Mr. DULLES. You didn't get back until the 23d?
Secretary RUSK. Until the early morning of the 23d.
Mr. DULLES. Yes.
Secretary RUSK. I do recall being concerned if several different
authorities and agencies undertook investigations that would cut across
each other's bow or make it difficult to elicit the cooperation of
people outside the United States whose cooperation we might need in
matters of that sort, I felt myself at that time there ought to be a
complete and absolutely thorough investigation by the most responsible
authorities and I was glad to see that brought into some order at the
time but I don't remember the particular message you are talking about.
Representative FORD. Could you check to see if somebody in the
Department of State made such a call or made such a contact?
Secretary RUSK. Yes; I will be be glad to.
Representative FORD. And if so so report it for the proceedings?
Secretary RUSK. Yes, indeed; I will be glad to.
Mr. CHAYES. I may be able to supply some information to the Commission
on this point because during the night of the 22d when we were
examining the data in my office, the files, I did receive a call from
Mr. Katzenbach who said that they had heard at the Justice Department,
that there was a possibility that this kind of an element would get
into the indictment, and said that--I can't remember the exact words
that he used--but he conveyed to me that he regarded this as not very
good, in the absence of evidence to support it, and said that he was
seeking to have Mr. Saunders, who is the U.S. attorney in Dallas,
admitted to the councils of the State officials there so that they
could discuss these matters as time went on. And that he would try to,
I don't know exactly again what he said, but that he would try to see
that in the absence of evidence no such allegation was made in the
indictment.
I didn't in any sense authorize, and I certainly couldn't direct him
to do anything of this kind but my recollection of my reaction is
that I acquiesced fully in what he was proposing to do, and raised no
objection to it.
I think at sometime during that evening I reported this conversation to
Mr. Ball. I am less clear about this part of the recollection, but I
think I did report the conversation to Mr. Ball, much in the same way
as I am reporting it to you, and he saw no objection either.
I think that is the entire State Department side of that particular
transaction.
Representative FORD. Would you check, however, Mr. Secretary, to see if
there is anything further in this regard?
Secretary RUSK. Yes; I will.
Representative FORD. Do I understand that you or somebody for you is
to summarize the USIA Voice of America broadcast that went out for the
first 3 or 4 days subsequent to the assassination and that would be
submitted for the record?
Secretary RUSK. Yes, indeed. And we can, of course, have available
to the Commission such tapes or transcripts as we have of all those
broadcasts in full, but I think we can start with the summary and then
you can have the other materials if you wish to follow up particular
points.
Representative FORD. Would they be voluminous, the originals?
Secretary RUSK. I would think they would be fairly voluminous, but not
unmanageably so.
Representative FORD. I would say for at least the first 24 hours it
might be well to have the full text of the USIA Voice of America
material that was sent out.
Secretary RUSK. Right.
Representative FORD. Do I also understand for the record that we are
to have this or others like it showing what the press reaction was
throughout the world?
Secretary RUSK. Yes, sir.
Now, the Foreign Broadcast Information Service material would be much
more voluminous because there we are receiving broadcasts in the clear
from most broadcasting countries. But we will be in touch with your
staff to show them everything that we have, and they can have any
part of it they wish or we will be glad to give any help in terms of
digesting or summarizing.
Mr. RANKIN. We have been furnished some information, considerable
information, about the attitude of the foreign press as it was recited
and has come to the attention of the people from time to time, but I
don't believe we have right close, the Voice of America we don't have
right close to the date of the assassination.
The CHAIRMAN. I read a sizable file on that that came from the State
Department and very early in the life of the Commission that seemed to
encompass all of the statements that were made around the world at that
time.
Secretary RUSK. Yes.
Representative FORD. This document which you handed me, Mr. Secretary,
is for Tuesday, 26 November 1963. Are these done on a daily basis?
Secretary RUSK. I think that one was a summary of the first 2 or 3
days, but I would----
Mr. DULLES. Summaries are done from time to time and there are daily
reports from Foreign Broadcasting Information Service covering the
Soviet Union and the satellites and another volume covering China and
southeast Asia, and so forth and so on.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Secretary, could you give us a brief description of
that, we have been calling it this and these.
Secretary RUSK. Yes; this is a daily report or rather a supplement to
the daily report put out by the Foreign Broadcast Information Service
in what is called its world reaction series.
This apparently is a supplement to the foreign radio and press reaction
to the death of President Kennedy, and the accession of President
Johnson, prepared on 26 November 1963.
This is a daily report, the subject matter of which varies from day
to day, but I will be glad to draw together not only such digests as
we have, but also to see what we have retained in terms of the actual
broadcasts from other countries so that although it may be voluminous
it might have some material of interest to the Commission or its staff.
Representative FORD. I think it would be particularly pertinent as far
as the Soviet Union or any of the bloc countries or Cuba, anything in
this area that could be pulled together and included in the record,
which I think would be very helpful.
Secretary RUSK. All right, sir.
Representative FORD. I have the recollection that some people have
alleged that Castro either prior to or subsequent to the assassination,
made some very inflamatory speech involving President Kennedy.
Do you have any recollection of that?
Secretary RUSK. I don't have a recollection of a speech specially
related to time. He has made more than his share of inflamatory
speeches about this country and its leaders. But I will be glad to
furnish the Commission a schedule of his speeches, and the character of
these speeches and the texts if we have them during this period.
Representative FORD. There was one that I vaguely recall, either prior
to or subsequent to the assassination that some people construed to be
directed specifically at President Kennedy, and I think if there was
such a speech that the Commission ought to have it and it ought to be
analyzed by the staff and by the Commission.
Secretary RUSK. We will be very glad to look into that and furnish you
with speeches made during this period or during a substantial part of
the period on both sides of the November 22 date.
I gather the Commission has Mr. Danielle's interview with Mr. Castro on
the subject. You have the published report of that.
Mr. DULLES. Was that the long interview with Castro?
Secretary RUSK. Yes; that was as close to any reflection of a thing
that he might have said personally about this that went beyond the kind
of broadcast speeches you referred to that I have seen, but----
Mr. DULLES. Do you have that available?
Secretary RUSK. We certainly can get it.
Mr. DULLES. It was in the press I guess at the time. Maybe you have a
fuller copy than we have.
Secretary RUSK. Yes; it was a rather extensive interview.
Mr. CHAYES. I think the staff has it already.
Secretary RUSK. I see.
Mr. RANKIN. I think Commissioner Ford is referring to that speech of
Mr. Castro which is sometimes called the slip-of-the-tongue speech that
referred in a way that may have some implications in it. I think that
might help you to identify it, Mr. Secretary.
Secretary RUSK. It might be well for me, just to complete the sense of
the atmosphere, to accompany that with the timing and the nature of
statements and speeches that were being made on our side as a part of
this continuing rather acrimonious discourse with Cuban leadership. But
I will provide full information on this.
Mr. RANKIN. We would appreciate it so it would give a complete picture.
Secretary RUSK. Yes.
Representative FORD. Do I understand now, Mr. Rankin, that what the
Secretary provides will be put in the record as exhibits?
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Chairman, I would like to offer to do that if that is
satisfactory, as a part of this record.
The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir; it might be admitted.
Representative FORD. There is one question that I think ought to be
cleared up, you mentioned Mr. Mann who was our Ambassador at Mexico
at that time. The way the record stands now it could be construed by
somebody who wanted to so construe it that the country in which he
served us was involved in what he was reporting. I think it ought to be
made clear that is not the case.
Secretary RUSK. That is absolutely correct, sir. We never had the
slightest view that Mexico was involved in this. The problem, the
question arose because Mr. Oswald had been in Mexico, and was known to
have been in touch with some Cubans at the Cuban Embassy in Mexico.
But the Mexican authorities gave us complete and the most helpful
cooperation in full investigation of this matter.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there any further questions? Mr. Dulles.
Mr. DULLES. Had you finished?
Mr. RANKIN. Yes; I have.
(Discussion off the record.)
The CHAIRMAN. Are we ready to go back on the record?
All right, the Commission will be in order.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Chief Justice, I should like to offer in evidence at
this point Commission Exhibit No. 984 being the communication from
yourself as Chairman of the Commission to the Secretary of State, dated
March 11, 1964, and the Note Verbale in regard to the inquiries of the
Soviet Union.
And Commission Exhibit No. 985 being the responses of the Soviet Union,
including all of the medical as well as all other responses together
with the transmittal letters from the Soviet Union and from the State
Department.
The CHAIRMAN. They may be admitted under those numbers.
(Commission Exhibits Nos. 984 and 985 were marked for identification
and received in evidence.)
Mr. RANKIN. I would like to assign, Mr. Chief Justice, Commission
Exhibit No. 986, if I may, to those prior communications from the files
of the Soviet Embassy in Washington that were furnished to us by the
State Department.
The CHAIRMAN. They may be admitted under that number.
(Commission Exhibit No. 986 was marked for identification and received
in evidence.)
Mr. RANKIN. Commission Exhibit No. 986 will be the copies of the
records from the Soviet Embassy in Washington that were supplied to the
Commission earlier by the State Department as a part of the records
that were furnished to us by the State Department.
The CHAIRMAN. Those were the ones that were voluntarily offered by the
Russians before any request was made of them?
Mr. RANKIN. Yes, Mr. Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN. They may be admitted under that number.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Secretary, will you tell us whether you know of
any credible evidence to show or establish or tending to show any
conspiracy either domestic or foreign involved in the assassination of
President Kennedy?
Secretary RUSK. No; I have no evidence that would point in that
direction or to lead me to a conclusion that such a conspiracy existed.
Mr. RANKIN. That is all I have.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there any further questions, gentlemen?
If not, thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.
Secretary RUSK. Thank you very much, Mr. Chief Justice and gentlemen.