Chapter V: Part 5

Mr. PIC. Possibly, sir; I don't recall.

Mr. JENNER. Was anything said about the fact or any allusion to the fact that during this period, up to Thanksgiving Day, there had been a time when Marina had not lived with your brother Lee?

Mr. PIC. No, sir. I understood they arrived from New York, at New York together, and proceeded--there was a short stay, I think, mentioned in New York. Where they stayed, I don't know, sir, and then they proceeded to Texas and lived with Robert.

Mr. JENNER. I am referring particularly to September and October and part of November 1962. Was there any reference or any discussion of it or anything said in your presence of the fact that Marina had lived apart, separate and apart from Lee?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. During one or more periods of time in September or October and November 1962?

Mr. PIC. Possibly it could have been being Marina stayed there while Lee went to look for a job in Dallas. I think, that may have been mentioned.

Mr. JENNER. Was there at any time mentioned even while he was working in Fort Worth, fully employed that she had separated from him and gone to live elsewhere?

Mr. PIC. I am not aware that he did work in Fort Worth, sir, at any time.

Mr. JENNER. You didn't learn at that time, Thanksgiving, that he had worked in Fort Worth?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Was the Leslie Welding Co. mentioned at all?

Mr. PIC. Something about welding was mentioned, that he tried it when he first came back, now that you mention it.

Mr. JENNER. Was it your impression or did you gain the impression then that he had had some employment in Fort Worth then as a welder?

Mr. PIC. I don't remember if it was Fort Worth, sir, or where it was. I just know that welding was mentioned.

Mr. JENNER. In that connection, was it mentioned or in any fashion indicated to you that he had been employed as a welder whether in Fort Worth or otherwise, but he had been employed as a welder?

Mr. PIC. It was my impression because of his experience in the Soviet Union working with metals that this helped him in getting his job as a welder.

Mr. JENNER. When he first returned?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And that that was a position or work that he had had prior to the time that he obtained the position in Dallas about which he spoke?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. That is a position preceding his work in the photography field in some firm in Dallas?

Mr. PIC. Right.

Mr. JENNER. Anything said about his financial status--that is, his and Marina's, and the child?

Mr. PIC. Well, he said he wasn't making very much money, but they were managing to get by. They couldn't afford a TV, couldn't afford a radio, couldn't afford these necessities of life.

Mr. JENNER. Did he say anything during the course of that day on the subject of any political philosophy of his?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; not at all.

Mr. JENNER. Politics wasn't discussed?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Whether party politics or politics in the broad sense?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; not at all.

Mr. JENNER. How did he look to you physically as compared with when you had seen him last?

Mr. PIC. I would have never recognized him, sir.

Mr. JENNER. All right. Your brother Robert said something along these lines. You had last seen him in 19--that was prior to this occasion, the last time you had seen him was when he was in New York City?

Mr. PIC. Which was a little over 10 years.

Mr. JENNER. Well, just about 10 years.

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Of course you had seen him in February 1953, I think you said.

Mr. PIC. Right. But we walked in and he walked out.

Mr. JENNER. But you saw him?

Mr. PIC. Right, I had seen him for a moment.

Mr. JENNER. He was then at that particular time in the neighborhood of 13 years of age?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Now, when you saw him 10 years later he was 23.

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. You noticed, did you, a material change, physically first, let's take his physical appearance?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir. Physically I noticed that.

Mr. JENNER. What did you notice?

Mr. PIC. He was much thinner than I had remembered him. He didn't have as much hair.

Mr. JENNER. Did that arrest your attention? Was that a material difference? Did that strike you?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir; it struck me quite profusely.

Mr. JENNER. What else did you notice about his physical appearance that arrested your attention?

Mr. PIC. His face features were somewhat different, being his eyes were set back maybe, you know like in these Army pictures, they looked different than I remembered him. His face was rounder. Marilyn had described him to me when he went in the Marine Corps as having a bull neck. This I didn't notice at all. I looked for this, I didn't notice this at all, sir.

Mr. JENNER. He seemed more slender?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. He had materially less hair?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. His eyes seemed a little sunken?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Did he give you the appearance of--was he taut, was he relaxed or taut, or just what appearance did he have in that connection?

Mr. PIC. Sir, he didn't strike me as being relaxed because I was not with him.

Mr. JENNER. You were not?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; because of these other feelings we had developed 10 years prior to this. I wondered about how he still felt about that.

Mr. JENNER. But nothing occurred to lead you to believe that he still remembered it vividly, or did or didn't?

Mr. PIC. When he was introduced to my wife again he did mention that he remembered her. But other than that, he completely ignored her.

Mr. JENNER. Was that pretty obvious?

Mr. PIC. To her it was, sir. She mentioned it to me several times. He arrived about 2.

Mr. JENNER. In the afternoon?

Mr. PIC. Right; and that is when we picked him up, so I guess we ate about 3, 4 o'clock or so. And then the girls cleared off the table and they sat and had coffee and I took them out, they wanted to see my car.

Mr. JENNER. Took who out?

Mr. PIC. Lee and Robert both. They looked at my car.

Mr. JENNER. Did you take Marina out with you?

Mr. PIC. No; she stayed in the house with the girls, and we talked about cars.

Mr. JENNER. What did he say about a car?

Mr. PIC. I was made aware sometime during the day that he wasn't driving. Other than this----

Mr. JENNER. How did you become aware of that?

Mr. PIC. He said he couldn't get a license, to me.

Mr. JENNER. Did he say why he couldn't get a license?

Mr. PIC. He said it and give me the impression because of his citizenship status being he had a dishonorable discharge.

Mr. JENNER. Did you ever see your brother Lee Harvey Oswald drive an automobile?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; never in my life.

Mr. JENNER. While you boys were still in Fort Worth and before you enlisted in the Coast Guard in January 1950 had you--you had an automobile, didn't you?

Mr. PIC. I drove the family car.

Mr. JENNER. Did your brother Robert drive?

Mr. PIC. He may have known how. He was not permitted to drive the family car.

Mr. JENNER. I remember when I was a boy I wasn't permitted to drive the family car, in the broad sense.

Mr. PIC. Right. He never swiped it.

Mr. JENNER. I was permitted to drive it up and down the driveway or when my father was with me, I could drive it around the block or something like that the way kids do. Was Robert permitted to do that on a limited scale?

Mr. PIC. I wouldn't remember that, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Did you own what we used to call in my day an old jalopy while you were still in Fort Worth?

Mr. PIC. That picture of that automobile there was quite an old jalopy, sir.

Mr. JENNER. That was before you enlisted?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Did your brother Robert ever drive that?

Mr. PIC. To the best of my recollection, no, sir. In fact, I only drove it a few times myself. This is the picture with the dog.

Mr. JENNER. That is the picture of the car in John Pic's Exhibit No. 55?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Lee never drove it, to your knowledge?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Was your brother Robert interested in automobiles?

Mr. PIC. All kids are interested in automobiles.

Mr. JENNER. No; please--was he interested in automobiles?

Mr. PIC. Sure, he wanted to drive. He seen I was driving so he wanted to drive and he wasn't as old as I was, I was permitted to drive and he wasn't.

Mr. JENNER. What about your brother Lee Harvey Oswald in that respect?

Mr. PIC. I don't know if he ever was really interested at that age to drive a car or not, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Was anything said on the day, Thanksgiving Day 1962, to lead you to believe that he knew how to drive or operate an automobile?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. By the way, are you right handed?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Is your brother Lee right or left handed?

Mr. PIC. I think he was right handed, sir. I think we were all right handed, Robert had tendencies toward the left hand and I think my mother made him change.

Mr. JENNER. Was anything said during the course of that occasion when you saw him about his experiences in the Marines?

Mr. PIC. There probably was, sir, but I don't remember what they referred to. I know he told me he was at Atsugo Naval Air Station. This I didn't know until he told me exactly where he was in Japan. I was familiar with the Atsugo area.

Mr. JENNER. Did he say anything about having been in the Philippines?

Mr. PIC. Reading the magazine I now know that----

Mr. JENNER. Did he say anything then?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; at that time I don't remember knowing that he had been in the Philippines.

Mr. JENNER. Did he say anything about ever having been in Formosa?

Mr. PIC. No, sir. Just Japan, I think possibly Korea, maybe, was mentioned.

Mr. JENNER. But there was no discussion of his marine career to speak of?

Mr. PIC. He was affiliated with radar, he told me, radio radar.

Mr. JENNER. Did the subject arise of why he went to Russia?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. That was not discussed at all?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Nothing was said? Anything said about his experiences in Russia prior to the time he became married there?

Mr. PIC. No sir; he didn't mention that at all to me.

Mr. JENNER. And anything said about his problems with the--I will withdraw that.

Was anything said about his defection or attempted defection to Russia?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; he did not mention his defection at all. Why he did it or how he did it, he didn't mention anything, and I didn't ask him.

Mr. JENNER. During the several days you were in Fort Worth visiting your brother Robert, did you and he go hunting?

Mr. PIC. We went fishing, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Fishing? I take it you did not go hunting.

Mr. PIC. No, sir; not at that particular time. When I first went there in 1958, we did go hunting.

Mr. JENNER. I see. When you three boys were in Fort Worth, that is before you enlisted in January 1950, did you boys occasionally go hunting?

Mr. PIC. We had no firearms whatsoever, sir, in the house.

Mr. JENNER. So you did not go hunting?

Mr. PIC. I didn't. Robert possibly did with some friends of his. I don't think Lee ever did. We went fishing several times.

Mr. JENNER. After you returned to this country in 1962, thereafter there were occasions, where there, or some one occasion, at least, when you did go squirrel or rabbit hunting with your brother Robert?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; that was in 1958.

Mr. JENNER. Oh, yes. When you were traveling across country to California?

Mr. PIC. Yes; we went to his in-law's farm and we did a little hunting on his father-in-law's property.

Mr. JENNER. What kind of firearms?

Mr. PIC. .22, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Single shot?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. You say the subject of your mother was not mentioned in the course of this Thanksgiving Day visit?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; Robert and I never brought her up in any conversations we had.

Mr. JENNER. Did Lee?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. What did he say about her?

Mr. PIC. He mentioned her, that he had seen her or been in touch with her when he first came back, maybe even stayed with her for a week or two when he first came back, I don't remember. My wife later told me that Marina couldn't get along with my mother.

Mr. JENNER. Marina told your wife that she couldn't get along with your mother?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I think it was Vada told my wife that Marina couldn't. I think she rather observed this rather than being told by Marina.

Mr. JENNER. I see.

Mr. PIC. That the two of them, not that they didn't get along, but that Marina disliked her.

Mr. JENNER. Is that the last time you saw your brother Lee?

Mr. PIC. Well, sir, in the course of that Thanksgiving Day, my brother Robert offered to drive him back to the bus station. Lee made a phone call and it was my understanding that the people that he phoned were of Russian descent, and that Marina often visited with them or talked with them, so she could talk in her own native tongue, and that their boy, who was attending, I believe, the University of Oklahoma----

Mr. JENNER. Paul Gregory?

Mr. PIC. Sir, I don't remember his name at all, because I was mad at the time I was introduced to him.

Mr. JENNER. Introduced to whom?

Mr. PIC. This gentleman who picked him up.

Mr. JENNER. Was he a young man?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. All right, tell us the circumstances, tell us what led up to this incident, and tell us all about the incident.

Mr. PIC. Well, they made the phone call, and Lee said that they would be picked up by their friends, and I think sometime between 6 and 7 that night he came by. Now, my brother Robert, whenever he introduces me to anyone always refers to me as his brother. Lee referred to me as his half brother when he introduced me.

Mr. JENNER. On this occasion?

Mr. PIC. It was very pronounced. He wanted to let the man know I was only his half brother. And this kind of peeved me a little bit. Because we never mentioned the fact that we were half brothers.

Mr. JENNER. You never had that feeling?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Was this the first time that your brother had ever introduced you to anyone as his half brother? I am talking about your brother Lee now.

Mr. PIC. I think possibly, sir, this is the first time he ever introduced me to anyone.

Mr. JENNER. Was this the first time he had ever referred to you as your half brother?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. His half brother?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Is that so?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And that irritated you on this occasion?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir. Right then and there I had the feeling that the hostile feeling was still there. Up until this time it didn't show itself, but I felt then, well, he still felt the same way.

Mr. JENNER. This young man from the University of Oklahoma, whose name, by the way, was Gregory----

Mr. PIC. He was at the University of Oklahoma.

Mr. JENNER. Yes.

Mr. PIC. I have said this three or four times, I wasn't certain, but I am sure he was and I was introduced to him as Lee's half brother, and the man was studying Russian at the school. His parents were from Russia.

Mr. JENNER. He came alone, did he?

Mr. PIC. The car was parked out front, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Well, he was alone when he came in?

Mr. PIC. He was in the house alone.

Mr. JENNER. Was it night?

Mr. PIC. Yes; it was dark between 6 and 7 in November.

Mr. JENNER. Did you go out to the car?

Mr. PIC. No; I didn't. We stayed in the house.

Mr. JENNER. Did Robert go out to the car?

Mr. PIC. I don't remember, sir. I don't think so.

Mr. JENNER. Did Marina appear to be acquainted with this young man?

Mr. PIC. Yes; as soon as he walked in she started talking Russian to him.

Mr. JENNER. Did he respond in Russian?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Lee spoke to him in Russian?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Except when he was introducing you to him he introduced you in English as his half brother?

Mr. PIC. Well, Lee would speak to him part Russian, part English. He was only there maybe a couple or 3 minutes. I had the impression that this gentleman could speak Russian better than Lee.

Mr. JENNER. What gave you that impression?

Mr. PIC. Because Lee wouldn't converse fully with him in Russian whereas him and Marina did converse fully in Russian.

Mr. JENNER. Any other impressions you got of this several hours visit with your brother Lee?

Mr. PIC. Well, right before they left, sir; I told him that if he needs any help or anything, to let me know. I told him I was unable to help him financially but he is welcome to pay us a visit any time he wished, stay with us, talk like that.

Mr. JENNER. What did he say?

Mr. PIC. He said OK. He told me to write to him, and in this book, sir, which I had there he wrote his post office box address in Dallas.

Mr. JENNER. We will give that little book, to which you make reference, John Pic Exhibit No. 60.

(The document referred to was marked John Pic Exhibit No. 60 for identification.)

Mr. JENNER. I have John Pic Exhibit No. 60 in my hand. What is this?

Mr. PIC. A black memo book, I guess.

Mr. JENNER. Of yours?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir; I had it in my car at the time. Whenever I travel I keep a little book with my mileage on it and so forth.

Mr. JENNER. I notice that the fist ruled page of this book on which there appear some figures, the letter "B" and then there are some handwritings which appears to be Russian. I show that to you.

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. In whose handwriting is that?

Mr. PIC. That is in the handwriting of Marina Oswald, sir.

Mr. JENNER. What was the occasion of her writing in this book?

Mr. PIC. Only part of this, sir, is in the handwriting of Marina Oswald. This right here [indicating].

Mr. JENNER. That is the word beginning with the letter, it looks like the letter "N" or "M" and the word right below that beginning with the letter "D," and a word right below that beginning, it looks like a capital "H"?

Mr. PIC. That is right, sir. The other ones are in my handwriting.

Mr. JENNER. The others are all figures?

Mr. PIC. Right.

Mr. JENNER. What was the occasion of her writing that on the page?

Mr. PIC. She being a pharmacist, and me being in the medical field, we tried to communicate with each other just to make small talk with medical terminology, metric system and so forth, just some way to kill time with each other she and I seemed to be able to do this to some degree.

Mr. JENNER. That is to communicate?

Mr. PIC. Yes; as long as we stuck within the pharmacy and medical field.

Mr. JENNER. Did she know some English terms in the pharmacy, medical field?

Mr. PIC. She used Latin phrases, some of which were familiar to me.

Mr. JENNER. Just what was that writing, some medical terms?

Mr. PIC. Yes; I think these are names of drugs she was writing down. I wouldn't know.

Mr. JENNER. There is a large letter "B" on that page. How did that get on there?

Mr. PIC. I don't know, sir. I don't know, sir. I wouldn't venture a guess whose handwriting it is.

Mr. JENNER. There is a square to the left of the handwriting in Russian, what does that signify?

Mr. PIC. This was placed there by the Secret Service, in San Antonio, sir, to identify the handwritings in this book, the square being the handwriting of Marina Oswald, the parentheses being the handwriting of myself and the mark with the circle being the handwriting of Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mr. JENNER. So that wherever throughout that book a zero appears that is the handwriting of Lee Harvey Oswald?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Wherever the parentheses mark appears that is your handwriting?

Mr. PIC. That is correct, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And wherever the square appears that is Marina's handwriting?

Mr. PIC. That is correct, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Turn the page over. On the reverse side of that page that is all your handwriting?

Mr. PIC. Except this up here, sir.

Mr. JENNER. The reverse side of the previous page.

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir; that is my handwriting.

Mr. JENNER. All right. Now, the front side of the next page which has the letter "A" printed on it, in the upper right-hand corner. Is that in your handwriting?

Mr. PIC. Everything except this top portion, sir.

Mr. JENNER. The top portion?

Mr. PIC. Starting with liquid measure would be my handwriting.

Mr. JENNER. And then there is something above that?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Whose handwriting is that?

Mr. PIC. I believe that to be Marina Oswald's, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Everything below that is yours?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. All right. The reverse side of that page, that is the reverse side of the "A" page is in whose handwriting?

Mr. PIC. My handwriting, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Then the page opposite that?

Mr. PIC. That is in my handwriting, sir.

Mr. JENNER. The reverse side of that page is blank. Then the face of the next page is some figures and the words "Highway start, Fort Worth," and "highway" again, those are all in whose handwriting?

Mr. PIC. My handwriting, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Then the series of pages are blank, and the first writing we see thereafter is on the "C" page, some letters and a figure. Whose handwriting is that?

Mr. PIC. That is mine, sir.

Mr. JENNER. The next handwriting appears on the last ruled page. Whose handwriting is that?

Mr. PIC. That is the handwriting of my wife, sir.

Mr. JENNER. All of it?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir; she loves to write her name.

Mr. JENNER. All right. Then on the next to the last page in the book which is a plain white page, appears P.O. Box 2195, Dallas, Tex.

Mr. PIC. That is the handwriting of Lee Harvey Oswald, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And on the opposite page, which is the inside of the back cover----

Mr. PIC. This is the identifying mark in the hand of Secret Service Agent Ben A. Vidles, in San Antonio, Tex.

Mr. JENNER. This book is in the same condition now as it was?

Mr. PIC. When I gave it to the Secret Service.

Mr. JENNER. When you gave it to the Secret Service.

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Plus the identifying marks you have described?

Mr. PIC. That is correct, sir.

Mr. JENNER. I offer in evidence a document, memorandum book now marked as "John Pic Exhibit No. 60."

(The document heretofore marked for identification as John Pic Exhibit No. 60 was received in evidence.)

Mr. JENNER. Did you thereafter prior to November 22, up to but prior to November 22, 1963, hear anything about your brother?

Mr. PIC. The day or two after they left Robert and I went fishing. While we were in the boat there was Robert, myself, and my oldest boy, and at this time I asked him about Lee, I asked him if he considered or thought that Lee was a little on the pink side and just how he was getting along. Robert informed me that he had had seen FBI agents once in awhile who said Lee was doing pretty good and that there was nothing to worry about. And all reports that he had had were favorable towards Lee.

Mr. JENNER. Robert did tell you that the FBI had checked with him?

Mr. PIC. He had seen an agent now and then, sir.

Mr. JENNER. He didn't elaborate as to whether the FBI had come to visit him or whether he had merely run into some FBI agent?

Mr. PIC. I had the impression that they had visited him where he worked, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Did you hear anything else about your brother from that occasion up to but not including November 22, 1963?

Mr. PIC. Well, other information I gathered from my talks with Robert in those few days was that Lee and Marina made the trip to see them in Fort Worth fairly regular, to have dinner, things like this. It seems that Vada and Marina were at one time, I was told, talking----

Mr. JENNER. By whom?

Mr. PIC. By Vada, Marina was trying to make a point about her wedding ring being she couldn't speak English, Vada got the impression that Marina had been married before.

Mr. JENNER. That Marina had been married before?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir; this is the only thing she could gather from Marina flashing her wedding ring and talking about this. The four of us were present, Robert, myself, and the two wives. But this was done over coffee.

Mr. JENNER. This was after Lee and Marina had left?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir; this was after they had left.

Mr. JENNER. What did Robert say on that subject, if anything?

Mr. PIC. Nothing. That he didn't think she had been married before.

Mr. JENNER. Did you visit your brother Robert, and did he visit you subsequent to that occasion on Thanksgiving up to but not including November 22, 1963?

Mr. PIC. A couple or 3 days prior to Christmas of 1962, Robert and his family returned the visit to our home in San Antonio, sir. I asked Robert this time if he had seen or heard from Lee since we had last seen him and he told me, no.

Mr. JENNER. Was there any comment on that subject that he had not heard from Lee up to that time?

Mr. PIC. It was really only a matter of 3 or 4 weeks at the most, sir.

Mr. JENNER. So it didn't occasion any surprise on your part?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Were you given any other information by Robert with respect to Lee?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; not that I recall.

Mr. JENNER. Did you see Robert again subsequent to this pre-Christmas Party 1962?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And up to but not including November 22, 1963?

Mr. PIC. I still haven't seen him since Christmas 1962.

Mr. JENNER. Have you corresponded?

Mr. PIC. We have written a few letters, and I was permitted to make a phone call to him right after the assassination.

Mr. JENNER. What did he say in the course of that conversation? What did you say?

Mr. PIC. This was--I was permitted to make the phone call after Lee's murder. The Secret Service said I could contact Robert. He had called where I worked and left a number. I contacted the Secret Service. They told me go ahead and call this number, call them back and tell them the gist of the conversation.

I called him up at this number. Someone answered the phone and I asked for Robert and they called him to the phone. He told me that he and his--told me his wife and children were at the farm with her folks, I believe that is what he told me. That he was--he couldn't tell me where he was but he was in Arlington, Tex.

Mr. JENNER. Robert was?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir; under custody of the Secret Service.

Mr. JENNER. What day of the week was this?

Mr. PIC. This was Sunday, sir.

Mr. JENNER. The day of the death of your brother?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. The 24th of November 1963?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. What else was said?

Mr. PIC. He told me that some local business people would make arrangements for the funeral and there would be no expense to him. I told him I was sorry it happened and everything.

Mr. JENNER. Did he say anything about having seen your brother at the Dallas City Police Station prior to this telephone conversation?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; he didn't.

Mr. JENNER. Was there any discussion in this telephone conversation about the assassination of President Kennedy?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; there wasn't.

Mr. JENNER. About the possible involvement of your brother in that connection?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; there wasn't.

Mr. JENNER. I take it, then, it was confined largely, if not exclusively, to the death of your brother?

Mr. PIC. The conversation was just about as I related it, sir. It was mostly confined to the death of Lee.

Mr. JENNER. And his burial?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Did you attend the funeral services?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I was not permitted. In fact, the Secret Service did not let me write Robert for, I think, 7 to 8 days after the assassination. At that time they granted me permission to freely correspond with him.

Mr. JENNER. And you did so?

Mr. PIC. I think we have written about two, three letters back and forth. I am the one who fails to write. He never fails to write.

Mr. JENNER. The subject matter of these letters involved Lee; any of them?

Mr. PIC. I think the very first one I got concerned the welfare of his family. They were out at the farm. That his company treated him very good about all the time lost. That Marina asked about us and how we were getting along. In my return letter to him I told him nobody had bothered us and we were getting along just fine. He informed me that he was--I suggested if they could, to come down and stay with us awhile. We had just purchased a new house, we had the room, and he wrote back and told me that because he had missed all the time because of the incidents he was unable to get any more time from his company without losing his job.

Mr. JENNER. Have you seen Marina in the meantime?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. The last time you saw her, I take it, then, was Thanksgiving Day 1962?

Mr. PIC. That is correct, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Has there been any correspondence between you?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Has there been any correspondence that was indirect in any fashion?

Mr. PIC. My last letter I received from Robert was right after he appeared here. He mentioned that Marina often asked about my wife and I. Other than this, there has been no mention. He has mentioned about the grave being desecrated, and some information concerning the gravesite of Lee.

Mr. JENNER. Before I return to some specifics, is there anything else that has occurred to you in your reflection on this matter that you would like to mention?

Mr. PIC. The actual assassination, that time period or what, sir?

Mr. JENNER. Well, anything you think that might be relevant to the Commission's investigation as to the circumstances surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy, any persons involved therein, the subsequent death of your brother.

Mr. PIC. Most of the information that I have seen and heard has been all new to me, like his escapades in New Orleans, passing out the leaflets and his radio program.

Mr. JENNER. Those incidents, by the way, were unknown to you until after the assassination, I take it?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir; I assure you if I had known he was doing his escapades again I would have went to the proper authorities about it.

Mr. JENNER. I show you an exhibit, a series of exhibits, first Commission Exhibit No. 281 and Exhibit No. 282 being some spread pages of an issue of Life magazine of February 21, 1964. I direct your attention first to the lower left-hand spread at the bottom of the page. Do you recognize the area shown there?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Do you see somebody in that picture that appears to be your brother?

Mr. PIC. This one here with the arrow.

Mr. JENNER. The one that has the printed arrow?

Mr. PIC. That is correct, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And you recognize that as your brother?

Mr. PIC. Because they say so, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Please, I don't want you to say----

Mr. PIC. No; I couldn't recognize that.

Mr. JENNER. Because this magazine says that it is.

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I couldn't recognize him from that picture.

Mr. JENNER. You don't recognize anybody else in the picture after studying it that appears to be your brother? When I say your brother now, I am talking about Lee.

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. In the upper portion there are a series of photographs spread from left-hand page across to the right-hand page. Take those on the left which appears to be a photograph of three young men. Do you recognize the persons shown in that photograph?

Mr. PIC. Yes; I recognize this photograph, the people from left to right being Robert Oswald, the center one being Lee Oswald, and the third one being myself. This picture was taken at the house in Dallas when we returned from New Orleans.

Mr. JENNER. You mean from--when you came from New Orleans after being at the Bethlehem Orphanage Home?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And you went to Dallas?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. It was taken in Dallas at or about that time?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. The next one is prominent; in front is a picture of a young boy. There is a partially shown girl and apparently another boy with a striped shirt in the background. Do you recognize that picture?

Mr. PIC. Yes; I recognize that as Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mr. JENNER. Do you have any impression as to when and where that was taken?

Mr. PIC. Just looking at the picture, I would guess first, second grade, maybe. I would have to guess at it.

Mr. JENNER. Then there is one immediately to the right of that, a young man in the foreground sitting on the floor, with his knees, legs crossed, and his arms also crossed. There are some other people apparently in the background.

Mr. PIC. I recognize that as Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mr. JENNER. Does anything about the picture enable you to identify as to where that was taken?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Then to the right there is a picture of two young men, the upper portion of the--one young man at the bottom and then apparently a young man standing up in back of that person. Do you recognize either of those young people?

Mr. PIC. Yes; I recognize Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mr. JENNER. Is he the one to which the black arrow is pointing?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Then right below that is a picture of a young man standing in front of an iron fence, which appears to be probably at a zoo. Do you recognize that?

Mr. PIC. Sir, from that picture, I could not recognize that that is Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mr. JENNER. That young fellow is shown there, he doesn't look like you recall Lee looked in 1952 and 1953 when you saw him in New York City?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Commission Exhibit No. 284--do you recognize anybody in that picture that appears to be Lee Oswald?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. There is a young fellow in the foreground--everybody else is facing the other way. He is in a pantomime, or grimace. Do you recognize that as Lee Harvey Oswald?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; looking at that picture--and I have looked at it several times--that looks more like Robert than it does Lee, to my recollection.

Mr. JENNER. All right. On Exhibit No. 286, the lower right-hand corner, there is another picture. Do you recognize that as your brother Lee in that picture?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir; that is about how he looked when I seen him in 1962, his profile.

Mr. JENNER. Do you recognize the person, the lady to the right who is pointing her finger at him?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I don't.

Mr. JENNER. Exhibit No. 287 is two figures, taking them from top to bottom and in the lower right-hand corner, do you recognize those?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I don't.

Mr. JENNER. Neither one of them?

Mr. PIC. No, sir. The lower one appears to me to look like Robert rather than Lee. The upper one, unless they tell me that, I would never guess that that would be Lee, sir.

Mr. JENNER. All right. Exhibit No. 288, there is in the lower left-hand corner, there is a reproduction of a service card and a reproduction, also, of a photograph with the head of a man. Do you recognize that?

Mr. PIC. That looks to me approximately how Lee Oswald looked when I seen him Thanksgiving 1962.

Mr. JENNER. Directing your attention to Exhibit, Commission Exhibit No. 289, do you recognize any of the servicemen shown in that picture as your brother Lee?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I do not recognize them.

Mr. JENNER. Exhibit No. 290, the lower left-hand corner there is a photograph of a young lady and a young man. Do you recognize either of those persons?

Mr. PIC. He appears to me as Lee Harvey Oswald in 1962 when I seen him.

Mr. JENNER. And the lady?

Mr. PIC. She is his wife, Marina, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Commission Exhibit No. 291, at the bottom of the page, there is a picture of a young man handing out a leaflet, and another man to the left of him who is reaching out for it. Do you recognize the young man handing out the leaflet?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I would be unable to recognize him.

Mr. JENNER. As to whether he was your brother?

Mr. PIC. That is correct.

Mr. JENNER. Exhibit No. 292, in the upper right-hand corner, is a picture of a lady, a young lady with a child. Do you recognize either of those persons?

Mr. PIC. Yes; I recognize Marina Oswald.

Mr. JENNER. And the baby?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I couldn't recognize the baby.

Mr. JENNER. Below that is a picture purporting to be that of your brother with a pistol on his right hip, and with a firearm, a rifle in his left hand holding up what appear to be some leaflets. Do you recognize that as your brother Lee?

Mr. PIC. That is how he looked to me in 1962 when I seen him, sir.

Mr. JENNER. That is a duplicate of the picture on the cover. You have produced for us a series of letters from your mother to yourself, from your brother Lee to yourself, and from your brother Robert to yourself which have been marked John Pic Exhibits Nos. 6 through 47, inclusive.

Did you assist Mr. Ely, in the preparation of this list of exhibits?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I arranged the stacks. He took it from the stacks I arranged previously.

Mr. JENNER. For the purpose of the record, then, John Pic Exhibit No. 6 is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic, postmarked May 8, 1950, and its accompanying envelope as John Pic Exhibit No. 6-A. John Pic Exhibit No. 7 is a letter from your mother to you, postmarked May 23, 1950, or the envelope is so postmarked. Its accompanying envelope being marked John Pic Exhibit No. 7-A. John Pic Exhibit No. 8, a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in envelope, Exhibit No. 8-A, postmarked at Fort Worth, May 24, 1950.

By the way, Exhibit No. 6-A is postmarked Fort Worth. All of these exhibits until I indicate otherwise from here on are marked with a return address to M. Oswald, 9048 Ewing, Fort Worth, Tex.

Mr. PIC. 7408.

Mr. JENNER. What did I say? 7408; that is correct. You are right.

Exhibit No. 9 is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic, accompanying envelope is Exhibit No. 9-A postmarked June 9, 1950.

Exhibit No. 10 and its reverse side, which is marked Exhibit No. 10-B, is a letter from Lee Harvey Oswald to John Pic enclosed in envelope marked John Pic Exhibit No. 10-A, postmarked at Fort Worth, Tex., on August 23, 1950. This envelope has no return address on it.

Exhibit No. 11 is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic in an envelope postmarked August 15, 1950, marked Exhibit No. 11-A.

Exhibit No. 12 is a letter from Marguerite to John Pic enclosed in envelope postmarked November 6, 1950, and identified as John Pic Exhibit No. 12-A.

The next is John Pic Exhibit No. 13, a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in envelope postmarked December 13, 1950, the envelope being marked John Pic Exhibit No. 13-A. This does have the return address Lee Oswald, 7408 Ewing, Fort Worth, Tex.

The next is a short longhand note on a small sheet marked John Pic Exhibit No. 14 which is undated, Lee Harvey Oswald to John Pic, which was enclosed with Exhibit No. 13.

The next is a card, Christmas card, marked John Pic Exhibit No. 15, inside cover of which in longhand says, "Dear Pic," and then there is in longhand and pencil "I sure am sorry that you can't come home for Christmas so I am sending you this fruitcake. Merry Christmas"--spelled Mary--"from Lee."

The next is John Pic No. 16, a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in envelope marked Pic Exhibit No. 16-A and postmarked in Fort Worth, April 16, 1951, with the usual return address.

Exhibit No. 17 is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in envelope postmarked at Fort Worth on April 23, 1951. That envelope is marked John Pic Exhibit No. 17-A. The previous envelope in which Exhibit No. 16 was enclosed was marked Exhibit No. 16-A. I will say for the record in each instance where there is a letter accompanied by an envelope, the envelope is marked with a letter "A" but with the same number as the letter.

Exhibit No. 18 is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in an envelope marked Exhibit No. 18-A, postmarked at Fort Worth, May 22, 1951.

The next is Exhibit No. 19, a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in an envelope marked Exhibit No. 19-A, postmarked at Fort Worth on June 18, 1951.

Exhibit No. 20 is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic and Exhibit No. 20-B is a birthday card from Marguerite. Both are enclosed in an envelope marked John Pic Exhibit No. 20-A, postmarked at Fort Worth, Tex., June 14, 1952, bearing the usual return address.

Exhibit No. 21 is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in an envelope marked Pic Exhibit No. 21-A, postmarked Fort Worth, July 14, 1952, with the usual return address.

The next is a letter without an envelope which is marked John Pic Exhibit No. 22. The letter is dated May 10, 1954.

The Exhibit No. 23 is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed is an envelope, Exhibit No. 23-A, postmarked in New Orleans on June 14, 1954, containing the return address, M. Oswald, 1454 St. Mary, New Orleans, La.

The next is Exhibit No. 24; it is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in an envelope postmarked at New Orleans, October 14, 1954, which in turn is marked John Pic Exhibit No. 24-A. It contains the return address, M. Oswald, 126 Exchange, New Orleans, La. If I neglected to do so, Exhibit No. 22 is the letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic.

Exhibit No. 25 also is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in an envelope marked Exhibit No. 25-A, postmarked at New Orleans, La., on November 12, 1954, containing return address, M. Oswald, 126 Exchange, New Orleans, La.

Exhibit No. 26 is a letter from Marguerite Oswald to John Pic enclosed in an envelope marked Exhibit No. 26-A, postmarked at New Orleans, La., on November 11, 1954, return address, Mrs. M. Oswald, 126 Exchange, New Orleans, La. Mr. Pic, are Exhibits Nos. 6 and 6-A, 7 and 7-A, 8 and 8-A, 9 and 9-A, 10 and 10-A, 11 and 11-A--excuse me, strike out that 10 and 10-A--11 and 11-A, 12 and 12-A, 16 and 16-A, 17 and 17-A, 18 and 18-A, 19 and 19-A, 20 and 20-A, 21 and 21-A, 22, 23 and 23-A, 24 and 24-A, 25 and 25-A, 26 and 26-A, all in the handwriting of your mother Marguerite Oswald?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And were those envelopes addressed to you at various places you were then, that is as of the time they were postmarked received by you at or about the postmarked dates or shortly thereafter which each envelope bears?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. There is one exhibit that doesn't have an envelope. Was that letter received by you shortly after the date it bears?

Mr. PIC. You refer to Exhibit No. 22, sir?

Mr. JENNER. Yes, sir.

Mr. PIC. To the best of my knowledge; yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. These are all, they all consist of correspondence from your mother to you?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And they happen to be correspondence which you have retained over the years?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Except for the exhibit marks on those, they are in the same condition now as they were at the time you received them and opened them in the case of the envelopes?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And that the letters are in the condition they were at the time you read them?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Go back to Pic Exhibit No. 10, in whose handwriting is that exhibit?

Mr. PIC. Exhibit No. 10, sir, is in the handwriting of--there is Exhibits Nos. 10, 10-A, and 10-B.

Mr. JENNER. Exhibit No. 10, I am referring to.

Mr. PIC. They are both in the handwriting of Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mr. JENNER. Exhibits Nos. 10 and 10-A; correct?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; Exhibits Nos. 10, 10-A, and 10-B. Exhibit No. 10 is the insert in envelope Exhibit No. 10-A.

Mr. JENNER. Then look at Exhibits Nos. 13 and 13-A.

Mr. PIC. They are marked Exhibits Nos. 13 and 13-A, sir.

Mr. JENNER. All right. The contents are marked Exhibit No. 13.

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. In whose handwriting is the envelope?

Mr. PIC. Lee Harvey Oswald's.

Mr. JENNER. And whose handwriting is that which appears in the inside of that card?

Mr. PIC. My mother's, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Is there any handwriting of Lee Harvey Oswald on that card?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. The card was enclosed, was it in the exhibit marked John Pic No. 13-A?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Turn to Exhibit No. 14. That is a note you received from your brother?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Is that in his handwriting?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. It is undated.

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Do you have the envelope in which that was enclosed?

Mr. PIC. Sir, it may be Exhibit No. 13-A, I don't know.

Mr. JENNER. It may have been enclosed in Exhibit No. 13-A?

Mr. PIC. It may have been enclosed in Exhibit No. 10-A, I don't know, sir.

Mr. JENNER. In any event, it is in the handwriting of your brother?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And you received it in due course some time?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. On or about the holiday period----

Mr. PIC. I would guess that Exhibit No. 15 goes in envelope Exhibit No. 13-A.

Mr. JENNER. All right. Would you put them in there?

Mr. PIC. And the date on envelope Exhibit No. 13-A is 13 December, and this is a Christmas card from Lee, sir.

Mr. JENNER. That Christmas card on the inside is the handwriting of your mother, however?

Mr. PIC. No, sir. Lee Harvey Oswald.

Mr. JENNER. All right. Now, the exhibit marked John Pic No. 14, do you have a recollection as to the envelope in which that was enclosed?

Mr. PIC. No, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Do you have a recollection as to approximately when you received it, that is John Pic Exhibit No. 14?

Mr. PIC. I would speculate and say that Exhibit No. 10 goes in envelope Exhibit No. 10-A, and that Exhibit No. 14 either came some little period of time before or after the contents in envelope Exhibit No. 10-A.

Mr. JENNER. That is while you were away at military school?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; this is when I am in the Coast Guard.

Mr. JENNER. All right. All those exhibits I have now identified, that is after I identified your mother's letters, are in the handwriting of Lee Oswald?

Mr. PIC. All except Exhibit No. 13, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And Exhibit No. 13 is in the handwriting of your mother?

Mr. PIC. That is correct, sir.

Mr. JENNER. It appears to be and is a Christmas card?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. From its contents are you able to tell us approximately when you received that?

Mr. PIC. It would be, I would say sometime after Christmas of 1950, sir.

Mr. JENNER. All right. Would you put all those exhibits back in order?

Mr. PIC. What belongs with what I think.

Mr. JENNER. Yes.

Mr. PIC. Exhibits Nos. 13-A and 15 here, sir.

Mr. JENNER. You have already told us of Exhibits No. 13-A belonging with Exhibit No. 15. You have also produced for us correspondence that you happen still to have in your possession from your brother Robert Oswald, have you not?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. I place that correspondence before you and ask you to follow me as I place the exhibit numbers in the record. Exhibit No. 27 is a letter from Robert to you.

Mr. PIC. They are marked all with "B's."

Mr. JENNER. Exhibit No. 27-B is a letter from your brother Robert to you enclosed in an envelope marked Exhibit No. 27-A, postmarked October 1, 1952?

Mr. PIC. That is correct, sir.

Mr. JENNER. From where?

Mr. PIC. U.S. Navy 14016, sir. Unit 1.

Mr. JENNER. And to you at?

Mr. PIC. At 325 East 92d Street, New York City, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Exhibit No. 28-B is the contents of Exhibit No. 28-A, the contents consisting of a letter from your brother Robert to you, the envelope is postmarked June 9, 1954.

Mr. PIC. That is correct, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And it is addressed to you where?

Mr. PIC. U.S. Coast Guard Station, Staten Island, N.Y.

Mr. JENNER. All right. Exhibit No. 29-B is the contents of the envelope marked Exhibit No. 29-A, the contents consisting of a letter from your brother Robert to you, and the envelope being postmarked June 19, 1954.

Mr. PIC. Plus a picture.

Mr. JENNER. There is also enclosed in that envelope a picture?

Mr. PIC. That is right, sir.

Mr. JENNER. Which is marked----

Mr. PIC. Exhibit No. 29-C.

Mr. JENNER. Exhibit No. 29-C. The picture is a picture of whom?

Mr. PIC. Two what appear to be Marines, sir; the one on the left being Robert Oswald.

Mr. JENNER. May I see it, please, sir? Do you know the other Marine?

Mr. PIC. No, sir; I do not.

Mr. JENNER. Exhibit No. 30-A is an envelope postmarked December 13, 1954, its contents being a letter marked Exhibit No. 30-B, being a letter from your brother Robert to you.

Mr. PIC. Being a Christmas card, sir; with a letter written on the Christmas card.

Mr. JENNER. On the inside?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.

Mr. JENNER. And some inscription, also, under the Christmas greetings?

Mr. PIC. Yes, sir.