why palmer mcbride was wrong

First topic message reminder :

From mcBride's initial FBI report based on 11/23/63 interview. Note that the FBI used quote marks and that McBride read and signed each page: http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=95623&relPageId=82

"During his first visit to my home in late 1957 or early 1958 the discussion turned to politics and to the possibility of war. At this time I made a statement to the effect that President DWIGHT EISENHOWER was doing a pretty good job for a man of his age and background, but that I did feel more emphasis should be placed on the space program in view of Russian successes. OSWALD was very anti-Eisenhower, and stated that President EISENHOWER was exploiting the working people. He then made a statement to the effect that he would like to kill President EISENHOWER because he was exploiting the working class. This statement was not made in jest, and OSWALD was in a serious frame of mind when this statement was made."

I want to concentrate on the two highlighted parts of the text.

1. This is expanded on later in the document when McBride states that in "April or May, 1958 Oswald stated he was moving to Ft Worth....in about August 1958 I got a letter from him saying he had gotten mixed up in a anti-Negro or anti-Communist riot on high school grounds in Ft Worth"

The official timeline indicates Marguerite and Oswald actually moved to Ft Worth 2 years prior to what McBride recalled.

The official timeline is correct.

Here is the proof. From the Spokane Daily Chronicle Sept 3, 1956


[edit to add: there were no similar stories coming out of Ft Worth in 1958]



Note that the riot started at the "Riverside Elementary School". This was undoubtedly the issue referred to by Oswald in his letter- and it happened in 1956 - not 1958.

On the second issue, McBride is recalling a debate with Oswald about "Russian success" with their space program. I'm not sure exactly how this played out, but if McBride later claimed this was a reference to the successful Sputnik launch in 1957, someone most likely planted that thought in his mind, based on his own erroneous timeline. If he had meant "Sputnik", he surely would have said "Sputnik".

It was by no means impossible to talk about "Russian success" in space PRIOR to Sputnik. The newspapers of the day were continually hammering away at how the US was falling behind the successful Russians. 

Here are two stories on the subject of Russian success in space both published in the US in the months prior to Oswald leaving NO for Ft Worth. 

Soviet Race For 'Moon' Spurs US
‎
Pay-Per-View - 
Christian Science Monitor - May 4, 1956 
According to reports , Soviet space . under the direction of t;ommission . on Travel. Some of the Soviet Union's top natural scientists are believed to be ... 



SOVIET SPACE SHIP IN '56 ENVISIONED; London Red Paper...
‎
$3.95 - 
New York Times - Jan 3, 1956 
The Communist newspaper Daily Worker reported in a Moscow dispatch today that the Soviet Union might be ready to launch a space satellite this year.... 

William E Wulf 1968 interview. Not online before! Thanks to Malcolm Blunt.