
[Photograph: Marina and Lee Harvey Oswald, c. 1962]
Before we delve further into the sworn testimony of Warren Commission (WC) witnesses as evidence for this complex theory, let's orient ourselves with an overview. We have argued that at least three WC witnesses were indirectly involved in the Walker shooting on April 10, 1963. The three were: De Mohrenschildt, Everett Glover, and Michael Paine. We added a roommate that the WC overlooked -- Volkmar Schmidt.
We have already made a case against George De Mohrenschildt (DM), proposing that he knew far more about the Walker shooting that he was willing to admit -- even though his life went into a tailspin. Our next subject will be Michael Paine -- yet before we begin with Michael, let's look to Marina Oswald to set the stage. (Our starting premise is already unpopular, namely, that Marina Oswald always told the truth to the WC after she was first sworn in.)
As a citizen, Marina admittedly failed to do her civic duty when she failed to tell the Dallas Police about the wacky instability of Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) and his guns. LHO was never this unstable in Russia. Yet as LHO's wife, Marina's eye-witness perspective on LHO's behavior is unique -- actually incalculable.
This is particularly true regarding the events surrounding the Walker shooting. LHO deliberately kept her in the dark about the events, and he interacted with others more than he ever told Marina. This sufficiently accounts for her mistaken portrait of LHO as a "lone nut."
We will argue that several people were involved in the Walker shooting -- and at least three of them were WC witnesses. They were not forthcoming about their involvement in the Walker shooting -- even if it was a minor or involuntary involvement. We will argue that they knew more than they divulged in order to protect themselves. We have already seen this in the case of George DM. Let’s take a closer look at Michael Paine.
Their periodic interaction with LHO during this period contradicts their naivete. The current thread will attempt to expose those contradictions. This is new material -- not seen anywhere else. Let's orient ourselves first by using LHO's own writings, i.e. WC Exhibit CE-102 (from WC volume 16). Traditionally, these are notes for LHO's half-hour speech on July 27, 1963 at a Catholic seminary in New Orleans, scheduled by the novice John Murret, who was LHO's first cousin.
John was impressed that LHO had defected to Russia and returned, so he asked the student body leaders if they'd like to hear LHO speak. They said yes. The title of LHO's speech was, "Contemporary Russia and the Practice of Communism". This is the first and only place in LHO's political writings that we find the name of General Walker. Let's read the opening sentences:
"Americans are apt to scoff at the idea, that a military coup in the US (as so often happens in Latin American countries) could ever replace our government. But that is an idea that has grounds for consideration. Which military organization has the potentialities of executing such action? Is it the Army with its many conscripts, its unwieldy size, its scores of bases scattered across the world? The case of General Walker shows that the Army, at least, is not fertile enough ground for a far right regime to go a very long way..."
Here LHO claims that in 1963 he was opposed to a "military coup" in the US by a "far right regime," and he linked such a "coup" with General Walker. Back in April 1961, the Army brass had removed Walker from his command over 10,000 troops in Germany due to an Army scandal involving Walker's far right opinions (i.e. John Birch Society). The removal of General Walker from his Army command had been worldwide news, and it evidently convinced LHO that the US Army was no place to start a "military coup."
Next, let's approach Marina Oswald's long WC testimony with a specific focus on Michael Paine when the topic turns to LHO and the resigned General Walker. We enter the WC testimony of Marina Oswald in progress on June 11, 1964. Multiple WC attorneys are questioning Marina as they are speaking of LHO.
Mrs. OSWALD: He never said...that President Kennedy was a bad President or anything like that.
Senator COOPER: I think you testified before that he made statements showing his dislike of our system of government and its economic system.
Mrs. OSWALD: He used to complain about the educational difficulties and about the unemployment in the United States and about the high cost of medical care.
Mr. McKENZIE: Right there, please. (May I, Mr. Dulles?) When did he complain of those things, was this in Russia or was it in the United States after you returned from Russia?
Mrs. OSWALD: After our return from Russia. When we were living in New Orleans...
Mr. McKENZIE: Did he likewise make such complaints about the American system while you were living in Russia after you were married?
Mrs. OSWALD: ...When he was in Russia, he used to say good things about the United States and when he was in the United States he used to talk well about Russia.
Senator COOPER: You knew, of course, because of the incidents in New Orleans that he did not like American policy respecting Cuba.
Mrs. OSWALD: He was definitely a supporter of Cuba...
Senator COOPER: Did he ever say to you who was responsible or who had some responsibility for our policy toward Cuba?
Mrs. OSWALD: ...Never to me...He might have discussed this with Paine...Mr. Paine, husband of Ruth Paine...
Senator COOPER: Why do you say that? Did you ever hear him talking about it?
Mrs. OSWALD: He used to talk politics with Mr. Paine. I don’t know [exactly] what they were talking about because at that time I didn’t understand English.
Senator COOPER: Did you mean, though, to say that you believed he might have discussed the Cuban policy with Mr. Paine.
Mrs. OSWALD: Yes; especially after we returned from New Orleans.
Senator COOPER: Why? Why do you make that statement?
Mrs. OSWALD: ...I think, sir: because after returning from New Orleans this was his favorite subject, Cuba. And he was quite – a little bit cracked about it – crazy about Cuba.
Senator COOPER: You mean he talked to you a great deal about it after you came from New Orleans?
Mrs. OSWALD: Well, in New Orleans he used to talk to me endlessly about Cuba, but after we came back he didn’t talk to me about it any longer because I was just sick and tired of it.
Mr. DULLES: ‘He’ in this case is your husband?
Mrs. OSWALD: That is right. I really don’t know about what he talked about with Mr. Paine. I think that they were talking about politics...because my husband used to tell me afterwards, “Well, he doesn’t understand anything about politics.” “He is not too strong on politics.” And, therefore, I think they were probably talking about the American political system and the Russian political system and comparisons between them. I think that Mr. Paine could probably tell you more about this than I can...
Mr. McKENZIE: Mrs. Oswald, you say...that Mr. Paine knew or knows more about your husband’s attitude about the United States than you do. Why did you say that?
Mrs. OSWALD: Because my husband’s favorite topic of discussion was politics, and whoever he was with he talked to them politics and Mr. Paine was with him a fair amount...They went to meetings of some kind together...
Mr. McKENZIE: Do you know where the meetings were?
Mrs. OSWALD: In Dallas. After they came back from some meeting my husband said to me something about Walker being at this meeting, and he said, “Paine knows that I shot [at] him.”
Let's stop here for now, and let this sink in. As we can easily predict, the WC attorneys would grill Michael Paine about these statements by Marina Oswald. Michael, predictably, energetically denied the insinuations. That will form the substance of our next post.
Regards,
--Paul
Copyright (c) 2020 by Paul Trejo.
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