The Last Days of Lee Harvey Oswald: A Conversation with Ruth Paine

Thrust overnight into the center of an international tragedy, Ruth Paine still ponders a different outcome if she’d known Lee Harvey Oswald had stashed a rifle in her garage. For the first time ever, Ruth shared her story at the Museum, joining Curator Stephen Fagin in conversation as she reflected on her friendship with Marina Oswald and how the legacy of the Kennedy assassination continues to impact her life.

A housewife living in Irving, Texas, Ruth Paine met Lee and Marina Oswald at a party in February 1963. Seven months later, when the Oswald marriage began to falter, Marina and her children moved into Ruth’s home. As a Quaker, Paine was opposed to weapons, and it wasn’t until the afternoon of November 22, 1963 that she learned Oswald had hidden his rifle in her garage. Paine’s friendship with Marina and her proximity to Lee has placed her at the heart of this historic event; the aftermath of the events of 1963 still affect her today. In 2009, the City of Irving purchased her former home and restored it to its 1963 appearance, where it is now open to the public as a historic museum. View this program on YouTube.