Howard Willens, on pp. 91-92 of his book “History Will Prove Us Right”, writes the following interesting passages:
Oswald’s note wasn’t his only link to the Walker shooting. Investigators had found photographs of the general’s home among Oswald’s possessions, and firearms identification experts told the commission that the bullet recovered at the Walker scene was the same type of ammunition used in the assassination. On the commission staff, we thought that the Walker incident provided strong circumstantial evidence that Oswald had the determination and mental capacity required to plan an assassination and was willing to kill if he thought he had sufficient reason to do so. As to what those reasons were in the case of Walker, Marina Oswald told the commission that her husband thought the general “was a very bad man, that he was a fascist, that he was the leader of a fascist organization, and when I said that even though all of that might be true, just the same he had no right to take his life, he said if someone had killed Hitler in time it would have saved many lives.”13
At this early stage of our investigation, we were struck by certain aspects of the Walker attempt that might shed light on Oswald’s culpability in President Kennedy’s death. Many of the conspiracy theories about the assassination were based on the assumption that Oswald simply lacked the capacity to shoot the president without the assistance of others. As the details of the Walker attempt unfolded, we came to believe that some characteristics of Oswald’s behavior relating to the Walker incident challenged this assumption.
Oswald Planned Carefully: The notebook and photographs found in Oswald’s home indicated meticulous planning for Walker’s assassination. Oswald had studied Dallas bus routes, which he subsequently used. He took photographs of Walker’s house and possible locations for burying his rifle both before and after the attempt. And, of course, there was the note left for his wife with detailed instructions for her to follow in the event he did not return home.
Oswald Planned No Escape: Oswald faced the possibility that he might be apprehended for this attempt on Walker’s life. His note advised his wife where he would be imprisoned if he was captured. He also contemplated that he might die as a result of this plan, and advised his wife regarding the money he left for her, what bills had been paid, and the assistance that friends or the Red Cross might provide her in his absence.
Oswald Left a Historical Record: In his note Oswald advised his wife to send any information in the newspapers about him to the Soviet embassy, which he said “would come quickly to your aid once they know everything.” He posed for two pictures with his recently acquired rifle and pistol and copies of issues of The Worker and The Militant. Although he destroyed most of the notebook about his planning for the Walker attempt, he did not destroy the note that he left for his wife or some of the pictures that he had pasted in the notebook. He told her that he “wanted to leave a complete record so that all the details would be in it.” This concern for his place in history seemed to be an important factor to consider in assessing possible motivation for the Kennedy assassination.14
Oswald Acted Alone: The commission and staff were well aware by this time of the widespread public perception that Oswald might have been part of a conspiracy of some kind. It was important to us, therefore, that we found no indication that Oswald had any assistance in planning for this attempt on Walker’s life, in the attempt itself, or in its aftermath. His note to his wife and his conversations with her after the unsuccessful attempt never hinted of the involvement of anyone else. I am sure I was not alone in thinking: “This Walker incident is really interesting. With all the possibilities of conspiracy that have been swirling around the Kennedy assassination, Oswald seemed to have acted entirely on his own in the Walker case. Although it doesn’t prove anything about the Kennedy assassination, it certainly suggests that it could have been a lone operation as well.”
