Mr. Ballen. I think he told me that he had traveled in the Soviet Union and finally ended up in a southwestern town and life was just incredibly boring and dismal.
Mr. Liebeler. Did you go into any details as to how the life was boring or dismal in the Soviet Union?
Mr. Ballen. No. This was my first visit with him and I knew he came down to see me in order to talk about a job, and I didn't want to impose on him.
Mr. Liebeler. Did you question him—did you have questions in your own mind as to where he obtained the funds to do this traveling?
Mr. Ballen. I had the impression that this was the kind of guy who could travel from one end of the continent to the other with very little money. He was dressed very modestly, and I, at least to me, he did, engender a certain amount of sympathy.
In other words, the type of fellow that you would feel sorry for, and if he were hitchhiking, you might buy him a meal or something like that. I just had the feeling that this was a fellow who could get around and make his way and find his way and not require any sum of money to do it.
Mr. Liebeler. Is there any other thing that led you to that conclusion?
Mr. Ballen. No; I am sorry. I don't know more specifically.
Mr. Liebeler. Did you ever lend Oswald any money?
Mr. Ballen. No; I didn't. If at the time he had asked me to loan him money, I would have. But I would say that this would, that the thing that he kept impressing on me to the point where it just rubbed me the wrong way is, that he kept insisting, raising his voice a little bit; "Don't you worry about me, I will take care of myself, and I will get myself work, don't you worry about me." Telling that too many times to a prospective employer isn't quite the best technique.