Lee Harvey Oswald – Psychiatric Reports (JFK Assassination)

Description

Oswald’s Psychiatric Journey: A Warren Commission Timeline

• 1953:
• Lee Harvey Oswald (age 13) is sent to Youth House in New York City due to truancy.
• Dr. Renatus Hartogs, chief psychiatrist at Youth House, examines Lee Harvey Oswald.
• (Undated – “Pre-Russian Period”):
• Various social workers document their experiences with a young Lee Harvey Oswald. These files are later collected as part of the “Oswald, Lee H. Pre-Russian Period – Psychiatric Examinations.”
• “Russian Period” (While defected to the Soviet Union, living in Minsk):
• Lee Harvey Oswald attempts suicide. Documents related to this event are later collected by the Warren Commission.
• July 9, 1964:
• A meeting is held between members of the Warren Commission staff and psychiatrists to discuss a psychiatric evaluation of Lee Harvey Oswald.
• Attendees: General Counsel J. Lee Rankin, Commission members John J. McCloy and Allen W. Dulles, and psychiatrists Dr. Dale C. Cameron, Dr. Howard P. Rome, and Dr. David A. Rothstein.
• Purpose: An “informal colloquy, interrogation, and explanation” by the psychiatrists regarding their observations from materials furnished by the Warren Commission concerning a psychiatric interpretation of Oswald.
• Content: The meeting involves a general discussion with personal points of view set forth. This 247-page transcript is later identified as volume 57 of the Commission’s transcripts (pages 7821-8071).
• September 8, 1964:
• Dr. Howard P. Rome sends a 12-page letter to the Warren Commission. This letter is designated as Warren Commission Exhibit No. 3134 and is included in Volume XXVI of the Commission’s materials.

Cast of Characters

• Lee Harvey Oswald: The central figure of the psychiatric evaluations. He was examined at age 13 for truancy, documented by social workers in his “Pre-Russian Period,” and attempted suicide during his “Russian Period” while living in Minsk. The Warren Commission later sought a psychiatric interpretation of him.
• Dr. Renatus Hartogs: Chief psychiatrist at Youth House in New York City. He examined Lee Harvey Oswald in 1953 when Oswald was 13 and sent to Youth House for truancy. Hartogs later published two books related to his experiences and the Warren Report: “The Two Assassins” and “The Warren Report – a Psychiatrist Discusses What it Really Reveals about Oswald and Ruby.”
• J. Lee Rankin: General Counsel for the Warren Commission. He was present at the July 9, 1964, meeting with the psychiatrists.
• John J. McCloy: A member of the Warren Commission. He was present at the July 9, 1964, meeting with the psychiatrists.
• Allen W. Dulles: A member of the Warren Commission. He was present at the July 9, 1964, meeting with the psychiatrists.
• Dr. Dale C. Cameron: A psychiatrist who participated in the July 9, 1964, meeting with the Warren Commission staff to discuss a psychiatric evaluation of Lee Harvey Oswald.
• Dr. Howard P. Rome: Senior consultant, section of psychiatry, Mayo Clinic. He participated in the July 9, 1964, meeting with the Warren Commission staff and later sent a 12-page letter (Warren Commission Exhibit No. 3134) to the Commission on September 8, 1964.
• Dr. David A. Rothstein: A psychiatrist who participated in the July 9, 1964, meeting with the Warren Commission staff to discuss a psychiatric evaluation of Lee Harvey Oswald.
• Social Workers: Unnamed individuals who documented their experiences with a young Lee Harvey Oswald during his “Pre-Russian Period,” with their files later collected by the Warren Commission.