180-10142-10302 _ i C. Silvia Duran When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, the United States investigative agencies--FBI, CIA, Secret Service, etc.--were asked to é investigate the assassination. When the Central Intelli- \ gence Agency Mexico City Station learned that Lee Harvey Oswald had visited Mexico City during late September and early October, it reviewed the electronic surveil- lance files and found evidence of phone calls to the Soviet Embassy made September 27th, September 28th, and October lst, that could have been made by Oswald. (See Electronic Surveillance Section.) Review of the electro- ics surveillance files also produced phone calis on September 27, 1963 between the Russian Consul and Silvia Duran, a secretary at the Cuban Consulate, where Oswald appeared to have been discussed. (See Soviet Electronic Surveillance Section.) In addition, the Mexico City Sta- tion found a September 28, 1963 phone calli from Silvia Duran to the Soviet Consulate, where Silvia Duran stated that there was an American citizen at the Cuban Consulate who had previously visited the Soviet Consulate. (See Soviet Electronic Surveillance Séction.) A final phone call was made on October 3, 1963 where the “alleged” Oswald identified himself was also found. (See Electronic Surveillance Section.) ID- (OI4A~|
,At this point, the Mexico City Station determined that it would request the Mexican government--with whom it had a good relationship--to arrest Silvia Duran (as Silvia Duran was a Mexican citizen, she did not have di- plomatic immunity) because she might shed some light on the circumstances surrounding the assassination. The Mexico City Station sent a note to the gober- nacion head, Luis Echevarria, with Silvia Duran's ad- dress, her mother's-.address, her brother's address, her license plate number, her home phone number, her place of work and a request that she be arrested immediately. (Note to Luis Echevarria, November 23, 1963, CIA No. 444; . Cable re Oswald-Duran, MEXI 7029, November 23, 1963, CIA No. 441; Anne Goodpasture Chronology, WX-7241, Entry 36, November 23, 1963, CIA No. 635.) The Mexico City Station also suggested that Duran be held incommunicado until she could be questioned on the matter. (Ibid.) The Mexico City Station did not receive prior au- thorization from CIA Headquarters to request the arrest of Silvia Duran by Mexican authorities. (See below.) Headquarters feared that such a request would jeopardize the relationship between certain Mexican go0 vernment officials with the CIA, if it was disclosed that Americans were behind Duran'’s arrest. (Note written
~~ 3 — by Winston Scott re phone call with Jack Whitten, November 23, 1963; Chronology prepared by Anne Goodpas- ture, WX 7241, entry 37, November 23, 1963, CIA No. 635.) Jack Whitten, Chief of Western Hemisphere/3, stationed at Langley Headquarters, telephoned Winston Scott, the Mexico Chief of Station, requesting that Silvia Duran not be arrested. (Ibid.) Scott-told Whitten that he could not rescind the request and that Headquarters should already have received a cable stating that Silvia. Duran had been arrested. (Ibid.) After Winston Scott's con- versation with Jack Whitten, Scott called Luis Echevarria and stated that the Mexico City Station desired that all information received from Duran be forwarded immediately to the Mexico City Station and that her arrest and state~ ments not be communicated to any leftist groups. (Chief of Station phone call to Luis Echevarria, November 23, 1963, CIA No. 440; Flash Cable from Karamissines to Mexi- co City Station, November 23, 1963, DIR 84916, CIA No. 403), Chronology of Anne Goodpasture, entry 46, November 23, 1963, CIA No. 636.) On November 27, 1963, the Mexican government for- warded to the Mexico City Station a copy of Silvia Du- “ran's ten-page signed statement. (Blind Memo re Lee Harvey Oswald and Silvia Duran, November 26, 1963, CIA #473.) She said, "Upon learning about the assassination
Silvia Duran and her husband speculated that President Kennedy might have been assassinated for racial reasons. When she became aware that the assassin was Lee Harvey. Oswald, she ascertained that it was the same man who approximately two months prior had been to the Cuban Con- sulate to solicit an intransit visa to Russia. Having taken his name.from the special documentation he presented she knew that he was married to a Russian woman and be- longed to the "Fair Play for Cuban Committee." . She checked the data in the Consulate archvies and became certain that it was the same individual who was blonde, short, dressed unelegantly and whose face turned red when angry. The Consul had denied the visa because to obtain an intransit visa from the Cuban government, it was imperative that he previously obtain a visa from the Soviet Consulate. Since obtaining a visa from the So- viets took four months and Oswald's Mexican visa expired soon Oswald became excited and Duran had to call the Con- sul who had an argument with him. The only aid she could give Oswald was advising that he see the Soviet Consul, and calling the person in charge of that office. The Soviet official told her that they would have to consult Moscow which would take four months. That afternoon, Oswald returned to the Cuban Consulate and Silvia Duran confirmed that he could get a Cuban visa only after he
received a Russian visa. She gave Oswald her name and business phone number but never gave him her ad- dress because she had no reason tm give it to him. She knew that phoning the Soviet Consulate was not one of her duties and that if she did so she did it only to help Oswald. She gave Oswald her business phone number only because he would have to call subsequently to check whether he had obtained a visa. . He never called back.” Silvia buran was released November 24, 1963 | and rearrested November 27, 1963, when the Mexican go- vernment alleged that she was attempting to leave Mexico for travel to Havana. (Cable from Mexico. City Station to Headquarters, November 27, 1963, MEXI 7101, CIA #493.) According to the Mexican officials who detained Duran a second time, there was no addition to her story. (Cable from Mexico City Station to Director, December 12, 1963, MEXI 7364, CIA No. 557-558.) The Mexico City Station forwarded Duran's ten-page signed statement to headquarters on November 27, 1963. (Cable Mexico City Station to Headquarters, November 27, 1963, MEXI 7105, CIA No. 479; Chronology of Anne Goodpasture, November 27, 1963, entry no. 127, CIA No. 656.) The following day Headquarters ‘sent a clarification cable to the Mexico City Station seeking to insure that neither
Bae Silvia Duran nor the Cubans would have a basis for con- cluding that the Americans were béhind her rearrest. (The cable stated, “We want the Mexican authorities to take the responsibility for the whole affair; Cable from Headquarters to the Mexico City Station, November 28, 1963, DIR 85371, CIA No. 464; Chronology of Anne Goodpasture, Nov. 28, 1963, WX .7241, entry no. 141, CIA No. 658.) | When the Central Intelligence Agency began to work with the Warren Commission, Headquarters cabled the Mexico City Station that their plan in passing in- formation to the Warren Commission was to eliminate men- tion of telephone taps in order to protect their con- tinuing operations. (CIA Cable from Headquarters to Mexico City Station, December 21, 1963, DIR 90466, CIA No. 349; Chronology of Anne Goodpasture, December 21, 1963, Entry No. 268, CIA No. 682) Headquarters cabled that the would rely on Silvia Duran's statements and on the Consular files which the Soviets gave the State De- partment (Ibid.); (Headquarters stressed that exact, detailed information from LITAMIL-7 and LITAMIL-~9--~pene- tration agents in the Cuban Embassy--on what Silvia Du- ran and other officials said about Oswald's visits and his dealings would be valuable and usable corroborative evidence.)
When the Central Intelligence Agency forwarded to the Warren Commission a copy of Duran's signed state- ment. It read as follows: ---She remembered... (that Lee Harvey Oswald) was the name of an American who had come to the Cuban Consulate to obtain a visa to travel to Cuba in transit to Russia, the latter part of September or the early part of October of this year, and in support of his application had shown his passport, in which it was noted that he had lived in that country for a period of three years; hs labor card from the same country written in the Russian language; and letters in that same language. He had presented evidence that he was married to a Russian woman, and also that he was ap- parently the leader of an organization in the city of New Orleans called "Fair ***(Play) for Cuba," claiming that he should be accepted as a "friend" of the Cuban Revolution. According- ly, the declarant, complying with her duties, took down all of the information and completed the appropriate application form; and the declarant, admittedly exceeding her responsi- bilities, informally telephoned the Russian con- sulate, with the intention of doing what she could to facilitate issuance of the Russia visa to Lee Harvey Oswald. However, they told her that there would be a delay of about four months in processing the case, which annoyed the appli- cant since, according to his statement, he was in a great hurry to obtain visas that would enable him to travel to Russia, insisting on his right to do so in view of his background and his loyalty and his activities in behalf of the Cuban movement. The declarant was unable to recall accurately whether or not the appli- cant told her he was a member of the Communist Party, but he did say that-his wife***was then in New York City, and would follow him, *** (Senora Duran stated) that when Oswald under- stood that it was not possible to give him a Cuban visa without his first having obtained the Russian visa,***he became very excited or
angry, and accordingly, the affiant called Consul Ascue (sic),*** (who) came out and began a heated discussion in English with Oswald, that concluded by Ascue telling him that "if it were up to him, he would not give him the visa," and."a person of his type was harming the Cuban Revolution rather than helping it," it being understood that in their conversation. they were talking about the Russian Socialist Revolution and not the Cuban. Oswald maintained that he had two rea- sons for requesting that his visa be issued. promptly, and they were: one, that his tourist permit in Mexico was about to expire; and the other, that he had to get to Russia as quickly as possible. Despite her annoyance, the declarant gave Oswald a paper***in which she put down her name, "Silvia Duran," and the number of the telephone at the consulate, which is "11-28-47" and the visa application was processed anyway. It was sent to the Ministry of (Foreign) Relations of Cuba; from which a routine reply was received some fif- teen to thirty days later, approving the visa, but on the condition that the Russian visa be obtained first, although she does not re- call whether or not Oswald leter telephoned her at the Consulate number that she gave him. (CE 2120 p. 37-40.) The Central Intelligence Agency had relied on Duran's statements but had delted Duran's description of Oswald as blonde and short. (Supra.) It had also excised Duran's statement, "The only aid she could give Oswald was advising that he see the Soviet Consul, and calling the person in charge of that office" which alluded to Oswald asking for some type of aid at the Cuban Consulate. (Supra, p.. )
Vi. Information not available at the time of the Warren Commission A. Silvia Duran 1. House Select Committee on Assassinations 6/6/78 Interview of Silvia Tirado Ms. Tirado (Duran divorced Horatio Duran in 1968) was never questioned by American officials in 1963. Thus, the Committee established contact with the Mexican go- vernment and requested that the Mexican government make Silvia Triado available for an interview. (Letter HSCA to Mexican government, , JFK Doc. # ) The Mexican government complied on 6/6/78. Ms. Tirado told the House Select Committee on Assassinations the following: | Lee Harvey Oswald visited the Cuban Con- sulate three times on September 27, 1963, not twice as the Warren Commission previously re- ported. (HSCA interview of Silvia Tirado, 6/6/78, JFK Doc. p. ) Oswald first visited the Cuban Consulate at approximately 11:00 a.m., requesting an intransit visa to Cuba with Russia as the final destination. (Ibid., 523-526) He showed her some documents, then, left to ob- tain photographs needed for his application. (Ibid., 523-526)
- 10 - Oswald returned at approximately 1:00 p-m. with four photographs. (Ibid., p. 526.) Ms. Tirado typed the application in dupli- cate, stapled a picture on top of each and had Oswald sign each in her presence. (Ibid., p. 527-8.) As identification, Oswald showed her documents he had broirght: his Russian labor card, marriage certificate with the name of his Russian wife, his American Com- munist Party membership card and his "Fair Play for Cuba" membership card. (Ibid., p. 531) Ms. Tirado found Lee Harvey Oswald's be- havior suspicious because normally a Communist traveled only with his passport as belonging — to the Communist Party was illegal in Mexico in 1963. (Iibid., p. 533.) There was a procedure whereby the American Communist Party would arrange visa matters for their members with the Cuban Communist Party. (Ibid., p. 532-533.) The American would then come to Mexico, visit the Cuban Consulate, and . receive his visa immediately. (Ibid., p. 533.) When Tirado asked Oswald why he did not have the American Communist Party arrange his trip to Cuba, he stated that he had not had the time. (Ibid., p. 532.)
‘= Jl - After explaining to Oswald that he had to ac- quire a Russian visa before he could receive a Cuban visa, Tirado jotted her name and business phone number on a piece of paper and gave it to Oswald who then left to get his Russian visa. (Ibid., p. 549, 534.) Oswald returned to the Cuban Consulate between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., which was after normal working hours, (10:00 to 2:00 p.m.) (Ibid., p. 543.) The guard called Tirado, stating that someone who did not speak Spanish was at the gate inquiring about a visa. (Ibid., p. 543-4.) As routine procedure, she asked the guard to escort the individual to her office. (Ibid., p. 544.) Oswald told her that he had acquired a Russian visa. (Ibid., p. 544.) Since he did not produce it when asked she called th Russian Consulate. (Tbid., p. 545.) The Consul told Duran that Oswald had been to the Consulate requesting a visa and had been told that the reply would take approximately four months. (Ibid., p. 545.) When she relayed the message to Oswald, he got very excited, insisting that as a person who had been in jail because of the Cuban Revolution he should receive a visa. (Ibid., p. 546.) Oswald stated that he could not wait that long because his Mexican visa expired in three days. (Ibid., p. 546) At this point, Ms. Tirado informed Consul,
-~ 12 - Eusibio Azcue, of the situation. (Ibid., p. 546). Azcue had been in his private office which he shared with his upcoming replacement, Alfredo Mirabal. (Ibid., p.- 546) Azcue politely explained the requisites for an intransit visa to Oswald. (Ibid., p. 546, 554) When he noticed that Oswald was a stubborn man he told Os- wald that he was obviously nota friend of the Cuban Revolution, because he would otherwise understand that Cuba had to be extremely careful with the people it al- lowed in the country. (Ibid., p. 554) Azcue and Oswald yelled at each other. (Ibid., p. 551) Then Azcue went to the door, opened it and asked Oswald to leave. (Ibid., p. 554) Oswald did not revisit or telephone the Consu- late. (Ibid., p. 554) Ms. Tirado described Lee Harvey Oswald as approximately five feet six, with blonde hair, weighing about 125 pounds, and with very little hair. (Ibid., p. 96) B. The Cubans When Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly visited the Cuban “Consulate, Eusebio Azcue Lopez, a Cuban citizen, was the Cuban Consul. Because he had diplomatic immunity, the Cuban government had never been asked to make him available for questioning. (Azcue traveled from Mexico to
Cuba on November 18.) In an effort to investigate con- tact with the Cuban government the Committee asked the Cuban government to make Eusebio Azcue available for ‘Committee and staff interviews. (Letter from HSCA to Cuban government, , JFK Doc. # ) The Cuban government complied with the Committee's request on April 1. : ~~ During that interview Mr. Azcue. alleged that the man he saw Jack Ruby shoot at the Dallas Police Station was not the same individual who visited the Cuban Consu- late in 1963. (HSCA Interview of Eusebio Azcue, April 1 , pp. 12-21, JFK Doc. # ) In addition, Mr. Azcue stated that Alfredo Mirabal, who in September 1963, had recently arrived from Cuba to assume the Con- sul's duties, had also been present during Oswald's visit. (Ibid., p. ) The Committee traveled to Cuba a second time to interview Alfredo Mirabal. (See Cuba procedural write-up trip 2.) Subsequent to this second trip to Havana, the Committee asked the Cuban government to make Eusebio Azcue and Alfredo Mirabal available for the public hearings on September 18, 1978. (Letter HSCA to Cuban government, , JFK Doc. # The Cuban government complied with the Committee's re- quest.
- 14 - 1. Le Eusebio Azcue Lopez told the House Select Committee on Assassinations at the Public Hearings on 9/18/78 the following: An individual who gave the name Lee Harvey Oswald visited the Cuban Consulate on three occasions in late September and early October 1963. (Mr. Azcue could not pinpoint the exact dates of the visit.) (Public Hear- ing Testimony of Eusebio Azcue Lopez, 9/18/78, pp. 30-31.) The individual first visited the Cuban Consulate during workings hours, re- questing an intransit visa to Cuba with Russia as the final destination. The man showed the secretary, Silvia Duran, some documents. (Com- munist party membership card, Fair Play for Cuba membership card, Soviet Union residence card, marriage certificate with the name of his Russian wife) which he believed would be sufficient to obtain a visa. (Public Hearing Testimony of Eusibio Azcue Lopez, 9/18/78, p.5-30) When the secretary would not grant him a visa, the man asked me to see whether -upon examination of the documents Azcue could grant hima visa. (Ibid., p. 29-30) Azcue answered negatively. (Ibid., p. 30) The indi-
-~ [5 = vidual then left to obtain photographs needed for his application. (Ibid., p. 20) The man probably returned on September 27, 1963 with the photographs and completed the applications in Ms. Duran's presence. (Ibid., p. 32) As the amount of time required to process this document could have taken as long as twenty days or the résponse could have been negative, Azcue told the man that he could grant him a visa to Cuba, without consulting his government, if he had a Russian visa. (Ibid., p. 33) The individual then left to obtain his Russian visa. (Ibid. p. 33) After the man left the Cuban Consulate, Azcue received a telephone call from the Soviet Consule. (Azuce could not precise the time of the phone call. (Public Hearing Testimony of Eusebio Azcue Lopez, 9/18/78, p. 34) The Soviet Consul explained that the man's documents were legitimate but that the Soviet Con- sulate could not issue a visa until it received authori- zation from Moscow. (Ibid. p. 35) Emphasizing that the Cuban Consulate never re- ceived visitors after working hours (10:00 - 2:00) Mr. Azcue opined that the individual probably returned to the Consulate on September 28, 1963. (Ibid. p. 36) When Azcue explained to Oswald that he could not grant hima visa, the man made statements directed against
~ 16 - Cuba and called Cuba a bureaucracy. (Ibid. p. 38) At that point, Azcue became upset and asked the individual to leave the Consulate (Ibid. p. ) Oswald did not revisit the Consulate. (Ibid. p. 38) Mr. Azcue described the man who visited the. Con- sulate as follows: a white male, between 5;6" and 5'7", over 30 years of age, very thin-long face, with ‘straight eyebrows and a cold look in his eyes. (Ibid. p. 50-51) Azcue alleged that he would never have identified Lee Harvey Oswald as the man who visited the Cuban Consulate in 1963. 2. Alfredo Mirabal Diaz told the House Select Committee on Assassinations at the public hearings, 9/18/78, the following: . Lee Harvey Oswald, seeking a visa, visited the Cuban Consulate twice in September 1963. (Public Testimony, Alfredo Mirabal Diez, 9/18/ 78, p. 117) (Mr. Mirabal could not pinpoint the exact dates of Oswald's visit but opined that the second visit occurred on September 27, 1963.) Since Mirabal could not speak English ‘though he was the new Consul, ex-Consul Azcue handled the matter. (Ibid. p. 117) On both
occasions there were such loud arguments between Oswald and Azcue that Mirabal thought that the man's visit to the Con- sulate could be a case of provocation. (Ibid. p. 118) | Though Mirabal caught only glimpses of the man, he opined that the person whose picture appears on the Lee Harvey Oswald visa application was the same Lee Harvey Oswald who visited the Consulate. (Ibid. p. 120) 2. CIA Information not available at time of Warren Commission a. LIRING 3 Allegation In 1967 a report that Silvia Duran had had intimate relations with Lee Harvey Oswald came to the attention of the Central Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station. (Write-up: Wallace B. Rowton meeting with LIRING/3, May 26, 1967.) The source, LIRING 3 (an extremely reliable source) stated that he had recently received a call from Silvia Duran (LIFEAT coverage for May 22, 1967, verified the phone call ) and that he had visited her to renew acquaintances. (Write-up: Wallace B. Rowton meeting with LIRING/3, May 26, 1967) During the visit, Duran told LIRING/3 that she had met
-~ 18 - Lee Harvey Oswald at the Cuban Consulate when he applied for a visa and had dated him on several occasions. (Ibid. ) Duran admitted that had had intimate relations with Oswald but insisted that she had no idea of his plans. (Ibid.) In addition, Duran told LIRING/3 that when the \ news of the assassination became public knowledge, the Mexican government arrested her and during the interro- gation beat her until she admitted that she had had an affair with Lee Harvey Oswald. (Ibid.) In a subsequent memorandum, Headquarters wrote: "First that Silvia Duran had sexual inter- course with Lee Harvey Oswald on several occasions when the latter was in Mexico is probably new, but adds little to the Oswald case. Second, the Mexican police did not report the extent of the Duran- Oswald relationship to this Station." (Dispatch Chief of Western Hemisphere to Chief of Station, HMMA-32243, May 27, 1967, p. ) That the Mexican government did not disclose all the information in their possession to the Central Inte telligence Agency raises one of two possibilities: 1) the Mexican government did not want to disclose that one of their citizens had had intimate relations
- 19 - with the assassin of John F. Kennedy; or 2) Silvia Duran was a Mexican penetration agent in the Cuban Consulate and the Mexican government was protecting their informant. C. Elena Garro de Paz On October 5, 1964, eleven days after the publica- tion of the Warren Commission Report, a story alleging _Lee Harvey Oswald's presence at a party in Mexico City attended by Cuban government personnel came to the at- tention of the Central Intelligence Agency (wx742,7 p. 94, entry #430, CIA #721; Blind memo dated 10/5/64, CIA #576.) Elena's Story as Reported October 5, 1964 Elena Garro de Paz* and Deba Garro de Guerrero Galvan, first cousins of Horatio, Ruben and Lynn Duran, were invited to a twist party at the home of Ruben Duran in the middle of the week in the fall of 1963. Lee Har- vey Oswald was alleged to have been at this party in the company of "two other beatnik-looking boys." (Ibid.) * See attachment of biography of Elena
~ 19 A- b. The Possibility that Silvia Duran was an Intelli- gence Agent for Either the Central Intelligence Agency or the Cuban Intelligence Agency > Since the publication of the Warren Commission in September 1964, its major critics have written about the possibility that Silvia Duran was an intelligence agent for either the Central Intelligence Agency or the Cuban Intelligence Agency. i) Was Silvia Duran a Central Intelligence? In an effort to resolve this question the House Select Committee reviewed the United States' investga- tive agencies files on Silvia Duran. The Committee found no evidence during its file review that linked Silvia Duran to the Central Intelligence Agency. In addition, the House Select Committee on Assas-~- sinations interviewed most of the Mexico City Station's employees about the allegation. Only David Phillips (Chief of in the Mexico City Station in 1963) considered the allegation possible. Mr. Phillips stated that "at one time the agency pitched /pitched is a term used by the CIA to designate an attempt to re- cruit an individual/ almost everyone at the Cuban Em- bassy." (HSCA interview of David Phillips, 8/3/78, p. 8) but that "it was possible that she (Silvia Duran) was eee
- 19 B- not pitched because the Station (Mexico City Station) could not identify any of her weaknesses." (HSCA inter- view of David Phillips, 8/3/78, p. 8, 9) Mr. Phillips was then told about LITAMIL 9's statement that all \ that would have to be done to recruit Duran was to get a blonde, blue-eyed American in bed with the little pita. (Pita is a Spanish term for whore.) ( ) At that point, Mr. Phillips admitted that it sounded like Duran had been targeted, that the Station's interest had been substantial and that the weaknesses and means had been identified. (Ibid., p. 9) Mr. Phil- lips pointed out, however, that because Duran had been targetted did not necessarily mean that she had been pitched. (Ibid., p. 9.) In addition, he had not heard that Duran had been pitched. (Ibid., p. 9.) | Another CIA employee, Dan Neiscuir (Neiscuir worked on an "Oswald Task Force" in late September or early October of 1975 dealing with 2 or 3 FOIA suits brought against the agency concerning the files on Lee Harvey Oswald) stated that he believed that Duran had been ‘an agency source. His decision was based on a re- view of Oswald's 201 file, possibly because of the agency's attempts after the assassination to protect Duran. (HSCA Interview of Dan Neiscuir, 8/29/78, p. 1.)
- 19 Cc - Despite Mr. Phillips and Mr. Neiscuir's state- ments, the Committee cannot definitely resolve whether Duran was a Central Intelligence Agency agent. ii. Was Silvia Duran a Cuban Intelligence Agent? An an effort to resolve this question, the HSCA reviewed the United States investigative agencies' files on Silvia Duran. The Committee found no evidence in the files that linked Ms. Duran with Cuban intelligence. In addition, the House Select Committee on Assas- sinations interviewed most of the Mexico City Station's» employees about the allegation. Only Barney Hidelgo, who worked in Mexico City in 1963, con- sidered the allegation a possibility. Mr. Hidalgo, not professing to remember all the details, stated that he thought that. Duran was a Cuban intelligence agent. (HSCA testimony of Barney Hidelgo, 8/10/78, p. 16.) Hidelgo said: MAL the- time when this contact told me of Silvia Duran I tied the two together, - yes, sir. I don't know, how at that time it was obvious to me as an intelligence agent that there was ‘some connection there but itwas of no interest whatsoever to me, I do remember that when I next saw this
- 4§ = Agency's LICOOKIE I, LICHANT I, LIRING 3, LIHUFF I and TICHBORN files. Once again, not one of the files included a mention of Elena Garro's allegations. The House Select Committee on Assassinations learned that LICOOKIE I was June Cobb Sharp who first reported to the CIA Elena's allegation. (Supra, p. 4.) The Commit- tee also learned that LICHANT F-was Manuel Calvillo who had hidden Elena Garro and her daughter in a hotel the day following the assassination. (Supra., p. 13.) ‘He also told Elena that Silvia Duran had been arrested before this fact had become public knowledge. (Ibid. ) Since a file review was inconclusive, the Com- mittee decided to arrange interviews in Mexico with Silvia Duran, Lynn Duran, Emilio Carbillido and Betty Serratos. The Mexican Government. informed the House Select Committee on Assassinations that Elena and Elenita Garro disappeared in 1968 during the student uprisings and have never returned to Mexico. The officials stated that Elena and her daughter might be in Spain. (See . Mexico City Procedural Write-up Trip 1.) The Mexican government reported that Emilio Garballido could not be found. (Ibid.) The others were interviewed between June 1 and June 6, 1978. (Ibid.) Betty Serratos, Lydia Duran, Ruben Duran and Horatio Duran all stated that Elena was not the dancing
~ 47 - type and therefore did not attend any of the twist parties at the Duran homes. (See" HSCA Interview of Betty Serratos, 6/6/78, p. 6, JFK Document No. ; HSCA Staff Interview of Lydia puran, 6/5/78, p. 6, JFK Document No. 7 HSCA Document No. 7 HSCA Staff Interview of Horatio Duran Navarro, 6/5/78, p. 25, JFK Document No. ) When Sivlia Duran was asked if Elena or Elenita Garro ever attended twist parties -at the Duran homes, she recalled Elena attending one twist party at Ruben's home in 1963 when the Garros returned to Mexico from France. (HSCA Staff Interview of Silvia Tirado Bazan, 6/6/70, p. 90, JFK, Document No. ) All the Durans denied that Lee Harvey Oswald had attended any party at one of their homes. (String cites.) \ The Committee next asked the Central Intelligence Agency to arrange staff interviews with LICHANT/1 (Manuel Calvillo), LICOOKIE/1 (June Cobb), along with a list of other assets who may have had information related to Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to Mexico City. ( The Central Intelligence Agency declined to aid the Com- mittee inthis aspect of the investigation. The Commitee returned to Mexico City and attempted to locate June Cobb Sharp and Manuel Calvillo. (See Pro- cedural Write-up Trip 2 Mexico City.) The results of the