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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. X - Page 189« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of John G. Graef)

Mr. Graef.
relationships and it began to become, evident--some of the passages--passageways through our darkroom aren't particularly wide and everyone has learned to manage. You can't you can pass one another, but not without each of you sort of squeezing by a little bit as you go, and it began to be evident that he wasn't congenial or cooperative in working with the rest of the people and moving about the darkroom and so forth. Let me see, there was an incident about a Russian newspaper deal--I was working at my desk one time and I looked over and it was probably a slack time in our business, and I looked over and Lee was reading a newspaper, and I could see it was from a distance of about 8 to 10 feet, I suppose, something like that, and it was just far enough away that I could see it was not a usual newspaper. and I asked him what he was reading, and he said, "A Russian -newspaper." I said, "A what?" And he said,"A Russian newspaper." I said, "Let's see it, and he brought it over and I said something like "What is the action on this?" And he said, "I studied Russian in Korea." This fit in with his previous statement when we employed him about being in Korea, when he was a marine, and he said, "I like to keep up--keep in practice being able to read the Russian language and study it or something to that effect, and I said, "Well, Lee, I wouldn't bring anything like that down here again, because some people might not take kindly to your reading anything like that."
Mr. Jenner.
Did you ask him the source of this newspaper?
Mr. Graef.
No; no.
Mr. Jenner.
Whether it was printed in Russia or whether he had subscribed to it?
Mr. Graef.
It seems to me it was the "Crocodile." Now, it might not have been, but it just seem to me at the time that it was, but, of course, that too didn't, seem particularly odd to me because a great many people in the country are studying that language, these days-and the fact that he had been a marine and been in Korea, according to the report, it seemed reasonably plausible that he would have learned that language, or studied it and to me, certainly, of course, I know how people are and that there might be some he might be making trouble for himself by causing suspicion and so forth, by having that newspaper or at least running around with it, flaunting it, we'll say.
Mr. Jenner.
When did this occur with respect to his period of employment--this incident?
Mr. Graef.
I can't really say for sure, but it must. have been about the fourth or fifth month that he .was there.
Mr. Jenner.
Was it a factor in his ultimate, discharge?
Mr. Graef.
Let me say that-didn't help. Taken, with the, other---his personality, his not being able to do the, job the way he should--when I say, "His personality," I mean the friction between the. other employees. I didn't--it didn't actually weigh heavily, but it didn't do his case any good, let's put it that way. I didn't fire him specifically because he had the newspaper in his hand.
Mr. Jenner.
Now, I put words in your mouth that he was discharged?
Mr. Graef.
Yes; he was discharged.
Mr. Jenner.
Did you discuss this with him?
Mr. Graef.
I did.
Mr. Jenner.
Would you tell us about that, please?
Mr. Graef.
His record, as all this has brought out was---adding up to where he was not a desirable employee. His relationships with other employees had reached the point where no one that I know of was really friendly or liked him. His "work as 'we progressed into the more intricate details of our production, didn't improve and it began to be evident after all the training that we had given up to this point that now that he was in a position where he should be able to produce jobs, actually he was not able to do so, and after a reasonable----
Mr. Jenner.
Was there ever any" thought in your mind as to his ability ultimately to be able to do so?
Mr. Graef.
Yes; I reached the opinion that he "would not have he would never be the kind of an employee that I was looking for, giving him every
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