</s>104-10335-10014 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 104-70353-0074 ASSASSINATIO ASSASSINTION RECORD Assassination Records Review Board 600 E Street NW - 2nd Floor . Washington, DC 20530 (202) 724-0088 . Fax: (202) 720-0457 REVIEW RELEASE: BOARD IN THIS FOCAL January 28, 1997 Mr. John Pereira Director Historical Review Group Center for the Study of Intelligence Central Intelligence Agency Washington, DC 20505 Re: Request for Additional Information and Records No. CIA-16 (Oswald Pre-Assassinaton Files) Dear John: Under the President John R. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, 44 U.S.C. $2107 (Supp. V (1994), the Review Board has the authority to "direct a Government off to ... investigate the facts surrounding, additional information (and] records ... "Section (0.7)(Y) (CIVIC). Pursuit to the authority, the Review Boards is seeking to resolve in a complete CIA request that has prior certain questions related to files to resolve a complete CIA request that provide the assessment of presentation Kennedy. Accordingly, you may have CIA provide the assistance of comprehensive answers to the questions identified below. On May 12, 1992, Director Robert Robert R. Gates testified to the Senate Committee on Government Affairs regarding CIA's records to Oswald prior to the assassination. Mr. Gates tested that "Iplor" or "Prior to President Kennedy's assassination prior to a held only a small file on Harvey Oswald to President Kenny's assassination, CIA held only 124 small file at (The Harvey Oswald's Disclosure of 43 documents mounting to the Committee on Government Affairs, 100th Cong. 2nd Sed. 52 (1992) (emphasized) (copy enclosed). It is the ReviewBoard's current understanding, however, that the time of the Assassination. CIA held at least three separate files (including soft files) on Lee Harvey Oswald: a 201 file (201-28949), an HTLINGUAL file, and an Office of BOARD MEMBERS: John R, Tunheim, Chair F. Graham . Kermit L. Hall . William L. Joyce . Anna K Nelson EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: David G. Marwell

The document details the CIA's management of files related to Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, including pre-assassination records and administrative actions regarding their preservation and destruction. The Office of Security (OS) maintained two primary files on Oswald at the time of his 1963 assassination: a "Defectors File" (#04341008) and a subject file (H0351164). These files contained press clippings, Department of State telegrams, FBI reports, and internal agency communications documenting Oswald’s activities as a defector to the USSR and his return to the U.S. Additional files, including those from the HTLINGUAL/SRPOINTER project (a mail-monitoring initiative targeting foreign entities like the USSR, China, and South America), were destroyed by 1994 after legal review confirmed no retention requirements. The CIA’s Directorate of Operations (DO) noted no operational file on Oswald beyond those already reviewed, though materials related to HTLINGUAL were retained until their destruction in 1994. Administrative actions included transferring Oswald’s files to the Historical Review Group (HRG)/Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI) under the JFK Act of 1992, which mandated the release of assassination records. The Defectors File was reviewed by the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB), revealing documents such as a "Defector Machine Listing" computer printout, though some records were missing or destroyed by 1994. A third file labeled Volume V was reportedly missing or misnumbered, with some records consolidated into other volumes.  

Key People  
- **Lee Harvey Oswald** (H0351164): Central figure; defector to the USSR, returned to the U.S., subject of counterintelligence files.  
- **Marguerite D. Stevens**: OS/Security Research Staff officer responsible for collecting and filing information on Oswald.  
- **J. Barry Harrelson**: HRG/CSI officer overseeing file transfers and responses to ARRB requests.  
- **Janet A. Ecklund**: Chief, Information Management Branch, Office of Personnel Security, involved in managing Oswald’s files and their transfer.  
- **Dr. T. Jeremy Gunn**: Executive Director of the ARRB, requesting access to pre-assassination records.  
- **David G. Marwell**: Executive Director of the ARRB.  
- **John Pereira**: Director of the Historical Review Group at the CIA.  
- **William Marshall**: Transferred POINTER-related files to the Information Review Team (IRT).  
- **Leonard M. Kaplan**: IRT custodian overseeing file management.  
- **Jim Archibald**: Legal advisor for the Office of Security, involved in file destruction approvals.  

Key Locations  
- **Moscow, USSR**: Site of Oswald’s defector activities and initial U.S. government monitoring.  
- **Dallas, Texas**: Location of FBI reports on Oswald’s activities (e.g., 3 July 1961).  
- **Washington, D.C.**: Headquarters for the CIA, OS, Department of State, and ARRB.  
- **Stafford Building**: Site of offices housing files related to OS, including SPOINTER and Defectors Files.  
- **New York, San Francisco, New Orleans**: Cities where mail interception projects (HTLINGUAL/SRPOINTER) were conducted.  

Key Events  
- **1959–1962**: Oswald’s activities in the USSR and return to the U.S., documented through telegrams, press clippings, and agency reports.  
- **3 July 1961**: FBI report from Dallas, Texas, detailing Oswald’s movements.  
- **1962**: FBI note on Oswald’s interactions with the CIA and potential threats.  
- **JFK assassination (November 22, 1963)**: The event prompting review of CIA files on Oswald.  
- **CIA response to ARRB (1997)**: Addressing questions about pre-assassination files and their destruction.  
- **Destruction of HTLINGUAL/SRPOINTER files (April 1994)**: Files related to monitoring international mail, including those involving Oswald, were destroyed after legal review confirmed no retention requirements.  
- **Transfer of Oswald’s file (0351164) to HRG/CSI**: Conducted under the JFK Act of 1992 for review and release of assassination records.  
- **Review of Defectors File (04341008)**: Conducted by ARRB staff, revealing documents on Oswald’s defection and activities.  

Key Organizations  
- **Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)**: Maintained files on Oswald through its Office of Security and Directorate of Operations; involved in counterintelligence efforts and HTLINGUAL/SRPOINTER projects.  
- **Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB)**: Requested information about CIA files on Oswald, prompting administrative actions by the CIA and OS.  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted investigations and provided reports on Oswald’s activities.  
- **Office of Security (OS)**: Managed files on Oswald and defectors, later transferring responsibilities to the Information Review Team (IRT).  
- **Historical Review Group (HRG)/Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI)**: Handled review and release of assassination records under the JFK Act.  
- **Department of State**: Provided telegrams and reports on Oswald’s activities in the USSR.  
- **Security Research Staff (SRS)**: Responsible for collecting and evaluating counterintelligence data, including projects like HTLINGUAL/SRPOINTER.  
- **Information Review Team (IRT)**: Custodian of transferred POINTER-related files post-1993.

JFK Declassified Files

104-10335-10014.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search