Mr. SNYDER. November 1959, sir.
Mr. DULLES. November 1959?
Mr. SNYDER. This is what we presume was the date.
Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Dulles, we have other evidence that he didn't leave
until January 7, 1960.
Mr. DULLES. The last the Embassy heard from him was in November 1959?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. You have been shown Commission Exhibit No. 933. Is that a
copy of a letter which you sent to Mr. Oswald?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. At the same time did you inform the State Department that
you had received a letter from Mr. Oswald?
Mr. SNYDER. I presume that I did.
Mr. COLEMAN. I have had marked as Commission Exhibit No. 932 a Foreign
Service Despatch under date of February 28, 1961, from the Embassy in
Moscow to the State Department in Washington. I would like to ask you
whether this is the despatch which you sent forth to the Department.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 932 for
identification.)
Representative FORD. Do the records show the date that the letter from
Oswald was written--yes; February 5--and received February 13. This
communication is dated February 28. Is that a long or a short time in
communicating with Washington?
Mr. SNYDER. I would say it is a long time.
Representative FORD. Is there any explanation why it is a long time?
Mr. SNYDER. The only thing I could think of is simply that Moscow is
a very busy office, and Mr. Oswald's case was no longer the top of my
docket.
Representative FORD. Had there been any communication with the State
Department in Washington concerning the inquiries of the mother, other
than this?
Mr. SNYDER. I don't know, Mr. Ford. The only knowledge I had at the
time of inquiries is what I was informed of by the Department. I
presume that they informed me of all inquiries--since they could hardly
act upon them themselves.
Representative FORD. What is the date of the last inquiry by the mother
as to Oswald's----
Mr. COLEMAN. Sir, I think the record will show that on January 26,
1961, the mother came to the State Department and as a result of that
visit, that inquiry of February 1, 1961, went forward, making the
inquiry. It has already been put in as an exhibit.
Representative FORD. This is the trouble not keeping copies available.
It is a little difficult to follow the sequence.
Mr. COLEMAN. It is Commission Exhibit No. 930.
Representative FORD. This document, Commission Exhibit No. 930, shows
what, as far as you are concerned, Mr. Snyder?
Mr. SNYDER. Well, it shows an interest by Oswald's mother in his
whereabouts.
Representative FORD. As of what date, and where?
Mr. SNYDER. It says that Mrs. Oswald called at the Department of State
on January 26, 1961; she personally called at the Department to inquire
about her son.
Representative FORD. And that was communicated to the Embassy in Moscow?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Representative FORD. When was it received in the Embassy in Moscow?
Mr. SNYDER. Well, this doesn't show the date of receipt, but it was
sent on February 1, and was received within a week of that time.
Representative FORD. And according to the records, the letter written
by Oswald on February 5, 1961, which was received--was received
February 13, 1961.
Mr. SNYDER. Yes.
Representative FORD. And this document, Commission Exhibit No. 933,
shows a reply was given February 28, is that correct?
Mr. SNYDER. I think that is correct, sir.
Mr. DULLES. Does that mean it took 8 days to go from Minsk to Moscow?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Mr. DULLES. Isn't that an unusually long time?
Mr. SNYDER. Well, not too much of that time is transit time.
Mr. DULLES. That is what I was getting at.
Representative FORD. It also shows it took 15 days to get out of the
American Embassy.
Mr. SNYDER. You must remember that in my eyes, as the officer on the
spot, Mr. Oswald had no claim to prior action from the Embassy among
other cases. And although the consular officer attempts to be as
impersonal as he can about these things, in matter of fact it is very
difficult to be entirely impersonal.
Mr. Oswald had no claim to any unusual attentions of mine, I must say.
I think that the letter from Oswald from the Metropole Hotel to the
Embassy took something like 3 days or 4 days.
Representative FORD. What does that mean to you? Does that mean that
his correspondence was intercepted?
Mr. SNYDER. There was no question about that, Mr. Ford?
Representative FORD. Intercepted by Soviet authorities?
Mr. SNYDER. Oh, yes; this has been known for years.
Representative FORD. Common practice?
Mr. SNYDER. Oh, yes; every embassy there knows the system, and operates
within it. All mail from or to a foreign embassy in Moscow goes to a
separate section of the Moscow Post Office, called the international
section, and this is the screening office for all mail to and from any
embassy.
Representative FORD. As far as you know, is that still the process
today?
Mr. SNYDER. I am sure it is, sir. The essentials of the Soviet State
haven't changed.
Senator COOPER. May I ask a few questions?
I have been examining these exhibits which have been introduced. The
first one I have looked at is Exhibit No. 908, which refers to Lee
Harvey Oswald's call at the Embassy and your interview with him.
Mr. DULLES. Is that from Moscow to Washington, the State Department?
Senator COOPER. Yes; it is your interview with Oswald.
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir; that is right.
Senator COOPER. In this he states that he applied for a Soviet tourist
visa in Helsinki on October 14. He applied for citizenship by letter
to the Supreme Soviet on October 16, in Moscow. And your report to the
State Department said that he appeared at the Embassy on October 31,
and presented his request for renunciation in writing.