Oswald's Tale

by Norman Mailer

  Now came another variant: Lately, KGB had been testing another country’s legal channels to ascertain how difficult it would be to insert their agents into that nation. Igor now had to consider a possibility in reverse: Had some American intelligence service sent Lee Harvey Oswald here to check out their Soviet legal channels? Was he a test case to determine how moles might be implanted for special tasks?

  Yet, in addition to all this, looking at it in human terms, Oswald was also being accepted as a potential immigrant. It was considered desirable, therefore, to create good conditions for him so that he would not be disillusioned about life in the Soviet Union. By 1960, Minsk did have a living standard that might not disappoint him about Communist society. Besides, for their own purposes, the Organs needed a city as big as Minsk, with many people circulating in the streets. Watching a person was thereby facilitated.

  Be it said, their investigation was deeply prepared. They had a complex and double goal: not to miss anything suspicious in Lee Harvey Oswald’s behavior, yet not to limit his personal freedom. They also were most interested to talk to him personally, but given their ultimate objective—to discover whether he was or was not a spy—they had to abandon this possibility. Direct contact would disrupt their attempt to elicit objective answers through more delicate methods of investigation.

  2

  Developer

  Stepan Vasilyevich received his notice of Oswald’s arrival in Minsk just two days before the man was on their doorstep.

  Details of where he had served while in the U.S. armed services were also minimal. Instead came information of when he had arrived in Moscow, how he had behaved after slashing his wrist, how insistent he was on remaining in the Soviet Union.

  In Minsk they had a special postal channel by which they corresponded with Moscow Center, and Stepan did receive word that Oswald had served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Japan, but he felt he did not have to pay too much attention to this matter. Obviously, Military Counterintelligence had already looked into it and was not requesting more.

  On the other hand, Oswald was certainly special: “As we could see by materials received from those doctors who treated him in Botkin Hospital, it was clear,” said Stepan, “that since his intentions to reside in our country could not be altered, Oswald, if once again refused residence in the USSR, could, given such a strong will, repeat his suicide attempt.” Of course, it was equally possible that Oswald’s insistent desire to remain was connected to some special American task—but what kind of task? He had gone into the U.S. Marines when he was seventeen. Now, suddenly, he was angry at the whole American way of life. Very suspicious. It was possible he represented some new phenomenon in American intelligence methods.

  In their work, if they studied a person with the intention of eventually unmasking him, then they were not supposed to take any actions that might alert their target. Stepan was in accord with Igor’s decision to make no attempt to debrief Oswald formally about his service in U.S. Marines. It was more important to discover whether he was or was not an agent. There was certainly no urgency to obtain minor military information that the Soviet military, without doubt, already possessed. And if there was useful information he might be able to offer, that would have to be sacrificed in order not to make him suspicious.

  This much understood in advance, Stepan prepared to develop his case.

  3

  Alyosha

  In 1960, Stellina—named after Stalin—was manager of Intourist’s Service Bureau at Hotel Minsk, and two translators worked under her. She was, at that time, already married and had a one-year-old daughter, and her husband was a teacher at Minsk’s Foreign Languages Institute. Stellina herself spoke English and German, also Byelorussian, and for that matter Czech and Polish and even some Yiddish. She had grown up next to Jewish neighbors.

  Before 1959, there had been no Intourist in Minsk, so she was actually the first organizer of their Service Bureau. Hotel Minsk, where she worked, was new, and had been built, in fact, because Khrushchev, during a visit, remarked that Minsk lacked a good hotel. Before it opened, Stellina and two other officials, her hotel manager and the Secretary of the Ministry of Minsk Hotels, had been sent to Moscow for training. That was when she was instructed how Intourist people in Stellina’s position did not have definite working hours but rather must be ready to serve an unlimited day. When there were large numbers of tourists, she would even be on call at night, although in slack periods she could take back time for herself. So, if some tourist group came in suddenly from Brest or Finland, a person might call her at home and say, “Stellina Ivanovna, please, can you come and help?” She would quit everything and run over.

  There was one case she would remember all her life. A couple arrived in a car, some Canadian who had brought along his girlfriend from Hungary, a model, and they wanted to stay in one room. The hotel administrator said, “You are not married and you will have to take separate rooms.” But this Canadian’s young lady did not agree. She was very angry. Her Canadian agreed to Intourist’s terms because he did not wish any scandal, but his Hungarian was furious. So, when he was given his suite and this Hungarian model was put into a single bedroom, she opened her door, pushed her bed in front of it, took off all her clothes, lay nude on top of the bed covers, lit a cigarette, and started to scream as loudly as possible. If you please, Intourist didn’t need any scandal, so Stellina was asked to come over immediately from her apartment—the potential problems in this situation were numerous. Many people from Finland were staying in the hotel at that time, and these Finns drank—in fact, they drank so much that they never had any complexes. They would even wander into their hotel corridor entirely naked. So, with this Hungarian girl lying there also nude and a lot of men from Finland on the same floor, some of them with their clothes off already and walking around, Stellina certainly had to talk to her. But this Hungarian model said, “Who are you?” Stellina said, “Please, put on your clothes. You are a woman. You cannot behave this way.” The Hungarian model answered, “Blyat!” which translates in this case to “whore.” Stellina remembers that she was also called “Russian piece of pig.” There was this Hungarian lying nude in front of men and calling Stellina a whore. Then the girl said, “Don’t you dare close my door. If my boyfriend doesn’t take me into his suite, these Finns can come and make love to me here, all of them.”

  Who could deal with such a problem? Even her Canadian couldn’t quiet her down. Stellina had that couple removed from the hotel.

  It was different with Americans. At that time, relationships were not warm between these two countries, but some admiration existed. Stellina had been brought up to be a good host to people, and besides, she had been in an orphanage during their Great Patriotic War, and remembered how afterward a lot of humanitarian help was received from America—nuts, sugar, chocolate, beds—imagine, beds!—and clothes. So, for her, America was a country that had been nice to her. When Lee arrived, her attitude toward him, therefore, was sincere, not formal, not bureaucratic, and she could see that he felt it and knew there was no danger from her. Besides, he had arrived in Minsk on January 7, and that was Stellina’s birthday. So! It was an auspicous meeting—on her birthday, a white kitten comes.

  Stepan says that no one accompanied Lee Harvey Oswald from Moscow. At the railroad station in Minsk, he was met by two women from the Byelorussian Red Cross, who took him to his hotel. Stepan did not even know the names of these women. Nor had there been any concern that Oswald was traveling alone. So, the Organs were not concerned that he might try to escape from his train. Since Oswald wanted to stay in the Soviet Union so much, why would he run away? But if one was to suppose the Americans had sent him so he could escape and become illegal, it would be a most primitive and stupid act for him to get off at some midway stop. Security forces would find him quickly. That much, their CIA had to know from their own experience. The Organs could even catch people dropped from planes at night.

  Stepan doesn’t have information about ho
w he traveled, whether by first or second class, but what is certain is that from the moment he arrived, surveillance commenced. At the railroad station. In this first minute he came to Minsk.

  January 8

  I meet the city mayor, Comrade Sharapov, who welcomes me to Minsk, promises a rent-free apartment “soon” and warns me about uncultured persons who sometimes insult foreigners.

  FROM KGB OBSERVATION

  PERFORMED FROM 08:00 TO 23:00 ON JANUARY 9, 1960

  At 10 o’clock Lee Harvey entered lobby of Hotel Minsk, came up to hotel administrator, and started talking to him about something. After that he went up to lobby on fourth floor, took a seat, and began a conversation with an interpreter by name Tanya who was joined by another hotel worker.

  After talking to them for about 40 minutes Lee Harvey returned to his room 453.

  At 11:40 Lee Harvey left hotel and hurried down Sverdlov Street toward butcher store. In there he walked around, looking briefly at displayed products, after which he left and headed down Kirov Street toward intersection of Train Station Square, stopped, looked at photo display window of Byelorussia train station technical cabinet, then came up to Raduga Restaurant, stopped there for a minute, then went to grocery store on Kirov Street. While entering this store, he paid attention to people entering after him. He walked around this store, left it without buying anything, and went straight to a bookstore, where he walked along its sections without stopping anywhere, then left and walked fast. He was back at his hotel by 12:25.

  At 16:40 Lee Harvey left his hotel room and went down to Hotel Minsk restaurant. There he took seat at vacant table, and waited for waitress. (Observation at this restaurant was not done because there were very few people in there.)

  He left restaurant in about 45 minutes and went up to his room. He did not leave his room until 11:00 P.M. and observation was terminated until next day morning.

  January 10

  The day to myself. I walk through the city. Very nice.

  FROM KGB OBSERVATION

  PERFORMED FROM 08:00 TILL 24:00 ON JANUARY 10, 1960

  At 11 o’clock Lee Harvey left Hotel Minsk and went to GUM. There he came up to electrical department, asked a salesperson some question, then took money out of his pocket and went to a cashier of this department. He did not pay for anything but just put money back into his pocket and started pacing first floor of department store up and down looking at different goods. Then he went back to electrical department, paid 2 rubles, 25 kopeks for electrical plug, put it into his pocket and went up to second floor. There he spent some time in department of ready-made clothes, looked through available suits, then left GUM store walking fast. He was back at his hotel by 11:25.

  At 12:45 he came out of his hotel room and went to restaurant. He took seat at vacant table and began to eat. (No observations were made during this meal because no other people were in there.)

  At 13:35 Lee Harvey left restaurant and went back to his room.

  At 18:10 he left his room and went to restaurant. He took vacant table, had his meal, left restaurant at 18:45, and took elevator to fourth floor where he went to his room.

  He did not leave his room up to 24:00 after which time no observation was made until morning.

  Since Stellina was short, she saw Oswald as tall. He seemed unhappy to her, a bird who’d fallen out of its nest. Usually, foreigners dressed very well, but he didn’t, and always seemed to be wearing his one suit.

  They gave him a single room of the kind offered to Soviet citizens. Nothing special. That was probably because he was going to be living here permanently. It made Stellina feel as if Oswald were entrusted to her, but then, she saw herself as a solid kind of person. He needed her. He was absolutely helpless about going out. Since she had a motherly feeling for him, she chose to show him around town by herself.

  He was a lost soul. You had to nudge to get him to do anything. She lived only two houses away from her hotel, so that was easy. She wanted to make him feel good. In fact, she soon began to call him Alyosha, because such a name was very respected. There were monuments looking like obelisks erected to those Russian soldiers who had freed Bulgaria, and Bulgarians used to call such obelisks Alyosha. There was even a song about it. Actually, Stellina had not been thinking about that other Alyosha, who was in The Brothers Karamazov, and laughed when she was reminded. She certainly didn’t think her Alyosha was saintly, but they did have a kind of family relationship. Since her pregnancy, Stellina had remained heavy, and she thought he must have seen her as an older person, for while she was only twenty-eight, he may have thought she was a nice middle-aged married woman. He certainly seemed to recognize that anything he wanted to accomplish in this city right away would have to be done through her. So after a while he just started coming over on his own. While he would tell her a few things about himself, she saw him as secretive, a very secretive young man. She does remember saying to him on this first or second day, “You have to have a plan. How do you expect to live?” He said he wanted to study, and asked what kinds of Universities and Institutes were in Minsk. He’d prefer something in humanities, not something technical. Since she was a graduate of Minsk’s Foreign Languages Institute, she knew people and suggested that maybe he apply there. Such an idea interested him. But a couple of days later, he came and said, “I have a job at that radio factory on Red Street.” Krasnaya Ulitsa was its name—Red Street in English.

  January 11

  I visit Minsk Radio Factory where I shall work. There, I meet Argentinian immigrant Alexander Ziger, born a Polish Jew, immigrated to Argentina 1938, and back to Polish homeland (now part of Byelorussia) in 1955. Speaks English with an American accent. He worked for an American company in Argentina. He is head of the department, a qualified engineer in late 40s, mild-mannered, likable. He seems to want to tell me something.

  FROM KGB CHRONOLOGY

  13.01.60

  In accordance with order N6 (12.01.60) Oswald was taken on as regulator, 1st grade, in experimental shop at Minsk radio plant.

  FROM KGB OBSERVATION

  PERFORMED FROM 08:00 TILL 24:00 ON JANUARY 13, 1960

  At 8 o’clock there was placed an observation upon exit from Radio Plant where Lee Harvey is now working.

  At 16:25 Lee Harvey left radio plant and went down Krasnaya and Zakharova Street toward trolley-bus stop, where he got on trolley bus, route N2, and without talking to anybody got to Volodarskogo stop, got off trolley bus and went to hotel. It was 17:00 when Lee Harvey entered hotel. He went straight to his room . . .

  At 21:55 Lee Harvey left his hotel room and went down to restaurant, where he took a seat at vacant table, ordered his meal through a waitress, had his dinner, then paid, and was back in his room by 22:25.

  He did not leave his room. At 24:00, observation was stopped till next morning.

  According to Igor Ivanovich, KGB had done nothing directly about choosing Oswald’s place of work or where he would live. Such matters were overseen by the Council of Ministers. So, the Organs were not even consulted. It was policy. No matter how carefully Igor’s people might work at placing him, a hint of their efforts could still reach Oswald and spoil their case. Now, however, that he had been given a job as a fitter-trainee at Gorizont (Horizon) and was able to use radio equipment and communication devices, it could be said that it did not hurt their purposes. If he was a specially trained agent, it would be possible to observe in a factory environment what level of expertise he had in handling radio equipment under different conditions. At that time, Horizon factory in Minsk was not under high security, at least not in Oswald’s shop. However, this radio factory did, at times, cooperate with secret Soviet organizations, so it would be possible to observe whether Oswald made attempts to penetrate into such special networks.

  It was a large factory, occupying perhaps as much as a quarter of a mile by an eighth of a mile, and inside its gates was a sprawl of streets, sheds, and three- and four-story factory buildings that had gone up in different years, a mult
itude of buildings, alleys, vans, trucks, and company streets not unreminiscent of an old-fashioned and somewhat run-down movie studio.

  January 13–16

  I work as a “checker,” metalworker; pay, 700 rubles a month, work very easy. I am learning Russian quickly. Now everyone is very friendly and kind. I meet many young Russian workers my own age. They have varied personalities. All wish to know about me, even offer to hold a mass meeting so I can speak. I refuse politely.

  4

  Oswald at His Bench

  By her early twenties, Katya had worked at the Horizon radio plant for six years. Born on a collective farm, she still didn’t feel like a city girl. So, she was very quiet, but still she was pretty, if very slim and very shy, and she never spoke to Oswald, just observed him. Now, she’s heavier, a mother, and braver, but she was timid then. Year after year, she had worked hard, wearing Horizon’s white gown and a kerchief for her hair so it didn’t get into any apparatus, the gown and kerchief both provided by the factory. When Alik came down her aisle, he didn’t surprise Katya, just a young guy who looked like her own people, nothing special.

  Except one matter. This American complained always that he was cold. In their shop it was warm, but he said he always felt cold outside. People laughed at him when he talked. His Russian was so bad people laughed, not mocking, but friendly. He would try to pronounce words, get them wrong. They would laugh.

  Sonya, who worked near Katya, was also good-looking when she was young, even if she did have to go to work at Horizon in 1952, when she was sixteen. Her mother had five children and a difficult financial situation, so she left to find a job. But by 1960 Sonya was assigned to Horizon’s experimental shop, which showed that she knew what she was doing.