hostility against the United States and a profound rejection of his early life.
The dramatic break with society in America now had to be undone.
His return to the United States publicly testified to the utter failure of what had been the most important act of his life.
Marina Oswald confirmed the fact that her husband was experiencing psychological difficulties at the time of his return.
She said that, quote, immediately after coming to the United States, Lee changed. I did not know him as such a man in Russia, end quote.
She added that while he helped her as he had done before, he became more of a recluse, that, quote,
He was very irritable, sometimes for a trifle, end quote, and that, quote, Lee was very unrestrained and very explosive, end quote.
during the period from November 19, 1962 to March of 1963.
After the assassination she wrote that, quote,
In general, our family life began to deteriorate after we arrived in America.
Lee was always hot-tempered, and now this trait of character more and more prevented us from living together in harmony.
Lee became very irritable, and sometimes some completely trivial thing would drive him into a rage.
I myself do not have a particularly quiet disposition,
but I had to change my character a great deal in order to maintain a more or less peaceful family life. End quote.
Marina Oswald's judgment of her husband's state of mind may be substantiated by comparing material which he wrote in the Soviet Union
with what he wrote while on the way back to the United States and after his return.
While in the Soviet Union he wrote his longest and clearest piece of work, "The Collective."
This was a fairly coherent description of life in that country, basically centered around the radio and television factory in which he worked.
While it was apparently intended for publication in the United States, and is in many respects critical of certain aspects of life in the Soviet Union,
it appears to be the work of a fairly well organized person.
Oswald prefaced his manuscript with a short autobiographical sketch which reads in part as follows, quote,
Lee Harvey Oswald was born in October 1939 in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of a Insurance Salesmen whose early death
left a far mean streak of independence brought on by neglect.
entering the US Marine corp at 17, this streak of independence was strengthened by exotic journeys to Japan,
the Philippines, and the scores of odd islands in the Pacific.
Immediately after serving out his 3 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, he abandoned his American life to seek a new life in the USSR.
Full of optimism and hope, he stood in Red Square in the Fall of 1959, vowing to see his chosen course through,
After, however, 2 years and a lot of growing up, I decided to return to the USA.
"The Collective" contrasts sharply with material which Oswald seems to have written after he left the Soviet Union.
which appears to be more an expression of his own psychological condition than of a reasoned analysis.
The latter material expresses great hostility to both communism and capitalism. He wrote, that to a person knowing both of those systems, quote,
There can be no mediation between those systems as they exist today, and that person
He must be opposed to their basic foundations and representatives, end quote.
And yet, it is immature to take the sort of attitude which says, quote, a curse on both your houses! End quote.
There are two great representatives of power in the world,
simply expressed, the left and right, and their offspring factions and concerns. Any practical attempt at one alternative
must have as its nucleus the traditional ideological best of both systems, and yet be utterly opposed to both systems.
Such an alternative was to be opposed both to capitalism and communism because, quote,
No man, having known, having lived, under the Russian Communist and American capitalist system,
could possibly make a choice between them, there is no choice,
One offers oppression, the other poverty. Both offer imperialistic injustice, tinted with two brands of slavery, end quote.
Oswald actually did attempt to formulate such an alternative which he planned to, quote, put forward, end quote, himself.
He thought the new alternative would have its best chance to be accepted after, quote, conflict between the two world systems leaves the world country
without defense or foundation of government, end quote,
after which the survivors would, quote, seek an alternative opposed to those systems which have brought them misery, end quote.
Oswald realized that, quote, their thinking and education will be steeped in the traditions of those systems
and they would never accept a new order complete beyond their understanding, end quote.
As a result he thought it would be, quote, necessary to oppose the old systems but at the same time support their cherished traditions, end quote.
Expanding on his ideas on how his alternative to communism and capitalism might be introduced, he wrote of a, quote, readily foreseeable
economic, political, or military crisis, internal or external,
which will bring about the final destruction of the capitalist system, and indicated that
preparation in a special party could safeguard an independent course of action after the debacle, end quote.