Originator: HSCA
From: CIA
Document date: 00/00/0000
Document type: REPORT

# DOCID-32271503

## Page 1

v09-16-96ccr

JFK RECORDS

CrOSs Reference: None

Status in System:

AGENCY : HSCA

RECORD NUMBER: 180-10142-10199

RECORD SERIES: CIA SEGREGATED COLLECTION

AGENCY FILE NUMBER : 23-26-02

Other Agency Equity: None

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

ORIGINATOR : ESCA

FROM : CIA

TO:

TITLE :

DATE : 00/00/00

PAGES:

28

DOCUMENT TYPE : REPORT

SUBJECT (S) : OSWALD, LEE, POST-RUSSIAN PERIOD, TRAVEL, TRIP TO

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

MEXICO; DEPAZ, ELENA GARRO; CIA,

FILES;

RESTRICTIONS : 3

CURRENT STATUS : POSTPONED IN PART

DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 08/08/95

COMMENTS : BoX 14

Date in: 01/26/96

TIFFFF

FF

FFFF

F

F

F

Released under the John F. Kennedy

Assassination Records Collection Act of

1 992 (44 USC 2107 Note). Case#:NW

56000 Date: 11-04-2021

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October 12, 1964 CIA Memo for the Record

On October 12, 1964 the Chief of Covert Action, Jim

Flannery, wrote a memo for the record reporting that Elena

Garro de Paz had told her story to Eunice Odio. (The Com-

mittee has not been able to determine if Elena Garro told

Ms. Odio the story personally of if Ms. Cobb related to

Ms. Odio what Elena had told her)Iwho relayed it to "Tich-

born"! Tichborn was Henry P. Lopez' cryptonym. Mr. Lopez

was a witting asset who wrote propaganda pieces for the CIA.

Aftercareful review of his CIA file, the HSCA has not

been able to establish a link from Mr. Lopez to either Ms.

odio or MS. GarroT on on < 10/12/64 memo, CIA

#596; Wx7241, P. 87, CIA #7147

The story is not as detailed as the 10/5/64 version.

There is no mention of Deba Garro Guerrero Galvan. The

story, perhaps because it is third hand, differs from the

previous story in two areas: The party was at the Cuban

Embassy, not at Ruben Duran's; Elena talked to a Cuban

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The day after the party, Elena and Deba saw the

three Americans on the Insurgent. a main avenue in Mexico

(Ibid.)

City./ The Garros claimed that they had recognized Oswald's

photograph when it was published after the assassination. (Ibid.)

Sylvia Duran's arrest "underlined the Garros' certainty"

that the mn had been Lee Harvey Oswald. (Ibid.)

Deba added that Lynn and one of the Duran brothers

had made trips to Texas. (Ibid.) She added that, even

though the Duran brothers had always been poor before

the assassination, they were both driving expensive new

cars. (Ibid.)

The source of the memo was a witting Central Intelli-

gence Agency asset known by the cryptonym LICOOKIE I whom

the Committee identified as June Cobb Sharp while receiv-

ing LICOOKIE's file. According to Elena,. Ms. Cobb was

sent to her house shortly after the assassination for a

few days,:by a mutual friend, a Costa Rican writer Eunice

odio. (CIA No's 580-583; WX-7241, Entry #427, P. 92, CIA

#719) Ms. Garro asserted that while at her house, Ms.

1 (Ibid.)

Cobb expressed interest in the Kennedy assassination./ One

night Elena's sister Deba, who was visiting, got drunk and

told the whole story. (Ibid.) Claiming to be a CIA agent,

Cobb suggested that Elena and Deba go to Texas to tell i

their story. (Ibid.) Elena stated that when Cobb's sugges-

tion was rejected, Cobb stated that she would arrange a meets?

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ing with the CIA Station Chief. (Winston Scott was the

Mexico City Station Chief in 1964). The meeting did not

occur because Ms. Cobb was asked to leave the Garro

house evidently because she kicked Elena's cat. (CIA

No's 580-583; Wx7241, Entry #427, p. 42, CIA #719) . A

notation on the memo says that L/l (Licookie I) never re-.

gained contact with Elena Garro de Paz. (Wx7241, P. 94,

Entry #430, CIA #721; Blind Memo dated 10/5/64, CIA #576) .

The LiCookie memo was not inserted in either the

Elena Garro or Lee Harvey Oswald "p" (personality) files

but in a local leftist and Cuban project file. The Com-

mittee learned about: the memo from Wx-7241, a chronologi-

cal history of the Oswald case prepared by Anne Goodpasture

for the CIA in 1976). The memo was found in December,

1965. (See Wx 7241, p. 94, CIA #721). Stanley Watson

found the memo. A marginal notation on Wx7241 says, "Why

was this not sent to Headquarters?" (P. 87, CIA #714). The

Committee has been able to determine that the memo was for-

warded to headquarters shortly thereafter.

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DATE 4 00t.1994

LOST/MISSING MATERIAL

THE DOCUMENT OR PAGE(S) LISTED BELOW WAS/WERE MISSING

DURING THE DECLASSIFICATION REVIEW BY THE HISTORICAL

REVIEW GROUP, CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF INTELLIGENCE.

Oct. 12, 1964 CIA

DOCUMENI NO. Memo for the Recond DATED:_

DR

PAGE (5) pp. 4,5. 6

FROM:

CIA JOB NO. ISCA

BOX NO. 23

FOLDER

NO. 26

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Embassy official,.not onelof her cousins about the three

Americans.

Attached to the memo was a note from Flannery to

the Chief of Station, Winston Scott, which read, "Do you

want me to send the gist of this to Headquarters?"

Scott

then noted that the memo should be filed.

The file indi-

cations show that the memo went into the Oswald "p" file

and the Elena Garro "p" file. (Ibid.)

November 24, 1964 CIA Informant Report

On November 24, 1964 a Central Intelligence Agency

informant (The

House Select Committee has been unable to

determine the informant's identity) reported information

(memo from Winston Scott to the files, re: June Cobb,

11/25/64, CIA Nos. 592-593; WX 7241, p. 88, Entry #404,

CIA #715) he had learned from "LICHANT/1. (While reviewing

LICHANT I's file the Committee determined that the CIA

asset's true name was Manuel Calvillo.

Elena claims that

the day following John:Fokennedy's assassination, Calvillo

escorted her and her daughter to the Vermont Hotel for

protection; see also December 25, 1965 Thomas memo for

more information on Manuel Calvillo.) The informant as-

serted that June Cobb was an "American Communist" who

rented a room from Elena Garro. (Memo from Winston Scott

to the files, re June Cobb, 11/25/64, CIA Nos. 592-593,

Wx 7241, p. 88, Entry #404, CIA No. 715) The informant

also stated that Elena tried to talk to Robert Kennedy when

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he was in Mexico because she had met Oswald "and two

friends (Cubans)" at a party at Horacio Duran's house.

(Ibid.) In addition, the informant claimed that Elena

also told her story to an American official, at the Em-

bassy, who claimed to represent the Warren Commission.

(Ibid.) The Chief of Station noted that he had asked

the informant to pursue the story (Ibid.) but there is

no indication that LICHANT I ever complied with this re-

quest. (HSCA Review of Classified CIA Documents.)

November 24, 1964 Elena Meeting with Mexico City Legal

Attache Officers

Elena and her daughter also told their story to

the Mexico City Legal Attache. (The Legal Attache in

1964 was Clark Anderson.) They recounted the same story

previously given to LICOOKIE I. The date of the party

was given as September 30, October 1 or October 2, 1963.

(FBI: 105-825555 Report, Dec. 11, 1964 entitled Lee Harvey

Oswald, p. l) The agent who wrote the report (

) noted

that Lee Harvey Oswald could not have

been identical with the American allegedly observed by

Mrs. Paz at the party if this party were held on the even-

ing of October 1 or October 2, 1963. (FBI 103-825555

Report, Dec. 11, 1964 entitled Lee Harvey Oswald, P. 1)

FBI investigation of President Kennedy's assassination

had established that Lee Harvey Oswald had departed Mexico

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City by bus at 8:30 a.m. on Octber 2, 1963 when Ms.

+

Paz stated that she saw Lee Harvey Oswald walking on

44

Insurgentes. (Ibid. p.3)

Elena was questioned regarding the identity of

ther persons attending the party at the Ruben Duran home

who might have been in a position to observe the three

Americans. Elena stated that in the course of the party

her daughter met a young man named "Alejandro" at the

He was apparently quite smitten with the daughter and tried to call her on

party and danced with him. (Ibid. p.3)/ The daughter did

not take the calls and as a result "Alejandro" wrote

(Ibid...

several letters

to the daughter."

Ms. Garro exhibited

two

of the letters, as well as a business card which i-

dentified the young man as Ario Alejandro Lavagnini Stenius.

(Ibid. p. 3)

The letter which Ms. Garro said was the first writ-

ten by the young man to her daughter bore the date Septem-

ber 1, 1963 and the Mexico City Post Office postmark Septem-

ber 2, 1963. When Ms. Garro was told this she commented

that the Communists probably had facilities for falsifying

postcards. (Ibid.)

To investigate Ms. Garro's

story further, the

Federal' Bureau interviewed Ario Alejandro Lavagnini Stenius

on November 27, 1964. (Ibid.) p.4) Lavagnini recalled that

there were approximately thirty people at the Ruban Duran

party, few

of whom he knew.

He recalled having met a Mexi-

•

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can girl who had recently returned from living in France.

He was unable to fix the date of the party, but felt it

was probably early in September because of a heavy rain

which occurred as they were leaving the party about 2:00

a.m. (Ibia. p. 4)

Lavagnini

noted no Americans present at this party.

He was familiar with the appearance of Lee Harvey Oswald

because of publicity following the assassination of Presi-

dent Kennedy but otherwise had no knowledge of him and

had never seen him except for news photographs following

the assassination. (Ibid. p. 4) Levagnini was the only

person interviewed by the FBI who attended parties at

the Duran house in the September-October time frame.

There is no indication on the döcument that this

information was

given to the Central Intelligence Agency's

Mexico City Station.

Charles Thomas' First Meeting with Elena Garro Where Lee

Harvey Oswald is Discussed

On 12/10/65 Charles Thomas, a political officer at

the American Embassy, wrote a memorandum about a conversa-

tion with Elena Garro de Paz. (CIA #586-587, WX-7241 Entry

No. 425, p. 91, CIA No. 718) The meeting with Elena had

been about other matters but she mentioned knowing Oswald.

Thomas noted that she was reluctant to talk but dia. (Ibid.)

Elena's story reported here is the same, but with

more details, as that given in the Licookie memo dated

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10/5/64. She said that General Jose Jesus Clark Flores

(a friend of Rubin Duran's),, Silvia Duran, Esuebio Azcue

(Cuban Consul in Mexico City), Emilio Carballido (a pro-

Communist writer-friend of the Durans), and a Latin Ameri-

can Negro man with red hair (unidentified) were at the

party. A marginal comment by this entry in WX-7241

says, "How did Elena know about a red-haired Negro?"

Elena also told Thomas that she had later learned that

Silvia Düran had been "Oswald's mistress while he was

there." (A note by this entry in WX-7241 says, "How

did Elena Garro know about Silvia being the mistress of

Oswald?? This is 1965.") The Mexico City Station did not

hear about the Oswald-Duran "affair" until July 1967

when a CIA Asset Liring reported it. LAfter reviewing

LIRING/ 3

/filesat the CIA the House Select Committee on Assassina-

tions has been unable to determine who LIRING/3 was

asso-

ciated with that had knowledge about Sylvia Duran or Lee

Harvey Oswald./

Elena told Thomas that she and her daughter had gone

to the Cuban Embassy on November 23, 1963. and shouted

"Assassins" and other insults at the Embassy employees.

(CIA #586-587, Wx7241, Entry No. 425, p. 91, CIA No. 718)

That same day a friend, Manuel Calvillo, an official in

the Gobernacion, took herand her daughter to a small hotel

in the center of Mexico City. (Ibid.) They were kept

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there for eight days under the pretext that they were in

danger. (Ibid.) Elena claimed to have told Calvillo:that

she wanted to tell her story to the American Embassy.

(Ibid.) Calvillo dissuaded her by telling her that the

American Embassy was full of Communist spies. (Ibid.)

Elena said that some of the other people who had been at

the party were taken to Veracruz where they were "protected"

by Governor Lopez Arias. LIbid; The House Select Committee

was unable to determine the veracity of Ms. Paz' allega-

tion./ She said that Ruben Duran, reportedly "protected"

by General Clark Flores, was very prosperous and was

driving a big car. /CIA #586-587, Wx-7241, Entry No. 425,

p. 91, CIA No. 718/ Elena also claimed that Ruben Duran

told her months after the assassination that he was not

really a Communist and that killing Kennedy had been a

mistake. (Ibid; the House Select Committee on Assassina-

tions has not been able to determine whether Ruben actually

spoke to Elena about the assassination. Ruben Duran claims

he had no reason to./

Charles Thomas circulated a copy of the Charles Thor

mas memorandum in the American Embassy including the Cen-

tral Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station to aid

them in their investigation of the John F. Kennedy assassina-

tion. The House Select Committee has determined that the

Central Intelligence Agency received the copy of the Thomas

--------.

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memorandum prior to December 25,

1965. See below./ The

COS wrote a note on the memo:..

.. "What an imagina-

tion she has!?!

Should we send to Headquarters?" The Of-

ficer replied, "Suggest sending. There have been stories

around town about all this, and Thomas is not only person

she has

talked to...If memory serves me, didn't LICOOKIE

refer to Oswald and the local leftists and Cubans in one

of her squibs?" (CIA No. 588, note from SW to COS.)

The Mexico City Station called the information in

Thomas' 12/10/65 memorandum of conversations to CIA Head-

quarters (Cable from Mexico City to the Director, Mexi 5621,

date out off my copy; CIA Nos. 584-585) The cable reported

that Elena's story would be checked with LICHANT/1, against

the production from the Cuban surveillance operation "and

other sources." (Ibid.) Winston Scott wrote, next to the

routing indications on the cable, "Please ask Charles Tho-

mas if he'll 'follow up.' Get questions from Anne G. LAnne

Goodpasture7 Please let's discuss. Thanks." (Ibid.)

After the December 10 memorandum of conversations,

Winston Scott (Chief/Station) and Nathan Ferris (Legal

Charles

Attache) called / Thomas for a meeting. They asked him

to get a more detailed replay of Ms. Garro's story. At

this meeting Winston Scott made it clear that the FBI

had full responsibility for any further investigation in

the Oswald case. (State Dept: letter from Charles Thomas

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tọ William P. Rogers,

July 25, 1969, JKF DOC. #

)

Charles Thomas' Meeting with Elena Garro on December 25, 1965

Thomas

met with Elena again on December 25, 1965.

The same date he wrote a memorandum of conversation which

provided a much more detailed restatement of Ms. Garross

alleged encounter with Lee Harvey Oswald and subsequent

developments. (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx-7241, Entry #427, p. 92,

CIA #719)

Elena admitted that she had spoken to two men at the

Embassy, "presumably from the Legal Attache's Office."

(Ibid, The meeting occurred on Nov. 24, 1964.) Elena

said that she did not tell them the complete story because

"the Embassy officers did not give much credence to any-

thing she and Elenita said." (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx 7241.,.

Entry #427, p. 92, CIA

#719)

She stated that the party had been at Ruben Duran's

home. (Ibid.) She was unclear about the date of the party.

(Ibid.) It was a

few days before the Soviet Astronaut,

Gagarin, visited Mexico; she thought that this would put

the party around September 2 or 3, 1963. (Ibid.) She be-

lieved that the party was on a Monday or Tuesday because

it was an odd night for a party. (Ibid.) Elenadcould not

check her calendar to refresh her memory at the time of

the interview because the calendar was in a desk that had

been stored away. (Ibid.)

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During the conversation Elena described Oswald

and his companions. (Ibid.) The man who she thought

was Oswald wore a black

sweater. (Ibid.) She said he

was quiet "and stared a lot at the floor."

(Ibid.) One

of his companions "was very tall and slender and had long

blond hair which hung across his forehead. He had a

gaunt face and a rather long protruding chin." (Ibid.)

The other companion was also tall, with short, light

brown hair and no distinguishing characteristics. (Ibid.)

The three Americans did not dance or mix with the other

guests. (Ibid.)

Elena saw the same three men on the

street the next day. (Ibid.)

Elena was certain that Eusebio Azcue, Horacio Duran,

Silvia Duran, Lydia Duran, Deba Guerrero, General Clark

Flores and his mistress, a doctor from Dalinde Hospital,

a young American couple who were honeymooning in Mexico,

and several other people were at the party. (Ibid.) She

said that Ricardo Guerra, whom she claims converted Horatio

Duran to Communism, and his wife, Rosario Castellanos,

were suppoed to be at the party but did not attend. (Ibid.)

Elena alleged that the red-haired man and Emilio

Carballido were not at the party that Oswäld attended but

at another party where Carballido and Azcue got into a

heated argument about President Kennedy. (Ibid.) "They

came to the conclusion that the only solution was to kill

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him." (Ibid.) Elena was: not clear on whether this party

was before or after the party where she met Oswald. (Ibid.)

The House

Select Committee has been unable to confirm the

between Azcue and Carballido.

conversation. Eusebio Azcue stated that it did not occur.

Elena said that Carballido "is a known Castro agent

in Mexico." (Ibid.) After the assassination he spent a

year in Cuba. (Ibid.) He then got a job teaching at Rutgers

University through Dr. Jose Vaszuez Amaral. (Ibid.) The

House Select Committee has been unable to confirm Ms. Garro's

allegations.

Elena reiterated that the incident at the Cuban Em-

bassy, where she and her daughter shouted "Assassins," etc.

at the Embassy employees, coccurred on November 23 at or

about 3:00 p.m. (Ibid.) Elena and Elenita were driven to

the Cuban Embassy by Elena's brother who was embarrassed

by their behavior. (Ibid.) This occurred before they had

seen photographs of Oswald. (Ibid.)

Ms. Garro claimed that later in the day she and Elénita

were visited by Manuel Calvillo who told them that they were

in serious danger from the Communists and that he would

take them to a small hotel, where they would be safe, for

a few days. (Ibid.) Elena said she trusted and believed

Calvillo because he was a known undercover agent for the

Mexico Government. (Ibid.) H

was also a friend of Noe

Palomares (the Minister of Immigration) and President Gustavo

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Diaz Ordaz. (Ibid.) Calvillo also told Elena and her daugh-

(Ibid.)

ter that Silvia Duran had been arrested./ Duran's arrest

was not public information on November 23, 1963.

Elena could not remember the name of the hotel so

that same day ({2/25/65) she took Thomas to the section

of Mexico City where she thought it was. (Ibid.) They

found the hotel. (Ibid.) It was the Vermont Hotel, Calle

Vermont 29. (Ibid.) Elena said thatashe assumed that

Calvillo had registered them as relatives or friends. (Ibid.)

They stayed at the hotel until the following Friday,

November 30, 1963, hardly leaving their rooms. (Ibia.) (See

Legal Attache report, p.

for confirmation.)

while

Elena cläimed that/she and Elenita were at the hotel

they saw the photos of Oswald and realized that he had

been the man at Ruben Duran's party. (Ibid.) When Calvillo

visited them at the hotel Elena told him that she wanted

to report it to the American Embassy, however, Calvillo

dissuaded her by stating that the American Embassy was

full of Communists. (Ibid.) Elena stated that when she

returned home, guards were posted outside.. (Ibid.)

The

House Select Committee has been unable to confirm the

veracity of Ms. Garro's claim.

Elena alleged that after she returned hom she saw

her sister, Deba Guerrera, who had independently come to

the same conclusion. Deba was "terrified" because approxi-

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mately two months after the

assassination two "Communists"

personally warned her never to reveal that she had been

to a party-with Oswald. (Ibia.) Deba, consequently,

would not accompany Elena to the American Embassy to tell

her story on November 24, 1964. (Ibia.)

Elena said that a

few days after the assassination

Emilio Carballido took the Durans

to Jalapa, Varacruz

and

"kept them out of the way until the initial shock of the

assassination wore off." (Ibid.) The House Select Committee

has been unable to confirm Ms. Garro's allegation."

Elena also alleged that shortly after the assassina-

tion an American namëd June Cobb spent several days in her

house. (Ibid.) She said that Ms. Cobb had been sent to

Elena by a mutual friend, Eunice Odio. (Ibid.) Elena

claims that while Ms. Cobb was at her house she expressed

an interest in the Kennedy assassination. (Ibid.) Deba,

visiting Elena one night, got drunk and told Ms. Cobb the

entire story. (Ibid.) Ms. Cobb wanted them to go to the

American authorities. (Ibid.) Claiming to be a CIA agent,

Cobb suggested that Elena and Deba go to Texas to tell their

story. (Ibid.) When her suggestion

was rejected, Cobb

said that she would arrange a meeting with the CIA Station

Chief. The meeting did not occur because Ms. Cobb was

asked to leave the Garro house; evidently because

she

kicked Elena's

cat. (Ibid.) The House Select Committee on

-==-=====

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Assassinations has determined that June Cobb Sharp was

a CIA asset in 1964. (Supra p. 3)

Elena claimed that Ruben Duran visited her circa

the end of January 1964. (CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx 7241, Entry

#427; p. 92, CIA #719) He was worried that Oswald's visit

to his

home might be discovered.and that he might lose

his Mexican citizenship. (Ibid.) Ruben told Elena that

it had been Silvia who had gotten him involved with Oswald.

(Ibid.) Ruben added that he was not really a Communist

and had opposed the assassination. (Ibid.) (Ruben Duran

denied the story. HSCA Interview of Ruben Duran,

p. , JFK DOC. #

Elena said that she had told her story to Noe Palomares

of the Gobernacion about six months after the assassina-

tion. (Ibid.) He advised against going to the American

Embassy and told her that if she did anything at all she

should merely write an anonymous letter. (Ibid.) The

Committee spoke to Mr. Palomares who denied Ms. Garro's

claim. (HSCA interview of Noe Palomares,

JFK DOC.

Elena stated that it was "common knowledge" that

))

Silvia had been Oswald's mistress. (CIA Nos. 580-583;

Wx7241, Entry #427, P. 92 CIA #719) When asked who could

verify the allegation she could only remember one person

who had told her this. (Ibid.) Elena claimed that person

was Victor Rico Galan, a "pro-Castro journalist." (Ibid.)

/Victor Rico Galan is dead. The Committee could not verify

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Ms. Garro's allegation. Sylvia Duran denied the allega-

tion.

Nonetheless, LIRING 3, a CIA asset reported the

same story in 1967.

During these conversations Elena also said that

she "understood" that

Oswald had been in Mexico more than

once. (Ibid.)

_The

HSCAchas been unable to determine the exact date./

Subsequent to December 25, 1965,/ Thomas wrote in

the December 25, 1965 memo that Elena had found her

calendar and had reconstructed the date of the party as

late September and not early September. LCIA Nos. 580-

583, Wx-7241, Entry #427, p. 42, CIA #719/ When Thomas

went to Ferris' office and informed him, Ferris replied

that Elena had given the late September date when she had

originally reported her story at the American Embassy.

(FBI Report, 9/30/69, pp.3-4, JFK Doc. No. ) However,

Mr. Ferris explained to Thomas that someone:who had been

at the party had stated that there were no Americans there.

(Ibid.) Mr. Ferris did not tell Mr. Thomas that Ario

Alejandro Lavagnini Stenius Ferris had provided this in-

formation in 1964. (Supra p.

) Mr. Ferris suggested

that it was not necessary for Thomas to pursue the matter

since he considered the Oswald case closed and had heard

all the rumors before. /FBI Report, 9/30/69, pp. 3-4,

JFK DOC. NO. I

The State Department forwarded (the same day) a copy

of the Charles Thomas

memorandum to the Central Intelligence

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Agency's Mexico City Station to aid in their investiga-

tion of

the John

F. Kennedy assassination.

On the first

page of the memorandum of conversation Winston Scott wrote

"Shouldn't we sent to Headquarters?"

Someone responded,

"Of course." /CIA Nos. 580-583; Wx 7241, Entry #427, p. 92,

CIA #710/

December 27, 1965 Legal Attache Memo to the United States

Ambassador re Elena Garro

On December 27, 1965 the Legal Attache had written

a memo to the Ambassador reporting that Elena and her daugh-

ter were interviewed on 17 and 24 November 1964. / Memo

to the Ambassador from the Legal Attache, 12/27/65, CIA

#578; WX-7241, Entry #429, p. 94, CIA #721./ The memo

said that Elena and her daughter furnished information simi-

lar to that in Thomas' 12/10/65 memo. (Ibid.) The memo

further stated, "Inquiries conducted at that time. (Novem-

ber 1964), however, failed to substantiate the allegations

made by Mrs. Garro de Paz and her daughter. In view of

the fact that Mrs. Garro de Paz' allegations have been pre-

viously checked out without substantiation, no further

action is being-taken concerning her recent repetition of

those allegations." (Ibid.)

The Legal Attache forwarded a copy of the memorandum

to the Central Intelligence Agency's Mexico City Station.

(The House Select Committee has determined that the copy

was forwarded prior to 12/29/78. See below.) Winston

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Scott superimposed

• a note to Anne Goodpasture

on this memo which read, "Can we send in a report to

Headquarters 'dismissing' our cable?" Göodpasture re-

sponded, "Done." (Memo to the Ambassador from the Legal

Attache, 12/27/65, CIA #578, WX-7241 Entry #429, p. 94,

CIA #721) The cable Winston Scott wanted dismissed

was

Mexi 5621 (Supra. p.

on December 29, 1965

A cable written by AnneGGoödpasture/reporting the

Legat interview with Elena and the Legat office's failure

to substantiate Elena's story was sent to Headquarters.

(Memo from Mexico City to the Director, 12/29/65, Mexi

5741, CIA #575; WX-7241 Entry #430, p. 94, CIA #721).

The cable promised to keep Headquarters advised if any

further information were to develop. (Ibid.)

LICOOKIE's 10/5/64 memo is attached to this cable.

WX-7241 explained this in a marginal comment, "This docu-

ment by LICOOKIE was not in (Oswald's file), but was copied

from (a project file) and attached to Mexi 5741, 29 Dec

65. " (Ibia.)

A note superimposed to this cable by Allen White

stated, "I don't know what FBI did in November 1964, but

the Garros have been talking about this för a long time

and she is said to be extremely bright." Anne Goodpasture

wrote that the FBI had found Elena's allegations unsubstan-

tiated but that "we will try to confirm or refute Ms. Garro

de Paz's information and follow up." Win Scott wrote,

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"She is also 'nuts.'" (Ibid. CIA #574)

CIA Investigation of Elena's Allegation that She Created

A Disturbance at the Cuban Embassy on November 23, 1963

On February 3, 1966 Anne Goodpasture forwarded

Thomas' December 25, 1965 memo to the Cuban section with

an attached note

asking them to check whether Elena was

"seen creating such a disturbance as they claimed in front

of the Cuban Embassy." (Note from Anne Goodpasture to

"Cubans," 2/3/66, CIA No. 579; WX-7241, Entry 428, p. 94,

CIA #721.)

One Cuban section officer responded, "No bells ring

with me."

Another one wrote "Me neither." The third of-

ficer wrote, "No pictures either." (Ibid.) There is no

indication that the penetration agents in the Cuban Embassy

were queried about Elena's allegation. Ibid., that there

are no pictures is reasonable since Elena claimed that

the event happened: 1) on a Saturday at 3:00 p.m. when

the Cuban Embassy was

not normally photographically sur-

veilled; and 2) the "disturbance" occurred inside the Cuban

compound. HSCA Examination of the CIA Cuban Embassy photo-

graphic surveillance showed no surveillance on 11/23/63.

(Classified Summary of Staff Review of CIA Documents, un-

dated, p. 3, CIA #763.11

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Legal Attache 2/23/66 Memo to the United States Ambassador

Regarding Elena Garro's Allegations

On 2/23/66 the Legal Attache wrote a memo to the

Ambassador reporting that "extensive investigation"

failed to disclose that Oswald had traveled to Mexico

prior to September 26, 1963 and that no information had

developed that would show that he had not been in New Or-

leans in the early part of that month. /Memo from Legat

to Ambassador, 2/23/66, CIA #571; WX-7241 Entry #455, p. 95,

CIA #722/ The memo reitereated that no further action

was being taken by the FBI because Elena's allegations had

not been substantiated. (Ibid.) The Legal Attache fowarded

a copy to the Central Intelligence Agency's Mexico City

Station. (The House Select Committee on Assassinations has

been unable to determine when the copy was forwarded to

the CIA.) A marginal comment made by Anne Goodpasture next

to this entry in WX-7241 says, "How can it be ascertained

that Oswald did not travel to Mexico prior to early September

1963? There must be some basis for Elena's reporting."

(Ibid; referenced to Thomas' 12/25/65 memo.)

Charles Thomas 7/13/66 Memorandum of Conversation re Elena

Garro

On 7/13/66 Charles Thomas wrote a memorandum of con-

versation reporting that Elena had told him that she had

received an invitiation to visit Cuba from Ambassador

Juoquin Hernandez Armas. (Memorandum of Conversation by

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Charles Thomas, 7/13/66, CIA #565;;WX-7241, Entry 460,

p. 96, CIA #723) Elena gave Thomas two letters to sup-

port her claim. (Ibid.) She said the ltters had been

delivered to her home by a driver from the Cuban Embassy.

(Ibid.) The envelope gave her address as Vermont 38.

(Ibid.) Becauseeöfpher stay at the Hotel Vermont she saw

the letters as a

threat and was frightened. (Ibid.) (The

HSCA has determined that the Cuban Government invited

Elena Garro to visit Cuba due to her literary talents;

See Biography.)

Legal Attache Memo to Winston Scott re Elena's Allegation

that She Had Stayed at the Hotel Vermont from the Day After

the Assassination until November 30, 1963

On 10/13/66 the Legal Attache wrote a memo to the

CIA/COS reporting that a reliable confidential informant

had reported

that the records of the Hotel Vermont dis-

closed that "Elena Paz, housewife from San

Luis Potosi!

had registered at the Hotel Vermont on November 23, 1963.

She left on November 30, 1963. (Memo from Legat to Winston

Scott, 10/13/66, CIA No. 564; WX-7241, Entry #466, p. 98,

CIA #725; Thomas' 7/13/66 memo.) (The House Select Committee

on Assassinations has been unable to determine why the

Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau f In-

vestigations waited until 1966 to investigate this aspect

of Elena's story.) The Memo said that "the above individual

may or may not be identical. with Elena Garro de Paz." (Ibid.)

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Charles Thomas' 12/25/65 memo states, "She (Elena)

and her daughter did not personally register at the hotel.

She thinks Cälvillo registered them as relatives or friends

of his from San Luis Postosi." (Memo of Conversation by

Charles Thomas, 12/25/65, p. 3, CIA #582) The entry for

the 10/13/66 Legat memo in WX-7241 bore the notation,

"This is what Elena claimed and no one would believe her."

(WX-7241, Entry #466, p. 98, CIA #725).

Charles Thomas' September 30, 1969 Letter to State Depart-

ment and Legal Attaches Response

No further report. on Elena's story was generated

until 1969 when Charles Thomas was "selected out."

("Se-

lected out" is a phrase used when an officer is retired

after having been in one grade for the maximum period of

time and is not considered qualified for promotion to a

higher grade). Then, he wrote a memorandum to the Secre-

tary of State which included a cover letter stating,

"Since I was the Embassy Officer in Mexico who acquired

this intelligence information,

I feel

a responsibility

for seeing it through to its final evaluation."

(State

Department: Letter from Charles Thomas to William Rogers,

Secretary of State, July 25, 1969)

Charles Thomas' memorandum stated that "he got no

reaction from Nathan Ferris and Winston Scott" regarding

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his memorandum of December 25, 1965. (State Department:

Letter from Charles Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary

of State, July 25, 1969) In addition, Thomas wrote that

the only person to speak to him about the December 25,

1965. memorandum, Clarence Bomstra (Deputy Chief of Mis-

sion, State Department, Chief of Affairs at the time of

President Kennedy's assassination and subsequent Oswald

investigation) told him that Oswald had not been in Mexico

(Ibid.)

on the date given for the party.! (State Department: Letter

from Charles Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary of State,

July 25, 1964)

Thomas noted that even when he reiterated

that Elena had not changed her story but rather that she

had now given a more accurate account, Boonstra stated that

the date was wrong and dismissed the entire affair. (Ibid.)

One of

/the Mexico City Legat officers, Nathan Ferris, in

reply to Thomas' letter and memorandum, asserted that

Thomas' office had been advised by memoranda dated Decem-

ber 27, 1965 and February 23, 1966 that since Elena Garro's

allegations had previously been investigated without sub-

stantiation, no further action was being taken concerning

her recent repetition of those allegations. (FBI Report,

9/30/69, pp. 3-4, JFK DoC. No.

) In their report, the

Legat's Office concluded that either the Counselor for Poli-

tical Affairs did not route the memoranda

to Charles Thomas

or that Thomas did not recall receiving them. (Ibid.)

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Thomas wrote that when he went to Nathan Ferris'

office to inform him that Elena had found her calendar

and had

reconstructed the date of the party as late Sep-

tember, Ferris replied that Elena had given the late Sep-

tember date when she had originally reported her story at

the American Embassy. (State Department: Letter from Charles

Thomas to William Rogers, Secretary of State, Julye 25,

1969). Thomas noted that Ferris explained that someone

wh had been at the party had stated that there had not

been any Americans. (Ibid.) He wrote that he had assumed

that Elena could have clearly been mistaken about the identi-

ty of the American she saw there, but never doubted that

she had seen

some Americans. (Ibid.) Thomas alleged that

Ferris suggested that it was not necessary for Thomas to

pursue the matter since he considered the Oswald case

closed and had heard all the rumors before. (Ibid.)

The Legat Office replied that. Mr. Ferris had not

told Thomas that someone who was at the party had stated

that there had not been any Americans present. (FBI Report,

9/39/69, p. 4, JFK DoC. No.

) The report asserted that

Thomas had been told that it would not be necessary for

him to pursue the m tter any further since Elena's story

had been investigated previously without being substantiated.

(Ibid.) In addition, the memo stated that Thomas had been

told that Elena's story was considered a closed issue, not

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that the Oswald case was closed. (Ibid.)

House Select Committee on Assassinations' Investigation of

Elena Garro's Allegations

The House Select Committee on Assassinations investi-

gated Elena Garro's story both through file reviews and

personal interviews. The Committee requested and reviewed

the CIA's, FBI's and State Department's files, when

available, on Elena Garro de Paz, Elenita Garro de Paz, '

Manuel Calvillo, Noe W. Palomares, June Cobb Sharp,

Victor Rico Galan, Eunice Odio, Sylvia Duran, Lydia

Duran, Ruben Duran, Betty Serratos, Horatio Duran, Eusebio

Azcue, and Emilio Carballido. Only the Elena Garro de

Paz file contained information on her allegations. Though

all the names listed above played a role in Elena Garro

de Paz' story, not one of their files included a reference

to Elena Garro de Paz.

Furthermore, the House Select Committee on Assassina-

tions requested and reviewed the Central Intelligence

Agency's LICOOKIE I, LICHANT I, LIRING 3, LIHUFF I and

TICHBORN files. Once again, not one of the files included

a mention of Elena Garro's allegations. The House Select

Committee on Assassinations learned that LICOOKIE I was

June Cobb Sharp who first reported

Elena's allegation.

(Supra, P. 4) The Committee also learned that LICHANT I

NW 66000 Docld:32271503 Page 28

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hidden

was Manuel Calvillo who had/Elena Garro and her daughter

in a hotel the day following the assassination. (Supra,

p. 13) He also told Elena that Sylvia Duran had been ar-

rested before this fact had become public knowledge. (Ibid.)

Since a file review was inconclusive, the Committee

decided to arrange interviews in Mexico with Sylvia Duran,

Elena Garro, Elenita Garro, Horacio Duran, Ruben Duran,

Lynn Duran, Emilio Carbillido and Betty Serratos. The

Mexican Government informed the House Select Committee on

Assassinations that Elena and Elenita Garro disappeared

in 1968 during the student uprisings and have never re-

turned to Mexico. The officials stated that Elena and

her daughter might be in Spain. (See Mexico City Proce-

dural Write-up Trip 1:) The Mexican government reported

that Emilio Garballido could not be found. (Ibid.) The

others were interviewed between June 1 and June 6, 1978.

(Ibid.)

Betty Serratos, Lydia Duran, Ruben Duran, and Horatio

Duran all stated that Elena was not the dancing type and

therefore did not attend any of the twist parties at the

Duran homes. (See: HSCA Interview of Betty Serratos,

6/6/78, p. 6, JFK Document No.

; HSCA Staff Interview of

Lydia Duran, 6/5/78, p. 6, JFK Document No.

; HSCA

Staff Interview of Ruben Duran Navarro, 6/6/78, p.. 16, JFK

Document NO.

; HSCA Staff Interview of Horatio Duran

Navarro, 6/5/78, p. 25, JFK Document No.

). When

NW 66000 Docld:32271503 Page 29

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Sylvia Duran was asked if Elena or Elenita Garro ever

attended twist parties at the Duran homes, she recalled

Elena attending one twist party at Ruben's home in 1963

when the Garros returned to Mexico from France.

(HSCA

Staff Interview of Sylvia Tirado Bazan, 6/6/70, p. 90,

JFK, Document No.

) All the Durans denied that Lee

Harvey Oswald had attended any party at one of their

homes. (String cites.)

The Committee next asked the Central Intelligence

Agency to arrange staff interviews with LICHANT/1 (Manuel

Calvillo), LICOOKIE/1 (June Cobb), along with a list of

other assets who may have had information related to Lee

Harvey Oswald's trip

to Mexico City. (

The Central Intelligence Agency declined to aid the Com-

mittee in this aspect of theinvestigation.

The Committee returned::to Mexico City and attempted

to locate June Cobb Sharp and Manuel Calvillo. (See Proce-

dural Write-up Trip 2 Mexico City)

The results of the Com-

mittee's work were as follows: 1) The Mexican government

told the Committee that June Cobb Sharp received a tourist

permit, number 72781, on June 27, 1947 when she entered

Mexico through Nuevo Laredo.

She asked, but was denied,

permission to represent the magazine, Modern Mexico.

On

June 21, 1948, she received a courtesy permit, number 25556.

Furthermore, the Mexican government explained that she dis-

NW 66000 Docld:32271503 Page 30

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appeared in 1954 and never returned to Mexico. (See Pro-

cedural Writeup Trip 2 Mexico City.) The Committee believes

that there is a possibility that this information is incor-

rect. According to Ms. Cobb's CIA file she worked for the

agency asian asset in Mexico from 1961 through 1966. (CIA

Report, 1965, June Cobb file, 201-

) Elena also

stated that Ms. Cobb

resided at her home in 1964. (Supra

P .

) 2) The Mexican government told the Committee

that Manuel Calvillo did not live at Cuohtemoc 877-5 as

the Committee had stated. Their agent-in-charge had spoken

to the superintendant at the apartments for the past

twenty-five years who said that no Manuel Calvillo had

ever resided there. When Committee staffers gave the Mexi-

can government Calvillo's pen name, the Mexicans gave the

same answers. (See Procedural Write Mexico City Trip 2.)

The Committee is quite certain that Mr. Calvillo lives at

this address since it acquired the address from a recent

CIA document. (CIA Report, 1976, Manuel Calvillo file,

201-

The Committee believes that

there is a possibility

that the Mexican government received orders from the Cen-

tral Intelligence Agency to refrain from aiding the Committee

with this aspect of its

work. (See Procedural Write-up

Trip 2 Mexico City.)

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The Committee made every attempt possible to locate Elena.

On July 7, 1978 a Committee staffer telephoned

her publisher Mortiz in Mexico City and asked about her

whereabouts. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 7/7/78, JFK

Document No. 10016) The publisher stated that Ms. Garro

was living in the Hotel S.A.C.E. in Madrid, Spain. (Ibid.)

The Committee staffer telephoned the Hotel in Spain and

spoke to the manager who told him that Ms. Garro had moved

out. (Ibid.) (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 7/7/78, JFK DO-

cument No.

) On July 14, 1978 a Committee staffer

called her publisher again and was told to contact the

Mexican Embassy in Madrid, Spain

The publisher stated

that all Elena's checks were sent there because she did

not even trust her publisher with her address. (Ibid.)

•(HSCA Staff Contact Report, 7/14/78, JFK Document No.

9950)

The Committee staffer called the Mexican Embassy in

Madrid, Spain and spoke to Adolfo Padilla, an employee

who stated that when Elena visited the Embassy a couple

of weeks before to pick up a check she looked financially

poor. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 8/31/78, JFK Document

NO:

He stated that when he asked Elena her new ad-

dress she declined to give one, stating that she would

return every few weeks to pick up checks and mail. (Ibid.)

The staffer left the Committee's number and a message

asking Elena to telephone the Committee collect. (Ibid.)

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On September 5, 1978, Elena Garro called the

Committee staffer. When the staffer explained that the

Committee wished to talk to her in person and would pay

both her daughter's and her travel from Spain, Ms. Garro

asked why she should believe the staffer was

who he

claimed. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/5/78, JFK Document

No.

• The staffer asked Ms. Garro to call back

collect in the next few days when he could explain to her

when and where she could receive a Committee letter deli-

neating why the Committee wished to interview her. (Ibid.)

The Committee wrote the letter and made arrangements with

the State Department for a letter to be

hand-delivered

to Elena

at the American Embassy in Spain. (See attached

letter: also, HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/5/78, JFK DoCt-

ment No.

)

On September 7, 1978, Elena Garro called the Committee

staffer and asked when the letter would arrive. (HSCA Staff

Contact Report, 9/7/78, JFK Document No.

) The Com-

mittee staffer explained that the letter could be gotten

on Monday, September 11, 1978 from George Phelan, the

Counsellor for Consular Affairs at the American Embassy.

(Ibid.)

Ms. Garro stated that she would get the letter

on September 11, 1978 and follow our suggestions. (Ibid.)

Ms. Garro never went to the American Embassy in

Spain to get the Committee's letter. (HSCA Staff Contact

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Report, 9/15/78, JFK Document No.

) The Committee,

hoping she would

receive the

letter before her flight

date, proceeded to purchase

tickets

for both Elena and

her daughter. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/12/78, JFK

Document No.

Elena never got the tickets.at

the airport. (HSCA Staff Contact Report, 9/15/78, JFK

Document NO.

. The Committee never regained con-

tact with her.

The Committee also investigated whether Thomas'

"selection out" was related to the Oswald case. After

interviewing his widow, Ms. Cynthia Thomas,

the Committee

has concluded that his dismissal was unrelated. (HSCA

Staff interview of Cynthia Thomas,

, p.

, JEK

Document No.

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