180-10442-10199 October 12, 1964 CIA Memo for the Record | fon, A: On October 12, 1964 the Chief of Covert Action, Jim . , ae ' EL D0€k i Flannery, wrote a memo for the record reporting that Elena FED Garro de Paz had told her story to Eunice Odio. (The Com- mittee has not been able to determine if Elena Garro told Ms. Odio the story personally or if Ms. Cobb related to Ms. Odio what Elena had. told her) : who relayed it to “Pich- horn! /Tichborn was Henry P. “Lopez cryptonym. Mr. Lopez was a witting asset who: wrote “propaganda: pieces>for~the CIA. After careful review of his CIA file, the HSCA has not been able to establish a link from Mr, Lopez to either Ms. Odio or Ms. Garro_/7 on 10/9/64. - [7110/12/64 memo, CIA #596; Wx7241, p. 87, CIA #7147 : The story is not as detailed as the 10/5/64 version. | There is no mention of Deba Garro Guerrero Galvan. The story, perhaps because it is third hand, differs from the previous story in two areas: The party was at the Cuban Embassy, not’ at Ruben Duran's; Elena talked to a Cuban THIS COPY IS Not FOR RELEASE. 10194 -/8/¢6
The day after the party, Elena and Deba saw the three Americans on the Insurgent a main avenue in Mexico city.) the Garros claimed that they had recognized Oswald's photograph when it was published after the assassination. (Ibid.) Sylvia Duran's arrest “underlined the Garros' certainty" that the ma had been Lee Harvey Oswald. (Ibid.) Deba added that Lynn and one of the Duran brothers had made trips to Texas. (Ibid.) She added that, even though the Duran brothers had always been poor before the assassination, they were both driving expensive new cars. (Ibid.) The source of the memo was a witting Central Intelli- gence Agency asset known by the cryptonym LICOOKIE I whom the Committee identified as June Cobb Sharp while receiv- ing LICOOKIE's file. According to Elena, Ms. Cobb was sent to her house shortly after the assassination for a few days, by a mutual friend, a Costa Rican writer Eunice Odio. (CIA No's 580-583; WX-7241, Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #719) Ms. Garro asserted that while at her house, Ms. . (Ibid.): Cobb expressed interest in the Kennedy assassination./ One night Elena's sister Deba, who was visiting, got drunk and told the whole story. (Ibid.) Claiming to be a CIA agent, Cobb suggested that Elena and Deba go to Texas to tell their story. (Ibid.) Elena stated that when Cobb's sugges~ tion was rejected, Cobb stated that she would arrange a meet -
a 7 ~-ing with the CIA Station Chief. (Winston Scott was the Mexico City Station Chief in 1964). The meeting did not occur because Ms. Cobb was asked to leave the Garro house evidently because she kicked Elena's cat. (CIA No's 580-583; Wx724l, Entry #427, p. 42, CIA #719). A notation on the memo says that L/l (Licookie I) never re- ‘gained contact with Elena Garro de Paz. (Wx7241, p. 94, Entry #430, CIA #721; Blind Memo dated 10/5/64, CIA #576). The LiCookie memo was not inserted in either the Elena Garro or Lee Harvey Oswald "p" (personality) files _ but in a local leftist and Cuban project file. The Com- mittee learned about the memo from Wx-7241, a chronologi- cal history of the Oswald case prepared by Anne Goodpasture for the CIA in 1976). The memo was found in December, 1965. (See Wx 7241, p. 94, CIA #721). Stanley Watson found the memo. A marginal notation on Wx724l says, "Why was this not sent to Headquarters?" (P. 87, CIA #714). The Committee has been able to determine that the memo was for- a Be BR mA we om ek mee Ph rn On a ok a a nn A Sen
3 oS s <4 - 7- Embassy official, not one of her cousins about the three Americans. Attached to the memo was a note from Flannery to the Chief of Station, Winston Scott, which read, "Do you want me to send the gist of this to Headquarters?" Scott then noted that the memo should be filed. The file indi- cations show that the memo went into the Oswald "P" file and the Elena Garro "p" file. (Ibid.) November 24, 1964 CIA Informant Report On November 24, 1964 a Central Intelligence Agency informant (The House Select Committee has been unable to determine the informant's identity) reported information (memo from Winston Scott to the files, re: June Cobb, 11/25/64, CIA Nos. 592-593; wx 7241, p. 88, Entry #404, CIA #715) he had learned from "“LICHANT/1. (While reviewing LICHANT I's file the Committee determined that the. __| .Elena claims that the day following John F. Kennedy's assassination, Calvillo escorted her and her daughter to the Vermont Hotel for protection; see also December 25, 1965 Thomas memo for more information on Manuel Calvillo.) The informant as- serted that June Cobb was an “American Communist" who rented a room from Elena Garro. (Memo from Winston Scott to the files, re June Cobb, 11/25/64, CIA Nos. 592-593, Wx 7241, p. 88, Entry #404,CIA No. 715) The informant also stated that Elena tried to talk to Robert Kennedy when Rate Rohl whee Neg
he was in Mexico because she had met Oswald “and two friends (Cubans)"at a party at Horacio Duran's house. (Ibid.) In addition, the informant claimed that Elena also told her story to an American official, at the Em- bassy, who claimed to represent the Warren Commission. (Ibid.) The Chief of Station noted that he had asked the informant to pursue the story (Ibid.) but there is no indication that LICHANT I ever complied with this re- quest. (HSCA Review of Classified CIA Documents.) November 24, 1964 Elena Meeting with Mexico Cit Legal a nr ena Meeting with Mexico City Legal Attache Officers Elena and her daughter also told their story to the Mexico City Legal Attache. (The Legal Attache in 1964 was Clark Anderson.) ‘They recounted the same story previously given to LICOOKIE I. The date of the party was given as September 30,:° October 1 or October 2, 1963. (FBI 105-825555 Report, Dec. 11, 1964 entitled Lee Harvey Oswald, p. 1) The agent who wrote the report ( ) noted that Lee Harvey Oswald could not have been identical with the american allegedly observed by Mrs. Paz at the party if this party were held on the even- ing of October 1 or October 2, 1963. (FBI 103-825555 Report, Dec. 11, 1964 entitled Lee Harvey Oswald, p. 1) FBI investigation of President Kennedy's assassination had established that Lee Harvey Oswald had departed Mexico
Te nem manana ate tnt nated ERP A PE ALTARS Cah ATS ae! SBE GER ‘City by bus at 8:30 a.m. on Octber 2, 1963 when Ms. w Re 43 u Paz stated that she saw Lee Harvey Oswald walking on ba ui m « Insurgentes. (Ibid. p.3) a Ge Elena was questioned regarding the identity of oe ome. ther persons attending the party at the Ruben Duran home Ou S) O « who might have been in a position to observe the three at ; ee Americans. Elena stated that in the course of the party of S a) a her daughter met a young man named "Alejandro" at the He was apparently quite smitten with the daughter and tried to call her on party and danced with him. (Ibid. p.3)/ The daughter did * not take the calls and as a result "Alejandro" wrote (Ibid., p. 3) several letters to the daughter./ Ms. Garro exhibited two of the letters, as well as a business card which i- dentified the young man as Ario Alejandro Lavagnini Stenius. (Ibid. p. 3) The letter which Ms. Garro said was the first writ- ten by the young man to her daughter bore the date Septem- ber 1, 1963 and the Mexico City Post Office postmark Septem- ber 2, 1963. When Ms. Garro was told this she commented that the Communists probably had facilities for falsifying postcards. (Ibid.) To investigate Ms. Garro's story further, the Federal Bureau interviewed Ario Alejandro Lavagnini Stenius on November 27, 1964. (Ibid. p.4) Lavagnini recalled that there were approximately thirty people at the Ruban Duran party, few of whom he knew. He recalled having met a Mexi-
- 10 - can girl who had recently returned from living in France. He was unable to fix the date of the party, but felt it was probably early in September because of a heavy rain which occurred as they were leaving the party about. 2:00 a.m. (Ibid. p. 4) Lavagnini noted no Americans present at this party. He was familiar with the appearance of Lee Harvey Oswald because of publicity following the assassination of Presi- dent Kennedy but otherwise had no knowledge of him and had never seen him except for news photographs following the assassination. (Ibid. p. 4) Levagnini was the only person interviewed by the FBI who attended parties at the Duran house in the September-October time frame. There is no indication on the document that this information was given to the Central Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station. Charles Thomas' First Meeting with Elena Garro Where Lee Harvey Oswald is Discussed On 12/10/65 Charles Thomas, a political officer at the American Embassy, wrote a memorandum about a conversa- tion with Elena Garro de Paz. (CIA #586-587, WX-7241 Entry No. 425, p. 91, CIA No. 718.) The meeting with Elena had been about other matters but she mentioned knowing Oswald. Thomas noted that she was reluctant to talk but did. (Ibid.) Elena's story reported here is the same, but with more details, as that given in the Licookie memo dated
- ll - 10/5/64. She said that General Jose Jesus Clark Flores @ friend of Rubin Duran'd,, Silvia Duran, Esuebio Azcue (Cuban Consul in Mexico City), Emilio Carballido (a pro- Communist writer-friend of the Durans), and a Latin Ameri- can Negro man with red hair (unidentified) were at the party. A marginal comment by this entry in WXx-7241 says, “How did Elena know about a red-haired Negro?" Elena also told Thomas that she had later learned that Silvia Duran had been “Oswald's mistress while he was there." (A note by this entry in WX-7241 says, "How did Elena Garro know about Silvia being the mistress of Oswald?? This is 1965.") The Mexico City Station did not hear about the Oswald-Duran “affair" until July 1967 poss when a CIA Asset Liring8 reported it. /After reviewing LIRING/3 /file at the CIA the House Select Committee on Assassina- tions has been unable to determine who LIRING/3 was asso- Ciated with that had knowledge about Sylvia Duran or Lee Harvey Oswald.7 Elena told Thomas that she and her daughter had gone to the Cuban Embassy on November 23, 1963.and shouted "Assassins" and other insults at the Embassy employees. (CIA #586-587, Wx7241, Entry No. 425, p. 91, CIA No. 718) That same day a friend, Manuel Calvillo, an official in the Gobernacion, took her and her daughter to'a small hotel in the center of Mexico City. (Ibid.) They were kept
3 -~12- there for eight days under the pretext that they were in danger. (Ibid.) Elena claimed to have told Calvillo. that she wanted to tell her story to the American Embassy. (Ibid.) Calvillo dissuaded her by telling her that the American Embassy was full of Communist spies. (Ibid.) Elena said that some of the other people who had been at the party were taken to Veracruz where they were "protected" by Governor Lopez Arias. /Ibid; The House Select Committee was unable to determine the veracity of Ms. Paz' allega- tion./ She said that Ruben Duran, reportedly "protected" by General Clark Flores, was very prosperous and was driving a big car. /EIA #586-587, Wx-7241, Entry No. 425, p. 91, CIA No. 7187 Elena also claimed that Ruben Duran told her months. after the assassination that he was not really a Communist and that killing Kennedy had been a mistake. (Ibid; the House Select Committee on Assassina- tions has not been able to determine whether Ruben actually spoke to Elena about the assassination. Ruben Duran claims he had no reason to./ Charles Thomas circulated a copy of the Charles Tho- mas memorandum in the American Embassy including the Cen- tral Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station. to aia them in their investigation of the John F. Kennedy assassina- tion. /The House Select Committee has determined that the Central Intelligence Agency received the copy of the Thomas
CURED. ony Fan a MA SN Batata a earn usta pe 2 - 13 - memorandum prior to December 25, 1965. See below./ The COS wrote a note on the memo: oO “What an imagina- tion she has!?! Should we send to Headquarters?" The Of- ficer replied, "Suggest sending. There have been stories around town about all this, and Thomas is not only person she has talked to...If memory serves me, didn't LICOOKIE refer to Oswald and the local leftists and Cubans in one of her squibs?" (CIA No. 588, note from SW to cos.) The Mexico City Station called the information in Thomas' 12/10/65 memorandum of conversations to CIA Head- quarters (Cable from Mexico City to the Director, Mexi 5621, date out off my copy; CIA Nos. 584-585) The cable reported that Elena's story would be checked with LICHANT/1, against the production from the Cuban Surveillance operation "and other sources." (Ibid.) Winston Scott wrote, next to the routing indications on the cable, “Please ask Charles Tho- mas if he'll 'follow up.' Get questions from Anne Cc. /"anne Goodpasture/ Please let's discuss. Thanks." (Ibid.) After the December 10 memorandum of conversations, Winston Scott (Chief/Station) and Nathan Ferris (Legal Charles Attache) called / Thomas for a meeting. They asked him to get a more detailed replay of Ms. Garro's story. At this meeting Winston Scott made it clear that the FBI had full responsibility for any further investigation in the Oswald case. (State Dept: letter from Charles Thomas
Ut eetanr ead uaietn eensahente reste bre tT 1g - mately two months after the assassination two "Communists" personally warned her never to reveal that she had been to a party with Oswald. (Ibid.) Deba, consequently, would not accompany Elena to the American Embassy to tell her story on November 24, 1964, (Ibid.) Elena said that a few days after the assassination Emilio Carballido took the Durans to Jalapa, Varacruz and "kept them out of the way until the initial shock of the assassination wore off." (Ibid.) The House Select Committee has been unable to confirm Ms. Garro's allegation." Elena also alleged that shortly after the assassina- tion an American named June Cobb Spent several days in her house. (Ibid.) She said that Ms. Cobb had been sent to Elena by a mutual friend, Eunice Odio. (Ibid.) Elena Claims that while Ms. Cobb was at her house she expressed an interest in the Kennedy assassination. (Ibid.) Deba, visiting Elena one night, got drunk and told Ms. Cobb the entire story. (Ibid.) Ms. Cobb wanted them to go to the American authorities. (Tbid.) Claiming to be a CIa agent, Cobb suggested that Elena and Deba go to Texas to tell their Story. (Ibid.) When her suggestion was rejected, Cobb Said that she would arrange a meeting with the CIA Station Chief. The meeting did not occur because Ms. Cobb was asked to leave the Garro house; evidently because she kicked Elena's cat. (Ibid.) The House Select Committee on
11 tre mine ES DEAN SALAS - ]9 — Assassinations has determined that June Cobb Sharp was a CIA asset in 1964. (Supra p. 3) Elena claimed that Ruben Duran visited her circa the end of January 1964. (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx 7241, Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #719) He was worried that Oswald's visit to his home might be discovered.and that he might lose his Mexican citizenship. (Ibid.) Ruben told Elena that it had been Silvia who had gotten him involved with Oswald. (Ibid.) Ruben added that he was not really a Communist and had opposed the assassination. (Ibid.) (Ruben Duran denied the story. HSCA Interview of Ruben Duran, - , p. , JFK Doc. # ) Elena said that she had told her story to Noe Palomares of the Gobernacion about six months after the assassina- tion. (Ibid.) He advised against going to the American Embassy and told her that if she did anything at all she should merely write an anonymous letter. (Ibid.) The Committee spoke to Mr. Palomares who denied Ms. Garro's Claim. (HSCA interview of Noe Palomares, JFK Doc. ): Elena stated that it was "common knowledge" that Silvia had been Oswald's mistress. (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx7241, Entry #427, Pp. 92 CIA #719) When asked who could verify the allegation She could only remember one person who had told her this. (Ibid.) Elena claimed that person was Victor Rico Galan, a “pro-Castro journalist." (Ibid.) /Victor Rico Galan is dead. The Committee could not verify
~ 20 - Ms. Garro's allegation. Sylvia Duran denied the allega- tion. Nonetheless, LIRING 3, a CIA asset reported the same story in 1967.7 During these conversations Elena also said that she "understood" that Oswald had been in Mexico more than once. (Ibid.) /The HSCA-has been unable to determine the exact date. A Subsequent to December 25, 1965,/Thomas wrote in the December 25, 1965 memo that Elena had found her calendar and had reconstructed the date of the party as late September and not early September. /CIA Nos. 580- 383, Wx-7241, Entry #427, p. 42, CIA #7197 When Thomas went to Ferris' office and informed him, Ferris replied that Elena had given the late September date when she had originally reported her story at the American Embassy. (FBI Report, 9/30/69, pp.3-4, JFK Doc. No. ) However, Mr. Ferris explained to Thomas that someone who had been at the party had stated that there were no Americans there. (Ibid.) Mr. Ferris did not tell Mr. Thomas that Ario Alejandro Lavagnini Stenius Ferris had provided this in- formation in 1964, (Supra p. ) Mr. Ferris Suggested that it was not necessary for Thomas to pursue the matter since he considered the Oswald case closed and had heard all the rumors before. /FBI Report, 9/30/69, pp. 3-4, JFK Doc. No. 7 The State Department forwarded (the same day) a copy of the Charles Thomas memorandum to the Central Intelligence
- 22 - scott Superimposed . - @ note to Anne Goodpasture on this memo which read, "Can we send in a report to Headquarters ‘dismissing’ Our cable?" Goodpasture re- Sponded, "Done." (Memo to the Ambassador from the Legal Attache, 12/27/65, CIA #578, WX-7241 Entry #429, p. 94, CIA #721) The cable Winston Scott wanted dismissed was Mexi 5621 (Supra. p. ) On December 29, 1965 A cable written by Anne Goodpasture/reporting the Legat interview with Elena and the Legat office's failure to substantiate Elena's story was sent to Headquarters. (Memo from Mexico City to the Director, 12/29/65, Mexi 5741, CIA #575; Wx-7241 Entry #430, p. 94, CIA #721). ‘The cable promised to keep Headquarters advised if any further information were to develop. (Ibid.) LICOOKIE's 10/5/64 memo is attached to this cable. WX-7241 explained this ina marginal comment, "This docu- ment by LICOOKIE was not in (Oswald's file), but was copied from (a project file) and attached to Mexi 5741, 29 Dec 65." (Ibid.) A note superimposed to this cable by Allen White Stated, "I don't know what FBI did in November 1964, but the Garros have been talking about this for a long time ‘and she is said to be extremely pright." Anne Goodpasture wrote that the FBI had found Elena's allegations unsubstan- tiated but that "we will try to confirm or refute Ms. Garro de Paz's information and follow up." Win Scott wrote,
- 23 - "She is also "nuts.'" (Ibid. CIA #574) CIA Investigation of Elena's Allegation that She Created A Disturbance at the Cuban Embassy on November 23, 1963 On February 3, 1966 Anne Goodpasture forwarded Thomas' December 25, 1965 memo to the Cuban section with an attached note asking them to check whether Elena was "seen creating such a disturbance as they claimed in front of the Cuban Embassy." (Note from Anne Goodpasture to. "Cubans," 2/3/66, CIA No. 579; WX-7241, Entry 428, p. 94, CIA #721.) One Cuban section officer responded, "No bells ring with me." Another one wrote "Me neither." The third of- ficer wrote, "No pictures either." (Ibid.) /There is no indication that the penetration agents in the Cuban Embassy were queried about Elena's allegation. Ibid., that there are no pictures is reasonable since Elena claimed that the event happened: 1) ona Saturday at 3:00 p.m. when the Cuban Embassy was not normally photographically sur- veilled; and 2) the "disturbance" occurred inside the Cuban compound. HSCA Examination of the CIA Cuban Embassy photo- graphic surveillance showed no surveillance on 11/23/63. (Classified Summary of Staff Review of CIA Documents, un- dated, p. 3, CIA. #763.)7
~ 24 - Legal Attache 2/23/66 Memo to the United States Ambassador Regarding Elena Garro's Allegations RE ee gations On 2/23/66 the Legal Attache wrote a memo to the Ambassador reporting that "extensive investigation" failed to disclose that Oswald had traveled to Mexico prior to September 26, 1963 ahd that no information had developed that would show that he had not been in New Or- leans in the early part of that month. /Memo from Legat to Ambassador, 2/23/66, CIA #571; WX-7241 Entry #455, p. 95, CIA #7227 ‘The memo reitereated that no further action was being taken by the FBI because Elena's allegations had not been Substantiated. (Ibid.) The Legal Attache fowarded a copy to the Central Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station. (The House Select Committee on Assassinations has been unable to determine when the copy was forwarded to | the CIA.) A marginal comment made by Anne Goodpasture next to this entry in WX-7241 says, "How can it be ascertained that Oswald did not travel to Mexico prior to early September 1963? There must be some basis for Elena's reporting." (Tbid; referenced to Thomas' 12/25/65 memo.) Charles Thomas 7/13/66 Memorandum of Conversation re Elena Garro On 7/13/66 Charles Thomas wrote a memorandum of con- versation reporting that Elena had told him that she had received an invitiation to visit Cuba from Ambassador Juoquin Hernandez Armas. (Memorandum of Conversation by
Charles Thomas, 7/13/66, CIA #565; .WX-7241, Entry 460, P- 96, CIA #723) Elena gave Thomas two letters to sup- port her claim. (Ibid.) She said the ltters had been delivered to her home by a driver from the Cuban Embassy. (Ibid.) The envelope gave her address as Vermont 38. (Ibid.) Because of her stay at the Hotel Vermont she saw the letters as a threat and was frightened. (Ibid.) (The HSCA has determined that the Cuban Government invited Elena Garro to visit Cuba due to her literary talents; See Biography.) Legal Attache Memo to Winston Scott re Elena's Allegation megan aeeache Memo to Winston Scott re Elena's Allegation that She Had Stayed at the Hotel Vermont from the Day After the Assassination until November 30, 1963 On 10/13/66 the Legal Attache wrote a memo to the CIA/COS reporting that a reliable confidential informant had reported that the records of the Hotel Vermont dis- closed that "Elena Paz, housewife from San Luis Potosi" had registered at the Hotel Vermont on November 23, 1963. She left on November 30, 1963. (Memo from Legat to Winston Scott, 10/13/66, CIA No. 564; WX-7241, Entry #466, p. 98, CIA #725; Thomas' 7/13/66 memo.) (The House Select Committee on Assassinations has been unable to determine why the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of In- vestigations waited until 1966 to investigate this aspect of Elena's story.) The Memo said that “the above individual May Or May not be identical with Elena Garro de Paz." (Ibid.)
~ 26 - Charles Thomas! 12/25/65 memo States, "She (Elena) and her daughter did not personally register at the hotel. She thinks Calvillo registered them as relatives or friends of his from San Luis Postosi." (Memo of Conversation by Charles Thomas, 12/25/65, p. 3, CIA #582) The entry for the 10/13/66 Legat memo in WxX-7241 bore the notation, “This is what Elena claimed and no one would believe her." (WX-7241, Entry #466, p. 98, CTIA #725) Charles Thomas! September 30, 1969 Letter to State Depart- nt aoe etter to State Depart ment and Legal Attaches Response No further report on Elena's story was generated until 1969 when Charles Thomas was "selected out." ("Se- lected out" is a phrase used when an officer is retired after having been in one grade for the maximum period of time and is not considered qualified for promotion to a higher grade). Then, he wrote a memorandum to the Secre- tary of State which included a cover letter stating, "Since I was the Embassy Officer in Mexico who acquired this intelligence information, I feel a responsibility for seeing it through to its final evaluation." (State Department: Letter from Charles Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary of State, July 25, 1969) | Charles Thomas' memorandum stated that “he got no reaction from Nathan Ferris and Winston Scott" regarding
~ 27 - his memorandum of December 25, 1965. (State Department: Letter from Charles Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary of State, July 25, 1969) In addition, Thomas wrote that the only person to speak to him about the December 25, 1965 memorandum, Clarence Bomstra (Deputy Chief of Mis- Sion, State Department, Chief of Affairsat the time of President Kennedy's assassination and subsequent Oswald investigation) told him that Oswald had not been in Mexico on the date given for the party.) (grate Department: Letter from Charles Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary of State, July 25, 1964) Thomas noted that even when he reiterated that Elena had not changed her Story but rather that she had now given a more accurate account, Boonstra stated that the date was wrong and dismissed the entire affair. (Ibid.) One of /the Mexico City Legat officers, Nathan Ferris, in reply to Thomas' letter and memorandum, asserted that Thomas' office had been advised by memoranda dated Decem- ber 27, 1965 and February 23, 1966 that since Elena Garro's allegations had previously been investigated without sub- stantiation, no further action was being taken concerning her recent repetition of those allegations. (FBI Report, 9/30/69, pp. 3-4, JFK Doc. No. ) In their report, the Legat's Office concluded that either the Counselor for Poli- tical Affairs did not route the memoranda to Charles Thomas Or that Thomas did not recall receiving them. (Ibid.) eee eee ee oe ON EN bE OC TN a Sel eee oa at
Ter Newman Am EEN a Sta wd Tame: Sle Ee TOL, See OS - 30 - hidden who had/Elena Garro and her daughter in a hotel the day following the assassination. (Supra, P- 13) He also told Elena that Sylvia Duran had been ar- rested before this fact had become public knowledge. (Tbid.) Since a file review was inconclusive, the Committee decided to arrange interviews in Mexico with Sylvia Duran, Elena Garro, Elenita Garro, Horacio Duran, Ruben Duran, Lynn Duran, Emilio Carbillido and Betty Serratos. The Mexican Government informed the House Select Committee on Assassinations that Elena and Elenita Garro disappeared. in 1968 during the student uprisings and have never re- turned to Mexico. The officials stated that Elena and her daughter might be in Spain. (See Mexico City Proce- dural Write-up Trip 1.) The Mexican government reported that Emilio Garballido could not be found. (Ibid.) The others were interviewed between June 1] and June 6, 1978. | (Ibid.) | Betty Serratos, Lydia Duran, Ruben Duran, and Horatio Duran all stated that Elena was not the dancing type and therefore did not attend any of the twist parties at the Duran homes. (See: HSCA Interview of Betty Serratos, 6/6/78, p. 6, JFK Document No. + HSCA Staff Interview of Lydia Duran, 6/5/78, p. 6, JFK Document No. ? HSCA Staff Interview of Ruben Duran Navarro, 6/6/78, p. 16, JFK Document No. ; HSCA Staff Interview of Horatio Duran Navarro, 6/5/78, P- 25, JFK Document No. ). When
To Tiree mati ate EB weal al hte, \ ~ 31 - Sylvia Duran was asked if Elena or Elenita Garro ever attended twist parties at the Duran homes, she recalled Elena attending one twist party at Ruben's home in 1963 when the Garros returned to Mexico from France. (HSCA Staff Interview of Sylvia Tirado Bazan, 6/6/70, p. 90, JFK, Document No. ) All the Durans denied that Lee Harvey Oswald had attended any Party at one of their homes. (String cites.) The Committee next asked the Central Intelligence Agency to arrange staff interviews with LICHANT/1 (Manuel Calvillo), LICOOKIE/1 (June Cobb); along with a list of other assets who may have had information related to Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to Mexico City. ( The Central Intelligence Agency declined to aid the Com- mittee in this aspect of the investigation. The Committee returned to Mexico City and attempted to locate June Cobb Sharp and Manuel Calvillo. (See Proce- dural Write-up Trip 2 Mexico City) | The results of the Com- mittee's work were as follows: 1) The Mexican government told the Committee that June Cobb Sharp received a tourist permit, number 72781, on June 27, 1947 when she entered Mexico through Nuevo Laredo. She asked, but was denied, permission to represent the magazine, Modern Mexico. On June 21, 1948, she received a courtesy permit, number 25556. Furthermore, the Mexican government explained that she dis-
ete veto ntcnt ee a alien aly sna nN AES Te rey - 32 - appeared in 1954 and never returned to Mexico. (See Pro- cedural Writeup Trip 2 Mexico City.) The Committee believes that there is a possibility that this information is incor- rect. According to Ms. Cobb's CIA file she worked for the agency aS an asset in Mexico from 1961 through 1966. (cIA Report, 1965, June Cobb file, 201- ) Elena also stated that Ms. Cobb resided at her home in 1964. (Supra p. ) 2) The Mexican government told the Committee that Manuel Calvillo did not live at Cuohtemoc 877-5 as the Committee had stated. Their agent-in-charge had spoken to the superintendant at the apartments for the past twenty~five years who said that no Manuel Calvillo had ever resided there. When Committee staffers gave the Mexi- can government Calvillo's pen name, the Mexicans gave the same answers. (See Procedural Write Mexico City Trip 2.) The Committee is quite certain that Mr. Calvillo lives at this address since it acquired the address from a recent CIA document. (CIA Report, 1976, Manuel Calvillo file, 201- ) The Committee believes that there is a possibility that the Mexican government received orders from the Cen- tral Intelligence Agency to refrain from aiding the Committee with this aspect of its work. (See Procedural Write-up Trip 2 Mexico City.)
- 33 - The Committee made every attempt possible to locate Elena. On July 7, 1978 a Committee staffer telephoned , her publisher Mortiz in Mexico City and asked about her whereabouts. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 7/7/78, JFK Document No. 10016) The publisher stated that Ms. Garro was living in the Hotel S.A.C.E. in Madrid, Spain. (Ibid.) The Committee staffer telephoned the Hotel in Spain and spoke to the manager who told him that Ms. Garro had moved out. (Ibid.) (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 7/7/78, JFK Do- cument No. ) On July 14, 1978 a Committee staffer called her publisher again and was told to contact the Mexican Embassy in Madrid, Spain. S The publisher stated eee ree ene ey — that all Elena's check were-Sént there because she did . ( not even trust her publisher with her address. (Ibid.) ; N asca Staff Contact Report, 7/14/78, JFK Document No. 9950) The Committee staffer called the Mexican Embassy in Madrid, Spain and spoke to Adolfo Padilla, an employee who stated that when Elena visited the Embassy a couple of weeks before to pick up a check she looked financially poor. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 8/31/78, IFK Document No. ) He stated that when he asked Elena her new ad- dress she declined to give one, stating that she would return every few weeks to pick up checks and mail. (Ibid.) The staffer left the Committee's number and a message asking Elena to telephone the Committee collect. (Ibid.)
2 4 4 - 34 ~ On .September 5, 1978, Elena Garro called the Committee staffer, When the Staffer explained that the Committee wished to talk to her in person and would pay both her daughter's and her travel from Spain, Ms. Garro asked why she Should believe the staffer was who he Claimed. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/5/78, JFK Document No. ) The staffer asked Ms. Garro to call back when and where she could receive a Committee letter deli-~ neating why the Committee wished to interview her. (Ibid.) The Committee wrote the letter and made arrangements with _the State Department for a letter to be hand-delivered to Elena at the American Embassy in Spain. (See attached letter: also, HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/5/78, IFK Docu- ment No. ) On September 7, 1978, Elena Garro called the Committee Staffer and asked when the letter would arrive. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/7/78, JEK Document No. ) The Com- on Monday, September 11, 1978 from George Phelan, the Counsellor for Consular Affairs at the American Embassy. (Ibid.) Ms. Garro Stated that she would get the letter On September 11, 1978 and follow our Suggestions. (Ibid.) Ms. Garro never went to the American Embassy in Spain to get the Committee's letter. (HSCA Staff Contact
- 35 - Report, 9/15/78, JFK Document No. ) The Committee, hoping she would receive the letter before her flight date, proceeded to purchase tickets for both Elena and her daughter. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/12/78, JFK Document No. ) Elena never got the tickets at the airport. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/15/78, JFK Document No. ) The Committee never regained con- tact with her. ‘The Committee also investigated whether Thomas ' “selection out" was related to the Oswala case. After interviewing his widow, Ms. Cynthia Thomas, the Committee has concluded that his dismissal was unrelated. (HSCA Staff interview of Cynthia Thomas, , Pp. , JFK Document No. )