CIA LETTER TO HSCA ON OSWALD CASE.
Agency: CIA
Originator: CIA
From: TURNER, STANSFIELD
To: STOKES, LOUIS
Document date: 08/25/1978
Document type: PAPER-TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

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104-10065-10039

Central Intelligence Agency

Washingian, D C 20505

ER 78-2313/2

OLC 78-3016

25 AUG 1978

Honorable Louis Stokes, Chairman

Select Committee on Assassinations

House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Subsequent to our telephone conversation on 16 August, at

which time you informed me that subpoenas had been voted by the

Committee for four items of information, the matter has been the

subject of exchanges between your representatives and mine. I

assume that your staff has now made you aware that one of the items

had been reviewed by one of your staff representatives the morning

of the day before you told me the subpoena was voted. Another was

for a memorandum that cannot be located, apparently missing from

a file that previously had been reviewed by your representatives. I

assume these do not pose a question. The other two items, the subject

of this letter, appear to have developed into a different problem.

One of these two remaining items deals with a history of the

Mexico City Station, covering the period 1947 to 1969. That history

contains only a few pages of reference to the short visit of Lee Harvey

Oswald to Mexico City, and to related subsequent events. These

pertinent pages have been reviewed by your representatives. Other

than these few references the balance of the history deals with

operational and management developments over a 22 year period -

subject matter not related in any way to the objectives of your inquiry.

In its entirety it constitutes a highly sensitive collection of operational

and organizational information, involving intelligence sources and

methods, that should receive the most restricted handling:

Classilied by 13190

Ezempt from general

declassificalion schedule el E.O. 11352

exemption ectegory 53(1). (22) (3)

* Autonaticully declo-uilied on

Dalo Inpossibia lo Detormiao .

CONFIOENTIAL

0.5704

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SONGSENHA

The other item has to do with the so-called "201 file" of a

Cuban citizen, and in addition a Covert Action operation directed

against several persons, including the subject of the file in question.

The activity transcends the time period of the death of President

Kennedy, its results evidencing themselves subsequently over the

ensuing year and more. The nature of that operation has been

described to Mr. Blakey and Mr. Cornwell. It is unusually sensitive.

the focus of which is well beyond the subject of your inquiry.

We engaged in discussions with Mr. Cornwell, trying in good

faith to arrive at a procedure whereby your staff could have access to

relevant materials, and at the same time limit the unnecessary

pIriture of operational activity that is both sensitive and unrelated to

your inquiry. At Mr. Cornwell's request, we took sections of the

history designated by him and made them available for review. with

knowledgeable officers present to discuss with him any questions that

may arise from his review. 'Similarly, at Mr. Cornwell's directions.

we provided the material from the 201 file of the individual of interest

to your Committee for the period 1 September 1963 through 31 January

1964• Mr. Cornwell was able to review these various materials only

hurriedly on 18 August, and were to be reviewed by him further on his

return from Dallas •

On 22 August Mr. Blakey came to review these materials. He

declined to review the history on the grounds that he should see it all.

Further. Mr. Blakey rejected the principle of any limitation on review

of the 201 file of the person in question. He also insisted on seeing the

separate operational files as well, although advised that the activity was

unusually sensitive and not germane to the subject of your inquiry. In

essence, this appeared to negate the progress made to date. However,

on 23 August Mr. Blakey returned to the Agency and reviewed the sections

of the history selected by Mr. Cornwell. A staff investigator accompanied

him and read the 201 file for the period January 1963 through Nay 1964•

In the absence of any statements on the subject we are left with the

impression that the issue is still unsettled.

As you know, your Committee has been afforded unprecedented

access to the files and information of this Agency. However, the handling

of materials is subject to their bearing on the authorized study and

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investigation, subject, of course, to considerations of sensitivity.

Until your subpoena, we were unaware that there was a problem

different from any number of daily working problems encountered

in this inquiry. In fact, as noted, on two of the issues addressed by

the subpoena your representatives already had reviewed available

material. Subsequent to that, the rather detailed exchanges between

your representatives and mine had appeared to have been entered into

in good faith, and we had proceeded accordingly•

I trust that we will have the opportunity to discuss this candidly

rather than under the conditions resulting from the subpoenas voted

by your Committee. Please let me know when you return to Washington

so we can discuss further how we might handle the matter.

Yours sincerely

Sebauna

STANSFIELD TURNER

CC:

Honorable Richardson Preyer

Honorable Samuel L. Devine

Distribution:

Original - Addressee

1 - DCI

1 - DDCI

- ER

• OGC

- DDO

- DDA

- Mr. Shepanek

- SA/DDCI

1 - OLC Subj

1 - OLC Chrono

OLC/ SDBreckinridge:baa (24 Aug 78)

_ CONFIBENTIAL

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