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Image of page of Lee Harvey Oswald's diary while he was in Russia
Image of page of Lee Harvey Oswald's diary while he was in Russia

Image of page of Lee Harvey Oswald's diary while he was in Russia

Object number1994.003.0095
Date11/22/1963 - 11/25/1963
ClassificationsPhotographs
Photographer Dallas Morning News Photographer
ObjectPhotograph (b&w)
Credit LineTom C. Dillard Collection, The Dallas Morning News/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumPaper, Photo
Dimensions10 x 8 in. (25.4 x 20.3 cm)
DescriptionBlack and white photographic print by a Dallas Morning News photographer. Image shows the first page of Lee Harvey Oswald's diary dated 10/16/1959 through 10/21/1959 from when he was in Russia. The original diary was in Dallas Police Department custody as evidence.
Curatorial Commentary
It is not clear which Dallas Morning News photographer took this image on the weekend of the Kennedy assassination. A number of photographers were present at various points including Tom Dillard, Joe Laird, Clint Grant, Bill Winfrey, and Jack Beers.  - Stephanie Allen-Givens, Collections and Exhibits Manager
The unauthorized publication of excerpts of Lee Harvey Oswald's diary in The Dallas Morning News in late June 1964 was the subject of brief national controversy. Congressman and future president Gerald R. Ford said he was "disturbed" by the leak and predicted that the Warren Commission would investigate the matter. However, Morning News publisher Joe Dealey stated at the time, "We stand by the right to publish such information and shall continue to do so whenever we feel it is in the public interest." -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
Lee Harvey Oswald's self-described "Historic Diary" is Warren Commission Exhibit 24. Reproductions of the original pages and a full transcription can be read in full in Volume 16 (pages 94-105) of the Commission's hearings and exhibits. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the release of the Warren Report in 2014, the U.S. Government Printing Office digitized the 26 volumes and summary report. A PDF of Volume 16 can be accessed on the GPO website here: GPO-WARRENCOMMISSIONHEARINGS-16.pdf (govinfo.gov). -- Stephen Fagin, Curator