LESNIK, George M. (A) #262 622 C SD/1
Originator: CIA
From: JOHN D. NOBLE, JR.
To: MEMO FOR HQS
Document date: 1964-03-11 00:00:00
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

# DOCID-32393154

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Date: 03/03/05

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY : CIA

RECORD NUMBER

: 104-10418-10165

RECORD SERIES : JFK

AGENCY FILE NUMBER

:

RUSS HOLMES WORK FILE

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

AGENCY ORIGINATOR : CIA

FROM

: JOHN D. NOBLE, JR.

TO : MEMO FOR HOS

TITLE

WITHHELD

DATE

03/11/1964

PAGES

: 7

SUBJECTS : OSWALD, LEE HARVEY

DOCUMENT. TYPE

; PAPER

CLASSIFICATION

: SECRET

RESTRICTIONS

1A 1B

CURRENT STATUS

: RELEASED IN PART PUBLIC - RELEASED WITH DELETIONS.

DATE

OF LAST REVIEW

: 11/27/98

COMMENTS: JFK-RH09 : F160 : 1998.11.27.16:59:23:826108

Released under the John F. Kennedy

Assassination Records Collection Act of

1992 (44 USC 2107 Note]. Case#:NW

65990 Date: 11-01-2021

[R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED

104-10418-10165

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DO BE OPENED BY ADDRESSES ONLY

District Field Office

11 March 1964

MEMORANDUM FOR:

SUBJECT

Headquarters

LESNIK, George M. (A)

7262 622 C SD/1

I. Reference is nade to Headquarters letter of assignment in

this case dated 4 March 1964.

2. During the period 20-23 lebruary 1964, vile SUBJICT vas

under the protectlve custody of Special Agents Stanley C. LACH,

George R. BRUVER and Alfred B. MCCARRAGY, SUDJECT voluntarily

furnished information concerning his background and activities,

as vell as other infornation oi operational interest, the eubstance

of which is set forth in the succeeding raragraphs.

It is to be:

noted that at no time did any of the above naned agents solicit

any of this information or make inquiries of the SUBJECT regarding

any of the matters discussed by him. SUEJECT spontaneously related

these incidents in casual conversation during leisure periods and

while enroute with the agents to and fron places of enteriainment etc.

In most cases newspapers, magazines and TV programs prompted the

SUBJECT to make coments relative to these matters. Following is

a summarization of this information:

SPORTS,

HOBBIES

(a) On 20 Februery 1964 SUBJECT disclosed that he enjoys the

following sports: football, hockey and billiards.

FOREIGN TRAVEL

viunityof the

He also revealed that he has previously been in the United

States while enrcute to Cuba, Venezuela and other Latin American

countries.

He has at one time or another during his

eervice with the

KGB visited and worked on operational projects for the Soviet Union

In practically all of the countries of Europe; however, he has never

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LEONIK, George M1. (A)

1262 622

C SD/1.

traveled to the far Fast, except while handling an egent who was

active against the Japanece. He (SUBJECT) stayed In the Kurile

Islands nich are within sight of Japan.

This was in 1949. He

said that he was active in the picking up of egents by plane and

shin in this area.

FAMILY BACKGRCUND

(c) In the latter part of the evening on this same date,

20 February 1964, the SUBJECT stated that his father was a member

of the Cormunist Central Comniütee, one of the first members of

the Connunist Farty, and that he had great respect for his father.

The SUBJECT also indicated that his father was a shipbuilder and

later became one of the first to organize and set up the fussian

Atonic Energy Plant.

It was during this latter activity that he

(the SUBJECT's faüher) and three other officials care in contact

with radiation, which affected his father's liver and a few years

later at the age of 54 his father died of cancer. The SUBJECT

went on to state that his father, being a very prominent Communist,

was given treatment for this cancer in a special hospital which is

located In the hills outside of the city of Moscor, and during his

tenure in this hospital the family resided with his father. They

had five roon living quarters beside the room in which his father

was confined. This privilege, he said, is only given to the especially

prominent VIPs of the Communist Party,

indicating that his father was

one of the top men In the Communist Party.

MIT, IYARY ACCIVITY

(a) The SUBJICT revealed that In 1949, at the age of 16, he ves

a Haval Cadet. He was called into the service before graduating from

what Is our equivalent of a high school. He hed taken part in the

Lighting in the Black Sea Area where he described hand-to-hand combat

with Cermans, clained he was wounded, and because of his bravery he

was awarded the Soviet Order Medal and the Order of Stalin.

The SUBJECT

stated this was unusual for a person of his age and gained him great

respect. At the end of the war' he had no more decire for military life

although his superiors tried to keep him in the military. Instead, he

vent, for four years to the Institute of Foreign Relations and learned

the Inglisn language. Upon graduation, a nan came to him and told him

that he had a job lined up for him.

He stated thet this actually vas

more like being ordered to take this particular job which tured out

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T.ESWIK, George M. (A)

1262 622 C SD/1

to be with the Naval Intelligence.

He claimed that there were tro

military intelligence organizations at the tlme, the Haval and the

Ground Force military type.

INE OSWALD IN RUSSIA

(e) On 23 February 1964, as SUBJECI approached the table for

the evening meal, he noted that the Time magazine Iying on the coffee

table in the living room had a picture of Marie OSHALD. As he sat

down he hit the table with his fist and sala, "I feel that I could

have stopred OSVALD", At this point Special Agent Stanley C. LACH

asked him "how?". He proceeded to state that he (SUBJECT) was head

of the KCB fourist and Visitors Section which kept control over the

activities of OSTALD while he was in the Soviet Union. He caid at

the üime, OSWALD was of no special concern or interest to the KGB

because he lacked intelligence background. Thereïore,

then he applied

tos permission to leave fussia, they (KCB) under his (SUBJECT) directior

informed OSWALD that he would have to make his application through the

appropriate channels of the Stete Department, who in lum would request

his relcase from the Russian counterparts in handling of visas.: This

he said ms all done for propaganda ind show purposes. He went on to

state that if they really vonted to release OSWALD, it could have been

done on the spur of the moment, but since OSWALD had noching and was

not worth anything, they decided that this was an opportunity to show

the American State Department that they did not mind releasing individ

uals if they applied for release through the appropriate channels.

Prior to this application for release of OSWALD, the SUBJECT stated

that since he was of no particular interest to them and there was

nothing in Moscow that they could use him for or place him into, they

decided that they would send OSWALD to luck where he would be placed

in a factory working on mdios in the hope that sone raining in the

electrical and elecironic field night result in his development into

an electronics enginees; however, he shoved no capability in this field.

The SUBJECT then siated that it was just at his period, before sending

OSwALD to linsk, that a very sirange thing happened.

OSTALD was supposed to have a meeting vith a travel agent in regard

¿o preparations for his going to Minsk at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

At 6 o'clock he suill did not report to the travel agent, so the travel

ageni decided to go to the hotel where OSWALD was staying to see if he

could locate him.

When he got to the hotel he asked the clerk if OSWALD

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LESTIK, George M. (A)

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was in his roon, the clerk nodded affirmatively, and the travel agent

proceeded to OSWALD's room. He tried the door,

but the door was lored.

He knocked, got no response, and then with the assistance of the clek

they broke

into the room and found OSMAID lying across the bed wich boch

of his wrists slashed.

The travel agent and the clerk responded imnediately

by taking OSWALD to the near-by medical facility where he was given blood

trensfusions and after a period of time regained his strengüh.

During the

investigation the following day the SUBJECI stated chai the doctor indicated

thet had OSVALD not been lound ior approximately ten more minutes, he would

have been dead.

It is here that the SUBJnCT again pounded the table and

said if the travel agent had not broken into the room, but had instead

contacted the KGB office ilke they are instructed to when they do not

get any response fron people with whom they have appointments, that he

(SUBJECT would have most likely directed the travel agent to foiget

about him, and on the following day or later that evening he would have

sent one of the KGB agents to check on OSTALD, at which time he would

Lave been found dead. This, he vent on to state, 1s what hurüs him

when he realizes that he could have been instruental in disposing of

OSWALD without any special inquiry or serious invesbigation, OSUAD

being nothing, and at the same time today the Fresident of the United

States, Presiient Kunnoy, would be alive. The SUBJECT then went. on:

to state that after OSWALD was sent to Minsk it was there that he met

Marie.

Like hinself (OSWALD), Marie was a girl fron a peasen family

wiüh no special background and somewhat illiterate. It was because

of her poor background that she was elven permission to marry OSWALD

and return to the United States as his wife.

The SUBJECT then went on to describe what tooh place on the day

that President INNIUDY was assassinated. le cald that this was actually

on Saturday in Moscoir, the 22nd of November. He was home at he time

and happened to have the radio on, when he heard that the President of

the United States had been assassinaied. Approxinntely one hour later,

the radio informed hin that the assessin vas Lee OSLALD. This announcement,

he said, really stunned hin. he grabbed his coat and dached to his office.

Immediately upon his arrival he searched for the OSWALD file. When he

lound the file he reviered it and found that OSWALD had not been ured

or even approached for use by the Russian Intclligence.

He put in a

long distance call to the Chief of the KGB Section in Minsk and inquirea.

whether they had used, trained of prepared OSWALD in any vay for intell1-

gence aculvity. The Chier informed him that according to what he could

recall, they had not made auy use of OSWALD. Just about this tinie, he

(SUBJECT) stated that his superior walked into the office and directed

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LESNIK, George M. (A)

H262 622

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the SUBjECT to get all the inforntion available on OSWALD and prepare

a sunmary to be furnished the top officials of the Communist Farty.

The SUBJECT then directed the KGB Agent in Minsk to Ilkewise prepare

a summary of his file on OSWALD and inforned hin that within iwenty

minutes & KGB agent would arrive by special military plane to pick

up the sunary for return to loscow.

He said this was accomplished,

and within one hour they vere preparing a detailed report on OSHALD's

activity In Russia. This, concluded the SUBJECT, 1s the story of

OSWALD In Russia.

C. P. ANRILIATION

(I) The SUBJECT also indicated that he did not join the Conmunist

Patroy unil he was 27 years old, and he did this out of respect to nis

rather, who at the ine was on his death bed and asked him (SUBJECT)

whether he would do him one more favor before he died.

That is how

the SUBJEcT stated he joined the Communist Party. Otherwise, he probably

rould not have been a member to this day.

DIPLONATS AND INTELLIGENCE TYPES

(g) The SUBJECT stated that the KCB are able to differentlate

botireen Americans who are assigned to Moscow and are actually the

State Department type, fron those who have an intelligence background,

by the fuct that the intelligence trpe of

people do not associate wich

the Russian girls, that is they will not go out with them alone, whereas

the State Department type. will. Also, over a period of a month

or two,

they invariably are able to find evidence that the Intelligence types

have been masturbating.

This is usually detected through close exam-

ination of the individual's towels and bad sheeus.

RUSSIAN U-1 AIRCRAFT

(h) On 25 Februnry 1904 during the evening meal, a discussion vas

had regarding the recent airplane crashes noted in the newspapers and on

TV in the United States.

The SUBJECT commented that he has a lot of

friends who are test pilots and who are now engaged in testing what he

referred to as a U-l type of aircraft that 1s faster than any other

aircraft in the world. He added that these friends are highly paid

but they have very dangerous jobs.

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LESHIK, George M. (A)

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SUBJECT'S FATHER

(1) The SUBJECT also made reference to his father ducing this

meal, describing him as a very tall and extremely vell-built individual,

and one who was extremely intelligent and a self-made, self-educated

man. He learned the shipbullding trade mostly through his own research

and study, and also from the SUBJECT's grandfather, who was one of the

first shipbuilders in fussia. The SUBJECT added that his grandfather

died at the age oi 94. He also stated that after the death of his

they all went to this ceremony in honor of his father.

He also

indicated that there vas a periodical which gave a complete run-dom

on his family background, including that of his grandfather and his

father, and it vas well publicized; and this he believes had a lot

to do with his being able to get some special preference and move

along as fast as he did in the KGB orgenization.

KGB PRESSURE ON FAMILY

(3) On 27 Febivary 190! during lunch, the SUBJICT stated that he

has been informed that the KGB is putting pressure on his immediate

family, particularly his mother. However, he said he was not overly

worried about her because she is well-off financially, and being up

In age there is not mich they can do to her.

However, what concerns

him most is the fact that they have already started to play on the

sympathies of his two children and his wife. The SUBJECT stated that

he was anticipating this; nowever, he did not think that they would.

hope he caid was given to him by the Chier of SR Division.

ITBRARY OF CONGRESS PENETRATION

(k) On 25 February 1964 during a sightseeing tour of Washington

by vehicle, as ve passed the Library of Congress, the sUBJECT pointed

to the bullding and stated that "ve have people vorking In there"

Spocial Agent Stanley C. LACH said,

"who is "re'?" and the SUBJICT

answered,

'KGB". He continued by stating that this was a good place

to place people because they could readily learn by just watching

what research was being done in the Library of Congress by the military

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LISNIK, George M. (A)

1/262 622 C SD/1

and thereby get an idea as to what the militasy was planning In the

way of armaments and things of that nature. The SUBJECT also advised

that the responsibility for getting information surrepticiously from

American

Imbassies In foreign countries who employ Indigenous personnei,

falls within the confines of the KGB.

He stated that the way they go

about this is to work though the indigenous personnel and arrange to

enter the embassy at special times during the night. They would first

make a close survey and a photograph of the area in which the embassy

keeps its classified material, then they would subsequently enter this

area and open up the safes.

When he was asked how this was done he

stated, "oh, combinations to safes are not hard to acquire". He said

that the important and difficult part of this activity is taking the

naterial out and photographing it and then placing it exactly as it

was before they touched 1t.

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