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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. VIII - Page 294« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of John E. Donovan)

Mr. Donovan.
No, I am sorry, it doesn't ring a bell.
Mr. Ely.
But you feel that if we could locate this woman, she could tell us something that would be of interest in reconstructing his personality?
Mr. Donovan.
She went out with him once maybe twice. Maybe more than that, I don't know about. I don't know if she could or not.
Mr. Ely.
Do you remember any fields other than foreign affairs which Oswald did extensive reading in?
Mr. Donovan.
No, I do not.
Mr. Ely.
Have you ever stated that Oswald prided himself on knowing the names of the great philosophers, or would this statement, if attributed to you, have been a mistake?
Mr. Donovan.
No, that is a correct statement. He knew the names of some philosophers.
Mr. Ely.
Is it your feeling that he read philosophy?
Mr. Donovan.
Manuscripts are available to all of us which mention these gentlemen's names in support of some idea. Quite often, if you read the philosopher you see that it is taken out of context.
I only had 2 years of philosophy and 2 years of theology at Georgetown. But even with that limited amount, it was obvious that he often knew the name, and that was it.
Mr. Ely.
Do you remember any of the philosophers that he did mention?
Mr. Donovan.
Hegel, which would be appropriate concerning his later action.
Mr. Ely.
Hegel.
Did he mention Marx?
Mr. Donovan.
No, I don't recall him--oh, he must have mentioned Marx, but I don't ever recall him using Marxist philosophy to support anything in particular.
Mr. Ely.
Is it your general impression that the philosophers who interested him were ones that were somehow tied in with political philosophy?
Mr. Donovan.
Social revolutions.
Mr. Ely.
Do you know whether Oswald had any knowledge of languages other than Russian and English?
Mr. Donovan.
No, I do not. I recall that we had occasion to speak Spanish on the radio, because ham operators from Mexico were forever cutting in. He may have known a few words. But he did not--I don't believe he had a command of Spanish.
Mr. Ely.
You have no recollection of his speaking or understanding German at all?
Mr. Donovan.
I have no recollection.
Mr. Ely.
Did he ever speak to you about his plans for after he got out of the Marine Corps?
Mr. Donovan.
No, I cannot say that he did.
Mr. Ely.
Did he ever express to you an interest in attending school anywhere?
Mr. Donovan.
Yes, now that you mention it; I think he did mention that he intended to pursue school. And, in fact, it was standard for all officers to encourage any enlisted man to attend school. He certainly had the ability, if he had wanted to do it.
There was another boy named Sergeant Park, from Washington, who, I believe, lived in his same quonset hut, who definitely intended to attend school. I have given this gentleman's name to both the FBI and the Secret Service.
Mr. Ely.
Did Oswald ever mention to you that he would like to attend school in any foreign country?
Mr. Donovan.
Never. It came as a complete surprise to me that he had turned up in Moscow.
Mr. Ely.
In fact, he never mentioned thoughts of traveling at all anywhere outside the country.
Mr. Donovan.
He never mentioned it to me.
Mr. Ely.
Did you ever hear of his mentioning it to anybody else?
Mr. Donovan.
I never heard of it being mentioned to anyone. Evidently that was a rather well kept secret, that he intended to depart so suddenly.
Mr. Ely.
You mentioned that Oswald spoke of injustices which took place
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