REPORT ON MARINA AND LEE HARVEY OSWALD
Originator: CIA
From: WITHHELD
To: C/SB
Document date: 06/05/1968
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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1104-10057-10303

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

DISPATCH

Chief, SB

RYBAI

CLASSIFICATION

SECRET

PROCESSING ACTION

MARKED FOR INDEXING

NO INDEXING REQUIRED

ONLY QUALIFIED DESK

CAN JUDGE INDEXING

MICROALA

INFO.

FROM

Chief of Station, Pretoria

SUBJECT

AEMAKEUP

ACTION REQUIRED - REFERENCES

Reference:

AZPA-2524, 20 May 1968

te i

sel

CROSS REFERENCE TO

Attached are three reports, as explained in para 2 of

Reference, on the tollowing topica

Marina and Lee Harvey OSWALD

Soviet Defectors

Trave tena choke care in a Go are

Rect Loh

& Kenneth H. PHILBROOK

Attachments:

- Herewith

As stated above - 2 copies each

Distribution:

2-C/SB w/atts

Document Numbar

1206- 438 в

for FOlA Review on FEB 191i

As of Nov 73 file review, these attachments

removed for fixitag filing:

AEMAKEUP DEBRIEFING - Final Reports,

CIA, April-July 68, Pretoria

1-04399

GROUP I - EXCLUDED FROM AUTOMATIC DOWNGRADING AND DECLASSIFICATION

83 7-34

DISPATCH SYMBOL AND NUMBER

DATE

AZPA-2534

5 June 1968

CLASSIFICATION

SECRET

HOS FILE NUMBER

74-6-478/2

D 01889

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Marina and Lee HarTey OSWALD

The subject of the OSWALDs was introduced into the

interrogation during a discussion

about the difficulty a

Soviet citizen, who marries a foreigner, encounters in

attempting to laave the USSR if the KGB

chooses (for some

reason) not to permit the Soviet citizen to emigrato.

Subjeet

ho or she is married to a foreigner, would be allowed to

leave the USSR.

Asked if the case of Marina OSWALD's departure from

the Soviet Union was typical, Subject replied that her

doparture from the Soviet Union was neither typical nor usual,

particularly in vlen of the fact that her husband, Les Harvey

OSWALD, was a very strange individual. He had been in Cuba,

and then came to the Soviet Union not as a tourist, but as ::

ne save union no

an American defector who renounced his American citizenship

and attempted to become a Russian citizen.

This in Itself

is unusual for an American - 1t is not typical and very raro

for an American to do so, and Subject belleved that an

Amorican doing what OSWALD did (seoking Soviet citizenship

and renouncing American citizenship) could only do so because

he was a traitor..

In anger to a request for his opinion regarding the

OSWALD case, Subject said that all of his Information was based

only on that was known to everyone who read the nanspapers

after the KENNEDY assasination and on what he read in a con

densed version of the Warren Report while ho was in Western

Europe; When pressed for his personal opinion he said it was

a very unusual situation.

Normally a Soviet citizen (like

Marina) would not be allowed to leave the Soviet Union, in

fact the Soriot authorities would try in some way to convinco

the citizen not to leave.

However, 1f a

Sovlet married a

foreigner, and insisted on leaving ho or

she could always, as

a last resort, be refused an exit visa.

"There have been

cases where a Soviet citizen married a

foreigner and recoivod

an exit visa, however, in such cases the soviet authorities

have conceded to the exit visa roquasts only because thay felt

that the foreign spouse may have had some influence, and could

have created adverse publloity for the Soviet Government had

the silt visa not been

in OSWALD's case.

granted.

This was definitoly not so

OSWALD could not insist that Marina bo

granted an exist

visa since he was not in a position to do so.

and consequently the Soviet authorities were not compelled to

do so unless they spocifically wanted to let her go to America

with OSWALD.

When asked to still further elaborate on his beljefs

regarding the case, Subject stated that in this case (OSWALD's),

Subject couldn't guess,

and in order to come to any kind of a

valid conclusion he would have to know something (factual).

which he doosn't.. Hls opinion, however, 1s strictly an

opinion without.any basis or fact.

He thinks that KGB was

definitely interested in OSWALD while the latter rested in the

To presume that OSWALD could have lived in the Soviet

Unlon as a simple American 1s excluded. Subject belloves that

ATT. +0 AZPA-2534

RIBAT SECRET

5 June 68

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the KGB kept OSWALD In "their flold of vision" and

undoubtedly worked with him.

To Subject it is unthinkable

that the KGB would miss such an opportunity, since it

always considers using persons (such as OSWALD) for work

oither dirootly in intelligence the West".

other way "to inflict damago to

could be considered as

anstered in the affirmativo.

• Subject

Subject explained that the existence of a government

such as the United States is a threat to the Soviet ragine.

The United States is an example to the rest of the world

(Soriots included) that people can live, survive, and have

a highor standard of Ilting in a democracy.

Therefore, the

Soviet Union tried, and tries, to cut the U.S. Government

down at every opportunity.

Since President KENNEDY was looked

upon by many in the Soviet Union as a popular personality.

KENNEDY's porsonal attraction further raised this feeling

that living in a democracy had its benefits, to an even higher

lovel with the goneral population of the Soviet Union.

When askod if it was possible that KGB could of would

ever sanction such an oporation (the assasination) Subject

answored "yes, at that time (KHRUSHCHSY's) It could have".

KHRUSHCH&Y was considered by Subject to. be an ignorant

Individual who was willing to take risks and adventurous under-

takings.: Subject said, however,

that this could never occur

under the present Soviet loadership.

Subjoct considered that

the docision to carry out such an operation, (the assasination)

could not havo been mado by the Chairman oi

the KGB since ho

does not possess such authority, and, therefore, could only

have been made by KHRUSHCHSV himself.

Subject was asked if such an operation might not have

Involved a tarrific risk which could have possibly resulted

in an armed conflict between the two nations, had Soviet

involvement been proven by the Americans.

Subjact felt that

even 1f the Americans did accuse the Soviet Government of

complicity in the assasination,

the Soviet Government would

certainly deny such an American accusation, claiming that the

Americans were using OSWALD, a crazy man who had been in the

Soviot Union, would say that the accusation was a provocation,

and in all probability would repudiate such American claims.

To underline his point, Subject mentioned that even

though OSWALD was. In the Soviet Union.

and was suspected

bocause he was. In

Cuba, nothing happened and the Soviet Union

wasn't accused by the Americans.

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