(404-10243-10087 a Nea STROM Tere ecw 4 ys gee are # MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence FROM : John H. Waller Inspector General SUBJECT : Washington Star Story, 1 October 1574 1. This is for your information only. 2, On 1 October 1976 the Washi:uton Star publisled a news - story with an Associated Press crecit line, headlined CLA Viewed Oswald As Information Source (copy attached), The lead stated: Contrary to sworn testimony, the CIA once con- sidered using presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald as a source of intelligence information about the Sovict Union, according to a newly . released CIA document. In sworn testimony before the Warren Commission, former CIA Director Richard Helms said the Agency never had "or even coaternplated"' any ° “ contacts with Oswald. , @. o. The news story, in another section, made the following ‘ oer" . Cl statements The November 25, 1963, memo explained that the Agency's interest in Oswald as a potential intelligence source was duc to his “unusual behavior in the USSR," to which he had defected im 1959. tee SRP ate teen GF TPT TOT OR RNB Sas HHS SOME mane oH MOR TR Rem wm ee ee me ee
14-00000 . 3. There was such a memorandum, weitten by a case ‘ >) officer then stationed in Pat’ :, recently released wider FOIA, Writing three days after Pre: dent Kounedy's assassination, this case officer recalled that there Lad been interest in Oswald, - As soon as I had heard Oswald's name, I recalled that as Chief of the 6 Branch I had dis«ussed -- sometime in the summer of 1940 -- with the tren Chief and Deputy Caief of ine § Reseacch Se -ion the laying on of interview (s) througe :MUTULEP or other snitable channels... I remember that Oswald's unusual behavior in the USSR had struck me from the moment I had rend the first ODACID. dispatch on him, and I told my subordinates something amcunting to "Don't push too hard to get the informiaticn we need, because this individual look: odd," s « « « Ido not know whet action developed there- after @ 6 8 6 4 The Helms testimony before the Warren Cornmission on this subject was as follows: . .. Mr. Helms. On Mr. McCone's behalf, I had all 2 "our records searched to see if there had been any contacts at any time prior to President Kennedy's assassination by anyone in the Centril Intelligence Agency with Lee Harvey Oswald. We checked our card files and our personal files and all our records, Now this check turned out to be negative. In addition I got in touch with those officers who were in’ positions of responsibility at the times in question to see if anybody had any recollection of any contact having even been suggested with this man. This also turned out to be negative, so there is nO material in the Central Intelligence Agency, either in the records or in the mind of any of the individuals, that there was any contact had or even contemplated with him. «er neve aan win canner erie eR mtne Het SRO EY am f \ Sav eceramm eH 8 ORC mat weet meen ee me ke we eg 7 = mee: br eaten: Say eee PReeitte a ear ermine OS oak A oy wate ad yt ae vem ae . Tm pe ee mi
14-00000 smecace om © pleat foo. eth SnD SE ts co otro eaorenentnenebeNeenatAti et as A0 ines a cnt otal outa ete onare saeemars ewe memes tm sme cry cat mae ee met OO On * L RTS Cee wee TNO OTE SATA APSE ae Came ba ‘f nae eee daeban de C6 ms weer oe rg 5. Mr. Helms did state exactly the words quoted in the © news story -- "or even contemplated.'* But the context of those words was what was reported to him as the result of a search of records and memories. To this day those familiar with the extensive Oswald records state that there is no reflection in those records that anyone even undertook to propose or approve a contact with Oswald. It would have been natural to do so, but apparently any such thoughts did not progress to formal action, From the memorandum quoted, if is apparent that someone at Branch level tid think _ , about it, even if uothing ever came of it. This hardly con- stitutes a responsible or official or serious ‘contemplation’ ofthe idea. Mr. Helms! full staternent on this point seems literally correct in the full context of his statement, although more refined qualifications might have reiterated tite basis for his concl:sions. The news story is misleading on this point. 6. The news story statement that Oswald was considered due to his “unusual behavior in the USSR," is exactly the opposite of the statements of the quoted memorandum, which reported the care that should be used if Cswald ware approached, because of his strange conduct. 7. The statement in the news story about Mr. Dulles consulting with Agency personnel on how to answer questioas is basically true. The interpretation to be placed oa this counselling will depend on the interpreter. The infercace of the news story is that Mr. Dulles was counselling slanted responses on the Oswald issue, thereby tending to reinforce the interpretation of deception attributed to Mr. Helms. @ “ - oy 7 a LC Lit DLL ea “John | n. Waller ¢ Attachment: As Stated ec: DDCI w/atts OG:Soarecktiaricce:js (2 1407} & Gsterer 1375 Sistrinutica: Gria watts - jutressae’ wfatts - OCI wfatts « Ef ufatts - IS Chrono -~3- mfatts - S23 aren — : ofa erty wfetts @- GF od gad pd md wad eembenst coo od @ basace " nt che date otis VE wraratcnets AEM arate saatnn ame OSS Tait ke ea se ee eter samara eT cred ‘eotip Mirewen ies newenseene + resmnene we ner ae ot
14-00000 * YRTICLIS APPEMED ON PAGE Pe ( : Hocumen: C atrasiicis Yoashimony ° 3 230 Bdauada on Tacsicts River reresees) srr | ie & ga\'s i 4 weomtg ert Led Steet we oo. : se apts pa ee ae 3 * "6 + Asanet ate} Prres Par har Ped Contr2 2ry to. sworn Lestimony, the “CIA onze ¢ toasiteted using president. Hal aspzssia Lee Harvey Oswald agai souree of ‘iatellizence. informatica. about the Soviet Union, according to. anevly reteased ClAdocument.... wd in sworn iostimeny beiore - the’: Warrta - Commission. 2 formera.Civs Director “Richard, Helms said thac| uence eaten had.“or evan cantem-_ plated” any miacts with Oswald. The sel released cocument, writtea by an unidentified CIA officer ‘thease days after President Jona F. Kenasiy was silied in Dallas on Nev. 2%, 2933, says that‘we showed intel! - “Hgeace ites astrin a Oswald a hiss = ‘ gussed =. 2th views.” i. The anideatified ¢ olficee 2 **f donot know what actan Souctaned ‘thersatien, 80 oP Ay Oe my get TF ee oe BL, re or ee ee - 1 ee teats aap “ten 9 ol a, we Oe Joe THE MEWOLWAS AgIOS 8G hea; : -desds of pases: ef. cocuments fror Le tha CIA's eon “Lee Harvey Osveaid. - 1 Ghe mtseial qas rclessed to Tre. | “Associsted Press “yesterday - ua ser i “the Freezom of Injormation Act’ -- a ip: A. second document -reveals © Stormer CiA. Dizector Allen Bullen .fwhile serving as.a member_o! the Warrea Commission, private Ly. COL seled CLA olicials on the best way | to answer cuestions-from the coramis- b\sios abort aliegations that Oswald Sheeasa CIA azeainn nee rete Taree ote, ae Duites showoht foneusgs| whieh | 1 nade it clear that Lee Harvey Gs~ j wald was never an exploye or azet | of Cla would sufiice,” an unitenti | fied CIA ofiicer wrote Heleas in Apzil 1554. - oe ae aeM wif os 1" seoee with Ried that a carefully - phrased coaksel ef the charges ef in- VOL422.32R8 wits Oswald seemed rst approsciase,” the! unidentified sastsae, nei. “8 deg VEU Rae tere oP he “ar atheros ES EE TT = ceiaaild «cause OF eentera th th atchis- Russ Wf Mhen he appesre 2d balers the com missioa ja hlay- 1934, Helm ms, then ‘head of. the agency's. cls ndestine services, testdied .uador’ cath thaty -“there’s no imitecial in the Central t _iatellizeace “Agency, either ia the -Fecores 2 ia the mind of say of the individuats that there.was aay can- “tase had or even coratempia fed with”? Oowald, ” folate t { Tsiz NOV. 35, 1983, memo explains that the ; aneney" $ interest in Oswatl a3 a potcniial Intellizence source was Guz to his “unusual bekavive in the “USSR,” * “fo which he had detected ia * : "are. ‘a3 We We were ‘particularly interested “ia the (eleted) Oswald mizhi pro-- - vide on the Minsk factor? ia which he ‘had beea 1 empluye a, On certsia ste. (fons of the eny itself, and of course tte thou she the usual {deleted) that rrighkt hsis de evelop (celzied) parsaa- : ality Gossiers,” the memo states. . i; Ene memo indicates. that Oswaid. “was also of interest to the. CLA. ben. fags Perens rad otras 22s “bora’ wils, Marina, riz ght have been -part ef a tread for Soviat women to ‘marry foreigners, Je eave the c g2ster “and sctile overseas where they cout 'd Serve ns pSpies. - sed bt 2 as * Tie MENO AB éur the “agency's S inter resi ‘ial Oswald said the ciscus- sions aout Oswaid occurred-“some- time in summer. 1923." Tne authors continues: "i coa’t recall if this was! discussed while Oswald and his fami-t ly were on conte to our country or if it, was after theirarrival’ 74 ~e Fe PO ee 8 eG tommy oe wots sagr °. a: aoenerer] ‘3
14-00000 e e ‘ ® a ° e . j ‘ a it . Ad : . Re she, Ceorree USE ond (F / zL | : a) ry eee ace Pun we enety pes | : one oO 0 Oo. oO ] ft) BS ea: oes | J SRE T . . . : avrre ees Tiree ern) 1 GD KIS BOte-Tu0ae & morse ave OhF BRAT HEPY CHR omen DG @ . . . £ ‘STAFF C200ub2 DIRECTOR Aeces? ; 4 : DO nces oisssn ay: AS 5 , CONF: Ce SN 3 into: FRE De, dfow. Cdo3 es lar. O ner : . wry ate PER ‘ hey ppo/6e ef AEG 2 DB crussro ; 0 om EE & i TO: oh a t . . . UNINTEL RYBAT _ ™ t L- AP UIRE STORY IN BASHINGT O71 STAR ON FOIA RELEASE OF GSUALD'S | MATERTAL MAKES FOL OUING STATENENT, UHTCH YOU SHOULD BE AUARE To 7 Wy 0° re er pn reigns erecting 9th nr ee tee ee - Spee cE pee ad nies eepaaeetieinen. | ‘aQure: IN SUORN TESTIMONY BEFORE THE WARREN COMMISSION, - RICHASY HELNS. THEN A BRANCH CHIEF AND LATER CIA'S DIRECTOR» SAID THE AGENCY NEVER HAD OR EVEN CONTEMPLATED ANY CONTACTS. OB ae * i, BETH OSUALD... NEWLY RELEASED DOCUMENT. SAYS. bE SHO: kED Inte a, TELLIGENCE: INTEREST IN OSUALD AND DISCUSSES... THE LAYENG on a * é . oF Th e Cc o . : - - - ° 8 \TERVIEUS! END QUOTE farerine on 8 “ABOVE MISCONSTRUED FROM SANTTIZED a RELEASED ut ube Fe O5As at ERITTEN BY FoR HER OFFICER BHO WAS INTERESTED Til POSSISLE USEFUL . aie . la FORMAT TON, OSWALD MIGHT HAVE IN CONTEXT OF SOVIET RE: ALETTES.. cad ° ‘ ' Se ene oe eee é | RESPONSE TO DCI. CALL TO ALL HANDS TO RECORD UHATEVER THEY, wiouenT : HIGHT BE RELEVANT TO BARREN COmMISSs ON INTERESTS. OFF FECER BR O7E ‘TAS VIEHO *. AIEHO tical .T HE & =22 DOES RECORD BaAnCH LEVEL DISCUSSION ‘BUT “STATES THAT cy “ele I : i : - . | URITER © DOES ¢ NOT “KNOU WHAT ACTION 'UAS TASEN E-2s INPSET «2 ror ee ; j aras ; -- “ - 7 Boot, : ; ! 3 oct 7h . . . rom PANT <= THEODORT” Ge SUS ce sy, AQDD ; AE Tins wetela i ae : ‘ eQurematres ORO eet | SrA encamon _ REPRODUCTION SY OTHER THAN THE ISSUING orrite ls PROHIIVES. H . t + te re