- 20 - The Americans remained together the entire evening and did not dance. When Elena tried to speak with the Americans, she was "shifted" to another room by one of her cousins. (Ibid.) The memo does not state whether . Elena had mentioned which cousin had not allowed her to speak to the Americans.) One of Elena's cousins told her at the time that (he or she) dia not know who the Americans were except that Silvia Duran (an employee of the Cuban Embassy and the wife of Horatio Duran), had brought them to the party. The day after the party, Elena and Deba saw the three Americans on the Insurgentes, a main avenue in Mexico City. (Ibid. ) The Garros claimed that they had recognized Oswald's photograph when it was published after the assassination. (Ibid.) Silvia Duran's ar- rest “underlined the Garros' certainty" that the man had been Lee Harvey Oswald. (Ibid.) The source of the memo was known by the cryptonym LICOOKIE I whom the Committee identified as June Cobb Sharp while receiving LICOOKIE's file. According to Elena, Ms. Cobb was sent to her house shortly after the assassina- tion for a few days, by a mutual friend, a Costa Rican writer named Eunice Odio. (CIA No.'2 580-583, WxX-7241,
+ dL - Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #719.) Ms. Garro asserted that while at her house, Ms. Cobb expressed interest in the Kennedy assassination. (Ibid.) 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 suggestion was rejected, Cobb stated that she would arrange a meet- 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; Wx7241, Entry #427, p. 42, CIA #719.) A notation on the memo says that L/1l (Licookie I) never regained 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 "Dp" (personality) files but in a local leftist and Cuban project file. The Com- mittee learned about the memo from Wx-7241, a chronolo- gical history of the Oswald case prepared by Anne Good- pasture for the CIA in 1976.) The memo was found in De- cember, 1965. (See Wx 7241, p. 94, CIA #721.) Stanley Watson found the memo. A marginal notation on Wx7241
~ 22 - says, “Why was this not sent to Headquarters?" (p. 87, CIA #714.) The Committee has been able to determine that the memo was forwarded to headquarters shortly thereafter. \ October 12, 1964 CIA Memo for the Record On October 12, 1964 the Ghief of Jim Flannery, wrote a memo for the record reporting that Elena Garro de Paz had told the story to Eunice Odio. (The Committee 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 “Tichborn" (Tichborn was Henry P. Lopez's cryptonym. Mr. Lopez was a witting asset who wrote propaganda pieces for the CIA. After care- ful 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) on 10/9/64. (10/12/64 memo, CIA #596, Wx7241, p. 87, CIA #714.) The story is not as detailed as the 10/5/64 ver- Sion. There is no mention of Deba Garro Guerrero Gal- van... The story, perhaps because it is third hand, dif- fers from the previous story in two areas: the party was at the Cuban Embassy, not at Ruben Duran's; Elena talked to a Cuban Embassy official, not one of her
- 23- 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 indications show that the memo went into the Oswald "Dp" file and the Elena Garro "P" file. (Ibid. ) B. 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 since his name does not appear in any CIA files) 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) derived from "LICHANT/1. (While reviewing LICHANT I's file the Committee determined that| name was Manuel Calvillo. Elena claims that the day fol- lowing 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 informa- tion on Manuel Calvillo.) The informant asserted that June Cobb was an "American Communist" who rented a room from Elena Garro. (Memo from Winston Scott to the files,
- 24 - 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 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 ameritvan official at the Embassy, who claimed to represent the Warren Commission. (Ibid.) The Chief of Station noted that he had asked LICHANTI to pursue the story. (Ibid.) but there is no indication that he ever complied with this request. (HSCA Review of Classified CIA Documents.) 1. November 24, 1964 Elena 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 June Cobb Sharp. The date of the party was given as September 30, October 1 or October 2, 1963. (FBI 105-825555 Report, December: 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
- 25 - were held on the evening of October 1 or October 2, 1963. (FBI 103-825555 Report, December 11, 1964 entitled Lee Harvey Oswald, p. 1) FBI investigation of President Kennedy's assassination had established that Lee Harvey Oswald had departed Mexico City by bus at 8:30 a.m. on October 2, 1963 when Ms. Paz stated that she saw Lee Harvey Oswald walking on Insurygentes. (Ibid. p. 3) | Elena was questioned regarding the identity of other persons attending the party at the Ruben Duran home who might have been in a position to observe the three Americans. Elena stated that in the course of the party her daughter met a young man named "Alejandro" at the party and danced with him. He was apparently quite smitten with the daughter and tried to call her on several occasions after the party. (Ibid., p. 3) The daughter did not take the calls and as a result "Alejandro" wrote several letters to the daughter. (Ibid., p. 3.) Ms. Garro exhibited two of the letters, as well as a business card which identified 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 September 2, 1963. When Ms. Garro was told this she
~ 26 — commented that the Communists probably had facilities for falsifying postcard. (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 re- . called having met a Mexican girl who had recently re- turned from living inFrance. He was unable to fix the date of the party, but felt it was. porbably 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 that no Americans present at this party. He was familiar with the physical description of Lee Harvey Oswald because of publicity following the assassination of President 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 Sep- tember-October time frame. - There is no indication on the FBI document that this information was given ‘to the Central Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station. (A review of CIA files
corroborated the above.) 2. Charles Thomas' First Meeting with Elena Garro Where | Lee Harvey Oswald is Discussed On. 12/10/65 Charles Thojas, a political officer at the American Embassy, wrote a memorandum about a con- versation 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 as that given in the Licookie memo dated 10/5/64, but with more details. She said that General Jose Jesus Clark Flores (a friend of Ruben Duran's, Silvia Duran, Eusebio Azcue (a pro-Conmmunist writer-friend of the Durans), and a Latin American Negro man with red hair (unidentified) were at the party. A marginal comment by this entry in WX-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 Sivlia being the mistress of Oswald?? This is 1965.") The Mexico City Station did not hear about the Oswald- Duran "affair" until July 1967 when a CIA Asset LIRING/3
-~ 28 - reported it. (After reviewing LIRING/3 file at the CIA the House Select Committee on Assassinations has been unable to determine with whom LIRING/3 was asso- ciated who would have had knowledge about Silvia Duran or Lee Harvey Oswald.) 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 em- ployees. (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 daugh- ter to a small hotel in the center of Mexico City. (Ibid.) They were kept 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. . See HSCA Investigation of Elena Garro de Paz' allegation.) She said that Ruben Duran, reportedly
~ 29 - ERLE "protected" by General Clark Flores, was very prosper- ' ous and was driving a big car. (CIA #586-587, Wx-7241, Entry No. 425, p. 91, CIA No. 718/) Elena also claimed that Ruben Duran told her months after the assassination that he was not really a Communist and that killing Ken- nedy had been a mistake. (Ibid.; the House Select Com- mittee on Assassinations has not been able to determine whether Ruben actually spoke to Elena about the assassina- tion. (See HSCA Investigation of Elena Garra de Paz' Allegations.) In addition, Ruben Duran claimed he had no reason to tell Elena that killing Kennedy had been a mistake since he. had no involvement. Charles Thomas circulated a copy of his memorandum concerning Elena's allegations in the American Embassy including the Central Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station to aid them in their investigation of the John F. Kennedy assassination. (The House Select Committee has determined that the Central Intelligence Agency re- ceived the copy of the Thomas memorandum prior to Decem— ber 25, 1965, his next meeting with Elena Garro. See below.) The COS wrote a note on the memo: "What an ima- gination she has!?: Should we send to Headquarters?" The Officer replied,, "Suggest sending. There have been stories around town about all this, and Thomas is
not the 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 Headquarters (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 Thomas if he'll ‘follow up.’ Get questions from Anne G. (Anne Goodpasture). Please let's discuss. Thanks." (Ibid.) After. the December 10 memorandum of conversations, Winston Scott (Chief/Station) and Nathan Ferris (Successor to Clark Anderson as Legal Attache in Mexico) called Charles Thomas for a meeting. They asked him to get a more detailed account of Ms. Garro's story. At this meeting Winston Scott made it clear that theFBI had full responsibility for any further investigation in the Oswald case. (State Department: letter from Charles Thomas to William P. Rogers, July 25, 1969, JFK Doc. # «)
- 31 — 3. Charles Thomas’ Meeting with Elena Garro on December 25, 1965 Thomas met with Elena again on Decmeber 25, 1965. That same date he wrote a memorandum of conversation which provided a much more detailed restatement of Ms. Garro's alleged encounter with Lee Harvey Oswald. (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx-7241, Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #719.) Elena admitted that she had spoke to two men at the Embassy, "presumably from the Legal Attache's Office." (Ibid., The meeting occurred on November 24, 1964. See supra, p. ) Elena said that she did not tell them the complete story because "the Embassy officers did not give much credence to anything she and Elenita said.” (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx 7241, Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #719.) She stated that the party had been at Ruben Duran's home. (Ibid.) She was unclear about the date of the party. (Ibid.) It was a few days before the Soviet As- tronaut, Gagarin, visited Mexico; she thought that this would put the party around September 2 or 3, 1963. (Ibid.) She believed that the party was on a Monday or Tuesday because it was an odd night for a party. (Ibid.) Elena could not check her calendar to refresh her memory at the time of the interview because the calendar was ina desk that had been stored away. (Ibid.)
- 33 - came to the conclusion that the only solution was to kill him." (Ibid.) Elena was not clear on whether this party was before or after the party where she met Oswald. (Ibid.) The House Select Committee has been unable to confirm the conversation between Azcue and Carballido. (See HSCA Investigation of Elena Garro de Paz' allega- tions.) Eusebio Azcue stated that the conversation did not occur. | Elena reiterated that the incident at the Cuban Embassy, where she and her daughter shouted "Assassins," etc. at the Embassy employees, occurred on November 23 at or about 3:00 p.m. (Ibid.) Elena and Elenita were driven to the Cuban Embassy by Elena's brother who was embarrassed by their behavior. (Ibid.) This occurred before they’ had seen photographs of Oswald. (Ibid.) ‘Ms. Garro claimed that later in the day she and Elenita were visited by Manuel Calvillo who thold them that they were in serious danger from the Communists and that he would take them to a small hotel, where they would be safe, for a few days. (Ibid.) Elena said she trusted and believed Calvillo because he was a known undercover agent for the Mexico Government. (Ibid. ) He was also a friend of Noe Palomares (the Minister of Immigration) and President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz. (Ibid.)
- 34 - ‘Calvillo also told Elena and her daughter that Silvia Duran had been arrested. (Ibid.) Duran's arrest was not public information on November 23, 1963. Elena could not remember the name of the hotel 50 that same day (12/25/65) she took Thomas to the sec- tion of Mexico City where she thought it was. (Ibid.) They found the hotel. (Ibid.) Elena said that she as- sumed that Calvillo had registered them as relatives or friends. (Ibid.) They stayed at the hotel until the fol- lowing Friday, November 30, 1963, hardly leaving their rooms. (Ibid.) (See Legal Attache Report, p. for confirmation.) Elena claimed that while she and Elenita were at the hotel they saw the photos of Oswald and realized that he had been the man at Ruben Duran's party. {Ibid.) When Calvillo visited them at the hotel Elena told him that she wanted to report it to the American Embassy, however, Calvillo dissuaded her by stating that the Ameri- can Embassy was full of Communists. (Ibid.) Elena stated that when she returned home, guards were posted outside. (Ibid.) (The House Select Committee has been unable to confirm the veracity of Ms. Garro's claim. See HSCA In- vestigation of Elena Garro's allegations.) Elena alleged that after she returned home she saw her sister, Deba Guerrera, who had independently come to
the same conclusion. Deba was "terrified" because approximately 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 Ameri- can Embassy to tell her story on November 24, 1964. (Ibid. ) Le Elena stated that it was "common knowledge" that Silvia had been Oswald's mistress. (CIA Nos. 580-583; “Wx 7241, Entry #427, p. 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 jour- nalist." (Ibid.) (Victor Rico Galan is dead. The Com- mittee could not verify Ms. Garro's allegation. Silvia Duran denied the allegation. Nonetheless, LIRING 3, a CIA asset, reported the same story in 1967.) During these conversations Elena also said that she "understood" that Oswald had been in Mexico more than once. (Iibid.) (The HSCA has been unable to deter- mine the exact date.) Subsequent to December 25, 1965, Thomas wrote in the December 25, 1965 memo-that Elena had found her ca~ lendar and had reconstructed the date of the party as
late September and not early September. (CIA Nos. 580- 583, Wx-7241, Entry #427, p. 42, CIA #719.) When Tho- mas went to Ferris" office and informed him, Ferris re- plied 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 twist party had stated that there were no Americans there. (Ibid.) Mr. Ferris did not tell Mr. Thomas that Ario Alejandro Lavagnini Stenius Ferris in a 1964 interview had provided this information in 1964. Supra, p- ) Mr. Ferris suggested that it was not necessary for Thomas to pursue Elena's allegations since he considered the Oswald case closed ana had heard all the rumors before. (FBI Report, 9/30/69, pp. 3-4, JFK Doc. No. ) The State Department forwarded (the same day) a copy of the Charles Thomas memorandum to the Central In- telligence Agency's Mexico City Station to aid in their investigation of the John F. Kennedy assassination. On the first page of the memorandum of conversation Winston Scott wrote, "Shouldn't we send to Headquarters?" someone resonded, "Of course." (CIA Nos. 580-583; WX 7241, Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #710.)
- 37 - Ambassador re Elena Garro On December .27, 1965 Nathan Ferris wrote a memo to the Ambassador reporting that Elena and her daughter were interviewed on 17 and 24 November 1964 by the Legal Attache's office in Mexico City. (Memo to the Ambassador from the Legal Attache, 12/27/65, CIA #578; WX-7241, Entry 429, p. 94, CIA #721.) The memo recorded that Elena and her daughter had furnished information simi- lar to the informant reported in Thomas' 12/10/65 memo. (Ibid.) The memo further stated, | "Inguiries conducted at that time (Novem- ber 1964), however, failed to substantiate the allegations made by Mrs. Garro de Paz and her daughter. In view of the fact that Mrs. Garro de Paz' allegations have been pre- viously checked out without substantiation, no further action is being taken concerning her recent repetition of those allegations. (Ibid.) The Legal Attache forwarded a copy of the memoran— dum to the Central Intelligence Agency's Mexico city Station. (The House Select Committee has determined that the copy was forwarded prior to 12/29/78. See
- 38 - below.) Winston Scott superimposed a note to Anne Goodpasture on this memo which read, “Can we send in a report to Headquarters ‘dismissing’ our cable?" Goodpasture responded, "Done." (Memo to the Ambassador from the Legal Attache, 12/27/65, CIA #758, WX-7241 Entry #429, p. 94, CIA #721.) The cable Winston Scott wanted dismissed was MEXI 5621. (Supra., Pp. ) A cable written by Anne Goodpasture on December 29, 1965 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 the 12/29/65 WX-7241 explained this in a marginal comment, "This document by LICOOKIE was not in (Oswald's file), but was copies from (a project file) and attached to MEXI 5741, 29 Dec. 65." (Ibid.) A note stapled to this cable by Allen White stated, "Tt 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 bright." Anne Goodpasture
- 39 = wrote that the FBI had found Elena's allegations un- substantiated but that “we will try to confirm or refute Ms. Garro de Paz's information and follow up." Win Scott wrote, "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 at the Mexico City Station with an attached note asking them to check whether Elena was “seen creating such a disturbance as they claimed in front of the Cuban Em- bassy." (It is apparent that the Mexico City Station was attempting to either refute or corroborate some of lena Garro's allegations.) (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 officer wrote, "No pictures either.” (Ibid. ) (There is no indication that the penetration agents in the Guban Embassy were queried about Elena's allegation. Ibid.,.that there are not pictures is reasonsable since Elena claimed that the event happened: 1) on a Saturday
- 40 — at 3:00 p.m. when the Cuban Embassy was not normally photographically surveilled; and 2) the "disturbance" occurred inside the Cuban compound. HSCA Examination of the CIA Cuban Embassy photographic surveillance showed no surveillance on 11/23/63. (Classified Sum- mary of Staff Review of CIA Documents, undated, p. 3, CIA #763.) Legal Attache 2/23/66.Memo to the United States Ambassador Regarding Elena Garro's Allegations 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 and that no information had developed that would show that he had not been in New Orleans in the early part of that month. (Memo from Legat to Ambassador, 2/23/66, CIA #571; WxX-7241 Entry #455, p. 95, CIA #722.) The memo reiterated that no further action was being taken by the FBI because Flena's alle-— gations had not been substantiated. (Ibid. ) The Legal Attache forwarded a copy of this memo to the Central In- telligence Agency's Mexico City Station. (The House Se- lect 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
-~ 41 - Oswald did not travel to Mexico prior to early Septem- ber 1963? There must be some basis for Elena's report- ing." (Ibid.; referenced to Thomas; 12/25/65 memo.) Legal Attache Memo to Winston Scott re Elena's Allega- tion 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 in- . formant had reported that the records of the Hotel Ver- mont disclosed that "Elena Paz, housewife from San Luis Potosi," had registered at the Hotel Vermont on Novem- ber 23, 1963. She left on November 10, 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 Intelli- gence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigations waited until 1966 to investigate this aspect of Elena's story.) The memo said, "The above individual may or may not be identifical with Elena Garro de Paz. (Ibid.) Charles Thomas' 12/25/65 memo corroborates Elena Garro"s presence at the Hotel Vermont. It states, "She and her daughter did not personally register at the
~ 42 - hotel. She thinks Calvillo registered them as rela- ‘tives or friends of his from San Luis Postosi." (Memo of Conversation by Charles Thomas, 12/25/65, Pp. 3, CIA #582.) The entry for the 10/13/66 Legat memo in WX-7241 bore the notation, "This is what Elena claimed and no one would believe her." (WX-7241, Entry #466, p. 98, CIA. #725.) Charles Thomas' September 30, 1969 Letter to State Depart- ment and Legal Attache's 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.) At that time, -he wrote a memorandum to the Secretary of State which included a cover letter stating, "Since I was the Embassy Officer in Mexico who acquired this intelligence information, I feel a re- sponsibility for seeing it through to its final evalua- tion." (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
at - 43 + 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 Decem- ber 25, 1965 memorandum, Clarence Boonstra (Deputy Chief of Mission, State Department, Chief of Affairs at 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. (Ibid.) (State Department: Letter from Charles Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary of State, July 25, 1964) Thomas noted that even when he reitereated that Elena had not changed her story but rather that she had now given a more ac- curate 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 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 substantiation, 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
-~ 44 ~ their report, the Legat's Office concluded that either the Counselor for Political Affairs did not route the memoranda to Charles Thomas or that Thomas did not re~ call receiving them. (Ibid.) \ Thomas wrote that when he went to Nathan Ferris' office to inform him that Elena had found her calendar and had reconstructed the date of the party as late September , Ferris replied that Elena had given the Late September date when she_had originally reported her story at the American Embassy. (State Department: Letter from Charles Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary of State, July 25, 1969.) Thomas noted that Ferris explained that someone who had been at the party had stated that there had not been any Americans. (Ibid.). He wrote that he had assumed that Elena could have clear- ly been mistaken about the identity of the American she saw there, but never doubted that she had seen some Americans. (Ibid.) Thomas wrote that Ferris had 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. (Ibid.) The Legal Office's reply to Thomas' memo stated that Mr. Ferris had not told Thomas that someone who:was at the party had stated that there had not been any Ameri- cans present. (FBI Report, 9/39/69, p. 4, JFK Doc. No. ‘j