The Texas Observer DEC. 13, 1963 A Journal of Free Voices A Window to The South 25c Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald? Dallas Much has been written about Lee Harvey Oswald, 24, of New Orleans, Fort Worth, and, for a time, the Soviet Union, but I have learned the most about him as he was on November 22 in Dallas from two long interviews here, one with a man who had an argument with him less than a month before that day and one with a man who knew him as well as anyone who has spoken up. His mother, too, has had a part of her say, but she is determined to sell her story; she did not know him well at the end; and he had moved beyond her influence. His brothers kept then ovvr: cywnsel. His wife has yet to talk to reporters, other than a Life team who did not report much from her. And he is dead now. The argument occurred at a meeting of the Dallas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union at Selectman Hall on the S.M.U. campus Oct. 25. Michael Paine, Os- wald's only close acquaintance, as far as is known, during the last months of his life, had brought him as a guest. The program for the evening was built around a showing of a film developing the theme that a Washington state legislator had been defeated by right'-'wing attacks based on previous communist-type associa- tions of the legislator's wife. The discussion was running along the theme that liberals should oppose witch-hunts, but with scru- pulous methods. Oswald rose during the discussion, Paine said, and said he had attended the rally addressed by Gen. Edwin Walker two nights before in Dallas. "He • . gave some examples of how they were exhibiting anti- Semitism," Paine recalled. A woman said that during a discussion of the Adlai Stev- enson affair the night of Oct. 24, she heard Oswald leaned forward to Paine and say, "I was there." Rev. Byrd Helligas, associate minister of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, remembers having seen Oswald in discus- sion at a coffee table. Oswald struck Helli- gas as "erudite," with a good vocabulary Photographs by Russell Shaw and a knowledge of a wide variety of sub- jects. In discussion about the movie pro- All the photographs in this issue were Times. We have interspersed them through- jector, Helligas said, Oswald showed intelli- taken on Padre Island by Russell Shaw, a out this issue with the permission of the gence about mechanical things. photographer of the Corpus Christi Caller- Caller-Times. (Continued on Page 3) 5he Sutiect of Tnem.oriat It is too early to assess the subject of wrote : "As a teacher in Dallas I have tried Dallas. This will take more inquiry and to instill in my students a respect for the reflection. One cannot yet be sure, either, leaders of our country." The theme of her Hundreds of thousands of Texans have whether Dallas is doing something about letter was this: "The city of Dallas paved already paid John Kennedy's memory hom- itself, and if it is not, whether it will. We the way for the tragic event here." age on Elm Street, near the Triple Under- do know that some of its leading citizens pass, where he was slain. Millions of Ameri- So the mother of the teacher at the assas- are very determined that something shall sination scene was right. The teacher who cans and citizens of the other nations will be done. But there is a distance to go. go there in pilgrimage as long as there is wrote to us was right. Mrs. Cowan learns Dallas too long has been daily fed a diet to her sorrow. civilization. of suspicion and reactionary demagoguery In the name of those we have been by the Dallas News to become in a month It is not enough that, under pressure of among, who have driven the fatal curve, of words a shining city where people say publicity, Supt. White and the school board and walked the witness grass, and studied forth without fear. reinstated Mrs. Cowan Monday. It may be over the flowers, in the name of the griev- A school teacher paying homage to the a good sign, but real damage has been done. ing faces and the energyless hearts, the President there where he fell gave a report- Consider the implicit warning to every Observer calls upon the city fathers of Dal- er a statement—and then tearfully with- teacher in Dallas: las to construct a Kennedy Memorial there drew it when her mother said she'd be fired Say something civic, or keep your mouth where the President was shot. by the school authorities if she stood by it. shut. Mayor Earle Cabell of Dallas favors Dal- She went away crying and insisting, "But If this is the way the Dallas power struc- las citizens giving money to a fund to erect mother, I didn't say anything." ture means to shine up its image again— a monument in Washington. He opposes We have in hand a letter from another we do not say that it is; we only fear that building a memorial near the Triple Under- Dallas teacher : "This letter is not for pub- it is—then we must conclude that the lead- pass. lication. I'm a teacher—and teachers of lib- ers of Dallas do not know that there is a Perhaps the Dallas power structure does eral bent are circumspect in this school ad- relationship between the image and the not want a memorial there, and wants the ministration. • The teachers in this sys- reality. place unmarked, and the fact that the deed tem just don't speak out." They are not two different kinds of was done there, if not forgotten, at least Last weekend Mrs. Elizabeth Cowan, 25, things, existing apart from each other. A not unduly remembered. married, and a fourth grade teacher in Dal- true image cannot be conjured by public In all understanding but in all earnest- las public schools for five years, was sus- relations men, no matter how slick they are. ness, gentlemen, we say that the people pended by Supt. W. T. White for a letter The only image of value is the image that want this monument there. No matter how from her published in Time Magazine. reflects the reality. The only honest way politicly you- sinint the —siibject off your She has not been told that she violated to fix an image is to fix a reality. agendas, and no matter how many study any rule. School authorities told her, she Don't the gentlemen know this? ❑ committees you have come up with reasons said, "just that they think I signed it as a teacher, and since I was a teacher, I im- not, the people want their monument to the NO VOTE President right there where he was slain. plied I was speaking for all the teachers of Dallas." The Observer suggests that citizens of Two schoolboys put up a flag there and this area abstain from voting in the con- stood guard on it themselves, in their She signed the letter, she said, with "just my name." However, she said, "I started gressional runoff of Dec. 17. Neither Jake R.O.T.C. uniforms. Flowers from stores and Pickle nor Jim Dobbs should be the con- yards and fields appeared on the grass un- a sentence with, 'as a teacher,' and that was f I gressman from this Democratic district ; bidden in wild colors like shattered rain- it. In the sentence in question, Mrs. Cowan why vote for either? ❑ bows. Every day people have come to stand on the scene there. Thanksgiving and week- ends since the death, they have driven by in their cars three abreast in steady THE TEXAS OBSERVER A Window to the South streams, past and over the place where he A Journal of Free Voices was killed. As we left Dallas we saw that 57th 'YEAR — ESTABLISHED 1906 a picket fence had appeared from some- Vol. 55. No. 27 7480° December 13, 1963 where, to put the flowers on. Incorporating the State Observer and the torial policies and contents of the Observer. Under fire the President hallowed that None of the other people who are associated place forever. Let the fact be known for East Texas Democrat, which in turn incor- porated the State Week and Austin Forum- with the enterprise shares this responsibility with him. Writers are responsible for their own all to know and not forget. Advocate. work, but not for anything they have not them- Of all that has been said about him noth- Editor and General Manager. Ronnie Dugger. selves written, and in publishing them the edi- ing sounded out so true as this, that he was Partner, Mrs. R. D. Randolph. tor does not necessarily imply that he agrees our first president who became a martyr Business Manager. Sarah Payne. with them, because this is a journal of free for peace and freedom without having to Contributing Editors, Bill Brammer, Chandler voices. The Observer solicits articles, essays, and fight a war to do it. He was the second Davidson, J. Frank Dobie, Larry Goodwyn, Franklin Jones, Lyman Jones. Jay Milner. creative work of the shorter forms having to great emancipator. He is with Lincoln now. Willie Morris. Charles Ramsdell. Roger Shat- do in various ways with this area. The pay Think of all the monuments there are in tuck.