The CHAIRMAN. The Commission will be in order.
Director McCone, it is customary for the Chairman to make a short
statement to the witness as to the testimony that is expected to be
given. I will read it at this time.
Mr. McCone will be asked to testify on whether Lee Harvey Oswald was
ever an agent, directly or indirectly, or an informer or acting on
behalf of the Central Intelligence Agency in any capacity at any time,
and whether he knows of any credible evidence or of any conspiracy
either domestic or foreign involved in the assassination of President
Kennedy, also with regard to any suggestions and recommendations he
may have concerning improvements or changes in provisions for the
protection of the President of the United States.
Would you please rise and be sworn? Do you solemnly swear the testimony
you are about to give before this Commission shall be the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Mr. McCONE. I do.
The CHAIRMAN. Will you be seated, please? Mr. Rankin will conduct the
examination.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. McCone, will you state your name?
Mr. McCONE. My name is John Alex McCone.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you have an official position with the U.S. Government?
Mr. McCONE. Yes, sir; I am Director of Central Intelligence.
Mr. RANKIN. Have you been Director for some time?
Mr. McCONE. Yes; a little over 2-1/2 years.
Mr. RANKIN. Where do you live, Mr. McCone?
Mr. McCONE. I live at 3025 Whitehaven Street in Washington.
Mr. RANKIN. Are you familiar with the records and how they are kept by
the Central Intelligence Agency as to whether a man is acting as an
informer, agent, employee, or in any other capacity for that Agency?
Mr. McCONE. Yes; I am generally familiar with the procedures and the
records that are maintained by the Central Intelligence Agency. Quite
naturally, I am not familiar with all of the records because they are
very extensive.
Mr. RANKIN. Have you determined whether or not Lee Harvey Oswald, the
suspect in connection with the assassination of President Kennedy,
had any connection with the Central Intelligence Agency, informer or
indirectly as an employee, or any other capacity?
Mr. McCONE. Yes; I have determined to my satisfaction that he had no
such connection, and I would like to read for the record----
Mr. RANKIN. Will you tell us briefly the extent of your inquiry?
Mr. McCONE. In a form of affidavit, I have gone into the matter in
considerable detail personally, in my inquiry with the appropriate
people within the Agency, examined all records in our files relating to
Lee Harvey Oswald. We had knowledge of him, of course, because of his
having gone to the Soviet Union, as he did, putting him in a situation
where his name would appear in our name file. However, my examination
has resulted in the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was not an agent,
employee, or informant of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Agency
never contacted him, interviewed him, talked with him, or received or
solicited any reports or information from him, or communicated with
him directly or in any other manner. The Agency never furnished him
with any funds or money or compensated him directly or indirectly in
any fashion, and Lee Harvey Oswald was never associated or connected
directly or indirectly in any way whatsoever with the Agency. When
I use the term "Agency," I mean the Central Intelligence Agency, of
course.
Representative FORD. Does that include whether or not he was in the
United States, in the Soviet Union, or anyplace?
Mr. McCONE. Anyplace; the United States, Soviet Union, or anyplace.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. McCone, is that the affidavit you are going to supply
the Commission in connection with our request for it?
Mr. McCONE. Yes; this is the substance of the affidavit which I will
supply to you.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Chairman, I ask leave to mark that Exhibit 870 and have
it introduced in evidence as soon as we receive it from Mr. McCone as a
part of this record.
The CHAIRMAN. It may be admitted.
(Commission Exhibit No. 870 was marked for identification and received
in evidence.)
Mr. RANKIN. Would you tell us about your procedures in regard to having
an agent or informer or any person acting in that type of capacity?
Does that have to pass through your hands or come to your attention in
the Agency?
Mr. McCONE. No; it does not have to come through my personal hands.
Mr. RANKIN. Without disclosing something that might be a security
matter, could you tell us how that is handled in a general way in the
Agency?
Mr. McCONE. Mr. Helms, who is directly responsible for that division of
the Agency's activities as a Deputy Director, might explain. Would that
be permissible?
Mr. RANKIN. Could we have him sworn then?
The CHAIRMAN. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Would you raise your right hand and be sworn. Do you
solemnly swear the testimony you are about to give before this
Commission shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth, so help you God?
Mr. HELMS. I do.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Helms, you heard the inquiry just directed to Mr.
McCone. Could you answer the question directly?
Mr. HELMS. Yes; we have a specific procedure which we follow in all
cases where the Agency is in contact, for the purposes of acquiring
intelligence or whatever the case may be, with an individual. We not
only have a record of the individual's name, but we also usually get
information of a biographical nature. We then check this individual's
name against our record. At that point we make a determination as to
whether we desire to use this man or not to use him. It varies from
case to case as to how many officers may be involved in approving a
specific recruitment. May I go off the record?
(Discussion off the record.)
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Helms, did you have anything to do on behalf of your
Agency with determining whether or not Lee Harvey Oswald was acting in
any of the capacities I have described in my questions to Mr. McCone?
Mr. HELMS. Yes; I did.
Mr. RANKIN. Will you tell us what you did in that regard?
Mr. HELMS. On Mr. McCone's behalf, I had all of our records searched
to see if there had been any contacts at any time prior to President
Kennedy's assassination by anyone in the Central Intelligence Agency
with Lee Harvey Oswald. We checked our card files and our personnel
files and all our records.
Now, this check turned out to be negative. In addition I got in touch
with those officers who were in positions of responsibility at the
times in question to see if anybody had any recollection of any contact
having even been suggested with this man. This also turned out to be
negative, so there is no material in the Central Intelligence Agency,
either in the records or in the mind of any of the individuals, that
there was any contact had or even contemplated with him.