Miss WATERMAN. Well, perhaps not. But the procedure was explained to
him, and he, as I recall, took no interest in completing any forms to
make his renunciation of American citizenship official.
Representative FORD. The only question that I raise, Miss Waterman, is
in light of this evidence, your statement that there is available no
information and/or evidence to show that Mr. Oswald has expatriated
himself under the pertinent laws of the United States----
Miss WATERMAN. I think that is correct. I think the statement is
correct.
Representative FORD. That is a very technical response, or technical
statement. I think there was evidence that he had placed before
Government officials his desire to renounce his citizenship.
Mr. COLEMAN. Did anyone advise you or instruct you that you should make
the adjudication that you made as reflected in the August 18, 1961,
memorandum, or is this a decision that you made after you had reviewed
the file?
Miss WATERMAN. Well, I made the decision and prepared the communication
which went through my superiors, and they apparently agreed with me.
Mr. COLEMAN. Can you, by looking at the file, particularly the document
marked X-27, which is the Operations Memorandum dated August 18, 1961,
tell us what superior reviewed the memorandum before it went forth to
the Embassy?
Miss WATERMAN. Yes; the initials there, HFK, are Mr. Kupiec, who was my
area chief, and I believe that up at the top, on the second line of the
Operations Memorandum, opposite "Department of State" I believe that
those were the initials of Mr. White, who was in charge of the Foreign
Operations Division. And then this was also cleared in our Legal
Division.
Now, that would not be for citizenship purposes, but it would be there
for reference.
Mr. COLEMAN. And who was CHS?
Miss WATERMAN. That is the same person you mentioned awhile ago, Mr.
Seeley.
Mr. COLEMAN. Then as a result of determining that there was no evidence
or information showing that Mr. Oswald had expatriated himself, you
then indicated that the passport of Mr. Oswald could be renewed, is
that correct?
Miss WATERMAN. Yes.
Representative FORD. May I ask a question here, Mr. Coleman?
Referring again to the memorandum of August 18, 1961, the first
paragraph, where you say, "We concur in the conclusion of the Embassy
that there is available no information and/or evidence to show that Mr.
Oswald has expatriated himself under the pertinent laws of the United
States"--where is their documentation, if any, that the Embassy has
come to that conclusion?
Mr. COLEMAN. Sir, I think she is referring to the despatch of July 11,
1961, which is identified as Commission Exhibit No. 935.
Representative FORD. Do you come to that conclusion based on the total
content of the July 11, 1961, memo from the Embassy in Moscow, or
something specifically set forth in that memorandum?
Miss WATERMAN. Well, I think all of the material together. In other
words, Oswald was not documented as a Soviet citizen. Apparently he
didn't expect to be. The Embassy had questioned him. And, in addition
to their knowing that during his visits to the Embassy itself he had
not expatriated himself, they received no information from him in what
questioning they could do that he had performed any act at all to
expatriate himself under U.S. laws.
Representative FORD. Mr. Coleman, do you have that paper we had
yesterday, where the cross-out was present?
Mr. COLEMAN. Yes, sir; here it is.
Representative FORD. On Commission Exhibit No. 938, Oswald crossed out
"have not"----
Mr. DULLES. What is the date of that, Mr. Ford?