LESNIK, George M. (A) #262 622 C SD/1
Originator: CIA
From: NOBLE, JOHN D.
To: HEADQUARTERS
Document date: 1964-03-11 00:00:00
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

# DOCID-32373221

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Date: 02/18/98

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JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM

IDENTIFICATION

FORM

AGENCY INFORMATION

AGENCY :

RECORD NUMBER

RECORD SERIES

AGENCY FILE NUMBER

CIA

104-10300-10201

JFK

80T01357A

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR

FROM

TO

TITLE

DATE

PAGES

SUBJECTS :

DOCUMENT TYPE

CLASSIFICATION

RESTRICTIONS

CURRENT STATUS

DATE OF LAST REVIEW

OPENING CRITERIA

COMMENTS

CIA

NOBEL, JOHN D.

HEADQUARTERS

WITHHELD

03/11/64

14

OSWALD, L.

PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

SECRET

1A, 1B

RELEASED WITH DELETIONS

01/27/98

OSW-SF: F6 1998.01.27.10:47:02:763092: THIS IS ORIGINAL OF

THE

"PREVIOUSLY SANITIZED DOCUMENT" PROCESSED UNDER 104-10300-10199.

ARE 2 COPIES OF THE SAME 7 PAGE REPORT.

THERE

Released under the John F. Kennedy

Ascassination Records Collection Act of

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

65990 Date: 11-01-2021

[R] - ITEM

IS

RESTRICTED

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TO BE OPENED BY ADDRESSEE ONL

District Fleld Office

11 March 1964

MENORANDUM FOR: Headquarters

SUBJECT

LESNIK,

George M. (A)

#262 622

C SD/1

l. Reference is made to Headquarters letter of assignment in

this case dated 4 March 1964.

2. During the period 20-28 February 1964, while SUBJBCT was

under the protecolve custody of Special Agents Stanley C. LACH,

George R. BRUWER and Alfred B. MCCARRAGHY, SUEJECT voluntarily

furnished information concerning his background and activities,

as well as other information of operational interest, the substance

of which is set forth in the succeeding paragraphs.

It is to be

noted that at no time did any of the above-named agents solicit

any of this information or make inquiries of the SUBJECT regarding

any of the matters discussed by him.

SUBJECT spontaneously related

these incidenis in casual conversation during leisure periods and

while enroute with the agents to and from places of entertainment etc.

In most cases newspapers, magazines and TV programs prompted the

SUBJECI to make conments relative to these matters. Following is

a summarization of this information:

SPORIS, HOSBIES

(a) On 20 February 1964 SUBJECT disclosed that he enjoys the

following sports: football, hockey and billiards.

FOREIGN TRAVEL

vunityof the

(b) ile also revealed that he has previously been in the United

States while enroute to Cuba, Venezuela and other Latin American

countries.

He has at one time or another during his service with the

KGB visited and worked on operational projects for the Soviet Union

I practically all of the countries of Europe; however, he has never

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LESNIK, George M. (A)

1/262 622 C SD/1.

traveled to the far Bast, except while handling an agent who was

active against the Japanese. He (SUBJECT) stayed in the Kurtle

Islands which are within sight of Japan. This was in 1949. He

said that he was active in the picking up of agente by plane and

ship in this area.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

(c) In the latter part of the evening on this same date,

20 February 1964, the SUBJECT stated that his father was a member

of the Cormunist Central. Committee, one of the first members of

the Conmunist Farty, and that he had great respect for his father.

The SUBJECT also indicated that his father was a shipbuilder end

later became one of the first to organize and set up the Russian

Atonic Energy Plant.

It was during this latter activity that he

(the SUBJECT's father) and three other officials came in contact

with radiation, which affected his father's liver and a few years

later at the age of 54 his father died of cancer. The SUBJECT

went on to state that his father, being a very prominent Communist,

was given treatment for this cancer in a special hospital which 1s

located In the hills outside of the city of Moscow, and during his

tenure in this hospital the family resided with his father. They

had five room living quarters beside the room in which his father

was confined.

This privilege, he said, Is only given to the espocially

prominent VIPs of the Communist Party,

indicating that his father was

one of the top men In the Communist Party.

MILITARX ACRIVITY

(d) The SUBJECT revealed that in 1949, at the age of 16, he vas

a Naval Cadet.

He tas called into the service before graduating from

what 1s our equivalent of a high school. He had taken part in the

fighting in the Black Sea Area where he described hand-to-hand combat

with Gernang, claimed he was wounded,

and because of his bravery he

was avarded the Soviet Order Medal and the Order of Stalin.

The SUBJECT

stated this was unusual for a person of his age and gained him great

respect.

At the end of the war he had no more desire for military life

although his superiors tried to keep him in the milltary. Instead, he

went for four years to the Institute of Foreign Relations and learned

the English language. Upon graduation, a man came to him and told him

that he had a job lined up for him.

He stated that this actually vas

more like being ordered to take this particular job which turned out

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LESILK, George M. (A)

#/262 622 C SD/1

to be with the laval Intelligence. He claimed that there were two

nilitary intelligence organizations at the time, the laval and the

Ground Force military type.

LEG OSWALD IN RUSSIA

(e) On 23 Februazy 1964, as SUBJECT approached the table for

the evening meal, he noted that the time magazine lying on the coffee

cable in the living room had a picture of Varie OSWALD. As he sat

"I feel that I could

dove bee he tile with his point poeted, Agent st that I ca

asked him "how?". He proceeded to state that he (SUBJECT) was head

of the KCB Tourist and Visitors Section which kept control over the

activities of OSTALD while he was in the Soviet Union. He said at

the time, OSAUD was of no special concern or interest to the KGB

because he lacked incelligence background. Therefore, when he applied

for permission to leave Fussia, they (KGB) under his (SUBJECT) direction

informed OSWAID that he would have to make his application through the

appropriate channels of the State Department, who In fun would request

his velcase from the Russian counterparts in handling of visas. This

ho said was all done for propaganda and show purposes. He went on to

staïe that if they really wanted to release OSWALD, It could have been

done on the spur of the moment, but since OSHALD had nothing and was

not worch anything, they decided that this was an opportunity to show

the American State Department that they did not mind releasing individ-

uals if they applied for release through the appropriate channels.

Prior to this application for release of OSWALD, the SUßJECI stated

chat since he was ot no particular interest to them and there was

nothing in Moscow that they could use him for or place him into, they

decided that they would send OSWALD to Minsk where he would be placed

in a factory working on radios in the hope that some training in the

electrical and electronic field might result in his development into

an electronies engincer; hovever, he showed no capability in this field.

The SUBJECT then siated that it was just at this period, before sending

OSWALD to linck, that a very strange thing happened.

OSWALD was supposed to have a meeting with a travel agent in regard

to preparations for his going to Minsk at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

At 6 o'clock he still did not repori to the travel agent, so the travel

agent decided to go to the hotel where OSWALD was staying to see if he

When he got to the hotel he asked the clerk it OSWALD

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LESNIK, George M. (1)

1262 622

SD/1

was in his room, the clerk nodded affirmatively, and the travel agent

proceeded to OSWALD's room. He tried the door,

but the door was locred.

He knocked, got no response, and then with the assistance of the elek

they broke into the room and found OSWALD lying across the bed with both

The travel agent and the clerk responded innediately

ta the done toon in monato

by taking OSWALD to the near-by medical facility where he was given blood

transfusions and after a period of time regained his strength.

Duzing the

Investigation the following day the SUBJECI stated that the doctor indicated

that had OSWALD not been

• Lound for approximately ten more minutes, he vould

have been dead. It is here that the SUBJECT again pounded the table and

contacted the KGB office like they are instructed to when they do not

get any response from people wich whom they have appoincents, that he

(SUBJECT) would have most likely directed the cravel agent to tonger

about him, and on the following day or later that evening he would have

sent one of the KGB agenüs to check on OSWALD, at which time he vould

have been found dead.

This, he vent on to state, is what hurts him

when he realizes that he could have been instrumental in disposing of

OSWALD without any special inquiry or serous investigation, OSWATD

being nothing, and at the same time today the Fresident of the United

States, President KuNDY, would be alive.

The SUBJECT then went on

to state that after OSWALD was sent to Minsk it was there that he not

Marie. Like himself (OSWALD), Marie vas a girl from a peasant fantly

with no special background and somewhat 11llterate. It was because

of her poor background that she was given permission to marry OSWALD

and return to the United States as his wife.

The SUBJECT then went on to describe what took place on the day

that President KINNEDY was assassinated. He said that this was actually

on Saturday In Moscow, the 22nd of Novenber.

He was home at the time

and happened to have the radio on, when he heard that the President of

the United States had been assassinated. Approximately one hour later,

the radio Informed him that the assassin vas Lee OSWALD. This announcement,

he said, really stunned hiri. He grabbed his coat and dashed to his office.

Immediately upon his arrival he searched for the OSTAID file.

When he

Lound the file he reviered it and found that OSWALD had not been ured

or even approached for use by the Russian Intelligence.

He put in a

long distance call to the Chief of the KGB Section in Minsk and Inquired

whether they had used, trained or prepared OSWALD in any way for intelli-

gence activity. The Chief informed him that according to what he could

recall, they had not made any use of osvAlde dust abouc this time, be

(SUBJECT) stated that his superior walked into the office and directed

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LESWIK, George M. (A)

1262 622 C SD/1

the SUBJECT to get all the information available on OSWALD and prepare

a sunmary to be furnished the top officials of the Communist Farty.

The SUBJECT then directed the KGB Agent in Minsk to likewise prepare

a sunmary of his file on OSWALD and inforned him that within twenty

minutes a KGB agent vould arrive by special military plane to pick

up the summary for retum to Moscow.

He said this was accomplished,

and within one hour they were preparing a detailed report on OSHAND's

activity in Russia. This, concluded the SUBJECT, Is the story of

OSWALD In Russia:

C. P. AFTILIALION

(r)

The SUBJECI also indicated that he did not Join the Conmunist

Party unilt he vas 2l years old, and he did this out of respect to his

father, who at the time was on his death bed and asked him (SUBJECT)

whether he would do him one more favor before he died. That is how

the SUBJECT stated he joined the Communist Party. Otherrise, he probably

would not have been a member to this day.

DIPLOMATS AND INTELLIGITICE TYPES

(g) . The SUBJECT stated that the KGB are able to differentiate

botween Anericans who are assigned to Moscow and are actually the

State Deparinent type, from those who have an intelligence background,

by the fact that the intelligence type of people do not ascociate vith

the Russian girls, that is they will not go out with them alone, whereas

the State Department type will. Also, over a period of a month or two,

they invariably are able to find evidence that the intelligence types

have been masturbating. This 1s usually detected through close exam-

ination of the individual's towels and bed sheets.

RUSSIAN U-1 AIRCRAFT

(h) On 25 February 1964 during the evening meal, a discussion was

had regarding the recent airplane crashes noted in the newspapers and on

TV in the United States.

The SUBJECT commented that he has a lot of

friends who are test pilots and who are now engaged in testing vhat he

referred to as a U-l type of aircraft that is faster than any other

aircrait In the world.

He added that these friends are highly paid

but they have very dangerous jobs.

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LESUIK, George M. (A)

1262 622 C SD/1

SUBJECT'S FATHER

(1) The SUBJECT also made reference to his father during this

meal, describing him as a very tall and extremely well-built individual,

and one who was excremely intelligent and a self-made, self-educated

man. He learned the shipbuilding trade mostly through his owa research

and study, and also fron the SUBJECT's grandfather, who was one of the

first shipbuilders in Fussia. The SUBJECT added that his grandfather

died at the age of 94. He also stated that after the death of his

father, a memorial was built in his memory since he was considered

a very capable director of the government shipping industry. That

was about the last time he saw his mother and brother and sister, as

they all went to this ceremony in honor of his father.

He also

indicated that there was a periodical which gave a complete run-down

on his family background, including that of his grandfather and his

father, and it was well publicized; and this he belteves had a lot

to do wich his being able to get some special preference and move

along as fast as he did in the KGB organization.

KGB PRESSURE ON FANILL

(3) On 27 February 1964 during lunch, the SUBJICT stated that he

has been informed that the KGB is putting pressure on his immediate

family, particularly his mother. However, he said he was not overly

worried about her because she is well-off financially, and being up

in age there is not mich they can do to her.

However, what concerns

him most is the fact that they have already started to play on the

sympathies of his two children and his wife.

The SUBJECT stated that

he was anticipating this; however, he did not think that they would

start so soon to pressure the family. However, he does have some hope

that in due time he may be able to get his family out of Russia. This

hope he said was given to him by the Chief of SR Division.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PENIPRATION

(k) On 25 February 1964 during a sightseeing tour of Washington

by vehicle,

as we passed the Library of Congress, the SUBJECT pointed

to the building and stated that

"we have people working in there"

Special Agent Stanley C. IACH Baid, "who is "ve'?" and the SUBJBCT

answered,

"KGB". He continued by stating that this was a good place

to place people because they could readily learn by just watching

what research was being done in the Llbrary of Congress by the military

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LESNIK, George M. (A)

#262 622 C SD/1

and thereby get an idea as to what the military was planning in the

way of armaments and things of that nature. The SUBJECT also advised

that the responsibility for getting information surreptitlously from

American Embassies in foreign countries who employ indigenous personnel,

falls within the confines of the KGB.

He stated that the way they go

about this is to work through the indigenous personnel and arrange to

enter the embassy at special times during the night. They would first

make a close survey and a photograph of the area in which the embassy

keeps its classified material, then they would subsequently enter this

When he was asked how this was done he

'. He said

that the important and difficult part of this activity is taking the

material out and photographing it and then placing it exactly as it

was before they touched it.

JOHN

NOBLE

Special Agent in Charge

Larch Ef

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