Fair Play for Cuba Committee membership card for Lee Harvey Oswald

While living in New Orleans, Lee Harvey Oswald wrote a letter dated May 26, 1963, to the national headquarters of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee in New York City. He requested formal membership in the organization and, expressing interest in establishing a New Orleans chapter of FPCC, asked for a charter as well as a picture of Fidel Castro "suitable for framing."  Three days later, Vincent Lee of FPCC sent Oswald this membership card, dated May 28, 1963. The accompanying letter, however, expressed little interest in a New Orleans chapter and stressed that a charter would only be issued if the national committee deemed it reasonable. Oswald did not even wait for Lee's reply to arrive. He quickly established his own New Orleans chapter of FPCC, billing himself as secretary-President. He ordered 1,000 "Hands Off Cuba" handbills which he began to distribute on the streets. No one ever joined the New Orleans chapter of FPCC, but Oswald did provide honorary membership cards to two senior members of the American Communist Party, Gus Hall and Benjamin Davis. 

Vincent Lee testified to the Warren Commission on April 17, 1964. Asked about Oswald's membership, Lee testified that FPCC kept no membership file or duplicate cards on file. "If somebody asked to join the organization, we made out a membership card for them and the card was sent to the person."  Vincent Lee had no memory of filling out Oswald's membership card in particular. The national office of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee closed in December 1963, very soon after the Kennedy assassination.

This membership card was Exhibit 828 in the Warren Commission's investigation. A poor reproduction of the card can be seen on page 771 of Volume 17 of the Warren Report. - Stephen Fagin, Curator

"Fritz" on the back of the card refers to J.W. "Will" Fritz, the head of the Dallas Police Department Robbery-Homicide unit in 1963.

It was common in 1963 for police officers to initial pieces of evidence as a way to document the chain of custody. - Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections