</s>204-1033-10009 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 -SECRET FID11 net copn. 0Gc 28-3595 -5-3-7-29 APPROVED FOR RELEASE 1993 Executive Registry OIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM OLC 78-1012/8 JUN 5 10 AM AN '78. 30 May 1978 JUN 10 AM '78 08-8-9-3/27/20 30 MAY 1978 JN 5 10AM '78- MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence COLLECTIONS RELEASE IN FULL VIA : Deputy Director of central Intelligence VIA : Deputy Directorate of Central intelligence : S. D. Breckridge FROM Principal Coordinator, HSCA Office of Legislative Council SUBJECT : House Select Committee on Assassinations Request for Access to the "Hart Report" 1. Action Requested: That you approve the recommendation at 1. Agreement 14 for limited access to selected House Select Committee paragraph 14 for Limited access to the 'Hart Report' on Assassinations (HSCA) staff members of a classified, sanitized. version of the Hart Report. 2. Background: As you know, the HSCa Staff Director, Mr. Blakey, has requested you in a letter dated in May 1978 (Tab A) to provide access to a request you in letter dated 9 May 1978) to the Agency's handling of the Noseko case. This request is part of an inquiry into hypotheses arising from Epstein's book Legend, in which the view is presented to the Nosekno case, this request is a disputed agent (part of an Inquiry into presented by the Nosekosko's dispatch agent. Center of the Mission or is the question of Nosko's bona fide. Additional to that issue, Interest has developed in the manner in which Nosko was treated during the period that his bona fide were suspect. These two issues are treated separately below. 3. The Hart report is directed at the handling of the Noseko case, addressing the actions and conduct of various officers in the Agency. These addressing is the actions of the conduct of the question in the Nosenko case. These bona fide, cannot be treated without also considering the question on Noseko's bona fides, cannot not be treated with the question no of Nosekko's and the analysis of those handling the matter. Mr. Blakey states in his letter that has been informed that the report contains no information on <loc_143><loc_798>the issues of bona fide, being concerned instead only with personnel and internal procedures. This understanding on his part is incorrect and his letter suggests that the himself has reservations about it. the letter suggests the himself Has reservations about its.

The document details CIA internal deliberations on releasing sanitized versions of the Hart Report to the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) regarding Yuri Nosenko’s credibility as a defector. The report, initially questioned in 1967–1968 for its authenticity, was later validated by the Office of Security in 1968. The CIA recommended restricted access to the report, citing risks of misuse for unrelated inquiries. A 1993 arrangement with the *Washington Post* facilitated Nosenko’s interview about Lee Harvey Oswald, with financial and logistical support. Later memos from 1994–1997 imposed declassification restrictions on Nosenko-related materials due to potential threats to CIA assets and Russian intelligence interests. A 1994 letter from Robert Fingle criticized unauthorized disclosure of his personal documents by the CIA. Administrative handling of soft files related to the Warren Commission, Nosenko, and Oswald occurred in 1997.  

The documents also reference discussions between U.S. intelligence agencies and the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) on declassifying Nosenko’s records. The CIA confirmed no objection to releasing approximately 2400 pages of Nosenko’s files, deemed "Not Believed Relevant" (NBR) to JFK’s assassination. Of 3500 total pages, about 800 pertained directly to Oswald and the assassination. Nosenko defected in 1962 and was interrogated by CIA officers from 1964–1967, with a 1968 polygraph test confirming his truthfulness regarding Oswald. The ARRB requested access to interrogation transcripts, reports on Soviet intelligence operations, and letters from Nosenko and Ted Price, raising concerns about privacy and security risks. A 1976 Hart Report reaffirmed Nosenko’s credibility as a defector.  

Key People  
- **Yuri Ivanovich Nosenko**: Soviet defector whose credibility was central to CIA debates; interrogated by CIA from 1964–1967, polygraph-tested in 1968.  
- **James Angleton**: CIA counterintelligence chief referenced in discussions about Nosenko’s case.  
- **Peter Deryabin**: Soviet defector who interrogated Nosenko in 1965–1967.  
- **Bruce Sole**: Security Officer who authored a 1968 report concluding Nosenko was a bona fide defector.  
- **John Hart**: CIA analyst who re-investigated the Nosenko case in 1976, endorsing Sole’s findings.  
- **Robert Fingle**: Former CIA asset who complained about unauthorized release of his personal documents.  
- **Michelle Combs**: ARRB staff member seeking access to Nosenko’s records for review.  
- **James W. Zirkle**: C/IC/Legal, involved in discussions about privacy and security concerns.  

Key Locations  
- **Geneva, Switzerland**: Site of Nosenko’s initial contact with the CIA in 1962.  
- **CIA Safe House (Virginia)**: Location where Nosenko was held in solitary confinement from April 1964 to October 1967.  
- **Washington, D.C.**: Headquarters for U.S. intelligence agencies and ARRB offices.  
- **Minsk, USSR**: Associated with Nosenko’s KGB ties and alleged interactions with Oswald.  

Key Events  
- **February 4, 1964**: Nosenko defected to the U.S., providing information on Oswald’s activities in the USSR.  
- **April–October 1964**: CIA interrogated Nosenko at a safe house, subjecting him to physical and mental torture.  
- **August 8, 1968**: Nosenko underwent a polygraph test confirming his truthfulness regarding Oswald and the assassination.  
- **March 2, 1969**: Nosenko was released from CIA custody and employed as an independent consultant.  
- **October 1997**: ARRB staff requested access to Nosenko’s records for review, with discussions on declassification timelines and privacy concerns.  
- **May 1978**: HSCA requested access to the Hart Report, prompting internal CIA deliberations on release conditions.  
- **March 1993**: *Washington Post* interview with Nosenko about Oswald, facilitated by CIA media relations.  

Key Organizations  
- **Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)**: Conducted interrogations of Nosenko and managed his defector status; involved in declassification policies.  
- **Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB)**: Reviewed materials related to the JFK assassination, including Nosenko’s records.  
- **KGB**: Soviet intelligence agency suspected of dispatching false defectors like Nosenko as part of a disinformation campaign.  
- **National Archives**: Repository for JFK assassination records under the 1992 JFK Records Act.  
- **House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA)**: Requested access to the Hart Report for analysis of Nosenko’s case.  
- **Office of the General Counsel (OGC)**: Involved in legal considerations regarding document release and litigation coordination.  
- **Historical Review Program**: Managed declassification processes and reviewed materials for public release.

JFK Declassified Files

104-10332-10009.pdf

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