WHAT COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS WERE ISSUED TO THE FIELD WITH REGARD TO KENNEDY'S ASSASSINATION?
Originator: CIA
Document date: 01/01/0000
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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1704-10422-10022

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

(1) What Collection requirements were issued to the field with

regard 'to Kennedy's assassination?

As soonias the name of Lee OSWALD was mentioned in connection.

with the assassination of President Kennedy on 22 November. CIA

file checks were begun and the Mexico City Station was asked by

cable for more information on OSWALD. Within a week twenty-seven

cabled reports had been sent to the White House, the Department of

State, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

CIA field stations provided bits of information during the

week after the assassination. The Mexico City Station reviewed the

transcripts- of its telephone taps and came up with several more

conversations probably involving OSWALD, but not actually mention-

ing him by name; these transcripts connected him also to the Cuban

Consulate in Mexico City. Several Mexicans were arrested and

questioned

about his activities, giving a good picture of what he

was really up to.. A host of fabricators, some anonymous, bombarded

overseas embassies with spurious tips on the case. All of these

leads were soon discredited, but they were still coming in.

In light of OSWALD's defection to the Soviet Union where he

had remained for almost three years and his trip to Mexico City

where he had contact with members of the Cuban and Soviet Con-

sulates, the possibility that OSWALd had not aeted upon his own-

but may have been an agent in a plot under foreign direction could

not be dismissed without exhaustive exploitation of all available

foreign assets.

As the Agency responsible for the collection of foreign coun-

terintelligence information, it was the Agency's responsibility

to support the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its investigation

of the President's assassination by

a. Obtaining detailed information on every aspect of OSWALD's

activities and movements abroad;

b.. Studying this information in light of the Agency's know-

ledge of the mission and operations of foreign intelligence

services - particularly the Cuban and Soviet services, and

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C.

Making available to the FBI and other appropriate govern-

ment agencies and departments, all information obtained on

OSWALD or pertaining to his contacts with Cuban and Soviet

officials and organizations abroad.

Set out below are those actions taken by the Agency after

learning

the identity of the assassin and during the weeks immedi

ately following the President's death

Specific Action Taken by the Agency

On the same day as the assassination, 22 November 1963, the.

Deputy Director, Plans, Richard HELMS, sent a cable book message

to al1 CIA Stations abroad. HELMS stated that the "tragic death

of President Kennedy requires all of us to look sharp for any un-

usual intelligence developments. Although we have no reason to

expect anything of a particular military nature,"all hands should

be on the quick alert at least for the next few days while the new

President takes over."

[DIR 84608]

On 22 November, the Chief of WH/3, in response to an earlier

cable from Mexico City in which the latter directed Headquarters'

attention to previous traffic relating to Lee Harvey OSWALD IMEXI-

70I4. (IN 66781), 22 November 19631, asked the Station to follow and

report on Soviet Embassy aetivity and reaction "during these hours!

{DIR 84802}

On 23. November, CI Staff requested the Mexico City Station to

review all audio tapes and transcripts since 27 September to locate

material possibly pertinent to OSWALD.

[DIR 84886 in reference to

MEXI -6453 (IN 36017), 9 October 1963.]

On the same day, Chief, WH/3, asked Mexico City Station to

cable verbatim transcripts in English of all OSWALD intercepts and

other material relating to him. IDIR 84914]

On 24 November, Chief, WH/3, asked the Mexico. City Station's

opinion as to why OSWALD was in Mexico in September-October 1963.

[DIR 84920]

On 25 November, Chief, WH/3, "asked Mexico City Station to

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a synopsis for COS background briefings to assist in the evalua-

tion of any operational leads generated by the investigation.

[DIR 85817]

A second cable was sent out on the same day to Frankfurt

and The Hague asking for evidence of travel of Lee OSWALD and his

Russian-born wife during their return to the United States during

May and June 1962. [DIR 85973]

On 2 December, headquarters sent a priority cable to Ber-

lin, Bonn, Frankfurt, and The Hague asking for confirmatory infor-

mation relating to the travel of OSWALD, his wife, and oldest

child on their return from the Soviet Union (in 1962) to the

United States. [DIR 86077].

On 12 December 1963, Chief, WH/3, asked Mexico City Sta-

tion to continue to watch for Soviet and Cuban reaction to the

investigation.of the President's assassination, evidence of their

complicity, and signs that they were putting out propaganda about

the case.

Mention was made that Soviet intelligence officers in

India had letters sent to American leaders demanding a full in-

vestigation of the assassination. [DIR 88680]

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cable a summary of all the Station's information relating to Silvia

DURAN (Mexican employee of the Cuban Consulate, Mexico City).

[DIR 84926]

On the same day, Chief, WH/3, asked the Mexico City Station

for any information indicating that OSWALD may have entered Mexico

at any time other than during the period 26 September to 5 October:

[DIR 849387

On 26. November 1963, Headquarters sent a priority cable te

Brussels, (Copenhagen) (Helsinki) London, Madrid, OsIo) Ottawa,

Paris, Rome, and The Hague requesting station and (iaisbr)traces on

Lee Harvey OSWALD: [DIR 85133]

On 28 November 1963, Chief, WH/3, stressed in a cable to the

Mexico City Station that "there should be no let down in your ef-

fort t& follow all leads and investigate all faats which bear on

this case. We have by no means excluded the possibility that

other as: yet unknown persons may have been involved or even that

other powers may have played a rolo." Chief, WH/3 added the reques

"Please continue all your coverage of Soviet and Cuban installa-

tions and your liaison with Mexicans." [DIR 85655]

On 29 November, Headquarters forwarded a book cable to

Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, Oslo, and The Hague, which included

*IRN

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(2.)

What follow-up of these requirements was there during 1964?

(3)

What form did the follow-up take?

The initial response to headquarters' requirements levied

on the field, after the assassination of the President, has been

treated under Question (1) above. As this information was received

in Headquarters it was compared with existing information, if any,

synthesized, analyzed, and then made available to the White House,

the Department of State, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Copies of these dessimentations were also forwarded to the Secret

Service.

Headquarters examined all new leads sent in by the field, of-

fering guidance, and, when necessary, coordinating with the appro-

priate United States government agency - primarily the FBI. - when

" the investigation involved an'

American citizen. "Most; if not all,

leads originating in the field were persons claiming to have know-

ledge of OSWALD or his wife. Investigation revealed that the

majority of these leads were fabricators.

In light of the urgency of the investigation being conducted

by the FBI, all correspondence between Agency Headquarters and Its

field units was in cable form. If necessary, messages could be

passed by telephone

Agency field representatives in the Mexico City Station and

the Miami Base worked closely with the local FBI representative

keeping the latter continually apprised of all information pertain-

ing to the investigation as it became

available, to-the-Station.

The Mexico City Station and Miami Base were able to respond immedi-

ately to requirements levied by the local FBI representative:. The

field reported to Headquarters on all information passed in the

field to the FBI or received from the FBI representative so that

Headquarters could make a formal dissemination to the appropriate

government agency or department in Washington.

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(4) Identify and describe the records with regard to this

activity.

The material relating to Lee Harvey OSWALD (internal

Agency documents, reports to and from

other government agencies

and departments, correspondence with the Warren Commission, etc.)

is held in the Agency's official file on OSWALD. The official

file no. 201-289248 is held by the CI Staff and comprises 57.

volumes, i.e., well over 200 separate file folders

and envelopes.

In addition to the official file, there are ancillary files

covering various aspects of the investigation and later

develop-

ments - FOIA requests for information, documents (copies) cleared

for release in response to such requests, the Rockefeller

Com-

• mission, etc.

A machine index of the material held in the official file

reaches a total of 1829 doeuments or entries. There is some

duplication and ommissions. It is not possible to tell from

the machine index the subject of many of the documents, particu-

larly cables, nor is it possible to ascertain the originiof

many of the documents appearing under those entries marked

XAAZ-.

See the attached list of files and folders reviewed to

date.

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