REQUEST FROM WC FOR ADDITIONAL INFO ON OSWALD'S OBTAINING USSR TOURIST VISA IN HELSINKI
Originator: CIA
From: RANKIN J. LEE, GC, WC
To: HELMS, RICHARD, DD/P, CIA
Document date: 05/25/1964
Document type: PAPER - TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

1104-10003-10119

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

TO

SENDER WILL CHECK CLAS-LATION TOP AND BOTTOM

A UNCLASSIFIED

CONFIDENTIAL

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP

NAME AND ADDRESS

DATE

CE Rocca

SECRET

INITIALS

4

5

Retura

to

6

our.

Rocca

ACTION

DIRECT REPLY

APPROVAL

DISPATCH

COMMENT

FILE

CONCURRENCE

INFORMATION

Remarks:

PREPARE REPLY

RECOMMENDATION

RETURN

SIGNATURE

Cite

threat

CIA

haalro.

re felink

FOLD HERE TO RETURN TO SENDER

FROM: NAME. ADDRESS AND PHONE NO.

DAIP

UNCLASSIFIED

CONFIDENTIAL

FORM

2-61

6N0. 237

Use previous editions

DATE

r6Ma

SECREP

(40)

* U.5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1961 0--587282

---

## Page 2

13

38

B

UNCLASSIFIED

TERNAL

JE ONLY

CON

ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET

ENTIAL

SECRET

SUBJECT: (Optional.

¡FROM

EXTENSION

RIAN

TO: P/Officer designation, room number,

building)

DATE

OFFICER'S

# INITIALS

NO

XAAZ

-22769

DATE

25 May

164

COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whöm

o whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)

RA

and

2C

29

RECEIVED

FORWARDED

Document Number 7107=308

for FOlA Review on UN 1976

10.

15.

FORM

3-62

610 USEL

REVIOU!

DITION:

SECRET

CONFIDENTIAL

ANUFADE

ABSTRACT

CT/RA

INDEX

201-289248

INTERNAL

USE ONLY

UNCLASSIFIED

---

## Page 3

13-00000

| DD/P 4-2676

PrESIDENT's COMMISSIOn

ON THE

ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY

200 Maryland Ave. N.E.

Washington, D.C. 20002

Telephone 543-1400

EARL WARREN,

Chairman

J. LEE RANKIN,

General Counsel

RICHARD B. RUSSELL

JOHN SHERMAN COOPER

HALE BOGGS

XAA2-22769

GERALD R. FORD

JOHN J. McCLOY

ALLEN W. DULLES

MAY 2 5 1964

• Request from Warren

Commission for additional

into on

Uswald's obtaining at USSR ToarisT visage!

in Helsink,

ie.

siegen

Mr. Richard Helms

Deputy Director for Plans

Central Intelligence Agency

Washington, D. C. 20505

Dear Mr. Helms:

5-27-64

14:30

ITH LWI2d

котрі!

In connection with some discussions recently had with

Mr. Abram Chayes, The Legal Adviser to the Department of State,

Mr. Chayes has informed the Commission that members of the Depart-

ment of State have informed him that at the time Lee Harvey Oswald

received his tourist visa to enter Russia from the Soviet ambassy

at Helsinki, Finland, at least a week ordinarily transpired between

the time when the tourist applied for his visa and the issuance of

that visa. If this is true, then the fact that lee Harvey Oswald

obtained his tourist visa in from two to four days may have some

significance.

From material previously supplied to the Commission by

the Central Intelligence Agency we have concluded that Oswald

arrived in Helsinki on an airplane from London on October 10, 1959,

that his Soviet tourist visa was issued from the Embassy in Helsinki

on October 14, and that he departed for Moscow on a train on

October 15. Assuming that he applied for a visa the same day he

arrived in Helsinki, four days were required for him to obtain the

visa. If, however, his airplane arrived too late on October 10

for him to reach the Soviet Embassy and apply for a visa that same

day, he probably would have had to wait until Monday, October 1?

to tender his application. We have no information on the probable

time of arrival of his flight or the closing time of the Embassy,

so we cannot estimate whether he had sufficient time to get from

the airport to the Embassy before it closed on Saturday, October 10.

Documant Alumber 707-308 A

for FOlA Review on JUN 1976

THE C.I.A. HAS NO OBJECI!!:

*TO THE DECLASGIFICATION JF

THIS DOCUMENT

CS COPY

201-289248

25 May 1964

---

## Page 4

13-00000

i do

2

We have already asked that the Department of State

look further into this matter and give us its best opinion

regarding the average time required to obtain a Soviet tourist

visa from Helsinki In October 1959 and also the regularity or

lack of regularity evidenced by the Soviet Embassy in this

regard. We are of course interested in the question of the

regularity of procedures because we want to know whether, if

Oswald did in fact obtain his visa more quickly than was normal,

his doing so was significant, or whether it may have been only

the result of a not-infrequent deviation from normal procedures.

¡ If it is still possible at this time to determine the

approximate hour on October 10, 1959 when Oswald's flight arrived

in Helsinki and the hour when the Soviet Embassy closed, this

information, plus an estimate of the time required to travel fron

the airport to the Embassy by commercial transportation, would

also be of assistance. to the Commission.

Sincerely,

J. Lee Rankin

General Counsel

ES COPY

201-289248

---