MEMO:DISCUSSION WITH MR. RICHARD DAVIS/STATE DEPT/CHEREPANOV AND MARTIN CASES
Originator: CIA
From: MURPHY. C/SR DIV.
To: DD/P
Document date: 12/19/1963
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

104-10219-10097)

2022 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

(00/P3.0199

19 December 1963

HEMORANDUM FOR:

SUBJECT:

Deputy Director for Plans

Discussion with Mr. Richard Davis,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of

State for European Affairs

I visited the Departent today for discussions

of the Cherepanov and Martin cases

with Mr. Richard Davis.

Also present was dr. John Guthrie, Chief,

SOV/EUR.

preliminary frases shou

"first showed davis and Guthrie a copy of the

the Soviet officers whose nanes

appeared in the Cherepanov papers.

They were particularly

interested in learning the true name of Counselor of the

Soviet Embassy Fonin.

Both officers were cautioned that

this was sensitive information and could not ve usod

overtly.

I also inforned Davis that the University of

Illinois Librarian Hiller had just returned fron his

trip and

that Mr. Joseph Bulik had left for Illinois to

interview him.

3.

With respect to the dinner at the home of tho

Soviet Consular Officer Begunkov attended by. Mr.

Thomas

Fain in Moscow, I informed Davis that our records indi-

cated that Begunkov lias

an intelligence officer.

Davis

said he suspected as much and that in his view the soviet's

principal interest in wining and dining Fain was to dis-

cover how we got the Cherepanov documents and why no ro

turned then.

Davis added that if he needed anything to

convince him further of the mistake in returning these

documents, the Fain-&egunkov dinner party offered final

proof.

Both Davis and

Guthrie remarked that Ambassador

Kohler would recognize the error and would insure that

the error was not repeated.

4.

Finally, on the Cherepanov matter, Dick Davis

asked if we had any objection

to his showing these papers

to Ambassador Thompson.

I said we had none and I mentioned

that you were

also

interested in the Ambassador's seeing

the papers.

I asked that when the Department is finished

with them

they be returned to

US.

5.

On the Martin case, Davis was told that Drs.

Renninger and White had a second neeting with Martin

who alleged that he had been told by Soviet authorities

.....

---

## Page 2

14-011100

.....:

in .

•2 .

that he must not tell Renninger and white his true name

Davis was concerned that the two

exchange professors might not conduct themselves with

sufficient discretion and caution in this contact.

I

assured him that both had been instructed not to seek

out Martin nor to invite his to their quarters. However,

if Martin attempted to see them on the premises of the

Institute, they were not to reject the contact.

I added

we would re-emphasize this in a letter to the

Embassy after we had had the initial reaction from NSA,

whon we have just informed of this, and also had a chance

Davis then said that he had

informed the Secretary of State of this meeting and that

further correspondence on it would be handled in ClA

channels.

Davis' last remark on this matter was an ex-

pression of mild

concern that the press might get news

of this chance meeting and cause all concerned con-

siderable embarrassment if it became public knowledge.

I said that whereas at some point therr might be a

reason for publicizing our knowledge of Martin's ac-

tivities, we certainly agreed that at present it would

be the worst possible thing to have happen.

8729

---