Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. JENNER. Were you--I will withdraw that. Was Oswald as far as you
knew on the base before you came over to his unit?
Mr. THORNLEY. I would assume so, but I wouldn't know for sure. I know
he was recently back from Japan as were most of the men in Marine
Control Squadron 9 when I came into it. How long he had been back I
don't know. I certainly didn't know at that time. And thinking on what
knowledge of him I have gained since then, I still couldn't say.
Mr. JENNER. Well, in any event you first became acquainted with or
aware of his presence around Easter time in 1959?
Mr. THORNLEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And you were transferred from that base when?
Mr. THORNLEY. June.
Mr. JENNER. In June. So likely it was that you knew him in April, May,
and in June until you were transferred out?
Mr. THORNLEY. Right.
Mr. JENNER. When in June were you transferred out?
Mr. THORNLEY. Once again the exact date would be available in my
military record, but offhand----
Mr. JENNER. Give it to me as best you recall it, forepart, latter part,
middle?
Mr. THORNLEY. Let's see, it was toward the latter part. In fact, I can
give you pretty close to the exact date. It was around June 25, because
we arrived in Japan on July 4 and it took 11 days to get over there. It
took us some time to get debarked or to get embarked, rather.
Mr. JENNER. All right. I take it from the remark you have made in your
reflecting on this matter that you were--you devoted yourself to some
fairly considerable extent to reading?
Mr. THORNLEY. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENNER. And in what fields?
Mr. THORNLEY. Completely omniverous. Anything that I would happen
to get a hold of I would read. At that time I was reading, well, at
Oswald's advice I read "1984." At someone else's advice I was reading
a book called "Humanism," by Corliss Lamont, as I remember, and I was
reading either "The Brothers Karamazov" or the "Idiot" by Dostoievsky,
I forget which, at that time.
Mr. JENNER. But your reading had some reasonable amount of organization
or direction?
Mr. THORNLEY. None whatsoever; no, sir. It never has.
Mr. JENNER. I see. You weren't engaged in any organized reading at that
time, were you?
Mr. THORNLEY. No.
Mr. JENNER. But there were areas which did draw your attention by and
large?
Mr. THORNLEY. Definitely; yes.
Mr. JENNER. What were those areas?
Mr. THORNLEY. Philosophy, politics, religion.
Mr. JENNER. Did you find that Oswald had reasonably similar interests?
Mr. THORNLEY. Yes; I would say.
Mr. JENNER. In his reading?
Mr. THORNLEY. Yes; I would say particularly in politics and philosophy.
Mr. JENNER. Was it those mutual interests that brought about your
acquaintance with him or some other fashion?
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