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469 390 Raigorodsky Exhibit No.: 9 25 10 25 10-A 25 10-B 25 11 26 11-A 26 14 26 14-A 26

Hearings Before the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

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TESTIMONY OF PAUL M. RAIGORODSKY

The testimony of Paul M. Raigorodsky was taken at 11:15 a.m., on March 31, 1964, in his office, First National Bank Building, Dallas, Tex., by Mr. Albert E. Jenner, Jr., assistant counsel of the President's Commission.

Mr. Jenner. Mr. Raigorodsky, do you swear that in the testimony you are about to give, you will tell the truth, and nothing but the truth?

Mr. Raigorodsky. I do.

Mr. Jenner. Miss Oliver, this is Paul M. Raigorodsky, whose office is in the First National Bank Building, Dallas, room 522, and who resides in Dallas.

Mr. Raigorodsky. At the Stoneleigh Hotel.

Mr. Jenner. Who resides at the Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas.

Mr. Raigorodsky, I am Albert E. Jenner, Jr., of the legal staff of the Warren Commission, and Mr. Robert T. Davis, who is also present, is the assistant attorney general of the State of Texas and is serving on the staff of the Texas Court of Inquiry. The Commission and the attorney general's office of Texas are cooperating in their respective investigations.

The Commission was authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 137 of the U.S. Congress and was then created by President Lyndon B. Johnson by Executive Order 11130 and its members appointed by him. The Commission has adopted rules and regulations regarding the taking of depositions. The Commission to investigate all the circumstances of the assassination of President Kennedy.

We have some information that you are particularly well acquainted with the overall so-called Russian emigre community in Dallas, and you are an old time Dallasite, and while frankly we do not expect you to have any direct information as to the assassination, today, we think you do have some information that might help us with respect to—using the vernacular—cast of characters, people who touched the lives of Lee Harvey Oswald and Marina Oswald, as the case might be, and as I understand it you appear voluntarily to assist us?

Mr. Raigorodsky. Oh, sure.

Mr. Jenner. Helping out in any fashion your information may assist us in that regard?

Mr. Raigorodsky. Sure.

Mr. Jenner. I think it will be well if you, in your own words, gave us your general background, just give us your general background—when you came to Texas and in general what your business experience has been.

Mr. Raigorodsky. My background?

Mr. Jenner. Yes.

Mr. Raigorodsky. Well, commencing—I don't know where to start, please?

Mr. Jenner. Well, where were you born?

Mr. Raigorodsky. I was born in Russia, I lived in Russia until I was, oh, let's see, I escaped from Russia in 1919, went to Czechoslovakia to the university there.

Mr. Jenner. You did what, sir?

Mr. Raigorodsky. I went to the university there and I am escaping from Russia—I fought against the Bolsheviks in two different armies and then came to the United States with the help of the American Red Cross and the YMCA.

Mr. Jenner. When was that?

Mr. Raigorodsky. In December—the 28th, 1920.

Mr. Jenner. 1940?

Mr. Raigorodsky. 1920.

Mr. Jenner. How old are you, by the way?

Mr. Raigorodsky. Sixty-five—exactly.

May I have this not on the record?

Mr. Jenner. All right.

(Discussion between Counsel Jenner and the witness off the record at this point.)

Mr. Jenner. All right, go ahead.

Mr. Raigorodsky. Well, I came to this country.

Mr. Jenner. In 1920?

Mr. Raigorodsky. Yes; and they told me that for the money that they advanced for me to travel, that we only have to serve in the United States for some capacity, so when I came in, I enlisted in the Air Force and was sent to Camp Travis, Texas, and then in 1922 I received an honorable discharge, and because it was I enlisted in time of war, I became full-fledged citizen in 4 months after I arrived to this country. We still were at war with Germany, the peace hadn't been signed. And then I went to the University of Texas in 1922 and graduated in 1924.

Mr. Jenner. What degree?

Mr. Raigorodsky. Civil Engineering. That's all they were giving, even though my specialty is petroleum engineering, but I took courses in different subjects.

By the way, first, I speak with accent and second, I speak with colds, and you can stop me any time and I will be glad to repeat.

And, that was in 1924—then I went to work in Los Angeles, Calif. I simultaneously married and that was in 1924. I married Ethel Margaret McCaleb, whose father was with Federal Reserve Bank—a Governor or whatever you call it.

Mr. Jenner. Federal Reserve Bank?

Mr. Raigorodsky. It was here in Dallas under Wilson in 1918—he was appointed. At that time he was a banker and was organizing banks. Then, I stayed in California for some—from 1924 until more or less—until 1928. I worked as an engineer with E. Forrest