Date:09/07/94 Page:1 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY : SSCIA Peleased under the John RECORD NUMBER : 157-10004-10289 - Kennedy WSsassination Records RECORDS SERIES : Ollection Act of 1992 MEMORANDUM (44 USC 2107 Note). ase#: NW 53244 Date: AGENCY FILE NUMBER : oo ORIGINATOR : ROCK FROM : TO: TITLE : PHOTO OF UNIDENTIFIED INDIVIDUAL IN THE WARREN COMMISSION REPORT DATE : 05/02/75 PAGES : 40 SUBJECTS : em UNIDENTIFIED PHOTO IN WARREN COMMISSION REPORT Sm CHRONOLOGY OF OSWALD IN MEXICO CITY MEXICO CITY OSWALD, LEE HARVEY ROCKEFELLER COMMISSION MEMORANDUM DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION : U RESTRICTIONS : 1A, 1B, DONOR REST., REFERRED CURRENT STATUS : X DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 09/07/94 OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : [R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED HW 532744 DBocld:32202178 Page 1
iw 5a244 sensitive intelligence operation being conducted in October 1963 by the Soviet and Cuban Embassies: in Mexico City. 3. Under the extraordinary press of effort to develop inf ormati on on the assassin and the assass#nation, copies of the photograph were v- made available by CIA's Mexico Station Chief on the afternoon of | 22 November to the local FBI representative, and later that day, a. . assertedly on the decision of the Ambassador, copies were conveyed by an FBI representative by a special flight carried out by the U.S. Naval Attache to the Dallas office of the FBI for possible use in the ongoing investigation. One photograph, cropped by the FBI, was shown to Mrs. Marguerite OSWALD (Lee Harvey OSWALD's mother ) in Dallas on the evening of 23 November 1963 by FBI Agent Bardwell D. ODUM . ° 4, The Warren Commission's report describes the sequence of events at pp. 364- 365 and 667 (Attachment B) which ultimately resulted in | Mrs. Marguerite OSWALD's allegation that she had been shown a cropped photo of Jack RUBY the day before he murdered her son. (A further - complication compounding this erroneous conclusion was the fact that 2. when she had been shown a copy of the same photograph in her appearance before the Commission, it had been cropped by the PEI in Washington in a slightly different manner. ) 5. No detail in the Warren Commission report illustrates more vividly than this one the difficulties that beset simple truth in the -- DoclIda: 32207173 Page 2?
1963 to about 8:30 a.m. 2 October 1963. His place of residence was a small commercial traveler hotel, not frequented by "gringos"--the Hotel Commercio--where he was registered under alias. Exhaustive and detailed interviews and interrogation by the Mexican authorities and the FBI, after the assassination, established that in the recollection of all hotel personnel. he left éarly, and returned late each day of his stay. 8. Assuming, and ellowing for the fact of late arrival and early departure, that he slept one-third of the time of his stay (38 or 39 | hours), there remain some 78 heurs of activity to be accounted for. Overall, CIA's information can account solely for very brief periods | "during 27; 28 September and ] October. All coverage by CIA during the CO entire period was technical: The Station had no live source (living ~ >. BS Bee eee Ea ly OER URI rey por. tromaMexitiean’ tags ong} 9. - It should be noted that OSWALD was in no sense “under investi- gation." None of the facts of his defection and stay in the USSR and return to the U.S., 1959 - 1962, were known to Mexico Station files before 10 October 1963, when the bare bones of his biography were forwarded by Headquarters in pespense to.a Station cabled report of ~ 8 October which had forwarded, on a routine basis, what appeared to be a contact by an American for a visa to Cuba in transit to the USSR. This was indicated and deduced from technically acquired information on 1 October, which was the first and only occasion in which OSWALD identified himself (partially) by true name. _ a . HW 53244 Bocld:32202178 Page 3
10. At no time during his stay in Mexico City did the CIA acquire j } Prats Meer eS ‘ a photo of OSWALD. A careful review of all coverage, (¥oredFintercenty |} ees [kos iae ia eS :as well-as photographic, een, . eel FA 2 ;0f both the Soviet and Cuban Embassies was conducted by the Station on 22 and 23 November 1963 after the as sass ina- tion, going back to materials From August 1963. It is, therefore, Firm that there was no CIA photo Coverage of OSWALD at any time during his Mexico trip or stay in Mexico city. Moreover, although it had made a cabled request on 15 October, the Mexico Station had no phote of OSWALD in its records, nor did it receive one from Headquarters--which did not have one either--before 22 November 1963. ‘11. Lapis Fhis intensive review of vOtecmmneincepey Srynges hier. transcripts itoring) other personnel on the basis of the ¥ October ieee See which had been reported to Headquarters and disseminated to the interested members of the intelligence community (as an ex-Marine OSWALD was a Navy and FBI case under the Delimitations Agreement, and potentially of interest to. the Department of State)--turned up matches based -on er content with materials fife aeepeeation 27 and 28 September 1963. These matches were reported to Headquarters on 23 November 1963. Analysis memorably poor Russian spoke by OSWALD) could not be made because the tapes, in accordance with the normal practice, had been erased and re-used. HW 53244 DBocld:322027176 Page 4
» 12 It must be stressed that thefWogees Ue chaee ea dephotographic coverage was not (and normaliy is not) processed in "real time." The means of* acquisition and the volume of the information precludes anything but the spot reporting of items judged by thesmoniton to be of more than ordinary interest and, therefore, noted in summary logs. Full texts of selected items require consultation of the tape and either a full tran- scription or full translation or both. Photo coverage tends to becone available in quantity pots which requires scanning and selection on a rapid and accelerated basis in.four or five day "peaks." One of the "triggers". that normally operates to focus and accelerate more speedy i: — review and reporting of this kind of raw intelligence is the mention of a name. This was precisely what occurred in the second of two conversa- tions on 1 October with. the Soviet Embassy , during which the. speaker said he was "Lee OSWALD." It was this information reported by the Station to Headquarters in its first indication on OSWALD on 8 October 1963. _ 13. The Mexico Station did one more thing in its 8 October report . on Lee OSWALD based on its 1 October eiecmintenceneses it coupled the data with descriptive information.it had acquired from a sensitive collateral source--a photograph of a male individual, apparently an? . American, who was observed entering the Soviet Embassy on } October. - The Station reported this detail on the 8th as a matter of coincident fact. The Station did not assert or suggest that the data deduced fron the photo was in fact OSWALD, or indeed, was in any way related to OSWALD. HW 53244 DBocld:322027176 Page 5
Lee Harvey OSWALD - CIA Coverage of His Mexico City Stay , 14. One additional element of background must be stipulated now as the final precondition to understanding the relevance (or irrelevance) of the photo of the unknown individual placed in the chain of. evidence on 23 November in Dallas by FBT Agent Bardwe11 ODUM: what was the. totality of CIA Mexico's coverage’ of OSWALD's activity as of the after- noon of the 23rd when al]. available coverage had been checked ? 15. The totality of Mexico Station coverage on, or reasonably Es SIRENS Rcmesy aS follows: inferable to be OSWALD, consisted Ofernen a. 27 September 1963 (Friday), 1605 hours Mexico City time. Silvia DURAN, a Mexican national,.a local employee of the Cuban. Embassy, Consular section, a receptionist, speaks with an unknown male at the Soviet Embassy. Silvia DURAN tells the man that the American citizen was there, the one who wants a visa for Cuba on his way to the Soviet Union, and he wants to know with whom he was talking there because she (Silvia DURAN) had sent him to the Soviet Embassy saying that if they. accepted him and gave him a viSa, then the Cubans (Embassy) would also give him a visa without, further” paper work, only advising Immigration in Cuba The American, she- says, wants to know with whom he had talked there because he says he was told there would be no problem. The man in the Soviet Embassy says to wait a moment. A different Soviet speaks, and TST HW 53244 DBocld:322027176 Page 6 a whe
Ret and I wanted to ask you if there is anything new? The Soviet says I would like to ask you to call another phone number? Please write it. down: 15-60-55, and ask for a consul. Thank you. e. 1 October 1963 (Tuesday), 1045 hours Mexico City time. The same person who phoned a day or so ago and spoke in’ broken , Russian speaks to OBYEDKOV (a Soviet Embassy guard). He says: This is Lee OSWALD speaking. -I was at your place last Saturday and * spoke to a consul. and they said that they would send a telegram to Washington, so-I wanted to find out if you have anything new? But I don't remember the name of that consul. OBYEDKOV says: . KOSTIKOV. He is dark (hair or skin - ?). OSWALD says yes. My name is OSWALD. . OBYEDKOV says, just a minute, I'll find out. They say that they have not received anything yet. OSWALD says: Have they done anything? OBYEDKOV says: Yes, they say that a request has been . sent out, but nothing has been received as yet. OSWALD says, and what . . . ? OBYEDKOV hangs up. 16. Each of these items, including the texts @éiiie, were read by, discussed with, and-examined by Warren Conmission staffers e a” jin Headquarters and at the Mexico Station during a stay from 8 ~13 April 1964.3 All were made available promptly to the FBI¥ \ 3 The Warren Commission group that visited the Mexico Station consisted of Mr. Coleman, Mr. Slawson, and Mr. Willens. They examined not only the ‘ow SEL RET HW 532744 DBocld:322027176 Page 7
17. Summing up, we can state, or by free interpretation reasonably fitemcemerev idence, that OSWALD made or could have made infer from the% the following contacts with the Cuban and Soviet official establishments in Mexico City. a a a. 27 September 1968 (Friday). After arrival and check-in to his hotel, OSWALD went first-to the Cuban Embassy where he talked with Mrs. Silvia DURAN. The time of his first Cuban Embassy visit is unknown. The time of his second Cuban Embassy visit was about 1600 hours (i.e., just before closing). Sometime between the two Cuban Embassy visits, at Mrs. DURAN's indication, he must have . visited the Soviet Embassy. We have no indication who he talked with at the Soviet Embassy. Guittencepesmc - e above, but others for the 27th and one for 3 October that’ seemed to have relevance. These have not been included in this summary because they appear, on review, to be excludable from the OSWALD matter on logical or substantive grounds, or both, bearing in mind that the Soviet Embassy received many calls pertaining to visa matters. On the 27th at 1037 hours the Soviet Embassy received a call from an unknown individual speaking Spanish who said he wanted visas to gt to Odessa. He was told the Consul was not in and to call back at 1130. OSWALD is known to have arrived at the Flecha Roja bus terminal on bus #516 at circa 1000 hours on the 27th. It was, therefore, possible for him to have made this call. But granting this, it is unreasonable to believe the calls were OSWALD's for the following reasons: a. The caller wanted visas, and specifically for Odessa. OSWALD was seeking a visa and never in any context did he specify - the Black Sea port of Odessa as a destination. t. ¢ ia 12 HW 53244 DBocld:322027176 Page @
There was no photographic coverage of OSWALD's entries into either the Cuban or Soviet Embassies on the 27th. The lack of coverage on the Cuban installation is explainable: the camera, based on the recollection of officers still in service in Head- quarters, was down on the,27th because of mechanical malfunction, which was in course of correction. Why OSWALD was missed in his probable entry to ‘the Soviet installation on the 27th is not yet a * explained, but no technical operation of that kind is infallible. b. 28 | september 1963 (Saturday). [Note: “Both the Cuban and Soviet Embassies were closed to the public on Saturdays. Photo--_ graphic coverage was normally suspended Saturdays and Sundays .] b. The call was directed to the correct Soviet consular ° number: 15-60-55. On 1 October, OSWALD first called the wrong number, 15-69-87 (the MA's number), and had: to redirect his call to the correct number, 15-60-55. It seems unlikely he would have made what would have. been: his initial call, on Friday the 27th, to the correct number, and called the incorrect number on 1 October. The e is every reason to believe from the context of the Incemceptspepara 15, a-e above, that OSWALD!s first destination- after arrival and check-in to his hotel, was a visit to the Cuban Embassy. ; id. The use of the Spanish language would exclude OSWALD unless he made use of an intermediary, which seems! unlikely from what is known of his modus operandi. | | On 3 October at 1539 hours an individual speaking broken Spanish, then English, called the Soviet Embassy and asked for a visa. The Soviet respondent says: (Call on the other phone. The requestor says: I’m 13 HW 532744 DBocld:322027176 Page 9
no we oN i OSWALD , notwithstanding the holiday schedule, went on Saturday morning to the Soviet Embassy (his second visit) wnere he spoke to a Consul. He apparent ly could not recall his new Texas address. — At circa 1151 hours he went to the Cuban Embassy--his third entry-- where he had registered it in his visa application the day previously. He secured. the address from Mrs. DURAN and she called the Soviet Consulate presumably to permit him to give them the address over the phone. Instead, the Soviet with whom OSWALD spoke over Mrs. DURAN's telephone invited OSWALD to come back in person, and he said he would immediately. Presumab ly, thereupon’ OSWALD went back to the Soviet installation (his third entry). looking for a visa to go to Russia. The Soviet says: Please call¥ on the telephone of the Consul, 15-60-55. The requestor says: One moment please, I'll have to get a pencil to write the number down. They issue the visa there? The Soviet: That depends on your conversation. I don't know about this business. The requestor asks for the number again. The Soviet gives him the number and tells him to ask for the Consul of the | Soviet Embassy in Mexico. a Fila oi] The relevance of thisfeii grounds: — a eencepe to OSWALD is excludable on three > a a. The use of broken Spanish. OSWALD throughout used broken Russian or English. He had no competance in Spanish to handle a conversation of this kind. b. The substance of the request indicates a visa request in the first stages of initiation. OSWALD had developed his matter with the Cubans and the Soviets the previous Saturday to a point well beyond the stage indicated by the substance of this call. 14 HW 532744 DBocld:32207176 Page 10.
Station, among all the persons photographed that day, appeared to be the only person--a non-Latin, and possibly an American--who entered the Soviet installation. On the chance there could be an association between the jand the descriptive identification data derived fron the Worcey intercene data derived from the photograph , the Station reported the two elements as separate facts in its cable to Headquarters on 8 October. 19. The Station's, action was not unusual and really amounted to an analytic "quantum leap," justified by the primitive and initiatory status of the OSWALD identification. “Many examples of a similar kind of thing . can be found in the day-to-day record of Station-Headquarters correspon- dence and reporting. Developments from 8 October - 22 November 1963 — | 4 20. Mexico Station reported to Headquarters on 8 October (received in, Headquarters 9 October) the following initial information on OSWALD.4 (1) On 1 October 1963, an American male who spoke broken Russian and said his name Lee OSWALD (phonetic), stated he was at SovEmb on 28 September when he spoke ” 4 Cablese has been rendered here, and throughout, into readable English, without substantive changes or omissions. Cryptonyms and pseudonyms have been onitted or put into clear text. 16 HW 53244 DBocld:32202178 Page 11