HW 55923 -61- Mr. Blackmer: Now, you explained to me that, let me ask you if this is correct, someone's speaking Russian the voice sounds in a certain way, and the same person speaking English might not sound the same, is that correct? Mr. .Tarasoff: That's correct because the person who speaks the English uses very stilted languages and long pauses between words and so forth, so it sounds mechanical to me. Mr. Blackmer: This is a Russian speaking English? Mr. Tarasoff: Yes, a Russian speaking English. Mr. Blackmer: All right, and-you, I understand from reviewing the Oswald tape when you were transcribing the two telephone conversations, do you have an opinion right now as to whether Yatskov was one of the, was the party that Mr. Oswald was speaking to on those two occasions? Mr. Tarasoff: I doubt it very much. Because by comparing the pictures I would say that it's not the same person. Mr. Blackmer: But, had you ever heard Yatskov speaking English? Docld: 322777225 Page 686
-62- Mr. Tarasoff: That I cannot answer. Mr. Blackmer: Were you aware that he could speak English? Mr. Tarasoff: That I don't know. Mr. Blackmer: You don't know. But you did recall many conversations from Yatskov in Russian. Mr. Tarasoff: Oh yes, yes. Mr. Blackmer: All right. Do you believe, you stated that you doubt very seriously if Yatskov was one of the parties speaking. Now I ask you if you are familiar with a Kostikov? Valeriy Vladimirovich Kostikov. Mr. Tarasoff: Valeriy Vladimirovich Kostikov. Mr. Blackmer: Do you know Mr. Kostikov? Mr. Tarasoff: I had transcribed some of his calls. Mr. Blackmer: Before the Oswald ‘calls? Mr. Tarasoff: Most likely. HW 55923 Docld:32277225 Page a7
HW 55923 63- Mr. Blackmer: So you are familiar with Mr. Kostikov's voice speaking Russian. Is that true? Mr. Tarasoff: Well, that is if I remember it correctly: Mr. Blackmer: Can you tell me whether or not you had ever recall Mr. Kostikov's speaking in English? Mr. Tarasoff: No. If a person was speaking in English I doubt if I would know him. Mr. Blackmer: Can you recall any conversation in which these high ranking Russians, you did know their function, did you know théywere. secret police? Yatskov and Kostikov? Mr. Tarasoff: Well, eventually I got to know them, who's who, I think I have that list of them. (turning to his wife he asks) Do you remember. Mrs. Tarasoff: ‘You were given a list of all of the Soviet Embassy employees and their status as to whether they were a Secretary Treasurer, or the one at the gate answering the phone, and they also issued certain information if they were able to prove it. Docld: 322377725 Page 36
-64- Mr. Tarasoff: Suspected KGB. Mrs. Tarasoff: Suspected KGB and suspected operator that they had. So this list was furnished. Mr. Blackmer: Could you tell me if you had this list before the Oswald conversation? Mrs. Tarasoff: Well this list was furnished practically every time they had a changeover of personnel. @ Mr. Blackmer: Did you know at the time of the Oswald conversation that Kostikov was a member of the KGB? Mr. Tarasoff: But I can't swear to that. Mr. Blackmer: But was this also indicated on this list that you got, whether they were KGB or not? Mrs. Tarasoff: If they suspected and they had proof, they would -put in question mark. Mr. Blackmer: Do you recall this man Kostikov having been one? Mrs. Tarasoff: No, that I wouldn't know. HW 55923 DBocld: 32277225 Page 69
-65- Mr. Blackmer: All right. Mr. Tarasoff: You have to realize one thing. There were fifteen employees plus their wives who chatted on the phone. So actually, there were quite a number of people to take care of. It was almost impossible to realize who's who and unless you get to know their voices perfectly. Mr. Blackmer: All right, Can I ask you if you're familiar with Antonovich Kanstantinov? . @ Mr. Tarasoff: Kanstantinov. Mr. Blackmer : Do you knowwa Kanstantinov? Mr. Tarasoff: Well, I heard them on the tape. Mr. Blackmer: Do you know what position he had in the Embassy? Mr. Tarasoff: Absolutely no. Mr. Blackmer: Do you recall whether he was suspected of being a.KGB official? Mr. Tarasoff: Yes, I was told that he was. HW 55923 DBocld: 32277225 Page 90
HW 55923 -67- Mrs. Tarasoff: No. Mr. Tarasoff: Unless they, what they've done.. Mrs. Tarasoff: abbreviated it. Mr. Blackmer: You're fluent in Russian sir, does..that look to you like it could in any way be an abbreviation of either. the name of Kostikov, or Yatskov or Konstantinov? Would someone familiar with the language of Russian use that as.an..abbreviation of: any of those names? Mr. Tarasoff: I am completely at a loss here. It -sounds Russian I know. Mr. Blackmer: It sounds Russian. But you didn't know the individual? Mr. Tarasoff: No, I don't recollect frankly. Mr. Blackmer: Do you know of any of the high-ranking officials in the Soviet Embassy, whether they spoke English on the telephone conversations or did they speak Russian mostly? Mr. Tarasoff: Oh, they spoke Russian.:.<Very séldom Doclda: 322377225 Page o2°
-68- Mr. Tarasoff: did you have English. Very seldom and then usually: I called upon her (Mrs. Tarasoff) to verify my idea, whatever they were talking about. Sometimes their English was so bad that it was impossible to make heads or tails out of it. Mr. Blackmer: I would like to ask you if you can state an opinion as to whether or not you think the party talking to Mr. Oswald, on the two conversations that you intercepted, were any of the individuals we just discussed. Yatskov, Kostikov, Konstantinov or Kostin. Do you know for © a fact whether Mr. Oswald spoke with any of these individuals? Mr. Tarasoff: Well my unconfirmed guess would be that it must have been either Kostikov, or Konstantinov. Mrs. Tarasoff: Well that's for the simple reason, -out of the whole group that was at the Embassy there were only about two that really spoke English well.enough, where they could carry on a conversation. Mr. Blackmer: And those two are? Mr. Tarasoff: Would be these two people/ Mr. Blackmer: Kostikov.and Konstantinov. HW 55923 DBocld: 32277225 ‘Page 93
HW 55923 -69- Mr. Tarasoff: Because the others were sort of a beginner, a word here or there, but they couldn't carry on a conversation, in fact if a phone call was made and an American was calling trying to get some information, well even the party at the gate that would be there, or at the switchboard. They would hardly understand what they were trying to say. They would try to tell them in Spanish that they don't’ understand them. Or telling them in Russian or in Spanish and they would finally hang up because even the party at the switchboard very seldom knew English. So you could boil it down to how many there were that really spoke English well enough where they could carry ona conversation. Mr. Blackmer: All right, I understand that you have made voice tapes. Could describe to me what you did and why that was done? Mr. Tarasoff: Well, first of all I wanted to familiarize myself with the way each member of the Embassy was talking. Secondly, if I had somebody doing my work for me after I -was transferred or for any other reason, that they would aa embassy listen to the voices of the Soviet/employees and figure out _ who was talking. And in order to build up a library, let's say, of the voice prints, so consequently ,assinhadtquite a Docld: 3232772275 Page 94
-70- Mr. Tarasoff: number of these spools, empty spools from eight millimeter movies, I used those for cutting off a section of the tape and then winding it on the spool and then my wife would mark it and put a piece of paper identifying each voice when it was spoken and so forth. After a while we would run out of it because there were so many different voices. So we had to go to Kodak store and we bought a whole mess of these empty reels. Mr. Blackmer: Did you deal with anybody in the Embassy on this voice taping? Mr. Tarasoff: No. I sent them notice: toxthat:effect tozthevembassy. I said that it would be a good idea. They didn't think so at first, but then, remember, I think it was. Herb that said actually, take the voice samples. Mr. Blackmer: So you definitely communciated this to Herb Mannell. Mr. Tarasoff: I think so. That's who it was. Mr. Blackmer: Can you tell me a little more about the voice identity tapes: that you made, when you left the eo employment, did you turn them ‘over to anyone in the Embassy? HW 55923 DBocld:32277225 Page 95
HW 55923 -71- Mr. Tarasoff: Oh yes, after we had a box full of them we had to turn them over. Do you remember who picked them up, probably one of the boys. Mrs. Tarasoff: Well, when we were leaving all the equipment went. There were a couple of them that came out and Charlie came out and who was the other fellow who and they took them. came out with them/ You know the one that brought the dictionarieswfor you. Mr. Tarasoff: Oh, Dan Vogel. Mrs. Tarasoff: Yes, he took some of the staff. Mr. Blackmer: I'm sorry, Dan Vogel? Mr. Tarasoff: His name is in the Mr. Blackmer: In what, sir? His name is in the book the CIA diary, Dan Vogel was someone that you gave these voice identify tapes to? Mrs. Tarasoff: Yes. Mr. Blackmer: I see. Do you know if these tapes are still in existence? Docld: 323277225 Page 96