13-00000 of | Seer MEMORANDUM FOR: LA/EICO ue eu Mr. William Sturbitts SUBJECT '; Review of Lee Harvey OSWALD 201 File for Freedom of Information Request REFERENCE  =—«:-~=—- Request Number 75-105, 2 June 1975 “1; A review of the Lee Harvey OSWALD file (201-289248) has been completed by the Mexican Branch in connection with reference Freedom of Information request. Most of the information contained in the file that pertains to Mexico came from sensiti methods, such as photo surveillance: nd mail intercept operations. Although the mail intercept and photo surveillance activities have been dicontinued, the fact that they were in operation in Mexico continues to be considered sensitive. | 2. The Mexican information reviewed covered three -areas: a. Sylvia DURAN Tirado. A Mexican female employed by the Cuban Embassy in Mexico who provided assistance to OSWALD in his attempts to obtain a Cuban visa. Information regarding DURAN appears in the Warren _ Report, however, it is not attributed to the Agency. .The Government of Mexico (GOM) did arrest and interrogate DURAN re her connection with OSWALD, and a copy of the GOM deposition appears in the Report. The deposition was turned over to the Commission by the GOM via State Department. Since knowledge of DURAN's contact with OSWALD originally came to both the GOM's and Agency's attention all mention of Agency knowledge or “participation in DURAN's arrest and subsequent interrogatio has been marked for non- release. LS b. Photo of unidentified man taken in front of the Soviet Embassy in Mexico. This photo was taken by — Station Mexico photo surveillance of the Soviet Embassy during the month of October 1963. When news of the arrest of OSWALD as Keanedy's assassin became known, the Station immediately forwarded copies of the photo. to the FBI in the mistaken assumption that the photo was of OSWALD taken while he was in Mexico that fall. It was later determined that the photo was not of OSWALD and in fact had been taken after he had departed Mexico. (OSWALD was in Mexico from 26 September thru 3 October 1963.) Even though the photo was not of OSWALD it had been shown to OSWALD's wife and mother, with the background partially
13-00000 a. { A ne : . - * 7 . cropped in an effort to digguise the place where the photo had been taken. The photo became somewhat of an _-sm- issue when the Warren Commission decided it belonged eee in the Report as part of the exhibits since it had been shown to the OSWALDs. The Agency finally allowed the picture to appear in the report with the background completely,.blocked .out..and. with the agreement that no. mention. would be made about where it had. been taken. ‘As far as can be determined, the Agency has never admitted publicly that the photo was taken in Mexico, ‘even though there has: been ‘a great deal of speculation ' to that effect by several authors and journalists. As a matter of fact, one of the lawyers who worked with the ...Commission.. later. leaked.. information to an author regarding the :photo;. but erroneously: said it had: been .:taken in: d “front of the Cuban Embassy in Mexico by CIA. Still, the Agency has not revealed the actual location, only saying it was taken somewhere outside the U.S. All mention of. the photo.has therefore been marked. to be ‘withheld, because of sensitive sources and methods _". ca on involved. ec. Gilberto ALVARADO Ugarte. ALVARADO, a Nicaraguan citizen, walked in to the U.S. Embassy. in Mexico, claiming to have knowledge re Kennedy's assasination. It was learned that ALVARADO was an agent for the Nicaraguan . Intelligence Service (NIS), however his story re the “assassination was separate from his work for the NIS. After lengthy interrogation, including a polygraph, it was determined that ALVARADO had been fabricating a story claiming he ‘had -seen, OSWALD. receive. money . from a Cuban official at ‘the’ Cuban’ Embassy in Mexico. “The ALVARADO story appears” order to continue to protect, ALVARADO and the Nicaraguan in the Warren Report. but it does not reveal his identity. In * government’: “from: possible embarrassment all mention of ALVARADO has been marked for non-release. 2. A list and copies of douments from the OSWALD file have been forwarded to your office for review by other LA branches and possibly other Divisions. The documents are marked according to which volume they belong in the 201 file (there are 57 volumes Plus, many bulky attachments.) . 3. ‘During the review, it was necessary several times to. refer to the Warren Report and the exhibits to ascertain exactly what was already known about the Mexican aspect of the . case, It is doubtful that the other branches will find this necessary, but in case they do, the rren Report is held in the Library. Jack Mathews C/LA/Mexico