Jon: Yes, but he wrote that he disliked the American political and economic systems. He compared them, unfavorably, to the Soviet system. He said both were "slave" systems that needed to be overthrown. Michael Paine said that Oswald told him that the US system was irredeemable and couldn't be changed; that it needed to be replaced.
In 1963, after spending some time in the USSR, Oswald publicly ridiculed the USSR, the American Communist Party, and said he preferred the US over the USSR.
"He still held the ideals of the Soviets, was still a Marxist, but did not like the widespread lack of material goods that the Russians had to endure"https://jfkassassination.net/parnell/ce2649.htm"communist U.S.A. have existed for 40 years and they are still a pitiful group of radicals"http://22november1963.org.uk/lee-oswald-speech-in-alabamaI don't know if his contradictory statements represent growth from his teenage years to becoming an adult. Or if it's evidence that his prior statements weren't sincere and were being used to create a persona that would make it easier for him to get into the USSR (or Cuba).
It's also worth noting that Oswald didn't participate in the American Communist Party and didn't associate with any known Communists.
But again, he did identify as a Marxist and to most Americans in 1963, the "Marxist vs Communist" thing was a difference without distinction.
In other words, if Oswald was being used as a Patsy, the fact that he proclaimed to be a Marxist was bad enough to convince most Americans that he was an anti-American Communist in 1963. With 20/20 hindsight, we can see that his views on politics were complex and sometimes contradictory.
His brother, Robert, said Lee wanted to be an "American" (whatever that means) when he returned from the USSR.
So, whether he disliked America or not he certainly didn't care for our economic and political systems. Whether his belief in Marxism was simply an explanation for the world he disliked - and given his childhood it's understandable that he'd be alienated from it - or not can be debated I guess. I think he had a bit more sophisticated understanding of some of its basic concepts than others think, e.g., his views on surplus value for example were pretty solid.
Most people with Left-wing views are dissatisfied with the Status Quo and want to improve America.
Oswald may very well have been "anti-American" but I don't view his Marxist or anti-capitalist beliefs as evidence of anti-Americanism. After all, capitalism exists lots of other places besides America.
There were very legitimate reasons for criticizing capitalism and racism in Oswald's time.
Recognizing America's flaws and wanting to create a fairer economic and political system shouldn't be mistaken for hatred of the US.
See the quote below from Martin Luther King Jr:
"I am convinced that capitalism has seen its best days in American, and not only in America, but in the entire world. It is a well known fact that no social institution can survive when it has outlived its usefulness. This, capitalism has done. It has failed to meet the needs of the masses."https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/notes-american-capitalismAs to his views on JFK: they are a puzzle, aren't they? If he was pretending to be a Marxist, if this was an act I would think part of it would be to denounce JFK. But if he was a sincere Marxist (as he understood it) and an admirer of Castro I would also think he'd be critical of JFK. But we can't find anything other than the Schmidt story.
Per Marina and others close to Oswald, he liked JFK's stances on Civil Rights. It also seems overlooked that Gen. Edwin Walker's aggressive opposition to Civil Rights, not his views on Cuba, might be what motivated Oswald's hatred of Walker.
Given Oswald's alleged love for Castro, I agree that one would expect him to hate JFK who presided over the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis. But JFK's views on Cuba were pretty much the consensus in the US government at the time so maybe Oswald didn't hold that against him.
He did in fact tell Captain Fritz that he was aware that Lyndon Johnson wouldn't be any different on Cuba policies.
If there was no Conspiracy, maybe Governor Connally was his intended target? If Oswald was a political extremist, he would've been proud to have killed JFK. Most terrorists express pride when they successfully hit their intended target.
