</s>104-10147-10332 UNCLASSIFIED. CIALENALY. CIA HISTORVORNGRENVERROBRANET RELEASE IN FULL. SECRET: SUBJECT: (Optional) 1999 SUBJECTS: FROM: Russell B. Holmes 1999 NO. C/I/OG 1253 CT 03-31-77. DATE 24 Jan 77 TO: (Officer designation, room number, and building) DATE COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.) RECEIVED DATE OFFICER'S UNITIALS 1. 2. Mr. Friedlander 2. 2. 3. C/CI/OG 8 4 JAN 1977 4. 8 4JAN 1977 5. Mr. Philip F. Fendig Note: This was held by Mr. Fending SA/DDO 2D0109 25g 2/3 K until Mr. Sprague's job was ex- tended by the House 2 Feb. 6. R. Wall 7. 7. C/C/ci 3 552 h For signature 8. 9. IG 2E24 Att: Mr. Breckinridge 7.7 10. 10. 11. Legislative Counsel 7D55 12. 12. 13. JFK A 01/19/1/91/97 RELEASE 15. 15. FORM 610 USP PREVIOUS SECRET SECRET CONFIDENTIAL INTERNAL USE ONLY <loc_655><loc_957>UNCLASSIFIED

Summary:  
This document is a memorandum from Russell B. Holmes, Chief, Counterintelligence Staff, to the CIA’s Office of Inspector General (IG) and Legislative Counsel. It addresses criticisms by Norman Kemper regarding the CIA’s handling of information about Lee Harvey Oswald’s activities in Mexico City during October 1963. The memo refutes claims that the CIA withheld data on Oswald’s interactions with Soviet and Cuban embassies, asserting that the Agency disseminated relevant information to U.S. agencies, including the FBI, by October 10, 1963. It clarifies that the CIA did not initially know Oswald’s intent to seek visas for Cuba and the USSR, as this was only determined after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. The memo also critiques Chief Counsel Richard A. Sprague’s public statements about the CIA’s alleged mishandling of information, arguing that Sprague misrepresented the Agency’s actions and failed to seek clarification from the CIA before making public claims.  

Key People:  
- Russell B. Holmes (author, CIA Counterintelligence Staff)  
- Richard A. Sprague (Chief Counsel, House Select Committee on Assassinations)  
- Norman Kemper (journalist who criticized the CIA’s handling of Oswald information)  
- David Phillips (implied as a former CIA agent referenced in Sprague’s statements)  
- The Tarasovs (implied as individuals contacted by Sprague’s staff during investigations)  

Key Locations:  
- Mexico City (site of Soviet and Cuban embassies where Oswald allegedly made contact)  
- Washington, D.C. (headquarters of U.S. agencies involved in the investigation)  

Key Events:  
- Lee Harvey Oswald’s telephone calls to the Soviet Embassy in October 1963 (initially reported by CIA on October 8, 1963).  
- CIA dissemination of information about Oswald to FBI, State Department, and Immigration and Naturalization Service by October 10, 1963.  
- Post-assassination review by the Mexico City Station revealing Oswald’s visa requests for Cuba and the USSR.  
- Sprague’s public statements in 1976 criticizing the CIA’s handling of Oswald information, which the memo disputes as misleading.  

Key Organizations:  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA)  
- Department of State  
- Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)  
- CIA Historical Review Program (contextual reference to declassification efforts)

MLK Declassified Files

00332402_article_by_norman_kempste_104-10147-10322.pdf

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