Mr. Jenner. In other words, are you seeking to imply that her failure to mention the General Walker incident and Lee Harvey Oswald part in it, if he had any part, that that was understandable to you—that would be understandable as of that time, having in mind your relations with her?
Mrs. Paine. No; it is not understandable to me. I feel it is only explained—the only explanation I can find, when I look for one, is that she did not feel terribly close to me, or did not know just what I would do with such information. She may well have suspected that I would feel it necessary to take immediate action, and I would have felt that necessary if I had known this. She may have felt that Lee would not make such an attempt again, and that there was therefore no need to bring it up. I don't know whether your accounts of what the FBI has put down of their conversations with me include one meeting with Bardwell Odum, right after the newspapers had indicated something of a shot at Walker, before there was any corroborative details, such as the content of a note.
I was very depressed by the feeling that here—not to me, but to someone, this man had shown that he was violent and dangerous, and the information had been so close to me and not available to me—and I deeply regretted that I had had no warning of this quality in him.
And I further went on to say that I felt that it was a moral failing on her part not to speak to someone about this, because I thought she would surely realize that this was an irrational and extremely dangerous act on his part—that he needed help and/or confinement.
Mr. Jenner. What is your personal attitude towards the Castro regime?
Mrs. Paine. I have very few opinions about it. I suspect that the press is correct, that it is used as a jumping off ground for people, for Communist deputies going to Central American countries, trying to stir up trouble. That I object to strenuously. That the people of Cuba had Castro as a leader is not of any particular offense to me. I do think that he has rather more popular support than his predecessor.
Mr. Jenner. Batista?
Mrs. Paine. Yes—which is not saying a great deal.
Mr. Jenner. Well, I think Representative Ford might have had more in mind as to whether you share or do not share or have an aversion to what you understand to be the Castro regime.
Mrs. Paine. I think the regime is clearly dictatorial, that it seeks to perpetuate itself, and to do so at all costs; and that I certainly object to.