(Testimony of Samuel B. Ballen)
Mr. Ballen.
that on given evenings the De Mohrenschildts were visiting with the Oswalds, and that their whole life was pretty miserable. They were just sitting alone in the apartment and looking at each other and fighting with each other, and that it was necessary to bring these two people out into the fresh air and have them meet people and mingle and otherwise.
George asked me and also asked my wife to invite the Oswalds to our house for dinner and help these people out. This was a type of thing that we have done quite frequently, but there must have been something in my report to my wife about my meeting with this chap that my wife didn't pick up this suggestion, and never did extend that invitation to the Oswalds. In other words, my wife has never met either one of them, but based upon this meeting and the final impressions that I had of this chap is that we just didn't want to be involved with him. He was too independent a thinker. I am not talking on politics now. And my wife never did extend that invitation to them, which she otherwise would have done, as we have done to many, many people who recently moved into Dallas from afar.
Mr. Liebeler.
Can you remember with any great specificity the things that Oswald said or did that led you to the conclusion that he was such an independent fellow?
Mr. Ballen.
It was his overall mannerism, and he would have, did have, a habit of closing off discussion on a given subject by a shrug of the shoulders; and it was just an overall impression that I ended up with.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did Oswald indicate to you that he had traveled within the Soviet Union in any way?
Mr. Ballen.
I had the impression that he had done considerable traveling there.
Mr. Liebeler.
Do you remember whether he told you that, or how did you get that information or impression?
Mr. Ballen.
I think he told me that he had traveled in the Soviet Union and finally ended up in a southwestern town and life was just incredibly boring and dismal.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you go into any details as to how the life was boring or dismal in the Soviet Union?
Mr. Ballen.
No. This was my first visit with him and I knew he came down to see me in order to talk about a job, and I didn't want to impose on him.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you question him---did you have questions in your own mind as to where he obtained the funds to do this traveling?
Mr. Ballen.
I had the impression that this was the kind of guy who could travel from one end of the continent to the other with very little money. He was dressed very modestly, and I, at least to me, he did, engender a certain amount of sympathy.
In other words, the type of fellow that you would feel sorry for, and if he were hitchhiking, you might buy him a meal or something like that. I just had the feeling that this was a fellow who could get around and make his way and find his way and not require any sum of money to do it.
Mr. Liebeler.
Is there any other thing that led you to that conclusion?
Mr. Ballen.
No; I am sorry. I don't know more specifically.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you ever lend Oswald any money?
Mr. Ballen.
No; I didn't. If at the time he had asked me to loan him money, I would have. But I would say that this would, that the thing that he kept impressing on me to the point where it just rubbed me the wrong way is, that he kept insisting, raising his voice a little bit; "Don't you worry about me, I will take care of myself, and I will get myself work, don't you worry about me." Telling that too many times to a prospective employer isn't quite the best technique.
Mr. Liebeler.
You have testified that Oswald told you that he had received some training in the use of photographic equipment when he was in the Soviet Union. Did he mention any other training that he received in the Soviet Union?
Mr. Ballen.
No; I think I discussed a little detail with him about photography, continuous cameras and things like that, and he stated that he could operate most of the machinery we had down at Ross Avenue.
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