Warren Commission (10 of 26): Hearings Vol. X (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (10 of 26): Hearings Vol. X (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. RANKIN. Do you have any document from the files of the Socialist
Workers Party?
Mr. WATTS. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. Will you describe those, please?
Mr. WATTS. We have a letter dated August 12, 1962, signed Lee H. Oswald
to the Socialist Workers Party, asking for information concerning the
nature of the party and expressing an interest in finding out all he
can about the program. We have a coupon dated as having been received
October 31, 1962, signed Lee H. Oswald, indicating that he would like
to join the Socialist Workers Party, and we have a carbon copy of a
letter dated August 23, 1962, apparently in answer to the first letter,
thanking Mr. Oswald for his request for information and indicating that
a pamphlet concerning the Socialist Workers Party was being enclosed
and inviting further inquiry if he had any more questions.
Mr. RANKIN. The last material you have described, Mr. Watts will be
marked Dobbs' No. 9.
(Marked Dobbs' Exhibit No. 9.)
Mr. WATTS. We have, in addition, a letter dated September 1, 1963,
signed Lee H. Oswald. Attached to it is what appears to be its envelope
from New Orleans, postmarked August 31, 1963. This letter requests
information concerning SWP representatives in the Washington-Baltimore
area and states that Mr. Oswald expects to be moving into that area in
October. That is all I have.
Mr. RANKIN. Thank you. The last letter and envelope are marked Dobbs'
Exhibit No. 10.
(Marked Dobbs' Exhibit No. 10.)
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Dobbs, do you have some occupation at the present time?
Mr. DOBBS. I am secretary of the Socialist Workers Party.
Mr. RANKIN. Have you been in that position for some time?
Mr. DOBBS. Since 1953.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you have some correspondence with Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mr. DOBBS. We have nothing in our files other than what we have turned
over to you. I might add that I feel certain that we would have
responded to his--the coupon that he sent indicating a desire to join
the party. It's not surprising we wouldn't have kept a file copy,
because our interest in cases of this kind is an established thing. It
is our policy not to take anybody into membership in the party unless
we have a branch of the party in the area where they are resident. In
such case we would--we would have replied to him to that effect. We
would have suggested to him that he interest himself in the circulation
of The Militant and Socialist literature and would have expressed a
desire for continued fraternal contact with him on that basis.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you recall having seen Dobbs' No. 1 at some time?
Mr. DOBBS. I recall that only in the sense that I assisted in the
search of the files after November 22 to find everything we could.
Mr. RANKIN. Will you describe to the Commission what happened at that
time, what you did? Did you do something to try to find out if there
was any contact or communication between your organization and Lee
Harvey Oswald?
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