Mr. JENNER. Would you state the circumstances under which you became acquainted--let me put it this way first. What was the extent of your acquaintance with Lee Harvey Oswald, and here at the moment I am directing myself only to whether you were friends, were you merely on the base together? Indicate the level of friendship first or acquaintanceship. Mr. THORNLEY. I would say we were close acquaintances in the sense that we weren't friends in that we didn't pull liberty together or seek each other out, yet when we were thrown together in an assignment or something, moving equipment, something of that nature, we spoke and when we were on the base and happened to be in the same area and were not required to be working, we would sometimes sit down and discuss things. That would be my statement there. Mr. JENNER. So there was a degree of affinity in the sense that you were friendly in performing your military tasks together whenever you were thrown together in that respect. You felt friendly toward each other. You were never off base with him on liberty? Mr. THORNLEY. No, sir. Mr. JENNER. There were times when you were at liberty on the base, I assume, and you and he fraternized? Mr. THORNLEY. Yes. Mr. JENNER. Now, did you live in the same quarters? Mr. THORNLEY. Well, not actually. We lived in quonset huts there, and he lived in a different hut than I did. We did live in the same general area, however. Mr. JENNER. This acquaintance arose in the spring of 1959, is that correct? Mr. THORNLEY. Yes, sir. Mr. JENNER. Can you fix the time a little more definitely than merely the spring? Mr. THORNLEY. I really can't, sir. I have been racking my brain on that one since November, and I can't fix the time. I do remember having taken some time off that year around Easter and going on a trip with some civilian friends of mine, who were out of school for Easter vacation, and I know I was in the outfit that Oswald was in at that time, and I know that either shortly before that trip or shortly afterwards. I can remember from the books I was reading at the time and things like that, that I met him. Mr. JENNER. Do you associate the books you were reading at that time with anything Oswald may have been reading? Mr. THORNLEY. Yes. Oswald was not reading but did advise me to read George Orwell's "1984" which I read at that time. Mr. JENNER. Was he on the base when you came there? Mr. THORNLEY. Well, I was on the base in a different outfit before I came into MACS 9, the outfit I was in. Mr. JENNER. Marine Air Control Squadron. Mr. THORNLEY. I was in MACS 4 which was right next door to MACS 9 or was at that time, on the base. Mr. JENNER. Were you aware of his presence when you were in the other MACS? Mr. THORNLEY. No; not until I came into his outfit. And only sometime after I came into that outfit did I become aware of his presence.