Mr. RANKIN. When did you first consider the possibility of returning to the Soviet Union?
Mrs. OSWALD. I never considered that, but I was forced to because Lee insisted on it.
Mr. RANKIN. When you considered it, as you were forced to, by his insistence, do you know when it was with reference to your first request to the Embassy, which was February 17, 1963?
Mrs. OSWALD. February 17?
Mr. RANKIN. Yes.
Mrs. OSWALD. I think it was a couple of weeks before that, at the beginning of February.
Mr. RANKIN. Did your husband know about the letter you sent to the Embassy on February 17?
Mrs. OSWALD. Of course. He handed me the paper, a pencil, and said, "Write."
Mr. RANKIN. Did he tell you what to put in the letter, or was that your own drafting?
Mrs. OSWALD. No, I knew myself what I had to write, and these were my words. What could I do if my husband didn't want to live with me? At least that is what I thought.