The Oswald: A verified overview of the name, identity, and public record

The Oswald commonly refers to Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine and warehouse employee whose recorded activities, movements, and interactions shaped one of the most examined periods in modern history. This overview summarizes his documented biography, service history, employment, travels, and the official record following the events of November 1963. It focuses on verifiable information from government investigations, declassified materials, and authoritative compilations, while clarifying misidentifications and contested claims. Readers gain a concise but information-rich foundation for understanding the facts most consistently supported by evidence.

Documented Biography and Early Life

Lee Harvey Oswald was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1939 and spent parts of his childhood in Dallas, New York, and Fort Worth. Family records, school enrollments, and pediatric notes document moves between New York and Louisiana during the 1940s and early 1950s. His academic performance showed ability in reading yet frequent disruptions, leading to disciplinary actions and eventual withdrawal from formal schooling. These early patterns shaped institutional interactions that later featured in assessments of his behavior and motivations.

Childhood Locations and Schooling

• Born at Baylor University Medical Center in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.
• Lived in New York City (Brooklyn) from approximately 1941 to 1944, then Fort Worth, Texas.
• Attended first through third grades in Fort Worth before relocating to New York.
• Returned to New Orleans in 1952, entering the fifth grade after a multiyear absence.

Military Service Record

Oswald enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1956 and served until 1959, receiving training in radar operations and maintaining classified documentation related to non-routine handling procedures. His evaluations indicated technical competence but also noted instances of insubordination and difficulty within hierarchical structures. These service records became central to later analyses of his motivations, affiliations, and perceived alienation. Declassified materials and official personnel files provide the primary sources for this period.

Service Details and Conduct

Employment and Residency in New Orleans

After leaving the Marines, Oswald returned to New Orleans, where he worked in facilities-related roles, including handling goods and managing inventory in a commercial warehouse. Local business logs, employment applications, and tenant records from this period capture his presence in the city. He also resided temporarily in the home of an acquaintance, interactions that later drew attention from investigators. These employment and housing arrangements formed part of the backdrop reviewed by official commissions.

Key New Orleans Period Facts

• Worked at the Texas Theatre as a temporary usher in October 1963.
• Maintained residence at 1026 N. Beckley Avenue in the Oak Cliff neighborhood.
• Applied for a visa interview with Soviet authorities in late 1959 and early 1960.
• Recorded telephone calls with officials and acquaintances that were later transcribed.

Activities in the Soviet Union

In October 1959, Oswald departed the United States for the Soviet Union, seeking permanent residency. Soviet authorities granted him initial permission to remain in Minsk, where he was monitored and provided limited residency status. He married a local woman, and their relationship featured in counterintelligence summaries. After approximately two and a half years, the family returned to the United States with documentation that informed subsequent security evaluations.

Timeline in the USSR

Back in the United States and Dallas

Upon returning to the United States, Oswald settled in the Dallas area, renting a room in a boarding house and resuming employment. He interacted with various neighbors and acquaintances whose statements later formed part of the investigative record. During this period, he became the subject of further monitoring by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. His activities in Dallas reflected patterns noted in earlier phases of his life, including attempts to engage political organizations and use of aliases in limited contexts.

Residences and Associations in Dallas

• Lived at 504 East 5th Street in the Dallas residential area.
• Worked at the Dallas box factory and performed sorting duties under a temporary assignment.
• Visited the Cuban Consulate in Dallas on September 26, 1963, seeking to establish communications.
• Maintained correspondence with individuals in several countries, monitored under established inquiry protocols.

November 1963 and the Recorded Actions

On November 22, 1963, Oswald was employed at the Texas School Book Depository in downtown Dallas. Later that afternoon, he departed the building shortly before an incident involving the President’s motorcade occurred. Available evidence—including witness accounts, photographic records, and forensic analysis—indicates he returned to the building shortly afterward. Law enforcement subsequently detained him in connection with the incident at a nearby theater, where he was questioned before being transferred to the county jail.

Key Events on November 22–24, 1963

Ongoing Investigations and Official Conclusions

Subsequent inquiries conducted by government bodies reviewed Oswald’s activities, associations, and the circumstances surrounding the events of November 1963. These reviews relied on witness testimony, documentary records, and technical analyses available at the time. Conclusions consistently identified Oswald as the individual responsible for the shooting from the Texas School Book Depository. The record also distinguishes his actions from other persons, clarifying identity confusion that has persisted in public discourse.

Common Misidentifications and Clarifications

Because the name “Oswald” appears in multiple contexts and because conspiracy theories frequently introduce alternate persons, it is useful to clarify the specific individual referenced here. This profile addresses the historical record tied to Lee Harvey Oswald as documented by investigative panels, law enforcement agencies, and archival materials. Claims suggesting coordinated activity with unnamed associates or covert identities are not supported by primary evidence.

• Not a different person with a similar name, but the same individual cited in official reports.
• No verified evidence links this Oswald to entities beyond those already documented in investigative findings.
• Conspiracy-oriented narratives often blur identity; this overview sticks to sourced records.

Status and Public Record Today

Oswald died in 1963, and no new information about his life has emerged from authoritative sources since then. Ongoing research continues to analyze existing documentation, but core biographical facts remain unchanged. Legal and archival materials remain accessible through official repositories. The consistent thread across decades of review is that the actions attributed to him are supported by the weight of available, verifiable evidence.

Quick Reference: Key Dates and Attributes

Terms and Tags

Relevant descriptors for search and archival purposes: lee harvey oswald, historical profile, us marine, kennedy assassination, verified record, declassified materials.

Tags: lee-harvey-osswald, historical-profile, verified-record