480-10410-10101 JFK Assassination System Identification Form Agency Information AGENCY: HSCA RECORD NUMBER: 180-10110-10101 RECORD SERIES: SECURITY CLASSIFIED FILES AGENCY FILE NUMBER: = 125-JFK. Document Information ORIGINATOR: HSCA FROM: TO: TITLE: DATE: 00/00/0000 PAGES: 35 SUBJECTS : CIA DOCUMENT TYPE: REPORT CLASSIFICATION: — Unclassified RESTRICTIONS: 1A CURRENT STATUS:  Redact DATE OF LASTREVIEW: 01/01/2003 OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : Box 4. v9.1 HW 50955 Boclda: 32763506 Page 1 Date: 10/20/20
ose Aud’s AcwiviriES while He WAS > Whheat Wee Lee Hacver y ts othe Embassies © aN Exico City other thaw Wis sists oa . > w su HARVEST OSWALD ALONE TM MH Evico~tiT) a ez . Vv" On October 5, 1964, eleven days after the publica- ‘ Vhe Ut ha red ot yi) tion of the Warren Commission Report, a story alleging i 2 6 hon (accomganed by twee other inbvedvels) Lee Harvey Oswald“s~pr@serce at a party in Mexico City attended by Cuban government personnel ctiemiomibo p.94, entry tov > [ete ° Anat HS NI] \ #430, CIA #721; Blind memo dated 10/5/64, CIA #576). ah, TP jo, op Sf Elenets~Stox S Reported fO¢c 64 . orl Clem Carre De Par? al \z 54 tin 83 Regacted “Bete es, 19cof on) partosh» 61264) = "Direvi ry Elena Garro de Paz and Deba Garro de Guerrero Galvan, first cousins ) Horatio, Ruben and Lynn Duran were invited to a twist party at the home of Ruben Duran #r=the=1rddle 3. Lee Harvey Oswald was alleged to have been at this party in the company of "two other beatnik-looking boys." /(Ibid? The Ameri res c feof wang ys." (Gniat) > e icans rite Sar) Lf mained together the entire evening and did not dance. e When Elena tried to speak with the Americans, she was "shifted" to antoher room by one of her cousins. (The - ~ 7°: 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) did not know who the Americans were except that Sylvia Duran (an employee of the Cuban Embassy and the wife of Horatio Duran), had brought them to the party. (‘*d) MW 50955 nocxa:aazeasoe { ougetig ei? Mt ) on Qe Hy TEC
The day after the party, Elena and Deba saw the three Americans on che Insurgents, a main avenue in Mexico vol) Chen Li ay, mbect tela rnt te chem] City." he Garros claimed that they had recognized Oswald's photograph when it was published after the assassination!) b<) Sylvia Duran's arrest “underlined the Garros' certainty" that the man had been Lee Harvey Oswald. (Ibid.) ¢ Deba added that Lynn and one of the Duran brothers ( phe nent dete mi gloat tan) rract teasrac WY ma made trips to Texas. (Ibid.) (She added that, een us es cor a though the Duran brothers had always been poor befexe low /\ the -assassanation, they were both driving expensive new 2 aktere f, yom (Ibid.) € Ae ews devon mee ao Re) The source of the memo was a witting Central Intelli- gence Agency asset known by the cryptonym LICOOKIE I whom Me ve he Committee identified as June Cobb Sharp while cece S — pects Eat COOKIE" s file. According to Elena, Ms. Cobb was A ad % sent to her house shortly after the assassination for a few days, by a mutual friend, a Costa Rican writer Eunice Odio. (CIA No's 580-583; WX-7241, Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #719) Ms. Garro asserted that while at her house, Ms. ) d Cobb expressed interest in the Kennedy assassination. night Elena' s sister Deba, who was visitin got drunk and Theses a cm eT told the whole story. (Ibid.) CGiaiming) to be a CIA agent, marery Ont Fm, Cobb suggested that Elena and Deba go to Texas to tell -their story. (Ibid.) Elena stated that when Cobb's sugges- tion was rejected, Cobb stated that she would arrange a meet- HY 50955 DBocld:322763506 Page 3
~3- 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 a Can: db ; _ ~ notation on/(the memg Says that L/l (Licookie I) never re- gained 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 "p" (personality) files but in a({local leftist and Cuban project file The Com- mittee learned about the memo from Wx-7241, a chronologi- cal history of the Oswald case prepared by Anne Goodpasture for the CIA in 1976). The memo was found in December, | lang 1965. ‘See Wx 7241, p. 94, CIA #721). Stanley Watson Seund—the=memo. A marginal notation on Wx7241l says, "Why was this not sent to Headquarters?" (P. 87, CIA #714). The Committee has. been able to determine that the memo was for- warded to headquarters shortly thereafter. © he» Aid ust Lokerinirk born of Spanish parents in Puebla, Mexico on December 11, 1917, (All information in this section culled from Bio- ) wees hand a Y” graphy Dia form prepared by Charles Thomas.) Ms. Garro plete? HW 450955 attended the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Docld:322763506 Page 4
later did graduate work i rare me in California and at when en @. of put aS Sal f ewyas ried to Octavio Paz, a career diplomat who is also one of C Lisho S ag S Sed Mexico's finest poets and leading intellectuals. When | Octavio was named Mexican Ambassador to India, the couple separated by mutual consent. Elena's daughter, also named Elena, has always resided with her mother. c of€ Since Elena spent seventeen years of her early life in Europe she had a rather un-Mexican objectivity about her native land and had a reputation for being one of its more articulate detractors <> st the same time, Elena was considered emotionally committed to any aspects of Mexican — life and made an important contribution to its artistic | development. At Lire?) 3M@ the 1960's Elena became Hogar Solido, El Rey Mago, La SefNora en su Balcon, Ventura Allende, Andaise por las Ramas, Parada Empresa, and El Viaje are plays that have had appreciatve audiences in Europe, where they were translated into German, as well’ as in Mexi- co. Ms. Garro's short stories are collected in a volume called La Semana de Colores. The Literacy Supplement of the London Times has called her novel, Los Recuerdos de Porvenir,~"a spendid success." Critics have said of her: "For Elena Garro, there is no¥ frontier between reality and fantasy; in any case, the latter is a second reality-- perhaps more intense--to which one may penetrate without HW 50955 DBocld:322763506 Page 5
passport or forewarning, thanks to the effectiveness of a literature fired with passion, flavor and life." Many people who knew Elena have asserted that the frontier between reality and fantasy is also difficult for her to distinguish in real life. (Biography Data Form on Elena Garra de Paz prepared by Charles Thomas.) Ms. Garro, for many years, was an active worker in the Confederacion Nacional Campesina (CNC), the agrarian arm of the Partido Reformista (PRI). Because Ms. Garro was a tireless propagandist and agitator on behalf of the poorer Mexican peasants, she was on close personal terms with and enjoyed the respect of peasant leaders from all over the country. (Ibid.) Elena was considered a witty, urbane and opinionated woman with an unflagging sense of humor. Her forthright opinions and sharp wit tended on occasion to ruffle feathers in Mexico, but her important social, literacy, and political connections rendered her (air) immune from serious counter ‘ DAN attack until 1968. Then, Ms. Garro was forced to flee the country with her daughter, Elenita and her sister, Deba Guerrero de Galvan, in the midst of the student strikes. The House Select Committee on Assassinations has been unable to determine the exact reason Ms. Garro had for fleeing Mexico. HY 50955 DBoctd: 322763506 Page 6
GIS HW 450955 perenne ernretten -~6- Before her disappearance from Mexico, Elena was well disposed toward the United States and had been friendly with Embassy officers. Her broad range of(significant> ‘- personal friends, t#e views of -many-important to the American Embassy, made her a useful Embassy target. (A "useful Embassy target" is a person deemed important enough because of acquifntances to merit frequent contact, either witting or unwitting, with American Embassy officials.) rar nt ec ne October 12, 1964 CIA Memo ‘for the ‘Record SO On October 12, 1964 the Chief of Covert Action, Jim Flannery, wrote a memo for fhe record reporting that Elena i) Garro de Paz hadttold her story’to Eunice Odio. (The Com- mittee 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 "Tich- horn" /Tichborn was Henry P. Lopez" | cryptonym. Mr. Lopez was a witting asset who wrote. “propaganda: pieces: forthe CIA. After careful 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 4596; Wx7241, p. 87, CIA #7147 . rbrriteheli'y fAi's? The story is not as detailed ag the 10/5/64 version f There is no mention of Deha Garro Guerrero Galvan. The story, perhaps because it is third hand, differs from the Vangh 7 é i eons ST" two areas: The party was at the Cuban <= A. E Sy, not at Ruben Duran's; Elena talked to a Cuban — BDoclda: 32763506 Page 7
HW 50955 -7- Embassy official, not one of her 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 indi- cations show that the memo went into the Oswald "P" file and the Elena Garro "P" file. (Ibid.) 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 ey) 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) Le from "LICHANT/1. (While reviewing LICHANT I's file the Committee determined that the CIA. asset's true name was Manuel Calvillo. Elena claims that the day following 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 information on Manuel Calvillo.) The informant as- serted that June Cobb was an "American Communist" who rented a room from Elena Garro. (Memo from Winston Scott to the files, re June Cobb, 11/25/64, CIA Nos. 592-593, Wx 7241, p. 88, Entry #404,CIA No. 715) The informant wn tA also stated that Elena tried to talk to Robert Kennedy when Docld:32263506 Page 8 ge iHel Ors rho aj Sans Sr befure fa —
® ¢ HW 450955 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 American official, at the Em- bassy, who claimed to represent the Warren Commission. (Ibid.) ‘The Chief of Station noted that he had asked ces ant pursue the story (Ibid.) but there is no indica tion tha <rECHANT I\eyer complied with this re- Guest. (HSCA Review of Classified CIA Documents.) 5 ete ane errno enenenenenenenenenepcetanenangn ety A November 24, 1964 Elena Meeting with Mexico City Legal wait Attache Officers _ or APM piel el Elena and her daughter also told their story to the Mexico City Regal Attache. on€ coca Attache in 1964 was Clark Anderson.) Th recounted the same story Aone Cyphe Sharp , previously given to LICOOKIE I. The date of the party was given as September 30, October 1 or October 2, 1963. (FBI 105-825555 Report, Dec. 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 were held on the even- ing of October 1 or October 2, 1963. (FBI 103-825555 Report, Dec. 11, 1964 entitled Lee Harvey Oswald, p. 1) FBI investigation of President Kennedy's assassination had established that Lee Harvey Oswald had departed Mexico Doclda: 322763506 Page 3
HY 0955 City by bus at 8:30 a.m. on Octber 2, 1963 when Ms. Paz stated that she saw Lee Harvey Oswald walking on Insurgentes. (Ibid. p.3) Elena was questioned regarding the identity of ether 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 wat. he dow. He wie sua eer Tle | PO mete bapa tecd party and danced with him. CBta? p. 3) The daughter did re Ctlys not take the calls and as a result \Alejandro" wrote several letters to the daughter. es Garro exhibited two of the letters, as well as a business card which i- dentified 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 Septem- ber 2, 1963. When Ms. Garro was told this she commented that the Communists probably had facilities for falsifying postcards. (Ibid.) 7 eR herby in He | 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 recalled having met a Mexi- Docld: 32763506 Page i0
HW 50955 - 16 - can girl who had recently returned from living in France. He was unable to fix the date of the party, but felt it was probably 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 no Americans present at this party. physi enh aees os ph 2 He was familiar with the eppearenee of Lee Harvey Oswald because of publicity following the assassination of Presi- dent 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 September-October time frame. Bie eiah! A % There is no indication on Ke abcument that this information was given to the Central Intelligence Agency's ( Pdwe ce ditijes Barta bec. Mexico City Station. t - a) y gf ene s+ C1 Le cpg?) Charles Thomas’ First Meeting with Elena Garro Where Lee Harvey Oswald is Discussed On 12/10/65 Charles Thomas, a political officer at the American Embassy, wrote a memorandum about a conversa- tion 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. ) o KS A ‘ Elena's story reported here ig me, but with more details, as that given in the Licookie memo dated Bocld:3272763506 Page il
- ll = 10/5/64. She said that General Jose Jesus Clark Flores @ friend of Rubin Duran's,,Silvia Duran, Eguebio Azcue (Cuban Consul in Mexico City), Emilio Carballido (a pro- Communist writer-friend of the Durans), and a Latin Ameri- can Negro man with red hair (unidentified) were at the party. A marginal comment by this entry in WxX-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 Silvia 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 Liring3 reported it. /After reviewing LIRING/3 /file at the CIA the House Select Committee on Assassina~ HW 450955 ew tions has been unable to determing! who IRING/3 was asso~ huge we @ Abts pee R, . Ciated wie had knowledge about Sylvia 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 employees. (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 daughter to a small hotel in the center of Mexico City. (Ibid.) They were kept Doclda: 32263506 Page i?
oh - 12 - 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. (bia; The House Select. Committee was unable to determine the veracity of Ms. Paz' allega- golAnigype? See fscd lnvesdigefiin of Clerc Cares Megeh ws Cond She said that Ruben Duran, reportedly "protected" by General Clark Flores, was very prosperyous and was driving a big car. /EIA #586-587, Wx-7241, Entry No. 425, p. 91, CIA No. 7187 Elena also claimed that Ruben Duran told her months after the assassination that he was not really a Communist and that killing Kennedy had been a mistake. (Ibid; the ae elect Committee on Assassina- tions has not been apiece to ‘determine whether Ruben actually spoke to Elena about ths assassination. Ruben Duran claims he had no reason O37 ja Heb » atta Ei ‘i Charles Thomas circulated a copy of theChertes=fho- 1S Cone mings: Ast obatto~ Ras™" memorandum in the American Embassy including! the Cen-~- tral Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station to aid them in their investigation of the John F. Kennedy assassina-~ tion. /The House Select Committee has determined that the Central Intelligence Agency received the copy of the Thomas HW 50955 DBocld:32263506 Page i3
HW 50955 Cb ¢ <! nL Comey i a memorandum prior€to December 25, 1965. Seé below./ ~The whieh-sae: "What an imagina- tion she has:?! Should we send to Headquarters?" The Of- COS wrote a note on the fiéiio* ficer replied, "Suggest sending. There have been stories around town about all this, and Thomas is not 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 cabled the information in Thomas' 12/10/65 memorandum of conversations to CIA Head- quarters (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 Tho- mas if he'll ‘follow up.' Get questions from Anne G. /Anne Goodpasture/ Please let's discuss. Thanks." ( pbeak) Co After th neceme 10 memorandum of conversation 16 pow Winston Scott (Chief/Station) and Nathan Ferris (Legal — qiarict wh? BEER yak? ; a ROLES Attache) cAt fea C. Thomas-for a meeting. They asked him SS Sag to get a more detailed epla of Ms. Garro's story. At this meeting Winston Scott made it clear that the FBI had fui Lf responsibility for any further investigation in the Oswald case. (State Dept: letter from Charles Thomas Bocld:3272763506 Page i4
HW 450955 - 14 -. to William P. Rogers, July 25, 1969, JKF Doc. # ) Charles Thomas' Meeting with Elena Garro on December 25, 1965 Thomas met with Elena again on December 25, 1965. thé same date he wrote a memorandum of conversation which provided a much more detailed restatement of Ms. Garro's alleged encounter with Lee Haryey Oswald and subsequent ogi CONROE A aa developments’ (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx-7241, Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #719) Elena admitted that she had spoken to two men at the Embassy, "presumably from the Legal Attache's Office." (Ibid, The meeting occurred on Nov. 24, Bis) Elena said that she did not tell them the complete story because "the Embassy officers did not give much credence to any- thing 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 Astronaut, Gagarin, visited Mexico; she thought that this would put the party around: September 2 or 3, 1963. (Ibid.) She be- lieved 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 in a desk that had been stored away. (Ibid.) Boclda: 32763506 Page 15
HW 50955 -~ 15 = During the conversation Elena described Oswald and his companions. (Ibid.) The man who she thought was Oswald wore a black sweater. (Ibid.) She said he was quiet "and stared a lot at the floor." (Ibid.) One of his companions "was very tall and slender and had long blond hair which hung across his forehead. He had a gaunt face and a rather long protruding chin." (Ibid.) The other companion was also tall, with short, light brown hair and no distinguishing characteristics. (Ibid.) The three Americans did not dance or mix with the other guests. (Ibid.) Elena saw the same three men on the street the next day. (Ibid.) Elena was certain that Eusebio Azcue, Horacio Duran, Silvia Duran, Lydia Duran, Deba Guerrero, General Clark Flores and his mistress, a doctor from Dalinde Hospital, a young American couple who were honeymooning in Mexico, and several other people were at the party. (Ibid.). She Said that Ricardo Guerra, whom she claims converted Horatio Duran to Communism, and his wife, Rosario Castellanos, were suppoed to be at the party but did not attend. (Ibid.) ‘ lg fet Sc Od Carter ay, Elena alleged that the xYed-haired n and Emilio Carballido were not at the party that Oswald attended but at another party where Carballido and Azcue got into a heated argument about President Kennedy. (Ibid.) "They came to the conclusion that the only solution was to kill Boclda: 322763506 Page 16
HW 450955 - 16 - 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 u able to confirm the between Azcue and Carbéllido. conversatiomw Eusebio Azcue stated that it did not occur. Elena said that Carballido "is a known Castro agent in Mexico." (Ibid.) After the assassination he spent a year in Cuba. (Ibid.) He then got a job teaching at Rutgers University through Dr. Jose Vaszuez Amaral. (Ibid.) The House Select Committee has been unable to confirm Ms. Garro's allegations. ~hy Elena reiterated that the incident at the Cuban Em- bassy, 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 told 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 Docld:322763506 Page i?
HY 0955 -~ 17 ~ Diaz Ordaz. (Ibid.) Calvillo also told Elena and her daugh- ter that Silvia Duran had been arrested.’ puran's arrest was not public information on November 23, 1963. (=btd-r) Elena could not remember the name of the hotel so that same day (12/25/65) she took Thomas to the section of Mexico City where she thought it was. (Ibid.) They found the hotel. (Ibid.) It was the Vermont Hotel, Calle Vermont 29. (Ibid.) Elena said that she assumed that Calvillo had registered them as relatives or friends. (Ibid.) They saltyed at the hotel until the following Friday, November 30, 1963, hardly leaving their rooms. (Ibid.) (See Legal Attache report, p. J * eneparnctnen’ | while Elena claimed that/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 American 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 vor oN , eG veracity of Ms. Garro's claim. Tan Wa Elena alleged that after she returned homéshe caw* her sister, Deba Guerrera, who had independently come to the same conclusion. Debawas "terrified" because approxi- Bocld: 32763506 Page 16
HW 450955 - 18 -— mately 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, ese her story on November 24, 1964. (Ibid.) “. Elena said that a few ~ Emilio Carballido took the Durans to Jalapa, Varacruz and ne. "kept them out of the way until the initial shock of the assassination wore off." (Ibid.) The House Select Committee has been Yaab e to confirm Ms. Garro's allegation." Elena also alleged that shortly after the assassina- tion an American named June Cobb spent several, days in her house. (Ibid.) She said that Ms. Cobb had been sent t Ub Elena by a mutual friend, Eunice Odio. (Ibid.) Elena S claims that while Ms. Cobb was at her house she expressed an interest in the Kennedy assassination. (Ibid.) Deba, iS visiting Elena one night, got drunk and told Ms. Cobb the Ace entire story. (Ibid.) Ms. Cobb wanted them to go to the Y American authorities. (Ibid. ) Claiming to be a CIA agent, a Cobb suggested that. Eleha and Deba go to Texas to tell their story. (Ibid.) When her suggestion was rejected, Cobb said that she would arrange a meting with the CIA Station Chief. The meeting did not occur because Ms. Cobb was asked to leave the Garro house; evidently because she N\ kicked Elena's cat. (Ibid.) The House Select Committee on \ Doclda: 322763506 Page 19 \
HY 0955 - 19 - Assassinations has determined that June Cobb Sharp was a CIA asset in 1964. (Supra p. 3) Elena claimed that Ruben Duran visited her-iss— the end of January 1964. (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx 7241, Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #719) He was worried that Oswald's visit to his home might be discovered. and that he might lose his Mexican citizenship. (Ibid.) Ruben told Elena that it had been Silvia who had gotten him involved with Oswald. (Ibid.) Ruben added that he was not really a Communist and had opposed the assassination. (Ibid.) (Ruben Duran denied the story. HSCA Interview of Ruben Duran, ’ p. , JFK Doc. # ) Elena said that she had told her story to Noe Palomares of the Gobernacion about six months after the assassina- tion. (Ibid.) He advised against going to the American ‘Embassy and told her that if she did anything at all she should merely write an anonymous letter. (Ibid.) The Committee spoke to Mr. Palomares who denied Ms. Garro's claim. (HSCA interview of Noe Palomares, JFK Doc. ): Elena stated that it was "common knowledge" that Silvia had been Oswald's mistress. (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx7241, 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 journalist." (Ibid.) /Victor Rico Galan is dead. The Committee could not verify Bocld: 32763506 Page 20
HW 50955 ~ 20 - Ms. Garro's allegation. Sylvia Duran denied the allega- tion. 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 pens once. (Ibid.) 7 ok /The HSCA-has been unable to determine the exact date./ Subsequent to December 25, 1965 ,AfThomas wrote in the December 25, 1965 memo that Elena had found her calendar 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 #7197 When Thomas went to Ferris' office and informed him, Ferris replied 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 ae to Thomas thag~Someons who had been prs at the part had stated that there were no Americans there. (Ibid.) Mr. Ferris did not tell Mr. Thomas that Ari nots Alejandro Lavagnini Stenius Ferris had provides ae “formation in 19> (supra p. ) Mr. Ferris suggested ; Depa 's base) or Gatley that it was not necessary for Thomas to pursue the since he considered the Oswald case closed and 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 Intelligence Boclda:322763506 Page 21
HY 0955 - 21 - Agency's Mexico City Station to aid in their investiga- tion of the John F. Kennedy assassination. On the first page of the memorandum of conversation Winston Scott wrote "Shouldn't we sent to Headquarters?" Someone responded, “Of course." /CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx 7241, Entry #427, p. 92, CIA #7107 December 27, 1965 Legal Attache Memo to the United States Ambassador re Elena Garro Le ow Lista Fe On December 27, 1965 the Legal Attache had wrttten VU. Ss. Cuske a memo to the Ambassador reporting that Elena and her daugh- wher. | ter were interviewed on 17 and 24 November 1964. / Memo to the Ambassador from the Legal Attache, 12/27/65, CIA #578; WX-7241, Entry #429, p. 94, CIA #721./ The memo ne pad Satd that Elena and her daughter furnished information simi- Whe 1 ake report lar to<thaf& in Thomas’ 12/10/65 memo. (Ibid.) The memo further’ stated, "Inquiries conducted at that time (Novem- > ber 1964), however, failed to substantiate the allegations ork 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 memorandum 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 below.) Winston Bocld: 32267506 Page 22
Scott superimposed a note to Anne Goodpasture on this ich read, "Can we send in a report to Headquarters ‘dismissing’ our cable?". Goodpasture re- sponded, "Done." (Memo to the Ambassador from the Legal Attache, 12/27/65, CIA #578, WX-7241 Entry #429, p. 94, CIA #721) The cable Winston Scott wanted dismissed was wh. ch «dated ; Mexi 5621 (Supra. p. ) on December 29, 1965 A cable written by Anne Goodpasture/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.) js[2a fer LICOOKIE's 10/5/64 memo is attached to EhtS cable. wane: WX-724]) explained this in a marginal comment, "This docu- wee ment by LICOOKIE was not in (Oswald's file), but was copied from (a project file) and attached to Mexi 5741, 29 Dec 65." (Tbid.) A note supefimposed to this cable by Allen White stated, "TI 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 wrote that the FBI had found Elena's allegations unsubstan- tiated but that "we will try to confirm or refute Ms. Garro de Paz's information and follow up." Win Scott wrote, HWY 350955 Docld:32263506 Page 23
HY 0955 ~ 23 - "She is also 'nuts.'" (Ibid. CIA #574) wr pes et gi? iSoe ‘/f a we CIA Investigation of Elena's Allegation that She Creat + st), A Disturbance at the Cuban Embassy on November 23, 1963 4 Thomas! December 25, 1965 memo to th an attached note asking them to check whether Elena was "seen creating such a disturbance as they claimed in front of the Cuban Embassy." (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 of- ficer wrote, "No pictures either." (Ibid.) /There is no indication that the penetration agents in the Cuban Embassy were queried about Elena's allegation. Ibid., that there are no pictures is reasonable since Elena claimed that the event happened: 1) on a Saturday at 3:00 p.m. when the Cuban Embassy was not normally photographically sur- veilled; and 2) the "disturbance" occurred inside the Cuban compound. HSCA Examination of the CIA Cuban Embassy photo- graphic surveillance showed no surveillance on 11/23/63. (Classified Summary of Staff Review of CIA Documents, un- dated, p. 3, CIA #763.)/ Bocld: 32763506 Page 24
~ 24 — 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 Or- leans in the early part of that month. /Memo from Legat to Ambassador, 2/23/66, CIA #571; WX-7241 Entry #455, p. 95, CIA #722/ The memo reitereated that no further action was being taken by the FBI because Elena's allegations had not been substantiated. (Ibid.) The Legal Attache fowarded tes mann a copy’ to the Central Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station. (The House Select 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 Oswald did not travel to Mexico prior to early September 1963? There must be some basis for Elena's reporting." (Ibid; referenced to Thomas' 12/25/65 memo.) Charles Thomas 7/13/66 Memorandum of Conversation re Elena Garro On 7/13/66 Charles Thomas wrote a memorandum of con- versation reporting that Elena had told him that she had received an invitiation to visit Cuba from Ambassador Juoquin Hernandez Armas. (Memorandum of Conversation by , HW 50955 Docld:32263506 Page 25
- 25 - Charles Thomas, 7/13/66, CIA #565; .WxX-7241, Entry 460, Pp. 96, CIA #723) Elena gave Thomas two letters to sup- port her claim. (Ibid.) She said the lftters had been delivered to her home by a driver from the Cuban Embassy. (Ibid.) The envelope gave her address as Vermont 38. (Ibid.) Because of her stay at the Hotel Vermont she saw the letters as a threat and was frightened. (Ibid.) (The HSCA has determined that the Cuban Government invited Elena Garro to visit Cuba due to her literary talents; See Biography.) Legal Attache Memo to Winston Scott re Elena's Allegation 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 informant had reported that the records of the Hotel Vermont dis- closed that “Elena Paz, housewife from San Luis Potosi" had registered at the Hotel Vermont on November 23, 1963. She left on November 30, 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 Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of In- vestigations waited until 1966 to investigate this aspect of Elena's story.) The Memo said that "the above individual may or may not be identif{cal with Elena Garro de Paz." (Ibid.) HY 50955 DBocld:322763506 Page 276
HW 450955 1 eieh Soe Charles Thomas' 12/25/65 memo’ states, "She (Elena) and her daughter did not personally register at the hotel. She thinks Calvillo registered them as relatives or friends of his from San Luis Postosi." (Memo of Conversation by Charles Thomas, 12/25/65, p. 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 Attaches Response >No further reportg 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). pen he wrote a memorandum to the Secre- tary of State which included a cover letter stating, "Since I was the Embassy Officer in Mexico who acquired this intelligence information, I feel a responsibility for seeing it through to its final evaluation." (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 Doclda: 322763506 Page 27
HY 0955 “Ps -~ 27 - 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 December 25, 1965 memorandum, Clarence Bostra (Deputy Chief of Mis- Sion, State Department, Chief of Affirs 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!” (state Department: Letter from Charles Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary of State, July 25, 1964) Thomas noted that even when he reiterated that Elena had not changed her story but rather that she had now given a more accurate account, Boonstra stated that the date was wrong and dismissed the entire affair. (Ibid.) Ont of one Mexico City Legat 4 Officd? Nathan Ferris, in reply to Thomas' letter and memorandum, asserted 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 sub- stantiation, 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 their report, the Legat's Office concluded that either the Counselor for Poli- tical Affairs did not route the memoranda to Charles Thomas or that Thomas did not recall receiving them. (Ibid.) Docld: 32763506 Page 2&8
HW 50955 -~ 28 — 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 Sep- tember, Ferris replied that Elena had given the late Sep- tember date when she had originally reported her story at the American Embassy. (State Department: Letter from Charles Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary of State, Julye 25, 1969). Thomas noted that Ferris explained that someone wh chad been at the party had stated that there had not been any Americans. (Ibid.) He wrote that he had assumed that Elena could have clearly been mistaken about the identi- ty of the American she saw there, but never doubted that tole te she had seen some Americans. (Ibid.) Thomas attege@ that rerrid Sigested ek it was not necessary for Thomas to pursue the matter since he considered the Oswald case alee ow closed and had heard all the rumors before. (Ibid.) ribs . . ie . mo The Legat Office replied that Mr. Ferris had not told Thomas that someone who was at the party had sta Meee eek that there had not been any Americans present. I Report, a5 in “xo 9/39/69, p. 4, JFK Doc. No. ) The/freport ~sserted that Thomas had been told that it would not be necessary for him to pursue the mater any further since Elena's story had been investigated previously without being substantiated. (Ibid.) In addition, the memo stated that Thomas had been told that Elena's story was considered a closed issue, not Boclda:322763506 Page 29
HW 50955 - 29 - that the Oswald case was closed. (Ibid.) House Select Committee on Assassinations' Investigation of Elena Garro's Allegations The House Select Committee on Assassinations investi- gated Elena Garro's story both through file reviews and personal interviews. The Committee requested and reviewed the CIA's, FBI's and State Department's files, when available, on Elena Garro de Paz, Elenita Garro de Paz, Manuel Calvillo, Noe W. Palomares, June Cobb Sharp, Victor Rico Galan, Eunice Odio, Sylvia Duran, Lydia Duran, Ruben Duran, Betty Serratos, Horatio Duran, Eusebio Azcue, and Emilio Carballido. Only the Elena Garro de Paz file contained information on her allegations. Though all the names listed above played a role in Elena Garro de Paz' story, not one of their files included a reference to Elena Garro de Paz. Furthermore, the House Select Committee on Assassina- tions requested and reviewed the Central Intelligence Agency's LICOOKIE £, LICHANT I, LIRING 3, LIHUFF I and TICHBORN files. Once again, not one of the files included a mention of Elena Garro's allegations. The House Select Committee on Assassinations learned that_LICOOKIE I was (40014? June Cobb Sharp who first reported Elena's allegation. (Supra, p. 4) The Committee also learned that LICHANT I Doclda: 322763506 Page 30
= 30 - yer ke was Manuel Calvillo who had Elena Garro and her daughter in a hotel the day following the assassination. (Supra, slardl ° p. 13) “te also told Elena that Sylvia Duran had been ar- rested before ertis—ract had become public knowledge. (Ibid.) sincd Fite review was inconclusive, the Committee decided to arrange interviews in Mexico with Sylvia Duran, Elena Garro, Elenita Garro, Horacio Duran, Ruben Duran, Lynn Duran, Emilio Carbillido and Betty Serratos. The Mexican Government informed the House Select Committee on Assassinations that Elena and Elenita Garro disappeared: in 1968 during the student uprisings and have never re- turned to Mexico. The officials stated that Elena and her daughter might be in Spain. (See Mexico City Proce- dural Write-up Trip 1.) The Mexican government reported that Emilio Garballido could not be found. (Ibid.) The others were interviewed between June 1 and June 6, 1978. (Ibid.) Betty Serratos, Lydia Duran, Ruben Duran, and Horatio Duran all stated that Elena was not the dancing type and therefore did not attend any of the twist parties at the Duran homes. (See: HSCA Interview of Betty Serratos, 6/6/78, p. 6, JFK Document No. : HSCA Staff Interview of Lydia Duran, 6/5/78, p. 6, JFK Document No. 3; HSCA Staff Interview of Ruben Duran Navarro, 6/6/78, p. 16, JFK Document No. ; HSCA Staff Interview of Horatio Duran Navarro, 6/5/78, p. 25, JFK Document No. ). When HY 50955 DBocld:322763506 Page 31
Ont! of Betwabe of from Oe C Hees C& ) any) HW 50955 - 31 - Sylvia Duran was asked if Elena or Elenita Garro ever attended twist parties at the Duran homes, she recalled Elena attending one twist party at Ruben's home in 1963 when the Garros returned to Mexico from France. (HSCA Staff Interview of Sylvia Tirado Bazan, 6/6/70, p. 90, JFK, Document No. ) All the Durans denied that Lee Harvey Oswald had attended any party at one of their homes. (String cites.) | The Committee next asked the-Central Intelligence Agency to arrange staff interviews with LICHANT/1 (Manuel Calvillo), LICOOKIE/1 (June Cobb), along with a list of other assets who may have had information related to Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to Mexico City. ( The Central Intelligence Agency declined to aid the Com- mittee in this aspect of thé investigation.( od by? ) The Committee returned to Mexico City and attempted to locate June Cobb Sharp and Manuel Calvillo. (See Proce- dural Write-up Trip 2 Mexico City) The results of the Com- mittee's work were as follows: 1) The Mexican government told the Committee that June Cobb Sharp received a tourist permit, number 72781, on June 27,. 1947 when she entered Mexico through Nuevo Laredo. She asked, but was deneid, permission to represent the magazine, Modern Mexico. On June 21, 1948, she received a courtesy permit, number 25556. Furthermore, the Mexican government explained that she dis- Boclda:322763506 Page 32
-~ 32 - appeared in 1954 and never returned to Mexico. (See Pro- cedural Writeup Trip 2 Mexico City.) The Committee believes that there is a possibility that this information is incor- rect. According to Ms. Cobb's CIA file she worked for the agency as an asset in Mexico from 1961 through 1966. (CIA Report, 1965, June Cobb file, 201- ) Elena also stated that Ms. Cobb resided at her home in 1964. (Supra ii, : 4, 5 lone )° 2) The Mexican government told the Committee wal ae, aN that Manuel Calvillo did not live at Cuohtemoc 877-5 as BY. oir, intorred ey os, the Committee had stated. Their agent-in-charge had spoken * ature KR Y/fanrcc Caf, Ho ‘ to the superintendant at the apartments for the past twenty-five vears-—who SWid that no Manuel Calvillo had ever resided there. When Committee staffers gave the. Mexi- can government Calvillo's pen name, the Mexicans gave the same answers. (See Procedural Write Mexico City Trip 2.) Lddt The Committee is Gite certai that Mr. Calvillo Lived Kt this address since it acquired the address from a recent CIA document. (CIA Report, 1976, Manuel Calvillo file, 201- ) The Committee believes that there is a possibility that the Mexican government received orders from the Cen- tral Intelligence Agency to refrain from aiding the Committee with this aspect of its work. (See Procedural Write-up Trip 2 Mexico City.) HW 350955 Docld: 32263506 Page 33
HW 450955 - 33 - The Comm tes made every attempt possible to locate £/*"- On Tualy F497 Ar l an wet « pope errr telephone / her publisher Mortiz in Mexico City and asked about her whereabouts. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 7/7/78, JFK Document No. 10016) The publisher stated that Ms. Garro _was living in the Hotel S.A.C.E. in Madrid, Spain. (Ibid.) The Committee staffer telephoned the Hotel in Spain and spoke to the manager who told him that Ms. Garro had moved out. (Ibid.) (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 7/7/78, JFK Do- cument No. on July 14, 19784 Committee staffer called her publisher again and was told to contact the iexiean Embassy in Madrid, Spxainj\ The publisher stated / s [ that all Elena's daokks were sent there because she did \ not even trust her publisher with her address. (Ibid.) \(HSCA Staff Contact Report, 7/14/78, JFK Document No. 9950) The Committee s#eféfer called the Mexican Embassy in Madrid, Spain and spoke to Adolfo Padilla, an employee ot Keb who stated that when Elena visited the Embassy a couple tee of weeks before to pick up a check(she looked financially per one SOS poor, Ahsca Staff Contact Report, 8/31/78, JFK Docunent\ fA eday, g Sagres No. ) He stated that when he asked Elena her new ad- pa, ae, Se eS, dress she declined to give one, stating that she would (hae? return every few weeks to PIAL, checks ans mail. (Ibid.) The staffer=sft-tkhe Committee ks te Bos a message asking Elena to telephone the Committee collect. (Ibid.) BDocld:32763506 Page 34
HY 0955 - 34 - ) - On September 5, 1978, Elena Garro called the Committee ,see@fer. When the staffer explained that the Committee wished to talk to her in person and would pay both her daughter's and her travel from Spain, Ms. Garro asked why she should believe the staffer was who he claimed? ?(HSCa Staff Contact Report, 9/5/78, JFK Document No. ) The Soteer asked Ms. Garro to call back collect in the next few days when he could explain to her when and where she could receive a Committee letter deli- neating why the Committee wished to interview her. (Ibid.) The Committee wrote the letter and made arrangements with the State Department for a letter to be hand-delivered to Elena at the American Embassy in Spain. (See attached letter: also, HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/5/78, JFK Docu- ment No. — ) . On September 7, 1978, Elena Garro called the Committee sfaéfer and asked when the letter would arrive. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/7/78, JFK Document No. ) The Com- mittee s#teéfer explained that the letter could be gotten on Monday, September 11, 1978 from George Phelan, the Counsellor for Consular Affairs at the American Embassy. (Ibid.) Ms. Garro stated that she would get the letter on September ll, 1978 and follow our suggestions. (Ibid.) Ms. Garro never went to the American Embassy in Spain to get the Committee's letter. (HSCA Staff Contact Docld: 32763506 Page 35
oo, . = 35 - Report, 9/15/78, JFK Document No. ) The Committee, hoping she would receive the letter before her flight. as ivfpt date, proceeded to purchase tickets for both Elena and -her daughter. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/12/78, JFK Adv acer . Document No.-. | | ) Elena Rever—got the tickets at (the airport. | (CHSCA Staff ‘Contact Report, 9/15/78, JFK * ~. Document | No. aye ‘The’ Comin tee ree Papet. con- as ino: mt ed. oy (MS he. Pas agains Se tact! with“her . ot “The “Committee also investigated whether Thomas' causice out" was related to the ‘Oswald case. Cagter interviewing his widow, Ns. cynthia Thomas, the Committee has concluded that his dismissal was unrediLted. | (HSCA Staff interview of cynthia Thomas , a ’ pe | , JFK Document No. OY “HW 50955 Docld:32263506 Page 36