MEMO: DISCUSSION WITH STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS ON THE NOSENKO CASE.
Originator: CIA
From: CHIEF, SR DIVISION
To: THE RECORD
Document date: 04/01/1964
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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2023 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

1 April 1901.

MEMORANDUM BOR RECORD

SUBJICT:

Discussion with State Department

Orficials on the Mosento Case

1.

Mr. Helns and ilr. Murphy not with Ambassador

Thompson, Ms. Thomas Hughes, Mr. Kichard Davis and

Me, don Cuthrie at the Departmont to coney to-them

ut conclusions just arrived at chai Nosenio is not

a gonuine defector but more probably in agent planted

oil us by. the KoB.

Mr, Helms described the basis for

• our bolict and

the ncans of arriving it it. Mr. Helms

noted that we had discussed the Mosonko case with tho

Karen Commission occuuse they had received a report

tron the for based on the ful's interrogation of Nosenko

peridined to the Oswild case.

report made a

strong case for the position that the Soviet Government

had nothing whatsoever to do with Oswald's assassination

of President Kennedy.

The Connission was anxious to know

roaction and ve informed then we were not sure of tho

man's bond fides and therefore could not underurite the

statelents he had made.

Ambassador Thompson remarked that he had just

Isaac Don lovine and that the latter intended

• to write a book

on the Oswald case in which he honed to

the point that Oswald was nentally unbalanced

was trying to break up the lemody-khrushchev. relation-

ship.

3. We ulso relnied the Krockov case in the United

Kingdon to the Nosenko case, explaining the way in which

the soviets could hope, through accusations that forner

Ambassador to Moscow Maurice Do.Jean was an agent, to

"cover" ihe nunerous leaks of sensitive information

suffered by the French Covernment and reported to us by

the defector Golitsyn.

We then described for Stato Department officials

the manner in which Cribanov operatcs against the diplo-

natic colony.

Mr. Helms went on

to say that ve had arrived

at i point

with Nosenko where

we believed we had to usc

more chernctic measurcs to arrive

the truth and determinc

his mission.

we tried this we would probably wish

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to turn him back to the Soviets.

At the point it was

decided

co return subject to Soviet control, he would

ve served bith an

immigracion warrant for deportation

15 an undesirable idden.

deterwards, he sould be flown

o Europe and allowed to suturn to Soviet custody. : Ho

wuuld

provably wish to accomplish this in Berlin whero

sevoral such turn-backs have buch made in the past

and this has been accopted by the soviets. Mbassador

Thonyson isled.why we

could not indict the man and try

him for espionage.

We explained that it nould bo dif-

ficule to prove

this even if ho vere to give us a full

confoscion since the only evidence would be his own word.

Furthermore, ve would be reluctant to lecome involved in

the evitable publicity thai a trial of this nature rould

cause.

No arc incious to lourn the truth but are not

interested in a trial or punishment for Nosenko.

Ambassador Thompson then said that the only aspect

of our planing wich gave him pause was the idea of re

turning the man to Soviot custody.

He felt that we would

inevitably encounter criticism from the press if they

speculated the turn-back

was in exchange for the releaso

of the three flyers.

This the Government would very nuch

wish io avoid.

Mr. Murphy showed Anbassador Thompson tho

drate press statcment we had proparod by which we hoped

co malo clear that this was not an exchange of any type

but related solely to the fraudulent character of the

Nosenlio defection.

This accompanied ly additional news-

paper publicity would serve to make. clear the real reasons

for Nosenko's return.

In a bric aside with Mr. Davis, the discussion

of the letters cane up and we had

in inconclusive dis-

cussion of them.

No ireed that the lotter which was to

bo read. by the wife on the limbassy premises should not be

sent to the Embassy nor should the

Embassy become

discussed the possibility of sending

other lotter through regular mail channels to the vife's

le did not discuss

what the Embassy was to say

if the wife called again and I foel I must go back to Mr.

Davis on this question.

Mr. lughes then asked if we were sure we had

reccived ill we could under the present circunstances.

He was assured ve had and this was explained in some

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detiit.

He described the ct information received fron

subjoce, noting how some of it vas nined quite clearly

it covoring togle provided by collisyn. at this point,

Jo. Holms doscribed

for tho Stuis Department officials

the hisiory of our attempes. to porsuade

the french to

tilie vigorous action on those loads and their failuro

to do so indichtin there arc

still active penctrations

in the french intelligence services and elsewhere in tho

goverunent.

The necting ended with Anbassador Thompson suy-

gesting he

would like to brief the sceretary on

problem and also discuss it with the State Department

legal advisor, Abran Chayes, and then he would be back

in touch with

He islied

the other bepartment officors

prescnt not to discuss this case with other persons.

David to Murphy

Chief, Sk Vivision

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