Lee Harvey Oswald in His Own Words:

Speech Notes on the Far Right



Warren Commission Exhibit 102. Pg 441-442

Note: In the interests of clarity and legibility, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization have been corrected in ceratin cases.

Speech Before

 1.    Americans are apt to scoff at the idea, that a military coup in the US., as so often happens in Latin American countries, could ever replace our government. But that is an idea that has grounds for consideration. Which military organization has the potentialities of executing such action? Is it the army with its many conscripts, its unwieldy size, its scores of bases scattered across the world? The case of Gen. Walker shows that the army, at least, is not fertile enough ground for a far right regime to go a very long way. For the same reasons of size and disposition the Navy and air force is also to be more or less disregarded. Which service then, can qualify to launch a coup in the USA? Small size, a permanent hard core of officers and few bases is necessary. Only one outfit fits that description and the U.S.M.C. is a right wing infiltrated organization of dire potential consequences to the freedoms of the U.S. I agree with former President Truman when he said that "The Marine Corps should be abolished."

2.    My second reason is that undemocratic, country wide institution know as segregation. It is, I think the action of the active segregationist minority and the great body of indifferent people in the South who do the United States more harm in the eyes of the worlds people, than the whole world communist movement. As I look at this audience, there is a sea of white facts before me. Where are the Negro's amongst you (are they hiding under the table)? Surely, if we are for democracy, let our fellow Negro citizens into this hall. Make no mistake, segregationist tendencies can be unlearned. I was born in New Orleans and I know.
    In Russia I saw on several occasions that in international meeting the greatest glory in the sport field was brought to us by Negroes. Though they take the gold medals from their Russian competitors, those Negroes know that when they return to their own homeland they will have to face blind hatred and discrimination. The Soviet Union is made up of scores of naturalist Asians and Euro-Asians, Armenian, and Jews whites and dark skinned peoples yet they can teach us a lesson in brotherhood among peoples with different customs and origins.

3.    A symbol of the American way, our liberal concession is the existence in our midst of a minority group whose influence and membership is very limited and whose dangerous tendencies are sufficiently controlled by special government agents. The communist party U.S.A. bears little resemblance to their Russian counterparts, but by allowing them to operate and even supporting their right to speak, we maintain a tremendous sign of our strength and liberalism; harassment of their party newspaper, their leaders, and advocates is treachery to our basic principles of freedom of speech and press. Their views no matter how misguided, no matter how much the Russians take advantage of them, must be allowed to be aired. After all, communist U.S.A. have existed for 40 years and they are still a pitiful group of radical.

4.    Now-a-days - most of us read enough about certain right wing groups to know how to recognize them and guard against their corrosive effects. A would like to say a word about them, although there is possibly few other American born persons in the U.S. who know as many personal reasons to know and therefore hate and mistrust communism. I would never become a pseudo-professional anti-communist such as Herbert Philbriks or McCarthy. I would never jump on any of the many right wing bandwagon's because our two countries have too much to offer to each other to be tearing at each others throats in an endless cold war. Both are countries have major shortcomings and advantages but only in ours is the voice of dissent allowed opportunity of expression. In returning _____ to ____ the U.S., I hope I have awoken a few who were sleeping, and others who were indifferent.
    I have done a lot of criticizing of our system. I hope you will take it in the spirit it was given. In going to Russia I followed the old principle, "Thou shall seek the truth and the truth shall make you free." In returning to the U.S., I have done nothing more or less than select the lesser of two evils.


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