104-10301-10002] rm Z oe Ee SECRET CIA Internal Use Only Aecess Controlled by DDP HISTORICAL STAFF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY THE CLANDESTINE SERVICE HISTORICAL SERIES — cs HP 334 COUNTERINTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS SOVIET RUSSIA DIVISION 1946-1965 August 1972 ee Fo I — Ped H ke David H. Blee Chief, SB Division Votume I ‘Copy No. 1: SB ‘Copy No. 2: O/DDP SECRET ;  & |
13-00000 oe oo nn os Be | SECRET fe | available to SR/CI/Research on that particular sub- ject. Some of these studies were sterilized sub- sequently for passage to a-wider list of recipients . than the sensitivity of the original production 7 permitted. Some studies were translated and given to foreign liaison services.* Many of these studies were the result of suggestions for research topics a from other SR Division offices, CIA-wide components, and organizations outside the GIA. | Throughout the period of this history, SR/- Reports, in coordination with Chief,SR/CI, had re- sponsibility for the dissemination of timely general S CI reports on the RIS. The area division concerned | “disseminated CI reports on the RIS which were clearly, | '-- of only local significance. - J. Warren Commission Studies The President's Commission on the Assassina- tion of President Kennedy, also known as the Warren “Commission, through its General Counsel, Mr. J. Lee _* Attachment C lists the more important studies disseminated by SR/CI/Research and its predecessor organizations. -71- - SECRET
13-00000 — pe is SECRET in 1964. SR/CI/Research Branch responded to many of these requests for information working through © CI Staff which assumed managerial control for CIA communications with the commission. The branch furnished information to the commission on a wide variety of topics concerning the RIS, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Oswald's associates in the USSR.* | In a meeting between CIA representatives and . Messrs. Allen Dulles and Rankin of the Warren Com- mission on 14 January 1964, Rankin asked that CIA draft questions to be included in a letter to the Soviet Government concerning the Oswald case. The questions were to be "not too technical," should be sent soon, and were to be phrased in generalities in order to allow the Soviets more flexibility than would a longer, more pointed letter based on con- crete US Government findings. These questions con- stituted the first direct involvement of Wigren and. his Research Branch in the commission's work. The commission wished to account in detail for all of Oswald's activities outside the United * See Attachment D. -~ 72 - SECRET
13-00000 SECRET States. Bagley, Chief, SR/CI, subsequently di- rected Wigren to begin a chronological tabulation of Oswald's activities in the USSR as collated — from various sources. The commission made avail- able to Wigren documents and reports already ac- quired from other US Government investigative agencies, The commission agreed in principle to honor CIA sensitivity classifications to documents originated in the Agency for use of the commission. The Agency's role was limited to written communica- tions to the commission.~~ | By 21 January 1964 Wigren and his colleages had prepared and transmitted the questions to the commission for relay to the Soviet Government. Soviet defector Petr Deryabin had contributed to this endeavor. The questionnaire had four basic parts. The first series of questions sought to make an assessment of Oswald's mental and physical. - condition. The Soviets were requested to furnish — information on his medical treatment in the USSR while in the hospital following his suicide at- tempt in 1959 as well as any psychological evalua- | | : tions of him. The second series of questions - 73 - - - SECRET
13-00000 documents if so. SECRET sought to assess Oswald's. use of and dependence on weapons. He had owned a shotgun in the USSR and had joined a hunting organization there. The third series of questions sought to complete Warren Commission documentation of Oswald's background and career in the USSR. Those items particularly | sought were his correspondence with the Soviet Gov- ernment, Soviet Government documents issued to him concerning his request. for asylum and permission to reside in the USSR, documents and registrations of his residence and employment in the USSR, and documents concerning his departure from the USSR. The final question asked whether Oswald had a police record in the USSR and requested information and A comprehensive SR/CI/Research paper on the Oswald case went to the commission on 25 January 1964. This was a detailed chronology of Oswald's sojourn in the USSR together with an alphabetical listing of persons in the USSR whom the Oswalds > knew or mentioned. Identifying information was in- cluded whenever available. This chronology was in preliminary formbut the commission urgently required - 74 - | - SECRET
SECRET collated material to support the taking of direct. testimony. The source material for the chronology included personal documents , interviews, and official and private correspondence. Traces were based on CIA files and the Moscow and Minsk telephone direc- tories. These preliminary name traces were also sent to the commission on the same day as the chron-.. .- alow The final version of the name traces based on a review of the Oswald papers came to over 150 names; the results were furnished to the commission in late March 1964. ad | SR/CI/Research prepared for the commission at its request a paper survey of known data on Soviet use of assassination. This study was intended only for background information of commission members with the caveat that CIA as an organization did not believe that the Kennedy assassination was a Soviet- sponsored operation. Much of the material in the assassination study had been published previously within the Agency. | A fortuitous aspect of the SR/CI/Research concerning the Oswald case occurred when fMr. Alex. JI _— . ander W. Brasko Jof the branch discovered by accident - 75 - SECRET
13-00000 et te mmr SECRET a photograph of Oswald in Graphics Register in | ne March 1964, Brasko was seeking photographs of | ; buildings in Minsk, USSR, where Oswald was resettled | | - by the Soviet Government after 1959. Brasko found | | a copy of a color transparency which showed in a | casual setting a young man who bore a remarkable | | facial resemblance to Oswald and was. wearing a | | - shirt identical in pattern and color to a shirt ~ Oswald was wearing in photographs found in his ef- | 7 | _ fects following the Kennedy assassination. (Figure l, page 77). The photograph was taken by an American tourist in Minsk's Central Square in August 1961 at the Palace of Culture. Copies of the photograph were also furnished to the FBI. The Bureau inter- viewed the photographer and her companions who could contribute little to their original statements when first interviewed by Agency representatives following their Soviet tour in 1961 (not about Oswald, however, - . whom they did not recall). A copy of this photograph was published on page 268 of the Warren Commission's report. | | | Some of the reports prepared by SR/CI/Research were deemed suitable for publication in the Commission's - 76 = SECRET
13-00000 SECRET Palace of Culture, Central Square, Minsk, USSR (Oswald is the young man on the right) Figure 1. -77- oF SECRET
13-00000 SECRET report in the public record, either as textual material or as footnotes. backing up general com= ments. This required explicit permission from the DDP, and the rewriting or declassification of some. ‘material previously submitted to the commission. In August 1964 Warren Commission Assistant Counsel W. David Slawson requested permission to publish in the commission report some memorandums submitted '. to the commission by SR/CI/Research via CI Staff. Since some of the material submitted to the commis-. sion earlier was intended for background use only or contained operational information, the reports in question were resubmitted to the commission in sanitized versions modeled on the originals. The . revisions were identified as coming from CIA and "appeared primarily in textual and footnote material on pages 258 to 280 of the commission's report.* K. National Intelligence Surve on USSR Intelii | An important, recurring document written in * Report of. the President's Commission on the - 78+ - . SECRET
SECRET Appendix C 1. 2. | 3. 4.) : | ca a ISS — = I 10. Memo of Conversation, 16 Jan 64; sub: CIA Work in Support of the Warren Commission; od by Tennant H. Bagley. ll. XAAZ-22407, 21 Jan 64, sub: Questions to be submitted to the Soviet Government, filed in 201-288248 (Lee Harvey Oswald). * Unless otherwise indicated, all source references may be considered classified SECRET. - 375 - - SECRET
13-00000 ' 12. a 13. ~ 14. a 15, XAAZ~22414, 28 Feb 64; sub: Soviet Use of _in Minsk, 201-289248. _ SECRET XAAZ-22409, 25 Jan 64, sub: The Oswald Chronology, filed in 201-289248. XAAZ-22410, 25 Jan 64, sub: Name List with Traces, and XAAZ-22416, 26 Mar 64; sub: Name List with Traces, 201-289248, Assassination and Kidnapping, 201-289248. XAAZ~-22420, 29 Apr 64, sub: Photo of OSWALD - 376 - SECRET
13-00000 SECRET ATTACHMENT D SR/CI/RESEARCH ITEMS - FOR WARREN COMMISSION 4 hd 1 Q \& Gj Zz 134 1o SECRET" |
13-00000 — ie L _ en i eb et a ~ Qe 21> Jan. 1964 Qusstions to ba cubnitted to tho Sovier Government. %, 2. 22 Jan. 1964  Questionafica for Karina OSWALD. Roe 3. 25 Jon. 1964 The “OSWALD Chronology". 1 /. & 28 Jan. 1964 Noma lfot with traces (preliminary varsion). . Be 5 Fab. 1964 Biographie information ch Ura. OSWALD end her relacived. So 6. 5. Feb. 1964 Letter ezplainisg eppendix dasignations. H °° 7) Je 8 Web. 1964 Lotter ragarding OSWALD'a weapon dno tho USSR. i . » 8. 28 Fab. 1964 ~ Soviet use of agsassiastion end kidnapping. ~~ Qe 28 Feb. 1964 Soviet prass recetion to tha assaseination of President “ d SO , Eannady. ~ Woo. 40. 26 May. 1964 Rese list with traces. * , ii. 6 Apr. 1964 ‘Rasponse to “Cortaia Questions Poacd by tha Btate ‘ ad . ss Daparemens Plica", _ 3 >. 32, 22 Apr. 1964 — Adddedona to tha Chronology of OSWALD in the USSR. - 43. 24 Ape. 1964 = Lydda DINTINCR. ee 14, 29 Apr. 1964 ' Phote of GSVALD fa Ninok. Fi ' 425. 6 Hay 1964 Contacts batwoca tha OSWALDs and Soviet citicens, ° 13 June 1962 to 22 Novamber 2963. -. 36. 8 May 1964 Marina OSWALD'’s notebook. x - 21%, 3 Jun. 1964 Docunsate on Lea Karvey GSUALD furnighad by che a  Goviet Governmgat. 18 $ Jun. 1984 Allagasions regarding Intelligence Training School er _ in Minsk, U5$2. a qe 19. 22 Jul. 1964 = Apparent fnecaciatecacios in materiel furnished tho Cosmisaicn by CiA cad the Department of State. | 20. 24 Jul. 1964  Yekatorina PUNTEEVA. 4 a 21. 31 Jud. 1964 Leugth of tice required for obteining Soviet Tourist ee Vicas in Halsiak? end Stockholm, 1964 ey 22. 7 Aug. 1964 Soviet hunting cocioties. . 2 23. 26 Aug. 1964 Kenetantin Patrovich SERCRIVSKY. : 24. 9 Sapt.1964 KGB footnote. me i 25. 10 Sopt.1964 KGB HandTing of Forotgnors re the USSR. t ~ ame , ne a 7
13-00000 er arr CORRE SRBC RON 2 OGTR Ce eee Bo RS Rae nee CREO OAL Sa a cr co _ if N wie . e oe . : . . te : ~ ens So : a. eae) - - . . oo e Do. v ~” ~ ® ) Ha ats . 74 mt ; mM “ ty t . 26. 10 Sept. 1964 Acquaintances of the OSWALDs in Minsk. “Ro 27...10 Sept. 1964 - Financial aid for forcignera in the USSR. . oa 28. 10 Sept. 1964 Sacret training locations and procedures in the USSR, — - 29. 10 Sapte. 1954 Rates of compensation in the USSR. _ : 30. 10 Sept. 1964 Emigration end travel of Sovict nationale. ae | oe 31. Ll Sepe. 1964 Geographic-descriptiva data on Minsk. 8 32. 22 Sept. 1964 Certain questions posed by State Department files. . 38. 12 Sape. 1964  Sovict hunting societies. os } Bae Bd Sept. 1964 Length of tine required for obtaining Soviet Touriet - a _ » Wasas in Western Europe in 1964. $5. 18 Sapt. 1964 Identification of persons appearing 4n ¥BI photo Dd 33-46. am 36. 16 Sept. 1964. Passport: and Viea office. ud | 37. 18 Sept. 1964 Rasettlement of US defectors in the USER. | 38. 18 Sept. 1966 Inturiat hotels in Moscow.