China, Korea and Vietnam that are under communist control. September 17, 1963: Jack Valenti sends an invitation to the White House asking whether President Kennedy would attend a dinner in Houston on November 21 honoring congressman Albert Thomas for his decision not to retire from Congress. The invitation is received at the White House on September 19, 1963. Lee Oswald is issued a 15-day Mexican tourist card using the name "LEE, Harvey Oswald." September 23, 1963: Ruth Paine drives Marina Oswald from New Orleans back to her home in Irving, Texas. Late that night, Lee Oswald also leaves New Orleans to travel to Mexico City hoping to somehow gain entrance to Cuba, a country to which travel has been banned by the United States. September 24, 1963: At a press conference in Austin, Governor Connally announces that he will visit Washington, D.C. from October 2–4, 1963 and that he hopes to see President Kennedy. Connally says that has no plans to invite Kennedy to visit Texas but would be delighted if the president would agree to a visit. The White House accepts the invitation to the Albert Thomas dinner in Houston and turns it into a two-day political trip encompassing the major cities of Texas. Although Kennedy had wanted to visit Texas at some point, he had not originally planned to go there at in November. September 25, 1963: White House sources, in an exclusive to the Dallas Morning News, announce that the president will visit Texas November 21–22, 1963 and that the tour will include Dallas. September 26, 1963: The Dallas Morning News is the first newspaper to announce the Texas visit in an article covering the president's conservation tour in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. September 27, 1963: Lee Oswald arrives in Mexico City and registers at the Hotel del Comercio. He visits the Cuban consulate three times in an attempt to secure a visa to Cuba, as well as the Soviet embassy to obtain a visa, but is denied at both places. September 30, 1963: Lee Oswald purchases a bus ticket using the alias "Mr. H. O. Lee." The bus leaves Mexico City for Laredo, Texas at 8:30 a.m. on October 2. October 3, 1963: Oswald arrives in Dallas and spends the night at the YMCA. October 4, 1963: Governor Connally meets with President Kennedy at the White House. Oswald applies for a job at Padgett Printing but is