Who Wrote the Walker Letter?

[David Lifton]

Mr. Lifton - how do you, as a serious researcher, decide what parts of Marina's testimony to believe? For instance, do you believe that she locked her husband in the bathroom to keep him from shooting Nixon?

Paul:

I knew Marina quite well between the period January 1981 (when Best Evidence was published) and around 1995. We used to speak quite a bit on the phone, and she agreed to do a filmed interview in the summer of 1990.

Consequently, and in answer to your question, I had the benefit of many conversations with Marina about the same things to which she testified.

With regard to the Nixon incident. . . :

As Marina herself testified, she believed--in retrospect--that Lee Oswald behaved in certain ways simply to tease her or provoke her. That may not be a very nice way to treat your wife, but that was Marina's "after-the-fact" assessment of what he did.

Following that line of reasoning, I believe there was indeed a "Nixon incident" (as testified to by Marina, and related--by Marina--to Robert Oswald). Did Marina get in a shoving match (of sorts) with Lee, after she was provoked? Apparently so. Did she actually "lock him in the bathroom"? As you well know, that is not physically possible, since bathroom locks work the "other way"--and a person cannot be "locked inside." (Did Marina think she "locked him in the bathroom"? That is another issue). If you read the accounts, once she "won" her little struggle, Lee passed the pistol out from inside, and she provided certain books he wished to read--and Lee ended up sitting in the bathroom, and reading; and that's how it ended.

Bottom line: The Nixon Incident was not a fabrication that Marina made up out of whole cloth.

(And, to add a question you did not ask: Do I believe that if Marina had not won her struggle, that Lee would have exited the premises, and murdered Nixon? No. Of course not! [And, as you may well know, Nixon wasn't even in town at the time. He was in Washington D.C.]

Are you aware of that? Its a most important fact. Nixon was in Washington, D.C., but his picture was on the front page of the Dallas Morning News. Lee--seeing the photo (and knowing his wife could not read English)--then provoked Marina by saying (words to the effect) "Nixon's in town; I think I'll go out and have a look." But it was all play acting, and a provocation. Nixon was not in town; and Lee continued this role-playing, putting on a suit and then ostentatiously taking a pistol and putting it in his vest pocket--until Marina erupted (per her testimony, "No, you can't do that!" --approx) and that's when they had the fight.

Do I think this happened? (Yes, I do.)

Hope this answers your question.

DSL

4/22/15 - 5:10 p.m. PDT

Los Angeles, California

Modified, 4/23/15 - 1 p.m. PDT

Edited April 23, 2015 by David Lifton

[David Lifton]

Ron Ecker,

Assuming Marina showed her husband the letter, which I doubt, she should have said to him: "You have written this letter in poor Russian. What am I to make of it? Please tell me."

In which case, Marina's husband, skilled in speaking Russian but deficient in writing Russian, should have said:...

Jon (commenting on your response to Ron Ecker):

Please keep in mind that Marina was already jumpy and uncomfortable about Oswald having ordered a rifle.

Now, with that in mind. . . also keep in mind her puzzlement when (on the evening of 4/10) she saw that note.

Her reaction was not: "The grammar is wrong" or "the syntax is wrong."

Rather, her reaction (almost certainly) was; "What the hell has my 'crazy husband' done now?"

Then, (I am tempted to write "CUT TO" because this really sounds like a bad screenplay):

Lee rushes in and says he has just attempted to murder General Walker.

What does she do?

No, she does not say "The grammar in this letter you wrote is wrong, you idiot!"

Nor does say: "Someday, a genius named Greg Parker will appear, and prove that you did not write this! There are ortho-whatever mistakes. . so it was not you who wrote this! Where is the author, Lee? Is he hiding in the closet?"

Nope. None of the above.

So. .. what does Marina say?

She says: "Who is General Walker?!"

That's right: that's what she asks: "Who is General Walker?"

At that point, Lee holds forth that Walker was an American fascist, who deserved to die--and that's why he did it. That's why he attempted to murder the man.

Marina, mortified, responds along the lines of: "You have no right to kill another human being just because you don't agree with his politics!"

etc etc.

Anyway, that's what happened on the night of April 10, 1963.

Lee's behavior marked a major turning point in their marriage.

From that point forward, she was deeply shaken --Lee was not Mr. Nice Guy (who she met in Minsk). Rather, she was concerned she had married a man she really didn't know.

So what is really going on here?

I'll tell you what I believe: In plain English, Lee had successfully gas-lighted Marina (See the movie "Spellbound"if you want to know more about that term; or just Google the term).

Of course, these are subtleties that are beyond Mr. Parker. Greg Parker is ready to head a lynch mob, falsely accuse Ruth Paine, and string her up for a crime she did not commit. And he is wallowing in a false sense of certainty; but, unfortunately, he has this whole matter analyzed incorrectly. All wrong.

For those who doubt my analysis--and especially anyone who is involved in a marriage or other serious relationship--it is a testable hypothesis. Only half-humorously, I suggest the following:

1. Go and order a gun

2. Put the gun in your residence within easy view of your wife.

3. One evening, retrieve the gun, and leave a note (akin to the Walker note, and with grammatical errors).

4. Come running into the house, later in the evening, and say you have shot at someone--e.g., President Obama, or perhaps Vice President Joe Biden, who was visiting your city.

Now here's the proposition to be tested:

Which of the following occurs?

(a) Your wife says: Joe, what's wrong with you? This letter has grammatical errors!

( b ) Your wife says: Joe, have you gone mad? Why are you shooting at a public figure?

(c ) She says: "Joe, Please leave the premises. I never liked you; and I never want to see you again!"

IMHO: It was that kind of a moment, and of one thing I am fairly certain--the answer will not be (a).

DSL

4/22/15 - 5:30 p.m. PDT

Los Angeles, California

Edited April 23, 2015 by David Lifton

[David Lifton]

Ron Ecker,

Assuming Marina showed her husband the letter, which I doubt, she should have said to him: "You have written this letter in poor Russian. What am I to make of it? Please tell me."

In which case, Marina's husband, skilled in speaking Russian but deficient in writing Russian, should have said:...

Jon Tidd:

Re your statement: "Assuming Marina showed her husband (i.e., showed Lee Oswald) the letter, which I doubt. . . "

". . .which I doubt. . . " ?

Why do you say that?

Yes, Marina Oswald showed her husband the letter. And she told the whole (embarrassing) story on December 3, 1963.

Let me repeat the sequence. . . :

She told the whole story of what happened on the evening of April 10 for the first time to SS Agent Leon Gopadze on December 3, 1963, after Gopadze had been given the cookbook by the Irving Police Department on December 2, 1963. (Ruth Paine had turned over these materials a day or two before).

Gopadze telephoned Marina on the evening of Monday December 2, 1963, at which time she denied any knowledge.

The next day (Tuesday, December 3) Gopadze and another SS Agent (Brady) went to the Martin residence (where Marina was staying) and was questioned about the note.

From Gopadze's report: "Marina Oswald immediately stated that she did not want to talk about the note over the telephone the previous evening but that the note has nothing to do with the assassination of the President. She went on to say that the note was written by her husband, Lee Oswald, prior to his attempted assassination of former General Walker, the head of the Fascist organization in the United States who lived in Dallas, Teas, when they lived on Neely Street in Dallas; that the note, together with a post office (box) key, was left on a dresser in their bedroom and after reading the note she was afraid that her husband was planning to do something dreadful due to his hatred toward the Fascist organizations and their beliefs. She also stated that when her husband returned home late that night he was very nervous and finally told her that he shot Walker with his rifle and that it was best for everybody that he got rid of him. She further stated that when the following day he learned from radios and newspapers that the rifle shot fired by an unknown person missed Walker, she decided to keep the note as a threat against her husband so that he would not repeat the same thing again, which he promised not to do. She also stated that she did not report this matter to the police as she loved her husband and, particularly, on account of their child. However, she stated that if the shot had taken its mark, she would have reported the matter to the police. She also stated that prior to the shooting, her husband was seen drawing all kinds of maps, etc. "

Gopadze noted that "Statement concerning the Walker incident was obtained from Marina Oswald in her own handwriting. She requested that the matter not be reported to the police but that, if asked by the FBI, she would tell them everything."

The above document from which I am quoting is Warren Commission Exhibit 1785 ("CE 1785") which summarizes SS Agent Gopadze's interview of 12/2 and 12/3/63. He notes that at the end of the second interview, the FBI arrived--in the persons of Heitman and Bogoslov; and the story picks up with their reports, which --as I recall--are also in the 26 Volumes.

So, the Walker story is told twice--once on 12/3 to SS Gopadze; and then, within hours, to FBI agents Heitman and Bogoslov.

The SS account that I quoted above comes from CE 1785, and is available at the AARC Public Library, in one of the 26 volumes.

Next comes a paper trail of FBI reports--when they interviewed Marina.

The Walker information was then provided to the major media (e.g., the New York Times) on Friday, December 6, 1963 and was published on page 1 on Saturday, December 7. The headline read: "Oswald Linked to a Shot Fired at General Walker".

As to the particulars of the "Walker note" itself, that story was first broken by the Houston Chronicle in late December, 1963 and appeared in the New York Times on 12/31/63 (on page 20). The NY Times synopsis read: "Houston Chronicle reports that night before Walker was shot Oswald left his wife instructions, written in Russian, on what to do if he were arreted; says note was turned over to Warren Commission."

On January 1, 1964, the New York Times carried a second story, headlined: "Widow says Oswald Admitted Firing at Walker" etc.

In February, 1964, she testified about all this when she appeared in Washington before the Warren Commission.

To recap, here's the essentials of the "Walker Chronology":

12/2/63 - Monday - two books (provided by Ruth Paine to Irving Police Department) are turned over to Secret Service by Irving Police Department. Those books are given to Secret Service and provided to SS agent Gopadze. Gopadze telephones Marina about the note; she disclaims any knowledge.

12/3/63 - Tuesday -Marina interviewed in person re note; she now owns up to it. Tells Walker story for first time to two SS agents

12/6/63 - Friday; Information about LHO being linked to Walker shooting divulged to NY TImes

12/7/63 - Saturday; First NY Times story linking Oswald to Walker shooting. Report that Dallas Police have identified as having fired shot at Walker

And of course as any student of this case knows, all the Walker data is summarized in the Warren Commission Report in the section titled "PRIOR ATTEMPT TO KILL", with the subhead; "The Attempt on the Life of Mag. Gen. Edwin A. Walker" (which starts on page 183 of the Warren Report; and goes out to page 187). It can be read on-line, for example, by just Googling Warren Report" and going to nara.gov.

* * * *

During the 1964 time frame, Marina repeated the whole story to Priscilla Johnson McMillan, and it appears there, in her 1977 book Marina and Lee. And, as I have said, she repeated the whole account to me--more than once--after I met her on or around Jan, 1981, when Best Evidence was first published.

Now it appears, Jon, that you don't believe Marina's account.

Apparently, then, you believe that she made up this entire account--and then repeated it, again and again, over the course of many years, starting with the Secret Service, then the FBI, then to the Warren Commission; etc.

Of course, you are free to "disbelieve" anything you wish, but the question that must be addressed is: what is the basis for your disbelief?

Greg Parker has decided that Marina is a "proven xxxx" and therefore, he apparently believes that that entitles him to disbelieve what Marina says happened that night. And its true, Marina did not tell the truth, in the beginning, withholding the information about Walker (and also, by the way, about Lee Oswald having gone to Mexico City). But what is omitted from such justifications for ignoring Marina, i.e., from such "reasoning" (a la Greg Parker) is that, in the beginning, Marina believed in her husband's innocence, and said so in no uncertain terms. But the secret she was hiding of course--and what makes her a "proven xxxx" (in Parker's view)--was what happened on the night of April 10, 1963. But that's what destroyed her faith in her husband. Moreover, once that note was found, her secret was now "out there". Marina then had to "fess up" as to what had happened that night, and she did.

As I recall, when she first testified, she apologized at not being truthful the first time around; and vowed to tell the truth from there on out. (And she did.)

Of course, Parker doesn't like where this evidence leads, and so he has decided to create his own "reality" in which--he informs us--the Walker note was written after (!) the event became public knowledge. There is one small problem with that--besides requiring Marina to be a terrific actress: it was the revelation of the note (to SS agent Gopadze, and to the two FBI Agents , Boguslav and Heitman on 12/3/63 ) that led to the Walker incident becoming "publicly known" in the first place (on 12/6/63).

In other words, Greg Parker indulges in a facile reversal of cause and effect, and expects people to buy into this nonsense which he then parades around as the supposed "insights" of a serious investigator.

MY OWN REACTION TO PARKER'S "WALKER HYPOTHESIS"

I have no access to a "time-machine" and was not "there' on the night of April 10, 1963, but I did know Marina reasonably well over the course of 15 years, and can attest to the fact that, once it was clear that the Government had found out about the Walker note, and about Mexico City, she told the truth--to the best of her ability.

The idea that Marina wholesale fabricated the "Walker story" (and that Ruth Paine forged the Walker note) is completely unsupportable. Having had my own personal experiences with Greg Parker, I am not in the least surprised that he "reasons" in this fashion. (See my comments on his past behavior, in a previous post on this thread).

i caution anyone else following his line of "reasoning" to exercise extreme caution and not to follow him down that rabbit hole.

It lacks logic, and it leads nowhere.

DSL

4/22/15 - 8:10 p.m. PDT

Los Angeles, California

Edited April 23, 2015 by David Lifton

[Robert Prudhomme]

Ron Ecker,

Assuming Marina showed her husband the letter, which I doubt, she should have said to him: "You have written this letter in poor Russian. What am I to make of it? Please tell me."

In which case, Marina's husband, skilled in speaking Russian but deficient in writing Russian, should have said:...

Jon (commenting on your response to Ron Ecker):

Please keep in mind that Marina was already jumpy and uncomfortable about Oswald having ordered a rifle.

Now, with that in mind. . . also keep in mind her puzzlement when (on the evening of 4/10) she saw that note.

Her reaction was not: "The grammar is wrong" or "the syntax is wrong."

Rather, her reaction (almost certainly) was; "What the hell has my 'crazy husband' done now?"

Then, (I am tempted to write "CUT TO" because this really sounds like a bad screenplay):

Lee rushes in and says he has just attempted to murder General Walker.

What does she do?

No, she does not say "The grammar in this letter you wrote is wrong, you idiot!"

Nor does say: "Someday, a genius named Greg Parker will appear, and prove that you did not write this! There are ortho-whatever mistakes. . so it was not you who wrote this! Where is the author, Lee? Is he hiding in the closet?"

Nope. None of the above.

So. .. what does Marina say?

She says: "Who is General Walker?!"

That's right: that's what she asks: "Who is General Walker?"

At that point, Lee holds forth that Walker was an American fascist, who deserved to die--and that's why he did it. That's why he attempted to murder the man.

Marina, mortified, responds along the lines of: "You have no right to kill another human being just because you don't agree with his politics!"

etc etc.

Anyway, that's what happened on the night of April 10, 1963.

Lee's behavior marked a major turning point in their marriage.

From that point forward, she was deeply shaken --Lee was not Mr. Nice Guy (who she met in Minsk). Rather, she was concerned she had married a man she really didn't know.

So what is really going on here?

I'll tell you what I believe: In plain English, Lee had successfully gas-lighted Marina (See the movie "Spellbound"if you want to know more about that term; or just Google the term).

Of course, these are subtleties that are beyond Mr. Parker. Greg Parker is ready to head a lynch mob, falsely accuse Ruth Paine, and string her up for a crime she did not commit. And he is wallowing in a false sense of certainty; but, unfortunately, he has this whole matter analyzed incorrectly. All wrong.

For those who doubt my analysis--and especially anyone who is involved in a marriage or other serious relationship--it is a testable hypothesis. Only half-humorously, I suggest the following:

1. Go and order a gun

2. Put the gun in your residence within easy view of your wife.

3. One evening, retrieve the gun, and leave a note (akin to the Walker note, and with grammatical errors).

4. Come running into the house, later in the evening, and say you have shot at someone--e.g., President Obama, or perhaps Vice President Joe Biden, who was visiting your city.

Now here's the proposition to be tested:

Which of the following occurs?

(a) Your wife says: Joe, what's wrong with you? This letter has grammatical errors!

( b ) Your wife says: Joe, have you gone mad? Why are you shooting at a public figure?

(c ) She says: "Joe, Please leave the premises. I never liked you; and I never want to see you again!"

IMHO: It was that kind of a moment, and of one thing I am fairly certain--the answer will not be (a).

DSL

4/22/15 - 5:30 p.m. PDT

Los Angeles, California

Will you address the claim by Greg Parker that the letters Oswald wrote earlier in Russia were written in a far superior Russian than the letter Oswald allegedly wrote to Marina regarding the Walker shooting?

I'm not sure how we can accomplish this but, I would dearly love to see all of these letters analysed by an impartial party, fluent in Russian.

[Greg Parker]

Tom Neal,

My daughter said [a] characters were not written (formed) correctly in some instances, there were numerous errors of case, [c] there were errors of tense, [d] there was improper use of the infinitive.

She also said the translation of the note contained errors ("the" mailbox instead of "our" mailbox, for example) and wasn't literal.

Basically, she said the translation entirely overlooks how poorly this letter is written.

I should explain - I said at some stage that the person who did the comparison said the interpretation was fine. He did later clarify that it was fine insofar as they got the intended meanings of the letter across.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Greg Parker

[Greg Parker]

My daughter tells me her first semester Russian language students would not make the mistakes of this letter. They wouldn't because she would have taught them not to make such mistakes. IOW, in my daughter's view, and she is an American expert on the Russian language, whoever wrote this note did not know written Russian well.

LHO was quite eloquent in English speech, especially for his young age. In comparison his written efforts in English are those you would expect from an illiterate. IMO his spelling errors reflect some sort of disability beyond his less than average formal education. As David Lifton stated, LHO may have been an aural learner by nature, or possibly he was only taught to speak Russian with little or no time and effort spent on the written language.

IIRC Oswald's written errors were more in spelling than in grammar. He frequently used the wrong word when the spelling and meaning were different, but when spoken would sound the same.

Jon, germane to the above, did your daughter specify what type of errors were made by the author of the note?

Considering the following...

* like so much OTHER "evidence," the letter was found much later than it should have been

* based upon LHO's alleged fear immediately following the shooting,

why would LHO save this incriminating letter?

* incriminating Lee would be bad for Marina - why would SHE save it?

* IF Marina saved it, following the assassination why would she leave

it to be found by the police when she could have flushed it down the toilet?

...my personal belief is that Oswald did not write that letter, and Ruth Paine is my number one forgery suspect.

BTW, did Michael Paine speak Russian?

Tom

Tom,

in answer to your question...

Mr. DULLES - You don't understand Russian yourself?

Mr. PAINE - No.

Also -- good summary of reasons to believe it was forged,

[Greg Parker]

Tom Neal,

My daughter said [a] characters were not written (formed) correctly in some instances, there were numerous errors of case, [c] there were errors of tense, [d] there was improper use of the infinitive.

Jon, thank you for the reply. Did she mention spelling errors?

She also said the translation of the note contained errors ("the" mailbox instead of "our" mailbox, for example) and wasn't literal.

Basically, she said the translation entirely overlooks how poorly this letter is written.

You are referring here to the published WC translation, I presume? IMO Oswald did not make errors in tense when he spoke, so why would he make them when writing? Did your daughter offer an opinion as to whether someone who SPOKE Russian well would make the TYPE of errors made in this letter?

Thanks Again for your reply,

Tom

From Dr Asperger’s original case-notes:

"His handwriting, as would be expected from his general clumsiness, was very poor. He carried on writing carelessly, and messily, crossing out words, lines going up and down, the slant changing. His spelling, however, was reasonably accurate. As long as his attention was focused on one word, he knew how to spell it. It was very significant then that he made more spelling errors when copying than at dictation. Really, one would expect that copying should not present any problems at all since the words were in front of him; but this very simple and straightforward task simply did not interest him".

[Greg Parker]

Putting aside John Armstrong's argument that Oswald learned Russian from his father and uncle,

That should be more than just put aside, Jon. It can be put in a box and buried with the rest of the theory.

Unlike Armstrong, I identified both parties and they were not related to each other by blood or marriage, nor did they look anything like Oswald.

http://reopenkennedycase.forumotion.net/t87-the-mrs-jack-d-tippit-phone-call

[Jon G. Tidd]

DSL,

Thanks.

Do you have any information or opinion as to Marina's facility with English in 1963?

[Robert Prudhomme]

Ron Ecker,

Assuming Marina showed her husband the letter, which I doubt, she should have said to him: "You have written this letter in poor Russian. What am I to make of it? Please tell me."

In which case, Marina's husband, skilled in speaking Russian but deficient in writing Russian, should have said:...

Jon (commenting on your response to Ron Ecker):

Please keep in mind that Marina was already jumpy and uncomfortable about Oswald having ordered a rifle.

Now, with that in mind. . . also keep in mind her puzzlement when (on the evening of 4/10) she saw that note.

Her reaction was not: "The grammar is wrong" or "the syntax is wrong."

Rather, her reaction (almost certainly) was; "What the hell has my 'crazy husband' done now?"

Then, (I am tempted to write "CUT TO" because this really sounds like a bad screenplay):

Lee rushes in and says he has just attempted to murder General Walker.

What does she do?

No, she does not say "The grammar in this letter you wrote is wrong, you idiot!"

Nor does say: "Someday, a genius named Greg Parker will appear, and prove that you did not write this! There are ortho-whatever mistakes. . so it was not you who wrote this! Where is the author, Lee? Is he hiding in the closet?"

Nope. None of the above.

So. .. what does Marina say?

She says: "Who is General Walker?!"

That's right: that's what she asks: "Who is General Walker?"

At that point, Lee holds forth that Walker was an American fascist, who deserved to die--and that's why he did it. That's why he attempted to murder the man.

Marina, mortified, responds along the lines of: "You have no right to kill another human being just because you don't agree with his politics!"

etc etc.

Anyway, that's what happened on the night of April 10, 1963.

Lee's behavior marked a major turning point in their marriage.

From that point forward, she was deeply shaken --Lee was not Mr. Nice Guy (who she met in Minsk). Rather, she was concerned she had married a man she really didn't know.

So what is really going on here?

I'll tell you what I believe: In plain English, Lee had successfully gas-lighted Marina (See the movie "Spellbound"if you want to know more about that term; or just Google the term).

Of course, these are subtleties that are beyond Mr. Parker. Greg Parker is ready to head a lynch mob, falsely accuse Ruth Paine, and string her up for a crime she did not commit. And he is wallowing in a false sense of certainty; but, unfortunately, he has this whole matter analyzed incorrectly. All wrong.

For those who doubt my analysis--and especially anyone who is involved in a marriage or other serious relationship--it is a testable hypothesis. Only half-humorously, I suggest the following:

1. Go and order a gun

2. Put the gun in your residence within easy view of your wife.

3. One evening, retrieve the gun, and leave a note (akin to the Walker note, and with grammatical errors).

4. Come running into the house, later in the evening, and say you have shot at someone--e.g., President Obama, or perhaps Vice President Joe Biden, who was visiting your city.

Now here's the proposition to be tested:

Which of the following occurs?

(a) Your wife says: Joe, what's wrong with you? This letter has grammatical errors!

( b ) Your wife says: Joe, have you gone mad? Why are you shooting at a public figure?

(c ) She says: "Joe, Please leave the premises. I never liked you; and I never want to see you again!"

IMHO: It was that kind of a moment, and of one thing I am fairly certain--the answer will not be (a).

DSL

4/22/15 - 5:30 p.m. PDT

Los Angeles, California

Will you address the claim by Greg Parker that the letters Oswald wrote earlier in Russia were written in a far superior Russian than the letter Oswald allegedly wrote to Marina regarding the Walker shooting?

I'm not sure how we can accomplish this but, I would dearly love to see all of these letters analysed by an impartial party, fluent in Russian.

bump

[Tom Neal]

BTW, did Michael Paine speak Russian?

Tom,

in answer to your question...

Mr. DULLES - You don't understand Russian yourself?

Mr. PAINE - No.

Thanks, Greg. It seems reasonable to believe he's telling the truth...in this instance.

Also -- good summary of reasons to believe it was forged,

Thanks!

Tom

[David Lifton]

Ron Ecker,

Assuming Marina showed her husband the letter, which I doubt, she should have said to him: "You have written this letter in poor Russian. What am I to make of it? Please tell me."

In which case, Marina's husband, skilled in speaking Russian but deficient in writing Russian, should have said:...

Jon (commenting on your response to Ron Ecker):

Please keep in mind that Marina was already jumpy and uncomfortable about Oswald having ordered a rifle.

Now, with that in mind. . . also keep in mind her puzzlement when (on the evening of 4/10) she saw that note.

Her reaction was not: "The grammar is wrong" or "the syntax is wrong."

Rather, her reaction (almost certainly) was; "What the hell has my 'crazy husband' done now?"

Then, (I am tempted to write "CUT TO" because this really sounds like a bad screenplay):

Lee rushes in and says he has just attempted to murder General Walker.

What does she do?

No, she does not say "The grammar in this letter you wrote is wrong, you idiot!"

Nor does say: "Someday, a genius named Greg Parker will appear, and prove that you did not write this! There are ortho-whatever mistakes. . so it was not you who wrote this! Where is the author, Lee? Is he hiding in the closet?"

Nope. None of the above.

So. .. what does Marina say?

She says: "Who is General Walker?!"

That's right: that's what she asks: "Who is General Walker?"

At that point, Lee holds forth that Walker was an American fascist, who deserved to die--and that's why he did it. That's why he attempted to murder the man.

Marina, mortified, responds along the lines of: "You have no right to kill another human being just because you don't agree with his politics!"

etc etc.

Anyway, that's what happened on the night of April 10, 1963.

Lee's behavior marked a major turning point in their marriage.

From that point forward, she was deeply shaken --Lee was not Mr. Nice Guy (who she met in Minsk). Rather, she was concerned she had married a man she really didn't know.

So what is really going on here?

I'll tell you what I believe: In plain English, Lee had successfully gas-lighted Marina (See the movie "Spellbound"if you want to know more about that term; or just Google the term).

Of course, these are subtleties that are beyond Mr. Parker. Greg Parker is ready to head a lynch mob, falsely accuse Ruth Paine, and string her up for a crime she did not commit. And he is wallowing in a false sense of certainty; but, unfortunately, he has this whole matter analyzed incorrectly. All wrong.

For those who doubt my analysis--and especially anyone who is involved in a marriage or other serious relationship--it is a testable hypothesis. Only half-humorously, I suggest the following:

1. Go and order a gun

2. Put the gun in your residence within easy view of your wife.

3. One evening, retrieve the gun, and leave a note (akin to the Walker note, and with grammatical errors).

4. Come running into the house, later in the evening, and say you have shot at someone--e.g., President Obama, or perhaps Vice President Joe Biden, who was visiting your city.

Now here's the proposition to be tested:

Which of the following occurs?

(a) Your wife says: Joe, what's wrong with you? This letter has grammatical errors!

( b ) Your wife says: Joe, have you gone mad? Why are you shooting at a public figure?

(c ) She says: "Joe, Please leave the premises. I never liked you; and I never want to see you again!"

IMHO: It was that kind of a moment, and of one thing I am fairly certain--the answer will not be (a).

DSL

4/22/15 - 5:30 p.m. PDT

Los Angeles, California

Will you address the claim by Greg Parker that the letters Oswald wrote earlier in Russia were written in a far superior Russian than the letter Oswald allegedly wrote to Marina regarding the Walker shooting?

I'm not sure how we can accomplish this but, I would dearly love to see all of these letters analysed by an impartial party, fluent in Russian.

Robert:

Re: Letters written by Oswald --in Russian--and in a "far superior style"

In a previous post, you raised this question:

QUOTE:

Shouldn't we be trying to compare the Walker letter with the letters Oswald wrote while in Russia that Greg speaks of? It seems odd that everyone is quietly ignoring this small but significant item. UNQUOTE

In a later post (immediately above) you ask: "Will you address the claim by Greg Parker that the letters Oswald wrote earlier in Russia were written in a far superior Russian than the letter Oswald allegedly wrote to Marina regarding the Walker shooting"?

My response (for now): While in the Soviet Union, Lee Oswald engaged in correspondence with his mother, his brother, and the American Embassy. (There was also a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, who he mistakenly thought was John Connally, and which was forwarded to Fred Korth). All of these letters--which can be found in the 26 volumes of the Warren Commission--were written in English.

Therefore, in order to address your question, I request that you specify what communication (s)--written by Oswald while in the USSR--you are referring to. In other words, please specify the letters to which you are alluding (and that are being used as the basis for this comparison) that were written by Oswald while Oswald was in the Soviet Union and that were written in Russian.

Thanks.

DSL

4/23/15 - 12:30 p.m. PDT

Los Angeles, California

Edited April 23, 2015 by David Lifton

[David Lifton]

DSL,

Thanks.

Do you have any information or opinion as to Marina's facility with English in 1963?

Jon:

Short answer: "no".

But I seem to recall that--years ago--one or more researchers collected quotes from those in the White Russian community as to the level of her understanding.

I'm pretty sure she understood some spoken English, and of course, after the assassination, her level of understanding went up sharply. As you may be aware, she then attended "the Michigan course"--but presently I don't recall those details.

DSL

[Robert Prudhomme]

You've got me there, Dave. This is the first time I've ever looked at this part of the assassination and, until Greg Parker mentioned them, I was unaware of letters written in Russian by Oswald while he was in Russia, let alone that they were written in a far superior Russian.

I'm just hoping that if I keep bringing the topic up, Greg or someone else will actually post some of these letters, and we can get the ball rolling on analyzing them. Maybe you're right, they might not even exist.

[Thomas Graves]

You've got me there, Dave. This is the first time I've ever looked at this part of the assassination and, until Greg Parker mentioned them, I was unaware of letters written in Russian by Oswald while he was in Russia, let alone that they were written in a far superior Russian.

I'm just hoping that if I keep bringing the topic up, Greg or someone else will actually post some of these letters, and we can get the ball rolling on analyzing them. Maybe you're right, they might not even exist.

If Oswald did indeed write some "far superior" Russian-language letters while in Russia, it's possible that a Russian friend of his helped him.

Conversely, if he did also write the "Walker Note," he may have done so in a hurry and without any help, which might explain the poor grammar and syntax.

--Tommy

Edited April 23, 2015 by Thomas Graves