Mor enne Dru ons 104-10326-10013 (ow SECRET MHFNOY 98-0748996 _- “SENSIND>. ee PAGE 1 Wwe SR DLL eit ee ee ee eee Sor ee ee ee ee ee ee nee ee ee eee ee 4 1 a aa ~ \\SECRET Ly PRPS yO Pn STAFF ACTION: (276) INFO: LIMITED, _ Mpsx, FILE, (4/W) la i | 98 0748996 ASR / __\pacz 001 2... § IN 0748996 2 ~-\ t TOR: 0613352 MAR 98 ~L__]17622__ . ee en tee eS SPEED 2 oe 2 2 2 Tee ee te S ECR E T 061332Z MAR 98 STAFF Z y ee 1 CITE | 27622 a | | LTT “3 | TO: ° DIRECTOR. y * PRT ae an \ | FOR: LIMIT brssey______]inF . SLUGS: WNINTEL JYVAPOROUS ? \ . eee XSUBJECT: BKGB ACCESS SUPPORT TO USG<ASSASSINATIONSRECORD REVIEW BOARD j REF: NONE. TEXT: O 1. ACTION REQUIRED: PLEASE SBE BELOW;‘TRACES ON SUBJS IN PARA / 5; GUIDANCE ON ARRB-BKGB ACCESS REQUEST. i 2. ON MORNING 6 MAR 98 POLECON_OFFICER AND DCM MET WITHLCOS) TO ALERT HIM TO POSSIBLE NEED FOR‘ STATION, SUPPORT TO FACILITATE FUTURE MEETING (S) WITH BKGB BY EMBASSY “OR OTHER USG PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN *FOLLOWUP INQUERIES ON BEHALF OF USG’S<ASSASSINATION>RECORD REVIEW BOARD (ARRB). ARRB IS CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED AND FUNDED BODY *LOOKING AT ALL DOCUMENTS RELATED TO<ASSASSINATION>OF PRESTIDENT<JOHN> *F.<KENNEDY.> OF INTEREST IN MINSK ARE RECORDS HELD BY THE BKGB *RELATED TO<LEE HARVEY OSWALD>AND THE TIME HE SPENT HERE. ARRB APPARENTLY WANTS COPIES OF ALL THESE BKGB RECORDS TO MAKE THEM AVAILABLE FOR SCHOLARLY REVIEW AND RESEARCH PURPOSES. 3. PER POLECON OFFICER, THE ARRB CHAIRMAN (A RESPECTED RETIRED FEDERAL JUDGE) HAD, REPORTEDLY MADE INQUERIES HERE IN OCTOBER 1996, AT WHICH TIMEXSTATION HAD, WITH HQS CONCURRENCE, FACILITATED BKGB MEETINGS (BUT (STATION: WAS APPARENTLY DIRECTED By HOS TO AVOID ALL OTHER INVOLVEMENT). BKGB TOOK REQUEST FOR COPIES OF THE DOCUMENTS UNDER REVIEW, BUT NO DOCUMENTS WERE EVER PROVIDED. WHEN PRESSED, BKGB SAID THEY WOULD ANSWER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, BUT THEIR "PRIVACY LAWS" WOULD NOT LET THEM RELEASE RECORDS WHICH RELATE TO LIVING BELARUSSIANS (PER POLECON, THIS SPEFICALLY INCLUDED OSWALD’S FORMER WIFE, MARINA). ARRB PRESENTED LENGTHY LIST OF DETAILED, LEGALISTIC, AND (WHAT POLECON OFFICER, HERSELF A LAWYER, DESCRIBED AS) ONEROUS QUERIES. BKGB NEVER RESPONDED. SECRET
13-00000 aa. oe CMHENO: 98-0748996 “SENS IND : 4. EMBASSY UNDERSTOOD THAT LEGISLATIVE MANDATE FOR ARRB HAD EXPIRED IN FALL 1997, SO DID NOT FOLLOWUP FURTHER. HOWEVER, MANDATE WAS APPARENTLY EXTENDED TO FALL 1998, AND ARRB’S INTEREST IN BKGB INFORMATION HAS BEEN REACTIVATED. ARRB TEAM MAY WISH TO COME TO MINSK TO TRY AGAIN TO OBTAIN THESE RECORDS FROM BKGB, OR AT LEAST GET EMBASSY TO REVITALIZE EFFORTS TO DO SO. 5. FOR THE RECORD“ (AND HOS TRACES), AT THE TIME OF THE ARRB’S : OCT 1996 MEETINGS WITH BKGB, ARRB MET PRINCIPLY WITH THE FOLLOWING | BKGB OFFICIALS: -~- ALEKSANDR ((VERAS)), HEAD OF SECTION (NFT) -- LEV ((PIMENAU)), HEAD OF SECTION (NFI) -- ALEKSANDR ((ABLAMEIKA)), PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPT. AT SOME POINT DURING MEETINGS THEY WERE JOINED BY: ~~ GENNADIY ((NARKEVICH)) (PHONETIC), A DEPUTY CHATRMAN, BKGB. (THIS IS ALMOST CERTAINLY IDEN.) REQUEST HOS TRACES ON FOUR BKGB OFFICERS ABOVE. 6. COMPLICATING ALL THIS IS FACT THAT AT SOME POINT, AUTHOR NORMAN MAILER (APPARENTLY WITH EMBASSY ACCESS ASSISTANCE) WAS GIVEN ACCESS TO (SOME/ALL? OF) THE BKGB’S OSWALD RECORDS, WHICH MAILER REFERS TO EXTENSIVELY IN HIS BOOK "OSWALDSS_TALE: AN AMERICAN MYSTERY," PUBLISHED—IN_1995. CRAFTER THE FACT, PER_POLECON OFFICER, BKGB REALIZED THAT MAILER MADE SUBSTANTIAL PROFITS FROM THIS BOOK, AND” THAT” THE BKGB. HAD :7GOTTEN. NOTHING.-FOR PROVIDING ACCESS~TO-THEIR | RECORDS, _THUS THEY REPORTEDLY FELT THEY _HAD BEEN CHEATED . ( 7. BALL IS NOW IN STATE’S COURT, BUT THEY AND EMBASSY EXPECT THAT REQUEST WILL BE FORTHCOMING FROM ARRB IN NEAR FUTURE, AND THENCE TO O STATION, TO FACILITATE MEETINGS WITH BKGB ON THIS | MATTER - TOL BE A’ —, \ \ 7arT AHEAD OF THE _CURVE, REQUEST HOS GUIDANCE “AND AUTHORIZATION _KS / APPROPRIATE - wa an ne ~—— ; . FILE: 227-002-001; 201-1482358. DECL ON: Ch CL REASON: / ; . CL-BY+-.0702653. DRV | - ~ oo wee ee ee ‘S TO Sanne rarer teenmen as = “END OF MES SAGE ; SECRET SECRET