Mr. Paine. I thought it probably was illegal of the embassy official not to hand over his passport when he demanded it in order to surrender it to the Soviet Union.
Mr. Liebeler. But you don't remember Oswald responding to that when you made that answer to him?
Mr. Paine. I don't remember his response.
The Chairman. You also said you thought it was rather nice of the State Department to do that in order to make it possible for him to return if he wanted to?
Mr. Paine. Yes; I said both of these things. They had given him money. They had held, a peccadillo to hold, the passport out of the knowledge that he might, such people might, want to return, change their mind, and then to provide him money moreover to come back, this all seemed to me rather nice even though it had taken 2 more months than when he originally wanted to come back.
I had said, this in response to his, some kind of expression on his part of criticism of the State Department or the foreign embassy or whatever it is.
Mr. Liebeler. Do you remember why he was critical? Was he critical because they had not given him his passport when he went to Russia or was he critical because in his opinion they had taken so long to arrange his return?
Mr. Paine. I think he was critical when he first mentioned it, he seemed to have the critical attitude—some of this critical attitude may have been facial expressions or way of speaking, which was somewhat common with him. Therefore, I can't remember for sure whether it was in the words or in his attitude. He was critical, though, certainly of the first, of the State Department not relinquishing his passport.
Mr. Dulles. Was he critical at this latter time?
Mr. Paine. He was critical of that as he was relating to his desire to go to the Soviet Union. He was relating the story to me, and then he had spoken of the State Department as though they were a bunch of bastards, wouldn't—or illegal or something. Anyway, he was unfavorable.