Ruth Paine
Encyclopedia
Ruth Hyde Paine was a friend of Marina Oswald
who was living with her at the time of the JFK assassination. Lee Harvey Oswald
stored the 6.5 mm caliber Carcano
rifle
he allegedly used to assassinate US President John F. Kennedy
in her garage, unbeknownst to her and her husband, Michael Paine
.
and became a Quaker. Through her interest in folk dancing and music she met her future husband Michael Paine
. Though strictly speaking not a Quaker, Michael attended meetings with Ruth. They married on December 28, 1957.
In 1959 Michael Paine got a job with Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas
and the Paines moved into a house in the suburb of Irving
. As liberals in Dallas the Paines were isolated and Ruth Paine was quite lonely.
Ruth Paine had been studying Russian
since 1957. In the late 50s she participated in Quaker pen pal programs and the East-West Contact Committee, which sponsored visits by three Soviets to the US. In 1963 she signed up to teach a summer class in Russian at St. Mark's School in Dallas
but only one student signed up (William Hootkins
, who became an actor and had a minor role in the movie Star Wars
as X-Wing
pilot Jek Porkins).
She met the Oswalds through her interest in Russian. A friend from a singing group, Everett Glover, invited her to a party on February 22, 1963 because he thought she would be interested in meeting people who spoke Russian. The Paines and Oswalds spent much time together after the party. Ruth befriended Marina though Lee was more distant, despite Ruth and Michael's efforts (and the Paines did not care for him much).
.
After the assassination Marina and Lee Oswald's mother Marguerite briefly stayed with Ruth Paine until Marina was taken into custody by the Secret Service
. Marguerite and Lee's brother Robert did not like Ruth Paine, which may have influenced Marina Oswald. They thought Paine sought attention for herself, an opinion Marina would later express before the Warren Commission
. Ruth wrote to Marina incessantly, with letters that took an almost desperate tone, but received no response except for a Christmas card
. They met briefly in 1964 but afterwards they would never see each other again. Paine heard news about Marina through author Priscilla Johnson McMillan until McMillan’s relationship with Marina broke off in the early 1980s.
Paine was indirectly responsible for the discovery that Lee Oswald had attempted to assassinate General Edwin Walker in early 1963. Along with letters, Paine repeatedly sent Marina pictures and other items, one of which was a thick book of household advice in Russian, in which Marina had earlier concealed the note left by Lee for Marina the day he attempted to kill Walker. Previously, no one knew who Walker’s would-be assassin was and Marina had not volunteered the information.
Ruth Paine testified before the Warren Commission and has been interviewed by a number of authors, including Johnson, William Manchester
and Gerald Posner
. She has appeared in numerous documentaries and even a mock trial of Lee Harvey Oswald. She also testified in Jim Garrison
's trial of Clay Shaw
. Paine was not called to testify before the House Select Committee on Assassinations, although the HSCA tracked down a number of less significant witnesses like the Umbrella Man.
While discussions of her in mainstream press and publications have generally been kind, conspiracy theorists often depict the Paines in a negative light, attempting to connect them to various conspiracies going back generations since Michael Paine’s relatives and ancestors held important government and business positions. In Oliver Stone
's JFK
the Paines are depicted as Bill and Janet Williams, played by Gary Carter and Gail Cronauer
. While most names in the movie have not been changed it has been suggested the Paines were renamed to avoid potential legal action. (The name Janet Williams was used again in the 1993 TV movie Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald, in which the role was played by Quenby Bakke.)
Ruth Paine returned to Pennsylvania and became principal of a Quaker school. She soon moved to St. Petersburg, Florida
and got a master’s degree in psychology at the University of South Florida
. After working for the school system in Franklin County
in the Florida Panhandle
she returned to St. Petersburg and worked for the Hillsborough County, Florida
school system until her retirement. She is active in Quaker and liberal charities and organizations and lives in Santa Rosa, California.
Marina Oswald Porter
Marina Oswald Porter, is the widow of Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.-Life with Oswald:...
who was living with her at the time of the JFK assassination. Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
stored the 6.5 mm caliber Carcano
Carcano
Carcano is the frequently used name for a series of Italian bolt-action military rifles and carbines. Introduced in 1891, this rifle was chambered for the rimless 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano Cartuccia Modello 1895 cartridge. It was developed by the chief technician Salvatore Carcano at the Turin...
rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
he allegedly used to assassinate US President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in her garage, unbeknownst to her and her husband, Michael Paine
Michael Paine (engineer)
Michael R. Paine is a retired engineer who worked for Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas in 1963. He became notable after the assassination of John F. Kennedy because of his and his wife's acquaintance with alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.-Early life:Paine was born in New York, New York. His...
.
Background
Paine was born Ruth Avery Hyde. She went to Antioch CollegeAntioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
and became a Quaker. Through her interest in folk dancing and music she met her future husband Michael Paine
Michael Paine (engineer)
Michael R. Paine is a retired engineer who worked for Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas in 1963. He became notable after the assassination of John F. Kennedy because of his and his wife's acquaintance with alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.-Early life:Paine was born in New York, New York. His...
. Though strictly speaking not a Quaker, Michael attended meetings with Ruth. They married on December 28, 1957.
In 1959 Michael Paine got a job with Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
and the Paines moved into a house in the suburb of Irving
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
. As liberals in Dallas the Paines were isolated and Ruth Paine was quite lonely.
Ruth Paine had been studying Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
since 1957. In the late 50s she participated in Quaker pen pal programs and the East-West Contact Committee, which sponsored visits by three Soviets to the US. In 1963 she signed up to teach a summer class in Russian at St. Mark's School in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
but only one student signed up (William Hootkins
William Hootkins
William Michael Hootkins was an American character actor, most famous for supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, Batman and Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Early life:...
, who became an actor and had a minor role in the movie Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
as X-Wing
X-wing
X-wings are fictional starfighters from the original Star Wars trilogy and the expanded universe. They are depicted as the primary interceptor and dogfighter of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic...
pilot Jek Porkins).
She met the Oswalds through her interest in Russian. A friend from a singing group, Everett Glover, invited her to a party on February 22, 1963 because he thought she would be interested in meeting people who spoke Russian. The Paines and Oswalds spent much time together after the party. Ruth befriended Marina though Lee was more distant, despite Ruth and Michael's efforts (and the Paines did not care for him much).
JFK Assassination
Ruth Paine drove Marina Oswald to New Orleans when the Oswalds moved there and back to Dallas when they moved again. When the Oswalds resettled in Dallas Marina and the Oswald child moved in with Ruth Paine while Lee stayed in a boarding house under the name O.H. Lee. The second Oswald child was born after Marina moved in. Marina helped with the housework and Ruth’s Russian studies while Lee visited on weekends. By this time Michael and Ruth had separated, though their divorce was amicable and Michael was a frequent visitor. At the suggestion of a neighbor, Ruth Paine told Lee Oswald about a job opportunity at the Texas School Book DepositoryTexas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
.
After the assassination Marina and Lee Oswald's mother Marguerite briefly stayed with Ruth Paine until Marina was taken into custody by the Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
. Marguerite and Lee's brother Robert did not like Ruth Paine, which may have influenced Marina Oswald. They thought Paine sought attention for herself, an opinion Marina would later express before the Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
. Ruth wrote to Marina incessantly, with letters that took an almost desperate tone, but received no response except for a Christmas card
Christmas card
A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to the Christmas and holiday season. Christmas cards are usually exchanged during the weeks preceding Christmas Day by many people in Western...
. They met briefly in 1964 but afterwards they would never see each other again. Paine heard news about Marina through author Priscilla Johnson McMillan until McMillan’s relationship with Marina broke off in the early 1980s.
Paine was indirectly responsible for the discovery that Lee Oswald had attempted to assassinate General Edwin Walker in early 1963. Along with letters, Paine repeatedly sent Marina pictures and other items, one of which was a thick book of household advice in Russian, in which Marina had earlier concealed the note left by Lee for Marina the day he attempted to kill Walker. Previously, no one knew who Walker’s would-be assassin was and Marina had not volunteered the information.
Ruth Paine testified before the Warren Commission and has been interviewed by a number of authors, including Johnson, William Manchester
William Manchester
William Raymond Manchester was an American author, biographer, and historian from Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, notable as the bestselling author of 18 books that have been translated into over 20 languages...
and Gerald Posner
Gerald Posner
Gerald Posner is an investigative journalist and author of several books, including Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK which explores the John F...
. She has appeared in numerous documentaries and even a mock trial of Lee Harvey Oswald. She also testified in Jim Garrison
Jim Garrison
Earling Carothers "Jim" Garrison — who changed his first name to Jim in the early 1960s — was the District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana from 1962 to 1973. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best known for his investigations into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy...
's trial of Clay Shaw
Clay Shaw
Clay Laverne Shaw was a businessman in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the only person prosecuted in connection with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and was found not guilty.-Biography:...
. Paine was not called to testify before the House Select Committee on Assassinations, although the HSCA tracked down a number of less significant witnesses like the Umbrella Man.
While discussions of her in mainstream press and publications have generally been kind, conspiracy theorists often depict the Paines in a negative light, attempting to connect them to various conspiracies going back generations since Michael Paine’s relatives and ancestors held important government and business positions. In Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's JFK
JFK (film)
JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
the Paines are depicted as Bill and Janet Williams, played by Gary Carter and Gail Cronauer
Gail Cronauer
Gail Cronauer is an American stage, television, and feature film actress and an acting professor. She has performed films as diverse as Oliver Stone's JFK to the TV series, Walker, Texas Ranger...
. While most names in the movie have not been changed it has been suggested the Paines were renamed to avoid potential legal action. (The name Janet Williams was used again in the 1993 TV movie Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald, in which the role was played by Quenby Bakke.)
Ruth Paine returned to Pennsylvania and became principal of a Quaker school. She soon moved to St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
and got a master’s degree in psychology at the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
. After working for the school system in Franklin County
Franklin County, Florida
Franklin County is a coastal county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 11,057. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 11,177...
in the Florida Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
she returned to St. Petersburg and worked for the Hillsborough County, Florida
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
school system until her retirement. She is active in Quaker and liberal charities and organizations and lives in Santa Rosa, California.
Further reading
- Thomas Mallon, Mrs. Paine's Garage and the Murder of John F. Kennedy. ISBN 0-375-42117-3.
- Priscilla Johnson McMillan, Marina and Lee. ISBN 0-06-012953-0.