Oswald's Tale

by Norman Mailer

  In Moscow in July, he was, as it turned out, under surveillance after all, but it could be said that he didn’t do anything to evoke suspicion, Igor said.

  July 8

  I fly by plane from Minsk at 11:20. Two hours and twenty minutes later, after taking a tearful and anxious parting from my wife, I arrive in Moscow . . . From the airfield I arrive in the center of the city, make my way through heavy traffic. I don’t come in sight of the Embassy until 3 in the afternoon. It’s Saturday—what if they are closed? Entering, I find the offices empty but manage to contact Snyder on the phone (since all Embassy personnel live in the same building). He comes down to greet me, shakes my hand. After the interview, he advises me to come in first thing Monday.

  5

  French Champagne

  Lee was so afraid of being arrested for trying to get to Moscow that he kept analyzing his situation, said Marina. He used to write down each item he thought about so that he could cover all possible points.

  In July, having made his final decision, he still did not even know if he could enter the American Embassy without being stopped by Russian guards. She would ask herself later whether he was more worried about the Soviets not letting him leave or about the Americans locking him up for giving secrets away. Marina was frightened, too. She expected him to be caught for traveling without a permit.

  All the same, nothing could stop him. He had said to her, “One more winter in Russia and I am going to die.”

  So much was happening at once. On the same day, July 8, that he left for Moscow, there was a call for her at the pharmacy. A voice said, “Marina, this is Leonya.” A voice from her past. “What are you doing tonight?” asked the voice. It belonged to Leonid Gelfant, her elegant friend, the young architect whom she had seen maybe a total of six times before she met Lee. She asked, “Why are you calling? You know I’m married.” He said, “It’s Saturday; I thought I’d call.” She said, “It happens that my husband’s away. And I’m not doing anything. I’m just going to go home from work, take a shower, be at home.” He said, “Would you have dinner with me? I have some French champagne.” Then, he added that he was staying for a few days at a friend’s fine apartment while the friend was away and it would be nice to see her in such an environment.

  She fixed herself up, and they saw a movie. Then, they went to his friend’s apartment. She had decided she was going to test some waters. Maybe she didn’t love Lee. Maybe one reason for seeing Leonid Gelfant is that she was afraid of going to America. So, maybe she was wondering if this old boyfriend was still a possibility: She liked Leonid, he was Jewish, he had wonderful manners. Maybe if he loved her enough, she would divorce Lee. By the end of the evening, however, she had to tell the man that it was still too early for him to get married.

  She felt dirty. So full of shame. She ran home. How, she kept asking herself, could I have betrayed Lee? When she reached her own apartment, she nearly threw up. There she was on her knees in their bathroom. Even now she does not like to recall that day, “although time, the bitter medicine, is the best medicine,” she said to her interviewers.

  Leonid could admit it, he was not really all that concerned that Marina was married. More important was that she was charming on this occasion, warm and tender, and they had nothing negative between them, no bad memories to keep. And they certainly didn’t talk about continuing this situation. Indeed, he thought that might harm her. After all he, personally, was not interested in going with her, and so he did not ask personal questions, and didn’t learn that she was pregnant. When she became sad—not at all untypical of her—this was his usual Marina. Leonid didn’t feel that she thought she had made a mistake.

  Reminded of her parting remark that it might be still too early for him to marry, he replied that since she now had a sexual relationship with Lee, she was perhaps more experienced than himself. However, she hadn’t said anything insulting. Indeed, he didn’t feel she treated him unkindly. He was very green in those days and had just started his own sex life. She was a great help.

  He never rushed into sex with women. He liked to meet them emotionally, so to speak. He even went to the Caucasus with one woman and still didn’t have sex. He had remained very romantic and was looking for his princess, that person who could satisfy his intellectual point of view and his emotional point of view, Mrs. Right for Mr. Right. That was why Marina could never stay in his life.

  6

  Traveler’s Qualms

  AIR POUCH OFFICIAL USE ONLY

  Foreign Service Dispatch July 11, 1961

  FROM: Am. embassy, Moscow Dept. No. 29

  TO: The Department of State, Washington

  SUBJECT: Citizenship and Passports: Lee Harvey Oswald

  Lee Harvey OSWALD appeared at the Embassy on July 8 on his own initiative in connection with his desire to return to the United States with his wife.

  Oswald . . . was questioned at length concerning his activities since entering the Soviet Union. No evidence was revealed of any act on his part which might have caused loss of American citizenship. He exhibited Soviet internal “stateless” passport . . . No. 311479 . . . which is prima facie evidence that he is regarded by the Soviet authorities as not possessing Soviet citizenship. Oswald stated that despite the wording of the statement which he handed to the Embassy on October 31, 1959 . . . he never in fact actually applied for Soviet citizenship . . .

  Oswald stated that he has never been called upon to make any statements for radio or press or to address audiences since his arrival in the Soviet Union and that he has made no statements at any time of any exploitable nature concerning his original decision to reside in the Soviet Union . . . When queried about a statement which he had made to the interviewing officer on October 31, 1959, to the effect that he would willingly make available to the Soviet Union such information as he had acquired as a radar operator in the Marine Corps, Oswald stated that he was never in fact subjected to any questioning or briefing by the Soviet authorities concerning his life or experience prior to entering the Soviet Union, and never provided such information to any Soviet organ. He stated that he doubted in fact that he would have given such information if requested despite his statements made at the Embassy.

  Oswald indicated some anxiety as to whether, should he return to the United States, he would face possible lengthy imprisonment for his act of remaining in the Soviet Union. Oswald was told informally that the Embassy did not perceive, on the basis of information in its possession, on what grounds he might be subject to conviction leading to punishment of such severity as he apparently had in mind. It was clearly stated to him, however, that the Embassy could give him no [complete] assurance . . . Oswald said he understood this. He had simply felt that in his own interest he could not go back to the United States if it meant returning to a number of years in prison, and had delayed approaching the Soviet authorities . . . until he “had this end of the thing straightened out.”

  Oswald was married on April 30, 1961, to Marina Nikolaevna PRUSAKOVA, a dental technician. He is attempting to arrange for his wife to join him in Moscow so that she can appear at the Embassy for a visa interview in the next day or two.

  Oswald intends to institute an application for an exit visa immediately upon his return to Minsk within the next few days. His American passport was returned to him for this purpose after having been amended to be valid for direct return to the United States only . . . it was felt that there was little prospect that Oswald could accomplish anything with the Soviet officials concerned unless he displayed his American passport . . .

  Twenty months of the realities of life in the Soviet Union have clearly had a maturing effect on Oswald. He stated frankly that he had learned a hard lesson the hard way and that he had been completely relieved of his illusions about the Soviet Union at the same time that he acquired a new understanding and appreciation of the United States and the meaning of freedom. Much of the arrogance and bravado which characterized him on his first visit to the Embassy appears to
have left him . . . 1

  July 9

  Receive passport, call Marina to Moscow also.

  July 14

  I and Marina return to Minsk.

  July 15

  Marina, at work, is shocked to find out [that] everyone knows she entered the U.S. Embassy. They were called at her place of work by some [Soviet] officials in Moscow. The bosses hold a meeting and give her a strong browbeating, the first of many indoctrinations.

  TO: American Embassy, Moscow

  July 15, 1961

  Dear Sirs,

  As per your instructions I am writing to inform you of the process and progress of our visas.

  We have approached the local “OVIR” office and the results are not discouraging. However there have been some unusual and crude attempts on my wife at her place of work. While we were still in Moscow, the foremen at her place of work were notified that she and I went into the Embassy for the purpose of visas. Then there followed the usual “enemy of the people” meeting, in which, in her absence, she was condemned and her friends at work warned against speaking with her. However, these tactics are quite useless, and my wife stood up well, without getting into trouble.

  We are continuing the process and will keep you informed as to the overall picture.

  Sincerely yours,

  Lee H. Oswald2

  FROM KGB TRANSCRIPTS

  FOR OBJECT: OLH-2658

  FOR PERIOD: 17 JULY 1961

  [In these transcripts, OLH (Oswald, Lee Harvey) has been changed to LHO. Marina was always referred to as WIFE. Stepan underlined those speeches he considered pertinent to his needs, whereas any comments that appear in italics as stage directions were made by the KGB transcriber. That worthy was making his (or her) observations through a peephole in a rented room adjacent to the Oswalds’ apartment.]

  LHO: I can’t tell you what to do. Do what you want to do. If you want, you can go with me.

  WIFE: I don’t want to.

  LHO: Why?

  WIFE: I’m simply afraid.

  LHO: Of course you’re afraid.

  WIFE: I don’t know America, I only know Russia . . . You can go back to your own people . . . I don’t know how things will be there. Where will you find work?

  LHO: I’ll find everything, everything. I’ll do everything. That’s my job.

  WIFE: How will they treat me there?

  (radio drowns out conversation; impossible to get in entirety)

  FROM KGB TRANSCRIPTS

  FOR OBJECT: OLH-2658

  FOR PERIOD: 19 JULY 1961

  WIFE: All you know how to do is torture . . .

  (LHO goes out; yells something from the kitchen)

  WIFE: Go find yourself a girl who knows how to cook . . . I work, I don’t have time to prepare cutlets for you. You don’t want soup, you don’t want kasha, just tasty tidbits, please!

  LHO: I can go eat at a restaurant.

  WIFE: Go to hell! When are you ever going to leave me alone? I’ll probably never live to see the day when you leave me alone.

  LHO: But you don’t know how to do anything.

  WIFE: Leave me alone!

  She bumped into Misha Smolsky once on the street, and he asked her how she was doing with her man, and she answered, “Very difficult.” Misha said, “If it is difficult, why did you jump into it?” She said, “No, he’s not a bad guy, but food is very difficult.” At that time, in shops there was a lot to buy, but what do people in Minsk eat, after all?—potatoes, pork fat, pickled cucumbers, pickled cabbage, beef, pork, mutton, turkey, goose. She wasn’t able to buy food he would like. For instance, Alik would say, “I want to have corn,” and any corn they grew around there was for livestock. So she said to Misha Smolsky, “Let’s say we have cultural difficulties.”

  FROM KGB TRANSCRIPTS

  FOR OBJECT: OLH-2658

  FOR PERIOD: 21 JULY 1961

  LHO: Well, why are you crying? (pause) I told you crying won’t do any good.

  (Wife cries)

  You know, I never said that I was a very good person.

  (Wife cries and LHO calms her down)

  WIFE: (through tears) Why did I get married? You tricked me.

  LHO: . . . You shouldn’t cry. I understand, you don’t understand yourself why.

  WIFE: (through tears) My friends don’t recognize me.

  LHO: Well? I’ve also lost weight, right?

  WIFE: (cries) Why did I get married?

  LHO: Well, what am I supposed to do? Is it my fault that you have a lot of work? I mean, you don’t ever cook, but other women cook. And I don’t say anything about it. I don’t yell. You never do anything and you don’t want to do the wash. What do you do? The only thing you ever talk about is how tired you are at work.

  WIFE: I didn’t get any rest.

  LHO: Well, what can I do?

  (pause)

  WIFE: Everything was so good, but lately everything has gotten bad, nothing’s right. You can’t please a man like you.

  (they are silent)

  Later that night

  LHO: Well, what? This is ridiculous!

  WIFE: I want to sleep, don’t bother me! . . . You’re so crude! I’m tired, I swear, I’m tired.

  LHO: And what did you do that you’re so tired? You didn’t do anything. You didn’t cook anything.

  WIFE: The cafeteria’s good enough.

  LHO: And who’s going to wash the shirts, the socks?

  WIFE: Everything’s already washed, go and take a look. You’ll leave and then you’ll be unhappy alone, you’ll see. So get off my back. What is it you want from me, anyway, what? For God’s sake, just don’t torture me. Soon enough you won’t have me, and that’s all there is to it.

  (pause)

  WIFE: You’re laughing, but you’ll cry later . . . (pause) I don’t want to now. I’m tired.

  LHO: What did you do that you’re tired?

  WIFE: Don’t throw things around . . .

  LHO: What can I do? (mocks Wife) “I don’t want to!” Well, what can I say! We’re going to be here four or five months anyway.

  WIFE: I’ll be here. Let the baby stay by itself.

  LHO: Are you crazy!? (yells) You should be ashamed! A child without a father! You should be ashamed! (laughs) You’re still my wife, you’re going! And if I leave, I’ll send you an invitation.

  WIFE: You’ll leave on your own.

  LHO: You should be ashamed! You don’t believe yourself what you’re saying . . .

  WIFE: I’m not going to promise. If I don’t go then that’s it.

  LHO: You’re my wife, you’re going.

  WIFE: No.

  LHO: Why?

  WIFE: I know why.

  LHO: Well, why? You don’t know yourself. There, you see. Do you know how many foreigners live there?

  WIFE: They won’t take me there, and they won’t create the conditions for me, they won’t create them. The American Embassy won’t look after me.

  LHO: Why do you think that? I mean, I wrote that I was obligating myself. [Note in left margin: “Obviously, he is obligating himself to provide her with everything she needs in United States.”] You understand that you’re my wife and that you’re going with me. When I arrived here it was difficult for me too.

  WIFE: That is an entirely different matter.

  LHO: But I’m obligating myself! I’ll do everything.

  (pause)

  WIFE: You won’t convince me.

  (pause)

  LHO: You’re just stubborn.

  WIFE: And you’re always yelling. (radio drowns out conversation)

  When Inessa met Lee Oswald, he seemed not exactly unfriendly, but very suspicious about things. They exchanged a few words and then he sat down in a chair and became completely occupied with some comic books his brother had sent him from America. Inessa spent her time chatting with Marina.

  After a few more visits, however, Alik’s suspicions began fading away. Before long, Inessa was eating with them in their kitchen. Indeed, she even liked it that
he hadn’t become open right away but had waited and observed. She thinks she probably wouldn’t have believed him if, immediately, he had been too friendly. In fact, she liked him as a husband for Marina. He did all the man’s work around their apartment without needing reminders. Which is not too often true of Russian men.

  What she wasn’t so comfortable with was that all of a sudden he would announce what he liked about the Soviet Union and what he didn’t like, and he would do it in the open—never whispering. And there were other little things. She really couldn’t say that she approved of him entirely, even if they were only small things. He would carry on if dinner wasn’t cooked on time, and in her opinion, Marina didn’t fit into his American standards of what a wife should be. When they had fights, Inessa saw them as children, one more stubborn than the other. She liked them both and was comfortable with both, and—maybe she was just lucky—in her presence they never had any really big arguments. She does remember that Marina would get irritated when Alik would read his American comic books and begin to laugh loudly. On the other hand, Marina thought he was too pedantic and told Inessa that she was dissatisfied with his mind.

  He also had bad habits. Like a worker or a crude soldier. He was always spoiling the air with gases. That was shocking, and he did it as naturally as drinking water.

  All the same, Inessa always felt that Alik was more calm than Marina. Outside of those gases, he was very organized. He liked perfection in everything, and Marina used to complain about this trait. Taken all together, Inessa never really thought that Marina was deeply in love with him. She thinks Alik loved her more.

  FROM KGB TRANSCRIPTS

  FOR OBJECT: OLH-2658

  FOR PERIOD: 24 JULY 1961