Through the years after the tragedy there were lots of times when Marina had to talk about the journey to the US. Her testimonies differ a lot from time to time. Right here I’ll focus on the city she said she visited in Holland, and how long they stayed before the ship took them to the US.

Here are extracts of her depositions, in chronologic order:

June 20, 1962: Marina in a letter to aunt Vilya and uncle Ilya

… It has been now nearly a week since we have arrived at Robert’s in Fort Worth.  You know how long it took to get here; if you count our departure from Minsk, the trip took twenty-two days.  Of course, we are very tired.  From Moscow to Holland we traveled through Germany and Poland.  Rotterdam where we were a day and a half I liked very much except that the wather was cold for summer.  Alik and I walked around in our coats.  From Rotterdam to New York we went by ship.  This was a ship for tourists and had all comforts.

November 29, 1963: Marina in a tape recorded interview with officers from Dallas

… She [Marina] said that thy arrived in New York by air on February 13, 1962, they stayed in some hotel in New York for one day and then went by train to Texas.

February 3, 1964: Marina before the Warren Commission

Mr. RANKIN. Do you recall the date that you arrived in the United States with your husband, Lee Harvey Oswald?
Mrs. OSWALD. On the 13th of June, 1962– I am not quite certain as to the year–’61 or ’62, I think ’62.
Mr. RANKIN. How did you come to this country?
Mrs. OSWALD. From Moscow via Poland, Germany, and Holland we came toAmsterdam by train. And from Amsterdam to New York by ship, and NewYork to Dallas by air.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you recall the name of the ship on which you came?
Mrs. OSWALD. I think it was the SS Rotterdam but I am not sure.
Mr. RANKIN. What time of the day did you arrive in New York?
Mrs. OSWALD. It was—about noon or 1 p.m., thereabouts. It is hard to remember the exact time.
Mr. RANKIN. How long did you stay in New York at that time?
Mrs. OSWALD. We stayed that evening and the next 24 hours in a hotel in New York, and then we left the following day by air.
………
Mr. RANKIN. How did you travel from Moscow to the United States?
Mrs. OSWALD. I told you from Moscow by train, through Poland, Germany,and Holland, and from Holland by boat to New York. From New York toDallas by air.
Mr. RANKIN. I think you told us by another ship from Holland. I wonderif it wasn’t the SS Maasdam. Does that refresh your memory?
Mrs. OSWALD. Perhaps. I probably am mixed up in the names because it is a strange name.
………
Mr. RANKIN. How much time did you spend in Amsterdam on the way to the United States?
Mrs. OSWALD. Two or three days, it seems to me.
Mr. RANKIN. What did you do there?
Mrs. OSWALD. Walked around the city, did some sightseeing.
Mr. RANKIN. Did anybody visit you there?
Mrs. OSWALD. No.
Mr. RANKIN. Did you visit anyone?
Mrs. OSWALD. No.
Mr. RANKIN. What hotel did you stay in?
Mrs. OSWALD. We didn’t stop at a hotel. We stopped at a place wherethey rent apartments. The address was given to us in the AmericanEmbassy.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you recall what you paid in the way of rent?
Mrs. OSWALD. No, Lee paid it. I don’t know.

Somewhere in the fall of 1966: narrative prepared by Marina

From Moscow we took the train to Warsaw, Berlin, and Amsterdam. Holland, that small and cozy country, pleased me most of all. … Holland is a very, very clean country, surely the cleanest country in the world. We lived in a appartment in Amsterdam for three days, and our landlady was so neat that we were even afraid to lie down on the sheets for fear of getting them dirty. … In Amsterdam we bought a ticket on a boat for New York.

September 14, 1978: Marina before The House Select Committee on Assasinations

Mr. DODD – You were in Rotterdam for how long?
Mrs. PORTER – I think we spent 1 night over there, I think.
Mr. DODD – If I told you it was 3 days, would you argue with me?
Mrs. PORTER – No.
Mr. DODD – During that 3-day period, did you see anyone, other than Lee Oswald? Did you meet any people?
Mrs. PORTER – Not–I seen some faces and people around, but I did not talk to anyone.
Mr. DODD – Where did you stay in Rotterdam?
Mrs. PORTER – It looked like a boarding house somewhat.

Make up your mind, Marina! Did you go to Amsterdam or to Rotterdam? And did you spent one night, or three? Off course anno 2007 we know she slept in Rotterdam, just for one night. A longer stay is simply not possible: they arrived in Holland June 3rd and left the country June 4th. More important question: why the discrepancies? Here are some possibilities…

• Marina had a reason to hide the truth. She was aware of the mysterious things Lee had done in Holland and wanted to create a smoke screen.
• Marina was misunderstood by her interpreter(s). Guess not. They were professional interpreters who could understand Marina well.
• Marina was confused most of the time/ had loss of memory. We can’t blame a Russian girl with confusing Amsterdam and Rotterdam. We can’t blame one for forgetting the name of the ship. But is it reasonable that one forgets how many nights she slept in a foreign country, when asked about it only 2 years later? There’s a big difference in 1 night or three… Was Marina thát confused?
• Marina is misquoted on purpose, something that happened especially in the weeks after the tragedy. For instance, Dallas Office Agents Charles Kunkel and James Howard threatened Marina with deportation (in subtle and not-so-subtle ways) if she didn’t  tow the ‘official’ line that her huswas was the lone nut assassin that killed JFK.

More follows soon!