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Lo 4.1737|

SECHE

CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM

RELEASE IN FULLE

*$998

6 - APR 1964

MEMORANDUM. FOR:

Mr. J. Lee Rankin

General Counsel

President's Commission on the

Assassination of President Kennedy

SUBJECT

; Reply to Questions Contained in Your

Memorandum dated 12 March 1964

Attached herevith is the information which you requested

in your memorandum dated 12 March 1964 and entitled "Certain

Questions Posed by the State Department Flles.*

SAME AS

640-265

Richard Helms

Deputy Director for Fland

Attachment: As stated above

Distribution: Orig. & 2 - Addressee

1 - CI/RAG

2 - SR/CI/ Research

C/SR/CI/Research:LHW;cl

3 April 1964

SECRET

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1. OSWALD's travel from Miosk to Moscow and retuan in July

1962 would normally have required prior suthoriration. Dearer?

of a Soviet "passport for foreigners" (vid ne shiteletvo y 595% diya

innostrantos) are required to obtain travel authorization from the

Visa and Registration Department (OVIR.) (or Fassport Rogistration

Department (PRO) in amaller towns) if they dealre to leave the city

(or oblanti phere they are domiciled. This same requirement ie

believed to apply to persons, such as OSWALD, holding Sovies

"otateless pasoporto" (vid na zhiteloivo y SOSE diya lite bos grazhdanatra).

2. The practicality of even "unauthorised" fravel was demonstrated

by eventa reinted by Bruce DAVIS, a United Stares citizen who defected

from his U3 Army unit in Cermany co 19 Auguot 1960, and cubsequently was

sent to Kiev to study. After his repatriation in 1963, DAVIS told US

authorities that he had made a total of seven anauthorized tript from

Kiev daring the 1961-1909 period. One of these trips was a fight to

Moscow on 1. May 1961, only two monthe before OSWALD's fight.

DAVIS vaS

approhended on two of his seven tripa, and was returned to

Kiev each time, the secend time under decort. On both accasions he

was merely reprimanded by the deputy chiel of the inctitute at which he

was etudying. Since Marina had & Soviet citizen'a interual persport,

there would have boen no restrictions against her maling the trip

to MOScOw.

3. There are no legal reatrictions againet person*, including Soviet

cilizeno, enteriag the American Embassy in Moscow; in fact, the Soviet

government guarantees the principle of unhindered access to the Embassy,

in practice, however, the Embassy perimeter lo patrolled by urformed

trilitia (elvil police) perconnel, and the Embassy gate lo guarded

constantly by two militiamen. These "militiamen" are actually personnel

of the Committee for State Security (KGB). Anyone who to not readily

identifiablo as a foreigner and to has not bad his vinit announced in

advance, is stopped and asked for his narse, documents, and bucinese with

the Embanny, Any Soviet citizen who does not have legitimate business

with the Embassy is taken away for interrogation. Should someone force

or bluff his tay into the Embassy, he would be picked up when he departed.

/ Buch measures are

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Such mcadures are taken, according to Soviet explanation, to protect

the Imbassy from intruaion by "hooligans" and other undecirable

elaments. OuWALD might well have been stopped by the militia at

the gato, bus cince he carried a diateleos passport and was probably

identifiable as an American by name, accent and porsibly clothing.

would probably not have boer prevented from entering. Marina also

would probably not have been bindered, since he was the wife of a

foreigner und had legitimate burinena in the Embasay.

1. OSWALD said that he acted for Soviet citizenship on 16 October

1959, According to his diasy, he received word & month later tat te

could stay in the USSR pending disposition of his request, but it was

another month and a hall before he wee given his stateleos passport.

5. Then compared to five other defector cases, this procedure

seems unerceptional. Two defectors from US Army intelligence unita

in West Germany appear to have boon given citizenship immediately,

but both had prior KGB connections and led as a redult of Army security

checks. Qi the other three cases, one was accepted after nos more than

five weeks and given a staseless pansport apparently at about the same

time. The second nas immediately given permiasion to stay for a while,

and his subbequent request fer citinonship was granted three monthe later.

The third was allowed to stay after ho made his citizeaship requent, but

almost two months passed before he was told that he had been accepted.

Although the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Afiaire soon alter told the US

Embansy that he was a Soviet citizen, he did not receive his document

until five or six months after inisial application. We know of only one case

le which an American asked for Soviet citizenship but did not take up

reoldence in the USSE. In thnt Instance, the American changed his mind

and voluntarily returned to te United States less than three weeks after

he had requested Soviet clumenship.

3.. So far as we are able to determine, there is no Soviet law which

movid provent & Soviet citinen married to a fereiga national from

accompanying his or her spoude from the USSR. This situation i9 also

believed to have existed at the lime of the COWAils departure from the

Sovlet Union in 1962. in practice, however, permission for & Soviet wife

I to accompany ber

--

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Ston

to accompany her foreign natiaoal hueband abroad is rarely given.

In almost evory case available for ous review, the foreign sallers?

mas obliged to depart the UDER alone and either retura to escort

his wife out, or arrango for her exit while ho vas still abroad, In

some cases, the wite was never granted permission to leave. The

majority af cases reviewed involve forcien atudesta, exchange

teachers, and other relatively transient persons, and while a number

od cages bave certain pointe in common, they bear little similarity

to the OSUARD case; none involved a defector who marriad pribi

to repatriching.

7. The time lapse lavolved in Soviet processing of the OSWALD»

departure documentation appeare to be notmal, liarina began

assembling the documents necaesary for an exit vise in liay 1961, and

both OSWALDs actually applied on 20 Auguat 1961, accordiag to

Marina's statement and G9VALD's diary. Marlan's exit visa Nas

jasued at the time bes new paesport was issued, l1 January 1962,

althougk she had been informed by Soviet authorities about 1 January

1962 thet the via would be leuced. Lee OSWALD's exit visa vas 20t

insued until 22 May 1962, although be, too, apparently had been told

In carly January 1962 that the viea would be granted. The tire lapse

between actual application and notice of approval vas over four monthe.

By way of comparison, some Soviet wives have been held in the USSR

for years, while in two specific cases involving Suedian national

husbands, the Sovlet wires were processed out in less than four montha.

6. Issuance of a atatelens passport (which may be called a

sojourn permii or atateless person identity document - vid ia zhitelstve

alya lits bez (rashdanstra) is noi unusual. Such a document was

iesued to US Army deserter Bruce DAVIS, who defocted through East

Germany to the USER in August 1960 and was subsequently sent to Kiev

as a student before he repatriated in July 1963. Mecording to United

States Embassy Airgram A-319, dated 4 September 1962, DAVIS w3s

"officially documented by the Soviet authorities as a stateless persoo,

which is normal for a non-soviet citizen not in posseesion of a valid

national pasapori." DAVIS, si course, did aot have a passport when

he deserted and 05w ALD uad left his at the US Embassy on 31 October 1959.

/ Available exemplars of

POOR

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SECRET

Available exempiars of statelous paraporia indicate that they axe

valle for que year trom dase of lsnue.. An exeniplar from the year

1960 (the gert of lasue O1 OSWALD's docurert) shons that it had

been renewed for an additional ons-year period beyond ite original

expiration date (as OS WALD claimed for his ana docuneat). Arailable

exempiars thon that the bearer see obliged to report to tào local

OVIE, (Visa and Regatration Department) or the IRO (iassport and

Rogistration Department) office quarterly to register.

Ze have au

information to indicate whether OSWALD reported periodically for

the same purpose.

9. There is no indication in State Department corespondence

araliable to this agency that the coatont of the State Dejartoient

communication (1-127) dated 1 February 1961 was transmitted to

the Soviet Ministry of Foroign Aftairs or to any ather composeat

at the Soviet soveracint. Wi Embassy Ulspatch 585, dated 28 February

1961 and roforencing State Department Airgram As:27, forwarded the

contents of OSwALD's letter postmarked 5 February 1961 and lacluded

the following staterent: "OsWAlD's present address at siven do the

envelope and in his lettes is: Clitsa Kalinina, Huuse 4, Aparticent 24,

Minar, The beyarsmoct may vàch to transmit thie addreas to hita.

Narguerite OSWALD. It would presanahly tulill the requirement is

paragraph three of the Department's referenced AlTErAro. " (FATAg*A)

three requested the En bansy to inform the Ministry of Fotelga Milait's

of MT8, Marguerite OS%ALD's concera adsut her aun.) It would appear

from the alterbent quotad above, and from the absence of any other

referance to action by the Embarry rogarding A-127 that the casteats

of the aligram had not yet been tranemitted to Soviel autharities:

It 1e

oz understanding that State Departeant Airgramn are not eneoded, but

are forwarded in cira: text by diplozatic pouch. te caderaiend

further that deilvery time for such poucars varles from farce to ten

days, therefore Airgran: A-127 would not hare srrived at the Imbesay

betore & February, and probably would not huve artived intil several

days later, Although the airgest zuay not have arrived until after

the 9 F'abruary postmark date on OSWMD'o lettex, the possibility that

the Soviets engineered the wrttine of the letter cannot be completely

excluded, for the puremark could have onen lebricated at coviet

technical facillules in libacon an late as the day before OSUALD'a

letter vas delivered to the libarry, Co the basis of avaliable information.

however, we have so reason to believe that the concmunication vas

intercepted or that 091) All'a lotter was engineered by the Sovieto.

SECRET

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UNCLASSIFIED

INTERNAL

USE ONLY

ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET

CONFIDENTIAL

SECRET

SUBJECT: (Optional)

FROM:

EXTENSION

0/5K/41/12

TO: (Officer designation, room number, and

building)

1.

C/C//R+A

2.

3.

• DD/P

"Rankin

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

FORM

3-02

DD/P

610 USE PRONOUS

EDITIONS

SECRET

DATE

OFFICER'S

INITIALS

NO

DATE

3 Cipril 1964

COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom

to whom.

Drow a line across column after each comment.)

RECEIVED

FORWARDED

3/4

-See and appe tes

draft by c/52.

- Ansare to questen 5

revised in accordance with

CI sagestin and approved

in deaft by

T. R. Hall

BY HAND

CONFIDENTIAL

INTERNAL

USE ONLI

UNCLASSIFIED

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