Agency: HSCA
Originator: HSCA
From: CIA
Document date: 00/00/0000
Document type: NOTES

## Page 1

JFK Assassination System

Identification Form

Agency Information

Date:

2/8/2016

AGENCY: HSCA

RECORD NUMBER :

180-10142-10080

RECORD SERIES: CIA SEGREGATED COLLECTION

AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 23-05-02

Document Information

ORIGINATOR: HSCA

FROM:

CIA

TO:

TITLE:

PAGES: 9/00/0000

PAGES:

SUBJECTS:

Released under the John

F. Kennedy

Assassination Records

Collection Act of 1992

144 USC 2107 Notel.

Case#:NW 53080 Date:

06-01-2017

DOCUMENT TYPE :

CLASSIFICATION :

RESTRICTIONS:

CURRENT STATUS :

DATE OF LAST REVIEW :

OPENING CRITERIA:

COMMENTS :

MEXICO CITY STATION

DURAN, SILVIA

NOTES

Unclassified

1A; 1B

Redact

01/01/2003

Box 12

v9.1

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V..

c. Silvia Duran

Fillin

When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated

on November 22, 1963, the United States investigative

agencies--FBI, CIA, Secret Service, etc.--were asked to

investigate the assassination.

When the Central Intelli-

gence Agency Mexico City station

Remembseed

that Lee Harvey

Oswald had visited Mexico City during late September

and early October, it reviewed the electronic surveil-

lance files and found evidence of phone calls to the

Soviet Embassy made September 27th, September 28th, and

685

October Ist, that could have been made by Oswald.

Review of the electro-

ico surveillance files also produced phone calls on

September 27, 1963 between the Russian Consul and Silvia

Duran, a secretary at the Cuban Consulate, where Oswald

-WAS

beer discussed.

* 686

In addition, the Mexico City Sta-

tion found a September 28, 1963 phone call from Silvia

Duran to the Soviet Consulated where Silvia Duran stated

that there was an American citizen at the Cuban Consulate

who had previously visited the Soviet Consulate.

A final phone

call was made on öctober &

1963 where the "alleged"

oswald identified himself was also found. 88%

al me pass th

This page

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ON NOVEMBER 23; 1963

the Mexico City Station determined

that it would request the Mexican government--with whom

it had a good relationship--to arrest Silvia Duran (as

Silvia Duran was a Mexican citizen, she did not have di-

plomatic immunity) because she might shed some light on

the circumstances surrounding the assassination.

The Mexico City Station sent a note to the gober-

nacion head, Luis Echevarria, with

Silvia Duran's ad-

dress, her mother's address, her brother's address, her

license plate number, her home phone number, her place

6989

of work and a request that she be arrested immediately.

The Mexico City Station

also suggested that Duran be held incommunicado until

she could be questioned on the matter.

The Mexico City Station did not receive prior au-

thorization from CIA Headquarters to request the arrest

of Silvia Duran by Mexican authorities.

Headquarters feared that

TO ARREST MS. OURAN

a request would jeopardize

the clandestine relationship between certain Mexican go

AND

vernment officials

the ClAp if it

Pedisclosed

that Americans were behind Duran's arrest

* (Note

692

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Word Secla, chief of the mexico perch

tation

at bangie

Kaftarters, telephoned Winston Scott, the

MexicoYchief

Station, requesting that Silvia Duran

SEElSO

not be arrested.

(bire) Scott told

Whitten that he

could not rescind

the

requestyand that Headquarters should

already have received

a cable stating that Silvia Duran

+694

had been arrested.

(tires) After Winston Scott's con-

versation with

John Scalso

itten,

Scott called Luis Echevarria

and

stated that the Mexico City Station desired that all

information received from Duran be forwarded

immediately

to the Mexico City Station, and that her arrest

and state-

195#

ments not be communicated to any leftist groups.

On November 27, 1963, the Mexican government for-

warded to the Mexico City Station a copy of silvia Du-

696*

ran's ten-page signed statement.

She said, "Upon learning about the assassination

INDENT 5

SINGLE

SPACE

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Ed: make

this is me

carried

copy

›ACE

SING

Indent

Indent-s.

she

Kennedy might have been

and her husband speculated that President

assassinated for racial reasons.

When she became aware

that the assassin was Lee Harvey

Oswald, she ascertained that it was the same man who

approximately two months prior had been to the Cuban Con-

sulate to solicit an

intransit visa

to Russia. Having

taken his name from

the special documentation he presented

she knew that he was married to a Russian woman

and be-

longed to the

"Fair Play for Cuban Committee."

checked the data

in

the Consulate archvies and became

certain that it was the same individual who was blonde,

short, dressed unelegantly and whose face turned red

when angry. The Consul had denied the visa because to

obtain an intransit visa from the Cuban government, it

was imperative that he previously obtain a visa from the

Soviet Consulate.

Since obtaining a visa from the So-

viets took four months and Oswald's Mexican visa expired

soon Oswald became excited and Duran had to call the con-

sul who had an argument with him. The only aid she could

give Oswald was advising that he see the Soviet Consul,

and calling the person in charge of that office.

The

Soviet official told her that they would have to consult

Moscow which would take four months.

That afternoon,

Oswald returned to the Cuban Consulate and Silvia Duran

confirmed that he could get a Cuban visa only after he

received a Russian visa. She gave Oswald her name

and business phone number but never gave him her ad-

dress

because she had no reason to give it to him.

She knew that phoning the Soviet Consulate was not one

of her duties and that if she did so she did it only

to help Oswald. She gave Oswald her business phone

number only because he would have to call subsequently

to check whether he had obtained a visa. He never called

back

597

tid

6071

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## Page 6

stivia Duran was released

November 24, 1963,

rearrested November 27, 1963, when the Mexican go-

vernment alleged that

698

she was attempting to leave Mexico

for travel to Havana.

Eation

According to the Mexican officials who detained

Duran

second time, there was no addition to her story!

The Mexico City Station forwarded Duran's ten-page

signed statement to headquarters on November 27, 1963.

be

The

following day, Headquarters sent a clarification cable to

the Mexico City Station-seeking to insure that neither

Silvia Duran nor the cubans would have NV

GElIEVING

basis for don

Enous that the Americans were behind her rearrest.

#The cable stated, "We want the Mexican authorities to

take the responsibility in the whole affai one

196-3-037

056)

When the Central Intelligence Agency began to

work with the Warren Commission, Heaâquarters, cabled

the Mexico City Station that their plan in passing in-

formation to the Warren Commission was to eliminate men-

tion of telephone taps in order to protect their con-

702

tinuing operations.

* 682) Headquarters cabled

that the

would rely on Silvia Duran's statements and on

the Consular files which the Soviets gave the State

De-

103: #

partment. (Sier Headquarters stressed that exact,

detailed information from LITAMiL-7 and LITAMIL-9--pene-

tration agents in the Cuban Embassy--on what Silvia Dụ-

had

ran and other officials

said about Oswald's visits and

his dealings

HH. 53080

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