The John F. Kennedy Assassination Homepage

Navigation

  » Introduction
  » The Report
  » The Hearings

Volumes

  » Testimony Index
 
  » Volume I
  » Volume II
  » Volume III
  » Volume IV
  » Volume V
  » Volume VI
  » Volume VII
  » Volume VIII
  » Volume IX
  » Volume X
  » Volume XI
  » Volume XII
  » Volume XIII
  » Volume XIV
  » Volume XV
Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. IX - Page 129« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Ilya A. Mamantov)

Mr. Jenner.
He was a roommate or lived with Mr. Glover.
Mr. Mamantov.
And a close friend of Dick Pierce.
Mr. Jenner.
P-i-e-r-c-e [spelling]?
Mr. Mamantov.
Also a geologist.
Mr. Jenner.
Or, P-e-a-r-c-e [spelling]?
Mr. Mamantov.
No, P-i-e-r-c-e [spelling].
Mr. Jenner.
What was his first name?
Mr. Mamantov.
Richard, R-i-c-h-a-r-d [spelling].
Mr. Jenner.
Is Mr. Norman Fredricksen a student?
Mr. Mamantov.
I was teaching scientific Russian for the Socony Mobil Research Lab in Duncanville, and this student joined. Actually, the class was carried out first, well, first semester and Mr. Fredricksen was hired by Socony Mobil and joined the class.
Mr. Jenner.
How old a man is he?
Mr. Mamantov.
Oh, I would guess around 28 plus.
Mr. Jenner.
He is a young man?
Mr. Mamantov.
Yes; he came to--he served in the Army.
Mr. Jenner.
Do you--the United States Army?
Mr. Mamantov.
United States Army, was in Germany, and studied Russian in Heidelberg. When he came back, he did graduate work after the Army. He did graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania and had studied Russian, so when he came to my class he had a very good background of the Russian language already.
Mr. Jenner.
Now, there was an occasion, was there not, in which this student, Norman Fredricksen, said something to you about Oswald; isn't that correct?
Mr. Mamantov.
May I point out, I lost him for a while after I finished that semester, that interrupted Russian, and this was in the spring of 1961, and if I am right, about a semester or two semesters later, he and Volkmar Schmidt came to my home and asked me to conduct private lessons for both of them.
Mr. Jenner.
Had you also been tutoring Volkmar Schmidt?
Mr. Mamantov.
They came right now, they came to my house. Not before the first time I met Volkmar Schmidt was when Fredricksen and Volkmar Schmidt came to my home, and I said, "All right, I'll take both of you," and I talked to Fredricksen, and Volkmar Schmidt was described as knowing the same amount of the Russian language, and I found out he didn't know half as much as Fredricksen did and I offered to split and I would continue to teach for the same amount of money Fredricksen, and Volkmar Schmidt would take from my mother-in-law, who had time and willingness to teach individual students, so we split--I was tutoring Fredricksen and she was teaching Schmidt.
Mr. Jenner.
And did there come this occasion when Fredricksen spoke to you about the Oswalds one night?
Mr. Mamantov.
That's right, and Fredricksen and his wife came to visit with us.
Mr. Jenner.
Your home?
Mr. Mamantov.
That's correct, and this was, I would say, sometime March, April, might be of 1963, and so they told us yesterday or day before yesterday that they went to a very interesting party where the person present just came in from the Soviet Union and his wife, and the party was held at Glover's home. I asked him who was present. He said Mrs. Paine was present, of course, both Oswalds were present, and the De Mohrenschildts were present. Of course, Glover was present and I don't remember who else he mentioned, and we started the conversation.
Mr. Jenner.
Was Fredricksen present?
Mr. Mamantov.
Right, Fredricksen and his wife, he and my wife, my mother-in-law and myself violently jumped into the conversation, and I said, "Folks, you just don't know with whom you are associating. You shouldn't be at that party, and you shouldn't be going into those houses," and, of course, they said, "We Just wanted to speak Russian. Mrs. Paine wanted to learn Russian, so we wanted to learn Russian and we just decided to get together and learn Russian." And they didn't speak Russian very much except with Marina. She
« Previous | Next »

Found a Typo?

Click here
Copyright by www.jfk-assassination.comLast Update: Wed, 3 Aug 2016 21:56:34 CET