LEE HARVEY OSWALD IN MEXICO
Originator: CIA
Document date: 2000-01-01 00:00:00
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

# DOCID-32348121

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& :

Date: 12/15/04

AGENCY.

RECORD NUMBER

RECORD

SERIES

AGENCY

FILE

NUMBER

JEK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

CIA

: 104-10067-10413

JFK

80T01357A

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

AGENCY ORIGINATOR : CIA

FROM

TO

TITLE

DATE

PAGES

LEE HARVEY

OSWALD

IN. MEXICO

01/01/1900

17

SUBJECTS :

WITHHELD

UNIDENTIFIED MAN

USSR EMBASSY

CUBA EMBASSY

PHOTOS-LHO

DOCUMENT TYPE

: PAPER

CLASSIFICATION : UNCLASSIFIED

RESTRICTIONS

CURRENT STATUS. RELEASED IN PART PUBLIC - RELEASED WITH DELETIONS

DATE OF LAST REVIEW

: 08/04/93

COMMENTS :

08/04/93 IN PART PUBLIC - RELEASED WITH DELETIONS

JFK12: F19: 1993.08.04.08:46:33:750053: PAGES 4 AND

5 MISSING.

Released under the John F. Kennedy

Assassination Records Collection Act of

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

65924 Date: 10:25.2021

[R] - ITEM IS RESTRICTED

104-10067-10413

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LEE HARVEY OSWALD IN MEXICO

On 26 September 1963, Lee Harvey OSWALD arrived in

Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, between 1330 and 1400.

From Nuevo Laredo, he traveled to Mexico City aboard bus

no. 516 ôf the Flecha Roja Bus Line, which left Nuevo

Laredo at 1415. [Warren Commission Report, p. 733; Com-

mission Exhibit No. 2463, p. 10.] According

to the records

of the Flecha Roja Bus Line, bus no. 516 arrived at the

Flecha Roja bus terminal, Heroes Ferrocarrileros 45, Mexico

City, at 1000 on 27 September 1963. Warren Commission Re-

port, p. 733; Commission Exhibit No. 2121, p. 106.] Within

an hour of his arrival in Mexico City, OSWALD registered at

the Hotel del Comercio, Calle Bernardino Sahagun 19, located

four blocks from the bus terminal. OSWALD remained in

Mexico City until early morning of 2 October 1963.

Apparently on both 30 September and 1 October 1963,

OSWALD went to the Agencia de Viajes, Transportes Chihuahuenses,

Paeseo de la Reforma 52, to arrange travel accommodations

from Mexico City to Dallas, Texas. [Commission Exhibits No.

1166, pp. 2-3, and No. 2535, pp. 5-7.] According to the re-

cords of the Agencia de Viajes, reservation and purchase

order ño. 14618 was issued to Transportes del Norte bus line

in the name of Mr. H. O. LEE for travel from Mexico City to

Laredo, Texas. [At the bottom of this printed order the date

was indicated to be 30 September 1963 - Commission Exhibit No.

2535, pp. 5-7. The records revealed further that a Greyhound

International Exchange Order No. 43599 for presentation to

the Greyhound agent in Laredo had been issued to Mr. H. O.

LEE ,on 1 October 1963, for travel from Laredo to Dallas, Texas.

H. 0. LEE paid a total of 253.75 pesos ($20,30) in cash.

[Commission Exhibit No. 1166, pp.2-3.]

On 1 October 1963, OSWALD paid his hotel bill through

that night. [Commission Exhibit No. 2121, p. 54.] The next

morning (2 October) OSWALD took a taxi to the Transportes del

Norte bus terminal to board bus no. 332, scheduled to leave

at 0830 for Nuevo Laredo. At about 0135, on 3 October, OSWALD

crossed the International Bridge from Nuevo Laredo into Texas.

He traveled from Laredo to Dallas on Greyhound bus no. 1265

06640

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leaving Laredo at 0300 and arriving in Dallas at about 1420

the same day. [Warren Commission Report, P. 736.1

Until 1 October 1963, the Mexico City

Station knew

nothing of the presence in Mexico City of Lee Harvey OSWALD,

nor would the Station have been necessarily interested in

one of thousands of Americans visiting Mexico City. On 1

October 1963, a man, speaking broken Russian and identifying

himself as "Lee OSWALD", telephoned the Soviet Consulate.

"I was at your place last Saturday and spoke with the Consul

and they said that they'd sendda telegram to Washington so

I wanted to find out if you have anything new? But I don't

remember the name of the consul." As was the practice of

the Station, whenever it was possible to identify by name a

person telephoning the Soviet Embassy or Consulate, the

Station routinely reported the information to Headquarters.

The Station added the name of the Embassy guard with whom

OSWALD spoke and the name of the Soviet Consul OSWALD had

seen on 28 September 1963. It was also Station practice in '

such a case to screen the product of its photographic sur-

veillance of the Soviet installation to ascertain whether

there might a photograph from which

to obtain additional

identifying data.

The Station found that on 1 October one of

the surveillance cameras recorded at 1216 the entry into the

Soviet compound of an

individual wearing a white shirt and

khaki trousers. In the Station's opinion, among all the per-

sons photographed that day, the above individual appeared to

be the only non-Latin and possibly American who entered the

compound. [Comment: A recent review of the logs of the

photographs taken reveals that the individual visited the

Soviet compound on 2 October from 1216 to 1222 rather than on

the first. OSWALD, as noted above, left Mexico City at 0830

on 2 October.]

On the off-chance that there might be an association be-

tween the identification data dervied from technically

acquired information and the descriptive data derived from the

photograph, the Station reported that it had "photographs

(of a) male (who) appears (to) be (an) American entering (the)

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Soviet Embassy (at) 1216 hours, leaving (at) 1222 on 1

October [sic - 2 October]. Apparent age 35, athletic

build, circa 6 feet, receding hairline, balding top.

Wore khakis and sport shirt." Thus on 8 October 1963,

the Mexico City Station reported by cable to Headquarters

the following initial information on Lee Harvey OSWALD:

(1) On 1 October 1963, an American male who

spoke broken Russian and said his name was

Lee

OSWALD (phonetic), stated he had

been at the Soviet

Embassy on 28 September where he spoke with a Consul

whom he believed to be Valeriy Vladimirovich KOSTIKOV,

Subject asked the Soviet guard (Ivan] OBYEDKOV, who

answered, if there was anything new regarding the

telegram to Washington. OBYEDKOV upon checking said

nothing had been received yet, but the request had

been sent.

(2) The Mexico City Station said it had photo-

graphs of a male who appeared to be an American en-

tering the Soviet Embassy at 1216 hours, leaving at

1222 on 1 [sic - 2] October. Apparent age 35, athletic

build, circa 6 feet, receding hairline, balding top.

Wore khakis and sport shirt.

(3) No local dissemination made by the Station.

[MEXI-6453 (IN 36017), 9 October 1963, 00437.1

The day following receipt of the above cable, the WH

Division, which was responsible for taking action, dissemi-

nated this report to the Department of State, the FBI, and

the Navy Department by routine electrical transmission,

adding some collateral details drawn from a preliminary

file review:

(1) On 1 October 1963 a reliable sensitive source

in Mexico reported that an American male, who identified

himself as Lee OSWALD, contacted the Soviet Embassy in

Mexico City inquiring whether the Embassy had received

any news concerning a

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telegram which had been

sent to Washington.

The American was described

as approximately

35 years old, with an athletic build, about

6 feet tall, with a "receding" hairline.

(2) It is believed that OSWALD may be iden-

tical to Lee Henry [sic] OSWALD, born on 18

October

1939 in New Orleans, Louisiana, a

former U.S. Marine who defected to

the Soviet

Union in October 1959 and later made arrange-

ments through the United States Embassy in

Moscow to return to the United States with his

Russian-born wife, Marina Nikolaevna PUSAKOVA

(sic] and their child.

(3) The information in paragraph (1) is being

disseminated to your representatives in Mexico

City. Any further information received on this

subject will be furnished you. This information

is being made available to the Immigration and

Naturalization Service.

[DIR 74673, 10 October 1963]

Although the reaction of the Headquarters desk

wass"by the book" and in good time, there were a number of

errors in this advisory to the departments which, on the

record, were concerned with the OSWALD case:

a. OSWALD's middle name was given incorrectly as

"Henry" for Harvey. The reason

for this mistake is sim-

plicity itself. The sheet opening the file on OSWALD on

9 December 1960 had been erroneously inscribed "OSWALD,

Lee Henry". That sheet - unchanged except for the notation

of the error - is still the first sheet in the OSWALD file.

b. His wife's maiden name was misspelled: "PUSA-

KOVA" for PRUSAKOVA.

Neither of these errors are significant (though they

persist in the Headquarters communicationstthroughout the

month). More important was:

c .

Paragraph (2) of the Mexico Station's report,

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which dealt with a concurrent, but separate,

phenomenon, the description of an individual

observed going into and out of the Soviet

Embassy gate, had been locked on to Lee OSWALD

as an alleged descriptive fact.

The

Station's

qualification, "appeared

to be an American",

was transformed in the flatedesignation of the

unidentified individual as "The American".

There can be no question that this misreading of the

Mexico Station report was an analyst's error which escaped

detection in the coordination before release: the descrip-

tive details attributed to OSWALD were so far off the mark

as to be immediately recognizable as such by recipients in

Headquarters, among whom both the Navy and FBI had photo-

graphs of OSWALD. (In partial explanation, be it recalled

that as of that moment CIA had no photograph of OSWALD in

Headquarters or in Mexico City to refer to.)

Confirmation of this judgment is provided by the

contents of the cable composed by the same analyst and

sent as of 2209Z (two hours later) to Mexico Station,

referencing its 8 October cable:

(1) Lee OSWALD who called the Soviet Embassy on

1l0ctober probably identical Lee Henry (sic]

OSWALD born on 18 October 1939, New Orleans, Loui-

siana, former radar operator in United States

Marines who defected to the USSR in October 1959.

OSWALD is five feet ten inches, one hundred and

sixty-five pounds, light brown wavy hair, blue

eyes.

(2) On 31 October 1959 he attempted to renounce

his United States citizenship to the United

States Embassy in Moscow, indicating he had ap-

plied for Soviet citizenship. On 13 February the

U.S. Embassy in Moscow received an undated letter

from OSWALU postmarked Minsk on 5 February 1961

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in which subject indicated he desired return

of his U.S. passport as he wished to return

to the U.S.A. if "we could come to some agree-

ment concerning the dropping of any legal pro-

ceedings against me". Un 8 July (19611 on his

own initiative he appeared at the Embassy with

his wife to see about his return to States.

Subject stated that he actually had never ap-

plied for Soviet citizenship and that his ap-

plication at that time had been to remain in

USSR and for a temporary extension of his tou-

rist visa pending outoone of his request. This

application, according to OSWALD, contained no

reference to Soviet citizenship. OSWALD stated

that he had been employed since 13 January 1960

in Belorussian radio and TV factory in Minsk

where he worked as a metal worker in research

shop. USWALD was married on 30 April 1961 to

Marina Nikolaevna PUSAKUVA [sic], a dental tech-

nician born on 17 July 1941, USSR. No Head-

quarters traces. He attempted to arrange for

his wife to join him in Moscow so she could ap-

pear at Embassy for visa interview. His Ameri-

can passport was returned to him. U.S. Embassy

Moscow stated twenty months of realities of life

in Soviet Union had clearly had

a maturing effect

on USWALD.

(3)

Latest Headquarters information was

an FBI

report dated May 1962 saying the FBI had determined

OSWALD is still a U.S. citizen and

both he and his

Soviet wife have exit permits

and Department of

State had given approval for their travel with

their infant child to U.S.A.

(4) The Station should pass the information of

reference [its 8 October cable] and paragraph (1)

above to the Embassy, the FBI, the Navy, and IGNS

locally. The information given above as para-

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graphs (2) and (3) originated with the FBI.

(5) Reference and possible identification

being disseminated to Headquarters of FBI, State,

Navy, and IGNS. Please keep Headquarters advised

on any further contacts or positive identification

of OSWALD.

[DIR-74830, 10 October 1963]

Headquarters feedback to Mexico City of OSWALD'S COr-

rect description should have been sufficient, in view of

the incongruities with the details deduced from the photo-

graph of the unidentified male, to keep these two matters

apart as investigative facts. But things did not work out

that way.

On 15 October 1963, Mexico Station asked Headquarters

to "please pouch a photopraph of OSWALD", MEXI 6534 (IN

40357), 15 October 1963] Headquarters electrically sent to

the Department of the Navy the following message on 24

October 1963:

Subject: Lee Henry [sic - Harvey] OSWALD.

Reference is made to GIA OUT Teletype No.

74673, dated 10 October 1963, regarding possible

presence of subject in Mexico City. It is re-

quested that you forward to this office as soon

as possible two copies of the most recent photo-

graph you have of subjeet. We will forward them

to our representative in Mexico, who will attempt

to determine if the Lee OSWALD in Mexico City and

subject are the same individual.

[DIR-77978, 24 October 1963]

No photograph had been received by CIA by 22 November

1963.

Having received permission from Headquarters to dissemi-

nate locally in the United States diplomatic mission infor-

mation regarding OSWALD's contact with the Soviet Embassy,

the Mexico City Station wrote a memorandum for the American

Ambassador.

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1. The following information waasreceived

from a usually reliable and extremely sensitive

source: On 1 October 1963, an American male con-

tacted the Soviet Embassy and identified himself

as Lee OSWALD. This office determined that OSWALD

had been at the Soviet Embassy on 28 September 1963

and had talked with Valeriy Vladimirovich KOSTIKOV,

a member of the Consular Settion, in order to learn

if the Soviet Embassy had received a reply from

Washington concerning his request. We have no clari-

fying information with regard to this request.

2. Our Headquarters has informed us that the

OSWALD above is probably identical with Lee Henry

[sic - Harvey] OSWALD, born on 18 October 1939 in

New Orleans, Louisiana, a former radar operator in the

U. S. Marine Corps who defected to the Soviet Union in

October 1959.

3. This office will advise you if additional

information on this matter is received.

The Station forwarded the original of the above memoran-

dum to the Ambassador, the Minister, the Counselor for Political

Affairs, and the Regional Security Officer.

Carbon copies were

forwarded to the Legal Attache, Naval Attache, and the IGNS

representative.

: Within its limitations and capabilities, Mexico City

Station had done all it could to comply with Headquarters

instructions:

a. Headquarters had been alerted, and in turn

those agencies with an ivestigative or policy interest

in OSWALD as an American in the United States had been

alerted, both in Washington and in the field.

b. Mexico City Station had no further contacts

by OSWALD to report because - as it was ultimately

ascertainod - he had left exico city at 0830 on 2

October 1963.

C. OSWALD was not an Agency investigative respon-

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sibility, in any case. Even with a photograph, it

would have required very special efforts, triggered

by other interested United States agencies, to have

made a positive identification in view of OSWALD's

hotel registration under alias.

There the matter rested until the murder of President

Kennedy on 22 November 1963.

On 22 November 1963, after learning of the arrest of

Lee Harvey OSWALD in connection with the assassination of

Kennedy, the Mexico City Station cabled Headquarters at

2229Z (1729 Washington time) and referenced its earlier

messages of 8-9 and 15 October.

(1) According to VOA broadcast heard at the

Station regarding President Kennedy's assassination,

one Lee H. OSWALD, age 24, has been arrested in

Dallas possibly in connection with President Kennedy.

(2) Direct headquarters attention to references.*

(3) Request by priority pouch a photograph of

OSWALD so that the Station can check all recent

LIEMPTY coverage for indentification. Forwarding soonest

copies of only visitor to Soviet Embassy 28 October

[sic - 1 (sic - 2) October] who could be identical with

OSWALD.

[* MEXI-6453 (IN 36017)

MEXI-6534 (IN 40357)

DIR-74830]

• [MEXI-7014 (IN 66781), 22 November 1963.]

In addition to alerting.

Headquarters to

the Station's

traffic on Lee OSWALD, the Station initiated

a review

КАДРІВ/ДЕ

voice intercept as well as photographic coverage of the Soviet

And/Caban diplomatic installations.

This review of voice in-

tercept transcripts conducted by the monitor and other Station

personnel turned up other transcripts of conversations inter-

cepted on 27 and 28 September and on 1 October 1963. These

conversations were reported to Headquarters on 23 November

1963. [MEXI-7023 (IN 67108), MEXI-7025 (IN 67188), and

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MEXI-7033 (IN 67232) .]

It became evident from this review that OSWALD had also

visited the Cuban

Consulate in Mexico City and had talked

there with a clerk, a Mexican national, identified as Silvia

DURAN. After the assassination and the publicity about Lee

OSWALD, Silvia DURAN told a number of relatives and friends

that

she had talked

to OSWALD who had applied for a transit

visa

to Cuba. Silvia DURAN and her husband, Horacio DURAN-

Navarro, were

detained

and questioned by the Mexican police

from

23 to 25 November 1963. [Comment: According to the

files, the Station suggested to Mexican authorities that they

arrest Silvia DURAN, since she had spoken with OSWALD, to .

she

ascertain what information/could provide on OSWALD's reasons

for going to Mexico City. (See MEXI-7034 IN 67236), 24

November 1963.)]

After giving some of the details of her own personal

background - she was an admitted leftist sympathizer and had

formerly worked for the Mexican-Cuban Institute for Cultural

Relations - Silvia DURAN said that whan she first heard of

the death of President Kennedy she had been depressed and

thought the assassin must have been a maniac. When she

learned he was associated with the "Fair Play for Cuba Commit-

tee" she did not believe it.

When

she learned the name of the assassin was Lee OSWALD

she remembered he was the man who had come to the Consulate

about two months before to get a visa to pass through Cuba on

his way to the Soviet Union. She realized he had said he was

married to a Russian and that he had belonged to the "Fair Play

for Cuba"Kohitt** group.

She checked her file on him in the

Consular archives and from the description of OSWALD, she was

sure it was the same man. OSWALD was denied a Cuban transit

visa because he did not yet have a Soviet visa, and he was told

to get the Soviet visa first, but it was noted that this would

require about four months. She had asked the Cuban Consul,

Eusedio AZCUEr to talk to OSWALD and they had an argument.

when The Consul had phoned the Soviet Consulate and talked to

the person handling OSWALD's Soviet visa request, who had said

I+0+1

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it would take about four months to hear from Moscow about the

visa. The same afternoon, OSWALD had come back to the Cuban • ::

Consulate and she had told him the same thing. She gave OSWALD

a slip of paper with her

name and telephone number on

it in case

he ever got his Soviet visa. He did not call back, she

said.

Silvia DURAN was reinterrogated by the Mexican

authorities

from 27 to 29 November but she did not change or add materially

to her

story about OSWALD.

It is known that the Cuban Ambassador in Mexico, Joaquim

HERNANDEZ-Armas, reported on the detainment and inerrogation

of Silvia DURAN. On 26 November, the day after DURAN's first

release, Cuban President DORTICOS queried HERNANDEZ about his

report. HERNANDEZ confirmed that there had been an argument

between OSWALD and AZCUE. DORTICOS made a persistent but un-

successful effort to determine from HERNANDEZ whether the Mexican

authorities had threatened Silvia DURAN so that she would make a

statement that the Consulate "Had given money to the American".

HERNANBEZ's response was that nothing of that sort happened.

[MEXI-7068 (IN 68328), 26 November 1963; 1HMMA-22545, 29 Novem-

ber 1963.1

The totality of MexiconCity Station coverage, or reason-

ably inferable to be OSWALD, consisted of five vice inter-

cepts as follows:

a. 27 September 1963 (Friday), 1605 (Mexico City

time) •

Silvia DURAN, a Mexican national, a local employee

of the Cuban Consulate, a receptionist, speaks with an

unknown male at the Soviet Consulate. Silvia DURAN

tells the man that the American citizen was there (in

the Cuban Consulate), the one who

wants

visa for Cuba

on his way to the Soviet Union, and he wants to know with

whom he spoke there (in the Soviet Consulate) because

she (Silvia DURAN) had sent him to the Soviet Consulate

saying that if they accepted him and gave him a visa, then

the Cubans would also give him a visa without further

paper work, only advising (Cuban) Immigration in Havana.

The American, she says, wants to know with whome he talked

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there because he says he was told there would be no

problem.

The

man in the Soviet Consulate

says to

wait a moment. A different Soviet speaks, and Silvia

DURAN explains the same thing to him.

This man says

to leave a name and telephone number and says he will

call back.

Silvia DURAN

gives the telephone number

of the Cuban Consulate - 11-28-47. ...

b. 27 September 1963 (Friday), 1626 (Mexico City

time).

An unidentified male, a Soviet, calls the Cuban

Consulate, asks Silvia DURAN if the American had been'

there. Silvia DURAN says he is there now. The Soviet

says the American showed papers from the Consulate in

Washington, that he wants to go to the Soviet Union

and be there for a long time with his wife, who is Rus-

sian, but the answer has not come from Washington in

respect to this problem, and according to this procedure

it takes four to five months, but without permission from

the Soviet Union they should ask, or better said, they

cannot issue a visa there without a letter indicating

he was a member of an organization in favor of Cuba and

that the Cubans said that they cannot issue a visa with-

out his having a visa for the Soviet Union, and now he

(the Soviet) does not know what to do with him (the

American), because they have to wait for an answer from

Washington.

Silvia DURAN agrees the same problem exists with

the Cubans, that the problem with him (the American)

is that he does not know anyone in Cuba and, thereforem

if that is true it will be difficult for him

to get a

visa for Cuba, because he was thinking of processing

his

visa

(for the Soviet Union), because he knew it would

require waiting a long time for his visa to the Soviet

Union while in Cuba, and from there to go to the Soviet

Union. The Soviet said the thing is that if his wife

right now were in Washington she would receive her visa

right away, or permission, from the Soviet Union, to

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return to her country, she is going to receive her visa

in Washington but having this visa, she could communi-

cate to any place this permission, for example here or

any place she could

receive ft (visa or permission),

but right now they do not have them.

Silvia DURAN says certainly and they cannot give a

letter either because they do not know if the visa will

be approved. The Soviet says he cannot give a letter

or recommendation either because he does not know him

(the American) and

asks to be excused for bothering her.

Silvia DURAN answers that it is all right and many

thanks.

c. 28 September 1963 (Saturday), 1151 (Mexico

City time).

Silvia DURAN calls the USSR Embassy and talks to

an unidentified Soviet. She says that in the Cuban

Embassy [sis - Consulate] there is a North American

who was at the Soviet Embassy [sic - Consulatel. The

Soviet says wait a minute. Silvia DURAN speaks English

with someone... she then says the American citizen is

going to talk with you (the Soviet). The American first

speaks Russian and the Soviet speaks English. They con-

tinue to speak in English. The American

speaks broken

Russian and says "I was in your Embassy and spoke to your

Consul". Just a minute, the Soviet says. A Soviet takes

the telephone and

asks the American

in English what he

wants. The American says "Please speak Russian". The

Soviet

asks what else do you want? The American says "I

was just now at your Embassy and they took my address."

The Soviet answers "I know that". The American, in

hardly recognizable Russian, says"I did not know it then".

I went to the Cuban Embassy to ask them for my address,

because they have it." The Soviet asks "Why don't you

come again and leave your address with us, it is not far

from the Cuban Embassy." The American replies "I'1l be

there, right away."

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d. 1 October 1963 (Tuesday), 1031 (Mexico City

time))

An unknown (American) male calls the Soviet

Military Attache's telephone number (15-69-87) and

says to the person

answering

"I was at your place

last Saturday and

spoke to your Consul. They said

they would send a telegram to Washington, and I wanted

to ask if there is anything new." The Soviet says

"I would like to ask you to call another telephone

number, please write it down, 15-60-55, and ask for

a Consul. Thank you."

e. 1 October 1963 (Tuesday), 1045 (Mexico City

time).

The same person who telephoned a day or so ago and

spoke in broken Russian speaks to OBYEDKOV (a Soviet

Embassy guard). He says "This is Lee OSWALD speaking.

I was at your place last Saturday and spoke to a consul,

and they said that they would send a telegram to Washing-

ton; so, I wanted to find out if you have anything new?

But I don't remember the name of that consul." OBYEDKOV

answers "KOSTIKOV. He is dark?" OSWALD replies "Yes"'.

My name is OSWALD." OBYEDKOV answers "Just a minute,

I'11 find out - they say they have not received anything

yet." OSWALD asks "Have they done anything?" OBYEDKOV

answers "Yes they say a request was sent out, but nothing

has been

received as yet." OSWALD akks "And what...?"

OBYEDKOV hangs up.

Muon has been made of the trek of phetegrapho of astAta

entoring. the Cuban-and Sovietdiplomatic.inatartationgin

Menico Cinta.

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Lee Harvey OSWALD's Contacts with the Cuban and Soviet Consu-

lates in Mexico City - 27 September to 2 October 1963.

From all credible evidence known to this time (none,

incidentally, added since the exhaustively unique work of

the FBI and the Warren Commission), Lee Harvey OSWALD spent

four full days and two partial days - about 116 hours in all

- in Mexico City from about 1000 on 27 September 1963 to

about 0830 on 2 October 1963. His place of residence was a

small hotel - Hotel del Comercio - where he registered under

alias - Lee, Harvey Oswald. Exhaustive and detailed inter-

views and interrogation by the Mexican authooties and the

FBI, after the assassination, established that in the recol-

lection of all hotel personnel OSWALD left early and returned

late each day of his stay.

Assuming, and allowing for the fatt of late arrival and

early departure; that he slept, perhaps, one-third of the

time of his stay (38 or 39 hours), there remain some 78

hours of activity to be accounted for. Overall, CIA's in-

formation can account for only brief periods during 27, a8

September and 1 October. All coverage by CIA during the

entire period was technical. The Station had no live source

=ñ..=

(living

agent) coverage either unilateral of from Mexican

liaison.

At no time during his stay in Mexico City did the CIA

acquire a photograph of OSWALD. A careful review of all

coverage, voice intercept, as well as photographic, of both

Cuban and Soveet diplomatic installations was conducted by

the Station on 22 and 23 November 1963 after the assassination,

going back to materials from August 1963. It is, therefore,

firm that there was no CIA photographic coverage of OSWALD at

any time during his Mexico trip or stay in Mexico City.

Although the Agency has not officially recognized or

• public stated that its Station in Mexico City had set up

photographic surveillance operations directed against the

Cuban and Soviet Embassies, it is a generally known fact

that such operations did exist. Much ado has been made over

the lack of any photograph of OSWALD visiting either the

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Cuban or Soviet Consulates. Sinister motives are given

as the reason why the Agency has failed to turn up a photo-

graph of OSWALD.

It can be stated, or, by free interpretation, reasonably

inferred from the telephone intercept evidence, that OSWALD

made or could have made at least five contacts with the Cuban

and Soviet official establishments.

27 September 1963 (Friday):

After his arrival and check-in to the Hotél del

Comercio. JOSWALD went first to the Cuban Consulate

where he spoke with Silvia DURAN. Twenty-four photo-

graphs were taken by LIONION. The first photograph

was taken at 0930; the last at 1330. OSWALD does

not appear in any of the photographs. Therefore,

he made his first visit after the camera shut down,

that is, after 1400 when the Consulate closed for

lunch. OSWALD made his second visit to the Cuban

Consulate before 1605 (see telephone intercept for

2.7 September above). Sometime between the two Cuban

Consulate visits OSWALD went to the Soviet Consulate.

[According to OSWALD's telephone call on 1 October,

he may have talked with Valeriy Vladimirovich KOSTIMOV,

a consular officer and a member of the KGB. It is

also possible, according to a memorandum dated 2 July

1964, that OSWALD may have spoken with Soviet Consul

Pavel Antonovich YATSKOV. YATSKOV allegedly remarked

that "I met OSWALD here. He stormed into my office and

wanted

me

to introduce

and recommend him

to the Cubans.

He told me that he had lived in the USSR.

I told him

that I would have to check before I could

recommend

him. He was

nervous and his hands trembled, and he

stormed out of my office. I don't believe that a per-

son as nervous as OSWALD, whose hands trembled could

have accurately fired a rifle."

Memorandum for J. Lee RANKIN, General Counsel, Presi-

dent's Commission on the Assassination of President

Kennedy; dated 2 July 1964; subject: Le Harvey OSWALD.]

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The LIMITED camera took sixteen photograps

of visitors to the Soviet compound, beginning

at

1018 and ending

at 1146. At no time does OSWALD

appear in

these

photographs. [LILYRIC logs and

photographs - the second camera targetted against

the Soviet compound entrance - no longer exist

for this period, having been destroyed sometime

ago.]

It would then appear that OSWALD entered

the Soviet compound after the camera was shut down.

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