Ruth Hyde Paine Papers on Marina Oswald RG5.109 FHL staff.
Last updated on May 14, 2021.
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Ruth Hyde Paine Papers on Marina Oswald
Table of Contents
Summary Information...... 3 Biography/History...... 4 Scope and Contents...... 5 Arrangement...... 5 Administrative Information...... 6 Related Materials...... 6 Controlled Access Headings...... 7 Collection Inventory...... 8 Ser. 1. Correspondence, 1963-1966...... 8 Ser. 2. President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy...... 9 Ser. 3. Grand Jury Investigation, New Orleans, 1968...... 9 Ser. 4. Writings: Newspaper and magazine articles, with correspondence, 1963-1964...... 9 5. Audio-visual materials, 1964, n.d...... 11 6. Memorabilia, 1963, n.d...... 11
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Summary Information
Repository Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Creator Paine, Ruth Hyde
Source Paine, Ruth Hyde
Creator Oswald, Marina, -1941
Title Ruth Hyde Paine Papers on Marina Oswald
Call number RG5.109
Date [inclusive] 1963-1968
Extent .8 linear feet (2 boxes)
Location For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog
Language English .
Abstract Ruth Hyde Paine (b. 1932), a Quaker who was living in Texas in 1963, befriended Marina Oswald. Marina was living at Ruth Paine's home at the time that her husband, Lee Oswald, assassinated President John F. Kennedy. This collection consists primarily of correspondence of Ruth Hyde Paine documenting her friendship with Marina Oswald, then the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald.
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Cite as:
[Indicate the cited item or series here], Ruth Paine Hyde Papers on Marina Oswald, RG5/109, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
Biography/History
Ruth Hyde, daughter of William and Carol E. Hyde, was born in New York in Sept. 1932, but was brought up in Columbus, Ohio. In 1951 she formally joined the Religious Society of Friends. She graduated from Antioch College in Ohio and then went to Philadelphia to become playground director and teacher of folk-dancing at Germantown Friends School. While there she met Michael R. Paine, whose family was from the Philadelphia area, and they were married under the care of Providence Monthly Meeting, Media, in 1957. After their marriage, Ruth and Michael moved to Irving, Texas. They had two children, Lynn born Nov. 1959, and Christopher born Feb. 1961. Ruth H. Paine, who had separated from her husband in September 1962, first met Lee and Marina Oswald in February of 1963. She was immediately attracted to Marina Oswald as another young mother and also as someone with whom she could speak Russian, and they quickly became friends. They never spoke about politics, but about their homes and families. Ruth learned that Marina was expecting another child in October and had no friends. Her husband refused to speak English with her, so she was having great difficulty in learning to communicate in English. Lee Oswald was also trying to get Marina to return to the Soviet Union, but she liked America and wanted to remain. As an alternative to returning to Russia, Ruth suggested that Marina and her daughter stay with her while Lee found a job in New Orleans. They came to live with Ruth and her children on April 24, 1963. Lee called on May 9th to say that he had found a job, and Ruth drove Marina the next day. Marina returned to Irving towards the end of September 1963 to again stay with Ruth Paine. Some time later Lee Oswald also returned to Texas where he took a room in a boarding house under an assumed name. He visited Marina at Ruth's home on the weekends. Marina's second daughter was born in Oct. 20, 1963. In the middle of October, Lee Oswald got a job at School Book Depository. On Thursday, Nov. 21st, Lee arrived unexpectedly, and after supper went to Ruth's garage, where the Oswalds had stored some of their belongings, including Lee's high-powered rifle, wrapped in an old blanket. Later that morning Ruth and Marina were watching the Kennedy procession on television when the shooting was announced. Soon after, the Paine house was searched by police. Marina left Ruth's home the next morning with the intention of seeing Lee at the Dallas County Jail. She went in company with her two children, her mother-
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Scope and Contents
This collection consists primarily of correspondence of Ruth Hyde Paine documenting her friendship with Marina Oswald, then the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, along with related material.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into six series: 1. Correspondence, 1963-1966 2. Material concerning the Warren Commission 3. Grand Jury investigation, New Orleans, 1968 4. Articles and related papers 5. Audio-visual (interviews) 6. Miscellaneous memorabilia.
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Administrative Information
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College FHL staff.
Sponsor Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries
Access Restrictions Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce items in this collection beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns. See http:// rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-RUU/1.0/.
Immediate Source of Acquisition Donor: Ruth Hyde Paine, 1985
Related Materials
Separated Materials The following material, originally part of the collection, has been recatalogued: 1. Tapes filed with other reel-to-reel tapes. 2. Film in Series 3 stored with FHL motion picture collection.
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Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
• United States. Warren Commission
Personal Name(s)
• Paine, Ruth Hyde • Oswald, Lee Harvey • Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
Subject(s)
• Quakers -- Texas • Church controversies -- Society of Friends
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Collection Inventory
Ser. 1. Correspondence, 1963-1966.
box
Letters of concern for Marina Oswald and her two small daughters, sent to Ruth 1 Paine, 11/24/1963 to 11/22/1964. Scope and Contents
Some also expressed concern for Mrs. Paine, and some included donations of money for Mrs. Oswald.
Letters of Ruth Paine and Marina Oswald, Spring 1963. 2 Scope and Contents
translated from Russian.
Letters about checks sent to Marina, Dec. 1963 and Jun. 1964. 2
Letters to Ruth from her mother, Carol Hyde, Dec. 1963 to Feb. 1964. 2
Letter from Texas Employment Commission, Jan. 1964. 2
Letters from Civil Liberties Union, Jan. 1964. 2
Letters, 1965-1966. 2
Letters concerning Kennedy memorabilia collection, 1965-1966. 2
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Ser. 2. President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy.
box
Correspondence with J. Lee Rankin, General Counsel. 2 Scope and Contents
Concerning the testimony of Ruth and Michael Paine before the Commission in March, 1964, and about the exhibits submitted by them to the Commission.
Lists of numbered exhibits, including copies of the letters in Russian exchanged by Ruth 2 Paine and Marina Oswald during 1963, and Ruth's translations of these letters into English.
Original letter written by Lee Harvey Oswald, and transcription by Ruth Paine. 2
Ruth Paine's address book and date calendar for 1963. 2
Ser. 3. Grand Jury Investigation, New Orleans, 1968.
box
One folder, with reference to an article written by a Philadelphia lawyer on the 2 investigation., 1968.
Ser. 4. Writings: Newspaper and magazine articles, with correspondence, 1963-1964.
box
Article and letters by David Andrews, of Baltimore, 1963-1964. 2
References to story in The World-Telegram, by Lee Townsend, Nov., Dec. 1963. 2
Articles in New York Journal-American, by Guy Richards, Dec. 1963, Jan. 1964. 2
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Letters about article in The Houston Post by Lonny Hudkins. 2 Scope and Contents
On interview with Mrs. Marguerite Oswald, Lee Harvey Oswald's mother, 12/30/1963.
Manuscript and correspondence with George Harris, editor of Look magazine, and also 2 Norman Cousins of Saturday Review, concerning a proposed article for Look written by Ruth Paine in Dec. 1963, but never published.
Letters from William Manchester, author of The Death of a President, setting up interviews 2 with Ruth Paine, Jun. 1964, published 1967.
Correspondence with Jessamyn West, Feb. to Sept. 1964. 2 Scope and Contents
About West's article published in Redbook magazine, July 1964, titled "Prelude to Tragedy: The woman who sheltered Lee Oswald's family tells her story."
Articles and correspondence with Helen Yenne concerning New York Herald Tribune 2 articles published by Yenne in May and Sept. 1964.
Correspondence with Priscilla (Johnson) Mc Millan,, Aug. 1964-Apr. 1965. 2 Scope and Contents
McMillan was the author of author of "Marina and Lee," which was not published by Harper until 1977.
Photocopies of newspaper articles, Nov. 1963-Oct. 1964, and n.d. 2
Transcript of CBS News Extra, "Nov. 22nd and the Warren Report", broadcast with Walker 2 Cronkite and Dan Rather., 9/27/1964.
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5. Audio-visual materials, 1964, n.d.
box
Filmed interview (16 mm.) of Ruth Paine by Jessamyn West, filed with moving picture 2 films. (Reel 87).
Taped interview for Canadian TV with Ruth Paine (Tape 143), Jun. 1964. 2
Taped documentary on the assassination, hour-long (Tape 142). 2
Taped interview with Ruth Paine for NBC and ABC television. (Tape 141). 2
Taped interview with Shirley Martin (Tapes 143-4). 2
6. Memorabilia, 1963, n.d.
box
Petition for divorce, 11/13/1963. 2
Loose papers. 2
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