AGENCY INFORMATION * AGENCY: — FBI RECORD NUMBER: — 124-10176-10180 RECORD SERIES: HQ AGENCY FILE NUMBER:  105-82555-5612 DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR: DOS _~ FROM: THOMAS, CHARLES WILLIAM TO: ROGER, WILLIAM P. Released under the John WSsassination Records Ollection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Note). DATE: 07/25/1969 ase#:NW 53244 Date: He—-12-2017 PAGES: 33 SUBJECT: LHO, POST-RP, TRAVEL, TRIP TO MEXICO, SIGHTING DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT ORIGINAL Secret NEW CLASSIFICATION: CLASSIFICATION: REVIEW DATE: 09/24/1997 — UPDATE DATE: — (2/12/2001 “ STATUS  Redact RESTRICTIONS: JFK Act 6 (1)(B) COMMENTS: EBF, INC NUMEROUS DOS MEMOS \ HW 53244 DBocld:32172661 Page 1
e e 10 N TO D/OR, Honorable’ William’ P. ‘Rogers Secretary of State. °*” Washington, D.C. Dear Mr. Secretary: In winding up my affairs at the Department of State, there is-a pend- ing matter which I believe merits your attention. Lee Harvey Oswaid, the presumed assassin of President Kennedy, was alledgedly present at a party given by a Mexican communist sympathizer and attended by the Cuban Consul, a veteran intelligence officer, when he was in Mexico shortly before the assassination. There are allega- _ tions that the Mexican Government may have been aware of Oswald's —_ presence at that party and that the Cuban Government may have tried-to: - intimidate others who saw him there. . , A careful investigation of these allegations could perhaps explain’. them away. Until then, however, their public disclosure could reoper the debate about the true nature of the Kennedy assassination and damage the credibility of the Warren Report. Since I was the Embassy officer in Mexico who acquired this intel gence information, I feel a responsibility for seeing it throug its final evaluation. Accordingly, I have prepared a memorandum : ‘ wt (enclosed) explaining this information and its initial assessment,. keyed . to three memoranda of conversations with my Mexican informant.” | - I believe you would want to consider carefully whether to let. well enough alone in this case, or whether the risks attending. oss public disclosure of these allegations make further. investigation warranted. ene Respectfully, a ; | Charles William -Thoma: Enclosure: _ Memorandum and four attachments. HW 53244 Docld:32172861 Page ?
. ’ - ) wo ’<. Durans- after the assassination about | a 1 party which Oswald had reportedly attended, but that the transcript of the interrogation was entirely. : unsatisfactory: by normal/ investigatory standards. Furthermore, ” ‘the party. ~ inquired’ about. was not the one at Ruben Duran" s house, reported. by Elena: Garro, but at an. entirely different. place. . ‘This transcript may eo . well be the source ’of Mr. Ferris' belief that. Elena Garro's story “had been | _ checked out. and found to be untrue. ° - — Nae “10.0 Te. ‘would appear ‘that wheréas. the: “EBL has discounted the Elena Garo. allegations, the CIA is still considerably disturbed by them. The CIA. > may not “have" ‘pressed for~further investigation, however, for a number of: _~ reasons: 1) considéring: the sensitive overlap and subtle competition: - between two - intelligence ‘collecting agencies, it had to yield to the ~FBIY s clear: jurisdiction; 2) there are obvious complications in ‘conducting * 7 such‘ an: -investigation in a foreign country; 3) there is a close and -— -: - delicate relationship between the CIA Station Chief and{the former Minister. ‘of, Interior -- President Gustavo. Diaz Ordaz3} and 4) some of the people ». appearing . in the. Elena Garro scenario may well be agents of the CIA. Under ©. ~ the. circumstances it is unlikely that any ‘further ‘investigation of: this ca “matter will ‘ever. take place unless it is ordered by a high official ‘in? “Washington. | . te - cae is aot, 11. TE all the allegations in the attached memoranda were true,. they. a would. not, -in themselves, prove- that there ‘was- a conspiracy to_assassinate President Kennedy. However, if they were ever made public, those who, have tried to discredit the Warren Report could have a field day in. Oo “speculating about their implications. The. credibility of the Warren Report - Pe ales me would be damaged’all the more if it\were learned that these allegations. | = a - were known and never. adequately investigated by the ‘competent . American ra on - authorities... ( ae ’ ' 12. “Reference is made again to ‘the biographic report: “(Tab A) on Elena .Garro.'* She is hardly ‘an ordinary or average person. Her’ strengths and weaknesses become exaggerated precisely because she is not. _It would. be easy ‘and convenient to sweep this matter under the rug by claiming, — _that Miss Garro is an unreliable informant since she is emotional; ~ opinionated, and artistic." I have been affected at times by that. | _“~. temptation, ‘myself; No American official, however, knows her better than I do. On‘the-basis of ‘the’ facts that-I have presented, I believe that, on balance, the matter warrants. further investigation. \ od as Finally, the record should show that a represent tive of a salen ‘American publication has, ate ‘least ‘some knowledge of ; Charles William Thomas oe July: 255, , 1969. HW 53244 DBoclId:32172661 Page 3