60 Years Ago Today - Oswald Starts Work at the Texas School Book Depository

Part 37

Lee Harvey Oswald departed Mexico City the morning of 2 October 1963 on Transportes del Norte bus #332, bound for Nuevo Laredo Mexico. At 1:30am on 3 October, he walked across the US border at Laredo Texas. He left Laredo at 3:00am on Greyhound bus #1265 and arrived in Dallas that same day at 2:20pm. He traveled under the alias H.O. Lee.

In Dallas, Oswald made haste for the Texas Employment Commission to file another claim for unemployment compensation. He spent that Thursday night at the Dallas YMCA. Not until Friday afternoon did he call his pregnant wife, Marina, who was staying with her friend Ruth Paine. Ruth said that Oswald was welcome to spend weekends with them but her home was too crowded to accommodate him during the week. That was fine with Oswald.

On Monday, October 14, Oswald found a modest room to rent at 1026 North Beckley Avenue in Oak Cliff near where he and Marina had lived on Neely Street earlier in the year. He would live at the North Beckley rooming house under the alias O.H. Lee until the assassination.

On 16 October - 60 years ago today - Oswald began work at the Texas School Book Depository overlooking Dealey Plaza. This was 22 days before President Kennedy’s visit to Dallas was scheduled and a full 33 days before the presidential motorcade route was decided. Hence, it was a sheer coincidence that Oswald was employed in this building overlooking that motorcade route.