Date:08/10/93 Page:1 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY INFORMATION AGENCY : USIA RECORD NUMBER : 1651000110036 RECORDS SERIES ;: CASE FILE AGENCY FILE NUMBER : DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR : USIA FROM : TO : , TITLE : JACOBS, JOHN KEDZIE DATE PAGES 11/14/66 4 SUBJECTS : OSWALD, MARINA DOCUMENT TYPE : PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION : U RESTRICTIONS : 3 CURRENT STATUS : X DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 08/09/93 OPENING CRITERIA ‘ POSTPONED INDEFINATELY COMMENTS ;: Only portions of this USIA orginated document relate to the Kennedy Assassination. Those portions may be disclosed, but with parts postponed to protect personal privacy, as indicated by brackets and per Section (6) (3). {R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED Docld:322705607T Page 1
rosso LIMITED OFFICIAL USE ce 4 During an interview with Robert W. Rushmore, IOS-15811,who has admitted to engaging in homosexual activity from 1941 to present,he identified employee as a close friend, However,he denied ever engaging in any homosexual activity with employee or ever advising him of his, Rushmore's,homosexual proclivities, Jacobs when interviewed by I0S/I advised that he met Rushmore in 1949 6r 50 while employed with VOA,NYC,and was his supervisor, Jacobs stated that he never stayed avernight with Rushmore nor Rushmore with him, He added that Rushmore was of an artistic temperament and he could understand how a person mbght feel that he had homosexual tendencies, but he,Jacobs,had never seen anything which would indicate Rushmore was a homosexual. Employee's security file contains no information which would raise any question as to his masculinity, A recent check of his name thru the appropriate 2xkex government agency files was made with negative results, Rushmore has denied ever engaging in homosexual activity with Jacobs and since there is no evidence or allegation to the contrary,it is recommended that no further action be taken in this case and that employee's security clearance under EO 10450 remain iff effect, ae Br any W/ fase Under the employee update program current NANC, police and credit tik hn 7/7/61 checks were conducted on employee. Files of HCUA disclosed that in May 1964, John K. Jacobs, Boston, Mass. wrote a letter opposing U.S. policy in South Vietnam, which was printed in the Congressional Record. A review of the Congressional Record containing this letter did not further identify Jacobs. The files of HCUA also disclosed that a Jolin K. Jacobs, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania wrote two articles for Science and Society. The pertinent issues of this publication were not available at the Library of Congress, D.C. Public Library, HEW Library or Science Service Library. . Employee has been employed in State/USIA since 1948 and during this : period he has resided in New York City and Alexandria, Virginia. It is not believed the above citations relate to employee and furthermore, the LIMITED OFFICIAL USE tL Docld:32270560T Page 2?
C Pa 4 ‘ 1 = 4 + © . JACOBS, John Kedzie 10S-5076 P.5 the information does not appear to be of any security significance. Files of the CSC reflect that articles concerning John Jacobs appeared in the "Washington Star'"' on 6/16/59> the Washington Daily News" on 5/5/59, The article in the Star was found to be non-derogatory to employee and the pertinent issue of the News could not be located by the Agency library representative. The CSC files also refer toa HCUA citation for one John Jacobs, not further identified, who was listed as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council of Arts, Sciences and Professions in December 1952. This organization was cited as a Communist front by the HCUA in 1954. The current check at HCUA did not reveal this citation for employee. Since the recent HCUA file search did not relate this citation to employee, it is not believed the John Jacobs referred to in this citation is employee. Files of the FBI disclosed information concerning employee's contact with Mrs. Marina Oswald, widow of Lee Harvey Oswald, alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. This information was also recorded in employee's file in 1964. Briefly, employee in February 1954 came to IOS and related that shortly after the President's assassination, his wife wrote Mrs. Oswald sympathizing with her plight and assuring her that the crime of her husband would not be visited upon her and her children. Jacobs stated that his wife had never heard of Mrs. Oswald before this event, and wrote the letter purely as a humanitarian gesture. Several letters of correspondence were passed between them and when Mrs. Oswald came to Washington to testify before the Warren Commission she was invited to dinner at the Jacobs. She accepted and dined with the Jacobs on 2/7/64, Employee advised the FBI on 4/24/64 that neither he nor his wife ever recéived any requests or suggestions from anyone in the Soviet Union to contact Mrs. Oswald and neither has had further contact with her. Employee's wife, Catherine Jacobs, nee Altschullerj;was born 12/25/21 at Sofia, Bulgaria of Russian parents. She arrived in the U.S. in 1938 and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen on 11/10/47. She married employee on Tune 14, 1952 and they have four children. Limited checks on Mrs. Jacobs in 1964 disclosed no unfavorable information. Docld:32270560T Page 3
( oy ‘ if i f JACOBS, John Kedzie 10S-5076 P.6 Since Mrs. Oswald was legally in the U.S. and as she was cooperating with the government in inquiries concerning the President's assassination, no action in this matter was deemed necessary by IOS. The remaining update checks disclosed no information on employee. Since the information contained in the HCUA files dnd the one reference to an organization affiliation in the CSC files is not believed to relate to employee, no further inquiry in this matter appears warranted. Therefore, it is recommended that employee's security clearance under E.O. 10450 remain in effect. fu I1OS/E:HWSmoot:erl - 11/14/66 DoclId:32270560T Page 4
JACOBS, John Kedzie | Page 7 IOS - 5076 . Mr. Jacobs is editor of America Illustrated. During the period September 2 thru 27, 1967, in his official capacity, he travelled to Russia and Poland. In view of this travel to Communist bloc countries, he was debriefed in IOS/I in accordance with established procedure. Employee advised'his official contacts in Russia and Poland were with persons in the news distribution service. He related a trip taken to a collec-. tive farm in Russia with another U.S. Embassy employee. He asserted the Russians were most insistent that he drink wine and he viewed the entire arrangement asa perfect set-up for compromise. According to employee, the other U.S. Embassy employee did have too much wine and became intoxicated, therefore, he kept.him close by in order to diminish the possibility of his being compromised. Employee stated that at no time was he ever arrested or detained by the police, nor did he experience any personal difficulty with authorities of the host government, other than noted above. He had no contacts with any per- sons whom he knew or suspected of being intelligence operatives and he had no reason to believe he was a target for attempts at penetration or compromise. | Employee added he is not engaged in any questionable activities or behavior which might prove embarrassing and he developed no association with anyone that might reflect adversely upon him. Employee advised that since early 1960 he has been undergoing psycho- analysis in an effort to reduce nervous tension and. to live more happily and productively. He feels that this treatment has been very productive and re- warding for him. He is still receiving these treatments but he does not now feel his visits are necessary but are rather an extravagance. Employee gave permission for his analyst to be interviewed. . Dr. Edward J. Martell, psychoanalyst, who has been treating employee, / refused to discuss employee's case but did state he had abserved nothing to -indicate a security risk involving Mr. Jacobs, Employee advised he has not seen or heard from Mrs. Oswald since her unexpected visit to his home in the winter of 1964. Employee also stated he has not communicated with any congressman or senator concerning the conduct of the Vietnam War or the administration's policies in Vietnam. Employee aiso denied ever being connected in any way with the National Council of Arts, Sciences, | Professions. OF It is not believed the results of the above interviews require any further inquiry or action, therefore, it is recommended that employee's security clearance under EO 10450 remain in effect, “4 OFF CIAL USE 10S/E: crew me are i- LY or DoclId:32270560T Page 5