(a0-10447-10198 | | / JFK Assassinatior. System Date: 428/201 Identification Form ~~ : Agency Inform: tion AGENCY: HSCA RECORD NUMBER: _180-10147-10193 RECORD SERIES : CLA SEGREGATED COLLECTIOn AGENCY FILENUMBER:, 61-12-01 RRR seaaeenieemnnenanmenmnenennmnnenmnemmmpemnammmmmmmmmmmmmmnmnammnmmmenesn: rere ee eT Docurnent Infor nation ORIGINATOR: HSCA ; FROM: CIA - TO: TITLE: DATE: = 12/11/1978 PAGES: 329 SUBJECTS : . CIA, FILES DOCUMENT TYPE:. FORM CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 1A;1B° CURRENT STATUS: Redact . DATE OF LASTREVIEW: 01/01/2003 OPENING CRITERIA : . COMMENTS: _ Box 35 Document Withdrawal Notie Pending Coordination v9.1 ; - | NW 47055 DoclId:32273548 Page 1
transmitte duties: relat NOTICE OF DETACHMENT?” w ere. this form is detached. from: Top. ‘Secret material it shalt be ¢ completed in the appropriate spaces below ° ecret. Control jor record.” at . BY (Signature) WITNESSED BY (Signature) ns BY (Signature) - OFFICE | -. Loreice.
i (This form is ‘to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) Cover Sheet The attached package of paper is the property of the Hlouse Select-Committee on Assassinations, and is on joan to CIA under an agreement whereby CIA is not to reproduce or copy. the draft or any portion thereof. Notes may be taken on materials in this package, and rough notes flay he prepared as a basis for informal and oral exchanges with HSCA representatives. These notes, however, are to be held as though controlled and are to be dest royed under agreed conditions with HSCA. They are not to be copied or excerpted and are to he neld until further instructions are received for _eventual disposal. These papers have been numbered for accountability and receipted accordingly. They are to be handled on a secure basis as though constituting sensitive papers cn 2 need-to-know basis. rm sod EAST Classification: __ _- | Clossified by derivation: ioe ee eee
g AG | Y Qs u| I Classification: ee (This form is be be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) C. Silvia Duran ‘When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963,,the United States investigative agencies--FBI, CIA, Secret Service, etc.--were asked to investigate the assassination. When the Central Intelli- gence Agency's Mexico City Station remembered that Lee Harvey Oswald had visited Mexico City during late Septem- ber and early October, it reviewed the electronic surveil- lance files and found evidence of phone calls to the So- viet Embassy made September 27th, September 28th, and October Ist, that could have been made by Oswald. 685/ Review of the electroic surveillance files also produced telephone calls on September 27, 1963 between the Russian Consul and Silvia Duran, a secretary at the Cuban Consu- late, where Oswald was discussed. 686/ In addition, the Mexico City Station found a September 28, 1963 phone call from Silvia Duran to the Soviet Consulate where Silvia’ Duran stated that there was an American citizen at the ‘Cuban Consulate who had previously visited the Soviet Con- sulate. 687/ A final phone call was made on October 1, 1963 where the "alleged" Oswald identified himself was also found. 688/ On November 23, 1963 the Mexico City Station deter- Classification: Ff af 2° of Gi. po“. WH. SHR. ER. “HE, “HER “HEB HER, “SHER, OMe ew ww
| HS £ 2’ £2 ZT £7  — <a Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) TOE (on ~ 185 - (ur Stundh mined that it would request the Mexican stent 3 x. ert ms are wal ei e y Does with whom it had a good relationship--to arrest Silvia Duran (as Silvia Duran was a Mexican citizen, she did not have diplomatic immunity) because she might shed some light on the circumstances surrounding the assassination. 688a/ The Mexico City Station sent a note to the Gober- nacion head, Luis Echevarria, with Silvia Duran's address, her mother's address, her brother's address, her license plate number, her home phone number, her place of work and a request that she be arrested immediately. 689/ The Mexi- co City Station also suggested that Duran he held incommuni- cado until she could be questioned on the matter. 690/ The Mexico City Station did not receive prior au- thorization from CIA Headquarters to request the arrest of Silvia Duran by Mexican authorities. 691/ Headquarters feared that a request to arrest Ms. Duran would jeopardize the clandestine relationship between certain Mexican govern- ment officials and the CIA if it were disclosed that Americans were behind Duran's arrest. 672/ John Scelso, Chief of Western Hemisphere/3, stationed at Langley Headquarters, telephoned Winston Scott, the Mexico City Chief of Station, and requested that Silvia Duran not be arrested. 693/ Scott told Scelso that he could not rescind the request, and that Headquarters should already have C1esciee a,cable stating that Silvia Duran had — assi ication: 2,9 : 2: coat i aoa a ae aot aa & “y | Closed by derivation: AY LY LY r= “Ea Sh <i. <= SR “SR “SR. “SR. “ER. “GA.
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted } from ClA—controlled documents.) _— OTP OD BR aye edt been arrested. 694/ After Winston Scott's conversation with John Scelso, Scott called Luis Echevarria and stated that the Mexico City Station desired that all information received from Duran be forwarded immediately to the Mexico City Station, and that her arrest and statements not be communicated to any leftist groups. 695/ On November 27, 1963, the Mexican government for- warded to the Mexico City Station a copy of Silvia Duran's ten-page signed statement. 696/ It said, "Upon learning about the assassination she and her husband speculated that Presi- dent Kennedy might have been assassinated for racial reasons. When she became aware that the assassin was Lee Harvey Oswald, she ascertained that it was the same man who ap- proximately two months prior had been to the Cuban Consulate to solicit an intransit visa to Russia. Having taken his name from the special documentation he presented she knew that he was married to a Russian woman and belonged to the "Fair Play for Cuba Committee." She checked the data in the Consulate archives and became certain that it was the same indi- vidual who was blonde, short, dressed unelegant- ly and whose face turned red when angry. The Consul had denied the visa because to obtain an intransit visa from the Cuban government, it was imperative that he previously obtain a visa from the Soviet Consulate. Since obtain- ing a visa from the Soviets took four months and Oswald's Mexican visa expired soon Oswald was advised: that he see the Soviet Consul, and calling the person in charge of that office. The Soviet official told her that they would have to consult Moscow which would take four months. That afternoon, Oswald returned to the oo Classification: rem a : : I} a . me : f° ‘Classified by derivation: Taam aaa a ‘ettent rT TR BREABA BEB SBaasaws
p f f p - f p F p é é : QCLNED 4 —_- — ae er ET ar ery Lr ee Classification: _ (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) oe - 187 - acre Cuban Consulate and Silvia Duran confirmed that he could get a Cuban visa only after he received a Russian visa. She gave Oswald her name and business phone number but never gave him her. address because she had no reason to give it to him. The only aid she could give Oswald was advising that he see the Soviet Consul and calling the person in charge of that office. She knew that phoning the Soviet Consulate was not one of her duties and that if she did so she did it only to help Oswald. She gave Oswald her business phone number only because he would have to call subsequently to check whether he had obtained a visa. He never called back." yee Reon eae care Silvia Duran, released on November 24, 1963, was rearrested November 27, 1963, when the Mexican government alleged that she was attempting to leave Mexico for travel to Havana. 698/ According to the Mexican officials who detained Duran a second time, there was no addition to her story. 699/ The Mexico City Station forwarded Duran's ten-page signed statement to Headquarters on November 27, 1963. 700/ The following day, Headquarters sent a clarification cable to the Mexico City Station seeking to insure that neither Silvia Duran nor the Cubans would have any basis for believing that the Americans were behind her rearrest. The cable stated, “We want the Mexican authorities to take the responsibility for the whole affair." 701/ When the Central Intelligence Agency began to work with the Warren Commission, Headquarters cabled the Mexico eit ge Classification: | Classified by derivation: AEP ESE LE a a 4
20ONPDS Classification: =~ Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) - 188 - City Station that its plan in passing ata te Warren Commission was to eliminate mention of telephone taps in order to protect their continuing operations. 702/ Headquarters cabled that it would rely on Silvia Duran's statements and on the Consular files which the Soviets gave the State Department. 703/ Headquarters stressed that exact, detailed information from LITAMIL-7 and LITAMIL-9--penetration agents in the Cuban Embassy-~on what Silvia Duran and other officials had said about Os- wald's visit and his dealings would be valuable and usable corroborative evidence. 704/ When the Central Intelligence Agency forwarded to the Warren Commission a copy of Duran's signed statement. It read as follows: .she remembered..(that Lee Harvey Oswald) was the name of an American who had come to the Cuban Consulate to obtain a visa to travel to Cuba in transit to Russia, the latter part of September or the early part of October of this year, and in support of his application had shown his passport, in which it was noted that he had lived in that country for a period of three years; his labor card from the same country written in the Russian language; and letters in that same language. He had presented evidence that he was married to a Russian woman, and also that he was apparently the leader of an organization in the city of New Orleans claim- ing that he should be accepted as a "friend" of the Cuban Revolution. Accordingly, the declarant, complying with her duties, took down all of the “hoa ws te: ALT . | ‘Classified by derivation: TMT ew 4
P <> Sa Sa Ss Sa Se SS SR Se. SS SR SE Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) se - 189 - “ pi ee information and completed the appropriate application form; and the declarant, ad- mittedly exceeding her responsibilities, informally telephoned the Russian Consulate, with the intention of doing what she could to facilitate issuance of the Russian visa to Lee Harvey Oswald. However, they told her that there would be a delay of about four months in processing the case, which annoyed the applicant since, according to his statement, he was in a great hurry to obtain visas that would enable him to travel to Russia, insisting on his right to do so in view of his background and his loyalty and his activities in behalf of the Cuban movement. The declarant was unable to re- call accurately whether or.not the applicant told her he was a member of the Communist Party, but he did say that his wife***was then in New York City, and would follow him,*** (Senora Duran stated) that when Os- wald understood that it was not possible to give him a Cuban visa without his first hav- ing obtained the Russian visa,*** he became very excited or angry, and accordingly, the affiant called Consul Ascue (sic),*** (who) came out and began a heated disucssion in En- glish with Oswald, that concluded by Ascue telling him that "if it were up to him, he would not give him the visa,“ and “a person of his type was harming the Cuban Revolution rather than helping it," it being understood that in their conversation they were talking about the Russian Socialist Revolution and not the Cuban. Oswald maintained that he had two reasons for requesting that his visa be issued promptly, and they were: one, that his tourist permit in Mexico was about to expire; and the other, that he had to get to Russia as quickly as possible. Depsite her annoyance, the decalarant gave Oswald a paper*** in which she put down her name, "Silvia Duran," and the number of the telephone at the Consulate, which is "11-28-47" and the visa application Classification: _ _ a ad | , Classified by derivation: a a a a” aii" aff” af"
P <b Sb Sh “ 4h GR = SR “Ek “A. Classification: . (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) - 190 - weed (Eee was processed anyway. It was sent to the Ministry of (Foreign) Relations of Cuba; from which a routine reply was received some fifteen to thirty days later, approving the visa, but on the condition that the Russian visa be obtained first, although she does not recall whether or not Oswald later telephoned her at the Consulate number that she gave him. 705/ The Central Intelligence Agency had relied on Duran's statements but had deleted Duran's description of Oswald as blonde and short. 706/ It had also excised Duran's statement-- "The only aid she could give Oswald was advising that he see the Soviet Consul, and calling the person in charge of that office" which alluded to Oswald asking for some type of aid at the Cuban Consulate. 707/ In addition, Ms. Duran's strong state- ment "He never called her back" 707a/ was changed to “she does not recall whether or not Oswald later telephoned her at the a) Consulate number that she have him.707b/ Had the statements been included, the Warren Commission's conclusions would not have Seemed as strong. The Warren Commission staff was not completely satis- fied with Ms. Duran's ten page signed statement obtained by the Mexican authorities. W. David Slawson wrote: We then discussed...the problem of (inter- viewing) Silvia Duran. We pointed out that our only interest in witnesses (in Mexico) other than Duran was to get their formal testi- mony for authentication purposes...This was not true of Duran, however, because she had my been interviewed only by the Mexican police od sé Classification? gammy ao wn eon sey ‘fi } id r + BL Oestog by derivation: Pa a ae ae a oe oe ae A
Fr rr er eer ee Oe OL Classification: ee re (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) and we considered that interview inadequate. (I should point out that we do not consider it totally inadequate, however. It is only on details such as Oswald's physical appearance, side comments or remarks he may have made, etc., that we would like to interrogate Mrs. Duran further. On the essential point of whether or not his con- tacts with the Embassy consisted of anything other than an attempt to travel to Cuba, Silvia Duran's knowledge has probably been exhausted.) 708/ The Warren Commission staff's attempts to inter- view Ms. Duran never succeeded. 709/ Ms. Duran was not interviewed by Americans until 1976, when two reporters from the Washington Post interviewed her. 710/ On June 6, 1978, representatives of the House Select Committee con Assassinations interviewed Ms. Duran in Mexico City. VI. Information not available at the time of the Warren Commission investigation A. Silvia Tirado (nee Duran) 1. House Select Committee on Assassinations 6/6/78 Interview of Silvia Tirado Ms. Tirado (Silvia divorced Horatio Duran in 1968) was never questioned by American officials in 1963. Thus, the Committee established contact with the Mexican govern- ment and requested that the Mexican government make Silvia Tirado available for an interview. 711/ The Mexican at a we, coe ma $3 2 fos 4 ety} 20000223 Classification: 3 (23 Ata, : t.] “ \ “oD {. te a ; ™ “Clibitied by: derivation: SaaS aaa a ww Pr < S SE. “ “ “ “ee SE “SS SE SE “SS
4 47° 4 4F AFP APY AP 4F 4 Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) government complied on 6/6/78. Ms. Tirado told the House Select Committee on Assassinations the following: Lee Harvey Oswald visited the Cuban Consulate three times on September 27, 1963, not twice as the Warren Com- mission previously reported. 712/ Oswald first visited the Cuban Consulate at approximately 11:00 a.m., requesting an intransit visa to Cuba with Russia as the final destina- tion. 713/ He showed her some documents, then left to obtain photographs needed for his application. 714/ Oswald returned at approximately 1:00 p.m. with four photographs. 715/ Ms. Tirado typed the application in duplicate, stapled a picture on top of each and had Os- Wald sign each in her presence. 716/ As identification, Oswald showed her documents he had brought: his Russian labor card, marriage certificate with the name of his Russian wife, his American Communist Party membership card and his “Fair Play for Cuba" membership card. 717/ Ms. Tirado found Lee Harvey Oswald's behavior suspi- cious because normally a Communist traveled only with his passport as belonging to the Communist Party was illegal in Mexico in 1963. 718/ There was a procedure whereby the American Communist Party would arrange visa matters for their members with the Classification: .-—— - -n . - _ a0CO9E2 07 ee * Classified by derivation: — Tama a aa we ", “AZ A BRB BSB BS BW. BA. AB BD ABA WB
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) - 193 - Cuban Communist Party. 719/ The American would then come to Mexico, visit the Cuban Consulate, and receive his visa immediately. 710/ When Tirado asked Oswald why he did not have the American Communist Party arrange his trip to Cuba, he stated that he had not had the time. 721/ After explaining to Oswald that he had to acquire a Russian visa before he could receive a Cuban visa, Tirado jotted her name and business phone number on a piece of paper and gave it to Oswald who then left to get his Rus- Sian visa. /22/ Oswald returned to the Cuban Consulate between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., which was after normal working hours, 10:00 to 2:00 p.m. 723/ The guard called Tirado, stating that someone who didnot speak Spanish was at the gate inquiring about a visa. 724/ As routine procedure, she asked the guard to escort the individual to her office. 725/ Oswald told her that he had acquired a Russian visa. 726/ Since he did not produce it when asked, she called the Russian Consulate. 727/ The Consul told Duran that Oswald had been to the Consulate requesting a visa and had been told that the reply would take approximately four months. When she relayed the message to Oswald, he got very excited, insisting that as a person who had been in jail because Classification: “a, ‘| ” Classified by derivation: LF LY 49 49 2 49 £2 FF 7 ", BDBBA RA BA A SB A BW
Classification: . (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) - 194 - ry of the Cuban Revolution he should receive wt visa. 729/ Oswald stated that he could not wait that long because his Mexican visa expired in three days. 730/ At this point, Ms. Tirado informed Consul Eusebio Azcue of the situation. 731/  Azcue had been in his private office which he shared with his upcoming replacement, Alfredo Mirabal. 732/ Azcue politely explained the requisites ‘for an intransit visa to Oswald. 733/ When he noticed that Oswald was a stubborn man he told Oswald that he was obviously not a friend of the Cuban revolution be- cause he would otherwise understand that Cuba had to be try. 734/ Azcue and Oswald yelled at each other. 735/ Then Azcue went to the door, opened it and asked Oswald to leave. 736/ OQswald did not revisit or telephone the Consulate. 737/ Ms. Tirado described Lee Harvey Oswald as approximately five feet six, with sparse blonde hair, weighing about 125 “=: pounds. 738/ 2. CIA information not available at the time of the Warren Commission investigation a. LIRING/3 allegation In 1967 a report that Silvia Duran had had intimate relations ass jJarvey Oswald came to the attention assiticatiomgns <CE094- aii ae wow wie extremely careful with the people it allowed in the coun- | aon. fis hs Ae by derivation: - yo“ ST FF .
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) . 195 . an . aj of the Central Intelligecne Agency's Mexico City Station. 739/ The source, LIRING/3, stated that he had recently re- ceived a call from Silvia Duran. 740/ A telephone tap on LIRING/3's telephone confirmed that Silvia Duran had called LIRING. 741/ LIRING/3 reported that he had visited Silvia to renew acquiaintancees. 742/ During the visit, Duran told LIRING/3 that she had met Lee Harvey Oswald at the Cuban Consulate when he applied for a visa and had dated him on several occasions. 743/ Duran admitted that she had had intimate relations with Oswald, but in- tion, Duran told LIRING/3 that when the news of the as- sassination became public knowledge, the Mexican govern- ment arrested her and during the interrogation beat her until she admitted that she had had an affair with Lee Harvey Oswald. 745/ Rowton 746/ counseled LIRING/3 against any further contact with Duran because the Cubans or the Mexican police might become suspicious of him. 747/ There is no indication in Rowton's report as to why con- tact with Silvia would make the Cubans suspicious. The CIA Mexico City Station reported this informa- tion to Headquarters: First, that Silvia Duran had sexual intercourse Classification: a i tea * “ ae : Su? tse! ani \s . Caititied by derivation: mi ds jee eda { sisted that she had no idea of his plans. 744/ In addi- Za T wwe wewwe
Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) rare 3) with Lee Harvey Oswald on several occasions when the latter was in Mexico is probably new, but adds little to the Oswald case. Second, the Mexican police did not report the extent of the Duran-Oswald relationship to this Station. 749/ In the chronology of the Mexico City investigation of Oswald Raymond Rocca notes: “Why didn't Mexico police give us all info?" 750/ This was not the first report of such a relationship between Oswald and Duran. Elena Garro had reported the same information to Charles Thomas in 1965. 751/ That the Mexican government did not disclose all the information in its possession to American authorities raises one of three possibilities: 1) the Mexican government did not want to disclose tions with the assassin of John Kennedy; or 2) Silvia Duran was a Mexican penetration agent in the Cuban Consulate and the Mexican govern- ment was protecting its informant by minimizing her relationship with Oswald; or 3) they forgot, i.e., a pure and simple mistake. 70 Bea Fed that one of its citizens had had intimate rela- i ‘ ote | Classified by derivation: ae EP SE EI EE SEP 4 PS. Sa Se SS Sa SS Sn Ss SR
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from CiA—controlled documents.) PY | £ - 197 - b. The possibility that Silvia Duran was an agent for either American, Mexican or Cuban Intelligence Since the publication of the Warren Commission Report in September 1964, critics have written about the possibility that Silvia Duran was an intelligence agent for either the Americans, Mexicans or Cubans. 1) Was Silvia Duran an agent, asset or source for Mexican or American intelligence? In an effort to resolve this question, the House Select Committee on Assassinations reviewed the United States investigative agencies’ files on Silvia Duran. 752/ The Committee found no evidence in this file review that Silvia Duran was either an American or Mexican intelli- gence agent. In addition, the Committee has interviewed most of the Mexico City Station employees about the possibility. Only David Phillips, Chief of Covert Action and the Cuban Section in the Mexico City Station in 1963, a position which made him very knowledgeable, considered that Duran was possibly an agent or source. Mr. Phillips stated that INA ope ° on.  Sy4 2Cc 0914 Classification: =. ee |. / r / - |: Classified by derivation: AY AY GY AY a a A a
Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) - 198 - “at one time the agency pitched 753/ almost everyone at the Cuban Embassy." 754/ Mr. Phillips stated that he had first heard Duran's name from the telephone intercept transcripts. 755/ But Mr. Phillips asserted that the CIA had no interest in Ms. Duran because "she. wasn't friendly with anyone." 756/ Mr. Phillips had previously mentioned the CIA Mexico City Station's in- terest in recruiting a former Cuban Ambassador to Mexico named Lechuga. 757/ Mr. Phillips was shown a memorandum written by W. David Slawson of the Warren Commission staff regarding a trip to Mexico by Warren Commission staff members which said: | Mr. Scott's (Chief of the CIA Station in Mexi- co City) narrative disclosed that the CIA's action immediately after the assassination con- sisted basically of alerting all its confiden- tial sources of information throughout Mexico to immediately channel all information into their headquarters, and of compiling as com- plete dossiers as possible on Oswald and every- one else throughout Mexico who at that time the CIA knew had had some contact with Oswald... This meant especially Silvia Duran, who because she had previously been having an affair with Lechuga, the former Cuban Ambassador to Mexico and presently the Cuban representative at the United Nations, had previously been of substan- tial interest to the CIA...758/ Mr. Phillips was surprised by this and stated that "No one let me in on this operation." 759/ But. Classification: FAT PALS “OQSa4 a a a a
ALT <r or 2r <r) <oe aa a Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted <1 eae from ClA—controlled documents.) oye aR Nel 7 fhe} - 199 - Mr. Phillips added that he doubted that Duran would have been pitched because the Station could not identify any of her weaknesses. The Committee staff members then told Mr. Phillips about the reporting on file concerning Ms. Duran from one of the Station's penetration agents, LITAMIL/9, at the Cuban Embassy. At one point LITAMIL/9 had reported to his case officer that all that would have to be done to recruit Ms. Duran was to get a blonde, blue-eyed American in bed with her. 761/ With this, Mr. Phillips said that it did indeed sound as if the Station had targeted Ms. Duran for recruitment, that the Station's interest had been substantial, and that the weaknesses and means had been identified. 762/ Mr. Phillips pointed out, however, that because Duran had been targeted did not necessarily mean that she had been pitched. /63/ In addition, he stated that he had never heard that Duran had been pitched. 764/ Mr. Phillips did state that he would expect that Ms. Duran's file at the CIA would be "very thick" because of all the telephone intercepts that concerned her and the substantial interest that the Station had in her. 765/ He stated that much of the material in her file should predate the assassination. 766/ Mr. Phillips stated that Classification: a8 aut F ‘ak fon “Classified: -by., derivation: a a ww we PF =< Sh SS. Se. SS. SA. SE SR. SA.
" © A SB BS SB BB SB SB BB WB WV —” —- wr a sr 2 ar a wae Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from CiA——controlled documents.) ip oom “a cote ei : CA, he would be very surprised if Ms. Duran' \ on a - Y if i - 200 - small and contained only a few pre-assassination docu- ments. 767/ This is in fact the case of the Headquarters 201 file. 768/ This Committee has asked the CIA to make Ms. Duran's Mexican "P" 769/ (personality) file available for review. The CIA informed the Committee that there was no "P" file available on Ms. Duran. 770/ Another CIA employee, Dan Neiscuir, who worked on an "Oswald Task Force" in late September or early October of 1975 dealing with Freedom of Information Act law suits brought against the Agency concerning the files on Lee Harvey Oswald, stated that he believed that Ms. Duran may have been a source of information for either the CIA or the Mexicans. 771/ Mr. Neiscuir could not recall why he specifically had this recollection, but thought that it was due to something he had seen in Oswald's file. /7/2/ He said that it may have been the Agency's attempts to protect Ms. Duran after the assassination and the heavy cable traffic that those attempts generated that led him to his inference that she was a source of information for either the Agency or the Mexicans. 773/ Despite LIRING/3's case officer's asking LIRING/3 not to recontact Ms. Duran, Mr. Phillips’ statements, and Classification: ee _ Sort f * Clastified by derivation: Pa ae
Classification: | (This form is to be used for material extracted from CliA—controlled documents.) -. yh ye rr my ag Oe Sout \it Mr. Neiscuir's hazy recollections, the ‘tommittee cannot - 201 definitely resolve whether Silvia Duran was a Mexican or American intelligence agent or source. (2) was Silvia Duran a Cuban intelligence agent? In an effort to resolve this question, the HSCA reviewed the United States investigative agencies’ files on Silvia Duran. 774/ The Committee found no evidence in the files that would indicate that Ms. Duran was associated with Cuban intelligence. In addition, the HSCA interviewed most of the Mexi- co City Station employees about the possibility that Duran worked for Cuban intelligence. Only Barney Hidalgo, a CIA officer who travelled to Mexico City in 1963, considered the possibility to be likely. 775/ Mr. Hidalgo, professing not to remember all the details, stated that he thought that Duran was a Cuban intelligence agent. 776/ Hidalgo said: At the time when this contact told me,of Silvia Duran I tied the two together, yes, sir. I don't know, how at that time it was obvious to me as an intelligence agent that there was some connection there but it was of no interest whatsoever to me, I do remember that when I next saw this contact of mine I mentioned the fact to him and let him proceed to do whatever he Classification: ¢: eA 7] buk ab her y ue Ry Like derivation: ee I a a a a ae
FR Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) - 202 - wanted to. /77/77/ Mr. Hidalgo further stated that he never resolved the issue. 778/ With no corroborating evidence for Mr. Hidalgo's memory, the Committee must conclude that Silvia Duran was probably never employed by Cuban Intelligence. B. The Cubans 1. Eusebio Azcue Lopez When Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly visited the Cuban Consulate, Eusebio Azcue Lopez, a Cuban citizen, was the Cuban Consul. 779/ Because he had diplomatic immunity, the Cuban government had never been asked to make him available for questioning. 780/ The Committee, in an ef- fort to investigate Oswald's contact» with representatives of the Cuban government, asked the Cuban government to make Eusebio Azcue available for Committee and staff inter- views. 781/ The Cuban government complied with the Commit- tee's request on April 1, 1978. 782/ During that interview, Mr. Azcue alleged that the man Jack Ruby shot in the Dallas Police Station was not the same individual who had visited the Cuban Consulate in 1963. 783/ In addition, Mr. Azcue stated that Alfredo _— Classification; << 2 | = ky 2ncoaty) Tie cae ie me Classified by derivation: Tae wae awww we Fr aACREE BA SB se B BS BTS
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) > | vag i) - 203 - vs Mirabal, who in September 1963, had recently arrived from Cuba to assume the Consul's duties, had also been present during Oswald's visit. 784/ During a second trip to Cuba, the Committee interviewed Alfredo Mirabal. 785/ Subsequent to this second trip to Havana, the Committee asked the Cuban government to make Eusebio Azcue and Alfredo Mirabal available for the public hearings on Sep- tember 18, 1978. 786/ The Cuban government complied with the Committee's request. Eusebio Azcue Lopez told the House Select Committee following: An individual who gave the name Lee Harvey Oswald visited the Cuban Consulate on three occasions in late September 787/ and early October 1963. 788/ The indivi- dual first visited the Cuban Consulate during working hours, requesting an intransit visa to Cuba with Russia as the final destination. 789/ The man showed the secre- tary, Silvia Duran, some documents 789a/ which he believed would be sufficient to obtain a visa. 789b/ When the secretary would not grant him a visa, the man asked Azcue to see whether upon examination of the documents he could | Classified by derivation: é on Assassinations at a public hearing on 9/18/78 the Tae ea aT awww
Classification: | ri Hie booth ry | i il extracted x Ap wor a - 245 - Azcue also stated that the individual later identified as Oswald returned to the Cuban Consulate about 1:00 p.m. with the photographs probably on “the date that appears on the application, that is to say on the 27th." 1087/ The Committee believes that there is a possibility that the argument between Azcue and the individual occurred during this visit. 1088/ Ms. Duran stated that Oswald's third and last visit occurred in the late afternoon after working hours on the 27th. 1089/ This visit is confirmed by the CIA's tap on the Soviet Consulate. 1090/ In addition to the alleged Oswald visits to the Consulates, there were other telephonic contacts that may have been between Oswald, or an imposter, and the Consu- lates. 1091/ Several details about Oswald's visits to the Cuban Consulate, and telephonic contacts with both Consulates suggest that the individual involved may not have been Oswald. Silvia Duran's description of Oswald did not re- semble Oswald's true physical appearance. 1092/ This description, which appeared early in the reporting of in- formation obtained from Ms. Duran was deleted from subse- quent reports and was not at all mentioned in the Warren 2058953 Classifica: ree } bie Ni Mae ‘| Classified by derivation: a ae we a a ae a a rF ss = Ss. SS. SR SA. SA SA OS. SR. “SR.