ANS to his mother, signed “Lee,” one page, 7 x 2.75, no date. Oswald writes: “I can’t use this check of course. Put the $20 bill in an envelope and send it to me I’m also short of cash and need the rest.” Accompanied by the personal check filled out and signed by his mother Marguerite, payable to Oswald for $20.00, dated December 18, 1959, as well as the original mailing envelope, addressed in Oswald’s hand to his mother in Fort Worth, bearing a Russian postmark of December 26, 1959. The note, check, and envelope comprised official exhibit (No. 202) in the Warren Commission investigation into JFK’s assassination; and like most of the exhibits, was at that time protectively and permanently soft-laminated. The note is in fine condition, with rough edges and a central vertical fold.
Oswald had only been in the USSR for about two months when this bit of correspondence took place. Surely, the man who renounced his US citizenship for a “better” life in the Soviet Union was finding Mother Russia not as welcoming as anticipated. In fact, shortly after his arrival, with his temporary travel visa set to expire, Oswald unsuccessfully attempted suicide in his hotel room—although many experts have said that was a desperate attempt to avoid expulsion. According to evidence submitted to the Warren Commission, Marguerite Oswald sent this check (and later cash) to her son as repayment on a $100 loan. Purportedly, his mother was reluctant to send cash through the mail, the evidence showed that she ultimately did as asked, and at that time included a note inquiring whether he was happy in the USSR and that “If you don’t and want to come back, I believe it can be arranged.” How interesting that after reaching the “utopia” of Communism, Oswald still embraced the notion of capitalism when it came to the repayment of a loan to his own mother. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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