ro ope e Per Classification: — (This form is to be used for material extracted b> . from ClA—controlled documents.) ; ; mm , op through pcD, to support his publication. ‘There is : no correspondence in the DCD file on Gaudet after 1961. i . Gaudet could not recall whether his trip to Mexico and - other Latin American countries in 1963 involved any intelligence related activity. He was able to testify, however, tha . . 7 . did not encounter bee~Haxvey Oswald, whom he had previously : seen on occasion at the New Orleans Trade Mart (during that tripy €é 4 4ed wtf ALD - Cee lydwde? ae ‘ Gaudet¥was™ uhaware @ that his Mexican tourist card “dd! én. | aT tg IH f (issued! inmediately’before | ‘Oswald "gana could not recall having «= B en Oswald on that aa Finally, Gaudet did not have any £ information concerning the omission of his name from the list published in the Warren Commission Report. E ; y Based upon this evidence, the Committee &eéa not find , \ , : E a basis for. concluding that Gaudet may have contacted Lee 4 Harvey Oswald on behalf of the CIA. Although there is a conflict between Gaudet's testimony and his CIA file concerning Classification: _ Classified by derivation:
i { LEI Lisi Classification: Gy . (This form is to be used for material extracted from CliA——controlled documents.) the duration of his Agency contacts as well as the performance of errands, there is no indication from his file or testimony that Gaudet's cooperation involved clandestine activity. Again, it should be stressed that the Domestic Contacts Division, which was the Agency component. that was } in touch with Gaudet, was not involved in clandestine cperations. On COMIC ota Oswald's Tri . onto whee Soviet tre Oswald's trip from London to Helsinki has been a point of controversy because his passport indicates that he arrived in Finland on October 10, 1959 and the Torni Hotel in Helsinki had him registered as a guest on that date, but the only direct flight from London to Helsinki landed at 11:33 p.m.g, according to a memorandum signed in 1964 by Richard Helms, ," iL /7£,Oswald had taken this flight, he could ‘ Chassification: _ Classified by derivstion: UF AUR EY EE EE EE EFL cose i pe gt toe. PEA % HN ha SYtee Fee, eye ys wen et, aT er HoN te REE TUTTI, SAT, eet mare,
Classification: (Sr) (This form is to be used for material extracted _ from ClA—controlled documents.) not normally have cleared customs and landing formalities and reached the Torni Hotel downtown by 2400 (midnight) on the same day." / Further questions concerning this segment of Oswald's trip have been raised by his ability to obtain a Soviet entry visa within only two days of having applied for } _ it on October 12, 1959.* The Committee was unable to determine the circumstances surrounding Oswald's trip from London to Helsinki. Louis Hopkins, the travel agent who arranged Oswald's initial transportation from the United States, stated that he did not know Oswald's ultimate destination at the time that Oswald ._ booked his passage on the eveighter Marion Lykesx consequently, , Hopkins had nothing to do with the London to Helsinki leg of *Since Oswald arrived in Helsinki on October 10, 1959, which was a Saturday, it is assumed that his first opportunity to apply for a visa was on Monday, the twelfth. Classificction: Classified by derivation: SOTITAT me aN a AN UTA, i Aitat he erp ees
Shea aia” MSE Mei Pe MSDS Dee <n) Classification: fy > (This form is to be used’ for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) Oswald's trip.. In fact, Hopkins stated that had he known - { Oswald's final destination, he would have suggested sailing on™ 3 another ship that would have docked at a port more convenient —_ to Russia. é Hopkins indicated that Oswald did not appear to be particularly well informed about travel to Europe. The travel. agent did not know whether Oswald had been referred to Fs, him by anyone. é e A request for any files that the CIA and Department of is ae Defense ing to Lewis Hopkins resulted in a negative name trace. The Committee was unable to obtain any EMT, | NEEPN additional sources of information regarding Oswald's London to Helsinki trip. In contrast, the relative ease with which Oswald obtained his Soviet Union entry visa was more readily ; p amenable to inyestigation. This issue is one that was also ” 2 Classified by derivation: ering y A ee a ae é oe fe aay Bre fin ee
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) 4 of concern to the Warren Commission. _/ Ina letter to the CIA dated May 25, 1964, J. Lee Rankin inquired about the | of the State Department who SRateas sata at the. time. Bo yk eee BD Oswald received his visa to enter Russia from the Soviet “Embassy in Helsinki, at least one week ordinarily passed between the time of a: tourist's application fox a visa and the issuance of the visa. Rankin contended that if Chayes* assessment was accurate, then Oswald's ability to obtain his tourist visa in two days-might have been ty significant. The CIA responded to Rankin's request for information. on July 31, 1964. Richard Helms wrote to Rankin that the Soviet _ Consulate in Helsinki was able to issue a transit visa (valid for 24 hours) to U.S. businessmen within five minutes, but Classification: Classified by czrivation: SUE,
em Laer Naaeianemnanate + _ lassification: x) (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA-——controlled documents.) 4 if a longer stay were intended at least one week was needed to process a visa application and arrange lodging through Soviet Intourist. A second communciation from Helms to Rankin, dated September. 14, 1964, added that during the 1964 oo | oo rd tourist season, Soviet Consulates in at least some Western ‘European cities issued Soviet tourist visas in from five to seven days. In an effort to resolve this issue, the Committee has reviewed the CIA file on Gregory Golub, who was the Soviet Consul in Helsinki when Oswald was issued his tourist visa. 20 | Golub's file reveal that, in addition to his Consular activities, he was suspected to have been an officer ‘of the Soviet KGB. Two CIA dispatches from Helsinki concerning Golub are of particular significance with regard to the time Classification: - Classified by derivation: je Z re EN EN Pete a eg Quy iin Ta, SEM, QM, in wr
a a ae ar: MEE —§ LF net 1 ifi ® . ‘ iassitication: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) 4 necessary for issuance of visas to Americans for travel into the Soviet Union. The first dispatch records that Golub 4 tee « disclosed during a luncheon conversation that: 4. Moscow had given him the authority to give Americans visas without prior approval from Pr Moscow. He (Golub) stated that this would make his job much easier, and as long as he was convinced the American was "all right" he could give him a visa in a matter of minutes... (emphasis added) ad 4 The second CIA dispatch, dated October 9, 1959, one day prior to Oswald's arrival in Helsinki, illustrates that Golub did have the authority to issue visas without delay. The dispatch discusses a telephone contact between Golub and his consular counterpart at the American Embassy in : Helsinki: eee | Classification: Classified by derivation: Roh ey pete ee bate Epo, ., Beas i
Tem noeemay + ede Ciassification: nen et : S Vv (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) 4 »«-Since that evening (September 4, 1959) Golub has only phoned (the US consul) once and this was on a business matter. Two Americans were in - the Soviet Consulate at the time and were applying for Soviet visas thru (sic.) Golub. They had . previously been in the American consulate inquiring about the possibility of obtaining a Soviet visa in one or two days. (The U.S. Consul) advised them to go directly to Golub and 'make their request, which they did. Golub. phoned (the U.S. Consul) to state that he would give them their visas as soon as they made advance Intourist reservations. When they did this, Golub immediately gave them their visas...* (emphasis added) Thus, based upon these two factors: (1) Golub's- authority to issue visas to Americans without prior approval from Moscow} and (2) a demonstration of this authority, as reported in a CIA dispatch approximately one month prior to Oswald's appearance at the Soviet Embassy, the Committee has found that the available evidence tends to support the yy RP Rape conclusion thatVYissuance of Oswald's ‘tourist visa within *Evidently, Oswald had made arrangements with Intourist because upon his arrival at the Moscow railroad station on October 16, he was met by an Intourist representative and taken to the Hotel Berlin where he registered as a student. assivication: Classified by derivation: _/ % 3 oe er ERA, SP, AT WEST.
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted a, from ClA—controlled documents.) "Nate ant etente ne 1 Uaipaapereery at, i two days after his appearance at the Soviet Constlate was not |. io . - | (hecessarily unusual. > p beech e ofan lawn tlle Yonex Aferry 6. The Os Setar ERT HG TH, Intelligence Files. ™ The Office of Naval Intelligence's hee~Hermas, Oswald ; file contained a photograph of Oswald, taken at the : oo , ; approximate time of his Marine Corps induction. S&S was contained in an envelope which had on it the language ; . “REC'D 14 November 1963" and "CIA 77978." These markings - ek & raised the possibility that Oswald had been in some way baat associated with the CIA. In response to a Committee inquiry, the Department of SATS, Defense stated that the photograph had been obtained by / am Octuber Mites Nw nt ae ONI as a result of a‘CIA request for two copies of the most Ser eri, cotta ss recent photographs of Oswald, Clossification: so that an attempt could be made vem, Classified by derivation:
Classification: i <Ka , . YW St (This form is to be used for material extracted from CiA—contralled documents.) fe to verify his reported presence in Mexico City. The.requested — copies, however, were not made available to the CIA until after the President's assassination... Because of the absence of documentation, no explanation was given for how or when the ; i Office of Naval Intelligence received: this particular , photograph of Oswald. The Committee's review of CIA cable traffic confirmed that cable number 77978, dated October 24, 1963, was in fact a request for two copies of the Department of the Navy's most recent photograph of Lee Henry (sic) Oswald. ‘Moreover, review of other cable traffic corroborated the Agency's desire to determine whether Lee Harvey Oswald had, in fact, been in Mexico City. Classified by derivation: Rae! remo, Cater oT ae “fs ‘ Sea eaa ee sete. a a Oe LF <r 2 Sy CE Tr Sey 2 Amer +
"Newt ee ese Classification: __ < . O (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) The Committee also considered whether Oswald's activities 4 Oswald in Mexico Cit and possible associations in Mexico city were indicative of a relationship between him and the CIA. This aspect of the | 7 i! Committee's investigation involved a complete review both of alleged Oswald associates and of various CIA operations outside of the United States. ‘The Committee found no evidence suggestive of any relationship between Oswald and the CIA. Moreover, the Agency's investigative efforts, prior to the assassination, regarding Oswald's presence-in Mexico City served to confirm the absence of any relationship with him. Specifically, when apprised of his possible presence in Mexico City, the Agency both initiated internal inquiries concerning his background and, once informed of his Soviet experience, notified other Classification: Classified by derivation: pene TAPS ‘\ ELAN ROTI, bah a tal
Classification: — (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA——controlled documents.) potentially interested federal agencies of his possible contact with the Soviet embassy in Mexico City. Finally, the overt nature and frequency of Oswald's contacts with the Cuban and Soviet Consulates (i.e., a total of at least five visits) also tended to indicate that Oswald was not under. the direction of any professional intelligence officers. i>. ~Lee~Haxvey Oswald'é Military Recoras, (_ The Committee reviewed Oswald's military records because of allegations that he had received intelligence training and had participated in’ intelligence operations during his term of service. Particular attention was given to the charges that Oswald's early discharge from the Marine Corps was designed to serve as a cover for an intelligence assignment and that his records reflected neither his true security clearance nor a substantial period of service in Taiwan. These allegations were considered relevant to the Se Classification: Classified by derivation: WHEE AeweK SOF PEREIORG, APE oe PEL BL ape Espen, op repre Srey, fagyeenee yar em, BARE. 9 12) am N08 voce rom, eB OR FEO
Classification: (This form is to be used for material extracted from ClA—controlled documents.) question of whether Oswald had been performing intelligence ‘ _assignments: for military. intelligence as well as to-the 7 f t issue of Oswald's possible association with the CIA. Oswald's Marine Corps records bore no indication that . y . he had ever received any intelligence training or performed f on any intelligence assignments during his term of service, a -_ Z " ‘As a Marine sering in Atsugi, Japan, Oswald had a security bP clearance of confidential and never received’a higher classifi- STEHT A, cation. Based upon the Warren Commission testimony of John’ E. Donavan, the officer who had been in charge of Oswald". s_ ak Gl Tene Marin hese in Ck fe , that all personnel working in the radar center were crew/ é m4 required to have a minimun security clearance of secret, the , | | ¢ allegation has been made that the security clearance of ; confidential in Oswald's records is inaccurate. This é , f p allegation, however, was refuted by a review of files belonging Ryerss eres - Clussified by derivation: