Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Senator COOPER. From your examination and interview with Lee Harvey
Oswald, your talks with him, does that letter appear to be one which he
had the capacity to write in that language and form?
Mr. SNYDER. That is a difficult thing to speculate on, Senator Cooper.
I would say this----
Senator COOPER. It is a very good letter.
Mr. SNYDER. At first blush, I would not say that it was beyond his
capacity. He did strike me as an intelligent man. He was certainly
very articulate. Actually still a boy, I suppose, in a sense--he was
20 at the time I saw him. He was a very articulate person, and quite
intelligent. I don't think from what I saw of him that the letter is
beyond his capacity to have written.
There is also an element of it which is very much Oswaldish, and that
is the last paragraph, the rather strident tones of it. One finds this
in his other correspondence with the Embassy, and in the tone which
he took when he first spoke with me--extremely strident tone. It is
almost comical in a sense, this last paragraph, in its pomposity, its
sonorousness. I am quite prepared to believe that the last part at
least is Oswald's.
Senator COOPER. One other question.
In your report you noted that he had made statements about the United
States, derogatory statements.
Did he ever direct his statements toward any individual in the United
States, any official?
Mr. SNYDER. No; I have no recollection that he directed his statements
against anyone, Senator Cooper. I think that if he had, I would likely
have reported this matter. As a matter of fact, on the general subject
of the molding of his attitudes, he was not very communicative.
Mr. DULLES. Was he technically correct there in his statement--I
believe he said that his application was pending before the Supreme
Soviet. Is that technically correct?
Mr. SNYDER. That is technically correct; yes, sir.
The CHAIRMAN. You may continue, Mr. Coleman.
Mr. COLEMAN. Now, Mr. Snyder, on March 24, 1961, you sent a Foreign
Service Despatch to the Department indicating that you had received a
second letter from Mr. Oswald on March 20, 1961, and you said that the
letter was postmarked Minsk, March 5, and Moscow March 17. I would like
to show you a Commission document which has been marked as Commission
Exhibit No. 940, and ask you whether that is a copy of the Foreign
Service Despatch which you sent forth to the Department.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 940 for
identification.)
Mr. DULLES. Could this be very briefly summarized for the record while
it is being read?
Mr. COLEMAN. In this despatch, he sets forth the letter which Mr.
Oswald sent, which basically said that it would be hard for him to get
to the Embassy in Moscow, and why can't they send the papers to Minsk?
Mr. DULLES. These are the papers about his return?
Mr. COLEMAN. Yes, papers that he would have to fill out to see if he
was entitled to get his passport back.
Would the witness identify the despatch? Is that the one you sent?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes; it is.
Mr. COLEMAN. I take it that the first answer you got from the
Department to your despatch of February 28, 1961, which is marked as
Commission Exhibit No. 932, indicating the first letter you received
from Oswald, and then the second despatch marked Commission Exhibit No.
940, was a State Department instruction dated April 13, 1961, which was
marked as Commission Exhibit No. 934.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 934 for
identification.)
Mr. COLEMAN. Is that the despatch which you received?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Senator COOPER. And then again on May 26, 1961, you sent another
despatch to the State Department indicating that you received another
letter from Oswald, and stating that you thought you would return to
Oswald his passport, and that has been marked as Commission Exhibit No.
936.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 936 for
identification.)
Mr. DULLES. Mr. Chairman, I note a reference in the margin here, in
Commission Exhibit No. 934.
Do you know whose handwriting that is in, Mr. Snyder?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir; that is my handwriting.
Mr. DULLES. What does that say?
Mr. SNYDER. It says, "May be necessary give him before he can arrange
depart."
Mr. COLEMAN. Now, Mr. Snyder, on or about July 10 or 11, 1961, Mr.
Oswald physically appeared at the American Embassy again, did he not?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes; I saw him once more--I believe once more--possibly
twice.
Mr. COLEMAN. Actually he came in on a Saturday, did he not, which was
July 8, and then you saw him again on the following Monday, isn't that
correct? Didn't you actually see him twice during that period?
Mr. SNYDER. I think that I must have. As I say, I think I must have,
because of my review of the record at the time indicates that I think
I saw him on the 8th, and the application was taken on the 10th, which
means, I presumably saw him twice.
Mr. COLEMAN. Do you recall when he came into the Embassy on the 8th and
what he said, and what you did?
Mr. SNYDER. No; in fact, I have no recollection of his having come in
at that time, Mr. Coleman.
Mr. COLEMAN. In the course of these two interviews on the 8th and on
the 10th, he actually filled out an application for renewal of his
passport, did he not?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. And you handled that application? That is correct?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. I next have marked as Commission Exhibit No. 938, a six
page document which purports to be an application for renewal of
passport, together with a questionnaire which was attached thereto, and
ask you whether that is a copy of the application for renewal which you
filled out at that time.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 938 for
identification.)
Mr. SNYDER. With reference to his visit on the 8th, it is possible that
he telephoned. Again, I don't know quite what our record shows on that.
Mr. COLEMAN. Well, to help you refresh your recollection, sir, there
has been marked as Commission Exhibit No. 935 a Foreign Service
Despatch dated July 11, 1961, in which you described the meeting with
Oswald. Perhaps you would want to be reading that.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 935 for
identification.)
Mr. SNYDER. This is the interview which I thought I had on the 10th.
Representative FORD. What does it mean in this questionnaire
[Commission Exhibit No. 938] where Oswald says, and I quote, "I recived
[sic] a document for residence in the U.S.S.R. but I am described as
being 'Without Citizenship'"?
Mr. SNYDER. This undoubtedly refers to his so-called internal Soviet
passport, Mr. Ford. Every Soviet citizen living in urban areas, and
also in the border areas, bears an internal passport which identifies
him, has certain other information about him, and bears a notation
of nationality. There are, as I recall, three varieties of this. One
is for Soviet citizens, one is for citizens of foreign countries, I
believe, and another is for stateless persons.
The CHAIRMAN. What is the last category?
Mr. SNYDER. Stateless persons. My mind is not clear at this stage as to
whether the passports for foreigners and stateless persons is the same
or not. I don't quite recall. At any rate, there is an entry in there
which asks to state his nationality. No, it is a separate passport. As
I recall the title of it, it is called--it is a separate passport.
Mr. DULLES. Did the Soviet Union ever indicate to the Embassy, as far
as you know, that they considered Oswald as stateless, or is that
Oswald's own statement?
Mr. SNYDER. The only indication is the internal passport which he had,
which was made out by local officials, and which may have been based
upon a statement that Oswald himself made to them. He may have regarded
himself as being stateless, I don't know, at the time he applied for
that document.
Mr. DULLES. And that did not necessarily require, as far as you know,
reference to Moscow?
Mr. SNYDER. No.
Mr. DULLES. You think the local authorities could have done that on
their own, and on the information they got from Oswald?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes; the term "stateless," I might interject here, is used
rather loosely by Soviet authorities, because, in the first place, they
have clearly no authority and no basis upon which to determine whether
a person is a citizen of a foreign state. I mean only the foreign state
can determine that.
So that the Soviet authorities had no basis on which to determine
whether Oswald was or was not a citizen of the United States or of six
other countries.
Mr. DULLES. Except the fact that they had seen his passport and knew of
the existence of his American passport.
Mr. SNYDER. On that basis, they would--well, he was certainly an
American citizen when he entered as far as they were concerned; yes,
sir.
Representative FORD. Is a person who is stateless the same as a person
who is "without citizenship"?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir; this distinction is only in translation, Mr. Ford.
Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Snyder, in the passport application, at the bottom
there is a place where you have to cross out "have" or "have not" in
connection with four questions. Could you read into the record the
printed part at the bottom of the application?
Mr. DULLES. Would you just clarify for us what application this is?
Mr. COLEMAN. This is the application for the passport renewal which
Oswald signed----
Mr. DULLES. For the American passport to return to the United States?
Mr. COLEMAN. Well, this is a renewal of the passport.
Mr. DULLES. A renewal of the passport to return to the United States?
Mr. SNYDER. It says, "I have--have not--been naturalized as a citizen
of a foreign state; taken an oath or made an affirmation or other
formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign state; entered or
served in, the armed forces of a foreign state; accepted, served in,
or performed the duties of, any office, post or employment under
the government of a foreign state or political subdivision thereof;
voted in a political election in a foreign state or participated in
an election or plebiscite to determine the sovereignty over foreign
territory; made a formal renunciation of nationality, either in the
United States or before a diplomatic or consular officer of the United
States in a foreign state; been convicted by court martial of deserting
the military, air or naval service of the United States in time of war,
or of committing any act of treason against or of attempting by force
to overthrow, or of bearing arms against the United States; or departed
from or remained outside the jurisdiction of the United States for the
purpose of evading or avoiding training and service in the military,
air or naval forces of the United States.
"If any of the above-mentioned acts or conditions are applicable to the
applicant's case, or to the case of any other person included in this
application, a supplementary statement under oath should be attached
and made a part hereof."
Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Snyder, as I read the application, what you did was to
cross out the "have not" which means that Oswald was stating that he
had done one of those acts which you have read, is that correct?
Mr. SNYDER. This is what it would mean.
Mr. COLEMAN. Which one of the various acts that you have read was it
your impression that Oswald was admitting that he had done?
Mr. SNYDER. Well, there are two possibilities here. One possibility is
that the crossing out of "have not" is a clerical error, and that he
did not intend to do this.
Mr. COLEMAN. How could that be a possibility. Don't you pretty much
negate that possibility by the fact that you did require him to fill
out the questionnaire which only has to be filled out if he admits that
he has done one of the various acts?
Mr. SNYDER. No; the questionnaire is filled out routinely in Moscow in
any kind of problem case.
Mr. COLEMAN. Even though the citizen has done none of the acts which
are set forth in the passport renewal application?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes; well, I say in a problem case. I don't mean an
American tourist coming in to get his passport renewed, on whom there
is no presumption of any problem at all. But a person who has resided
in the Soviet Union----
Mr. COLEMAN. Is it your testimony this is only a typographical error?
Mr. SNYDER. This is one possibility. The other possibility is that he
may have said, "I have taken an oath or made an affirmation or formal
declaration of allegiance to a foreign state."
He had, on several occasions, you know, stated that his allegiance was
to the Soviet Union.
He may have put this down--that is, he may have said "have", having
that act in mind, knowing that I knew it, and that there was no need to
attempt to hide the fact. This is possible.
Mr. COLEMAN. Do you recall just what you had in mind on July 10 when he
gave you that application filled out in the manner it was?
Mr. SNYDER. I am sorry, I don't think I understand the question.
Mr. COLEMAN. Then I will withdraw it and rephrase it. Do you now recall
what reaction you had in mind when you received the application which
had been crossed out in such a way that indicated that he was admitting
that he had done one of the various acts which are set forth on the
form?
Mr. SNYDER. No; I don't. Of course what I would have been concerned
with at the time in more detail really is the questionnaire, which
is an expansion of this paragraph, and is much more meaningful. So I
would have been concerned both with what he said on the questionnaire
and with the facts of his case--whether he thought he committed one of
these acts is not material to the fact of whether he had committed it
or whether he lost his citizenship thereby.
At any rate, my attention would have been directed to the expanded
questionnaire in which he had to fill out individual paragraphs
concerning each one of these things, and to a determination of the
facts in the case.
Mr. DULLES. Do you recall whether or not that striking out was noted at
the time the passport application or extension was considered?
Mr. SNYDER. I do not, Mr. Dulles; no.
Representative FORD. Did you have his file out and looking at it,
reading it, studying at the time he was there and this came up?
Mr. SNYDER. I presume I did, Mr. Ford, but--I am sure his file was
there. But in any event, I was the officer handling his case. Having
written virtually everything in the file from the outgoing point of
view, I was very well familiar with it.
Mr. COLEMAN. In any event, having received the questionnaire and the
application, you determined that Mr. Oswald was entitled to an American
passport, is that correct?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. And you sent forward the application and the questionnaire
in the Foreign Service Despatch of July 11, 1961, which has been marked
Exhibit No. 935, is that correct?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. And your recommendation was that the passport should
issue--the passport office should issue a new passport, is that correct?
Mr. SNYDER. I would issue the passport; yes.
Mr. COLEMAN. And also on the same day, at the end of the interview on
July 10, 1961, you returned to Mr. Oswald the American passport which
he had given you in 1959. Is that correct?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes.
Mr. COLEMAN. Didn't you stamp that passport before you returned it
to him? I show you Commission Exhibit No. 946 and ask you would you
indicate to the Commission----
Mr. DULLES. Could I ask one question before the witness answers this
question? Was that application and questionnaire considered in the
State Department before the passport was issued, or was the passport
issued on general instructions before they received this application?
Mr. SNYDER. I will have to correct a word we used before. It is
renewal, and not issuance.
His passport was good for another 2 years if we renewed, and he was
applying for renewal of his passport, not issuance of a new one.
In either event, the issuance or renewal would have been done by the
Embassy, by me.
Mr. COLEMAN. The problem, Mr. Dulles, is the existing passport he had,
by its term, would expire September 1961, is that correct?
Mr. SNYDER. Yes, sir.
Mr. COLEMAN. And you felt he would not be able to get out of the Soviet
Union prior to September 1961, and therefore his existing passport
would have to be renewed?
Mr. SNYDER. I don't recall offhand what the purpose of renewing the
passport at that time was. There was no prospect of his leaving the
Soviet Union at that time, and probably not for quite some time to
come, in my estimation, and based upon my experience with other cases
he would have required his passport, and I presume this is why I was
returning it to him.
Mr. COLEMAN. On July 10, 1961, you did two things with respect to the
passport. First, you returned to him his old passport, isn't that
correct?
Mr. SNYDER. I think I did. I might reread my despatch and see.
Mr. COLEMAN. And, second, you accepted his application for renewal of
the passport.
Mr. SNYDER. Yes; my mind is clear on that. Yes; I recall now.
Mr. COLEMAN. When you returned to him his old passport, you first
stamped the old passport.
Mr. SNYDER. Yes.
Mr. COLEMAN. Will you indicate for the record how you stamped the old
passport?
Mr. SNYDER. The passport was marked "This passport is valid only for
direct travel to the United States." (Commission Exhibit No. 946, p. 6.)
Mr. DULLES. Are you quite clear you returned the passport to him before
he made his final plans to return?