7 eB Se IE ple AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY: _ FBI RECORD NUMBER: — 124-10227-10203 RECORD SERIES: MX AGENCY FILE NUMBER:  105-3702-616 ee DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM: LEG, MX TO: DIRECTOR, FBI TITLE: DATE: 04/09/1964 PAGES: 3 SUBJECT: SEE FBI 105-82555-3340 DOCUMENT. TYPE: ORIGINAL . NEW © ORIGINAL Unclassified - NEW CLASSIFICATION: NENESSENE CLASSIFICATION: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT REVIEW DATE: {1/20/1997 UPDATE DATE: 02/14/2001 STATUS  Redact RESTRICTIONS: JFK Act 6 (4) COMMENTS: DoclId: 32177993 Page 1
[ Released und¢ér the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 “"~ ~Hote). DATE: 11-14-2017 cr" pan ra smote i ea sl j Bae ee’ AIRTEL ¥ TO: DIRECTOR, FBI (105-82555) FROM: LEGAT, MEXICO orm, (105-3702) Y >) Si serenity mete SUBJECT: LEE HARVEY OSWALD, ake Is - R- CUBA 4, DECTASSIFIED BY ¥ gle Sob¢: SLd s oo tsti‘(‘éaxa i. re) TEMS: eBuairtel 4/1/64 and Mexico City cable 4/8/64. It is believed by the Mexico City Office that an interview of CHARLES SMALL by Mexican authorities would be highly undesirable for the following reasons: ‘ The only information concerning SMALL's reactions and statements concerning OSWALD came from[MEX-18 and MEX- [u] 19. t is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to con- tx he Mexican police and if that information was passed on to them as the basis for an interview, there is no assurance that they would not reveal it to the subject. . Such action would probably result in SMALL's recognizing the informants as the source of the information, thereby destroying their future utility and embarrassing the , operations of the Bureau in Mexloo YRe- | N 11/23/63, ELIZABETH CATLETT MORA (Bufile _— 100-395934) advised|MEX-18 and MEX-12 oT t the PCM was ae U) 5 - Bureau tt ~ fdAaison Section) tt ~ Dallas, 100-10461) (27 Mexico City (7) (1 - MC 100-1535, SMALL) NLF:eim t AIRTEL TAN sen enes oat 1280, gh? ons = i. oe eel 4 gow _ my - S Rls i | senna... cae _ DoclId: 327177993 Page 2?
Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107% Hote). _ DATE: 11-14-2017 oo Pe. 2 - -MC 105-3702 sec “very. concerned over the assassination of President KENNEDY ‘and the involvement of OSWALD, who was connected with the Fair Play for Cuba Committee (FPCC). Although she did not indicate which organism of the PCN had reached this decision; _it is to be noted that MORA was a‘member of the so-called ‘Leadership Branch of the PCM. She stated that the PCM had decided that there were only four American in Mexico who might possibly be involved. in FPrCC operations as far as the Mexican police might know: ASA, ZATZ (Bufile 1105-16890), CHARLES SMALL, and the informants. . As the Bureau is aware, the informants came to. the attention of the Mexican authorities when HELEN LEVI TRAVIS ria (Bufile 100-336032), who was admittedly a member of the FPCC, He was arrested and deported in November, 1962. “At that time, j the Mexican police. found the .informants' home address and telephone number in TRAVIS! motel room and it was necessary. for the informants to go into hiding until the: Mexican. police gave up efforts to interview them. Up) On 11/23/63, MORA advised the informants that if any action was taken. against them by the Mexican police, . they should immediately get in touch with, JUAN MANUEL GUTIERREZ, the Mexico City attorney whom the informants had previously been instructed to contac in case they were arrested for political reasons. wu) Under the above ‘eireunstances, therefore, any request of the Mexican police to interview SMALL on.the basis of his relations with members of the FPCC would foc the attention of those authorities, on [Mx 18 and MEX-~19,/°x well CU as on SMALL, with the possibility ‘that the Mexican olice, %who, as pointed out above, are difficult to control, might ade also take action against the informants. Ji, Consideration has also been given to calling SMALL, who is an American citizen, into the Embassy for interview.. It is not felt, however, that such action would be advisable since any interrogation. by Embassy personne including this office, woyld necessarily e to be predicated on informa- tion from({MExX-18 and MEX-19,J/ which would jeopardize the =] informants the same as if done by the Mexican police The informants have also advised that SMALL has DoclId: 327177993 Page 3
Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 7™ Hote). , DATE: 11-14-2017 sr? nr 4 MC 205-3702 a heart . condition, ‘claims to hi - ‘suffered a Blight. heart attack while in the United States in September, 1963,’ and is in poor heaith. [information received from CIA, Mexico, clas- C u | . Sified "SECRET" and not to be disseminated outside : the Bureau, .” also confirms SMALL's reported heart’ condition:and his... | ' frequent aims that he, has to be very careful not to aggra- vate as ageressive interview of SMALL by either the. Mexic Olice or American personne] might either. percipitate another heart attack. or cause the subject to claim another such attack and accuse the Bureau of being responsible for it. In addition to the above factors, the Mexico City Office: has no information to show that such an interview, either by the Mexican. police;.or the American officers would . be productive. Available sources have given po indication that SMALL actually ever: knew or saw OSWALD. His claim that t he must have known OSWALD at some time’ and that he might have met OSWALD in Mexico was, according to{MEX-18 and mex-19UCX4 based on the fact that many American communists visiting Mexico go to SMALL's store and that he assists them in con- nection with their problems while visiting Mexico clty 2a SMALL, however, has given no’ indication that he recognized OSWALD from the newspaper pictures printed in Mexico City or recognized his name as being one of the visitors at his store. The informants have reported that following the. assassination of President KENNEDY and the public identification of OSWALD's leftist connections with the FPCC and his former residence in the Soviet Union, the American communists in Mexico were extremely fearful, expect- ing police harrassment of all leftists. They considered SMALL's concern over the. possibility that OSWALD might have , visited his store to be part of the general concern of all American communists here after reading that OSWALD had been in Mexico. No information has since been developed to the contrary. In light of the above, the Mexico City Office does not believe that an interview of SMALL should be undertaken ° by either Mexican or American officials. / DoclId: 327177993 Page 4