HW 55923 -72- Le Mrs. Tarasoff: That, I have no idea. Mr. Blackmer: I'd like to show a memorandum sir, it's dated the 16th of October, 1963. It is a teletype message to the Ambassador concerning Lee Harvey Oswald's “contact with the Soviet Union. I'd like to read for you this paragraph and I want to ask you if you think it's a fair representation of the information that you transmitted to CIA headquarters during the time you transcribed the Oswald tape. If we can,.we have a minor delay, if we can cut off just for.a moment..and we can return. Mrs. Tarasoff, Mr. Tarasoff,:I.was_ going to ask you, give you the infor- mation that's contained in October 16, 1973 CIA memo to the Ambassador. It also has carbon copies to Immigration and Naturalization, Navy, Legal Attache, Regional Security Officers, Counselor for Political Affairs and the Ministry. This is information that was sent to these different agencies concerning Mr.. Oswald's appearance in Mexico City. in the period September-October, 1965 (Sic) (means 1963) and I'll just read it and I'll just try to emphasize the part that when discussing Mr. Oswald. This memo starts: the following information was received, and of course the source is blanked out, on October 1, 1963, now I want to read this following information and tell me if you think there is anything more in the transcripts than what's contained in this message. An American male contacted Docld: 32277225 Page 97
HW 55923 -73- the Soviet Embassy and identified himself. as Lee Oswald. Is that correct so far? Is that basically what you had in the transcript? Mrs. Tarasoff: Yes. Mr. Blackmer: This officer determined that Oswald had been at the Soviet Embassy on 26 or28..¢unclear):, .. September, 1963 and had talked with Kostikov, a member of the Counselor section. Now do you know for a fact whether he was at the Soviet Embassy? Mr. Tarasoff: We could never know that. Mrs. Tarasoff:. No. Mr. Blackmer: You never knew that. And do you know for a fact whether or not he talked to Kostikov on the ‘telephone? Mr. Tarasoff: Well, as I said before, it's a very doubtful proposition and we could jump at conclusions all weekend. Mr. Blackmer: But, you don't know for a fact that he did? BDocld: 32277225 Page 95
-~74- Mr. Tarasoff: Not as a fact. Mr. Blackmer: Mr. OSwald's contact was. done in order to learn if the Soviet Embassy had received a reply from Washington concerning his. (Oswald's) request. Now, do you _know, if in the conversation intercept, whether he was requesting something? Mrs. Tarasoff: If I can remember, I think he was requesting financial help to go back to either go to Cuba or to go to Russia. Mr. Blackmer: You don't recall whether or not being... (interrupted). Mrs. Tarasoff: But he needed financial assistance because he didn't have much money. Mr. Blackmer: Do you recall whether he asked the Soviet Embassy people if they had received replies from some previous requests he'd made? Mrs. Tarasoff: No. @ ' Mr. Blackmer: That is the information. So is there any more information that you know from the transcripts HW 55923 DBocld:32277225 Page 99
HW 55923 -75- Mr. Blackmer: about Mr.. Oswald's telephone conversations, is there more than is mentioned in the paragraph I just read you? And, if so, what else did you know? Mrs. Tarasoff: Well, I couldn't really rely on my ‘memory, but I know the conversation was quite lengthy, in fact, the transcript must have been at least a couple of pages or two. and a half pages, because it has to be done verbatim, word for word, it wasn't just listening to it and then you making a summary. It was a verbatim transcript made of both parties speaking to each other. Mr. Blackmer: Well, was there any more in the context of what went on in that conversation other than the fact that he just wanted to know if he'd gotten: a..request. (sic) back from the Soviets. Did he ask for anything? Do you recall that he asked for anything? Did he ask for a visa? Mrs. Tarasoff: That I wouldn't swear to. But I know he was requesting financial help because he said he was just out of money. Mr. Blackmer: So that much is very clear. You do remember he at least asked for financial help. Mrs. Tarasoff: And he wanted to speak to someone Docld: 32277225 Page 100
HW 55923 -76- Mrs. Tarasoff: in the Embassy who would be able to finance, I guess give him the money. Mr. Blackmer: Did he indicate that he wanted to leave Mexico? - Mrs. Tarasoff: Oh, definitely, he didn't want to stay, well I know that he didn't want to stay in Mexico because he was going to leave, if he couldn't get results from one _of the embassies, the Cuban or the Soviet embassy, he wasn't about to stay in Mexico. Mr. Blackmer: Did you know this from the transcript or is this from some other knowledge that you gained since then? Mrs. Tarasoff: I don't know whether that was in the transcript or whether it was something that came throught another source. Mr. Blackmer: Can I ask you if you can recall from the transcript, either one of you, whether or not he said he wanted to go to Cuba or to Russia? You said he wanted to get out of Mexico, did the transcript, can you recall from the transcript, did he indicate where he wanted:to go? He wanted to leave Mexico, where did he want to go? Doclda: 32277225 Page 101