## Page 1

14-00000

104-10133-10437,

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

OPTIONAL FORM NO. 10

5010-101

UNITED STATES GOVE iNMENT

Memorandum

:

Files

FROM : M. D. Stevens

SUBJECT: THE LEE HARVEY OSWALD CASE

#351164

INTEREST

DATE: 29 January 1964

STATE INFO

p. 7

I. According to a newspaper column 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

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 was Samuel

WISE, Counsel of the American Embassy in Moscow.

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

"the new Counsel in State"

, was granted Security approval for liaison

contact with J. Foster COLLINS (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 House namecheck request on

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

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

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

was Archibald ROOSEVELT, Jr.

5. On 10 February 1962, HUMAN EVINIS 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, Abram 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

62302 1

Excluded fram automatle

delingrading and

cre basilication

Document Number

1271-1027

for FOlA Review on

FEB 1977

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## Page 2

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SECRET

-2-

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 AFACTIVE.

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

September 1962 a Sanuel G. WISE was Second Secretary of the American

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

i üte... so ise.

,p.:

defected from the United States Army in Germany on 18 August 19603had

not expatriated himself.

DAVIS' case is very similar to that of

OSWAID; 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 1l August 1953. He did

not enter on duty and in September 1953 the office which had been

interested in him was "no longer interested". On 13 November 1953,

WISE was granted a CSA to permit his use as

a contract employee on

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

8. WISE was named as a friend of William Orville MUNSELL, #61693-DI,

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 MUNSFLL was friendly. According

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

was 423 Furnald Hall. MUNSElL, was Security disapproved for CIA 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, MUNSHLL 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 Communist

influence in the school system.

He had several questionable associates in

addition to MUNSELL.

M. D. Stevens.

GROUP

Excited ron anato!

cannerating and

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## Page 3

SECRET,

I OPTIONAL FORM NO. 10

5010-101

UNITED STATES GOVLENMENT

Memorandum

"TO"

Files

FROM

M. D.

Stevens

SUBJECT:

THE LEE HARVEY OSWALD CASE

#351164

DATE: 29 January 1964

I. According to a newspaper column 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 was 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 COLLINS (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 House nanecheck request on

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

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

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

was Archibala ROOSEVHIT, Jr.

5. On 10 February 1962, HUMAN EVENTS 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, Abram 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

CRODr 1

Excluded from automalle

daungrading and

declassification

Document Number

1271-1029

for FOlA Review on

FEB 1977

---

## Page 4

SECRET

-2-

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 AEACTIVE.

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

/DAVIS' case is very similar to that of

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

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

7.

WISE was an applicant for CIA employment in early 1953 and

was security approved subject to polygraph on 11 August 1953. He did

not enter on duty and in September 1953 the office which had been

interested in him was "no longer interested":

• On 13 November 1953,

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

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

8. WISE was named as a friend of William Orville MUNSELL, #61693-DL,

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

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

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

was 423 Furnald Hall. MUNSELL, was Security disapproved for CIA 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, MUNSELI 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 Communist

influence in the school system.

He had several questionable associates in

addition to MUNSELI..

M. D. Stevens

ScUNtI

GROJP t

Excluded from automatic

downgradiag and

---