‘404-10103-10194 Tab A: tween Warren Commission Discussions be- and CIA. ~™ — fe a
14-00000 ~ SEGRET Discussions between Warren Commission and CIA 31 January 1964 . : dated foo ] H Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 31 January 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel: "Thank you for your memorandum of January 25, 1964, transmitting a detailed chronology of Lee Harvey OSWALD's stay in the Soviet Union and the alphabetical list of persons in the Soviet Union who were known to or mentioned by Lee Harvey OSWALD or his wife. "Based on an initial review I am confident that this material will be of great assistance to. the work of this Commission. However, I have a question re- garding the mention of an appendix in the Name List. For example, there are references to "Appendix B' under items No. 70 and No. 91. I would appreciate knowing whether one or more appendices have been prepared to the materials which can be made available to this Commission." 31 January 1964 : Letter to Mr. J. Edgar HOOVER, Director, Federal Bu- reau of Investigation, dated 31 January 1964, from.J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "We understand you already have furnished the Central Intelligence Agency with the Summary Report entitled ‘Investigation of Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, November 22, 1963', and accompanying exhibits; the Summary Report entitled ‘Investigation of Killing of Lee Harvey OSWALD, Dallas, Texas, 24 - November 1963'; and the two Supplemental Reports to these summaries. At a conference on January 28, 1964, attended by Mr. MOLLEY and representatives of the Secret Service and the Central Intelligence Agency, we discussed the possibility of supplying additional ‘reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the Central Intelligence Agency in order to enable that agency to be of further assistance to the Commission. It was agreed that F.B.I. reports would be made avail- able to C.I.A. and that representatives of the two agencies would consult regarding the precautions to be taken in the use of these materials. "Accotdingly, the Commission would appreciate | your furnishing the C.I.A. (Attention: Mr. Richard HELMS) copies of the following reports: "All correspondence carried on by Lee Harvey OSWALD with persons in the Soviet Union, in particular, the letters referred to on page 63 of your Supplemental Report on the Assassination of President Kennedy. "As additional materials in these general areas are developed by the Bureau in the course of its in- vestigation, we would like the reports to be furnished to the Central Intelligence Agency. -— .. "
14-00000 10 February 1964 dated -2- . SECRET Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 10 February 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "This will acknowledge with the thanks of the Commission your memorandum dated January 31, 1964, relating to information developed by your Agency on Lee Harvey OSWALD activity in Mexico City during | _the period of September 28 to October 3, 1963. "I assume - and would like to be so advised if the contrary is the fcat - that your January 31, 1964, report is not final inasmuch as I recall an investigation is currently being pursued with respect to an allegation of some significance which emanated from the White House and which is not referred to in the above-mentioned report. With respect to this allegation, it would be greatly appreciated if you would furnish us with an interim resume of any developments pertinent thereto. - "In connection with your memorandum dated January 31, 1964, the Commission has asked me to request you to submit to the Commission the following: (There follows twelve requirements.) 12 February 1964 a Letter to Mr. Thomas H. KARAMESSINES, Acting Deputy ‘Director for Plans, dated 12 February 2964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "After your conversation with Mr. WILLENS on Monday, February 10, 1964, the Commission was sup- plied by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with a cropped copy of the photograph reportedly dis- played to Mrs. Marguerite OSWALD on November 23, 1963, at Dallas, Texas, by Special Agent*ODUM of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "In order to complete the records of the Com- mission regarding this matter, the Commission would like to be informed of the circumstances surrounding the obtaining of this picture by. your Agency and the _identity of the individual shown;“if this informa- tion is currently available." 12 February 1964 f - Letter to Honorable John A. McCONE, Director! Central Intelligence Ahency, dated 12 February 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "As you know, this Commission . oe ' ‘We are informed by the Secret Service that the Central Intelligence Agency has disseminated several reports or communications coneerning the assassina- tion to the Secret Service in the period since Novem- ber 1963. All these materials reportedly carry s rope baeik, f
14-00000 ~ 3 «= “security rating whee EP ctudes their delivery to the Commission by the Secret Service. I would ap- - preciate your assistance in sending copies of these reports or other materials to the Commission as soon as possible. "In addition, I would like your Agency to supply the Commission with a report on the information in your possession regarding Lee Harvey OSWALD prior to November 22, 1963. Some of this information is pro- vided in the footnote on Page 2 of your report dated January 31, 1964, entitled ‘Information Developed by CIA on the Activity of Lee Harvey OSWALD in Mexico City 28 September - 3 October 1963'. The footnote indicates that until early October of 1963 the con- tents of this file consisted entirely of press ma- terials and disseminations received from the Depart- ment of State, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Navy Department. It would assist this Commission if a copy of the contents of the file as of November 22, 1963, would be made available. If not reflected in the file, we are also interested in knowing what dissemination, if any, was made to other Federal agencies, of items added to the file after October 9, 1963 and prior to November 22." 6 March 1964 > oy 6 March 1964 0 Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 6 March 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "The Commission has recently received a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation covering an interview that took place between representatives of the Bureau and the recent Soviet defector, Yuri Ivanovich NOSENKO. "It appears to us that NOSENKO's defection, whether or not it is authentic, is of very great interest to the Commission. I would like to set up a conference early in the week of March 9 be- tween members of the Commission staff and members of CIA to discuss this matter further and to ex- plore generally the work your Agency has in pro- gress of interest to this Commission. oS ae "Will you please contact me at your earliest convenience to set a time for this conference,"' 12 March 1964 Memorandum for the Record, dated 12 March 1964; Subject: Meeting with the Warren Commission on 12 March eet "On 12 March 1964, Mr. HELMS, Mr. MURPHY, and Mr. ROCCA met with Mr. RANKIN, Chief Counsel for the Warren Commission, Mr. WILLEMS , and other members of Mr. RANKIN's staff. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the current status of the CIA contribu- tion to the work of the Warren Commission.
14-00000 ~ 4 - fit SECRET "2. The first topic raised by Mr. RANKIN concerned information on Lee Harvey OSWALD's Stay in the Soviet Union as reported by the FBI, based on their interview of the defector, Yuriy Ivanovich NOSENKO. This discussion is reported in a separate memorandum. "3. . . . Mr. RANKIN's staff showed us a detailed memorandum they had prepared based on all of the information available to them, including our own contribution concerning OSWALD's stay in the USSR. .. "4. Members of Mr. RANKIN's staff then spoke about having found a book in OSWALD's possessions which had certain letters cut out giving the impre- ssion that this might have formed the base or key for a cipher system. ... "5. Members of Mr. RANKIN's staff then com- mented on the testimony of Mrs. OSWALD to the effect that the letters from her son regarding his desire to return to the United States had the appearance of being dictated since they contained none of his usual grammatical errors and used legal language “with which he would not have been familiar. ... "6. Mr. WILLEMS noted that Mrs. OSWALD had introduced a statement to the effect that she sus- pected her.son to be a CIA agent. .. . "7. A considerable part of the meeting from this point forward consisted of a review by Mr. RANKIN and his staff 6f the gaps in their investi- gation to date. ... "8. In connection with the Mexican phase of the investigation, members of Mr. RANKIN's staff questioned Mr. HELMS and Mr. ROCCA regarding the extent of the CIA file on OSWALD for the period 8 October to 22 November 1963. ... "9. The question of why no action was taken by other agencies of the government after their receipt of CIA information that OSWALD was in contact with the Soviet and Cuban Embassies in Mexico City was next discussed. ... "10. Thé Commission, Mr. RANKIN Said, would be interested in any information held by CIA on Jack RUBY. ... "11. Mr. HELMS was then asked if CIA had done -any follow up to its original telegraphic dissemi- nation of the information on OSWALD's visits to the Cuban and Soviet Embassies in Mexico City. Mr. HELMS replied that there had been no. CIA action following our initial dissemination. Mr. WILLEMS then asked if there were any liaison problems faced by CIA in its efforts to deal with other agencies in matters affecting internal security. .. .. "12. Mr. WILLEMS then asked if CIA's intelli- | gence collection system was automated. ... "13. In speaking of the broader question of protection for the President, Mr. RANKIN asked about our procedures for working with the Secret Service when the President travels abroad. ... "14. Mr. WILLEMS asked if we could check on a
14-00000 memorandum sent to Mr. KARAMESSINES on'12 February regarding one of the pictures identified by Mrs. OSWALD as that of Jack RUBY. ..." 16 March 1964 Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 16 March 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. “During our conference of March 12, we discussed informally several questions. concerning Presidential protection, which I would like to put informally to obtain any comments your Agency may desire to make. “First, at the time of the assassination, did the Central Intelligence Agency have any written description of the criteria to be employed by its personnel in determining what information coming to their attention should be furnished to the Secret Service? If not in a written form, was there any general policy with respect. to this matter? "Second, has the Central Intelligence Agency any recommendations to make regarding possible improve- ments in any aspect of Presidential protection, whether or not involving matters within its jurisdic- tion, including intelligence arrangements and proce- dures, liaison somg federal agencies, particular ‘protection measures, and any other aspect which. ap- pears relevant?" 16 March 1964 : Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 16 March 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "I would like to confirm our understanding of the arrangements agreed upon at our conference on March 12, respecting the furnishing to the Commission of certain materials to complete your response to the re- quest of our letter of February 1964. "As we understand it, you will supply a paraphrase of each report or communication described in the second paragraph og our letter of February 12, 164, with all indications of your cinfidential communications tech- niques and confidential sources deleted. -You will also afford members of our staff working in this area an opportunity to review the actual files so that they may give assurance that the paraphrases are complete. "The same procedure would be followed with respect to any materials described in the third paragraph of our letter of February 12, 1964, which have not hither- to been furnished because of similar security conside- rations.. In addition, we will be furnished actual copies of disseminations on October, 10, 1963 to other federal agencies regarding information ori OSWALD's ac- tivities in Mexico City, and any other materials not already furnished and within the scope of the third paragraph of our letter, which do not present security problems requiring paraphrasing. ° i "if these arrangements are satis- factory to you, I would appreciate your advising Howard P. WILLENS or Samuel A. STERN fo our staff when it would be conven- ient to have them visit your Agency to review the files involved."
14-00000 17 March 1964 dated = 6 = Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 17 March 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "At the conference held in my office last Thursday, March 12, we agreed to forward to you certain documents. Those documents accompany this letter and they are as follows: "1. Three ring loose-leaf notebook containing a file entitled "Lee Harvey OSWALD and Marina OSWALD, Documentary ' Record of Contacts with the United States Department of State and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. "2. Copies of letters written by Lee Harvey OSWALD to his mother, Marguerite OSWALD, when he was living in the Soviet Union. m3 Memoratidum dated March 12, 1964, subject: Certain Questions Posed by the ' State Department Files. . "4. Copy of an undated draft of a letter found among Lee Harvey OSWALD's effects after the assassination, believed to be an initial draft of the letter sent | by him to the Russian Embassy, in Washing-:‘“”’ ton, D. C., on or about November 12, 1963." 26 March 1964 . 2 dated Letter to Mr. Rithard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 26 March 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. “Enclosed is a letter received by the Commission from the Federal Bureau of Investigation dated March 19,.1964, and various enclosures which set forth the results of a recent investigation by the West German Federal Intelligence Service. "The Commission would appreciate your analysis of this material. If you believe that additional] investigation is appropriate, we would appreciate your initiating the appropriate action through the facilities of your Agency." 30 March 1964 : dated Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 30 March 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. “By cover letter dated March 23, 1964, the Federal Bureau of Investigation delivered to the Commission 28 reports and memoranda setting forth the results of the investigation concerning George and Jeanne de MORENSCHILDT requested by this Commission. These reports confirm that the pre- sent residence of the de MOHRENSCHILDTs is in Haiti and that they have travelled extensively in prior years throughout Mexico and Central America. The Commission would appreciate your furnishing a report from your Agency setting forth
14-00000 SEGRET any information currently in your files regarding these subjects." “97g 5 2 April 1964 : Memorandum for the Record, dated 2 April 1964, by Raymond G. ROCCA, Chief, CI/R&A; Subject: Meeting with " Representative- of the President's CommisSion on the Assassination of President Kennedy, 27 March 1964, Langley. "1. I talked with Mr. Samuel A. STERN re- garding the Commission's interest in original Agency materials on Friday, 27 March 1964, from 2:30 to 4:00. ... "2. Mr. STERN hewed closely to the puidelines which had been established between Mr. HELMS and Mr. RANKIN: he read - or asked to read - only papers that had a bearing on the summarized information that had adready been forwarded to the Commission. In the course of the discussion, he viewed the following specific items of original Agency docu- mentation: "a. DIR-74673 dated 18 October 1963 _....: to State, FBI, and Navy reporting contact .with Soviet Embassy, Mexico, by American, Lee OSWALD. (Forwarded to Commission under cover of DDP memo, No. 4-1554, dated 24-March 1964.) _ "b. MEXI-7019 (CIN-66846) dated 22 November 1963 re photos of unidentified American entering Cuban Embassy on 15 October 1963. (To Commission under cover of DDP memo, No. 4-1555, dated 24 March | 1964.) . , "c. MEXI-7020 (IN-66891) dated 23 November 1963 which forwarded names of three persons possibly identical with OSWALD who flew-from Mexico to U. S. in November 1963. (To Commission under cover of DDP memo, No. 4-1555, dated 24 March 1964.) "d. MEXI-7021 (IN-66896) dated 23 November 1963 indicating that FBI agent hand- carrying photos of person suspected of being OSWALD to Dallas for mailing to D. C. (To ‘Commission under cover of DDP memo, No. 4-1555, dated 24 March 1964.) "e. Six photos mailed to Washington, referred to in paragraph 2.d. above. (There was no discussion as to how the photos were acquired.) "f. Copies of the three informal, un- dated disseminations handcarried to the Secret Service based on 2.b., c, and d above. . "g. DIR-84915 dated 23 November 1963 to the FBI re activities of North Ameritan, possibly identical with OSWALD, who visited Soviet and Cuban Embassies in Mexico on 28 September 1963. (To Commission under cover § ane Bitten Biueisiion
14-00000 ~-@- SECRET of DDP memo dated 31 January 1964, p. 8.) "h. Originals of the thirty documents ' from CIA's dossier on OSWALD which were for- . wardéd to the Commission under cover of DDP memo, No. 4-1224, dated 6 March 1964. (See attachment to that memo for inventory of , documents.) | "i. Machine run sheets on documents accessioned to CIA's dossier on OSWALD. "3. Mr. STERN stated he had a keen interest in Agency programs for electronic data handling of in- formation. I pointed out to him the up-dated machine control record on the contents of the OSWALD file, and suggested that I was sure that Mr. HELMS would be pleased to offer him and others in the Commission the possibility of viewing the Agency's data pro- cessing mechanisms. It was also noted that a consi- derable effort had already been made by Mr. HELMS' subordinates to interest members of the intelligence community in an interagency approach to the machine control of counterintelligence and security informa- tion. A presentation had been made before the ICIS on this matter and an article had been prepared for Studies in Intelligence. I promised to make a copy of the article available to Mr. STERN. | "4. Mr. STERN was eager to view our actual meghanisms for machine control of our information. and readily accepted the suggestion that a briefing take place. It was indicated to him that he would becontacted by CI Staff's Machine Records Officer who would arrange the details for the presentation in the near future. : "S. Mr. STERN volunteered oneepoint in the dis- ‘cussion that the Agency handling of the information in the OSWALD case was unique among what the Commis- sion had found had happened in every other agency. He was critical of the Navy. He raised specifically the question: why had the Navy not forwarded the photograph of Lee Harvey OSWALD requested by the Agency? He added that there were six or seven other points on which the Navy had been gigged by the Con- mission and there would be discussion between him and the Navy in the near future. He stated flatly that no Federal component except CIA had been able to show the Commission hard documentation whitch indicated there had been immediate action on field reported information by headquarters and full instructions for follow-up. Mr. STERN tended to equate this perfor- mance to the way we handled our data and for that reason placed great emphasis upon what the Commissi cn might be able to do in its report for an improved methodology based on machines among departments and agencies involved in security matters." | anal 13 April 198% 7 : Memorandum for Deputy Director for Plans, dated 13 "April 1964, by David E. MURPHY, Chief, SR Division; Subject: | : $ * Discussioris with Mr. Allen W. DULLES on the OSWALD Case. "1. At the instruction€ of the DDP, I visited Mr. DULLES on 11 April to discuss with him certain ques- tions which Mr. DULLES feels the Warren Commission may pose to, CIA. Mr. DULLES explained that while the Com- mission wished to clarify certain aspects of the OSWALD case in which a response from CIA seemed necessary it Orerr SEgR po
14-00000 - 9 - was not sure how cnORGBET sons should be posed nor how CIA should respond. Mr. DULLES hoped that our discussions would enable him to advise the Commission on this matter. He first raised the allegation that OSWALD was a CIA agent. He mentioned two sources for this accusation. One was Mrs. Marguerite OSWALD, Lee Harvey OSWALD's mother, and the other was Mr. Mark LANE, Mrs. OSWALD's attorney. ... "2, Mr. DULLES then suggested that the res- ponse to this question could be in the form of sworn testimony before the Commission by a senior CIA official or a letter or affidavit. He re- called that the Director of the FBI had replied by letter to a similar question. In any event, Mr. DULLES felt that the reply should be straight- forward and to the point. He thought language which made it clear that Lee Harvey OSWALD was never an employee or agent of CIA would suffice. We should also state that neither CIA nor anyone acting on CIA's behalf was ever in contact or communicated with OSWALD. ... I agreed with him that a carefully phvased denial of the charges of involvement wth OSWALD seemed most appropriate. "3. The next question concerned the possi- bility of OSWALD's having been a Soviet agent. Mr. DULLES suggested that the Commission's question on this matter be phrased somewhat as follows: ‘In the knowledge or judgement of CIA was Lee Harvey OSWALD an agent of the Soviet intelligence services of the intelligence services of other communist states at any time prior to 22 November 1963, or was OSWALD solicited by these intelligence services ‘to become such an agent?' .. . Mr. DULLES and J felt that it would be better to. . . confine our response to a precise statement of fact. This state- ment, in Mr. DULLES' view, could note that CIA | possessed no knowledge either gained independently or from its study of the materials supplied by the Commission tending to show that Lee Harvey OSWALD was an agent of the Soviet intelligence services, or the services of any other communist country, or for that matter of any other country. "4, ‘@ 8 e "S. . » » Mr. DULLES mentioned other issues which concerned the Commission. He remarked that members of the Commission could not understand why cia had not begun an investigation of OSWALD as soon as it received word that he had defected. I noted that this question had been discussed with Mr. RANKIN and his staff and there seemed to be considerable [mis ]understanding of the practical circumstances which made it impossible for CIA to undertake such investigation inside the USSR. I expressed the hope that it would not be necessary for CIA~to place matters of this sort in the public recoud. Mr. DULLES agreed. "6. Mr. DULLES then asked if it were normal for the Soviet Government to permit a Soviet woman to marry a foreigner and then allow her to leave with her husband shortly after the marriage. This question perturbed [the Commission and they would like to have an answer. I said that .. . the prdblem seemed to lie more in the consular field and I suggested that . the best way to obtain an opinion on what constituted ‘normal practice’ in marriage cases in the USSR would SECRET
14-00000 = 10 - be to question the SECRET of State. Mr. DULLES agreed. "7, .« « « I did offer a personal opinion in regard.to the way in which CIA should respond. Noting that testimony on questions such as these would be difficult to insert in the public record, I suggested ' that it would be best if the CIA response were in writ- ten form. However, much will depend on the form in which the questions are eventually put to us and I imagine that a final decision can be made at that time. "Re, e & e " 21 April 1964 ot dated Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 21 April 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "On behalf of the Commission I would like to thank you and your representatives for the fine cooperation . which was extended to representatives of the Commission during the course of their work in Mexico City from April 8 through April 13, 1964. ... "During their stay in Mexico City the Commission representatives discussed with Mr. SCOTT and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that portion of the Lee Harvey OSWALD investigation which: ‘con~..: cerned Gilberto ALVARADO Ugarte. ... "Upon review of our complete file on this matter, we find that we lack full documentation of the inves- ‘tigation conducted of these allegations. It would be helpful if our records could be supplemented by a re- port from your Agency supplying more details regard- ing the investigation undertaken by your Agency and other concerned agencies into this matter and your evaluation. as to the truth of ALVARADO's assertions. In particular, it would be helpful if a report could be submitted by the expert wgo conducted the. poly- graph examination which emphasizes the specific con- clusions which he made based on the responses by ALVARADO in answering key questions on this matter." 22 April 1964 3 dated Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 22 April 1964, from J.. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "Throughout the course of the investigation... "The Commission would like to know whether your Agency possesses any. information not hitherto dis- closed to this Commission concerning the association of Lee~Harvey OSWALD with any communist or subversive organizations or individuals either in the United States or abroad, or with any criminals or criminal groups either in the United States or abroad. "The Commission is anxious to be assured that it _ possesses the full extent of your Agency's knowledge and ‘information concerning the aforementioned associa- tions of Lee Harvey OSWALD." a
14-00000 pd - 11 - 24 April 1964 | | SECRET Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 24 April 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "As an aid to testing the reliability of infor- mation we possess on Lee Harvey OSWALD's dealings with the Cuban.and Soviet Embassies in Mexico City in late September and early October of 1963, the Commission would like to have as much information as can be obtained regarding the hours at which these two embassies are open to the public, their normal working hours for other purposes, and the procedures and regulations, whether formal or in- formal, involved in issuing Cuban visas or other | permits to travel to or through Cuba. In addition, we would like to have a description of the proce- -dures and regulations enforced by the Mexican au- thorities, whether formal or informal, in connec- tion with travel by Americans to and from Cuba through Mexico. "We are advised by the Federal Bureau of Inves- tigation, from which agency representatives of the Commission requested this ififormation in Mexico City, that your agency is in a better position to respond to this request." 5 May 1964 sg Memorandum for the Record, dated 5 May-1964; Subject: Meeting with Mr. SLAWSON of the Presidential Commission. z "1. On 5 May, Mr. (WHITTEN) and Mr 26HALL met win Mr. SLAWSON of the Commission in Mr. (WHITTEN s office. This meeting had been requested to ask for a fresh translation of the taped conversation between Cuban President BORTICOS and Ambassador ARMAS (sic - HERNAN- DEZ. Armas]. Win SCOTT had told the Commission staff visiting Mexico City that his translators, in the rush at that time, might have misconstrued certain nuances of meaning in what was a difficult recording: In view of this, Mr. SLAWSON asked that a new trans- Tation be made, if possible, by a person knowledgeable of the Cuban dialect. "2. According to Mr. SLAWSON, only Messrs. RANKIN, WILLENS, COLEMAN, and he presently know of the telephone taps in Mexico City. SLAWSON, WILLENS, and COLEMAN were briefed on the taps during their visit to Mexico City. "3. In about three weeks the staff will begin presenting to the Commission evidence on the conspira- torial aspect of the assassination. At this time, apparently, their evidence is against the existence of a plot. They will wish to present to the Commission the ARMAS-DORTICOS conversation. SLAWSON suggested the possibility that a knowledgeable CIA man could make this presentation, interpreting the conversation in the light of our study. > "4, Mr, (WHITTEN)said that wé will again translate the tape, using the best available Cuban linquist, and ~ once again study the nuances of the conversation. Any presentation to the Commission, however, would have to be referred to Messrs. HELMS and ROCCA for decision.
14-00000 pd = 12 - According to Mr. SLAWSON, no member of the Commission now knows of the telephone taps in Mexico City (he did not mention Mr. DULLES). . 2 "S. Mr. (WHITTEN carefully briefed Mr. SLAWSON (probably rebriefed him) on the importance of these telephoné taps to U. S. security and the grave damage that would be done to U. S. - Mexican relations if knowledge of their existence. became public. 19 May 1964 : Seal nk Se 2 Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 19 May 1964] from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. Hee "At a meeting on March 12, 1964, between representatives of your Agency and this Commission a memorandum prepared by members of the Commission Staff was handed to you which related to the back- ground of Jack L. RUBY and alleged associates and/ or activities in Cuba. At that time we requested that you: review this memorandum and submit to the Commission any information contained in your files regarding the matters covered in the memorandum, as well as any other analyses by your representatives which you believed might be useful to the Commission. "As you know, this Commission is nearing the — end of its investigation. -We would appreciate hearing from you aS soon aS possible whether you are in a position to comply with this request in the near future." 19 May 1964 ; dated Letter to Mr: Richard HELMS, Députy Director for Plans, 19 May 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "The Commission wishes to consider the possibility that during his stay in the Soviet Union Lee Harvey OSWALD may have received medical or psychological treatment or conditioning designed to reinforce or ac- centuate his apparent hostility to authority and thereby render him a disruptive factor in this country after his return. "We think that a study of the latest Soviet tech- niques in 'mind conditioning' and so-called 'brain- washing’ would be helpful in that regard. We would greatly appreciate your making such materials as you may have on that subjeet available to Mr. Wesley J. _ LIEBELER of our staff. Perhaps a conference'on this subject between appropriate members of your organiza- tion and. members of our staff would be desirable." 20 May 1964 : _ dated 20 May 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. ' Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, "The Commission has just received certain of the materials which it requested of the Russian Government on March 24, 1964. JI am enclosing here- with two copies each of the documents received from ' the Russian Government and one copy of the trans- lations of the same. The only documents which the
14-00000 - 13 - An Commission has not Seen eived from the Department of State which were handed to the Department by the Government of Russia are the documents entitled | ‘Medical Documents'. These will be forwarded to you as soon as the Commission receives them.: . "Any comments which the Central Intelligence _ Agency cares to make on the enclosed documents will be appreciated." 25 May 1964 : dated Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 25 May 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "In connection with some discussions recently had with Mr. Abram CHAYES, the Legal Adviser to the Department of State, Mr. CHAYES has informed the Commission that members of the Department of State have informed him that at the time Lee Harvey OSWALD received his tourist visa to enter Russia from the Soviet Embassy at Helsinki, Finland, at least a week ordinarily transpired between the time when the tou- rist applied for his visa and the issuance of that visa. If this is true, then the fact that Lee Harvey OSWALD obtained his tourist visa in from two to four days may have some significance. "From material previously supplied to the _. Commission by the Central Intelligence Agency we have concluded that OSWALD arrived in Helsinki on an airplane from London on October 10, 1959, that his Soviet tourist visa was issued from the Embassy in Helsinki:on October 14, and that he departed for Moscow on a train on October 15. Assuming that he applied for a visa the same day he arrived in Hel- sinki, four days were required for him to obatin the visa. If, however, his airplane arrived too late on October 10 for him to reach the Soviet Embassy and apply for a visa that same day, he probably would have had to wait until Monday, Octo- ber 12, to tener his application. We have no in- formation on the probable time of ktrival of his flight or the closing time of the Embassy, so we cannot estimate whether he had sufficient time to get from the airport to the Embassy before it closed on Saturday, October 10. "We have already asked that the Department of State look further into this matter and give us its best opinion regarding the average time required to obtain a Soviet tourist visa from Helsinki in October 1959 and also the regularity or lack of regularity evidenced by the Soviet Embassy in this regard. We are of course interested in the question of the re- gularity of procedures because we want to know whether, if OSWALD did in fact obtain his visa more quickly than was normal, his doing so was significant, or whether it may have been only the result of a not- infrequent deviation from normal procedures. "Tf it is still possible at this time to deter- mine the approximate hour on October 10, 1959 when OSWALD's flight arrived ‘in Helsinski and the hour when the Soviet Embassy closed, this information, plus an estimate of the time required to travel from the airport to the Embassy by commercial transporta- tion, would also be of assistance to the Commission." a”
14-00000 ~ 14 - SECRET 24 June 1964 : . . Memorandum for the Record, dated 24 June 1964; subject: Talk with Chief Justice Earl WARREN; signed by Richard HELMS , Deputy Director for Plans, 7 "1. Pursuant to the Director's suggestion, I called on Chief Justice WARREN at 11:30 in the office of the President's Commission. I presen- ted him the letter which I had drafted for the Director's signature. Chief Justice WARREN read the letter carefully, after which I gave him some highly classified details about the NOSENKO case and why we were unwilling to vouch for him as a bona fide defector. The Chief Justice that he and Congressman FORD had already expressed reservations about the use of the NOSENKO material in the Commission's published report, although other members of the Commission desired to use it in some form or other. He concluded his remarks by saying that based on the Director's letter and my observations he would see to it that the NOSENKO information was not used. . He asked per- mission to show the Director's letter to the other members of the Commission, to which I replied that he could usé the letter in any way that would be useful to hinm.. "2. The Director told me that later in the.. day he saw the Chief Justice who confirmed to | him that the NOSENKO material would not: be used in the Commission's report." : . f / 64; subject: Discussion with Mr. DULLES ,re- 7 OSENKO Information on OSWALD. . : ; "1. \Mr. DULLES, with whom I spoke today, re- called his*‘earlier conversation with you on this subject and said that there were still some members of the Commission who were concerned lest they sup- press the NOSENKQ information now only to have it surface at a future date. They expressed concern that this could possibly prejudice the entire Warren Commission report. [.told Mr. DULLES that this concern was understandable,but that we felt the best course by far would be to omit any reference to the NOSENKO information in ¢ e-final report. While it is conceivable that NOSENKO inight someday be in a position to claim that he provided information on the KENNEDY assassiriation, I said that the differ- ence between NOSENKO's situation and that of other bona fide defectors was such that it..would be less likely that NOSENKO would be allowed to surface in this way. I mwoted that if the NOSENKO “information were included as is in the final Commission report and then later the facts of NOSENKO's agent.mission became public knowledge, this could have perhaps an even greater negative affect on the standing 6 the Commission's report. The only way for the Commis - sion Ao avoid this and still use the-information Ys wourd be for them to indicate that doubt existed Sig. regarding the source of the information. We would oe e opposed to this because it would Signal to NOSENKO's | GESRET abd Eda I
14-00000 - 18 - SECRET Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 3 July 1964 _. dated 3 July 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "Enclosed is a copy of a letter from Leonard C. MEEKER, Acting Legal Adviser, Department of State, — to J. Lee RANKIN dated June 23, 1964, and all the enclosures thereto. Most of these enclosures are in Spanish. The Commission would appreciate the Central Intelligence Agency translating them for us at its earliest convenience. The Commission would also ap- | preciate any comments which the Agency cares to make. "Also enclosed is a memorandum from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, dated March 26, 1964, en- titled ‘Signed statement of Silvia Tirado de DURAN’. We believe that this memorandum is a translation of one of the enclosures in the letter dated June 23, 1964, and have enclosed it in case it may be of assistance to your translators. The information in . the memorandum from the Federal Bureau of Investiga- tion was obtained confidentially at an earlier date." 3 July 1964 | : Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 3 July 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General: Counsel.. "Enclosed is a letter from Leonrad C. MEEKER, Acting Legal Adviser, Department of State, to J... Lee RANKIN, dated June 29, 1964, and the enclosures thereto. The information obtained in the third enclosure to this letter seems inconsistent with the comments made by the Central Intelligence Agency in paragraph 6 of its memorandum dated April 6, 1964, subject: ‘'Rephy to questions con- tained in your memorandum dated 12 March 1964'., We bring this to your attention because of the ob- - vious importance of the point at issue. “We would appreciate the comments of your Agency in the light of the information developed by the De- partment of State. If you believe that a conference with a representative of the Commission or with a person or persons at the Department of State, or both, would be desirable, please feel free to con- tact Mr. W. David SLAWSON of the Commission staff. The Department of State, through Mr. Thomas ERLICH, has already indicated its willingness to confer on this point at any reasonable time." 8 July 1964 °° | : Memorandum for Deputy Director for Plans, dated 8 eed July 1964; subject: Discussion with Mr.,DULLES regarding the NOSENKO Information on OSWALD. "1. Mr. DULLES, with whom [I spkoe today, re- called his earlier conversation with you on this subject and said that there were still some members of the Commission who were concerned-lest they sup- press the NOSENKO information now only to have it surface at a future daté. They expressed concern that this could possibly prejudice the entire Warren
14-00000 - 16 - | SECRET Commission Report. I told Mr. DULLES that this concern was understandable but that we felt the best course by far would be to omit any reference to the NOSENKO information in the final report. While it is conceivable that NOSENKO might someday be in a position to claim that he provided information on the KENNEDY assassination, I said that the differ- ence between NOSENKO's situation and that of other bona fide defectors was such that it would be less -likely that NOSENKO would be allowed to surface in this way. I noted that if the NOSENKO information were included as is in the final Commission report and then later the facts of NOSENKO's agent mission became public knowledge, this could have perhaps an even greater negative affect on the standing of the Commission's report. The only way for the Commis- sion to avoid this and still use the information would be for them to indicate that doubt existed regarding the source of the information. We would be opposed to. this because it would signal to NOSENKO's principals something of how we viewed this case and could also bring about renewed press and public in- terest in NOSENKO. "2. Mr. DULLES. and I then exchanged views on the possibility of finding language which wotld al- lude to the existence of otherm unverified informa- tion on the OSWALD case. This language would per- mit the Commission to say if challenged in the future on this issue that it had taken the NOSENKO informa- tion into consideration in the final report but at the same time it would not be presented in a manner which would be at variance with the important opera- tional considerations we have raised. "3. “It was agreed that an effort might be made to find such language if Mr. DULLES is again unsuc- cessful in persuading his colleages to eliminate any reference to the NOSENKO information from the report. To attempt this, however, we would have to know pre- cisely in what context the Commission intended to make use of the NOSENKO information. This, Mr. DULLES will have to determine from Mr. RANKIN. . oe Wa, A J e " 9 July 1964 : Memorandum for the Record, dated 9 July 1964; subject: Discussion with Warren Commission Staff Member; signed by Lee H. WIGREN, C/SR/CI/Research. _ "1. With the approval of C/SR and the DDP, I met with Mr. W. David SLAWSON of the staff... . The purpose of this meeting was to discuss apparent incon: sistencies in material provided the Commission by CIA and bythe Department of State which were called to our attention in a letter from the General Counsel of the Commission to Mr. HELMS, dated 3 July 1964. "2. By way of introduction, Mr. SLAWSON said that in the portion of the Commission's report that he was writing, he would have .to deal with the question of whether or not the OSWALDs’ departure from the' USSR - and the circumstances (i.e. timing) of that departure - ‘were unusual or suspicious in any way. He expressed his belief that they probably were not and cited Soviet relaxation in such matters in the post-Stalin era. However, he wanted to be sure in his own mind GEnnET hats abs d
14-00000 eh avae : : ORE : : : . that our information was not in conflict with that which the Commission had received from State since all of that information would remain in the records of the Commission. "3. After stating my belief that there was no real disagreement or inconsistency between the infor- mation from CIA and that from State, I expressed the view that the matter resolved itself into three questions: "a. Do the Soviet authorities normally permit Soviet citizens married to foreign nationals to emigrate from the Soviet Union to the homelands of their spouses? "b. Do they normally permit such Soviet citizens to accompany (i.e. depart simultane- ously with) their spouses from the Soviet Union? "c. How long does it take such Soviet citizens to get Soviet exit visas for such a purpose (time lapse from application to gran- ting of visds)? . "4. Concerning the first two questions (3a and 3b above) I pointed out that we had addressed our- selves mainly to the question of Soviet citizens being allowed to accompany their spouses abroad while State dealt omly with the larger question of Soviets married to foreigners being allowed to emigrate with- out reference to whether or not they left simultane- ously with or at another. time from their spouses. Mr. SLAWSON commented that this explanation was most helpful and he reread what both we and State had said in that light. - "5. By way of further explanation, { said that the statements in paragraph 6 of our memorandum of 6 April 1964 concerning Soviets being permitted to accompany their foreign spouses abroad were based on a review of 26 cases, of which 10 involved Americans. In only four of these cases did a Soviet wife leave the USSR in the company of her foreign husband; in 14 of the cases the foreign spouse departed alone; and in the remaining seven cases insufficient details are known to permit us to categorize them. I added that although State's information began by citing the issuance of 724 quota and non-quota immigrant visas by the American Embassy in Moscow during the period FY 1954 to December 1963, it did not indicate how many of these visas were for Soviet citizens who had married U.S. nationals. Actually State provided detailed information for only sixteen cases and did not indicate in many of these whether or not the Soviet was permitted to accompany the foreign spouse. "6. In response to a question from Mr. SLAWSON I stated that most of the 26 cases upon which we based our statements involved foreign students, exchange teachers and other relatively transient persons, and while & number of cases have certain points in common, they bear little similarity to the OSWALD case in that none involved a defector who married prior to repatri- ating. I noted that paragraph 6 of our 6 Apri} 1964 memorandum to the Commission had pointed this out. Mr. SLAWSON indicated he was now satisfied on this matter. "7. Concerning the length of time taken by Soviet authorities to process visas for Soviet citizens married CECRET ety bi Bkke b
14-00000 17 July 1964 | - 18 - to foreign nationals (question 3c above), I stated that, in my opinion, the information provided by State (in the third enclosure to Mr. MEEKER's letter) substantially corresponded to the views ex- pressed in paragraphs 6 and 7 of our memorandum to the Commission dated 6 April 1964. Mr. SLAWSON asked if it would be possible to elaborate para- graph 7 of our memorandum of 6 April by providing a =. Statistical breakdown of the cases on which our statements were based. I indicated that this could e done. . "8. -At this point Mr. SLAWSON stated that as a result of our discussion he felt that the question of possible inconsistencies had been resolved. However, he asked that we send a brief written reply to the Commission's letter of 3 July 1964 embodying the sub- stance of what I had said concerning the basis for Statements included in our 6 April 1964 memorandum. ® @ e e 9, e s e "10. e e e Ad Memorandum of Conversation, dated 17 July 1964; subject: Use of NOSENKO Information in Warren Commission Report. [Participants in meeting held on 16 July 1964:_ J. Lee JRANKIN, General Counsel of the Commission, Mr. _SLAWSON, Mr. Tennent H. BAGLEY, and Mr. Lee WIGREN. ] "1. At mr. HELMS' request we discussed with Mr. SLAWSON and Mr. RANKIN how and in what manner NOSENKO's information might be used in the published report of the Warren Commission. Mr. HELMS had dis- cussed this problem with Mr. DULLES and Mr. RANKIN and Mr. MURPHY had also discussed it with Mr. DULLES (the latter conversation was reported in a memoran- dum of 8 July 1964). Mr. HELMS' instructions to me were to discuss the matter cooperatively but to leave all decisions to Mr. HELMS. "2. Mr. SLAWSON, with whom we spoke alone for the first 20 minutes, had drafted a memorandum to Mr. RANKIN proposing a text embodying NOSENKO's in- formation for the Commission's report. He invited us to read and comment on it. ... "3. After reading Mr. SLAWSON's proposed text, I told him that CIA wanted to assist the Warren Com- mission in any way possible. For a number of reasons the proposed text could be damaging to the interests of the-Commission: a : "a. Regardless of the wording of the .Source description, it was very likely that the press would very quickly be able to i- dentify the 'confidential Soviet Union Source’ as NOSENKO. (Neither Mr. SLAWSON nor, later, ’ Mr. RANKIN disagreed with this.) "b. NOSENKO is very likely to be uncovered publicly as a KGB plant at some time in the future. When this occurs unsophisticated readers of the
14-00000 a SE OnE Commission's report will be inclined to read his statements through a mirror and to assume that the reverse of what he said was true; i.e., that OSWALD.was a KGB agent, perhaps dispatched on a mission to kill President Kennedy. , . "ce. The inclusion of NOSENKO's informa- tion, followed by the later revelation that he was a Soviet plant, would cast a shadow over the reliability of the report and the judgement of the Commission. "d. Revelation that NOSENKO had any speci- fic knowledge of OSWALD's case in the Soviet Union would be seized upon by an alert press as the most intriguing new item in the whole report. It would make NOSENKO into a public figure again and would raise demands for public appearances and testimonies. This would have catastrophic results on our current plans to get to the bottom of the NOSENKO affair and, among other things, would lessen our chances of eventually learning the true story behind his OSWALD information. If we do, we might be able in this way to contribute _ Significantly to the work of the Commission. "4, “Mr. SLAWSON immediately and without further | discussion said that he was convinced of the validity of our arguments. ... ; "5. Mr. RANKIN was convinced that whethér or not NOSENKO's name or information were included in the re- port, the press representatives would specifically ask Commission spokesmen whether or not NOSENKO, the well- publicized KGB defector, had been asked for his know- ledge of the affair. The Commission did not want to be in the position of having overlooked this source nor of having withheld matters relevant to the inves- tigation. However, since NOSENKO appears to be a KGB plant, it did not appear necessary or desirable to use his information in full and Mr. RANKIN agreed that there would be a public tendency to mirror-read NOSENKO's Statements after he was revealed to be a KGB plant. "6. At this point we all agreed that some language could be found which would protect the Commission from later accusationg of having used planted information or of witholding testimony. CIA's aim was to avoid NOSENKO's becoming a public figure or mystery or center of attention. We wnated if possible to slide through the publication of the Warren Commission report with our handling of NOSENKO. as untroubled as possible. Since Mr. RANKIN seemed rather certain that the press would ask whether NOSENKO had been consulted, even if his name did not appear-in the report, it might very well be in CIA's interest, as well as the Commission's, to have NOSENKO's name mentioned in the report. (in a manner which would discourage further questions). Mr. RANKIN_was inclined to say, at one point, something to the effect that the Commission received information from various confidential sources, without specifying what information or which sources were involved, which information 'did not affect the Commission's conclusions'. We also discussed the possibility of drafting a state- ment to be used by Commission members should they be questioned by the press. "7, It was agreed that Mr. RANKIN and Mr. SLAWSON would work out some phraseology which would meet our needs and that they discuss this wording with CIA, perhaps with Mr. HELMS present... . "Se, 's e e ad
14-00000 28 July 1964 -  . ORu Memorandum of Conversation, dated 28 July 1964; subject: Use of NOSENKO Information in Warren Commission Report. [Participants in a meeting on 27 July 1964: Mr. Allen W. DULLES, Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, and Mr. David SLAWSON of thé Warren Commission; Mr. Richard HELMS, Mr. David E. MURPHY, and Mr. Tennent H. BAGLEY of CIA.] "1. This discussion, following earlier ones on the same subject, was called by Mr. RANKIN to discuss proposed drafts for inclusion or non-includéion of NOSENKO's information in the report of the Commission. Mr. SLAWSON had prepared a short memorandum with three attachments, offering alternative drafts. A copy of Me. SLAWSON's memo, which was an informal one and not for permanent Commission records, is attached. "2. Of these drafts, one (#2) names NOSENKO, ad- mits he had direct knowledge of OSWALD's case in the USSR and comments that his reliability is uncertain. Another (#3, parts 1 and 2) includes information from NOSENKO about OSWALD which would be included in the report; NOSENKO is not named as the course. A third (#4) is for inclusion in the Commission report if no NOSENKO information is used, explianing why certain information was not included in order to protect the Commission from later charges of having failed to ‘use NOSENKO's information. "3. The CIA representatives thought that it woutd be undesirable to include any NOSENKO information in the report, and after some discussion, there was general agreement on this view. The circumstances which contributed to this conclusion are summarized here: "ae NOSENKO is a‘KGB pland and may be pub- licly exposed as such some time after the ap- pearance of the Commission's report. CIA can- not at this time, however, evaluate the accuracy of what NOSENKO has reported on the OSWALD case, nor the significance of his having reporting it. ye, . "b. Even without public discrediting of the source, specific aspects of NOSENKO's information are likely. to lead to questions and doubts on the “part of perceptive readers. “c. Once NOSENKO is exposed as a KGB plant, there will arise the danger that his information will be mirror-read by the press and public, leading to conclusions that the USSR did direct ‘the assassination. —~ "d. The Agency's greatest contribution to the resolution of the questions at hand would be. to break NOSENKO and get the full story of how ~¢ and why he was told to tell the story he did about OSWALD. While we have no certainty that we can ever do this, if. we are to succeed we need time and must in the meantime avoird creating ’ pressures which might force us to release NOSENKO to the public domain. - (There, articulate and plausible, he would unqestionably be able to es- tablish himself beyond hope of dislodging, since his story cannot be easily be piereed even by trained specialists, much less by private citizens i} i EOPeT fas kia |
14-00000 - 21 . SECRET however intelligent.) The release of the fact that NOSENKO knew specifically about the OSWALD case would, of course, create such pressure, and no hedging on source description could protect his identity. . "4. The Commission representatives, particularly Mr. RANKIN, felt that some mention of NOSENKO might be inevitable, at. least when after the publication of its report, the press would ask the Commission about him and whether he had had anything to contribute. Mr. HELMS suggested that CIA could provide a number of Soviet intelligence defectors to testify to the Com- mission, and the Commission could then report that ‘defcetors', in general, and without naming NOSENKO, had given information. It was agreed that the Agency had already provided such defector information in its previous reports, and that wording to this effect could be worked into the Commission's draft #4, which was otherwise quite suitable from the point of view of the Agency and the Commission. At Mr. HELMS' sug - gestion, it was agreed that CIA would undertake to draft a few sentences to this effect. "5 e a e "6, e se e 88 "7. Mr. BAGLEY reported that, in response to the Commission's request, we have tested, in the Soviet Embassies in Stockholm and Helsinki, the time required to get a Soviet tourist visa, and find that 2-3 ‘days is impossible and five days the apparent minimum in both places. In one, however, it was implied that shortage of hotel space might be a contributing factor, so these findings might not be valid for the month of October, when OSWALD apparently got his visa in twe or three days." 10 August 1964 : Memorandum for Deputy Director for Plans, dated 10 August 1964; subject: Status of Support to the Warren Commission. "3. Further.on the status of our work with the Commission, we have supplied them with the study on hunting clubs in the USSR. We are now awaiting a call from Mr. RANKIN or Mr. SLAWSON to go over with them the Soviet portion of the chapter on foreign conspi- . Yacy to determine how they have handled the NOSENKO material. On 28 July we agreed they would try to fit it in with that from other defectors which we have supplied. If we do not hear from them by 12 August, we will call Mr. SLAWSON." 11 August 1964 Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 11 August 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. . "The Department of State has very recently informed the Commission that it has files which in- clude information about persons who were confined to the Botkinkaya Hospital in Moscow. during the Fall of 1959, the same period during which Lee Harvey OSWALD
14-00000 ak ee SEChE! aa was, according to his Historic Diary and informa- tion supplied by the Russian Government, also con- fined to that Hospital. W. David SLAWSON of the Commission staff discussed with Mr. Raymond ROCCA of your Agency on August 10, 1964, the possibility of the Agency's attempting to locate and question Mr. Waldemar Boris KARA-PATNITZKY in West Berlin. Mr. KARA-PATNITZKY, according to information fur- nished by the Department of State, was admitted to the Botkinkaya Hospital in late September, 1959, is an American, and is now 75 years old. He, there- fore, may very well be the ‘elderly American' OSWALD referred to in his Historic Diary as having been confined in the same ward with him. "Mr. SLAWSON forwarded to Mr. ROCCA via hand delivery on August 10, 1964, Mr. KARA-PATNITZKY's passport file, obtained from the Department of State, a Secret Service Memorandum to me dated August 7, 1964 and carrying Secret Service no. 1720, a Secret Service Memorandum dated August 5, . 1964 by Special Agents Thomas and Wong and a copy of a letter I wrote to the Secret Service describ- ing the work we asked the Service to do in respect to this problem in connection with two other per- sons who might have related to it. "Mr. ROCCA told Mr. SLAWSON the Central. Intelli- gence Agency would proceed immediately to locate Mr. KARA-PATNITZKY and carry out. whatever question= ing of him is deemed appropriate, and he asked that this matter be confirmed to you by letter." ” y/ Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for“ Plans, dated 20 August 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General, ations of a Soviet citizen, Petrovich SERGIEVSKY, who walked into/ Embassy inMo would apprec tral Intellig ust 1964 dated 24 August 1964, fr "Enclosed ahd marched attachment A is a list of documents supplied to the Commigsion by the Central - Intelligence” Agency which the Commission contemplates using as atithority in the 'Possible Foreign Conspir- acy' section of its report. Unless ‘otherwise indi- seat Commission contemplates publishing each ocument in its entirety. - \. ee “We would appreciate receiving a letter from you approving the publication of the documents on, the at- tached list. If you believe that some of these docu- ments, Or portions of them should not be published, will you please provide me with an itemized list * your objections, as a basis for discussion. rerey SEGRE!
14-00000 Memorandum for the Record, dated 20 August 1964, 20 August 1964 subject: Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. "David SLAWSON, during a discussion on another topic, mentioned that he was sending over this after- noon or tomorrow (via Mr. RANKIN) an advance copy of a draft of the portion of the Commission's report on the foreign conspiratorial angle of the Kennedy ‘assassination. It would include a precise indication of what attachments and quotations were going to be used. . This would be for our reading and approval." 24 August 1964 : Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 24 August 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "Enclosed and marcked Attachment A is alist of documents supplied to the Commission by the Central Intelligence Agency which the Commission contemplates using as authority in the ‘Possible Foreign Conspiracy ' section of its report. Unless otherwise indi¢ated, the Commission contemplates publishing each such document in its entirety. er "We would appreciate receiving a letter from you approving the publication of the documents on the at- tached list. If you believe that some of these docu- ments, or portions of them should not be published, will you please provide me with an itemized list of your objections, as a basis for discussion. "The second page of attachment A also contains a list of documents entitled 'State Department Files'. These are papers which were sent to the State Depart- ment by the Central Intelligence Agency and turned over to the Commission by the Department. The Com- mission does not contemplate citing any of them in its report. However, unless the Central Intelligence Agency objects, the Commission will leave them in the State Department files, where they will presumably be , transferred to some depository, such as the National Archives,.and there made available for examination by anyone with a legitimate interest in them. Copes of each of these State Department documents have been enclosed with this letter to aid in your identification of them." 1 September 1964 . : Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 1 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. “"Encd@osed are the original and only photographs in our possession of Lee Harvey OSWALD's application for a Cuban visa and the reply from Havana to the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City conditionally rejecting that application, both of which have just been deli- vered to us by the government of Cuba. Also enclosed are copies of the translations of these documents prepared for the Commissiom by the Department of State. :
14-00000 -~ 24 - rm SECRET | "The Commission would appreciate the Central Intelligence Agency, at its very earliest opportu- nity, analyzing and testing these documents to as- certain their authenticity and for any other pur- pose it deems appropriate. In particular, but not intended as a limitation, we would appreciate your attempts to ascertain whether the signature ‘Lee H. OSWALD' is in the handwriting of Lee Harvey OSWALD, and whether the notation at the bottom of ‘the application, ‘Hotel del Commercio, Room 18-46-50- 61;, is in the handwriting of Silvia DURAN or some other appropriate person employed in the Cuban En- bassy in Mexico City at the time OSWALD was there. "We would also appreciate your preparing several copies of the enclosed photographs for the Commission's use." , 11 September 1964 : Memorandum for the Record, dated 11 September 1964, subject: Delivery of Backup Memoranda to the Warren Commission. . . "1. At‘1430 hours on this date, I departed Headquarters enroute to the offices of the Warren Commission to deliver a series of memoranda de- signed to back up certain statements contained in the Warren Commission report. : "S. .Mr. SLAWSON indicated that there would probably be additional requests for backstopping memoranda coming to CIA for the Commission next week. He said he realized that responding to these requests would take time and merely asked that they be handled as expeditiously as possible." 11 September 1964 : Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 11 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. “The Commission would like to publish as a part of its Report the memorandum to me from yourself, Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD, dated 2 July 1964 (Commis- sion Document No. 1216) concerning statements made by an official in the Soviet Consulate in Mexico City. "We would appreciate receiving the approval of _ the Central Intelligence Agency to do so as soon as possible or, if necessary, a substitute memorandum containing substantially the same information which can be published." 12 September 1964 _ oo Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 12 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. > "The Commission would like permission to publish your memorandum to me dated 19 May 1964, subject: Hours of work at Cuban and Sovéet Consulates' Procedures and _ Regulations for Issuance of Cuban Visas; Mexican Control of U. S. citizens’ Travel to and from Cuba. (Commission Document No. 944).
- 25 - SECRET | If it is not possible for us to publish the entire document, we would like at least to be able to publish paragraphs 3 through 6." 12 September 1964 ot Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 12 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General €ounsel. "The Commission would appreciate receiving memoranda from the Central Intelligence Agency which can be published and cited as authority for - the following proposttions: "(1) It is not unusual for a Latin American to,exaggerate the lightness of a North American's skin or jair color. (This is in reference to Silvia DURAN's identifica- tion of OSWALD as 'blond'.) "(2) The Hotel Berlin and the Hotel Metropole were both under the same admini- stration and both are closely watched by the KGB. %(3) The 'Passport and Visa Office’ which Rimma SHIRAKOVA told Lee Harvey OSWALD had been notified of his desire to become a citizen of the Soviet Union, is probably the Visa and Registration Department of- the. . _ Ministry of Internal Affairs. re 4) There have been allegations that Syliva DURAN and her husband, Horacio DURAN Navarro, are members of the Communist Party. "(5) The usual Soviet procedure is to send defectors who have carried out their defection in Moscow to some place in the .-Sovoet Union other than Moscow reasonably soon after it has been determined toaaccept the defector. (In establishing how long Lee _Harvey OSWALD probably waited to be accepted by the Soviet Union for residence there, the Commission would like to have authority for relying upon the fact that so long as OSWALD ']was in Moscow staying in a room at the Metro- pole Hotel, he probably had not yet been ac- cepted for residence in the Soviet Union.)" 21 September 1964 : dated Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, 21 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. “FBI photograph exhibit No. D33-46 (Commission Exhibit No. 2625) shows Lee Harvey OSWALD with a group of men who Marina has identified as fellow workers at the Minsk radio and TV factory. A copy of this photograph has been enclosed with this letter in order to assist your ready identification of it. ; . § - "I know that the CIA has already furnished to the Commission a 'Name List with Traces’, (Appendix C to Chronology of OSWALD. in USSR, October 1959 - June 1962 - Commission Document No. 680). Since we do not know the names of the persons in the
14-00000 - 26 - Spene photograph, however, we have no way of identifying them from the name list. If the CIA can be of heip in this matter, it will be greatly appreciated." 22 September 1964 . : Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 22 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "Reference is made to paragraph d of Attachment C fo your memorandum dated 31 March 1964, subject: Re- ports on Activities and Travel of Lee Harvey OSWALD and Marina Nikolevna OSWALD (Commission Exhibit 2676), concerning the hotels at which OSWALD stayed in Hel- sinki, Finland. "The Commission would appreciate receiving a memorandum from you stating the substance of the referenced paragraph which will be published." 22 September 1964 : ; ‘Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director’ for Plans, dated 22 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "The Commission would like to publish. as a part of its Report your memorandum to me dated. May 4, 1964, subject: Additional Information on Lee Harvey OSWALD (Commission Exhibit No. 869). “We would appreciate receiving the approval of the Central Intelligence Agency to.do so. A copy. of the memorandum was given to Mr. ROCCA on Septem- ber 18, 1964 for ready reference." 22 September 1964 : Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 22 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN , General Counsel. "The Commssion would like to publish as a part of its Report paragraph 10 of your memorandum dated February 19, 1964, subject: Information Developed by CIA on the Activity of Lee Harvey OSWALD in Mexi- co City, September 28 to October 3, 1963, which per- tains to Cuban Consul Usebio [sic] AZCUE. "This letter is to confirm clearance for pub- lishing this portion of your membrandum with the sole exception of the words 'to us' which are to be deleted. This clearance was given by Mr. Ray- mond ROCCA on September 18." 23 September 1964 : Letter to Mr. Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans, dated 23 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. - "The Commission would like to publish as 4 part of its Report your letter of May 4, 1964, subject: Additional Information on Lee Harvey OSWALD. (Commission Exhibit 869) "This letter is to confirm clearance for
14-00000 m | - 27 - | | SECRET ith publishing this memorandum. Verbal clearance was given on September 18, 1964." 30 September 1964 : Letter to Honorable John A, McCONE, Director, Central. Intelligence Agency, dated 30 September 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. | "We appreciate the cooperation of your Agency in furnishing to the Commission a number of documents which aided us in the preparation of our summary report. "The Commission wishes to publish at the earliest opportunity the attached list of classified documents which were cited in the summary report, and requests your authorization to declassify these documents." 13 October 1964 2 | Letter to Honorable John A. McCONE, Director, Central Intelligence Agency, dated 13 October 1964, from J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel. "We are enclosing a copy of your SECRET. document dated January 31, 1964, concerning information develo- ped by CIA on the activity of Lee Harvey OSWALD in Mexico City, 28 September - 3 October 1963. “We have deleted all references to the Secret Agent by the marking, 'D'. Since this document was cited in our summary report, we are requesting your authority to publish it in this form. If this is not agreeable, may we have a synopsis of this docu- ment which may be published."
14-00000 ~~, Tab _B: CIA. eeeerevorsemsene” , EBI Requests t® » ae
LF SECRET LIST (INCOMPLETE) OF REQUESTS FROM THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION FOR: ASSISTANCE AND INFORMATION FROM THE CIA 26 November 1963 : “Subject: Richard Thomas GIBSON  (Paraphrase) 2 Mpuring the afternoon of 26 November clousing tne atterned to the FBI representative in Bern a report (quoted in full in the cable). The FBI representative immediately notified ELMARD (P) and after discussing the con- tent of the report it was agreed that ELMARD would contact Swiss authorities soonest. ELMARD emphasized the utmost importance the United States Government — ‘attached to follow-up of this matter. ELMARD received prompt answers to initial questions and arranged to meet with Swiss security officials in company with ‘the FBI representative in Bern. “ [BERN 2492 (IN 68312), 26 November 1963] 28 November 1963 ~ os ‘Subject: Rumored $5,000 bank deposit made ° by OSWALD upon his return from Mexico on... 3 October (1963. the FBI has just levied on us an ‘official “request for full information on source ‘and origin of rumor about five thousand . dollars bank deposit. [DIR 85654, 28 November 1963] SEORET oy
(8, PAPICH) Offi nt is es ithat the: EBL requests CIA turn. ALVARADO over. to Mexican authorities and: ‘that: CIA: request -the® Mexican’ ‘authori-~" ties toe2i 2 © Understands tha © the- Mexican ‘authorities have a. capability. of polygrapi d-requests that Cit res e' quest: Mexican authorities that he-be poly- ole ea erg | aking“such. other. steps ‘as ‘may: be. “Pidicated: 1 a cmemerandan fron ear ae Miami. _eoneetning a report.which: had been: fr -from—a-Western—diplomat- =! e that” SSination of President ‘Kennedy. was: the: tof .-plot_prepared—and executed join by. ‘the ‘chinese. communists | ‘and CASTRO through. dee Ate! in He ee _the Bureau would like Pe Saad ake 3 this inf information 3 if possible . nforniation-since ie help the Bureau to evaluate this informa iat the Bureau would Find the
@rocadero,* ; u-develop ‘any: Tbe. Telatine : "to: the-above: ‘quoted. Sinan -effort::to: Tresolvé*the: allegation® ‘that. ae as - ‘possibly. visite 1959. and has ‘connections there pete be leemt ay 2, fat yj “Attached: is a-copy of a “Mémorandum from the. “Federal“Bureau.of Investigation on Lee Harvey 05" ‘OSWALD ‘dated~31 December -1963_ _and an enclosure ~. “tothe -n ‘memorandum im containing r names’ and addresses found it in: r OSWALD’ -address book “and i other ‘papers | Texas. 1th Fa eros anger age as asked wus to. ae
determine: whether any of the Listed ‘Tames , s addresses or it:
14-00000 ‘ conduct th es--if-pos oa 72 te wet a entt Se os of sa list appea pated in’ a. radio t for. this’ would have been’ known e KGB and a re-.
® Xe Ei Bias ee = rar eae rare meat pots ae, eg Spo ar ts TL) ero Lgees . so of a . pho >_cent. ntel “[-" [Mem \ for:Director e AT OES He 2 fas . eri. Lee H As : : from: Dix or, ‘FRI 8 = Set gtors fer ro oa EY See : " : a : ioe ceppde manteiemaet ~ S smn? * i ERE Trg Se arm Cie rere cate , Wann tte TEs! ees SAR RUS tea OS ae ae Poo Roe atte: SORE . Tees ~ % pee . aouceaes) . <j Le Spee yee nd A He rs no ere fe ks cay . bee Sat gn. $ : See ee Rd We be tte brs alate ‘ Ne bP or 3S AS a Spi Fn el a ‘. at Tey ete Sy Reel os a3, “a * - roe * ” S 3 <4 — ek eee Sa EB oe ae Li cees in, OPE TERS, Pe ay ree re wtese eo PPP we am, ep apts oa : ed er ak Ree Cree! CS Sw a eh PR te ee y - os ney PC TEES ah Srrsatreenperrersces Lac: Ae Oe a ach on, eg ha PIES By Fe, ee pay A tb RE Sie Sanda hiesd Ne ede eae Paes =
74-90000 Tab C: Agency nissemina- tions to EBI et_al- —“— a
ate IONS TO THE Hh ge chnae af pie? “SE mene mesen <tamsaet a¢ tenner teh detest seen sna act nate,
14-00000 10 October. ¢ “_Septenber 1965! ‘to Soviet Embassy, in Moxie ( so. err: > Sam nea as , “wove — a
14-00000 ae “(Comment : This dissemination may be identical with CSCI - -3/778 1826. The ‘above CSCI number - oo —ReeIpTanT? “FBI 7 26 November 1963. ete DIR 85069. es eso ag Subject Travel of ‘Pro- Communist ‘Costa _ MT _ i 26. S-Novenber’ 1965 ; Subj eer onee sae oe teem een neonstn ta sp ame coelan, Some ee “qaeroR velunteered” ‘On re ed mane {parte ne stuayiag_ i | i i L “r 7 i i see ahiennsomencemtentnanamemattieptuatdieinnm met
14-00000 hag, lito, eit de tatements “pdsaraing | latter. to-a- close
be nh A ce eth tet EEE : . ™ friend ain Bern. 4 Recipients: | FBI, “State, 5 unite House;’ Secret ss peace teten nmteme o i Service ‘received copy. boy [Warren Commission] semen ae ‘ * . 27 Novenber 1963" _DIR 85196 — aa as ue es Security Service, ¢ Gilberto ALVARADO Ugarte et re weareaaccem ane: " Was a: Nicaraguan intelligence source from Fo . _ “4962. to August. 1963. _ oe is eee are “Recipients: FBI, ‘State, White House; Secret. Service eceived: copy. fend ned accents Listes ele Me Stee he tee eee Bre ‘aT an ras poe ar Novenber 1 aT oe Siig DUR Spd oe “FBT; Ty SEREBy WREEE House Be oy res ert re sm tinenan steel
14-00000 2 fe Nevenber 196; 6 a. 7 ‘i Ls { C2 Pr ate ) ee ee | “T9 ~— a
14-00000 poo Maria’ swerazace SET “to Third Secretary "Ricardo SANTOS of the cuban Embassy. re | ae “SNETHLAGE. claimed she knew the Mr. Lee [sic] me who mordered President ‘Kennedy. aa ley ted . “Recipients: FBT, State, White House; Secret “Service received fed Copy. [War Fen Conmisstony— dger3/790..083 a at Ds 29 Novenber-. 1963" po "subjects Tatervogetion of Silvia Tirado Paes 1 BL, + State, hit isp ae Ls mente ene wii mentee le bani ee mee mete oe oy an i a i | . . ae 7 Pon woof ’ . . > . - . nee ai Noveaber T1963" "ore: a SSS _ series oF anonynous ious Celephions € carts ze) 7. 1 hace b ctiwcamte SECRET | |
14-00000 ‘the: Office a of. ‘the Naval Attache in Can- Teeioientsr TBI, “State, “Files Tasey reer Of Gilberto ALVARADO Us wie "Ee - io: ean eee oer anemone corning + ‘rumor that OSWALD. had wade ae yg! cipient: Spr
14-00000 iy December, 1963. - _Unnunbered | Memorandum Soren events nytt 0 Am ets % etwas sgt et ek est "seated green meen 3
“daineiy, by the: ‘Connunise Chinese ‘and Cubans: Serene State White House.
{ ; po | whens = ee lar a: January 1964. «nae a at ° Kennedy. Assassination. “Subject t ‘Recipient: - ne ant Rc seer § moron aes atnie ‘FBI. pnt essen ‘roe enemaemar eaten ore se temas _csct- -3/779, 729. oe ee sete nen se tnt setae estes eeneen Possible: Relatives: Of.
14-00000 scence = a meet he npntcnm toe al SEGRET cine, Nikolayevna: OSWALD, oe ee oes s being: of considerable. in- hotographs. which were anong eo-Harvey—OSWALD,—--- , appears that. ‘most, of the photeere z USSR_and_
14-00000 Secret: Service. ; Assassination of President John F. _suvjects Recipient? Pred “Conn SSIOH ae me — aR 18 February. 1964. .- oy. -DDP 4- 0864 : | “Memorandum for Mr. Thonas L. Hughes, eee asd SRE: atte oe and. Lillie Nay . ° _— 20 March 1964 a escr- '=3/780, 612 se te 3 Seamertnemctoen * epee mt ine ta neat Dt meses, _ Subject: “Assassination of President. . . lo, John, EF. Kennedy. _ oe | | ec atten So as ettneaneanaenineteigees egy meneame tate acen | ; (7 | 4 j
i . . ey Reece mh aga we ue ag oe ehaniés ya oe RANKIN, sala tnentaaaiienaret Setmenemreetoars eke ns S eeeeminnm rovepaes ot meme gen tery 2 Oca eteemnmsmeetrema enema ae  Temermmn ene 9 ste ee em er mt ye tte te ae te er eT 2 _ Subject : - Parra) Lin Rrogessing ‘Visa Applicants ;'} ‘Reaction of = on ca ep nt rs eae pt coat commeeen a er aint ae er ae Role | ‘Of Cuban Intelligence Service.
das Seng rove Assassination . DDP’ “4 4600. ee ee eerer-aet
3 st . Memorandum: ar a “Gaban Government? poe i l. a a Sccameiiead 6 October 1964 = Allepation. of Oscar. COUNTRERAS, anamain wae esters mg veentnas ee: coon germemenens seme, Campus Shorey after ‘the ‘Guban Embassy: Re=
Toga ae ™ CONTRE passed. to. Mexican authorities... ha Se rt ti afegh tas ehegs oy Ths “a ee. tee eh gH ahs A rap ph ess ae th gtgr ss, Lue? Plaine Maes eve He ee Fated 9 eer
14-00000 ———nhassy security officer and _a member of PROP _Mexico City, ALVARADO. went at noon on 18. September to. the Cuban" | Consulate. to’ turn. over pass ort: photog graphs. to the. Cuban fan Consul Eusebio ‘AZCUE } i ) i i : | a . ALVARADO never Saw "this man, again after “18 7 : Ss "ALVARADO. -claimed he- overheard the ‘following conversation | F between the Negro | ‘and OSWALD: a ne ge OES ee a oa Nee Gn Brea "Ty “want tock il the man". - wal et ota teste nian neh me Aceon Ct et ee ee EER ee cane sine i pe eee stnemnepegiee nme: ann en erate: mene mo fete emme aty bcs : OSWALD ” F Meas re not Han Venougit. Tian do a ane
14-00000 Negro. (in Spanish): : “sy can! t go with: you. ft have a-lot: ._ to: do." of a _ OSWALD -° 1 ‘The people are waiting for me. “back bo J _ there." 7 a ad ne =a The Negto. gave OSWALD Six thousand five hundred dollars 7 een EU tenements ee eer 3 - in. rage denomination us ‘bills: ‘Saying? gi ‘This isn't much "OE th the | Sh sum “one thousand five hundred dollar Ts was OF ‘extra expenses. >The _ “oN cera av’ ints our 2008 AEX TCA wpe: OS a mel en leave by t the —Eabassy, gate chee ee a ante tn shang mt cn eo Embassy ‘Security come ah pt gam T iwexieri68 ax 70860), 30. November 1963) cet . . att ae . < . af he ‘ ee ake tion, of TRLVARADO, the latter « ‘called the Anetican Embassy and ad “igueceeded dn, in speaking, to a a Bigh officiar s with ‘whom he nade an “ap- a 1 wd
‘Two individuals. "appeared for the 5: 30 p.m. appointment." "They identified ‘themselves and were “carrying the credentials. of FBI ‘agents .* ALVARADO. told about his seeing OSWALD, ete. Another cae a nae ge ee ce appointment was made. for 3: 15- the “next morning at ths Je Jena Rest taw- coerewnes rant. ~~ TTHRGIA= 22861, S Dec eMDEE IVS; CSCI=3/779 156, 15 DecenbeY 1963] Sarat Senate nts nolnpuonin Shin pons < oma tr nett bommrmaanens “2 . was s affectionately greeted EZ a a fenale ‘enployee of ‘the Cuban iar Foor Hes Saw ‘OSWALD y counting ihe foney in wis ca Wola on “ene joe * i ~e “patio” waters ata een pe TS ronson rem nrmenans seaman ps men — 1 . ann entangle es mein mens tce coe SECRET
emis SECRET [Blind nenozandi dated, 25 November. 1965) ~[*Comment : There is no indication in the file that any follow- “up - i i i t eg me hn ee eee : “was made on ‘the information given: in this paragraph. This parti- momasnbaiahemnearnee eens man SUSE Teen teeter enn cular information appears no where else. in ALVARADO’ s interroga~. : _tions. T . _ on 4 i ae on Aen ot som eetnetrctmerin etsy eee Sentre: 26 Novenber 1963 meets tpesnneehet tereenacteis ALVARADO: meets the. saine ‘two men from the _Embassy whom he- had the evening before,. at the Jena Restaurant on the Avenida More-| i los and the Paseo de la. Reforma. The two, men were accompanied by” 7 . "y - tee . i x 2 CAVALDON meets” “REAVARABOS = “Ti » I “corner OF tie Heer Marre” 1saber ‘where ‘aoe NSTC is mati
4-90000 ar een Ce hotel | and to. tell. ~them: which hotel. he. moved into. For hens topsther hey ° cross the’ street and ‘enter an. apartment in’ Wlemcorintmire a tentittennap ne, maenattean. Sceemaniematentneretenintameenteienee eee ~TRNMA-22561, December 1963; CSCI-3/ “3/779, 13 136, 13 December 1963] © ‘
14-00000 Py EGRET _ ae 26 November 1963 ‘(date ‘of. cable) | oo : a “ial gee | 7 oT, | 2 Managua Station reports | on \ identity of ALVARADO and — sexteo te qoertton-wc— as —} Pia t609-€aH- 68452) 26-Novenber-3965} - Castroite Nicaraguan’ ‘born: ‘31, January”: ae iudad Rama ?-Zelaya,:Nicarapg gua, came. thevAmerican. mbassy Mexico and made> a: statement’: about’ ‘Lee OSWALD." He Said ‘that.~on ° : dye ath reves Toa i dollars” in a meeting.” Mexice-—Cit LEAL : D_said-he in Mexico : tytawaiting. false: ‘documentation. so-he could. eorte Cuba:'for sabotage: training.: He name = oto «three. other members..of ‘his ‘organization. in Ni- ua:as* Juan: ‘LORILLO, Rolan ALVARADO ,_ and | : round menbor “pegitlar- informant. of the Nicaraguan Security £i has—provided-this———-—— gency | “with his reports. for over a year. We con: - | 7 nable—although —._.. sate nl “che has: not: been wholly discredited.. .The-other men v4 -known Nicaraguan communists. A__ _ : _was_on 18 September 1963, - when. “ALVARADO says-he saw OSWALD in the Cuban Em- . bassy in. ‘Mexico; but. based on the information available to this Agency aS of this date OSWALD — visited the . “Cuban Embassy “in Mexico for the first z rePt SMoer | IOS 6, . j to * 4 27. November 1963 aes 2 oe _ Headquarters. suggests to. Mexico Station that “TH your ol investigation, > Suggest, you contact "ALVARADO" $s NIC. case officer | SECRET ate
14-00000 in “Mexico city. and ask him ‘whether. ALVARADO has ever told hin this. é ~ story or anything Like it." {orr 85178, 27 November 1963] erernactansctece char ar taneous (FER eNerenaehe mung ettce tee Pets Meet 27 November 1963 Headquarters ‘tells Mexico Station. that "After considera=" ‘tion by BRENT and | KNIGHT, we feel that ‘investigation and analysis | of ALVARADO’ s- story. should be pursued further before more executive | — saaered le action As taken.” _ en DIR 85198, ~37- Novenber, 15637 2a “ag we coverage oF the cuba Enbasay id not inc ude const ate em 33 “Unt = VAR DO" did Tot ‘appear Th Pr a rOpTapR ‘of _persons-usin
14-00000 qe eee Bo nee, | 2 Novenber 1963 “SecRET we “Ambassador MANN. send message | via CIA channels” to RUSK, - ‘ahead oeaeny easiuer RaIRHLIOY WF FeRUEG Sioxican’ authori ties “to-arrest for interrogation? “Eusebio"A AZCUE, tat isa ALDERON 7 and Alfredo NIRABALS > 7 — _ a [Rae ae steerer ey — ————- mae SE cee yy sgh “name: or. both. To" erste € doubt ® in: Snksrvogsting ALVARADO. Bed Ha agrees: a F oo “Headquarters. states that’"in, the face of mount ing evi- | — aj__- Geadauarters grates that’ in the face of mountin seeing pe OSWALD take money in the Cuban Embassy, urge you fol- i ery Reva MiC-cese-officer-and-aviit-yourseit ——. ne ne a - : cee ee nnn . a . i SECRET
14-00000 . Oe EE ae : | oo OS the_hi oe Sime “which can oem 7 4 : “sends * a good. CIA: asset, to help - - - ‘inthe interrogation. We find it incredible ——that—the-Cubans-would-brief—and-payan-assassin— “in front of a NIC. interloper. We think it pos- ible-or-even_likely that he has been_in and out. _ of the Cuban Embassy as a NIC agent trying: to infiltrate Cuba and has picked up the names and . faces there in so doing. All he has said about. i OSWALD he could have gotten from the newspapers, -~  °.. | except £OY CéTtain incorrect ittens = SUCH a$§ as“ his Statement. that OSWALD woré glasses.: 4 2=-—The—fact-that-AEVARADO—ts—a—caim,—nice;—and———_—— intelligent:young man does not mean he is. not.a : ~——fabricator-—BYI-we-and-othor-agencies-are_being- - flooded by fabrications on the OSWALD case from os _ everal continents, some originating with people a . ‘.on the fringes of the intelligence. business... te ‘. Such fabrication are. not’ usually done for. money. but..out of .sic y. the: intelligence: ga chpertnane ‘Layman alike.” a Secondly. DORTT coe to have: vheard: through.-some*“Russian ‘or: Cuban.source | i ) Mexican: ‘Government. that. “DURAN: was -asked™: ‘whethér-the » Cubans’ paid. OSWALD for. the alleged assignment. Name encrypts text. )> [or 85653, 28 Novenber 1965)
14-00000 12 "1, We have just heard by phone from KINGMAN, whois. at home, that MEXT evaluation of ALVARAD story may have been seriously warped by a piece of misinformation which has crept into this case. ~ From conversation with your r officers, KINGMAN, . has the impression that they believe there is. . - “other evidence that Lee OSWALD ade cr: Wal) ank-Ges——— — ' --s:posit of five thousand dollars in the United ms — “States—after-he got—backfrom—Mexico-on—3—Octob eI | /1963....This would tend, if true, to corroborate / | _—|__.___. = ALVARADO" story that he saw OSWALD get five ———— : | thousand for.the job and fifteen hundred for ex- ee penses. KINGMAN thinks he heard that CURTIS -Winston SCOTT) got the information about the 7°. | ‘bank coposit from an FBI man Hamed Clark. oo - oo: Cs ffitmed—— “The story of the. . ¢~is-therefere—- ~Please check it. iene Comment : This” renark by Headquarters » was in support of its’ posi: a “Headquarters expressed ‘its distinct feeling that “the ‘ambassador is pushing ‘this case too, hard, and ws < might well create. flap tp with Cubans which could have serioiis ‘repercissions."] | ase SECRET |
14-00000 - invotved-in-doctmenting-kin-with-tateo-Mexican-papese for travel. — toCuba.._Latter point alone. would give M Mexican authorities s-go0d. Teason to. subject ‘him to detailed interrogation. a [MEXI- 7113 CIN oe yd, 28 November 1963] - € in ormat On, OB rained SECRET =
14-00000 po Mexico ‘Station reports that. 5 SAT dt poe -.i"1, Mr. Clark ‘ANDERSON, Legal. ‘Attache, told. Rg ee Inbassades Unt of siinar thas ited St. ats OSs. ae ry ae “On 27 November “A ‘Ambassador: in. presence Po, of COS.asked: ANDERSON about this again an i ___... ANDERSON -said'-rumor. was on television and .. Cs eT -.radio.in Mexico. . Sal e had no. i - information from. his Headquarters to con- ; . f£irm or.,deny this. ees Headquarters. | le e "said he wourdchetk—————~—~ Pa rs. c6s: “has hot. Réard rumor : regarding five’. ve though. oe regarding ‘abe*false“it possible he has“ ‘been workin other “ang tet. penetrate Cu ans’ and | Willi betabl >.
14-00000 over to Mexican authorities and that the Agency | rm _ request Mexican authorities. to interrogate ae ',. ALVARADO’ in detail. | Ce are arta "2. The FBI reports that it understands that ———Mexican-authorities_have a capability of poly-_ - graphing and requests that the Agency request Mexican authorities that he be polygraphed. Ng, The FBI expressed a desire to have the _—— ‘rest ts "of the interrogation as soon as possible —— | ae and that. the. Legal Attache be kept advised of ee —_ ann ana ———— ‘wom ee -e—FBI_takes—the_position.that.inasmuch_as | _. Silvia-DURAN. may be released some time today (28 _.__.-. November) , according. to_info xmation which the FBI. - _. “has :from the Legal Attache, ‘ALVARADO should be Oe iu turned.over to the Mexican.as soon as possible, 7 00003 ~sa-that. their. stories can d date of dissemination) éadquarters disseminates: thé following to the FBI, | _ “Tequest made ‘to. this Agency by 2200 so i. ecderalBureauof- Investigation on_: cnn enntLa November :1963, our Agency is instructing its 2. ALVARADO ;..Nicaraguan -informant who.claims that... ao he ‘saw::Lee' OSWALD accept six thousand five busted ‘ -hundred dollars in the Cuban Embassy in Mexico ce | City on-18-September 1963 to assassinate Presi- ~~ °° | lent:.Kennedy, .to officials of the Mexican Minis-.. ~~ try of=Government for: further interrogation and. °. oo . .  yainvestigation.” On 28 Novenbér, ALVARADO had ci S$till not. changed his story, despite increasing |. - ——~doubt—that—-i re The Nicaraguan Intelli-———--—— gence ‘Service, for which ALVARADO once worked, i: Acting ‘on ‘a’ et ~Yar- i — entor—-official—to—Mexico—Gity——__—_—_ sooo “Sto vassist.in the interrogation and investigation .. | as “~—at-the-diseretion—of—the-Federal Bureau--of—In-———_-__._ _ _Mestigation. Notification ofthe appropriate .
14-00000 Mexican office for’ the ‘turnover was ‘effected ate 1630 Washington time on. 28 November 1963. ontac a cting Ministe : sobernacion ‘Luis™ECHEVAR TA. .at 1430 hrs Mexiz co.-City~time."and ECHEVARRIA grateful that ws ALVARADO. being. turned. over. £0 Goberhacion. CHEV j: Was ‘given TADO S present “Gddress“and : ‘alias under which ‘he - registered: “Mexicans: wi ic im. up and. question . Aa -p On: -basis. of" very" brief story given ECHEVARRIA ”
14-00000 9 ae - SEcneT pe | Mexico. ‘Station reports that. the cos is “handling the” aa OSWALD case personally and that continuous liaison with the | a Hp | I ameter ten erate opti ate Ante mame Sit ets mane Ambassador and the: Legal’ “Attache. is: “necessary. The COS wishes AP ca pete ene ! — _ ~ ie ottciot of He Ministry of Governacion reported ed to | ne Secure argent tienen om re fan eden tne onronetntnne cet ames om. “ . - = ™ - aera naesaeenetttnecn
14-00000 as: “fast as i us. — ay Bieta on this. dog Te con "2 Ve you Find that t ee Leyar_Reeacne eh there aie Tot Tr ave 5 aaaqUETE eB ‘CoNTO OF “Stat fant wants—to-rely-on—us—to-reLay-the—! es : but;-they-may of sourse-send-nessages_right_through_our a5 ~ channeleyof-you-can-elyon-us_to relay the information. as. sme we DIR as712 » 29 Movaiber seat ; ‘personal y: ‘Of: every, concern ng.: OSWAL : oithetanbassador orally. then: subsequently: ‘ad~"
14-00000 “SEonet ‘|, ANDERSON, “Legal. “Attache” containing ‘the. results of three inter-: ‘| views, conducted. ‘by the local security. ‘officer and members: ‘of ‘the 3 te i . na | Mexican Station on 26 November 1963, of Gilberto Nolasco ALVARADO rl ek meet et pecttitt Ugarte. , [See memorandum FoF conprete, texe. T ere a Official of Ministry of Gobernacion stated that. after jhis first session with ALVARADO he believed ALVARADO' s story to be en Se ee a fantastic es, rer Second session and all "Previous sand inte interia” Berd met LOBE Hours (exico City tine), official fron Mintatzy- -of Gebednacion told the Chiat of Station. that "ALVARADO has signed _ : | oF seein OSWALD inside the. Cuban
14-00000 ae | seen anyone ‘handed money. by Cuban ° consular. officers.” He said too. -he ‘had not: ‘called the ‘ws. Embassy. (as he had previously claimed) : “His: first” “call to the Embassy was on 20 September to warn them. | on 1S Novenber, the evening he sav the Us S.Enbassy “security — 4 i
14-00000 Re ee eee (NB ALVARADO was to be deported to Wiearagaa “oF DeceAbET . Tras uN TENOR; 2 Decenber 1963] ————— 3 December 1963 Headquarters tells Mexico Station that although we are xIA, acting | minister of Gobernacion, agrees. to. borrow" ALVARADO.” ‘Station Submits pian for oe
14-00000 ‘in the interrogation ani any variance “should faves - ———— : z : 4 15 December 1963 | More Sians
14-00000 aanepen interrogation” ra Giiberte ALVARADO ‘Nicaraguan informant. who. claimed-to have . + “seén Leé OSWALD receive money tO assassinate L. Kennedy , « ‘has. been concluded. “Our Mexico _ 1 ” he. must have been mistaken in saying that he --, _“"sawnOSHALD-in-She-Cuban-Embossye Ads uncertain of the date on which he might have wo a |___ easeresia ct the. Sate on which, he Signe have => _ | have been on a Tuesday, which would have made Ota i it 17 ‘September 1963. Although the final - cea oT report of:the polygraph intérview is not ye ; ae “available, : ‘the preliminary ‘finding is that - come VARAUO CVIGET ; ive: “of, rour. ‘Bureau articipated. nterrogation of -ALVARADO “Attached” ‘isa: “translation OF the > Wexicae poli errogation report on Gilberto: 00-0: TALVARADO,,- Nicaraguan: who claimed to-have- :seen- Lee OSWALD accept ..$6500 in the Cuban’ Embassy _ ; Sin Mexico..City to. assassinate President “7-- wu Kennedy.) The report ‘states that ALVARADO. re> : a these assertions and admitted tha ~ _ i made‘ them“to' induce the. U. S.. to’ _take stronger - “ er ion “agains cuba-: a pe ons—W : ARADO—z — 25 “whom: he: first told his story. are undoubtedly | an is—elaim—that—the: oe ‘used FBI credentials is, of course, , absolutely oo cee Metrne eres La. 2 eee ary ay . Mexico: tty: 3, Ate.
14-00000 Mexican’ police” and: had to be yéinterro- :T gated by representatives of this. Agency | re “and your Bureau... This. later: pikerrogay ca “tion showed that he was. probably : lying." Te seers re eee erate etdane sa nan ate er ane [CsCl 3/779, 136." “13: December. ‘1963. “(Comment :" ‘Translation was. ete TOR ETRE EOE : made of: the Mexican police. report. forwarded té Headquarters . as , an attachnent to AOA 22561, 5 December 1963. de. n behalt: ‘of ‘the ‘Commission I “would like | ine: “cooperation which ‘was - extended to represen-. sof, the. Commission duri heir::work’ in Mexico. City. from’ April, ry through: pri) "13',°1964.:_-I--am ‘informed: that Mr; SCOTT ‘the Chief-of. your Station in. Mexico. City;: was. azthoul erly. generous” ‘with his time’and advice. Mr... SCOTT. and: agents: of the Federal. Bureau cee ne “of -Investigation-thet-portion-of-the—Lee———— are Harvey: OSWALD investigation which. concerned» eo Gilberte—ALVARADO-Ugarte. = We—afe—awa: ns course,:from-previous reports that: the ant egae ions..made_by ALVARADO were thoroughly_inves= _ tigated: by Central Intelligence Agency and . Federal: Bureau: rof_Investigation-reprecentatives 2 “in Mexico. City:in liaison with” ‘the responsible _.. -dawrénforcement ‘authorities. Reference is _ i ere “made “to the. ‘discussion.of these allegations in coi GUE pgnorandun dated bed January 3 Si, 4s 1964 _at PARES é t i rte nem finer ae coche erg * & é | 4 | H | L aetna oy mi SRT
14-00000 4 t . oe : ‘iitpon’ x review. “of our’ ‘complete file on: . L ‘this’ matter, we find that. we lack full docu- hos .,. mentation of the investigation conducted of: —________these_allegations, It would be helpful i — | aa .';our récords could be Supplemented by a report °° 20. —} from our Agency suppl lying more details re- . | -- Poo garding the investigation undertaken by your a Agency: and other ‘concerned Ageneies.into-this — _; Matter and. your evaluation as to the truth. o wee bo _ “ALVARADO's assertions. “In particular, it would: SS pful if a report could-be sibmitta Y. . __the expert who conducted the polygraph exami- ation whith emphasizes the specific conciystons— which: he made.based on the responses by ALVARADO _ . 1 —br-answering-key-questions-on- this "matters" — —)theotter-te-itesBichard Helms; Deputy Director for Plans; ———— hed June "1964. eietyye Now-ts0097-tated-26-Novenber eo Siiberto ALVARADO... : ee edt anced in bs ex1965 eae _to- Gilberto ALVARADO.. OUT Teletype No. 86068. gated 30 jovenber 7 1963, relative to. Gilberto. ALVARADO « e. OUT Teletype 1 No. 85666, dated 28. Novenber 1963, Fé lative: to"Gilberto” “ALVARADO. tee f pers sidun> dated 12 pste— rs petenver Mexican Interrogation: of Gilberto ALVARADO. | Foo. Si gl -loureteretype No. 87667, dated 7 December 1963; = fo ———Subyec Thee Harvey- SHAD. —————— a _ enor _ Subjects. ~ hice anderen tres for-Planss: subject: —cinberig | —F 13 October 96a — a an nee Ta ee a “pos The General “Counset ‘forwards the ‘fol towing™ Teter to to : ~~] Fhe HOHOFEDLS” ‘JoRN~AT “McCONE, a Dori ee 7 “I 4 “We” are” “ehetosing” a Fopy” of your: SECRET. — Fn0s me ote setapenen wee oe ses memes cose soot en entice een Sts tatters eet rena fee eee $ SECRET
14-00000 ' oars weet ? : a _déted- January SENT éoncérning informa- ++. tion ‘developed by CIA.on the activity of ©. ee - Lee. oboe. BegALD in Mexico ty 28 September - We hare detoted_al1 references to_the secses Agent: by. the. marking, "D". Since this docu- oh, a2 -. 2 " requesting your authority to publish it in. js this forms "TE this & is not agreeable, may we oof oe have a’ Synopsis of this document which may be : = ublished. os Since> oth include Information relative Sa ie methods and operations - which sh not: ir ‘the pubic “domain er
: 4 Sa * . - - on . ' rane - ae . + * . ’ cS 7 ee ae « . x a Firada
14-00000 ~~ SECRET SILVIA TIRADO BOZAN DE DURAN Personal information taken from her interrogations on 23 and 28 November 1963: "Silvia Tirado de DURAN stated she is Mexican by birth, 26 years old, married, no religion, employed, address in Dept. 3, house no. 143 Constituyentes, Mexi- co City; that she has been married to Horacio DURAN Navarro since 5 November 1958 and that they have a daughter named Patricia three and one-half years old; that in July or August of 1961, she was offered em- ployment as coordinator at the Mexican-Cuban Institute of Cultural Relations, then headed by Lic. Augustin Cue CANOVAS. That since that time she had frequently visited officers of the Cuban Embassy, having personal friendship with Ambassador PORTUONDO, the cultural attaches Teresa PROENZA and Luis ALVERU as well as with other employees. Her contacts were principally with Maricarmen OLAVARRI, Secretary to Consul Eusebio AZCUE, a Spaniard and relative of AZCUE, and who re- ‘ceived 500 pesos monthly. __ "In December 1961 she and her husband made a trip to Havana by plane. They paid for their own tickets, but all other expenses of their visit to all the is- lands were paid by the Cuban Institute of Freindship with the Peoples (Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los ‘Pueblos - ICAP) and the Cultural House. "She sympathized with the Cuban movement since its beginning; that she was a coordinator of the Mexican- Cuban Institute of Cultural Relations since July or August 1961 and that she studied for the career of an English-Spanish secretary at the Escuela Bancaria. She mastered English, knows some French, and 7s Study - ing philosophy. She has a leftist ideoloyy, by con- viction, and is in accord with communism, but does not belong to any political group nor has she participated in meetings or acts of this nature. That officers of the Cuban Embassy, including the Consul, have been in her home; that she knows almost all the principal lef- tists in Mexico without being a friend of them; that except for one visit to Brownesville, Texas, she has not been in the United States." [Memorandum for Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, dated 21 February 1964, from Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans; Subject: Translations of Interrogation Reports of Silvia DURAN.] "She said she knew Carlos LECHUGA Hevia who was Cuban Ambassador in Mexico and who arrived here when she was working as Coordinator in’ the Mexican-Cuban Institute of Cultural Relations. She became friendly with this person but she never did any personal work for him. She said that this Ambassador came to her house to visit her on the occasion of a party which she held. She considers him as a friend and she saw him frequently . "She said that while. she was'working in the afore- mentioned Institute, and before working as a secretary in the Consulate she went to the Cuban Embassy to help Teresa PROENZA. The help she rendered there consisted - of answering the telephones and doing secondary tasks. SECRET ae
14-00000 ~ 2 - The Cultural Attache PROENZA never assigned her any work outside the Embassy. She said that she had know PROENZA before she had been coordinator for the Institute since she was a good friend of Paul FLORES Guerrero, the husband of DURAN's sister-in-law, who died about three and a half years ago. It was through FLORES that DURAN met PROENZA. "She stated that she has had her present ideology for about five years, and that it is based on convic- tion and studies. She said she had not belonged nor does she belong to any student groups. "DURAN indicated she was acquainted with the Leninist Spactacus League (Liga Leninista Espartaco) but that she is not in agreement with it, and that her husband shares her opinion. They admire Jose REVUELTAS as a writer but not as a politician since they are in disagreement with his book entitled "The Headless Pro- letariat" (Proletariado sin Cabeza) in which he tries to prove the inexistence of the Mexican Communist Party (Partido Communista Mexicano, PCM) while it is obvious that this party does indeed exist, although it is dis- organized. She said that she had not belonged to this organization but that she is friendly with its leaders such as Jose REVUELTAS and the two LIZALDES. "She disclaimed membership in the PCM, and said .She had not tried to joon it because she was in disa- greement with it except for its support of Cuba." [Memorandum for Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, dated 21 February 1964, from Richard HELMS, Deputy. Director for Plans; Subject: Translations of Interrogation Reports of Silvia DURAN.] At the time of her arrest on 23 November 1963, DURAN had been employed by the Cuban Consulate in Mexico City as a temporary replacement for Maricarmen OLIVARRI upon the latter's death in July 1963. Mari- carmen OLAVARRI had served as secretary to the Cuban Consul Eusebio AZCUE, who left Mexico on 18 November 1963 after having been replaced by Alfredo MIRAVAL Y DIAZ. DURAN's duties included the preparation of visas and the handling of visa applications which were for- warded to the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs for approval. [MEXI-7065 (IN 67737), 25 November 1963; FBI Report, dated 18 May 1964.] Horacio DURAN Navarro - Mexican by birth; an industrial designer, forty years old, and lives in Mexico City at Constituyentes, Dept. 3. He lived the first eight years of his life in Los Angeles, California; he then lived in Chile for one and a half years before returning to Meixco. He received a degree from the_Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas. Formerly married to Lucille but divorced her on 5 November 1958 after six years of marriage. He then married his present wife Siivia Tirado de DURAN. [DIR 85668, 29 November 1963.] SESPET
14-00000 - 2a - SECRET 26 November 1962 : (Date of dissemination) Fallen A A usually reliable and sensitive source in Mexico City reported that on 26 November 1962 Gladys LECHUGA, Wife of Carlos LECHUGA, Cuban Ambassador to the United . Nations, formerly Cuban Ambassador to Mexico, said that she had received two letters from her husband in New York. He asked for Spparation and said that the person in whom he is interested is Silvia T. de DURAN: that she is "of his ideas"' and was willing to go to Cuba. According to source, Teresa PROENZA, Cultural Attache at the Cuban Em- bassy in Mexico City said that DURAN had never been a Marxist or a communist. Another usually reliable source with good contacts in the Cuban. Embassy in Mexico City reported in November 1962 that. LECHUGA and DURAN did have an. affair. The Cuban. Embassy was aware of it, but efforts were made to keep “it. ‘from-be- coming known. Information from a source whose reliability could not be judged reported that LECHUGA had offered to marry DURAN, a Mexican married woman, after divorcing his wife, since she (Silvia DURAN) was ready to accompany him to Cuba. [DIR 84950, 25 November 1963; dissemination to the FBI. J SECRET
14-00000 ~ 3&3 om SECRET 27 September 1963 : In mid-afternoon, Silvia DURAN informed the Soviet Embassy that a male American citizen had requested a visa to transit Cuba on his way to the Soviet Union. She wan- ted to know who the American had talked with at the Soviet Consulate. Also, she indicated that the Cuban Consulate could grant him the visa and arrange immigration details if the concession of a Soviet visa were assured. | [Memorandum for Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, dated 31 January 1964, from Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans; Subject: Information Developed by CIA on the Activity of Lee Harvey OSWALD in Mexico City, 28 September - 3 October 1963.] At 1605 hours (Mexico time) on Friday, 27 September 1963, Silvia DURAN, a Mexican national, a local employee of the Cuban Embassy, Consular Section, a receptionist “[Sic] speaks with an unknown male at the Soviet Embassy. Silvia DURAN tells the man that the American citizen was there, the one who wants. a visa for Cuba on his way to the Soviet Union, and he wants to know with whom he was talking there because she (Silvia DURAN) had sent him to the Soviet Em- bassy saying that if they accepted him and gave him a visa, then the Cubans (Embassy) would also give him a visa without further paper work, only advising immigration in Cuba. The American, she says, wants to know with whom he had talked there because he says he was told there would be no problem. The man in the Soviet Embassy Says to wait a moment. A different Soviet speaks, and Silvia DURAN explains the same thing to him. This man says to leave a name and telephone number and says he will call back. Silvia DURAN gives the telephone number 11-28-47 (Cuban Consulate). She also takes advantage of the conversation and stated she haS moved and wants to advise the Soviet Embassy of hér change of address so that she can receive the Soviet Embassy's bulletin. The man Says to call KOUKHARENKO to give her new address, then SECRET
14-00000 he asks the name of the Consul or Cultural Attache. Silvia DURAN says the name is Teresa PROENZA and the telephone num- ber if 14-13-26. The man Says thanks. [Memorandum for Deputy Chief, Operations Staff, dated 2 May 1975, from Raymond G. ROCCA; Subject: Review of Agency Holdings Regarding Photograph of Unidentified Individual in Mexico City Published by the Warren Commission. ] 27 September 1963 : Pursuant to her inquiry, Silvia DURAN received a con- firmation from the Soviet Embassy that the American had been to the USSR installation. He had shown them a letter from the Soviet Consulate in Washington indicating that he had been long awaiting a visa for himself and his wife to go to the USSR. No answer had come from Washington; however, the waiting period was sometimes four or five months. — The. Ameri - can also had a letter attesting that he was a member of a pro-Cuban organization but he had Claimed that the Cubans would not give him a visa unless he had already received a4 Russian visa. a . Although the American was still at the Cuban “consulate, Silvia DURAN repeated that she could not give him a transit visa unless a Soviet visa was forthcoming, notwithstanding the American's wish to go to Cuba to wait there for his So- viet visa. According to DURAN, the American knew no one in Cuba and she intended to annotate appropriately the American's card. The Soviet official echoed her statement that the American was not known. . {Memorandum for Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, dated 31 January 1964, from Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans; Subject: Information Developed by CIA on the Activity of Lee Harvey OSWALD in Mexico City, 28 September - 3 October 1963. ] 27 September 1963 2. i - oy | , At 1626 hours (Mexico time) on Friday, 27 September 1963, an unidentified male, a Soviet, calls the Cuban Con- Sulate, asks Silvia DURAN if the American had been there. Silvia DURAN Says he is there now. The Soviet Says the Cre
14-00000 - 5 - , American showed papers op SEORET sate in Washington, that he wants to go to the Soviet Union and be there for a long time with his wife, who is Russian, but the answer has not come from Washington in respect to this problem, and according to this procedure it takes four to five months, but without permission from the Soviet Union they should ask, or better said, they cannot issue a visa there without asking Washington. However, according to this man, he showed a letter indicating he was a member of an organi- zation in favor of Cuba and that the Cubans said that they cannot issue a visa without his having a visa for the Soviet Union, and now he (the Soviet) does not know what to do with him (the American), because they have to wait for an answer from Washington. | | _ Silvia DURAN agrees the same problem exists with the Cubans, that the problem with him (the American) is that he does not know anyone in Cuba and therefore if that is true it will be difficult for him to get a visa for Cuba, be- cause he was thinking of processing his visa (for the Soviet Union), because he knew it would require waiting a long time for his visa to the Soviet Union while in Cuba,. and from there go to the Soviet Union. The Soviet said the thing is that if his wife right now were in Washington she would re- ceive her visa right now, or permission, from the Soviet Union, to return to her country, she is going to receive her visa in Washington but having this visa, she could communicate to any place this permission, for example here or any place - She could receive it (visa or permission), but right now they “do not have them. Silvia DURAN Says certainly and they can- not give a letter either because they do not know if the visa will be approved. The Soviet says he cannot give a letter or recommendation either because he does not know him (the American) and asks to be excused for bothering her. Silvia Says that"s all right and many thanks. [Memorandum for Deputy Chief, Operations Staff, dated 2 May 1975, from Raymond ROCCA; Subject: Review of Agency Holdings SEORET a
14-00000 ~ G = SECRET Regarding Photograph of Unidentified Individual in Mexico City Published by the Warren Commission. ] 28 September 1963 . Silvia DURAN was again visited at the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City by the American seeking a Cuban transit visa. Mrs. DURAN contacted at least two members of the Soviet Embassy and facilitated a direct conversation between one of the So- viets and the. American. -Conversing in poor Russian, the Am- erican stated that he already had been to the Soviet Consu- late and had left an address. The Soviet official replied that he was aware of that. The American suggested that he had not known his address then, and he had gone to the Cuban “Embassy to ask for the address, because they had it. The American then acceded to the Soviet official's invitation to come by and give them the address. oo, {Memorandum for Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, dated 31 january, ‘1964, from Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans; Subject: Information Developed by CIA on the Activity of Lee Harvey OSWALD : in Mexico City, 28 September - 3 October 1963. 1 28 Septenber 1963 2 - At 1151 hours (Mexico time) on Saturday, 28 September 1963, Silvia DURAN calls the USSR Embassy and talks to an unidentified Soviet. She says that in the Cuban Embassy there if a North American who was at the Soviet Embassy. The Soviet Says Wait a minute. Silvia DURAN speaks English with someone - and comments in Spanish that they gave APARICIO telephone number 14-12-99 and to take the number down - Silvia DURAN then says the American citizen is going to talk with you, i.e., the Soviet. The American first speaks Russian and the Soviet speaks English. They continue’ in English. The American talks broken Russian and says I was in-your Embassy and spoke to your Consul. Just a minute. <A Soviet takes . the phone ‘and asks the American in English what does he want. The American says please speak Russian. The Russian says what else do you want? The American says I was just now at |
14-00000 SECRET your Embassy and they took my address. The Soviet says I - know that. The American, in hardly recognizable Russian, says I did not know it then. I went to the Cuban Fmbassy to ask them for my address, because they have it. The Soviet says why don't you come again and leave your address with us, it is not far from the Cuban Embassy. The American Says I'll be there xvight away. [Memorandum for Deputy Chief, Operations Staff, dated 2 May 1975, from Raymond G. ROCCA; Subject: Review of Agency Hold- ings Regarding Photograph of Unidentified Individual in Mexico City Published by the Warren Commission. ]} 23 November 1963 : Stik lh do~ ED a Mexico Station Suggests to the Ministry of Gobernacion that Silvia DURAN, who is a Mexican employee at the Cuban _ Embassy and who: put. Lee OSWALD on. the telephone from the Cu-. ban Embassy to talk to the Soviet Embassy on 28 September, be arrested immediately and held incommunicado until she | gives all details relating to OSWALD known to her. [MEXI-7029 (IN ), 23 November 1963. ] 23 November 1963 LIC. Luis ECHEVARRIA informed the Chief of Station at 1800 Mexico time that Silvia DURAN and her husband had al- ready been arrested. They are presently under interrogation by Gobernacion authorities. The Chief of Station asked ECHEVARRIA to take measures requested in DIR 84916 [see below]. ECHEVARRIA promised to try to keep arrest secret. He definitely promised all information obtained from DURANS. First report should be ready by 2000 Mexico time. Station added that it will not be possible to keep arrest from her family and from Cuban Embassy very long. [MEXI-7037 (IN 67236), 24 November 1963. ] 23 November 1963 “(Date pf dissemination), Headquarters disseminates to the Federal Bureau of Investigation information regarding Silvia DURAN, arrested SECRET &
14-00000 a by Mexican authorities » ee I oo p.m. on 23 November 1963 for interrogation. [DIR 84950, 25 November 1963: ] 23 November 1963 Headquarters tells Mexico City Station that the arrest of Silvia DURAN is an extremely serious matter which could prejudice United States Government freedom of action on the entire question of Cuban responsibility. With full regard for Mexican interests, Headquarters requests the Station to ensure that her arrest is kept abselutely secret, that no < information from her is published or leaked, that all such information is cabled to Headquarters, and that the fact of her arrest and her statements are not spread to leftist or disloyal circles in the Mexican Government. [DIR 84916, 23 November 1963.] 23 November 1963 At 1915 hours (Mexico time), the Mexico City Station advised the Legal Attache of Silvia DURAN's arrest and of Headquarters' desire for Secrecy. The Legal Attache had not heard of the arrest although he had talked to Gobernacion | contacts several times during the last hour. The Station indicated that it had also informed the Anbassador. (MEXI-7042 (IN ), 23 November 1963. ] 23 November 1963 Silvia DURAN was arrested at home with her husband and members of the family who were having a party. All were taken to jail. Since she had told not only her husband but other members of the family about OSWALD's visits after she read the name and saw his picture on television, she attribu- ted her arrest to a denounciation by a cousin whom she does not like. The Station then indicates that the source of the Mexican Government's knowledge: (of her contact with OSWALD) has :not been revealed to her. [MEXI-7054 (IN 67378), 24 November 1963.]
14-00000 - 9 - SECRET Silvia DURAN had the impression that OSWALD had or be- 23 November 1963 lieved he had made arrangements in Washington whereby in- Structions would be sent to the Soviet Embassy in Mexico to issue a Soviet entry visa in a manner which would not require him personally to visit the Soviet Embassy. Failure of nis real or imagined instructions to work smoothly caused him to become rude to the Soviets. Her impression was that he was simply a "comrade" who could not live confortably under the rigors of capitalism and wished to return to his spiritual home in the USSR. If OSWALD talked to anyone else in the Cuban Embassy, she was unaware of it. [MEXI-7054 (IN 67378), 24 November 1963.) 23. ‘November 1963 “According ‘to source, “the: staff meeting at the Cuban Embassy on 23 November was very short and somber. The” general impression was one of shock and disbelief. [MEXI-7115 (IN 69636), 28 November 1963. ] 24 November 1963 Luis ECHEVARRIA told the Chief of Station that Silvia DURAN was completely cooperative and gave a written state- ment attesting to two visits by OSWALD. She could not remem- ber the exact date# but said it was the latter part of Sep- tember. OSWALD showed her a American passport showing a | long stay in the USSR. OSWALD said he was a communist and an admirer of CASTRO. He wanted her help to get a transit visa to Cuba in order to fo to the USSR. She said she could only arrange transit through Cuba if he already had a Soviet visa. The Soviets told her that they had further checking to do before they could issue a visa. DURAN did not know why he returned to the United States without a visa. DURAN told Gobernacion that she had recognized OSWALD on the tele- vision on -:22 November 1963. | ; | The Chief of Station has told the Ambassador of DURAN's arrest and will brief the Legal Attache at 0930, 25 November, | SECRET
14-00000 24 November 1963 | - 10 - | -SEGRET at a meeting in the Ambassador's office. [MEXI-7046 (IN 67278), 24 November 1963.] 24 November 1963 Luis ECHEVARRIA is aware of the United States Govern- ment's concern regarding any leaks and has warned Silvia DURAN about talking. He feels, however, that at least the fact of the arrest may well be leaked by other members of her family who were picked up at the same time. The Chief of Station will continue to push the need for secrecy. DURAN and her husband will be released but will be kept under close surveillance. [MEXI-7054 (IN 67378), 24 November 1963.] Headquarters asks the Mexico Station that when jLee OSWALD was in Mexico City in late September and early October..to get a Soviet visa and a Cuban transit visa, did he want to travel to Cuba right away, alone, or have his wife join him there and then leave later? Although it appears that he was then thinking only about a peaceful change of residence t¢ the Soviet Union, it is also possible that he was getting docu- mented to make a quick escape after assassinating the Presi- dent. [DIR 84920, 24 November 1963.] 25 November 1963 Headquarters asks chat (LITA /S)be queried as to his knowledge regarding Lee. OSWALD's contacts with the Cuban and Soviet Embassies. [DIR 84926, 25 November 1963.] The Mexico City Station responds that (LITANIL/9)was asked this point during the night of 23 November, but he dis- claimed any knowledge of OSWALD's visits. The Station has instructed him to report any new facts or significant reactions of his associates. [MEXI-7065 (IN 67737), 25 November 1963.] ‘SECRET
14-00000 seChET 25 November 1963 : (Date of dissemination) Headquarters disseminates information on Silvia DURAN to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. [DIR 84950, 25 November 1963; Subject: Silvia T. DURAN, Mexican Employee of the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City, Con- tact. with Lee OSWALD. ] 25 November 1963 Silvia DURAN returned to her office. She seemed quite please with her performance. Her account of the interroga- tion contained little new except that the police had threa- tened her with extradition to the United States to face OSWALD. She had no fear of a confrontation with him. [MEXI-7115 (IN 69636), 28 November 1963.] 25 November 1963 a: i. | The FBI interviewed Salvador DIAZ Verson ‘(on ‘an ‘unknown date) in Miami. The latter stated that while he was in Mexi- co City from 20 to 29 November 1963, attending the Congress of the International Federation of Professional Newspaper Organization, he was at the offices of the newspaper Excel - sior on the night of 25 November 1963. There he learned ‘through the Mexican press that the Mexican Government had arrested one Silvia DURAN; that DURAN allegedly had OSWALD as a guest in her house during his visit to Mexico; that DURAN placed OSWALD in contact with officials of the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City. DIAZ Verson went on to claim that he was told by Dr. DORRELL Navarros, an exiled Cuban news- paperman employed by Excelsior that OSWALD and DURAN on the day following OSWALD's arrival in Mexico City went to a res- taurant called the Caballo Blanco or possibly the Caballo Bayo where they met an official of the Cuban Embassy. DIAZ Verson claimed he knows nothing about OSWALD and the Cuban official leaving the restaurant together in a car. ; (NB: DIAZ Verson was interviewed by the FBI sometime before 11 January 1964.) [Memorandum to Mr. Clarence A. BOONSTRA, Charge d'affaires
14-00000 - 412-0 SECRET ad interim, dated 29 January 1964, from Clark D. ANDERSON, Legal Attache; Subject: -Lee Harvey OSWALD. Copy to Win- ston M. SCOTT. ] | 26 November 1963 Mexico City Station forwards to Headquarters a trans- lation of a conversation between Cuban President DORTICOS in Havana and Ambassador Joaquin HERNANDEZ Armas in Mexico City at 0924 hours on 26 November 1963. | | DORTICOS was concerned whether the Mexicans: had ques- tioned Silvia DURAN about the passage of money to the "Ameri- can". The Ambassador responded that she had not been asked about money. [MEXI-7068 (IN ), 26 November 1963. ] 26 November 1963 7 : “The Cuban Government passes a note to- the Mexican _Am- bassador to Cuba, Gilberto BOSQUES, protesting the action of the Mexican police in questioning an employee of the Cuban Consulate -in Mexico’ ‘City about OSWALD's reported application: for a Cuban transit visa ‘during his visit. In its note, the Cuban Government. had charged that its Consulate's- employee, Senora Silvia DURAN, had been detained by the police on 23 November, held in prison until midnight, physically mistreated, and subjected to insinutations about alleged "intimate relations" with OSWALD. The Cuban note Said that this "illegal" investigation corresponded to the plan of reactionaries in the United States who were using President Kennedy's assassination to promote a war policy on the bases of accusations against Cuba and the Soviet Union. Alleging that the Mexican police actions had disregarded the minimum guarantees owed to employees of a. consular office, | the Cuban note concluded that the incident had damaged the friendly relations ‘between the two countries. [U. S. Embassy Despatch, Mexico City, dated 2 December 1963, despatch no. illegible.] | SECRET
14-00000 - 13- > SECRET 26 November 1963. Mexico City Station forwards Ambassador's message for passing to the Secretary of State, Mr. McCONE, and Mr. HOOVER. In his message, the Ambassador suggested that the Mexi- cans should rearrest and interrogate Silvia Pirado de DURAN along the following lines: "a. Confront Silvia DURAN again with Nicaraguan and have Nicaraguan inform her of details of his statement to us... — . 7 'b. Tell Silvia DURAN that she is the only liv- ing non-Cuban who knows the full story and hence she is in the same position as OSWALD was prior to his assassination; her only chance for sur- vival is to come clean with the whole story and to cooperate completely with the Mexican Govern- ment in return for Mexican Government protection. "ec. She will not in any case be allowed to leave Mexico." The Ambassador asks for immediate instructions on whether "we are authorized to request President LOPEZ © Mateos to rearrest and take Silvia DURAN into protective custody. Danger of her disappearance or murder may be immediate and great." | | [MEXI-7072 (IN }, 26 November 1963.] 27 November 1963 Headquarters suggests to the Mexico Station that in lieu of arresting Silvia DURAN, she be placed under close surveillance by CIA ow by Mexican authorities. [DIR 85198, 27 November 1963.] 27 November 1963 | oo (date of dissemination) Headquarters disseminates information obtained from Silvia Tirado de DURAN to the Federal Bureau of Investiga- tion. The dissemination is based upon MEXI-7054 (IN 67378) and MEXI-7065 (IN 67737). | [DIR 85222, 27 November 1963.] 27 November 1963 ; ; ) At 1215 hours (Mexico time), Luis ECHEVARRIA, acting Minister of Gobernacion, informed the Chief of Station that Silvia DURAN had been rearrested because she was attempting | - 4 SRT oe
14-00000 SECRET [MEXI-7101 (IN 69048), z7 November 1963. ] ‘to leave Mexico for Cuba. 27 November 1963 — Headquarters instructs the Mexico Station that, in light of DURAN's. second arrest, Mexican authorities should interrogate Silvia DURAN to the extent necessary to clarify outstanding points which have been raised by your cables during the last 48 hours. | Maadquarters goes on to say that the Station may provide questions to the Mexican interroga- | tors "but we do not want any Americans to confront Silvia DURAN or be in contact with her.” [DIR 85318, 27 November 1963.] 27 November 1963 With reference to DIR 85318 (see above entry), Head- quarters tells the, Mexico Station that it. wants, to..be cer- tain "that there is no misunderstanding between us, we want to insure that neither Sylvia DURAN nor the Cubans gets the impression that the Americans behind her ‘rearrest.| In other words, we want Mexican authorities to take responsibility for whole affair." [DIR 85371, 27 November 1963.] | 27 November 1963 __ : (Date of dissemination) Headquarters reports Silvia DURAN's second arrest to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Depart- ment, and the White House. Dissemination based upon MEXI-7101 (IN 69048), 27 November 1963. | [DIR 85471, 27 November 1963.] 27 November 1963 Mexico City Station forwards to Headquarters a trans- lation of a second conversation between President DORTICOS and Ambassador HERNANDEZ Armas which took place at 1839 (Mexico time) on 27 November. DORTICOS appeared to be still concerned whether the Mexicans had threatened Silvia DURAN to force her into making a statement to the effect that the
14-00000 zh ~ 15 - SECRET (Cuban) Consulate had.given money "to the man... that American". The Ambassador responded that at no time had they done such a thing. {[MEXI-7097 (IN ), 27 November 1963.] 27 November 1963 (:rtaNtL/9)reported that after Silvia DURAN ' s first arrest it was public knowledge that there was a great deal of discussion of this action in the Embassy. (urtantts) described DURAN as being very intelligent and quick witted. According to source, there was almost no discussion about the assassination in the Embassy, nor did he hear any expressions of pleasure. | [MEXI-7115 (IN 69636), 28 November 1963.] 27 November 1963 | Headquarters requests Mexico City Station. not: to.take any action to rearrest Silvia DURAN or to arrest others without approval from Washington. [DIR 85178, 27 November 1963.] 27 November 1963 : Headquarters Suggests to the Mexico City Station that "in lieu of arresting DURAN, she be put under close surveil- lanee by the CIA or by Mexican authorities." (DIR 85198, 27 November 1963.] 27 November 1963 Headquarters informs the Mexico City Station that the Department of Justice is preparing a report on the whole as- sassination case and will undoubtedly want to include the detailed data on OSWALD's activities in Mexico. Obviously the telephone tap material cannot be used, but the statements of Silvia DURAN which carry essentially the same import could be used without compromising Mexico Station's sources or re- i . vealing the nature and extent of your liaison. Therefore re- quest you cable in a translated version of her statements and obtain [official Mexican] permission to use these statements
14-00000 «lp - 16 - in the official report, DEGRET, .<sentarty willbe pub- lished. [DIR 95245, 27 November 1963.] 27 - 29 November 1963 Silvia DURAN was arrested for the second time on 27 November, interrogated on the 28th, and released on the 29th of November. The interrogation was based upon ques- tions prepared by the Station and approved by the Legal Attache. ‘a. Asked her relations with a number of indivi- duals including some invented names and others registered owners of cars she had been seen in during a January 1963 surveillance. Disclaimed knowledge of all. , "b. Claimed never a member of the Liga Leninista Espartaco or PFM, inasmuch as she did not agree with ideas of neigher except for support of Cuba. "ce. Claimed no affiliation with ICAP, nor connec- tion with the Soviet Embassy which only..visited . twice, once for GAGARIN - TERESKOVA reception and once at anniversary of Revolution. "d. Remembered OSWALD perfectly and denied he wore glasses. Otherwise no additions to original story. "es Knew of no re-daired negro in the Cuban Embassy. No new people arrived at the Embassy around the time of OSWALD's visits. "f£. Admitted to.a one two-week trip to Cuba in 1961. No trips since then and does not plan to go. She de- nied having asked the Ambassador to send her there after her first interrogation." [MEXI-7364 (IN 79373), 12 December 1963] 28 November 1963 Mexico City Station comments that the second pickup of Silvia DURAN, which was made on the Government's initia- tive without prior consultation with Station or the U. S, Embassy, obviously evidence of a great desire of Mexican authorities to be of service. Immediately after pickup, ECHEVARRIA had received instructions from(LITENSOR)per- sonally not to release DURAN until Winston SCOTT said so. At Headquarters' request, Chief of Station furnished, in- terrogation questions to ECHEVARRIA night of 27 November. -(MEXI-7118 (IN 69656), 28 November 1963.] vee | SECRET Ne
14-00000 SEGRET The Mexico Station advises Headquarters that it is 28 November 1963 sending a photostatic copy of a ten-page statement by Silvia DURAN obtained from Luis ECHEVARRIA. Roger T. KINGMAN (P)-will carry the document to Washineton where he is arriving at Dulles Airport at 0809 on 28 November 1963. (MEXI-7105 (IN ), 27 November 1963. ] 28 November 1963 In light of DIR 85371, the Station felt it had no. alternative but to inforn ECHEVARRIA that neither SCOTT nor the U. S. Government making an official request for DURAN's continued detention. The decision to reléase her must be theirs (the Mexicans). This was done at 1200 noon (Mexico time) on 28 November. (MEXT-7118 (IN 69656) , 28 November 1963.] 28 November 1963 Luis ECHEVARRIA advised the Chief of Station that un- less there are significant developments from the present interrogation of Silvia DURAN )based upon questions furnished by the COS on 27 November) or from the interrogation of Gil- berto ALVARADO, DURAN will be released during the night of 28 November or éarly morning 29 November. [MEXI-7124 (IN 69676), 28 November 1963. ] 28 November 1963 . Luis ECHEVARRIA advised the Chief of Station that the Mexican Government had refused to accept the very rude note of protest handed to the Mexican Ambassador BOSQUES in Havana on 27 November by Raul ROA, the Cuban fdeign minister. [MEXI-7124 (IN 69676), 28 November 1963.] 28 November 1963 The Mexican Foreign Minister Manuel TELLO announced on 28 Novenber that the Mexican Ambassador to Cuba, Gilberto BOSQUES, had been instructed to return as "unacceptable" the SECRET
14-00000 - 18 - SECRET Cuban Government's note of November 26 which had protested the actuon of Mexican police in questioning an employee of the Cuban Consulate in Mexico City about OSWALD's reported application for a Cuban transit visa during his visit. [Embassy Despatch, Mexico City, dated 2 December 1963; DST 28350.) | oe | | 29 November 1963 ECHEVARRIA advised the Chief of Station early on 29 November that Silvia DURAN had been released again at about 1900 hours (Mexico City time) on 28 } November. DURAN is under close surveillance and will be apprehended any time information received warrants such an action.’ . She still ap- pears to the Mexicans to have been involved only in busi- ness of possible Cuban and Soviet visas. ‘for OSWALD. [MEXI-7125 CIN 70103), 29 November 1963.] 29 November 1963 : ‘(date of dissemination) Headquarters disseminates highlights of official Mexican interrogation of Horacio DURAN Navarro and Silvia Tirado de DURAN. _ [DIR 85669, 29. NOvember 1963.] 29 November 1963 : (date of dissemination) cic ea hear ED Headquarters disseminates to the FBI, State Department 3 and the White House information relating to Silvia DURAN con- tained in MEXI-7115 (IN 69636), 28 November 1963. [DIR 85670, 29 November 1963.] 29 November 1963 The Chief of Station passes to the Legal Attache a copy of a ten-page statement of information obtained by the | Ministry of Gobernacion during the first detention of Silvia DURAN. [Memorandum for Mr. (Clark D. ANDERSON , Legal Attache, dated 29 November 1963, from Winston M. SCOTT. ] é Bin Nev ont yop 8:6 Semmenerenement Hoadquantens-states—thetit-wentento-be-swre~thet-Hesi~ ne Steston-te-meditoiy-riningthe-tepet-tenche-everythn the-Stetion—receives—about SECRET:
14-00000 “SECRET Headquarters wants to be sure that Mexico City Sta- 29 November 1963 tion is immediately giving the Legal Attache everything the Station receives from ALVARADO and Silvia DURAN so that the Legal Attache can forward the data directly to FBI Headquar- ters. If the Legal Attache does not have sufficient commu- nications facilities or staff, he can send his messages through Agency channels, otherwise, Headquarters will con- ', tinue to disseminate information to the FBI. Indicate on all cables whether the Legal Attache has been piven the same in- formation being reported to Headquarters. [DIR 85712, 29 NOvember 1963.] 29 November 1963 Headquarters disseminates to the Féderal Bureau of -Investigation, the Department of State, and the White House information relating to Silvia DURAN's (second) release, [DIR 85714, 29 November 1963.] 29 November 1963 : (date-of dissemination) Headquarters disseminates to the Federal Bureau of In- vestigation, the Department of State, and the White House, a rush translation of a report by the Mexican police of an interrogation of Silvia Tirado de DURAN, her husband, Horacio DURAN Navarro, and others immediately following their arrest on 23 November 1963. [DIR 85758, 29 November 1963.] 11 December 1963. The Legal Attache in Mexico City passes to the Ambassa- dor and to the Mexico Station an FBI memorandum concerning OSWALD's activities in Mexico City from 27 September through 2 October 1963. | | [Memorandum to The Ambassador, dated 11 December 1963, from Clark D. ANDERSON, Legal Attache; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD. ] 12 December 1963 The FBI is pushing to wind up its analysis of the SECRET
14-00000 - 20 -— SECRET Mexican aspects of the OSWALD case and urgentlv needs the results of the interrogations of Silvia DURAN and her husband during their second arrest. [DIR 88642, 12 December 1963. ] iz December 1963 : (date of dissemination) Headquarters disseminates to the Federal Bureau of In- vestigation, the Department of State, and the White House, information obtained from the second interrogation of Silvia DURAN. [Based upon MEXI-7364 (IN 79373), 12 December 1963.] [DIR 88747,.12 December 1963.) 13 December 1963 Mexico City Station forwards to Headquarters two copies of the Mexican Government interrogation report ‘on the "second arrest" of Silvia Tirado de DURAN. A copy of the report was passed to the Legal Attache on 13 December 1963. [HMMA-22625, 13 December 1963.] | 21 December 1963 Headquarters tells Mexico Station that: the present plan for passing information to the Warren Commission is to elimi- nate any mention of telephone taps, in order to protect the Station's continuing operations. Headquarters will rely in- “stead on statements by Silvia DURAN and on the contents of the Soviet Consular file which the Soviets gave to the Depart- ment of State. The file shows that both OSWALD and his wife were dickering with the Soviets in Washington by mail so as to obtain permission to return to the Soviet a | ‘Exact detailed information from(LITAMIL/7 | and /3)on just what Silvia DURAN and other officials said about OSWALD's visits and his dealings would be valuable and usable corro- borative evidence. Headquarters requests the Station to ques- tion them Carefully jon these points, while attempting to ob- tain as much authentic data as” possible’ without mixing in what they have picked up from the newSpapers. [DIR 90466, 21 December 1963.] SECRET
14-00000 3 fd SECRET 27 December 1963 (L1Tw1L/5)renorted on 27 Becember 1963 that Silvia had not returned to work since her release from her second arrest. Silvia's husband was angry over Foreign Minister ROA's note which made a cause celebre of the affair. “He told a Cuban Embassy official that ROA's note was inaccu- rate in claiming that Silvia had been mistreated by the Mexican police. [MEXI-7615 (IN 91178), 2 January 1964.] 2 January 1964 (EITANIL/9)has nothing additional to offer beyond the account in NEXT - 7115 except that Silvia DURAN ‘Said at that time she was perfectly willing to travel to the United States to confront OSWALD if necessary. Graney) ia not talk to Silvia about the OSWALD visit, , merely Stood around with other staff members while Silvia recounted her arrest, interroga- tion, and release. She did not mention any details about her encounter with OSWALD. [MEXI-7615 (IN 91178), 2 January 1964.] 4 and 9 January 1964 : Salvador DIAZ Verson was interviewed by a Special cat. * Agent of the FBI on 4 and 9 January 1964. DIAZ Verson furnished information which he had obtained while atten- ding a Congress of the International Federation of Pro- fessional Newspaper Organizations (FIOPP), in Mexico City, from 29 November to 29 November 1963. {FBI Field Memorandum from Miami, Florida, dated. 2 March 1964; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD, Internal Security - R. DBA- 66398. ] | | 10 January 1964 ; : (date of dissemination) Headquarters forwards dissemination to the Federal Bureau of Investigation containing a translation oftthe official Mexican police report on the second interrogation of Silvia DURAN, done on 28 November 1963. a [CSCI-3/779,482, 10 January 1964.] . SECRET
14-00000 - SECRET On 11 January 1964, Dr. Eduardo BORRELL Navarro was 11 January 1964 interviewed in Mexico City by a confidential source. He made the following statements regarding Salvador DIAZ Ver- son's allegations concerning Lee Harvey OSWALD, Salvador DIAZ Verson was in Mexico City as he claimed and did discuss Lee OSWALD with BORRELL and other Cuban exiles. BORRELL did not tell the story credited to him by DIAZ Verson concerning the visit to a Mexico City restaurant by OSWALD and Silvia DURAN. BORRELL had never heard this story or any similar story before. BORRELL knew of no meeting between OSWALD and Cuban Embassy officials other than the meetings which allegedly occurred at the time OSWALD visited the Cuban Consulate in Mexico City. . - a — 7 [Memorandum to Mr. Clarence A. BOONSTRA, Charve d'affaires ad interim, dated 29 January 1964, from Clark D. ANDERSON, Legal Attache; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD. Copy to Win- ston M. SCOTT.] 13 January 1964 : The legal Attache in Mexico City informed the Mexico Station of current problems in the FBI's investigations of leads pertinent to Lee Harvey OSWALD: "a. FBI Headquarters sent a cable to Mexico Stating that Salvador DIAZ Verson was the source of the ana- lysis prepared by Cuban psychologist, Jose I. LASAGA of Miami. "b. FBI interviewed DIAZ Verson who said that Silvia DURAN took Lee OSWALD to Caballo Bayo Restaurant near Chapultepec Golf Club where they met Cuban Ambassador to Mexico, Joaquin HERNANDEZ Armas. Then HERNANDEZ took OSWALD for a ride in his car so that they could talk privately. "ce. DIAZ Verson told the FBI his source was Eduardo BORRELL Navarro, Mexican newspaperman who writes edi- torials for Excelsior. "d. The FBI sent Matthew CRAWFORD to interview BORRELL Navarro on 12 January. Latter sajd he did not know any more than that OSWALD had been to Mexico and had visited the Cuban Embassy and Silvia DURAN. He said everything he knew had been published and was public knowledge. i i [MEXI-7776 (IN ), 14 January 1964.] | SECRET
14-00000 SECRET On 17 January 1964, a source who has furnished reliable 17 January 1964 information in the past advised that he had been unable to locate a Caballo Blanco Restaurant in Mexico City, but stated that there is a Caballo Bayo Restaurant located on the out- skirts of Mexico City. He advised that on 11 January 1964, he exhibited photographs of former Cuban Consul Eusebio AZCUE Lopez,. who was in charge of the Cuban Consulate at the time of OSWALD's visit there, of Cuban Ambassador Joaquin HERNANDEZ Armas, of Silvia DURAN, and of OSWALD to employees of the Caballo Bayo Restaurant and had conducted extensive interviews of these employees. The source said he was unable to find anyone among the employees who could recall any of the persons whose photographs, were exhibited as having been at the restau- Yrant. [Memorandum to Mr. Clarence A. BOONSTRA, Charge d'affaires ad interim, dated 29 January 1964, from Clark D. ANDERSON, Legal Attache; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD. Copy to Win- ston M. SCOTT.] 29 January 1964 DIAZ Verson, the source of Jose I. LASAGA's information that the Cuban Ambassador to Mexico City had a long conference with Lee OSWALD at a restaurant outside Mexico City, turns out to be a highly unreliable source, with a reputation for fabri- cation. He did go to Mexico, via Guatamala and Nicaragua, leaving Miami on 18 November 1963. He was to attend a confe- rence in Mexico of the FIOPP (Federacion Internacional de Organizaciones de Periodistes Professionales) between 19 and 29 November 1963. | | The FBI has questioned DIAZ Verson about his story. He said that Silvia DURAN, clerk of the Cuban Consulate in Mexico City, took Lee OSWALD to the Caballo Cayo [sic] Restaurant near Chapultepec Park where they mat the Cuban Ambas&’ador Joaquin HERNANDEZ Armas and that HERNANDEZ Armas took OSWALD) for a long ride in his car so he could talk. -DIAZ Verson said ‘SECRET mayo
14-00000 - 24 - SECRET that his source for this information was Mexican journalist; Eduardo BORRELL Navarro, editorialist for the large conser- vative daily Excelsior, but when the FBI asked BORRELL about it he said that DIAZ Verson had made it all up. BORRELL said he knew nothing beyond the fact that OSWALD had been in Mexico, had visited the Cuban Embassy and talked to Silvia DURAN. | | A senior FBI official in Mexico, Clark ANDERSON, told our Station Chief that he knew DIAZ Verson well wehn: they were both in Havana and that DIAZ Verson was noted for "re- ports based on his intuitive feelings". He rarely reported _ facts. This seems to discredit completely the story, that OSWALD had had a long conference with the Cuban Ambassador in Mexico City. | | [Blind Memorandum, dated 29 January 1964; Subject: « Presence of Salvador DIAZ Verson in Mexico around 22 November 1963.] 31 January 1964 | ~SiJanuary 1964 0: The Agency forwards to the Warren Commission a memoran- dum with an enclosure regarding "Information Developed by CIA on the Activity of Lee Harvey OSWALD in Mexico City, 28 Sep- tember - 3 October 1963", , "We have included in this paper only hard, substantive information. Any judgements that are made represent professional evaluations by individuals who have worked over the years as specialists in their fields. Specu- lation, rumor, and vague detail not directly related to OSWALD's activity have not been included." . {Memorandum for Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, dated 31 January 1964, from Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans; Subject: Information Developed by CIA on the Activity of Lee Harvey OSWALD in Mexico City 28 September - 3 October 1963.] 21 February 1964 : The Agency forwarded to the Warren Commission a memo- randum to which were attached two enclosures: “4 3 a. Results of the interrogation of Silvia Tirado de DURAN, her husband, Horacio DURAN Navarro et al,
14-00000 SECRET immediately following their detainment on 23: November 1963. b. Results of the interrogation of Silvia Tirado de DURAN on the morning of 28 November 1963. [Memorandum for Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, dated 21 February 1964, from Richard HELMS, Deputy Director for Plans; Subject: Translations of Interrogation Reports of Silvia DURAN. ] 27 February 1964 os Salvador DIAZ Verson was interviewed by Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at Miami, Floride, on 27 February 1964, at which time DIAZ Verson furnished the following information: : "DIAZ Verson resides at 8770 S.W. 21st Street, West- chester, Miami, Florida. He is a Cuban exile, for- merly associated with the Cuban police in 1933, Chief of Cuban Military Intelligence Service during the period 1948 to 1952, but primarily a newspaperman by profession. © 4 ; eS "He had been previously interviewed by a Special Agent of the FBI on January 4 and 9, 1964, on which dates he furnished the data which he had obtained while attending a Congress of the International Federation of Professional Newspaper Organizations (FIOPP), in Mexico City, from November 20, 1963 to November 29, 1963. "He stated he knew absolutely nothing first hand concerning the visit of Lee Harvey [OSWALD to Mexico or of persons contacted by OSWALD while in Mexico. He stated, as previously reported, that he did have contact with Dr. Eduardo BORRELL Navarro, who is employed by the Mexican newspaper Excelsior, but Stated he did not, and does not, attribute to Dr. BORRELL Navarro the information regarding the contact of OSWALD with Silvia DURAN, an employee of the Cuban Consulate at a Mexico City restaurant. "DIAZ gtated the only contact of OSWALD discussed by him with BORRELL Navarro was that of the visit of OSWALD to the Cuban Consulate in Mexico, and the fact that Silvia DURAN was picked up and interviewed by the Mexican police. He said there was some speculation and talk regarding the identity of the specific offi- cial of the Cuban Consulate or Embassy with whom DURAN may have placed OSWALD in contact. DIAZ Verson stated Dr. BORRELL Navarro never stated that OSWALD went to a restaurant in Mexico City called the Caballo Blanco or possibly the Caballo Bayo, where OSWALD and DURAN alle- gedly met an official of the Cuban Embassy. DIAZ Ver- son stated he did not discuss with BORRELL Navarro the allegation that OSWALD was a-gust,in the house of Sil- ' via DURAN while he was in Mexico. "DIAZ Verson stated the matter of OSWALD allegedly meeting with DURAN at the restaurant and allegedly be- ing a guest in her home, were Strictly unidentified questions, comments, and the voicing of thoughts and SECRET
14-00000 SECRET speculation by a rather large group of Latin American newspapermen in the offices of Exeelsior on the night of November 25, 1963. "DIAZ Verson stated that after Angel FERNANDEZ Varela was interviewed by the FBI in Miami, he came to DIAZ Verson and asked: ‘Just what were those details about OSWALD meeting DURAN in some cabaret or restaurant in Mexico City and the introduction of OSWALD to an offi- cial of the Cuban Embassy?' FERNANDEZ Varela admitted he had not understood the story too well and perhaps had confifised it 'a little' when he retold it. "On February 29, 1964, upon being further interviewed concerning variations in his accounts of the above events, and especially the sources responsible for certain specific statements, DIAZ Verson admitted that he did make statements to a Special Agent of the FBI on January 4 and 9, 1964, slightly at variance with each other, and both at variance with what he related to another Special Agent of the FBI on February 27, 1964. He stated he did not do this out of malice or bad faith, or with intent to mislead anyone. He de- Clared he did not regard anything he heard, os said he had heard in Mexico, as evidence, or of serious impor- ‘tance; he stated he had engaged in loose talk and re- | peated theory and speculation, and when challenged as to his sources, he was aShamed to admit an irrespon- - Sible naming of sources. te "DIAZ Verson declined to take a polygraph examination Stating it would only humiliate him further, and show what he had already admitted. "With regard to a relationship between BORREL Navarro and. Horacio DURAN Navarro, DIAZ Verson stated BORRELL Navarro is a Cuban, only temporarily residing in exile _in Mexico City. Horacio DURAN Navarro and his wife, Silvia, are Mexicans. DIAZ Verson stated that Cuba protested the arrest and interrogation of Silvia DURAN by the Mexican Police; the Mexican Foreign Office re- jected the protest, and in doing so, stated DURAN Navarro and wife are Mexican citizens. DIAZ Verson stated this was the account published in Mexico City newspapers, and he concluded the same maternal name of Navarro for BORRELL Navarro and DURAN Navarro is only coincidence." [FBI Fieid Memorandum from Miami, Florida, dated 2 March 1964; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD, Internal Security - R. DBA-66938.] 7 April 1964 : The Agency fowwards a memorandum to the Warren Commission containing information on the actionf of Silvia DURAN on her return to work at the Cuban Consulate on 25 November 1963, following her first interrogation by the Mexican authorities. | "This item may De useful to the Commission in the evaulation of Mrs. DURAN 's story." {Memorandum for Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, dated 7 April 1964, from Richard HELMS , Deputy Director for Plans. DDP 4-1787.] SECRET.
14-00000 ap . there. Also included are allegations by various individuals - 27 - st On 5 May, Mr. (WHITTEN) and Mr. ALL met with fMr. SLAWSON of the Commission in Mr. (HITTENDS office. This meeting had been requested to ask for a fresh translation of the taped conversation between Cuban President DORTICOS and Ambassador HERNANDEZ Armas. Win SCOTT had told the Commission staff members visiting Mexico City that his trans- lators, in the rush at the time, might have misconstrued cer- tain nuances of meaning in what was a difficult recording. In view of this, Mr. SLAWSON asked that a new translation be made, if possible, by a person knowledseable of the Cuban dialect. [Memorandum for the Record, dated 5 May 1964, by Thomas R. HALL; Subject: Meeting with Mr. SLAWSON of the Presidential Commission. ] 5 May 1964 According to Mr. SLAWSON, no member of the Commission now knows of the telephone taps in Mexico City (he did not mention Mr. DULLES). [Comment: This statement does not include members of the Commission's staff, for at least three members of the staff, including Mr. SLAWSON, had been briefed by Winston SCOTT on all the pertinent telephone calls during their visit in April 1964, HMMA-23249, 14 April 1964.] [Ibid.] : | 6 May 1964 : (date of FBI Report) | Silvia DURAN's name appears in Lee Harvey OSWALD's personal address book. [FBI Report, dated 6 May 1964. DBA-70128.] 18 May 1964 : (date of FBI Report) Date of an FBI report containing a compilation of facts known to date on OSWALD's trip to Mexico and his activities concerning OSWALD's Mexico contacts. - SECRET i
14-00000 = 28 o SECRET "On 24 March 1964 ; Captain Fernando GUTIERREZ Barrios, Assistant Director of the Mexican Federal Security Police, Mexico, D. F., made available a copy of a signed statement which had been made by Silvia DURAN to the Federal Security Police on 23 November 1963." A translation from the Spanish ‘of that statement is recorded on pages 35 through 41 of the report. [FBI Report, dated 18 May 1964; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD. ] 19 May 1964 Mexico Station forwards to Headquarters two copies of the Gobernacion Report on the steps taken and investigations made by the Mexican Government as a result of President Kennedy's assassination. The attached copies were "unofficial" as the Ambassador had not yet received that report from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. ; ee . The. Station noted that this report had been asked for by the three staff members of the Warren Commission who visite d Mexico 8 - 13 April 1964. At that time, Acting Secretary of Gobernacion, Luis ECHEVARRIA, promised this report would imme- diately be sent through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the United States Ambassador. A copy of the report was received by the Station from the Legal Attache who had received a copy unofficially from the Director of Investigations, Gobernacion, Santiago IBANEZ Llamas. [HMMA-23443, 19 May 1964.] 26 May 1964 The Mexican Station forwarded to Headquarters a copy of the official report which "will be sent to the Warren Commission as a response to the request made to Luis ECHEVARRIA Acting Minister of Gobernacion, by the three staff members of the Warren Commission who visited Mexico in April 1964," The report was received by Ahbassador FREEMAN on 22 May 1964, [HNMA- 23520, 26 May 1964.] SECRET a
14-00000 ~ 29 - 23 July 1964 : ET Date of Note no. 507794 from the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Relationd granting the permission of the Mexican Government to publish the documents on the activities of Lee Harvey OSWALD in Mexico. [According to the source document, this note was received by ‘the U. S. Embassy in Mexico City on 17 August 1964.] [U. S$. Embassy Despatch, Mexico City, dated 20 August 1964.] 5 August 1964 Foreign Secretary GOROSTIZA telephoned the United States Minister BOONSTRA with reference to Ambassador FREEMAN's dis- cussion with him of documents which the Warren Commission . wished to publish. "He said that. after considering further the request by Ambassador FREEMAN and after reviewing all of the documents, the Government of Mexico agrees to the publica- tion of all of the documents which it provided to us regard- ing its investigations of the activities in Mexico of Lee Harvey OSWALD. The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs is now preparing a Note Verbal informing the Embassy of this de- cision but he was telephoning this to me in the event that we wished to begin prompt action." {Memorandum of Conversation, dated 5 August.1964, between Foreign Secretary GOROSTIZA and Minister BOONSTRA; Subject: Clearance for Publication of Mexican Documents by Warren Commission. ] 13 August 1964 : On this date the United States Embassy in Mexico City received a note, dated 23 Juty 1964, from the Secretariat of Foreign Relations. This note stated the agreement of the Mexican Government to the publication by the Warren Commission of the documents 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 which had been provided to the U. S. Embassy as attachments to the,Secretariat's note of 9 June 1964. Document no. 5 had been inadvertantly omitted. Following a conversation between Minister Counselor C. A. BOONSTRA and Ambassador Jose GALLASTEGUI, Secretariat of For- SECRET | weedeat ennnes Megge wen
14-00000 ~ 30 - SECRET eign Relations, the latter said that it was the intention of the Mexican Government to allow the publication of all the cocuments , including document no. 5. Accordingly, the note Was retyped with the inclusion of document 5, and returned to the Embassy under the same date and note number. {Memorandum of Conversation, dated 14 August 1964, between Ambassador Jose GALLASTEGUI , Secretariat of Foreign Relations; and U. S. Minister Counselor, C. A. BOONSTRA; Subject: Clea- rance for Publication of Mexican Documents by the Warren Commission. } 8 September 1964 “Mexico City Station forwards to Headquarters two photo- Static samples of Silvia DURAN's signature, in accordance with referenced cables. [DIR 47423 and MEXI-0805. ] [HMMA- 24280, 8 September 1964.]. 14 September 1964 : ‘Mexico City Station forwards to Headquarters another copy of Silvia DURAN's signature. [HMMA-24304, 14 September 1964.]. 16 September 1964 _ tf Mr. SLAWSON of the Warren Commission in a discussion relating to Silvia DURAN's handwriting sample asked if there -s information available regarding her current status of moral, attitude, current employment. Headquarters asks the Mexico Station to furnish information relating to DURAN's Situation and outlook. Headquarters Suggest that Mexican of- ficials not be consulted. | [DIR 49619, 16 September 1964.] 16 September 1964 | : Headquarters forwards request from Warren Commission for any substantive data which can, be cited yin the published re- port as ar authoritative source regarding allegations that Silvia DURAN and her husband were or are members of the Commun- ist Party. SECRET
14-00000 SECRET Mr. SLAWSON, the Commission attorney, recalls that both the Chief of Station and the Legal Attache referred to these allegations during SLAWSON's visit to Mexico. Headquarters asks whether any documentary or other evidence exists or can be attributed to Mexican authorities. {DIR 49941, 16 September 1964. ] 18 Sevtember 1964 TSD forwards to Chief, Counter Intelligence Staff a memorandum on handwriting identification. "1. Reference forwarded (1) a poor quality reduced size photograph of a Cuban visa appli- cation in the name of Lee H. OSWALD with a hand- written notation in the lower left corner that appears to read ‘Hotel del Camercon (7)/Room 18 46-60-51(?)', (2) enlarged photograph, unknown size, of signature 'S. de DURAN', and (3) xerox copy of volume 3 of the exhibits in the 'Inves- tigation of Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, November 22, 1963', containing handwri- ting Specimens of lee Harvey OSWALD... It was re- quested that an effort be made to determine if. . Silvia DURAN ow Lee H. OSWALD wrote the notation in the lower left corner of the visa application." [Memorandum no. G-9813 for Chief, DDP/CI, dated 18 September 1964, from TSD/GARB/ODS. ] 19 September 1964 In response to Headquarters' requests (DIR 49619 and 49941), the Mexico Station forwarded the following infor- mation "from high official of Mexican Government in a posi- tion to know the facts": "a. Her full name is Silvia Tirado Bazan de DURAN; her husband;s full name is Horacio (DURAN) Navarro. "b. At the time of interrogation by Mexican authori- ties on the OSWALD case both Silvia DURAN and her husband denied they were members of the Partido Communista Mexicano, Partido Popular Socialista, or any communist or Marxist front groups. "c. Both stated that they 'believed completely in Marxist Leninist principles and tried to live as Marxists'. "d. According to Mexican official, 'No Mexican has worked for the Cuban Embassy in Mexico since 1959 who is not a completely convinced communist’. i "e. . Both Silvia and her husband were listed in Federal Police organization files as communists, members of the PCM. (This latter information.is not releasable in do- cumentary form.) SECRET
14-00000 SECRET Horacio DURAN continues to live at Avenida Constituyen- tes no. 143, apartment no. 3. Silvia has disappeared. Her husband refuses to say where she is - merely states she is out of Mexico. Her whereabouts are unknown and Mexican authorities believe she is being hidden by the Cubans. Mexican authorities report that she has not worked at the Cuban Consulate or any other job since her deten- tion on the OSWALD case. Mexican officials do not know her present morale but bebieve she is still fri- ghtened, very pro-CASTRO, pro-communist, and anti- USA, and anti-Mexican police authorities. , Horacio DURAN has kept up payments on rent and lights. He seems to live'as well as ever; however, the source of his income remains a mystery. [MEXI-0930 (IN 77619), 19 September 1964. ] 22 September 1964 The Agency forwards a memorandum to J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel of the Warren Commission, containing in- formation on Silvia Tirado Bazan de DURAN. "1. In response to the verbal yequest of Mr. SLAWSON of your staff, I forward details on the political background and recent activity of Silvia Titado Bazan de DURAN. oI “a "2. A high official of the Mexican Government, in a position to know the facts, has indicated that no Mexican has worked for the Cuban Embassy in Mexico Since 1959 who is not a completely convinced communist. Both Mrs. DURAN and her husband were listed in the Mexican security organization's files as members of the Mexican Communist Party. "3. As of the date of this letter, Mr. DURAN con- tinues to live at Avenida Constituyentes Number 3 [sic - 143], Apartment 3. Mrs. DURAN, however, is out of circulation and her whereabouts are unknown. It is reported that she has not worked at the Cuban Embassy or|at any other job since her detainment for interrogation on the OSWALD case. Mr. DURAN refuses to state where she is, except for the indication that ‘she is outside of Mexico'. It is believed by the official ited in paragraph 2 above that Mrs. DURAN is being hidden out by the Cubans." [Memorandum for Mr. J. Lee RANKIN, 22 September 1964, from Richard HELMS, Deputy ‘Director for Plnas. DDP 4-4921.] 22 September 1964 The Mexico City Station reports to Headquarters that it does net have exemplars available for a comparison with referenced visa application. “The type face matches!that of other documents from the Embassy. The weak impression of the top of the lower case letter "e" also appears in a docu-
14-00000 - 33 - SECRET ment from the Commercial Office of the Embassy and was ap- parently prepared on the same “typewriter as the visa appli- cation form. Stationery used for the letter from Havana appears to be genuine. Both documents have an authentic flavor. Station is attempting to obtain a blank visa ap- plication for comparison. [MEXI-0969 (IN 79218), 22 September 1964.] 25 September 1964 Headquarters expresses its appreciation to the Mexico City Station for its assistance. The handwritting investi- gation can now be considered completed. "All Headquarters components involved in the OSWALD affair wish to express their apprecia- tion to the Station for its effort in this and other facets of the OSWALD case." [HMMW-12931, 25 September 1964.) 30 September 1964 - : According to reliable and sensitive source Silvia DURAN informed Raul PEREYRA of the Cuban Embassy.that she had been on an excursion with some students to the Isla Mujeres and Merida. PEREYRA who recently returned from Cuba said Busebio AZCUE sent greetings to Silvia. [MEXI-1129 (IN -), 5 October 1964.] § October 1964 7 __: (date of report) According to LICOOKIE, "Elena GARRO de PAZ, Elena PAZ (the daughter) and Deba Garro de Guerrero GALVAN set around all weekend (no dates given by source) recalling details of their having been in a group with OSWALD here last fall dur- ing the days that he was in Mexico. The write-ups of the Warren Commission report in the newspaper sparked this dis- cussion, and they apparently had never really sat around de- termined to piece it all together, although all _three were | deeply affected by Kennedy! s assassination, seemed literally to, adore. the Kennedy family image, still follow Robert Kennedy! S Career With great interest and admiration."
14-00000 - 34 « SEGRET The main points covered: "Elena and Deba are first cousins of three young Mexicans named DURAN - Ruben, Horacio, and Lynn. Horacio is the husband of Silvia DURAN, the Mexi- can girl who was arrested for questioning about OSWALD because she had been in touch with him at the Cuban Embassy when he went there looking for avisa. [She is or was also a ringleader (no ad- tional details provided by source) at the Cuban- Mexican Institute, according to the source.] "While OSWALD was here last fall the DURAN cousins invited the GARRO sisters and young Elena PAZ to a "twist party' at the home of Ruben DURAN mid-week. A few communists they knew (Deba is a communist and “Elena has been in touch with communists since she was a young girl and went to Republican Spain with. Octavio PAZ.) and a number of peeple who struck them as very peculiar at the time, were there. OSWALD was there with two other beatnik looking boys, one of whom was very tall and all three of whom they remember quite well. When they began asking questions about the Americans, who were standing together all evening and did not dance at all, they were shifted to another room (the FARRO's were); however, they were intrigued be- cause their cousin said he did not know who they were, except that Silvia DURAN had brought them, and none of the other. guests made any attempt to | approach them... When the GARRO's wére’ so insistent about meeting them, the DURANS replied that the boys were leaving town very early the next morning. The next day, well along in the day, the GARRO sis- ters and Elenita PAZ saw all three boys together on Insurgentes. In other words, they had not left town. At the time they they remarked about it. — "As soon as OSWALD's picture was printed in the news- papers all three clearly remembered him, and, of course, the arrest of Silvia DURAN almost immedi- ately afterward, underlined their certainty. They were so sickened (Elena and Elenhita) that they broke off their relations with the DURANs; however, their cousins very nervously looked them up later, Deba de Guerrero GALVAN says that Lynn DURAN and one of the DURAN boys have madé trips to Texas, and that most conspicuously they have all prospered this last year. Always poor before, they now have an expensive car each.. "Horacio DURAN works on the El Dia newspaper." [Blind Memorandum, dated 5 October 1964; Subject: Mexican Communists Who Had Contact with OSWALD, as Has Not appeared in Warren Commission Write-ups in Press.] 17 November 1964 : Personnel from the Legal Attache's office_in the U.S. Embassy, Mexico City, interviewed Mrs. Elena Garro de PAZ and . her daughter, Elena PAZ Garro. [Memorandum to The Ambassador, dated 27 Decenber 1965, from Nathan L. FERRIS, Legal Attache; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD.]- - SECRET
14-00000 ~ 35 =. SECRET The FBI report on information supplied on 24 November 24 November 1964 1964 by Elena Garro de PAZ and her daughter, Elena PAZ Garro. "They are residents of Mexico City, but declined to supply their home address. Mrs. PAZ stated she is a cousin of Ruben, Lidia, and Horacio DURAN, the latter being the husband of Silvia TPirado de DURAN. She said she had not furnished previously the information set forth hereinafter hecause of fear of reprisals. "Mrs. PAZ said that on August 23, 1963, she attended a dinner at the home of a Mexican communist whom she declined to identify. Among others present at this dinner were Cuban Consul Fusebio AZCUE and his wife. She had not previously known AZCUE. In conversation with him during the course of.the evening she learned that he was supposed to return to Cuba on or about August 27, 1963. She later learned that he did not depart Mexico at that time. "According to Mrs. PAZ, she had infrequent contact with her cousins, the DURKNS;: however, on a«date she fixed as Saturday, September 28, 1963, she received a telephone call from Ruben DURAN, who invited her and her daughter to attend a party at his house during the first past of the following week.’ She was unable to fix the exact date of this party, but felt it had been held on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday ,’ September 30, October 1, and October 2, 1963, respectively, with the most likely possibility that it was held on the evening of October 1 or October 2, 1963. - "It was Mrs. PAZ' recollection that at about 9:00 a.m. on the date of the party she and her daughter were picked up and taken to the party by Lidia DURAN. Also accompanying them was Mrs. PAZ' sister, Deva Garro de Guerrero GALVAN. She described this sister as a commu- nist who was expelled from the Party for being a Catho- lic. , e a ° "At about 10:39 p.m. three young, white Americans arri- ved at the party. They were greeted by Silvia DURAN and spoke only to her. They more or less isolated themselves from the rest of the party and insofar as she observed they had no conversation with anyone else at the party. "The three Americans appeared to be between twenty-two and twenty-four years of age. One of them was dressed in a sweater and dark trousers and appeared to be about five feet nine inches in height. The second one was about six feet tall, had blond, straight hair, a long chin, and was a bit 'beatnik' in appearance although his dress included a’coat. The third American wore no coat. | - ", e e "It is to be noted that investigation has established that Lee Harvey OSWALD departed Mexico City by bus at 8:30 a.m. on October 2, 1963, and could not hdve been identical with the American allegedly observed by Mrs. PAZ at the party of this party were held on the evening of October 1 or October 2, 1963. aP 9 e * @ e {FBI Report, 11 December 1964; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD.- DBA-93645.] | SEGHET _
14-00000 30 June. -1965 _-_: (date of dissemination) The Agency forwards a dissemination to the Federal Bureau of Investigation containing information on. Silvia DURAN. | | "L. A usually reliable and senisitive source reports that on 15 June 1965 an unidentified woman speaking French called Joaquin HERNANDEZ Armas, Cuban Ambassador to Mexico, from Chicago. The woman stated she was calling on behalf of a Mr. GAN (phonetic); she asked whether Silvia DURAN was a friend of Harvey Lee OSWALD, and if . DURAN had returned to Cuba. The Ambassador, who does not understand much French, said that DURAN used to work at the Embassy, no longer does, and that she resides in Mexico, but he does not know the address. The woman again asked if DURAN was a friend of OSWALD. The Ambassador, who appeared not to understand the question fully, answered affirmatively." [Based upon MEXI-3832 (IN 92908).] " [CSCI-316/02654-65, 30 June 1965.] 10 December 1965 : (date of report) Charles W. THOMAS, Political Officer, U.S. Embassy, Mexico City, reports that in the course of a discussion about’ other matters, Sra. de PAZ mentioned that she had met Lee Harvey OSWALD. She was very reluctant to discuss the matter, but finally imparted the following information: "1. In September 1963, shortly after her return from abroad, she went to a party at the home of Ruben DURAN, who is married to her cousin. Her daughter, Elenita, accompanied her. There she met OSWALD and two other young Americans who were with him. The three young Americans remained apart from the other guests. She expressed an interest in talking to them, but was dis- couraged from doing so by some of the other guests. "2. Most of the guests at the party were communists or philocommunists. She remembers. seeing the Cuban Consul, ASQUE [sic - AZCUE]; General Clark FLORES of the Mexican Olympic. Committee; Silvia DURAN, who she later learned was OSWALD's mistress while he was here; Emilio CARBALLIDO, the writer, who she thinks is now in the United States; and a Latin American Negro man with red hair. "3. In November 1963, when the identity of Kennedy's assassin” became known, she and her daughter went to the Cuban Embassy and, once admitted through the front gate, shouted tassassin' and other insults at the staff there. va , ' "4, Shortly afterward, she and her daughter were visited by a friend, Manuel CARVILLO, who was then an official in the Secretariat of Gobernacion, and were told he had orders to escort them to a small and obscure hotel in the center of town. They were kept there for eight days under pretext that they were in dancer. SECRET
14-00000 - 37 - SECRET When she told @ARVILLO she wanted to go to the Anmeri- can Embassy and explain what she knew of OSWALD's ca- nnections here with Mexican communists and Cubans, she was told that the American Embassv was full of communist spies. She said CARVILLO tries to give the impression that he is an extreme Yightist. He now has a job with Bellas Artes. "5. Some of the other people who were at the party with OSWALD were taken to the state of. Veracruz, where they were 'protected' by Governor LOPEZ Arias. Ruben DURAN is reportedly ‘protect! by General Clark FLORES and is now driving a big car and looking very prosperous. "6. Many communists and philocommunists here believe Kennedy's assassination was the result of a communist plot engineered hy Fidel CASTRO. Ruben DURAN has sub- sequently told her that he is not really a communist and that it had been a great mistake to kill Kennedy." {Memorandum of Conversation, dated.10 December 1965; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD and Kennedy Assassination.] - 16 December 1965, Mexico City Station. reports to Headquarters information provided by Elena Garro de PAZ and reported by. Charles: W. THOMAS, Political Officer of the U.S. Embassy, Mexico City. [See preceding entry.] {[MEXI-5621 (IN ), 16 December 1965.] 25 December 1965 On 25 December 1965, Elena Garro de PAZ again discussed at considerable length her alleged encounter with OSWALD. Some further information on this subject was given subsequently on 9 January 1966. During this latter conversation, Mrs. de PAZ admitted that she had gone to the Embassy on an earlier occa~ sion with her daughter and mother-in-law and had talked with two Embassy officers (presumably from: the Legal Attache's of- fice) about this matter. She said since the Embassy officers did not give much credence to anything they said, they did not bother to give a very complete story. The following informa- tion supplements and in some instances corrects that given in the memorandum of 10 December. ~ rr oe , 12 She believes that the date of the party was about September 2 or 3, 1963. It was a few days before the visit of the Soviet astronaut, GAGARIN. She believes bt—wes—e-—Mond Use-tt—ves—en—odd—ri-eht ar ieee ;: 44
14-00000 ‘SECRET it was a Monday or Tuesday because it was an odd night tp have a party. (September 2 and 3,-in fact, do fall on Monday and Tuesday.) She cannot conviently recon- Struct the date from her calendar because it is in a desk which is now stored away with a lot of other fur- niture blocking it. , a "4. Although Sra. de PAZ had returned from an extended Stay in Europe only in June or July, she had already met Eusebio AZCUE and knows positively that he was at the Party. On another occasion (it was not clear whether before or after the party in question), she at- tended a party where she saw, among others, Eusebio AZCUE; Emilio CARBALLIDO, the pro-CASTRO writer; and a Latin American negro man with red hair. (These last two were not at the DURAN party as was mistakenly sta- ted in the December 10 memorandum.) . . . The day after the assassination, Elenita de PAZ encountered Sra. de AZCUE in Saborns. On seeing her, Sra. de AZCUE turned and hurried out of the store. AZCUE was imme- diately called back to Havana after the. assassination, . and his wife followed him shortly thereafter. (NB: According to Agency files, AZCURB left Mexico City on 18 November 1963 - four days before the assassination.) Ls "6. « e ry "7. Later that day [23 November 1963], they were visited by a friend, Manuel VALVILLO, who said that. they were in serious danger from the communists and that he would take them to a small hotel where they would be safe for a few days. .. . Among other things he said was that Sylvia DURAN had been arrested. This was not public informa+ tion at that time. [According to Elena de PAZ, CALVILLO Was known around town to be an undercover agent for the Secretariat of Gobernacion and to be a personal friend of Noe PALOMARES and Gustavo DIAZ Ordaz.] "13. At about the end of January 1964, Ruben DURAN v visited Sra. de PAZ. .. . He said it was Silvia DURAN who got him involved with OSWALD. He added that he was not really a communist and was against the assassination. "14, Ss e oe "15. Sra. de PAZ stated that it was common knowledge that . Silvia DURAN was the mistress of OSWALD. The only per- son she could remember who told her this, however, was Victor RICO Galan, the pro-CASTRO journalist. "16. She also stated that she understood that OSWALD had come to Mexico more than once," {Memorandum of Conversation, dated 25 December 1965; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD and Kennedy Assassination. ] 27 December 1965 The Legal Attache in Mexico City, Nathan L. FERRIS, reported to the Ambassador that ". . . Mrs. Elena Garro de PAZ and her daughter, Rlena PAZ Garro, were interviewed by personnel of this office on 17 and 24 November 1964, at SECRET
14-00000 - 39 =" SECRET which time they furnished information Similar to that set forth in referenced memorandum. Inquiries conducted at that time, however, failed to substantiate the allegations made by Mrs. Garro de PAZ and her daughter. "In view of the fact that Mrs. Garro de PAZ! allegations have been previously checked out without substantiation, no further action is being taken concerning her recent repeti- _tion of those allegations." - [Memorandum to Tne Ambassador, dated 27 December 1965, from Nathan L. FERRIS, Legal Attache; Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD. Copies sent to the DCM C. A. BOONSTRA, Mr. Wallace W. STUART, Counselor for Political Affairs, and Winston M. SCOTT. ] 29 December 1965 The Mexico Station reports to Headquarters that the Legal Attache in Mexico interviewed Elena Garro de PAZ and daughter Elena PAZ Garro in November 1964. and: ‘failed ‘to substantiate allegations reported in referenced cable [MEXI- 5621 (IN ), 16 December 1965]. (MEXI-5741 (IN ), 29 December 1965.] 23 February 1966 : In a memorandum to The Ambassador, the Legal Attache in Mexico City, Nathan L. FERRIS, referencing the Memorandum of Conversation dated 25 December 1965 (see entry above), stated that "Extensive investigation conducted in the United States and Mexico after the assassination of President Kennedy failed to disclose that OSWALD traveled to Mexico prior to September 26, 1963. OSWALD was residing in New Orleans, Louisiana, in early September, 1963, and no information has been obtained to indicate that he was away from that area in early September 1963. "In view of the fact that Mrs. Garro de PAZ' allegations have been previously checked out without substantiation, no further action is heing taken concerning her recent repetition of those allegations." [Memorandum to The Anbassador, dated 23 February 1966, from N. L. FERRIS; Legal Attache. ] SEGRET
14-00000 “SeoRET Charles W. THOMAS, Political Officer, U. Ss. Enbassv, Mexico City, reports further information on Lee Harvey OSWALD and the assassination of Kennedy. "Sra. PAZ des- cribed some developments which may have some bearing on her Claim that she saw Lee Harvey OSWALD at a party at the home of her cousin Ruben DURAN, when OSWALD was in Mexico prior to the Kennedy assassination." (NB: This report has no information on Silvia DURAN.) [Memorandum of Conversation, dated 13 July 1966; Subject: Further on OSWALD and Kennedy Assassination. ] 26 May 1967 During a meeting with his agent handler, LIRING/3 Stated that "he was doing his best to keep active cer- contacts he had had in the past that were on the periphery of the official Cuban circle. He mentioned’ specifically the case of Silvia and Horacio DURAN... He related that Silvia DURAN worked as a receptionist at the Consulate in | 1963-1964 and was on duty when Lee Harvey OSWALD applied for a visa. She had been recommended to the Cubans by Teresa PROENZA, the Press Attache from 1959 until 1962. LIRING/3 described Teresa PROENZA as a Cuban woman aged about 52, a Lesbian, and a member of the Communist Party of Cuba, who was currently in jail in Cuba as the result of a conviction for espionage on behalf of CIA. LIRING/3 recalled that dur- ing his last visit.to Havana, a friend of his in the Minis- try of Education, informed him of Teresa PROENZA's present _ Situation and advised LIRING/3, in the event he was asked, he deny that he had known Teresa PROENZA or had had anything to do with her. LIRING/3 continued that just the other day . Silvia DURAN had telephoned him to say hello and that he had visited her at her home to renew his acquaintance. [LIFEAT SAN-26 (10.8) reveals that at about 1245 | on 22 May 1967, LIRING/3 telephoned 15-78-11 and asked for Sra. Silvia. When (the maid) informed him she was not in, he asked for Sr. Horacio. SECRET
14-00000 - 41 - SECRET When same negative reply given, he asked that they be advised that LIRING/3 had called to Say hello. SAN-26 (11.0) reveals an incoming call from Silvia DURAN in which she asks how he obtained her number. He replies: "At the Cuban Institute". She states that she is stu- dying at some school and at the moment is free to talk to LIRING/3. The latter replies that _he would go by to visit her (Constituyentes143, apt. 3) ina few minutes. ] LIRING/3 continued that Silvia DURAN informed him that she had first met OSWALD when he applied for a visa and had gone out with him several times since she liked him from the Start. She admitted that she had sexual relations with him but insisted that she had no idea of his plans. When the news of the assassination broke she stated that she Was im- mediately taken into custody by the Mexican police and in- terrogated thoroughly and beaten until she admitted that she had had an affair with OSWALD. She added that ever since then she has cut off all contact with the Cubans, particu- larly, since her husband Horacio who was badly shaken by the whole affair, went into a rage and has forbidden her to see them. She added that she felt certain that her telephone was tapped by the Mexican police, or, more probably by CIA, since tapping was an expensive proposition and the Mexicans wouldn't be able to afford it for so long a period. ROWTON (P), LIRING/3's agent handler, counseled LIRING/3 against further contact with the DURAN's on the ground that it might put him under some sort of suspicion whether in the eyes of the Mexican police or the Cubans. He pointed out that lit- tle -r nothing was to be gained from such a contact." {[HMMA-32243, 13 June 1967.]
14-00000 LEADS INVESTIGATED BY CIA. This list does not include disseminations Or memoranda on Gilberto ALVARADO Ugarte and Silvia Tirado de ‘DURAN. ‘These two leads have been treated separately elsewhere in this study, | | Each document is listed chronologically in’ the first column with an indication of the type of document involved (OUT Teletype Message - - ‘DIRECTOR cable disseminated by” electrical means ; CSCI dissemination - through regular liaison channels, or memorandum), — Following the subject of the document there is an | appropriate excerpt from the document. . An asterisk in the column headed by “indicates that ‘the lead originated in CIA, — either in the field or headquarters. An abbreviation of a ‘component of the U.S. ‘Government in the column headed by @) indicates that the originator of the lead when not CIA and that the later responded to the originator. An entry appearing in both éolumns indicates that a U.S. representative abroad passed the lead in the field to the local CIA Station. oo The last column indicates which component (s) received copies of the OIA dissemina- tion or memorandum. The entry appearing in brackets indécates the recipient re- ceived the document at a later time.
- DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT - | . | (A) (B) - RECIPIENT(S) - 26 November 1963 DIR 85069 Subject: Travel of Pro-Communist ‘Costa Rican t FBI ongressman to Texas, on 26 November 1963. “A usually reliable source reported on 26 November 1963, that: ‘Julio SUNOL Leal, pro-communist, pro-Castro deputy to the.Costa Rican National Assem- bivy, planned to leave San Jose, Costa Rica, for Poland 24 November to at- tend the World Peace Conference in Warsaw, Poland. © SUNOL delayed his de- parture and now plans to leave San Jose 26 November. a : that. SUNOL will try | to gather data in Texas to use in pro-communist/Castro propaganda in con- | nection with the assassination of President Kennedy. mot | e e . e- , : . “Representativés of this Agency in Costa Rica suspect . . my vibe: 26 November 1963 DIR 85176 Subject: Marina Nikolaeva OSWALD; : ® . nena ee . The following information on Marina Nikolaeva OSWALD, wife of Lee Harvey OSWALD, was volunteered by Moroccan student Mohammed REGGAB:. (born on 3 January 1938 in Safi, Morocco, REGGAB is now living at Nuernbergerstr. 19, West Berlin. REGGAB was a student at the Moscow Institute of Cine- matography from September 1960 to April 1962. He came to Berlin in April 1963 as.a student and on 26 November colunteered the following: informa- tion on Mrs. OSWALD, who had been one of his girl friends in‘Mescow. He identified her on the basis of a photo and the first name, Marina, which appeared in the 25 November 1963 issue of Berliner Zeitung. :!:.. . , oe FBI, State, White House; Secret Service “REGGAB makes a favorable impression and-is available for fittHer ques- tioning." wee 26 November 1963 DIR 85177 Subject: Telecon betwéen Cuban Piesident & . TCOS and Joaquin HERNANDEZ Arm : FBI, State, White 45 House, Secret Service _'Following is account of telephone conversation between Cuba; President _ Osvaldo DORTICOS in Havana and Joaquin HERNANDEZ Armas, Cuban ‘Ambassador to Mexico in Mexico City at 0940 hours Mexico City ¥ime on 26 November 1963 as reported from sensitive source." (See Chronological ‘Summary on Silvia Tirado de DURAN. )
14-00000 - DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT - ~~ | CA) (B) , - RECIPIENT(S) - FBI 27 November 1963  CSCI-3/778,881 Subject: Lee H. OSWALD/Soviet Activities in : * exico City, 18 - 24 November 1963.4: "1. Forwarded as Attachment A is a resume of the observed activities of Valeriy Vladimirovich KOSTIKOV and ivan Gavrilovich ALFERIEV ‘as reported. by a reliable source in Mexico City. Attention was given to: IKOSTIKOV because of the indication that he is the consul who interviewed OSWALD on 28 September 1963... . ALFERTEV travelled with KOSTIKOV to nor- thern Mexico d ring the early part of September 1963. _ Sourcsé: reported that during the period under review the observed activities of .KOSTIKOV and ALFERIEV appeared to be normal, as did the activities of the entire Soviet Embassy complement. aa ep "2. Forwarded as Attachment B is a resume of telephone calls" placed to and from the Soviet Embassy on the afternoon of 22 November. | Analysis of calls made the morning of 22 November and the morning and afternoon of 23 November revealed no pertinent information." | fh var a ee one FBI, State, White House, Secret Service 27 November 1963 DIR 85182 Subject: Lee H. OSWALD. . [Warren Commission] : feo "2. On.23 November 1963, Richard Thomas GIBSON, who was acquainted with Lee Harvey OSWALD, made the following statements to a close friend in. Bern, Switzerland: . oo ee df ° , : corresponded "OSWALD is ‘one of us', Two years ago OSWALD and GIBSON: ; and OSWALD became a member of the Committee (presumably:the Fair | Play for Cuba Committee). OSWALD is crazy. GIBSON -burnéd all of his correspondence with OSWALD. GIBSON is glad that he (GIBSON) is not . in New York now and he feels sorry for 'Lee' who is in ‘Néw York and 'Tibor'. .: ee ik a aS . me gh "3. According to other information available to our represeiitative in Bern, Richard Thomas GIBSON, born 13 May 1931 in Los Angeles‘! Ghlifornia, has resided in Lausanne, Switzerland, since April 1963. He ‘isa negro journalist and has been active in the Fair Play for Cuba Committee since its organization in 1960. In Switzerland he has been involved ‘in the publication La Revolution Africaine.'" © ES AOD Arricaine H
14-00000 - DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT - (A) (B) | - RECIPIENT(S) - 26 November 1963 DIR 85246 Subject: Lee H. OSWALD. - : ial USIS _ FBI, State, White : House, Secret Service “On 25 November, Dr. Jose Guillermo AGUIRRE of Mexico told the following . , information to Peter MORAGA, United States Information Service officer in | . oe - Mexico City: Oo we , "Maria Rodriguez de LOPEZ, said a son-in-law of hers, Arnesto RODRIGUEZ, who lives in New Orleans was well acquainted with Lee OSWALD. Son-in-law is a Cuban who lives. at 212 Jefferson Parrish, New Orleans, tel: Vernon 5-9658. Arnesto RODRIGUEZ runs a Spanish langilage ‘school oe and is anti-Castro. According to Maria Rodriqguez de LOPEZ ‘her son-in- . ’ law has a taped conversation with OSWALD." oe - - 27 November 1963 Blind Memorandum Subject: Yuriy Vladimirovich KOSTIKOV. * FBI ; a "After examining all our traces on KOSTIKOV, we are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that he is a staff officer of the KGB. Contributing to this conclusion are his associates, his movements, his Méxican ahd other contacts and his cover position, as well as his involvement in the TUMBLEWEED operation. LS - "KOSTIKOV's involvement in TUMBLEWEED is! our only reason to {believe that he is connected with the 13th Department. KOSTIKOV was in élandestine contact with TUMBLEWEED (as definitely confirmed by TUMBLEWEED's. photo identification) and arranged TUMBLEWEED's contact in the U.Si with a KGB cokzleague of KOSTIMOV's." | Do. — Oe 7 hye ae 28 November 1963 DIR 85657 Subject: None given... Se ns oe USEMB FBI, State, White oe = ge re her London House "On 26 November 1963 a British journalist named John.WILSON; and also ..- known as John WILSON-HUDSON, gave information to the American Embassy. in London which indicated that an ‘American gangster-type named RUGY' visited Cuba around 1959. WILSON himself was working in Cuba at. the. . time and was jailed by Castro before he was deported. we Ss "In prison in Cuba, WILSON Says he met antAferican gangster gambler named SANTOS who could not return to the: USA because there were several indictments outstanding against him. Instead he preferred to live in
14-00000 - DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT - - (A) (B) relative luxury in a Cuban prison. While SANTOS was in prison, WILSON Says, SANTOS was visited frequently by an American gangster-type named RUBY. His story is being followed up. WILSON says he had onee testi- fied about Castro activities before the Eastland Committee of the U.S; Senate, sometime in 1959 or 1960." ‘ 28 November 1963 DIR 85665 Subject: None given. | 4 "Our Station in The Hague has reported that on 23 November 1963, a local Castroite named Maria SNETHLAGE talked to Third Secretary Ricardo SANTOS. of the Cuban Embassy in The Hague and said that She knew the 'Mr. LEE! [sic] who murdered President Kennedy. She characterized "LEE' as a man | full of hate and violence, and speculated that he had been "nisused by a group'. She said she had written to GIBSON (undoubtedly Richard GIBSON, U.S. citizen of Lausanne, Switzerland, born 13 May 1935, a Castro sympa- thizer, who had visited the Netherlands recentiy and was in contact both with the Soviet Ambassador and the Cuban Embassy). ote "Later on 23 November, Maria SNETHLAGE talked again to Third ,Sécretary SANTOS and said that 'Mr. LEE of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee’ had been slandered. It was another person, ‘named Lee OSWALD', ‘who had done it. SOR LAGE is reported to have been in Cuba in January ahd again in May 1963. “Dutch authorities have informed us that on 7 November, in talking about attacks by Cuban refugees against the Cuban mainland, SANTOS. had replied | ‘just wait and you will see what we can do. It will happen''soon'. Asked th be more precise, SANTOS had replied ‘just wait. just wait". SANTOS is reported to have a pro-Castro brother in the U.S.A. . a . "A very sensitive source reports that after his conversations with SNETH- LAGE, SANTOS was furious because she had not contacted. him.*- 28 November 1963 DIR 85676 -Subject: Travel. of Soviet Diplomatic Couriers. | FBI "i. Reference is made to your teletype of 8 November 1963 concerning the travel to Mexico of Soviet diplomatic couriers Valentin Germanovich PONOMAREV and Aleksey. Nikolayevich POPKOV. cE + RECIPIENT(S) -. FBI, State, White House, Setret Service (Warren Commission] FBI ;
14-00000 - DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT - | (Ay (B) "2. According to our representative in Mexico City, PONOMAREV: and POPKOV left Mexico City for Cuba on 12 November via Cubana 465 and returned to Mexico City on 18 November via Cubana. : OY "3. <A usually reliable and sensitive source reported that they probably left Mexico City for New York on 23 -November via Aeronaves Flt 451. The Same source reported that one 'ANANYEV' (phonetic) of the Soviet Consulate |. in New York contacted the Soviet Embassy in Mexico City on 23.November and requested information on which flight the couriers were taking. | Assistant Consul Valeriy Vladimirovich KOSTIXOV provided the information on behalf of the Soviet. Embassy in Mexico City." 29 November 1963 DIR 85691 Subject: None given, = 0) 8 Navy "1. Your attention is called to a series of anonymous telephone calls made to the Office of the U.S. Naval Attache in Canberra, Australia; by a mand claiming to have had knowtedge about a Soviet plot td assassinate the late President Kennedy. Our first record of this mattef,is a Naval Attache cable from Canberra sent on 24 November 1963. a "8. Australian authoritias working. on this case consider the called to be a crank, They state that Soviet offices ‘in Australia do not: tse anything but Soviet chauffeurs; they have no record of their using a Polish chau- ffeur. They are continuing their investigation." 29 November 1963 DIR~85715 Subject: Travel of Lee Harvey OSWALD. | ft Information gathered from various foreign sources regarding \the travel - of Lee Harvey OSWALD and his wife in 1959 and 1962. © ot ae oo woes | 29 November 1963 DIR 85770 Subject: None ‘given. Oe: oO & Army "2. On 4 November 1963, a U.S. Army Pfc Eugene B. DINKIN, serial number ~ RA 76719292, about 24 years old, went absent without leave ftom his unit, Headquarters Company, U.S. Army General Depot, Metz, France. -He was scheduled for a psychiatric examination that same day. He apparently entered Switzerland using a false Army identification card with forged travel orders, , ~ RECIPIENT(S) - FBI, State, White House, Secret Service FBI, State, White House, Secret Service FBI, State, White House, Secret Service [Warren 'Commission].
14-00000 ~ DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT - "3. On 6 and 7 November 1963 he appeared in the Press Room of United Nations Office in Geneva and told reporters he was being persecuted. He also wished to alert the world to the U. §. Government ‘propaganda cam- paign'. Army reports show that he voluntarily: returned to his unit in Metz on or about 11 November 1963, oe Lee "4. Around 26 November 1963, after President Kennedy had been’ assassina- ted, a Geneva journalist named Alex des FONTAINES, Stringer for Time-Life and correspondent for Radio Canada, was reported to be filing a story to the Paris office of Time-Life recounting Private DINKIN's visit. to Geneva _ and quoting DINKIN as having said that ‘they' were plotting against Presi- ‘dent Kennedy and that ‘something’ would happen in Texas. Deg, FONTAINES had been prompted to do this by an unidentified female reporter who had recalled such statements by DINKIN; des FONTAINES thought he recalled he had heard DINKIN say something like that also, and although he did not really believe that DINKIN had grounds for his statements when he made- them, he filed the story just to be sure. oi “3S. All aspects of this story were known, as reported above,; by U.S. Military authorities and have been reported by military attache cable through military channels." me aH 30 November 1963 ~* CSCI -3/778,894 Subject: Lee H. OSWALD. © . “fae "1. Attached is an article which appeared on page 2 of the 49 November 1963 issue of the Washington Daily News. The artécle contains’, informa- tion which implies that two persons might have been involvediiin the as- sussination of President Kennedy. .-.. 4! . ie "2. The Washington Daily News. article also states that the “{u11-page ad [placed in The Dallas Mornin News on 22 Noveriber] which presumably cost $1250.09 was place y {Bernard] WEISSMAN, that he reap for the ad, and that WEISSMAN resided in Dallas at a small apartmbnt house. The article indicates ... that he roomed with one William BURLEY, se "3. The records of this office contain information about oné! Bill BURLEY, a U.S. Air Force Tech Sergeant, stationed in Libia in 1958 who may have been involved in nafarious activities. You are referred to the Office of Special Investigations, USAF, for possible additional information. (A) (3) FBI ~ RECIPIENT(S) -
14-00000 ~ DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT - "4. Our information indicates that BURLEY had contact with {(foreign]. persons whose activities seem to have been questionable. ... . . "6. The above information is provided as a result of a preliminary check of our records. The records of this office contain no additional: informa- tion which at this time can be identified as pertaining to the persons who might be identical with the men who placed thé newspaper ad, or to persons who might have been in contact with them." =. GL : 3 December 1963 —- DIR 86496 Subject: Lee Harvey OSWALD. it "On the question of why Lee OSWALD felt that he could not get his Mexican _Visa extended without using his real name, the following may be germane: Mexican immigration records checked by the U.S. Consulate in‘ Nuevo Laredo and reported through the U.S. Embassy to both out office and: yours, showed that Lee OSWALD entered Mexico on 26 September 1963 using the name HARVEY OSWALD LEE. It may be that OSWALD feared that any attempt to: extend his visa would result in discovery that he was in the country under a false name; he might have had to show some identification to get the visa exten- 4 7 "Records of the Foreigners Records Office of the German Fedet ded, and he prohably had no documentation in the name of HARVEY OSWALD LEE." | . high 4 December 1963 DIR 86702 Subject: -Lee Harvey OSWALD. “fy ett ‘al Republic... in Cologne, Germany, show that Marina Nikolayevna PUSAKOVA OSWALD. crossed West Germany from East Germany to Holland on 3:June 1962. She. traveled . by rail, crossing into West Germany at Helmstedt on'3 June dd entering ~ Holland by rail at the Bentheim crossing point. “She had West: ‘German visa 694/62 issued at the West German Embassy in Moscow. She listéd.her final destination as U.S.A. Comment:. This confirms information fom.the'U.S.°:|° Embassy in Moscow to the effect that the OSWALD family travelled from Mes- cow to Rotterdam by rail around 3 June 1962. Helmstedt and |Bentheim are_ on the-main rail route from Russia to Rotterdam. While Lee OSWALD himself and their infant daughter are not recorded in German records!this probably because little attention is paid to U.S. citizens and to infants in keep- ing travel records." co, es, Page ss (A} (B) - RECIPIENT(S) - FBI FBI, State, White House, Secret Service {Warren Commission]