in the USMC he abonded 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, two years and alot of growing up I decided to return to the USA.

**209

"The Collective" contrasts sharply with material which Oswald seems to have written after he left the Soviet Union,210 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, "their can be no mediation between those systems as they exist to-day and that person. He must be opposed to their basic foundations and representatives" 211

and yet it is imature to take the sort of attitude which says "a curse on both your houses!"

their are two great represenative of power in the world, simply expressed, the left and right, and their offspring factions and

concers.

any practical attempt at one alternative must have as its nuclus the triditionall ideological best of both systems, and yet be utterly opposed to both systems.2

212

Such an alternative was to be opposed both to capitalism and communism because:

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 oppresstion the other poverty. Both offer imperilistic injustice, tinted with two brands of slavery.213

Oswald actually did attempt to formulate such an alternative 214 which he planned to "put forward" himself.215 He thought the new alternative would have its best chance to be accepted after "conflict between the two world systems leaves the world country without defense or foundation of goverment," 216 after which the survivors would "seek a alturnative opposed to those systems which have brough them misery." 217 Oswald realized that "their thinking and education will be steeped in the traiditions of those systems [and] they would never except a 'new order' complete beyond their understanding." 218 As a result he thought it would be "neccary to oppose the old systems but at the same time support their cherised trations." 219

Expanding on his ideas on how his alternative to communism and capitalism might be introduced, he wrote of a "readily foreseeable *** economic, political or military crisis, internal or external, [which] will bring about the final destrution of the capitalist system," 220 and indicated that "preparation in a special party could safeguard an inde

pendant course of action after the debacle," 221 which would achieve the goal, which was:

The emplacement of a separate, democratic, pure communist sociaty *** but one with union-communes, democratic socializing of production and without regard to the twisting apart of Marxism Marxist Communism by other powers.222

While "[r]esoufualniss and patient working towards the aforesaid goal's are prefered rather than loud and useless manifestation's of protest, "223 Oswald went on to note:

But these prefered tactics now, may prove to be too limited in the near future, they should not be confused with slowness, indesision or fear, only the intellectualy fearless could even be remotly attracted too our doctrine, and yet this doctrine requirers the uptmest utmost restraint, a state of being in itself majustic in power.224

Oswald's decided rejection of both capitalism and communism seemed to place him in a situation in which he could not live with satisfaction either in the United States or in the Soviet Union. The discussion above has already set forth examples of his expression of hatred for the United States. He also expressed hatred of the Soviet Union and of the Communist Party, U.S.A., even though he later referred to the latter as "trusted long time fighters for progress." He wrote:

99 225

The Communist Party of the United States has betrayed itself! it has turned itself into the tradional lever of a foreign power to overthrow the goverment of the United States; not in the name of freedow or high ideals, but in servile conformity to the wishes of the Soviet Union and in anticipation of Soviet Russia's complete domination of the American continent.226

There can be no sympathy for those who have turned the idea of communism into a vill curse to western man.

The Soviets have committed crimes unsurpassed even by their early day capitalist counterparts, the imprisonment of their own peoples, with the mass extermination so typical of Stalin, and the individual surpresstion and regimentation under Krushchev. The deportations, the purposefull curtailment of diet in the consumer slighted population of Russia, the murder of history, the prositution of art and culture.227

A suggestion that Oswald hated more than just capitalism and communism is provided by the following, which was apparently written either on the ship coming back, or after his return from the Soviet Union:

I have offen wondered why it is that the communist, anarchist capitatist and even the fasist and anarchist elements in american, allways profess patrotistism toward the land and the people, if not the goverment; although their ideals movements must surly lead to the bitter destruction of all and everything.

I am quite sure these people must hate not only the goverment but our the peop culture, traditions, heritage and very people itself, and yet they stand up and piously pronouce themselfs patriots, displaying their war medles, that they gained in conflicts long-past between themselfs.

I wonder what would happen it somebody was to stand up and say he was utterly opposed not only to the goverments, but to the people, too the entire land and complete foundations of his socically.228

Oswald demonstrated his thinking in connection with his return to the United States by preparing two sets of identical questions of the type which he might have thought he would be asked at a press conference when he returned. With either great ambivalence or cold calculation he prepared completely different answers to the same questions. Judged by his other statements and writings, however, he appears to have indicated his true feelings in the set of answers first presented and to have stated in the second what he thought would be least harmful to him as he resumed life in the United States. For example, in response to his questions about his decision to go to the Soviet Union, his first draft answered "as a mark of dicuss and protest against american political policies in foriengn countrys, my personal sign of discontent and horror at the misguided line of resoning of the U.S. Goverment." 229 His second answer was that he "went as a citizen of the U.S. (as a tourist) residing in a forieng conutry which I have a perfect right to do. I went there to see the land, the people and how their system works." 230

To the question of "Are you a communits?" he first answered "Yes, basically, allthough I hate the USSR and socialist system I still think marxism can work under different circumstances." 231 His second answer to this question was, "No of course not, I have never even know a communist, outside of the ones in the USSR but you can't help that." 232 His first set of questions and answers indicated his belief that there were no outstanding differences between the Soviet Union and the United States, "except in the US. the living standard is a little higher. freedoms are about the same, medical aid and the educational system in the USSR is better than in the USA." 233 In the second simulated transcript which ended with the statement "Newspapers, thank you sir; you are a real patriot!!" he apparently concluded that the United States offered "freedom of speech travel outspoken opposition to unpopular policies freedom to believe in god," while the Soviet Union did not.234

Despite the hatred that Oswald expressed toward the Soviet Union after his residence there, he continued to be interested in that country after he returned to the United States. Soon after his arrival he wrote to the Soviet Embassy in Washington requesting information on how to subscribe to Russian newspapers and magazines and asked for "any periodicals or bulletins which you may put out for the beneifit of your citizens living, for a time, in the U.S.A.." 235 Oswald subsequently did subscribe to several Soviet journals. 236 While Marina Oswald tried to obtain permission to return to the Soviet Union she testified that she did so at her husband's insistence.237

In July of 1963, Oswald also requested the Soviet Union to provide a visa for his return to that country.238 In August of 1963, he gave the New Orleans police as a reason for refusing to permit his family to learn English, that "he hated America and he did not want them to become 'Americanized' and that his plans were to go back to Russia." 239 Even though his primary purpose probably was to get to Cuba, he sought an immediate grant of visa on his trip to Mexico City in late September of 1963.240 He also inquired about visas for himself and his wife in a letter which he wrote to the Soviet Embassy in Washington on November 9, 1963.241

Personal Relations

Apart from his relatives, Oswald had no friends or close associates in Texas when he returned there in June of 1962, and he did not establish any close friendships or associations, although it appears that he came to respect George De Mohrenschildt.242 Somewhat of a nonconformist,243 De Mohrenschildt was a peripheral member of the so-called Russian community, with which Oswald made contact through Mr. Peter Gregory, a Russian-speaking petroleum engineer whom Oswald met as a result of his contact with the Texas Employment Commission office in Fort Worth.244 Some of the members of that group saw a good deal of the Oswalds through the fall of 1963, and attempted to help Mrs. Oswald particularly, in various ways.2 In general, Oswald did not like the members of the Russian community.246 In fact, his relations with some of them, particularly George Bouhe, became quite hostile.247 Part of the problem resulted from the fact that, as Jeanne De Mohrenschildt testified, Oswald was "very, very disagreeable and disappointed." 248 He also expressed considerable resentment at the help given to his wife by her Russian-American friends. Jeanne De Mohrenschildt said:

245

Marina had a hundred dresses given to her * * * [and] he objected to that lavish help, because Marina was throwing it into his face.

*

He was offensive with the people. And I can understand why, * * * because that hurt him. He could never give her what the