EJL First Draft Page 20 memo. The note says, "Can we send ina report to Headquarters ‘dismissing’ our cable?" Goodpasture responded, “done.” (IBID.) The cable being dismissed is Mexi 5621 (see above). The next entry in Oswald's Mexican file is a cable written by Ann Goodpasture. (Memo from Mexico City to the Director, 12/29/65, Mexi 5741, CIA #575: WX-7241 Entry #430, p. 94, CIA #721.) The cable reports the Legat interview and the failure to substantiate Elena's story. The cable promises to keep Headquarters advised if any further information is developed. (IBID.) In the #i1e(Excooxrsagho/s/os memo is attached to this cable. WX-7241 explains this by saying, ina marginal comment, "This document by[- LICOOKIE{ as not in (Oswald's file), but was copied from (a project file) and attached to Mexi 5741, 29 Dec. 65." (IBID. ) A note attached to this cable by "I don't know what FBI did in Nov 64, but the Garro's have been talking about this for a long time and she is said to be extremely bright." Ann Goodpasture wrote that the FBI had found Elena's allegations unsubstantiated but that “we will try to confirm or refute Mrs. Garro de Paz's information and follow up." Win Scott wrote, "She is also ‘nuts'." (IBID; CIA #574) On 1/9/66 Charles Thomas wrote another memo about a conversation with Elena. (Memo of Conversation, 1/9/66,
EJL First Draft Page .21 CIA #573; WX-7241, Entry #451, p. 95, CIA #722.) This memo reported that Elena said that Victor Rico Galan had told her that Eusebio Azcue was "one of the most powerful men in Cuba." Elena said that Azcue was a Spanish Cuban who had fought in the Spanish Civil War and, by his own admission, had served at that time as a French intelligence agent. The above mentioned memo is attached to a State Department Memo (Memo #A-727 to Department of State from Amembassy, Mexico, 1/22/66, CIA No. 572; WX-7241 Entry #451, p. 95, CIA #722/) This memo reports that Victor Rico Galan is a Spanish born Mexican journalist who has been one “of the most prolific and ardent apologists for debits Castro's Cuba in Mexico." On February 3, 1966 Anne Goodpasture sent Thomas' memo to the Cuban section with 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 Ann 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 Cuban
EJL First Draft Page 22 Embassy were queried about this. (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 surveilled; and 2.) the "disturbance" occured inside the Cuban compound. HSCA Examination of the CIA Cuban Embassy photographic surveillance showed no surveillance on 11/23/63. (Classified Summary of Staff. Review of CIA Documents, , undated, P. 3, CIA #763.) On 2/23/66 the Legal Attache wrote a memo to the Ambassador regarding the Garros allegations. (Memo from Legat to Ambassador, 2/23/66, CIA #571; WX-7241 Entry #455, p. 95, CIA #722.) This memo reports that "extensive investi- gation" 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. The memo repeated that no further action was being taken by ‘the FBI because her allegations had not been substantiated. (IBID.) A marginal comment by this entry in WX-7241 says, “How can it be ascertained that Oswald did not travel to Mexico prior to early Sept. 63? There must be some basis for Elena's reporting." (IBID; referenced to Thomas' 12/25/65 memo.)
EJL First Draft Page 23 On 7/13/66 Charles Thomas wrote another memo. (Memorandum of Conversation by Charles Thomas, 7/13/66, CIA #565; WX-7241, Entry 460, p. 96, CIA #723.) Elena had received an invitation to visit Cuba from Ambassador Joaquin Hernandez Armas. She gave Thomas two letters to support the claim. She said the letters had been delivered to her home by a driver from the Cuban Embassy. The envelopes gave her address as Vermont 38. Because of her stay at the Hotel Vermont she saw the letters as a threat and was frightened. Thomas also reported that Elena had recently run into Lydia Duran. Elena said that Lydia was now very poor and had a job with the Difusion Cultural at the Anthropological Museum. ({IBID.) 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 disclosed that “Elena Paz, housewife from San Luis Potosi" had registered at the Hotel Vermont on November 23, 1963. She left on November 30, 1963. The memo said that "the above individual may or may not be identical with Elena Garro de Paz." (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.)
EJL First Draft Page 24° Charles Thomas' 12/25/65 memo said, “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.) On 2/7/67 Charles Thomas wrote another memo. (Memorandum of Conversation, 2/7/67, CIA #563.) Elena told Thomas that Horatio Duran presently worked for Joaquin Cisneros, the private Secretary of Mexican President Diaz Ordaz. Elena says that Horatio Duran recently interviewed with Cisneros to order the Gobernacion to grant an entry visa for the son of Eusebio Azcue. (IBID.) No further reports on Elena's story were generated until 1969 when Charles Thomas was “selected out." ("Selected out" isaphrase 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). Then, he wrote a letter and memorandum to the Secretary of State saying, "Since I was the Embassy “ - CB ws CF a 4 2 Officer in Mexico who acquired this intelligence information, I feel a responsibility for seeing it through to its final