Oswald was a completely political person. Politics was his entire life; even more important than his family. He defected to the Soviet Union and turned his back on his family (read the letters he wrote to his brother). He returned to the US, failed miserably, and wanted to defect to Cuba. He was rejected and had to return to the US.
I agree that Lee was very politically engaged but according to Robert Oswald, Lee was less enthusiastic about Communism when he returned to the US.
Maybe his time in the USSR, caused him to rethink some of his views about Communism.
Oswald wrote a speech in July 1963 where he ridiculed the Soviet system and called the US Capitalist system the “lesser evil”.
http://22november1963.org.uk/lee-oswald-speech-in-alabamaHe also ridiculed the US communist movement.
Because of those things, I don’t believe he was a Communist.
He may have identified himself as a Marxist but the terms “Marxist” and “Communist” aren’t synonyms.
You can be a Marxist while not being a Communist. Marxist ideas are compatible with other Leftist political ideologies.
I think he definitely was a Leftist and critical of the US government but not a Communist in 1963.
If you believe Oswald’s own writings or the claims of George DM, Oswald criticisms of America were based on Racism and Class issues. Which suggests he was more angry at the American Right, than the Liberal wing of US politics that JFK represented.
The evidence for me is persuasive that he tried to shoot Walker. He called himself a Marxist (as he understood the term). If that's not someone with extreme views then I'm not sure what we would call it.
I define “Marxists” broadly as people who believe in Racial and Class solidarity (racial equality and unity among working class people). Marxist ideas and policies can co-exist with Capitalism. Communism cannot co-exist with Capitalism. Based on my research of the Kennedy Assassination, I don’t think Oswald viewed Marxism as synonymous with Communism.
Marxism is not radical at all to me. In fact, Abraham Lincoln was a contemporary of Karl Marx and it’s believed that he was influenced to some extent by Marx’s writings.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/07/27/you-know-who-was-into-karl-marx-no-not-aoc-abraham-lincoln/
This is a person with extreme views. Who dresses and acts like this?
While I have questions about the forensic evidence in the Walker assassination attempt, I agree that Oswald had a motive in that example.
And as I mentioned earlier, I think he was prepared to accept responsibility if he was caught for that crime.
Oswald perceived Gen. Walker as a potential Adolph Hitler and probably thought he might be viewed as a hero for killing him.
Walker definitely was a Fascist and Racist and had a relatively large following. The early 1960s were a violent time for the civil rights movement. So in that context, while I don’t condone political violence, I can see how all those things together might’ve motivated Oswald to act against Walker.
I don’t see any similar pattern with Oswald and JFK.
