I've often wondered about a conversation I once had with my late cousin, a Captain in the Merchant Marines. One night over a few sips of bourbon, he told me that he had taken Oswald as a passenger on his ship when he defected to the USSR. They had a chance meeting on the deck of his ship one night where Oswald bragged that he was going to get himself a "Russian bride". My cousin told him "You're a fairly good-looking fella - maybe you should get an American bride" ... an idea that apparently did not impress the young fella. Shortly after making that remark we went on to another subject. I didn't think too much about it at the time. We were a bit tipsy, but certainly not drunk by any stretch.

After he passed, I mulled over that off-hand comment and began to formulate an opinion, because I'm delusional that way :) My cousin and I did not really form a relationship until after he retired since he was always at sea when I visited them. His wife would hail him on their Ham radio base station every morning around 9 am Texas time. When he came into port every few months she'd drive to meet him in Galveston or New Orleans or Gulfport and bring him back to their farm. He had about 2000 acres, a couple of hundred cattle, and owned several buildings in the small community. Their home was paneled in genuine mahogany that he'd brought back from the Phillipines, but he preferred the solitude of the farm over city life. She finally tired of driving all that distance and bought herself a Cessna which was parked at the farm.... she was cool before it was cool.

After retiring from a long career at sea, he would sometimes tell me of his travels - much of it in the East China or South China sea... a Captain so experienced he once bragged that he could (almost) navigate the straits of Taiwan blindfolded. We would sit in the semi-darkness of his "man cave" behind the garage and have long talks about all sorts of subjects. I admired him for his skills as a farmer and a MM Captain - at the age of 80 the man once built a large Quonset hut to house his Dodge Ram flatbed farm truck with only the help of one hired hand. The man could fabricate dang near anything... and I relished those visits.

During the Vietnam war, he was rarely home. I later discovered he was most likely carrying Agent Orange and other herbicides to ports afar to support the war effort. Considering his accumulated assets I've come to believe he was in cahoots with the See Eye Aye somehow... which could explain how Oswald came to be a passenger on one of his voyages. Far fetched? Perhaps.

It's a long shot, but a relative has given me permission to examine his ship's logs and records which are stored "in the barn" - that Quonset hut he built. If I ever get back there before I pass, I might just have to rummage around those old boxes in the barn.

My wife is the only other person I've told... until tonight. I'm studying for my Ham radio operator's license and even considered taking his old call sign from the FCC (which I still remember well). I will not muddy his memory by revealing his identity for obvious reasons. I don't need or want a visit from the spooks.