ri a a a sec ee SE Lt EE JFK Assassination System — Date: Identification Form 4/8/2015 Agency Information AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: — 124-10316-10004 RECORD SERIES: HQ AGENCY FILENUMBER:  65-44184-206 Document Information ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: HQ TO: TITLE : DATE: 05/16/1975. * PAGES: 21 SUBJECTS : JESSICA SMITH ABT DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION: Secret RESTRICTIONS : 1B; 1C; 4 CURRENT STATUS: — Redact DATE OF LAST REVIEW : ‘01/08/1999 OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE, APPROVAL OF NSA COMMENTS : ‘ f i ) \ { ‘ { oy | I v9.1 3 i Docld: 32311461 Page 1
DoclId: 32311461 Page 2. : SUPPLEMENTAL’ CORRELATION... SUMMARY, (See Correlation Summaries* dated. 2 65-44184-60 as 6/62 filed
| CO SECRE ie RELATIVE WHO HAS BUREAU MAIN FILE The relationship, biographical data, and CP activity of Jessica Smith Abt were set forth in the serials of the main file on her husband, John Jacob Abt, as follows: ao FILE NUMBER oo | . SEARCH SLIP PAGE NUMBER  100-236194-266 Oo oe OEE  . 280 - ; . ar, f Pr -301 a . es \; . S) Gist provided information in which reference was made to a Bureau report dated 11/24/54, relating to Louis Fisher, a writer and lecturer. The report indicated that Fisher stated that Jessica Smith had been a friend of his in Europe-in the 1920's at which time she was a correspondent for Reuter's News Service. Fisher considered Smith to have been a CP member although he had no. definite information to that effect. \ \ f -65-67766-5 ep.257 Se Worthington B. Houghton, Secretary, E. Quincy Smith Real Estate Company, WDC, provided copies of the active indices or mailing lists of the United American Spanish Aid Committee (100-7061). Among the names listed was that of Mrs. John H. Abt, WDC, who was also listed as a donor to the committee. (Bureau report 6/19/42.) , 100- 1061- 124, Re 6, (28 ay NY 2009-S made available a letter from the "New World Review," (NWR) 34 West 15th St., NYC, dated October, 1961, over the signature of Jessica Smith. ‘The’ letter asked for subscriptions to the NWR and noted that Bernard Koten (100-245228) would answer questions to a new feature, "The Question Box." . ; . _— Add. info. | - 100-245228-81 p.1,3 e ee BY en TASK FORGE. Gn “lad bys dope _ Py Cac re PULL . oo, . mc , RE LEAS ASE IN PART , 7 . \ a ° TOTAL DERRAL 3) . cs ! DocId: 32311461 Page 3
_ | -SECREE re NY letter | dated 4/30/63, indicated that a funds transaction dated 3/11/63, the payee of which was "New World Review, 34 West 15th St., “ (|New York, N.Y., B/O Sovetskaia Zhenschina for Jessica Smith, author's fees," occurred involving. funds maintained at the Chase” Manhattan Bank, NYC, by the A-2 Bank for Foreign Trade, Moscow,’ USSR. - 65-28939-2921 p.3 ( ; > On 5/21/63, LA 3932-S furnished a mimeographed letter addressed to "Dear Reader" and signed "Jessica Smith, Editor," which was printed . on the letterhead of NWR, 34 West 15th St., NYC. The letter requested funds for NWR and referred to planned new features. It also indicated that Martin Hall (65~-11750) would write for the publication. ‘¢ ' 65-11750-142 ep.1 .~ (19% or Yuri Ivanovich Nosenko, a former Soviet Intelligence officer, advised that in the summer of 1963, Jessica Smith, NYC, and the CPUSA intervened in behalf of Bernard Louis Koten who had been arrested by authorities in the USSR during a visit to that country. He was. Subsequently released. ‘ | 65-67568-386 p.4 i; Oo | . - SI 100-245228-109 p.B, 20 (ay (Add. info.) Correlator's Note: Koten was Director of the Library of. Intercultural Studies, successor to the American- Russian Institute. In July 1963, the US Customs Service, San Francisco, Calif., made available a list of individuals who had been receiving pro-communist propaganda. Among those -listed were John and Jessie Abt, 444 Central Park West, NYC. The publicatbon they received! was jentitled "Let Us Unite On the Basis of, the Moscow Declaration and the Moscow Statement. 100-394984-10232 p.14 ~ | or _—— { i DoclId: 32311461 Page 4
AQS1- S advised on 7/2/63, that Patricia Julia Blawis X1LOO- 345444) was working . for Jessica smith at the NWR in NYC. Add. info. -100- 345444-153 p. .2,3 199534 On 10/15/63, a Souvenir Journal issued by the Harry F, Ward 90th Birthday Committee (100-440969) was distributed at a meeting held at Carnegie Hall, NYC, to honor Dr. Harry F. Ward, a founder of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. The Journal contained written ‘tributes to Ward from Jessica Smith, NYC, and others. (Source not given.) ) ~ ~ 100- f40969- 4 p.26 _ 7 ver a youre The following references in the file’ captioned "Scott Nearing 80th Birthday Committee (SNBC)" set forth the activities of Jessica Smith’ during the period 9/29/63 through 11/7/63, in NYC. Smith was an initiator | of the SNBC and a member of the committee. The letters of invitation to the Scott Nearing 80th Anniversary Meeting were issued over Smith's name and she was a speaker and the chairwoman of the celebration which , was held on 11/7/63. The SNBC had its address at 34 West I5th St., NYC, the address of NWR, of which Smith was editor. She and others intended to use the Nearing meeting to urge the lifting of the US economic blockade of Cuba and to collect funds for Cuban relief. However, they failed to consult Nearing and when he was apprised of their intention he opposed it. Smith was described as a trusted communist who had attended sub-committee meetings of the Politburo of the CPUSA, held at CP headquarters. -, ; REFERENCE . - er _ SEARCH SLIP PAGE NUMBER a . . 100-441122-1 | (26% -7 p.3,4, LL 7 oe “(26 On 2/2/64, an SA delivered a pair of trousers which had belonged to Lee Harvey Oswald (105- 82555) to the FBI Laboratory. Found in a pocket of the trousers was a list of telephone numbers which included Ac 2-4611. . a - ” So SECREE 7 oo : / | (6) os (continued) | Docld: 32311461 Page 5
NY 694-S*aavised on 7/23/68; that $30,000, of “$530,000 furnished by foreign sources to the CP,USA during June, 1968, was'- for an advanced payment made by Gus Hall, General Secretary, CP,USA, to Jessica Smith (no locality) for NWR. 10053-102-478 p.2 [me Rowe advised that Holland Roberts, President of the American RUSsian Institute, San Francisco, Calif., in a letter dated 9/3/68, to Edward Sloan, recommended that several Americans including Jessica Smith, N.Y., receive literature of the Hemispheric Conference to End the Vietnam War (705-279625) « . . an 2 S . . This. serial indicated that{ Sloan was the initiator of the conference. |G ) ‘ = oo. - a 1055179625-36 ep.2  & ‘Material extracted from Communications Intercept Service feceived from US Army Operations and Research Detachment, Frankfurt/Main, West Germany, included a letter dated 10/23/68, from Jessica Smith | writing as Editor of the "New World Review," Suite 308 156 Fifth Avenue, NYC; and addressed’ to the Information Service of the Socialist Unity . Party, 102 Berlin, Marx Engels Platz, German Democratic Republic. Smith requested that the NWR be placed on the addressee's mailing list. (G ) . _ oo Letter Enclosed , - a | |  61-7374-1317 : ; ° (1 The following references in.the file captioned "Aleksey N. Stepunin" pertain to the activities of Jessica Smith in NYC during the period early 1966 through 10/24/68. Smith, a known CP member and long an important figure’ in the operations of publications sponsoring the CP line in NYC, was in contact with Stepunin on a number of. occasions. They discussed and decided on’ a group of persons, including Smith, to be invited to the 50th Anniversary of the USSR celebration to be held_ on 11/7/68 at the Soviet Embassy. Stepunin informed Smith that the Soviets had agreed to give her $30,000 annually for maintenance of the "New World Review." -He advised Smith that money had been sent from the Soviet ny deraie the, CPUSA for distribution to her. REVIEWED 8Y SA TASK FORCE. oo | oe ; ON: 719.98 Sch. ney eae | oO RELEASE IN FUEL | | SEGR a — | GB RELEASE iN PART (10), oe | ~ (continued) 1B, TOT, DENA | Os LUN EY- 200 4 ‘ | Docld: 32311461 Page 6