200000
104-10335-10014
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
104-10555-10014
ASSINATION
REVIEW
RECORDS
BOARD
Assassination Records Review Board
•
•
600 E Street NW 2nd Floor Washington, DC 20530
(202) 724-0088 • Fax: (202) 724-0457
January 28, 1997
Mr. John Pereira
Director
DHOL
RELEASE
IN THIS DOCU
Historical Review Group.
Center for the Study of Intelligence
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, DC 20505
Re: Request for Additional Information and Records No. CIA-16
(Oswald Pre-Assassination Files)
Dear John:
Under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, 44
U.S.C. § 2107 (Supp. V 1994), the Review Board has the authority to “direct a
Government office to... investigate the facts surrounding, additional information [and]
records...." Section 7(J)(1)(C)(ii). Pursuant to this authority, the Review Board is
seeking to resolve in a complete and comprehensive manner certain questions related to
files on Lee Harvey Oswald that CIA may have held prior to the assassination of
President Kennedy. Accordingly, we request that CIA provide complete and
comprehensive answers to the questions identified below.
On May 12, 1992, Director Robert M. Gates testified to the Senate Committee on
Governmental Affairs regarding CIA's records on Oswald prior to the assassination.
Mr. Gates testified that “[p]rior to President Kennedy's assassination, CIA held only a
small file on Lee Harvey Oswald that consisted of 34 documents amounting to 124
pages....." (The Assassination Materials Disclosure Act of 1972: Hearing Before the
Committee on Governmental Affairs, 100th Cong., 2d Sess. 52 (1992) (emphasis added)
(copy enclosed). It is the Review Board's current understanding, however, that at the
time of the assassination, CIA held at least three separate files (including soft files) on
Lee Harvey Oswald: a 201 file (201-289248), an HTLINGUAL file, and an Office of
BOARD MEMBERS: John R. Tunheim, Chair Henry F. Graff - Kermit L. Hall - William L. Joyce • Anna K. Nelson
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: David G. Marwell
13-00000
་་
Mr. John Pereira
January 28, 1997
Page 2
Security file. We have identified references to one or more other possible Oswald files
including possible soft files designated as follows: CI/SI, CI/SIG, CI/LSN, and
CS/LSN.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Please identify, as specifically as possible, each file held by CIA on Oswald
at the time of the assassination of President Kennedy.
Other than for the 201-289248 file on Oswald, please explain when each
Oswald file was opened, the purpose for the opening of the file, and the
documents that were in the file at the time of the assassination.
For the 201-289248 file on Oswald, please identify which records (and the
total number that) were in the file at the time of the assassination.
To the extent that Counterintelligence and the Office of Security
maintained pre-assassination files on Oswald, please explain why those
offices maintained files on Oswald prior to the assassination. In
answering this question, please make appropriate references to the
Clandestine Services Handbook (CSHB) and to any other materials
(including organizational charts) that would help explain the
jurisdictional and organization reasons for which CI and OS would have
maintained such files.
For each question, please explain the basis for the answer and the sources (records or
persons) whom you consulted to answer the question. To the extent that you are not
able to answer a question completely, please so indicate and provide the best reasonable
answer. If, during the course of your research, you learn that any record relating to a
pre-assassination file or record has been destroyed, please provide us with all available
information related to the destruction of the records or files.
These queries should be interpreted in their broadest reasonable sense. To the extent
that you question whether certain responses may be within the scope of our request,
please let us know and we can advise you whether we would wish to include it. We
anticipate that the responses to these questions will be referenced in CIA's Final
Compliance Statement.
'One Office of Security file on Oswald (or relating to Oswald) may have been
numbered 351-164. In addition, Margaret Stevens may have held an Office of Security
"MS-" file on Oswald.
13-00000......
I
"
Mr. John Pereira
January 28, 1997
Page 3
We request that you make this information available to us by February 24, 1997. If this
does not provide you with sufficient time, please let us know, in writing, by what date
you believe you will be able to answer the questions fully.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
lion
David G. Marwell
Executive Director
Enclosure
13-00000
THE ASSASSINATION MATERIALS DISCLOSURE ACT
OF 1992
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SECOND CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
S. J. RES. 282
TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXPEDITIOUS DISCLOSURE OF RECORDS
RELEVANT TO THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
MAY 12. 1992
Printed for the use of the Committee on Governmental Attain's
57-233-
1.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON 1992
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office. Washington, DC 2003
ISBN 0-16-039035-4
13-00000
50
denied, you say postponed. I am curious as to how long the post-
ponement will be. Will it be until the national security or privacy
are no longer threatened? Do we want to require a mandatory
review every two years?
Going along, some of the language is fairly broad. We had the
exchange here a few moments ago about an intelligence agent.
Then there is another section that gives us an exception—“an in-
telligence method which is currently utilized, or reasonably expect-
ed to be utilized.”
"
The one that troubles me most, although I know there is a
reason for it, but I just am concerned about the doors it may open,
is .. an invasion of privacy of a living person, whether that
person is identified in the material or not." I am concerned about
that being used as a ground for requesting postponement of disclo-
sure.
So I think, consistent with all that you have said here, I hope
that you will give us the benefit of your second look at that Section
6 of this proposed Act.
Chairman GLENN. Thank you.
Senator Cohen?
Senator COHEN. No further questions.
Chairman GLENN. Good. Thank you very much. We may have ad-
ditional questions. It has been a long session this morning here,
and we have additional questions from other members or questions
after we review. We would appreciate an early reply so it could be
included in the record. Thank you very much. We appreciate.
Mr. STOKES. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator SPECTER. Thank you very much.
Chairman GLENN. The next panel is the Honorable Robert Gates,
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Honorable
William Sessions, Director of the FBI. Gentlemen, you have been
very patient here this morning. I know we had told you you would
be on by about 10:00 here. We are about an hour late on that, or a
little over. We appreciate your forbearance this morning. We look
forward to your testimony this morning..
Mr. Gates, if you would lead off, we would appreciate it very
much.
TESTIMONY OF THE HON. ROBERT M. GATES, DIRECTOR,
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Mr. GATES. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I am here
today at your request to provide my views on S. J. Res. 282, the
Assassination Materials Disclosure Act of 1992, and to describe the
nature of the documents held by the Central Intelligence Agency
that relate to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Senator SASSER. Mr. Chairman, I wonder if the Director could
pull the mike just a little bit closer? Thank you.
Mr. GATES. I very much appreciate the opportunity to speak on
this important matter.
Let me begin by stating that I am in complete agreement with
the purpose underlying the joint resolution, that efforts should be
made to declassify and make available to the public as quickly as
possible Government documents relating to the assassination of
51
President Kennedy. We hope that opening up and giving journal-
ists, historians and, most importantly, the 
public access to govern-
mental files will help to resolve questions 
that still linger over 28
years after the assassination. Further, I believe 
that maximum dis-
closure will discredit the theory that CIA 
had anything to do with
the murder of President Kennedy.
Even before the introduction of this joint resolution, I recognized
the 
need for greater public access to CIA 
documents of historical
importance. Two months ago, I announced 
the establishment of a
new unit within CIA that will be 
responsible for declassifying as
many historical documents as possible, 
consistent with the protec-
tion of intelligence sources and methods.
This new unit, the Historical Review Group, in the Agency's
Center for the Study of Intelligence, will 
review for declassification
documents 30 years old or older and 
national intelligence estimates
on the former Soviet Union that are 10 
years old or older.
In addition to the systematic review of 30-year-old documents, I
have 
directed the history staff in the Center 
for the Study of Intel-
ligence to assemble CIA records focusing on 
particular events of
historical importance, including the 
assassination of President
Kennedy. The Historical Review Group will 
then examine the doc-
uments for the purpose of declassifying 
the records.
Because of high interest in the JFK papers, I am not waiting for
legislation or other agencies to start 
declassifying documents be-
longing to CIA. The Historical Review Group
, at my direction, al-
ready has begun its review of the documents 
related to the assassi-
nation of President Kennedy, and I 
am happy to report that the
first group of these records, including all CIA 
documents on Lee
Harvey Oswald prior to the 
assassination, has been declassified
with quite minimal deletions and is being 
transferred to the Na-
tional 
Archives for release to the public.
This is, I acknowledge, a small fraction of what we hold, but it is
an 
earnest of my commitment immediately 
to begin review for de-
classification of this material. Indeed, as I 
speak, the reviewers are
going through a substantial number of 
documents and I anticipate
that many of these will be released shortly
.
As we carry out our program to declassify Kennedy assassination
documents, our goal will be to release as 
many as possible. In fact,
I recently approved a new CIA declassification 
guideline for our
historical review program which specifically 
directs a presumption
in 
favor of declassification. I believe we can be 
very forward-lean-
ing in 
making these documents available 
to the public, and I have
instructed the Historical Review Group 
to take this attitude to
heart. In this spirit, the Agency today 
will make publicly available
these new guidelines for historical review and 
declassification.
To understand the magnitude of the effort involved in reviewing
these documents for declassification, it is 
important to place them
in 
some 
context. The CIA's collection of 
documents related to the
assassination of President Kennedy 
consists of approximately
250,000 to 300,000 pages of material. This 
includes 64 boxes of
copies and originals of information 
provided to the Warren Com-
mission and the House Select Committee on 
Assassinations, and 17
boxes of material on Lee Harvey Oswald 
accumulated after Presi-
dent Kennedy's assassination.
13-00000
i
52
Unfortunately, and for reasons that I do not know, what we are
dealing with is a mass of material that is not indexed, is uncatalo-
gued, and is highly disorganized, all of which makes the review
process more difficult. The material contains everything from the
most sensitive intelligence sources to the most mundane news clip-
pings.
These records include documents that CIA had in its files before
the assassination, a large number of records that CIA received
later as routine disseminations from other agencies, as well as the
reports, correspondence, and other papers that CIA prepared in the
course of the assassination investigations. I should emphasize that
these records were assembled into the present collection as a result
of specific inquiries received from the Warren Commission or the
House Select Committee on Assassinations.
Prior to President Kennedy's assassination, CIA held only a
small file on Lee Harvey Oswald that consisted of 34 documents
amounting to 124 pages, some of which originated with the FBI,
the State Department, the Navy, and newspaper clippings. Only 11
of these documents originated within CIA. I have brought along a
copy of Oswald's file as it existed before the assassination so that
you can see firsthand how slender Iwas at the time. As I have
already noted, we have declassified the CIA documents in this file
with quite minimal deletions and we are providing them to the Na-
tional Archives.
The records in this file dealt with Oswald's defection to the
Soviet Union in 1959 and his activities after his return in 1962. By
contrast, it was only after the assassination that CIA accumulated
the rest of the material on Oswald, some 33,000 pages, most of
which CIA received from other agencies after November 22, 1963.
The Committee has asked about documents in our possession
generated by other agencies. In fact, much of the material held by
CLA originated with other agencies or departments. For example,
in the 17 boxes of Oswald records, approximately 40 percent of the
documents originated with the FBI and about 20 percent originated
from the State Department or elsewhere.
Our staff is still going through the material compiled at the re-
quest of the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee
on Assassinations, which includes 63 boxes of paper records and
one box that contains 73 reels of microfilm. The microfilms, in
part, overlap material in other parts of the collection. We estimate
that within the 63 boxes of paper records, approximately 27 per-
cent originated with a variety of other U.S. Government agencies,
private organizations, and foreign and American press.
Although our documents do include many documents from other
agencies, we nonetheless have a substantial collection of CIA docu-
ments that will require considerable effort to review, and as I said
earlier, at my direction, this review for declassification is now un-
derway.
A preliminary survey of these files has provided us some indica-
tions of what they contain. Although the records cover a wide vari-
ety of topics, they principally focus on CIA activities concerning
Cuba and Castro, Oswald's defection to the Soviet Union, and Os-
wald's subsequent activities in Mexico City and New Orleans. They
also include a large number of name traces requested by the staff
53
of the House Select Committee on Assassinations, as well as mate-
rial relating to the Garrison 
investigation and Cuban exile activi-
ties.
The CIA cannot release a number of documents unilaterally be-
cause 
of the limits in the Privacy Act 
which protect the names of
American citizens against unauthorized 
disclosure, the sequestra-
tion of many documents by the House Select 
Committee on Assassi-
nations, and the fact that many of 
the documents belong to agen-
cies other than CIA.
However, we have already taken steps to lift the sequestration,
to 
coordinate with other agencies, and to 
begin the process of de-
classification. If necessary, in the absence of 
legislation, I will ask
the House of Representatives for a 
resolution permitting CIA to re-
lease the results of the declassification 
effort on the sequestered
documents.
While I expect a large amount of the material can be declassified
under our program, I assume that there 
will be information that
cannot be released to the public for a 
variety of reasons, including
privacy concerns or the exposure of 
intelligence sources and meth-
ods. Let me take a moment to give an 
example of this type of mate-
rial.
During the investigation by the House Select Committee on As-
sassinations, I understand that security 
and personnel files were
requested on a number of CIA employees
. These files contain fit-
ness reports, or performance evaluations
, medical evaluations, and
credit checks on individual CIA officers. 
Although irrelevant to the
question of who killed President Kennedy
, these and other personal
documents ultimately ended up in the sequestered 
collection of doc-
uments. I do not believe that the benefit 
to the public of disclosure
of this information outweighs the clear 
privacy interest of the indi-
viduals in keeping the information confidential
.
Similar privacy concerns exist with documents containing derog-
atory information on particular individuals 
where the information
is based on gossip and rumor. Our files also 
contain the names of
individuals who provided us intelligence 
information on a promise
of confidentiality. We would not disclose 
their names in breach of
such a promise. Where we cannot disclose 
such information to the
public, the Agency will make redactions 
and summarize the infor-
mation in order to ensure that the maximum 
amount of informa-
tion is released, while still protecting 
the identity of an agent or
the privacy of an individual."
If legislation is not passed by the Congress and signed by the
President regarding the JFK papers, to 
enhance public confidence
and to provide reassurance that CIA has not held 
back information
relevant to the assassination, I 
would appoint a panel of distin-
guished Americans from outside of 
Government, perhaps including
distinguished former jurists, to examine 
whatever documents we
have redacted or kept classified. They would 
then issue an unclassi-
fied public report on their findings.
The effort required to declassify the documents relating to the
assassination of President Kennedy will be 
daunting. However, it is
an important program and I am committed 
to making it work.
Even 
in a time of diminishing resources 
within the intelligence
community, I have allocated 15 full-time 
positions to expand the
13-00000
54
history staff and to form the Historical Review Group that will
review the JFK documents and other documents of historical inter-
est.
I believe these actions attest to the seriousness of our intent to
getting these papers declassified and released, and to open what re-
mains classified to outside non-governmental review. It is against
this background that in response to the Committee's request, I cite
our few technical reservations about the mechanism established by
the joint resolution to achieve this same result. I intend to address
only intelligence community concerns. I will defer to the Depart-
ment of Justice on any additional problems posed by the joint reso-
lution.
First, vesting in an outside body the determination as to whether
CIA materials related to the assassination can be released to the
public is inconsistent with my own statutory responsibility for the
protection of intelligence sources and methods.
Second, I am concerned that the joint resolution contains no pro-
vision requiring security clearances or secure document handling
by the assassination materials review board or its staff.
Third, I am concerned that the joint resolution does not provide
the Agency with the opportunity to object to the release of CIA in-
formation contained in documents originated by Congress or the
Warren Commission. Under the joint resolution, documents origi-
nated by these entities can be released directly by the executive di-
rector of the assassination materials review board without any
review by the President or other Executive Branch agencies.
Fourth, the joint resolution provision for a 30-day period for
agencies or departments to appeal decisions by the executive direc-
tor to release information may not provide sufficient time for
meaningful review of what could prove to be a large volume of ma-
terial at one time.
Fifth, and finally, Section 6 of the joint resolution, which out-
lines the grounds for postponement of public release of a document,
makes no provision for postponing release of documents that may
contain Executive privilege or deliberative process, attorney-client,
or attorney work product information. While such privileges could
be waived in the public interest and, in fact, are not likely to arise
with respect to factual information directly related to the JFK as-
sassination, they would be unavailable under the joint resolution in
the rare case they might be needed.
These are the technical problems that I believe can be solved and
that will, in fact, expedite the release of documents bearing on the
assassination of President Kennedy. But, again, whatever the
future course of this legislation, CIA is proceeding even now to
review for declassification the relevant documents under its con-
trol. Further, we will cooperate fully with any mechanism estab
lished by the Congress and the President to declassify all of this
material.
Mr. Chairman, let me close with a comment on why I am person-
ally committed to getting these documents out. Like all Americans
old enough to remember that terrible day in 1963, and as several
members of the Committee have alluded to, I also remember where
I was and what I was doing.
55
I was a college student at William and Mary, and I can remem-
ber 
how the 
word spread like wild fire between classes of that hor-
rible 
event. I made my way to Washington that weekend and stood
at the intersection 
of Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues,
where I waited for 
hours to watch the President's funeral cortege. I
will never 
forget it.
I entered public service less than three years later, heeding
President Kennedy's 
inaugural call, a call I think many in my gen-
eration heard. He said then, "
Now, the trumpet summons us again,
not as a call 
to bear arms, though arms we need, not as a call to
battle, though 
in battle we are, but as a call to bear the burden of
a 
long twilight struggle, year in and year out, rejoicing in hope, pa-
tient in tribulation
, a struggle against the common enemies of
man-tyranny
, poverty, disease, and war itself."
Mr. Chairman, the only thing more horrifying to me than the as-
sassination 
itself is 
the insidious, perverse notion that elements of
the American 
Government, that my own Agency, had some part in
it. I am determined 
personally to make public or to expose to disin-
terested eyes 
every relevant scrap of paper in CIA's possession, in
the hope of helping 
to dispel this corrosive suspicion. With or with-
out legislation, 
I intend to proceed. I believe I owe that to his
memory
.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Gates follows:]
PREPARED STATEMENT OF MR. GATES
Mr. Chairman, I am here today at your request to provide my views on S. J. Res.
282
, "The Assassination Materials Disclosure 
Act of 1992," and to describe the
nature of documents held 
by the CIA that relate to the assassination of John F.
Kennedy. I very much 
appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important
matter.
Let me begin by stating that I am in complete agreement with the purpose under-
lying 
the joint resolution-that 
efforts should be made to declassify and make avail-
able to the public as quickly as 
possible Government documents relating to the as-
sassination of John F. Kennedy. We 
hope that opening up and giving journalists,
historians and, most importantly, the public 
access to governmental files will help
to resolve questions that still linger over 
28 years after the assassination. Further, I
believe that maximum disclosure will 
discredit the theory that CIA had anything to
do with the murder of John F. 
Kennedy.
Even before introduction of this joint resolution, I recognized the need for greater
public access to CIA documents of historical 
importance. Two months ago, I an-
nounced the establishment of a 
new unit within CIA that will be responsible for
declassifying as many historical 
documents as possible consistent with the protec-
tion of intelligence sources and methods. 
This new unit, the Historical Review
Group, in the Agency's 
Center for the Study of Intelligence, will review for declassi-
fication documents 30 years old or older, 
and national intelligence estimates on the
former Soviet Union that are 10 years 
old or older. In addition to the systematic
review of 30-year-old 
documents, I have directed the History Staff in the Center for
the Study of Intelligence to 
assemble CIA records focusing on particular events of
historical importance, including the 
assassination of President Kennedy. The Histor-
ical Review Group will then examine 
the documents for the purpose of declassifying
the records.
Because of high interest in the JFK papers, I am not waiting for legislation or
other agencies to start declassifying 
documents belonging to CIA. The Historical
Review Group, at my direction, 
already has begun its review of the documents relat-
ed to the assassination of John 
F. Kennedy, and I am glad to report that the first
group of these records, including all CIA 
documents on Lee Harvey Oswald prior to
the assassination, has been declassified 
with quite minimal deletions and is being
transferred to the National 
Archives for release to the public. This is, I acknowl-
edge, a small fraction of what we 
have, but it is an earnest of my commitment to
13-00000
96
ან
begin review for declassification immediately of this material. And, indeed, as I
speak, the reviewers are going through a substantial number of documents, and I
anticipate that many of these will be released shortly.
As we carry out our program to declassify Kennedy assassination documents, our
goal will be to release as many as possible. In fact, I recently approved a new CIA
declassification guideline for our Historical Review Program which specifically di-
rects a presumption in favor of declassification. I believe we can be very forward
leaning in making these documents available to the public, and I have instructed
the Historical Review Group to take this attitude to heart.
To understand the magnitude of the effort involved in reviewing these documents
for declassification, it is important to place them in some context. The CIA's collec-
tion of documents related to the assassination of President Kennedy consists of ap-
proximately 250,000-300,000 pages of material. This includes 64 boxes of copies and
originals of information provided to the Warren Commission and the House Select
Committee on Assassinations and 17 boxes of material on Lee Harvey Oswald accu-
mulated after President Kennedy's assassination. Unfortunately, and for reasons
that I do not know, what we are dealing with is a mass of material that is not in-
dexed, is uncatalogued, and is highly disorganized—all of which makes the review
process more difficult. The material contains everything from the most sensitive in-
telligence sources to the most mundane news clippings.
These records include documents that CIA had in its files before the assassina-
tion, a large number of records that CIA received later as routine disseminations
from other agencies, as well as the reports, correspondence, and other papers that
CIA prepared in the course of the assassination investigations. I should emphasize
that these records were assembled into the present collection as a result of specific
inquiries received from the Warren Commission or the House Select Committee on
Assassinations. I have prepared a chart that illustrates this point.
As you can see, prior to President Kennedy's assassination, CIA held only a small
file on Lee Harvey Oswald that consisted of 38 documents (approximately 110
pages), some of which originated with the FBI, State Department, the Navy, and
newspaper clippings. Only 11 documents originated with the CIA. I have brought
along a copy of Oswald's file as it existed before the assassination so that you can
see first-hand how slender it was at the time. As I have already noted, we have de-
classified the CIA documents in this file with quite minimal deletions, and we are
providing them to the National Archives. The records in this file dealt with Os-
wald's defection to the Soviet Union in 1959 and his activities after his return in
1961. By contrast, it was only after the assassination that CIA accumulated the rest
of the material on Oswald some 33,000 pages-most of which CIA received from
other agencies after November 22, 1963.
You have asked about documents in our possession generated by other agencies.
In fact, much of the material held by CIA originated with other agencies or depart-
ments. For example, in the 17 boxes of Oswald records, approximately 40 percent of
the documents originated with the FBI, and about 20 percent originated from the
State Department or elsewhere. Our staff is still going through the material com-
piled at the request of the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on
Assassinations, which includes 63 boxes of paper records and one box that contains
72 reels of microfilm. The microfilms, in part, overlap material in other parts of the
collection. We estimate that within the 63 boxes of paper records, approximately 27
percent of the documents originated with a variety of other U.S. Government agen-
cies, private organizations, and foreign and American press.
Although our holdings do include many documents from other agencies, we none-
theless have a substantial collection of CIA documents that will require considerable
effort to review, and as I said earlier, at my direction, this review for declassifica-
tion is now underway. A preliminary survey of these files has provided us some in-
dications of what they contain. Although the records cover a wide variety of topics,
they principally focus on CIA activities concerning Cuba and Castro, Oswald's defec-
tion to the Soviet Union, and Oswald's subsequent activities in Mexico City and
New Orleans. They also include a large number of name traces requested by the
staff of the House Select Committee on Assassinations, as well as material relating
to the Garrison investigation and Cuban exile activities.
The CIA cannot release a number of documents unilaterally because of the limits
in the Privacy Act (which protects the names of American citizens against unau-
thorized disclosure), the sequestration of many documents by the House Select Com-
mittee on Assassinations, and the fact that many of the documents belong to agen-
cies other than CIA. However, we have already taken steps to lift the sequestration,
coordinate with other agencies and to begin the process of declassification. If neces
57
sary, I will ask the House for a resolution permitting CIA to release the results of
the declassification effort on 
the sequestered documents.
While I expect a large amount of the material can be declassified under our pro-
gram
, I assume that there still will be information 
that cannot be released to the
public for a variety of reasons, 
including privacy concerns or the exposure of intelli-
gence sources and methods. Let me take a 
moment to give examples of this type of
material. During the investigation 
by the House Select Committee on Assassina-
tions, I understand that security and 
personnel files were requested on a number of
Agency employees. These files contain fitness 
reports, (performance evaluations).
medical evaluations and credit checks on 
individual CIA officers. Although irrele-
vant to the question of who killed 
President Kennedy, these and other personal doc-
uments ultimately ended up in the 
sequestered collection of documents. I do not be-
lieve that the benefit to the public 
of disclosure of this information outweighs the
clear privacy interest of the individuals 
in keeping the information confidential.
Similar privacy concerns exist with 
documents containing derogatory information
on particular individuals where the 
information is based on gossip and rumor. Our
files also contain the names of individuals 
who provided us intelligence information
on a promise of confidentiality. We would 
not disclose their names in breach of such
a promise. Where we cannot disclose 
such information to the public, the Agency will
make redactions and summarize the 
information in order to ensure that the maxi-
mum amount of information is 
released while still protecting the identity of an
agent or the privacy of an individual.
If legislation is not passed by the Congress and signed by the President regarding
the 
JFK papers, to enhance public confidence and 
provide reassurance that CIA has
not held back any information relevant 
to the assassination, I will appoint a panel
of distinguished Americans from outside of 
Government to examine whatever docu-
ments we have redacted or 
kept classified. They would then issue an unclassified
public report on their findings.
_ The effort required to declassify the documents related to the assassination of
President Kennedy will be daunting. 
However, it is an important program and I am
personally committed to making it work. Even in 
a time of diminishing resources
within the Intelligence Community, 
I have allocation of 15 full-time positions to
expand the History Staff and to form the 
Historical Review Group that will review
the JFK documents and other documents of 
historical interest.
I believe these actions attest to the seriousness of our intent to get these papers
declassified and released, and to 
open what remains classified to outside, non-gov.
ernmental review. It is against this background 
that, in response to this Commit-
tee's request, I cite our technical reservations 
about the mechanism established by
the joint resolution to achieve this 
same result. I intend to address only Intelligence
Community concerns; I will defer 
to the Department of Justice on any additional
problems posed by the joint resolution.
First, vesting in an outside body the determination as to whether CIA materials
related to the assassination can be 
released to the public is inconsistent with my
statutory responsibility to protect intelligence 
sources and methods.
Second, am concerned 
that the joint resolution contains no provision requiring
security clearances or secure 
document handling by the Assassination Materials
Review Board or its staff.
Third, I am concerned that the joint resolution does not provide the Agency with
the 
opportunity to object to the release of CIA 
information contained in documents
originated by Congress or the 
Warren Commission. Under the joint resolution, docu-
ments originated by these entities can be 
released directly by the Executive Director
of the Assassination Materials Review 
Board without any review by the President
or other Executive Branch agencies.
Fourth, the joint resolution provision for a 30-day period for agencies or depart-
ments to appeal decisions by the 
Executive Director to release information may not
provide sufficient time for meaningful review 
of what could prove to be a large
volume of material at one time.
Fifth, and finally, section 6 of the joint resolution, which outlines the grounds for
postponement of public release of a
. document, makes no provision for postponing
release of documents that may contain 
Executive privilege or deliberative process,
attorney-client, or attorney work product 
information. While such privileges could
be waived in the public interest and
, in fact, are not likely to arise with respect to
factual information directly related to the JFK 
assassination, they would be un-
available under the joint resolution 
in the rare case they might be needed.
These are the technical problems that I believe can be solved and that will, in
fact
, expedite the release of documents 
bearing on the assassination of President
Kennedy.
13-00000
58
But, again, whatever the future course of this legislation, CIA is proceeding even
now to review for declassification the relevant documents under its control. Further,
we will cooperate fully with any mechanism established by the Congress and the
President to declassify all of this material.
Chairman GLENN. Thank you, Mr. Gates.
Mr. Sessions.
TESTIMONY OF THE HON. WILLIAM S. SESSIONS, DIRECTOR,
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION; ACCOMPANIED BY
DAVID G. LEITCH, DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Mr. SESSIONS. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the
Committee. I have a complete statement which I will file, and
there are some diagrams which I will also make available for the
record, and a photograph of the files themselves.
Chairman GLENN. Without objection, your entire statement will
be included in the record.
Mr. SESSIONS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to appear
before you to testify about FBI investigative records relating to the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I applaud this process
and your efforts. It is fundamental that Government exist to meet
the needs of its citizens. An examination of these issues is directly
related to satisfying the intense interest and concern of our citizens
about the circumstances surrounding that tragic event some 29
years ago.
From the outset, I would like to state emphatically that I favor
maximum disclosure, consistent with the law and the legitimate
need to protect certain small but highly sensitive categories of in-
formation. I can assure you that the FBI will work cooperatively
through the Department of Justice with both the Senate and the
House to develop a comprehensive approach to these important
issues.
As you know, the Government has conducted a number of re-
views of the assassination. The Warren Commission, the House As-
sassinations Committee, and the Church Committee all conducted
reviews that I believe can be best categorized as exhaustive. It is
my understanding that the FBI provided massive amounts of infor-
mation to those entities to help ensure that they accomplished
their missions. Once again, we desire to be as helpful as we are
able.
Immediately following the shooting of President Kennedy, the
FBI began a massive investigation. An intense effort was made. Re-
lated investigations were conducted and much information was ex-
changed, as Director Gates has noted, between the various agen-
cies. As is the case with all major investigations, thousands of
pages of documents were created to record the results of these ef-
forts and to facilitate the investigations.
Many different kinds of information were recorded in the FBI
files. The results of thousands of interviews of witnesses, other in-
dividuals with possible helpful knowledge, and contacts with confi-
dential informants were memorialized. Communications between
the FBI headquarters and our field offices, and vice versa, were in-
cluded, as were communications between the FBI and other agen-
cies. Forensic reports were recorded. In all, FBI files relating to the
59
59
assassination contained over 499,000 pages of documents, with a
few more pages added every time the FBI follows up on a new alle-
gation or a new issue arises.
After Congress amended the Freedom of Information Act in 1974,
the FBI began receiving requests for information relating to the as-
sassination. By 1978, four years later, over 200,000 pages of materi-
al 
had been processed and made available to the public through the
FBI's public reading room. Many authors, journalists, historians,
and others have visited and revisited these materials, which
remain available today as a valuable source of historic information.
I would like to briefly describe to the Committee a breakdown of
FBI records relating in some way to the assassination. The FBI has
four core files that relate directly to the investigation of the assas-
sination. Our cooperation with the Warren Commission and the in-
vestigation of Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby-those are the
four core files. There are approximately 499,000 pages in these
files, 263,000 of which are duplicate pages that were cross-filed,
third agency records, and some FBI records that have not been
processed pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act.
Approximately 223,000 pages, or 94 percent of the records we
have processed, have already been released to the public. In addi-
tion, the FBI has several other much smaller files as a result of
other directly related investigations, such as the investigation of
Marina Oswald, and these files comprise approximately 22,000
pages, 13,000 of which are duplicate, third agency, or unprocessed
pages. Fifty-eight percent of these pages processed pursuant to the
Freedom of 
Information Act have been released to the public.
Of the pages available in the FBI reading room on the main floor
at FBI headquarters, approximately 189,000 pages, or 94 percent,
are available in their entirety. The remaining 12,000 pages in the
reading 
room reflect some degree of redaction. The information
that has not been disclosed or that has been redacted to some
degree falls within the exemptions that are enumerated in the
Freedom of Information Act and the protections of the Privacy Act.
This includes information that, one, is classified on the basis of
national security; two, would disclose the identities of individuals
who specifically requested confidentiality; three, would disclose the
identities of confidential informants or sources; four, is highly per-
sonal information about individuals; or, five, originated with other
Government agencies and those agencies specifically requested that
the 
information not be released based upon exemptions applicable
to those particular agencies.
While I strongly favor maximum disclosure under the law, there
are certain types of information that are particularly critical to
successful law enforcement investigations and national security; for
example, information that is properly and appropriately classified,
information that would identify confidential sources, and informa-
tion that would disclose sensitive investigative techniques or the
types of information the disclosure of which could negatively
impact upon our ability to fulfill our mission. Information in FBI
files that has not been disclosed publicly falls largely within these
descriptions of information.
In any case, I believe it is extremely healthy for the country to
have these issues aired and to be resolved. The public interest dic-
13-00000
CIA SP
RL
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
ACTIONS 97-062
31 January 1997
MEMORANDUM FOR:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Fred Wickham
DO Focal Point
for JFK Board
Lee Strickland
DA Focal Point
for JFK Board
John F. Pereira
Chief, Historical
Review Group
Request No. CIA-16
from JFK Board
1. Attached is "Request for Additional Information and
Records No. CIA-16 (Oswald Pre-Assassination Files)", which
was received from the Assassination Records Review Board on
29 January 1997. The request is for additional details
related to files on Lee Harvey Oswald that may have existed
in the Office of Security and in the DO.
2.
Please advise how you would like us to respond to
this request. We are asked to make the information
available to the Board by 24 February 1997.
JJsem
Kereina
John Pereira
Attachment
OFFICIAL USE ONLY
file

13-00000
SECRET
MEMORANDUM FOR:
J. Barry Harrelson
27 February 1997
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Historical Review Group
Center for the Study of Intelligence
Janet A. Ecklund
Chief, Information Management Branch
Office of Personnel Security
Request No. CIA-16 from JFK Board
REFERENCE:
CSI 97-062 dated 31 January 1997
1. (U) The Office of Personnel Security has researched
this request from the Assassination Records Review Board
relating to the existence of pre-assassination files on Lee
Harvey Oswald.
2. (U) In response to the specific questions listed
in Mr. Marwell's letter to the Historical Review Group, the
following responses are provided to those three questions
pertaining to the Office of Personnel Security (OPS). These
responses are the best reasonable answers based on available
information. Please note OPS was known as the Office of
Security prior to 1 October 1994.
Question 1: (U) Please identify, as specifically as
possible, each file held by CIA on Oswald at the time
of the assassination of President Kennedy.
Response: (U) At the time of the assassination, the
Office of Security (OS) held two files which contained
information on Lee Harvey Oswald. A file entitled Defectors
File (#20341008) contained a reference to Lee Harvey Oswald,
Regraded Confidential
When Separated From
Secret Attachment
CL BY:
0605636
CL Reason:
DECL ON: X1
1.5 (c)
DRV FROM:
SECRET
COV 1-82
13-00000
SECRET
1
and the Office of Security also had a subject file on Lee
Harvey Oswald (%#230351164). This information was reflected in
the automated security database known as the Management Data
Program/Personnel Security (MDP/PS). These files were
originally miscellaneous files which were converted to the
above numbers circa 1964. A hand search was also conducted
of microfiche records which were superseded by the automated
system. This hand search produced the same results as the
automated search of MDP/PS.
(U) In your request specific mention is made of an
HTLINGUAL file. MDP/PS reflects OS maintained four official
files under this project--#0077826 (an administrative file),
#0090079, #0093466 (a general file), and #30119144. All of
the HTLINGUAL files were destroyed on 8 April 1994 along
with numerous soft files. Since this material has been
destroyed, OPS cannot definitively state whether these files
contained any information on Lee Harvey Oswald. A search of
Oswald's name did not produce an index reference to any of
these files.
(U) Attached is all of the available information
regarding the destruction of the HTLINGUAL files. This
information was retrieved from Lydia Hoffman of the
Information Management Branch/Records Control Section and
from a review of general office administrative files.
Question 2: (U) Other than for the 201-289248 file
on Oswald, please explain when each Oswald file was
opened, the purpose for the opening of the file, and
the documents that were in the file at the time of the
assassination.
Response: (U) As noted above, all HTLINGUAL files have
been destroyed. Since OS files are usually set up in
chronological sequence, a search of files with numbers in
close proximity to those recorded for HTLINGUAL was
undertaken. This search revealed the approximate opening
dates for the four official HTLINGUAL files as:
#0077826
#0090079
#0093466
#0119144
Opened approximately July 1952
Opened approximately February 1953
Opened approximately July 1953
Opened approximately May 1955
2
SECRET
13-00000
SECRET
(U) HTLINGUAL was a Directorate of Operations project
that involved opening incoming and outgoing mail destined to
and from the Soviet Union, (China, Pakistan, and South
America. In OS this project was known as SRPOINTER with
subprojects identified as WESTPOINTER, INDIAN, BANJO, and
SETTER. OS conducted the actual opening and monitoring of
mail with the acquired information referred to the
Directorate of Operations.
(U) The Defectors File (#30341008) was established circa
1950 for the purpose of recording information on US citizens
defecting to other countries and information regarding
foreign nationals considering defection to the United States.
This compilation of information was received from press
clippings, Directorate of Operations reporting, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, the Department of State, and the
various armed services. The pre-assassination documents
located in this file relative to Lee Harvey Oswald are:
a.
b.
C.
d.
e.
f.
Washington Star press clipping of 26 November 1959
entitled “U.S. Defector to Reds Turned to Marx at
15"
Department of State memorandum dated 25 October
1960 with attached list of American "defectors”
from May 1959 to October 1960
Memorandum for Chief/Security Research Staff dated
31 October 1960 from M. D. Stevens, subject:
American Defectors
Memorandum for Deputy Director of Security dated
1 November 1960 from M. D. Stevens, subject:
American Defectors
Handwritten chart of defectors dated 26 August
1961
Defector outline prepared in October 1961 listing
known defectors to the USSR, Red China, Cuba, and
United Arab Republic.
3
SECRET
13-00000
SECRET
1
(U) The index reference to the Defectors File
identifies a list dated 13 September 1966 which was known as
the Defector Machine Listing. This listing was a computer
printout of defectors which reflected limited biographic
data on each name. This listing was maintained separately
from the actual Defectors File; notations within the
Defectors File show the Defector Machine Listing as
permanently charged to the Security Analysis Group of OS.
Efforts to locate this listing or determine the disposition
have been unsuccessful.
(U) Information regarding the purpose of the Defectors
File was gleaned from a quick review of selected holdings.
Katie Nakai of this office at one time was assigned to the
Security Analysis Group and recalls the Defector Machine
Listing. From her recollection, this machine listing was
approximately one and one-half inches thick and was in two
parts. One part consisted of an alphabetical index of
defector names with assigned numbers. The second part
listed the assigned numbers in numerical order and contained
limited information on each name.
(C) The Special Investigations Branch of Investigations
Division is the current operating component encompassing most
of the Security Analysis Group functions still conducted in
OPS. Gail Jewell of this office was queried regarding office
holdings relating to the Defector Machine Listing. Ms___
Jewell had no knowledge of the listing and suggested William
Gilbert as a resource. Mr. Gilbert, CIC Liaison Officer,
could not recall the listing, opined it may have been
destroyed, and suggested contacting Zachary Filis of the
Counterintelligence Center (CIC).
(C) CIC assumed many of the functions previously
conducted by the Security Analysis Group. Mr. Filis was
queried regarding the possibility the Defector Machine
Listing may have been transferred to CIC during the
realignment of duties. Mr. Filis advised the Defector
Machine Listing could not be located in CIC holdings; and he
has made inquiries with Directorate of Operations
counterparts regarding the listing.
4
SECRET
13-00000
SECRET
(U) The subject file pertaining to Lee Harvey Oswald
(#0351164) was established circa 1960. It appears this file
was created as a separate repository for the numerous press
clippings and reports received from other government
agencies on the defection of Lee Harvey Oswald to the USSR
and his activities following his return to the United
States. The first volume of this file appears to have been
preserved as the pre-assassination file, and the documents
contained in this file are as follows:
a.
b.
C.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
Department of State telegram #1304 from Moscow
dated 31 October 1959
The Washington Post press clipping dated
1 November 1959 entitled "Ex-Marine Asks Soviet
Citizenship"
Department of State Dispatch #234 from Moscow
dated 2 November 1959
Department of State telegram #1448 from Tokyo
dated 9 November 1959
Department of State telegram #1358 from Moscow
dated 9 November 1959
The Washington Post press clipping dated 16
November 1959 entitled "Rebuffed”
Evening Star press clipping dated 26 November
1959 entitled "U.S. Defector to Reds Turned to
Marx at 15”
Report Summary prepared by Soviet Russia Division
forwarded to Office of Security in March 1960
Department of State Instruction A-273 dated
13 April 1961
Department of State Dispatch from Moscow dated
May 1961 with enclosure of Oswald letter
5
SECRET
13-00000
SECRET
k.
1.
m.
n.
0.
p.
q.
r.
S.
Federal Bureau of Investigation report dated
3 July 1961 from Dallas, Texas
Note to CI SI dated 28 September 1961
Form 745 "Indices Search Request" dated
12 October 1961
Department of State Dispatch #317 from Moscow
dated 12 October 1961 with enclosure
Form G-135a Immigration and Naturalization
Service name check form to Central Intelligence
Agency dated 5 December 1961
Navy Department message to Moscow dated
3 March 1962
Department of the Navy memorandum to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation dated 26 April 1962 with
enclosure
The Washington Post press clipping dated
9 June 1962 entitled "Third American in 2 Months
Leaves Soviet 'Home'"
Federal Bureau of Investigation transmittal
of report from Dallas, Texas, dated 30 August
1962.
(U) In addition to those documents listed above, the
following documents were located in a subsequent volume of
the Oswald file and also appear to predate the assassination
of President Kennedy.
t.
u.
V.
Undated summary of file information on Lee
Harvey Oswald
Incoming cable #83858 from Mexico City dated
20 July 1963 (no mention of Oswald)
Incoming cable #01325 from Mexico City dated
17 August 1963 (no mention of Oswald)
6
SECRET
13-00000
W.
SECRET
Incoming cable #36017 from Mexico City dated
9 October 1963
1
x.
y.
Outgoing cable #74830 to Mexico City dated
10 October 1963
Incoming cable #47041 from Mexico City dated
24 October 1963 (no mention of Oswald).
Question 4: (U) To the extent that Counterintelligence
and the Office of Security maintained pre-assassination
files on Oswald, please explain why those offices
maintained files on Oswald prior to the assassination.
In answering this question, please make appropriate
references to the Clandestine Services Handbook (CSHB)
and to any other materials (including organizational
charts) that would help explain the jurisdictional and
organization reasons for which CI and OS would have
maintained such files.
Response: (U) It is believed that OS holdings on Lee
Harvey Oswald began in 1959 with his travel to Russia during
which he renounced his US citizenship. Oswald was in
contact with the American Embassy in Moscow, and the
Department of State prepared reports on these contacts.
Most likely because of counterintelligence concerns, the
Central Intelligence Agency was included in the distribution
of these reports. In the beginning this material was
probably retained in the Defectors File. As the number of
documents on this person increased, a separate file was
created to be the repository of information on the alleged
American defector. There is a notation in the Defectors
File that a separate file exists on Oswald.
(U) Both the Defectors File (#30341008) and the file of
Lee Harvey Oswald (#230351164) were handled by Marguerite D.
Stevens of the OS/Security Research Staff during the pre-
assassination time frame. Of the documents listed above, a
majority of them contain a notation or the initials of
Marguerite D. Stevens, leading one to believe she was the
officer responsible for the collection, analysis, and filing
of this information.
7
SECRET
13-00000
SECRET
(U) The Security Research Staff (SRS) was the
component responsible for collecting, developing, and
evaluating information of a counterintelligence nature to
detect and/or prevent penetration of the Agency's
organization, employees, and activities by foreign or
domestic organizations or individuals. SRS conducted
research in connection with employee loyalty cases and
maintained records identifying personalities, environments,
and personal traits of individuals who had been of
counterintelligence interest over the years. SRS maintained
liaison with various government agencies in connection with
counterintelligence activities and coordinated the
counterintelligence effort throughout OS. Using
organizational charts of this time period, SRS reported
directly to the office of the Director of Security.
(U)
[Don Staton of the OPS/Management Staff was queried
regarding the mission and functions of SRS during the pre-
assassination time period. ::__r__. Staton made inquiries
relating to the above request, and the OPS/Information
Management Officer Ronda Allen retrieved retired policy
records for review. The information on the mission and
function of SRS was retrieved from the archived Office of
Security administrative and historical files as well as a
review of the security file on Marguerite D. Stevens.
3. (U)
For your information, a page-by-page review of
the documents contained in the Defectors File (12 volumes)
and Lee Harvey Oswald's file (7 volumes) has not been
conducted for the purposes of this request. Our efforts
were concentrated on the pre-assassination time frame.
4. (U) This review was conducted by Katie Nakai,
OPS/CD/IMB, secure 40552
Attachment
8
SECRET
в. Елеше
Janet A. Ecklund
13-00000
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
On 8 April 1994, the complete set of SRPOINTER and
HTLINGUAL security support files and indexes held by the
Office of Security were destroyed in accordance with the
guidelines set forth in the approved Records Control
Schedules 31-76 and 31-83 and by the Office of General
Counsel.
13-00000
APR 06 '94 03:15PM USGOVERNMENT
SECRET
MEMORANDUM FOR:
Terri Ragal
OGC-94-51066
6 April 1994
VIA:
Information Review Team
Office of Security
Robert J. Eatinger
Assistant General Counsel
Litigation Division
FROM:
Stephen K. DiRubio
SUBJECT:
тус
Information Management. Officer
Office of General Counsel
HTLINGUAL/SRPOINTER File Destruction
P.2/6
1. This responds to your memo of 9 February 1994
requesting confirmation that the security support files of
the HTLINGUAL project are not the subject of a current
litigation, investigation, or other inquiry that would
preclude their destruction pursuant to normal guidelines for
records of this type. A review of OGC files located no
currently active cases involving the HTLINGUAL project.
Therefore, OGC poses no objection to destruction of the
files if authorized by your approved records disposition
schedule.
2.
For your information I have attached a copy of a
March 1990 memorandum in which OGC provided guidance to the
DO regarding destruction of MHCHAOS and HTLINGUAL project
files. According to that memorandum, files pertaining to
HTLINGUAL may be destroyed only if: (1) they meet the
criteria for destruction on the applicable NARA approved
records disposition schedule; (2) are not responsive to a
FOIA or Privacy Act request currently being processed by the
office concerned; and (3) do not document the initiation,
implementation, and termination of the projects, or
constitute files on U.S. persons of foreign intelligence or
counterintelligence value which the Agency is required to
maintain. As the attachment indicates, NARA's requirement
that the SSCI concur in any proposed destruction has already
been met.
CL BY
DECL
DRV FM
2171358
OADR
SEC 13-87
SECRET

13-00000
SECRET
SUBJECT:
HTLINGUAL/SRPOINTER File Destruction
I apologize for the delay in responding to your
request. Please let me know if I may be of further
3.
assistance.
Attachment:
As Stated
Stephen K. DiRubio
2
SECRET
P.3/6
13-00000
SUBJECT:
SECRET
HTLINGUAL/SRPOINTER File Destruction
DCI/OGC/REG/SKDiRubio: skd/76195 (6 Apr 94)
Distribution:
Original
-
Addressee
1 - OGC Registry
3
SECRET
г.4/b
13-00000
"APR 06 '94 03:17PM USGOVERNMENT
MEMORANDUM FOR:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
REFERENCE:
OGC-90-50611
19 March 1990
P.5/6
C/OIT/IMB
W. George Jameson
Chief, Litigation Division, OGC
Destruction of MHCHAOS and HTLINGUAL
Project Files
Request for Authorization to Retain or
Destroy Questionable Records: 141C's for
MHCHAOS and HTLINGUAL Projects, from
IMS/MPG/IRMB, dated 18 December 1989
C
1. The referenced request seeks concurrence for the
destruction of MHCHAOS and HTLINGUAL files in accordance with
routine records destruction schedules approved by the National
Archivist. Subject to the qualifications set forth below, the
proposed destruction can proceed without legal objection.
2. On several occasions over the past 12 years, DO/IMS has
proposed that the Agency identify and destroy MHCHAOS and
HTLINGUAL records in accordance with routine records
destruction schedules. The major reason not to do so has been
the existence of litigation that has necessitated retention of
those records. With the settlement of the National Lawyers'
Guild litigation, a major obstacle to routine records
destruction appears to have been eliminated.
.
3. That case alone, however, does not govern the records
retention or destruction of MHCHAOS or HTLINGUAL files. In
addition, destruction may proceed only in accordance with the
records disposition authorization provided by the Archivist on
17 March 1978. (Job Nos. NC1-263-77-18 and NC1-263-78-1). The
approval given by the Archivist is subject to essentially the
following conditions: (1) files and documents that are the
objects of FOIA and Privacy Act requests, or those involved in
any other litigation, are not to be destroyed; (2) files that
document the initiation, implementation, and termination of the
projects, and other files on U.S. persons of foreign.
intelligence or counterintelligence value which the Agency is
required to maintain, are not to be destroyed; (3) no disposal
will occur prior to review and concurrence of the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence.
4. In reviewing the materials you have provided, I have
been able to conclude that then SSCÌ Chairman, Birch Bayh, in
several separate letters dated 6 April 1978, informed the DCI
that the Committee had no objection to the implementation of
the records disposal lists approved by the Archivist.
In my
13-00000
535INELLITE
г.0/b
view, therefore, condition number (3) has been satisfied.
Accordingly, with the exception of the case of Hurwitz v.
United States, there appear to be no ongoing court cases
relating to MHCHAOS or HTLINGUAL files that necessitate the
retention of those materials. All HTLINGUAL materials relating
to Leo T. Hurwitz, therefore, should be retained. In addition,
any records pertaining to Dr. Sidney M. Peck (Peck v. CIA)
should be retained. I am not aware of any other matters that
would require retention of the files at the present time, but
you should contact the Agency's FOIA Coordinator to determine
if there are any outstanding FOIA or Privacy Act requests
∙relating to MHCHAOS or HTLINGUAL that should not be destroyed.
If so, materials should be retained in accordance with the
requirements of the Records Disposal List. Finally, of course,
information that the Agency must maintain that is of foreign
intelligence value also should not be destroyed.
4. I would also point out that the terms of the National
Lawyers Guild settlement require that all agencies of the
Federal Government, including the CIA, shall not use, release
or disclose, within or outside the Government, certain
information relating to the National Lawyers Guild and its
subunits. Accordingly, if there is CIA information derived
from the FBI's investigation relating to the National Lawyers'
Guild, Agency records, files or indices must be appropriately
marked so as to permit implementation of the settlement
agreement. This means that, to the extent MHCHAOS records are
not isolated but are contained in other Agency files, some
means of ensuring that the information is not disseminated must
be made.
5. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any
questions.
CC: C/ALD/OGC
-2-
W. George
Cayeso
eson
13-00000
MEMORANDUM FOR:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
9 February 1994
OGC/Litigation STEVE
Terri Eagal
Information Review Team
Files Scheduled For Destruction
1. On 7 February 1994, this office was given direction
by Mr. Archibald, Legal Advisor for the Office of Security,
to deal directly with your office in reference to the
attached.
2. If you have any questions about the attached,
please feel free to call on 40615. Your prompt assistance
in this matter is greatly appreciated.
3. Thank you for your coordination and cooperation in
assisting the Records Control Schedule Analysts; Terri Eagal
40615 and Lydia Hoffman 40616.
Sverri Eagal
Information Review Team
13-00000
SECRET
'9 December 1993
MEMORANDUM FOR: James Archibald
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Office of Security, Legal Advisor
Terri Eagal
Information Review Team
HT LINGUAL Security Support Files/SR POINTER
Files
He
On 7 December 1993, this office coordinated with Barry
Zeeman of DO/IMS, on (47411, in reference to the HT LINGUAL.
Security Support Files/SR POINTER Files. I asked Mr. Zeeman if
his office had any problems with our office destroying these
files as they were within our guidelines for destruction.
responded by saying that they had retired their files in 1991 and
would have to look into it further. On 8 December 1993, Mr.
Zeeman called to say that his office, DO/IMS, had no problem with
us destroying our support files to their HT LINGUAL project as
they destroyed their files in the late 1980's. The few files
they retired in 1991 were on the Administrative and Policy issues
of HT LINGUAL.
2. Since the DO no longer has a need for the information
in these files (list is attached) and has essentially approved
their destruction, we have supplied to you copies of our own
Security Records Control Schedule which verifies that these files
meet destruction criteria. As you can see though, by the comment
on the SR POINTER Files, we need to be sure there is no
litigation open before we destroy.
3. In light of paragraph 2, our office now awaits OGC
approval. Your coordination with OGC in this effort is greatly
appreciated. Please note, destruction of these files include the
SR POINTER name index which is currently utilized by this office
for the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA)
cases. Destruction of this index will aid in decreasing
unnecessary review and research on part of FOIA and PA.
4. Thank you. If we can be of any assistance to you,
please call either Barbara Deavers on (40268, Terri Eagal on 40615
for Lydia Hoffman on 40615/
Distribution:
Original Jim Archibald
-Len Kaplan
CC
Verri Eagal
2)
الله
Information Review Team
SECRET
CL BY
2039256
DECL
OADR
DRV FM SEC 13-87
13-00000
RCS
31-83
28
Firs toENT LEICA
"SECRET"
CATION
VOITIMI
Security File Review Log
Lists of security files received by External
Activities Branch personnel in connection with
B and cover and
external activities +
documentation matters
DISPOSITION INSTRUCT DON'
TEMPORARY.
Destroy when 6 months old.
29
Security Duty Office
ting Files.
Security Duty Office events reports. Duplicate
copies of reports prepared by Security Duty
Officers concerning individuals who contact the
(Published in the Federal Register,
Agency.
CIA-51, Notification of Systems of Records,
Federal Register must
is changed or
be amended.
Privacy Act
discontinued n
30
Security Duty
Operational and
TEMPORARY.
cutoff.
Destroy 5 years after
Cut off at end of each
calendar year, hold in current files
area for 2 years, transfer to AARC for
3 years, then destroy.
Instruction Ei
a.
Copies of u
reports, guard post
instructions and duty officer rosters.
b.
Record Copak
backstopp
equests for telephone
TEMPORARY. Destroy when superseded
obsolete, or no longer needed.
TEMPORARY. Destroy 3 years after
cutoff. Cut off when backstop.
arrangement is terminated, hold in
current files area for 3 years, then
destroy.
31
Security
es.
Recordi
operat
Office
Correspondence and reports on
ties in connection with '
projects.
TEMPORARY. Destroy 3 years after
cutoff. Cut off at termination of
project, hold in current files area
for 1 year, transfer to AARC for
2 years, then destroy..
.་་འ་ ་ ་,
PREVIOU%
CDITIONS
ORDS CONTROL SCHEDULE
FCOM SHEET
CLASSIFICATION
SECRET
35
(41)
13-00000
RCS
31-76
AD SCHEDULE
FITEM NO(S).
NEW
ITEM
NO.
CLAS
FILES IDENTIFICATION
SEGNET
VOLUME
DISPOSITION INSTRUCTIONS
SPECIAL PROJECT MATERIAL
the SRPOINTER Project.
Record copies of reports pertaining to
(Discontinued).
Temporary.
Hold in current file
area until litigation concluded then
destroy.
13-00000
Security Support Files for HT LINGUAL / SR POINTER Files
David G. Ellis)
Mail Intercept Program
(McAuley, Peter F. SFN 156003
[McAuley, Peter F
_
99358 PROJECT CHAPERON
OS-PROJECT POINTER
PROJECT SETTER SFN 159144
PROJECT SETTER
SRINDIAN SFN 507356
PROJECT SRINDIAN
SR POINTER/REDSKIN
SR POINTER
PROJECT SR POINTER
PROJECT SR POINTER Cuban Watch List
SR POINTER/HT LINGUAL Material Duplicated from CI Staff. .
Report JAN 29 75
Draft Memorandum on Background of SR POINTER Prepared
23DEC74
OS Personnel Directly and Indirectly Involved with SR
POINTER
WESTPOINTER SFN 583870
PROJECT WESTPOINTER
SSD Mail Cover
U.S. Post Office Liaison
File with no name related to Mail
SR POINTER INDEX
VOL 1 SFN 93466 SR POINTER GENERAL
VOL 2 SFN 93466 SR POINTER GENERAL
VOL 3
VOL 4
Record of BANJOES Received
PROJECT HT LINGUAL Clearance #90079 29NOV56-29NOV63
SR POINTER General Admin and Policy April 63
Original SR POINTER Documents
VOL 5
VOL 6
VOL 7
VOL 8
SR POINTER SFN 119144 Informant BANJO
VOL 9
Documents Reviewed by George Clark OGC
PROJECT SR POINTER Admin 11 JUN52-5FEB58 #77826
VOL 10 HT LINGUAL Statistics SFN 119144
VOL 11 SR POINTER GENERAL SFN 93466
VOL 12 PROJECT Outline and Cronology #77826
VOL 13 Record of BANJOES Received (VOL 6)
VOL 14 SR POINTER Statistics JAN68-MAR70
VOL 15 SR POINTER
VOL 16 SR POINTER GENERAL File Admin and Policy 18JAN62-
29MAR63
VOL 17 SR POINTER 13MAR70 #90079
VOL 18 SR POINTER GENERAL File Admin and Ploicy 27JUL54-
19DEC61
VOL 19 PROJECT HT LINGUAL #90079 1FEB56-2SEP58 Memos to CI
Staff
VOL 20 PROJECT HT LINGUAL #90079 9SEP58-15AUG60 Memos to CI
Staff
13-00000
Security Support Files for HT LINGUAL / SR POINTER Files:
VOL 21 PROJECT HT LINGUAL #90079 26 AUG60-6JUN62 Memos to CI
Staff
VOL 22 PROJECT HT LINGUAL #90079 25JUN62-25MAR64 Memos to CI
⚫ Staff
VOL 23 PROJECT SR POINTER Informant BANJO SFN 119144 Special
BANJO File 2JUL53-27DEC57.
VOL 24 PROJECT SR POINTER Informant BANJO SFN 119144 Special.
BANJO File 8JAN58-22DEC58
VOL 25 PROJECT SR POINTER Informant BANJO SFN 119144 Special
BANJO File 7JAN59-22DEC60
VOL 26 PROJECT SR POINTER Informant BANJO SFN 119144 Special
BANJO File 3JAN61-27DEC61
VOL 27 PROJECT SR POINTER Informant BANJO SFN 119144 Special
BANJO File 23JAN63-2MAR64
VOL 28 PROJECT HT LINGUAL SFN 119144 BANJO 25MAR64-23DEC64
VOL 29 PROJECT HT LINGUAL SFN 119144 BANJO 4JAN66-29MAR67
VOL 30 PROJECT HT LINGUAL SFN 119144 BANJO 30MAR67
VOL 31 FANFOLD Coding System #90079
VOL 32 Watch List JAN66
VOL 33 #90079 DC Survey
VOL 34 #94866 Radio Moscow
VOL 35 SFN 77826 PROJECT SR POINTER Post Office Department,
Relations With
VOL 36 PROJECT DAYLIGHT SFN 243550
VOL 37 Review of HT LINGUAL Project Outline 10AUG59
VOL 38 POINTER

13-00000
SR POINTER Information
HT LINGUAL- A DO project. Opening U.S. citizen's mail going
to other countries (mostly Soviet Union) & mail incoming
from other countries (1950's).
Most mail was opened in NY.
Actual opening & monitoring of mail assigned to OS with info
turned over to the DO.
SR POINTER- OS name for HT LINGUAL
„WESTPOINTER- Opening mail in San Fransico (also known as MK
SOURDOUGH) Targeted the Chinese.
PROJECT INDIAN- Targeted mail to/from Pakistan
BANJO- Actual letters (copies) intercepted.
PROJECT SETTER- Mail opened in New Orleans, targeting South
America.
Project was exposed in Rockefellar Commission report.
Project names release with JFK info.
13-00000
CONFIDENTIAL
MEMORANDUM FOR:
Phil Boycan
FROM:
SUBJECT:
REFERENCE:
06 December 1993
Services Team Leader
William Marshall
Services Team
Transfer of POINTER and related files
Memorandum, dated 23 November 1993 from
Leonard Kaplan (C/IRT) to (Jim Archibald
(OGC)
Memorandum, dated 23 November 1993,
from Jim Archibald (OGC) to Leonard
Kaplan (C/IRT)
1.
On 30 November 1993, Investigations and Services Branch
. (I&SB) received a copy of an Office of General Counsel (OGC)
memorandum, dated 23 November 1993, wherein Jim Archibald
advised that it would be prudent for I&SB to transfer the
below list of files to the Information Review Team (IRT).
2.
In accordance with this memorandum, I&SB (3S04)
(Stafford) transferred the below list of files, on 06.
December 1993, to Leonard Kaplan (C/IRT) via Barbara Deavers
(G20 Stafford).
3. Therefore, as of 06 December 1993, I&SB considers
itself absolved of the responsibility as custodian of the
files. Conversely, as of 06 December, IRT assumes the
responsibility as custodian of the files.
FILES TRANSFERRED FROM OS/I&SB TO OS/IRT:
1. HT LINGUAL (BANJO)
2.
3.
4.
WESTPOINTER
SR POINTER
DAVID G. ELLIS FILE
5. PROJECT INDIAN
(Continued on next page)
0119144
0583870
No case number visible
No case number visible
No case number visible
.
WARNING NOTICE
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES
OR METHODS INVOLVED
CONFIDENTIAL
CL BY 0701140,
DECL OADR
DERV FRM COV 1-82
13-00000
(Continued)
CONFIDENTIAL
9.
10.
11. SR POINTER
6. HT LINGUAL
7.
8.
SR POINTER/OS PERSONNEL
HT LINGUAL
PROJECT HT LINGUAL
HT LINGUAL
. No case number visible
.0090079
.0090079
.0090079
.0090079
.0077826
12.
SR POINTER
.0093466
13.
SR POINTER (BANJO)
.0119144
14.
SR POINTER (BANJO)
0119144
15.
WATCH LIST
. No case number visible
16.
HT LINGUAL
17.
DC SURVEY
18.
PROJECT DAYLIGHT
.0119144
..0090079
.0243550
19.
SR POINTER (CUBAN WATCHLIST) .No case number visible
20. HT LINGUAL (BANJO)
21.. HT LINGUAL
22.
23.
SR POINTER (BANJO)
RADIO AMATEURS IN USSR
FANFOLD CODING SYSTEM.
SR POINTER (MAPS)
RADIO MOSCOW
PROJECT CHAPERON
SR POINTER
MAIL INTERCEPT PROGRAM.
SR POINTER
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
SSD MAIL COVER
35.
PROJECT SETTER
..
36.
SR POINTER/REDSKIN
37.
SR POINTER ..
•
.0119144
. No case number visible
...0119144
No case number visible
.0090079
. No case number visible
.0094866
..0099358
. No case number visible
. No case number visible
· PROJECT OUTLINE CHRONO/SR POINTER
PETER MEAULEY
US POST OFFICE LIAISON
38. OS PROJECT POINTER
RECORD OF BANJOES
39.
˚41. SR POINTER
40.
SR POINTER/HT LINGUAL
ORIGINAL SR POINTER
42. HT LINGUAL
43. SR POINTER
44.
45.
SR POINTER/BANJO
46.
SR POINTER/BANJO
47.
SR POINTER/BANJO
•
48.
HT LINGUAL
49.
SR POINTER
•
-
..0090079
.0077826
.0156003
.No case number visible
. No case number visible
..0159144
. No case number visible
. No case number visible
. No case number visible
. No case number visible
. No case number visible
. No case number visible
.No case number visible
..0090079
. No case number visible
.0119144
.0119144
..0119144
0119144
.No case number visible
CONFIDENTIAL
(Continued)
13-00000
CONFIDENTIAL
51.
50. PROJECT HT LINGUAL
PROJECT SR POINTER
52.
SR POINTER
53.
SR POINTER
54.
SR POINTER
.55.
BANJO
56.
57.
CLARE LENK
58.
CLAUDETTE BOUFFARD
STOLEN AGENCY CREDENTIAL
59.
SR POINTER
•
•
0090079
..0077826
...0093466
...0093466
•
•
. No case number visible
. No case number visible
.No case number visible
. No case number visible
. No case number visible
дильни
William Marshall
OS/I&SB
..0090079
(C)
Barbara Deavers (C)
OS/IRT
{
CONFIDENTIAL
13-00000
UNCLASSIFIED
INTERNAL
USE ONLY
✗
CONFIDENTIAL
SECRET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
REMOVAL OF SRPOINTER FILES FROM 3S04 STAFFORD TO G20 STAFFORD
FROM:
-
Leonard M. Kaplan
C/IRT
G20 Stafford
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and building)
DATE
EXTENSION NO.
40285/ DATE
23 Nov 93
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom to whom.
Draw a line across column after each comment.)
OFFICER'S
INITIALS
RECEIVED FORWARDED
1.
OS/Legal Advisor
11-24
11-27
JA
Len
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
I have been informed that the
SRPOINTCR fills
a subgroup of
the HTLINIVAL files. I recently
recommended to as that it coordinate
with the Do's.
agency's
FOIA
Imus ad the
☑
determine the
wltimite disposition of these files.
In the interim, & agree that t
would be prudent to allow
office to retain there files. Pleme
Call me
your
`f you'd like to discurs
this matter further.
10.
11
•
12.
13.
14.Please call when
signed. Thank you.
15.
FORM 610 USE PREVIOUS
3-82
SECRET
CONFIDENTIAL
EDICTIONS
INTERNAL
USE ONLY
UNCLASSIFIED
13-00000
MEMORANDUM FOR:
FROM:
CONFIDENTIAL
23 November 1993
James Archibald, OS Legal Advisor
6N20 Stafford Building
Leonard M. Kaplan
Chief, Information Review Team
Office of Security
SUBJECT:
Removal of SRPOINTER Files from 3S04
Stafford (I&SB) to G20 Stafford
17(IRT)
1. Per a telephonic conversation with (Will Marshall of
the OS/Investigations and Services Branch (I&SB), this memo
will formally request a transfer/relocation of the noted
SRPOINTER files to OS/Information Review Team (IRT).
2. I&SB is currently holding the SRPOINTER files as
(Mr. John Daley, formerly an I&SB Security Officer, served as
the OS referent, as well as for his historical perspectives
of the files (Mr. Daley has since retired and it has been
informally agreed that IRT will serve as the focal point
holder of the files.
.3. A formal transfer will serve to alleviate I&SB's
role as an "intermediary" in the occasional to frequent use
of the SRPOINTER files for IRT's formal responses to Freedom
of Information and Privacy Act requests. Additionally, as
IRT serves as the focal point for other public and Agency
requests, it is necessary to reference these files.
4. Your concurrence is required per C/I&SB
instructions for a formal move of the SRPOINTER files from
3S04 Stafford to G20 Stafford.
Leonard M. Kaplan
Sue wote on router
Concurrence:
James Archibald
WARNING NOTICE
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES
OR METHODS INVOLVED
CONFIDENTIAL
CL BY 2129112
DECL OADR
DERV FRM COV 1-82
13-00000
ADMINISTRATIVE - INTERNAL
USE ONLY
ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT (Optional)
Request No. CIA-16 from JFK Board
FROM
J. Barry Harrelson
Historical Review Group/CSI
2E20 IPB
TO (Officer designation, room, and building)
1. John Pereira, C/HRG
2.
2E20 IPB
3. Janet A. Ecklund)
4.
CAMB, OPS
(1S12 Stafford
5. J. Barry Harrelson
CSI/HRG
(2E20 IPB
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
=
FORM
1-92
USE
610 (EF)
DATE
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
932497
NO.
Extension
CSI 97-210
DATE
31825
OFFICIAL'S
INITIALS
9 May 1997
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
JP
EDITIONS
ADMINISTRATIVE - INTERNAL
USE ONLY
13-00000
ADMINISTRATIVE
-
INTERNAL USE ONLY
CSI 97-210
9 May 1997
MEMORANDUM FOR:
VIA:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
REFERENCE:
Chief, Information Management Branch
Office of Personnel Security
Chief, Historical Review Group
Center for the Study of Intelligence
J. Barry Harrelson
Historical Review Group
Center for the Study of Intelligence
Request No. CIA-16 from JFK Board
A. Memo for C/IMB, dtd 27 Feb. 97,
Same Subject
B.
Memo for DA/DO IROS (CSI 97-062),
dtd 31 Jan 97
The following actions need to be taken to complete the
Agency's response to the JFK Board's Request for Additional
Information and Records No. CIA-16 (Oswald Pre-Assassination
Files):
a.
Response to Request: CIA has to provide an official
response that will become a part of the public record. The
response should be a releasable version of your memorandum of
27 February 1997; according to the classification markings, most
of the text is unclassified. I recommend that you send me an
annotated copy indicating what can be released. I will prepare
the response and coordinate it with you. Also please review the
attachments to the memorandum for possible release. The JFK
Board may consider documentation of the destruction of
potentially relevant files as assassination records. HRG will
handle any additional coordination (OGC, DO, etc.) required.
b. Transfer of Oswald's OS File(#0351164): The original
Office of Security subject file on Oswald currently held by the
Office of Personnel Security should be transferred to the
Historical Review Group. The file will be incorporated into the
Agency's JFK Assassination Collection and reviewed for release
under the JFK Act of 1992. Most documents in this file will
probably be duplicates of documents in the HSCA sequestered
material held by HRG, however, under the JFK law all "Oswald"
files are considered assassination records. The ARRB staff has
asked for access to the file when practical.
ADMINISTRATIVE
-
INTERNAL USE ONLY
.:
13-00000
SUBJECT:
ADMINISTRATIVE
-
INTERNAL USE ONLY
Request No. CIA-16 from JFK Board
-C Defectors File (#0341008): The ARRB staff has requested
access to the parts of the Defector File that contain the Oswald
documents, items a-f, listed in your 27 February memorandum.
(We were unable to locate documents "e" and "f" in the HSCA
sequestered collection.) Assassination- and Oswald-related
documents in this file will most likely be declared assassination
records. HRG will handle any third Agency coordination required.
Please let me know when it will be possible to give the ARRB
staff access to the files. The access is considered for back-
ground purposes only, and any notes taken will be reviewed by
your staff and HRG. If a file is considered sensitive, access
can be restricted to one ARRB staff member and monitored by your
staff. The review can take place either at your office or in
If you any questions, please give me a call, secure 31825.
HRG.
==
J. Barry Harrelson
ADMINISTRATIVE
-
INTERNAL USE ONLY
13-00000
ADMINISTRATIVE – INTERNAL USE ONLY
SUBJECT: Request No. CIA-16 from JFK Board
DCI/CSI/HRG/JBHarrelson: bas/x31806 (9 May 97)
Distribution:
Original
1
-
Addressee
g:hrg/req#160S.doc
-
C/IP&CRD
(Linda Cipriani, OGC
C/HRG
1 B. Harrelson
-
HRG File
ADMINISTRATIVE
3
INTERNAL USE ONLY

13-00000
5 June 1997
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Review of OS Records on LHO and Defectors
FROM:
Gary M. Breneman, IC
1. Over the course of three half days, 29 May, 2 and 4
June, 1997 ARRB Staff member Michelle Combs reviewed the
Office of Security files on Lee Harvey Oswald and a multi-
volume file collection entitled "Defectors." These were
made available by Ms Janet Ecklund in OS offices in
Stafford Building.
2. At the request of OS, the undersigned was present
during the review. Mrs. Combs took notes of items of
interest and put yellow stickies on a number of documents.
She advised MS. Ecklund that she (Mrs. Combs) would write a
memorandum on what she had done and pass it to Mr. Gunn.
Further, she advised that Mr. Gunn might want review the
files personally.
3. Ms. Ecklund stated she would keep these files
segregated within her office for quick retrieval if we
wanted to see them again.
Gary
Breneman
13-00000
27 October 1997
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Janet A. Ecklund
Chief, Information Management Branch
Office of Personnel Security
OSWALD, LEE HARVEY
AIN: 0351164
i
:
1. The Office of Personnel Security was tasked on 31
January 1997 by the Historical Review Group/Center for the Study
of Intelligence (HRG/CSI), via the Directorate of
Administration/Information Review Office, with researching pre-
assassination files on Lee Harvey Oswald. The tasking was
generated by the John F. Kennedy Board's desire to review and
declassify relevant material. The results of this review were
forwarded to the HRG/CSI on 27 February 1997.
2.
During the Information Management Branch's
(IMB) research in response to the above tasking it was noted that
Volume V of the Oswald files was not on the shelf where Volumes
I-IV and VI-VII were located. A search of the entire area where
the volumes had been maintained failed to locate Volume V. The
IMB Files Section was subsequently charged with conducting an
all out search for the missing volume. The search failed to find
Volume V.
3. In July 1997, the Oswald files were reviewed page by
page prior to being turned over to HRG/CSI and another attempt
was made to locate Volume V or to locate persons who might know
what happened to it. Volume V was not located nor were any
persons located who were knowledgeable of its status.
4. During the complete review of the Oswald files no
' time gap was apparent and no one was located who could recall
ever seeing Volume V. This would suggest that either Volume V
had been consolidated into other volumes or that Volume V never
existed, but that a numbering error resulted in what should have
been Volume V being labeled as Volume VI. The use of Roman
numerals on the cover of the volumes might have caused this
error to occur.
13-00000
Central Intelligence Agency
для
file cy
Washington, D.C. 20505
24 December 1997
TIONS
Dr. T. Jeremy Gunn
Executive Director
Assassination Records Review Board..
600 E. Street, N.W. (2nd Floor)
Washington, D.C. 20530
Dear Dr. Gunn:
RELIA
Re: Request for Additional Information and Records
No. CIA-16 (Oswald Pre-Assassination Files) and
No. CIA-IR-24 (Defector File)
This is a partial response to the ARRB's referent
request for pre-assassination files this Agency may have had
on Lee Harvey Oswald. It is believed the following comments
and two enclosed documents fully respond to the Office of
Security questions. The DO response is pending.
1.
At Tab A is a 22 December 1997 memorandum
containing information from the Agency's Office of Personnel
Security which provides details about the files it had on
Oswald prior to the assassination plus when and why they
were created. These include the Office of Security file on
Oswald, a general file on Americans who had defected to
another country and information about HTLINGUAL files
2. Also enclosed at Tab B is a 27 October 1977
memorandum from the Office of Personal Security which
explains the numbering of that Office's file on Oswald.
particular, it explains why the "missing" volume V may never
have existed.
3. An ARRB staff member has reviewed the Oswald
Security file and the file on American defectors.
In
4. The Oswald Office of Personnel Security file and
those pages of the defector file deemed relevant by the ARRB
staff member have been forwarded to HRG for review and will
be processed according to current release guidelines.
If you have any questions about this response, please
advise.
Sincerely,
J. Barry Harrelson
13-00000
i
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
22 December 1997
1. Pursuant to ARRB "Resquet No. CIA-16, the Office of
Personnel Security conducted research for and existing pre-
assassination files on Lee Harvey Oswald. The following
responses are provided to those questions which pertain to
the Office of Personnel Security (OPS). These responses are
the best reasonable answers based on available information.
Please note OPS was known as the Office of Security prior to
1 October 1994.
Question 1: Please identify, as specifically as
possible, each file held by CIA on Oswald at the time
of the assassination of President Kennedy.
Response: At the time of the assassination, the Office
of Security (OS) held two files which contained information
on Lee Harvey Oswald. One file entitled "Defectors File"
(#0341008), contained a reference to Lee Harvey Oswald, and
the second file was Office of Security subject file on Lee
Harvey Oswald (%230351164). This information was reflected in
the automated security database known as the Management Data
Program/Personnel Security (MDP/PS). These files were
originally miscellaneous files which were converted to the
above numbers circa 1964. A hand search was also conducted
of microfiche records which were superseded by the automated
system. This hand search produced the same results as the
automated search of MDP/PS.
2. Within the ARRB request is specific mention of an
HTLINGUAL file. MDP/PS reflects OS maintained four official
files under this project--#0077826 (an administrative file),
#0090079, #0093466 (a general file), and #0119144. All of
the HTLINGUAL files were destroyed on 8 April 1994 along
with numerous soft files. Since this material has been
destroyed, OPS cannot definitively state whether these files
contained any information on Lee Harvey Oswald. The search
of Oswald's name did not produce an index reference to any
of these files. Attached is all of the available
information regarding the destruction of the HTLINGUAL
files. This information was retrieved from the Information
Management Branch/Records Control Section and from a review
of general office administrative files.
13-00000
Question 2: For other than the 201-289248 file on
Oswald, please explain when each Oswald file was opened, the
purpose for the opening of the file, and the documents that
were in the file at the time of the assassination.
Response: As noted above, all HTLINGUAL files have been
destroyed. Since OS files are usually set up in
chronological sequence, a search of files with numbers in
close proximity to those recorded for HTLINGUAL was
undertaken. This search revealed the approximate opening
dates for the four official HTLINGUAL files as:
#0077826
#0090079
#0093466
#0119144
Opened approximately July 1952
Opened approximately February 1953
Opened approximately July 1953
Opened approximately May 1955
3. HTLINGUAL was a Directorate of Operations project
involving the opening incoming and outgoing mail destined to
and from the Soviet Union, China, Pakistan, and South
America. In the Office of Security this project was known
as SRPOINTER with subprojects identified as WESTPOINTER,
INDIAN, BANJO, and SETTER. The Office of Security actually
conducted the opening and monitoring of mail with the
acquired information being referred to the Directorate of
Operations.
4. The Defectors File (#0341008) was established circa
1950 for the purpose of recording information on US citizens
defecting to other countries and information regarding
foreign nationals considering defection to the United States.
This file contained information was from press clippings,
Directorate of Operations reporting, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Department of State, and the various armed
services. The pre-assassination documents located in this
file relative to Lee Harvey Oswald are:
a. Washington Star press clipping of 26 November 1959
entitled "U.S. Defector to Reds Turned to Marx at
15"
b.
C.
Department of State memorandum dated 25 October
1960 with attached list of American "defectors”
from May 1959 to October 1960
Memorandum for Chief/Security Research Staff dated
31 October 1960 from M. D. Stevens, subject:
American Defectors
2
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d.
e.
f.
Memorandum for Deputy Director of Security dated
1 November 1960 from M. D. Stevens, subject:
American Defectors
Handwritten chart of defectors dated 26 August
1961
Defector outline prepared in October 1961 listing
known defectors to the USSR, Red China, Cuba, and
United Arab Republic.
5. The index reference to the Defectors File
identifies a list dated 13 September 1966 which was known as
the Defector Machine Listing. This listing was a computer
printout of defectors and provided limited biographic data
on each name. This listing was maintained separately from
the actual Defectors File; notations within the Defectors
File show the Defector Machine Listing as permanently
charged to the Security Analysis Group of the Office of
Security. Efforts to locate this listing or determine its
disposition have been unsuccessful.
6. Information regarding the purpose of the Defectors
File was gleaned from a quick review of selected holdings.
An employee of this Office was, recalls the Defector Machine
Listing as being approximately one and one-half inches thick
and in two parts. One part consisted of an alphabetical
index of defector names with assigned numbers. The second
part listed the assigned numbers in numerical order and
contained the limited biographic data on each name.
7.
The subject file pertaining to Lee Harvey Oswald
(#0351164) was established circa 1960. It appears this file
was created as a separate repository for the numerous press
clippings and reports received from other government
agencies on the defection of Lee Harvey Oswald to the USSR
and his activities following his return to the United
States. The first volume of this file appears to have been
preserved as the pre-assassination file, and the documents
contained in this file are as follows:
a.
b.
Department of State telegram #1304 from Moscow
dated 31 October 1959
The Washington Post press clipping dated
1 November 1959 entitled "Ex-Marine Asks Soviet
Citizenship"
13-00000
C.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
1.
m.
n.
0.
p.
q.
r.
Department of State Dispatch #3234 from Moscow
dated 2 November 1959
Department of State telegram #1448 from Tokyo
dated 9 November 1959
Department of State telegram #1358 from Moscow
dated 9 November 1959
The Washington Post press clipping dated 16
November 1959 entitled "Rebuffed"
Evening Star press clipping dated 26 November
1959 entitled “U.S. Defector to Reds Turned to
Marx at 15"
Report Summary prepared by Soviet Russia Division
forwarded to Office of Security in March 1960
Department of State Instruction A-273 dated
13 April 1961
Department of State Dispatch from Moscow dated
May 1961 with enclosure of Oswald letter
Federal Bureau of Investigation report dated
3 July 1961 from Dallas, Texas
Note to CI/SI dated 28 September 1961
Form 745 “Indices Search Request” dated
12 October 1961
Department of State Dispatch #317 from Moscow
dated 12 October 1961 with enclosure
Form G-135a Immigration and Naturalization
Service name check form to Central Intelligence
Agency dated 5 December 1961
Navy Department message to Moscow dated
3 March 1962
Department of the Navy memorandum to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation dated 26 April 1962 with
enclosure
The Washington Post press clipping dated
9 June 1962 entitled "Third American in 2 Months
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S.
Leaves Soviet 'Home'"
Federal Bureau of Investigation transmittal
of report from Dallas, Texas, dated 30 August
1962.
8. In addition to those documents listed above, the
following documents were located in a subsequent volume of
the Oswald file and also appear to predate the assassination
of President Kennedy.
t. Undated summary of file information on Lee
Harvey Oswald
u.
V.
W.
Incoming cable #83858 from Mexico City dated
20 July 1963 (no mention of Oswald)
Incoming cable #01325 from Mexico City dated
17 August 1963 (no mention of Oswald)
Incoming cable #36017 from Mexico City dated
9 October 1963
✗.
y.
Outgoing cable #74830 to Mexico City dated
10 October 1963
Incoming cable #47041 from Mexico City dated
24 October 1963 (no mention of Oswald).
Question 4: To the extent that Counterintelligence
and the Office of Security maintained pre-assassination
files on Oswald, please explain why those offices
maintained files on Oswald prior to the assassination.
In answering this question, please make appropriate
references to the Clandestine Services Handbook (CSHB)
and to any other materials (including organizational
charts) that would help explain the jurisdictional and
organization reasons for which CI and OS would have
maintained such files.
Response: It is believed that OS holdings on Lee
Harvey Oswald began in 1959 with his travel to Russia during
which he renounced his US citizenship. Oswald was in
contact with the American Embassy in Moscow, and the
Department of State prepared reports on these contacts.
Most likely because of counterintelligence concerns, the
Central Intelligence Agency was included in the distribution
of these reports. In the beginning this material was
probably retained in the Defectors File. As the number of
5
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documents increased, a separate file was created to be the
repository of information on the alleged American defector.
There is a notation in the Defectors File that a separate
file exists on Oswald.
9. Both the Defectors File (%30341008) and the file of
Lee Harvey Oswald (%230351164) were handled by Marguerite D.
Stevens of the OS/Security Research Staff during the pre-
assassination time frame. Of the documents listed above, a
majority of them contain a notation or the initials of
Marguerite D. Stevens, leading one to believe she was the
officer responsible for the collection, analysis, and filing
of this information.
10. The Security Research Staff (SRS) was the
component responsible for collecting, developing, and
evaluating information of a counterintelligence nature to
detect and/or prevent penetration of the Agency's
organization, employees, and activities by foreign or
domestic organizations or individuals. SRS conducted
research in connection with employee loyalty cases and
maintained records identifying personalities, environments,
and personal traits of individuals who had been of
counterintelligence interest over the years. SRS maintained
liaison with various government agencies in connection with
counterintelligence activities and coordinated the
counterintelligence effort throughout OS. Using
organizational charts of this time period, SRS reported
directly to the office of the Director of Security.
11. A representataive of the Office of Personnel
Security /Management Staff was queried regarding the mission
and functions of SRS during the pre-assassination time
period. He made inquiries relating to the above request,
and the OPS/Information Management Officer retrieved retired
policy records for review. The information on the mission
and function of SRS was retrieved from the archived Office
of Security administrative and historical files as well as a
review of the security file on Marguerite D. Stevens.
10
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CIA SPEC
COLLECTIONS
RELEASE AN FOLL
2000
file cy
MEMORANDUM FOR:
Ms. Laura Denk.
FROM:
SUBJECT:
16 September 1998
Executive Director, ARRB
J. Barry Harrelson
JFK Project Officer, HRP/OIM
CIA-16, Oswald Pre-Assassination Files
1. This is further to my letter of 24 December 1997 in
response to referent request.
2. That letter, was a partial response which provided
the Office of Personnel Security's information. The
Directorate of Operations' (DO) response was still pending.
The DO response was provided on 2 September 1998 and it is
attached.
3. Please note that both responses are contained in the
Agency's Compliance Declaration dated 2 September 1998 at
Attachment V(2).
4. This completes the Agency's action on CIA-16. If
you have any questions about this matter, please advise.
Sincerely,
Encl. A/S
J. Barry Harrelson

13-00000
-
16
DO Response to Board Request CIA
Oswald Pre-Assassination Files
The Directorate of Operations reviewed the DO
records to determine if there were any additional files
containing pre-assassination records relating to
Oswald. Research identified a document in the Oswald
201 which appeared to be a file inventory. The
document identified CI Staff as the file custodian.
CIC has confirmed that all CI Staff holdings were
incorporated into the 201.
Prior to establishing a 201, any documents received
would have been placed in an operational interest file.
We found no reference to the existence of an
operational file. If such a file had existed, however,
it might not have been registered in the central index.
It was standard procedures that upon opening a 201, the
documents from an interest file would be transferred to
the 201.
Given that Oswald was a subject of the HTLINGUAL
operation, it is reasonable to believe that there was a
file on him. We destroyed all of the HTLINGUAL files
under court order, and no record was made of what files
existed. We did not review all of the DO record system
to destroy all copies of material which may have been
derived from HTLINGUAL material. We know, for
instance, that there are HTLINGUAL items related to
Oswald in the HSCA sequestered collection
In sum, the 201 on Oswald contains all the
information we are aware of that we had prior to the
assassination.