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1104-10132-100921*

2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

Si. ONAL FEM NO. 10

5010-106

LINITED STATES GOVL, &NMENT

Memorandum

TO

:

Files

BIEN

FROM

M. D. Stevens

DATE: 29 January 1964

SUBJECT:

THE LEE HARVEY OSWALD CASE #351164

I. According to a newspaper columm of "Allen and Scott" in the

Chicago American of 6 December 1963, on the OSWALD Case, Abram CHAYES,

Legal Officer of the State Department, was one of two persons im-

mediately responsible for OSWALD's being permitted to return to the

United States from the Soviet Union in June 1962.. The other individual

named was Llewellyn THOMPSON, the then Ambassador to Russia.. Another

said to have been involved in the handling of OSWALD's case wes Samuel

WISE, Counsel of the American Embassy in Moscow.

2. Abram CHAYES; #352234, who as of 16 February 1961 was described

as "the new Counsel in State",

was granted Security approval for liaison

contact with J. Foster COELINS (in the office of the Chief of the Covert

Action Staff) on 6 March 1961. The request for CHAYES' clearance was a

"Blanket" request to permit discussion with him of NSC 5412/2 matters on

a need-to-know basis.

3. In September 1961 there was a White

CHAYES ' wife Antonia (Toni) Leigh CHAYES, nee: HANDLER.

House namecheck request on

• 4. In March. 1962, CHAYES was granted a renewal of his liaison

contact clearance with C/CA on a contiming basis. This time his contact

was Archibald ROOSEVHT, JI•

5. On 10 February 1962, HUMAN EVENIS reported as follows with "

reference to 'CHAYES:

"SOFT ON COMMUNISM: Representative Francis E. Walter (R.-Pa.),

Chairman of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, has

scored the new State Department regulations on passports, claim-

ing they would allow Reds denied passports to "rifle freely the

confidential files of the FBI, the CIA and other investigative

agencies."

The man behind the new regulations, which Walter

claims violate the Internal Security Act of 1950, is reportedly

State's chief legal officer, Abrem Chayes: Chayes, a Kennedy

appointee, is an ex-Harvard professor who was Chester Bowles?

top legal adviser when Bowles was Governor of Connecticut.

Walter has introduced legislation to remedy the 'new passport

regulations."

SECRET

GROUP 1

Excladed tram autonaile

dewagradiag and

declassification

Document Number

1271-1029

for FOlA Review on

FEB 1977

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SECRET

", is

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6. Samuel WISE, "Counsel in the American Embassy in Moscow" who

is referred to above, may well be Samuel Griffin WISE Jr., #74574,

SD & SSD, who apparently was once a contract employee on APACTIVE.

The State Department reviewed WISE's file on 2 June 1954; and as of

September 1962 a Samuel G: WISE was Second Secretary of the American

Embassy in Moscow. At that time WISE advised in a cable to the State

Department that it appeared that Bruce Frederick DAVIS, #352267, who

defected from the United States Army in Germany on 18 August 1960, had

not expatriated himself. DAVIS' case is very similar to that of

OSWALD; and he, like OSWALD, lived in the Soviet Union for two years

after his defection and prior to making application for return to the

United States:/

7. WISE was an applicant for CIA employment in early 1953 and

was security approved subject to polygraph on 11 August 1953.

He did

WISE was granted a CSA to permit his use as a contract employee on

CATACTIVE in New York City. His CSA was cancelled on 24 March 1958.

during an investigation of the latter for possible CIA employment in 1952.

WISE, according to MUNSElI's landlady and social acquaintance in Washington,

D.C. during the period of about a year which ended in April 1952, was the

only person she knew by name with whom MUNSELL was friendly. According

to the informant, WISE was a student at Columbia University whose address

was 423 Furnald Hall. (MUNSHi) was Security disapproved for CIÄ employment

in June 1952 because of his close association on a professional and social

basis, while attending Denver University from 1946 to 1951, with persons

of questionable loyality. In November 1954, (MUNSFLL was of interest to

project FJALIVE with reference to assignment to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia,

however, the interested office withdrew their request on him, after

Security advised of the derogatory information regarding him.

9. WISE from 1951 to 1954 attended Scarsdale High School in Scarsdale,

New York, which was attacked by a Citizen's Group, which alleged Commnist

influence in the school system. He had several questionable associates in

addition to MUNSHIt.

M. D. Stevens

ScUntT

GROUP

Excladed trom automatic

downgrading and

declassilication

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