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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. VIII - Page 421« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Mrs. Frank H. (Valentina) Ray)

Mrs. Ray.
That is the first I heard about it that you mention it. I am sorry, I must have missed the story and I usually read the paper but I missed that one.
Mr. Liebeler.
Have you talked to Mrs. Ford about her conversations with Marina and her relations with Marina since the assassination?
Mrs. Ray.
Yes; mostly I talked to Mrs. Ford about what she is going to do and she told me about renting house and later on she plans to go to school learn English and then she wants to go through pharmacists school. I think she wants to be a pharmacist. Again, I mostly talked about her future more than anything else with Mrs. Ford.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you ever hear anything to the effect that Lee Oswald had tried to commit suicide while he was in the Soviet Union?
Mrs. Ray.
I don't know; did I read that in the paper or what? But I remember vaguely that he tried to commit suicide but I don't know how or when. I vaguely remember reading about that. I think it was in the paper.
Mr. Liebeler.
You don't think you learned that from Marina or someone else?
Mrs. Ray.
No.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you ever hear anything about Marina wanting to commit suicide or attempt to?
Mrs. Ray.
No; never.
Mr. Liebeler.
When you spoke to Oswald did you speak to him in Russian?
Mrs. Ray.
No; I spoke to him in English.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you ever hear him speak Russian?
Mrs. Ray.
Yes; he speak to Marina and baby always.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you form an opinion as to his ability to speak Russian? Mrs. RAY. He spoke fairly good Russian. He had the accent, the ending, every time you change a sentence you change the ending and his were not quite as Russian would be. It was Russian definitely spoken by foreigner.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you think he spoke Russian well?
Mrs. Ray.
Yes; because I could understand everything he said and I think--I don't know, I think he spoke Russian as well as I speak English but it was quite well; Russian to me is harder to learn than English would be and it would take longer than 2, 3 years living in Russia to learn perfect it.
Mr. Liebeler.
Do you think he spoke Russian with an ability of about what you would expect after living in Russia for 3 years or do you think he spoke Russian as well as that or better than that?
Mrs. Ray.
His pronunciation was very, very good. His only mistakes were mostly on endings of words, you know, as I recollect, but I don't know. I think he spoke maybe little bit better than average person would speak.
Mr. Liebeler.
After 3 years or so?
Mrs. Ray.
Yes.
Mr. Liebeler.
It did not strike you as being extraordinarily better?
Mrs. Ray.
No.
Mr. Liebeler.
You did not think he had any special training in the Russian language?
Mrs. Ray.
No; I did not think so.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did you ever discuss this question with him?
Mrs. Ray.
No.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did Marina ever tell you anything about living in Leningrad? Mrs. RAY. Yes; because I don't know whether Marina told me or Mrs. Ford when I first heard. She told me there's girl came from Leningrad, you know, that is from one person to another, from Minsk to Leningrad; when I first heard about Marina they said she came over here from Leningrad.
Mr. Liebeler.
You don't recall anything about hearing anything about Marina moving from Leningrad to Minsk, do you?
Mrs. Ray.
No.
Mr. Liebeler.
You don't know, of course, why Marina moved from Leningrad to Minsk, if she did?
Mrs. Ray.
No.
Mr. Liebeler.
Did Marina ever tell you anything about how she met Oswald in Russia and why she married him?
Mrs. Ray.
I do not know how she met him but she said she fell in love and married him but this we talked last few weeks, I talked to her about that.
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