Mr. CHAYES. I think you ought to inquire from Miss Knight about that.
Mr. COLEMAN. I also take it you wouldn't know what goes in categories O
and P, O being "orange card, includes recent master list" and P being
"project Carry."
Mr. CHAYES. I don't personally know at all.
(Discussion off the record.)
Representative FORD. Let me ask you this, Mr. Chayes. Were Oswald's
various applications and various approvals ever handled as a special
case as far as you know?
Mr. CHAYES. The only applications that were handled as a special
case were the ones made in Russia for the return of his passport in
the first instance, and then the renewal of his passport. Those were
handled as a special case, both in the Embassy and in the Department.
Although I don't think very high ranking officers passed on them in
the sense of Assistant Secretaries or something like that, nonetheless
they where handled at very responsible levels in the Department. The
political desk was consulted as well as the Bureau of Security and
Consular Affairs, and a very deliberate and special decision was made.
The subsequent application, the June 1963 application, was handled as a
matter of routine.
Representative FORD. The application in the Embassy for renewal or
reissuance, was that handled more expeditiously or less expeditiously
than other defector or attempted defector cases?
Mr. CHAYES. I couldn't say. I couldn't say because I don't have any
experience in it against which to measure it. As I reviewed the file it
seemed to me to be a fairly normal kind of a file for a matter of this
kind. When I say "this kind" I don't mean other defectors because I
have never seen any of that.
But the reporting seemed full enough, and the response came back
in time. But they didn't seem to be accelerated. There were always
adequate supporting memorandums indicating consultation within the
Department on broad enough basis.
Representative FORD. How long did it take from the actual time that he
made the application in Moscow until it was finally approved?