</s>180-1010-10484 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 JFK Assassination: System Date: 10/16/20 Identification I'm orm Agency Inform:dion AGENCY: HSCA RECORD NUMBER: HSCA 180-0110-1084 RECORD SERIES: REPORT ON LEE HARVEY OSW. ALDS TRIP TO MEXICO CITY. AGENCY FILE NUMBER : RECORD SERVICE: REPORT on LEE HARVEY OSW. ALD'S TRIP to MEXICOO CITY. Document Info mation ORIGINATOR: HCSA HSCa FROM: TO: Document Info mention TITLE: LEE harvey OSWALD THE CLI, AND MÉXICO CITY TITLE : LEE BARVEYOSWALD The CLI. AND MEXico CITY DATE: 00/00/1978 PAGES: 993 SUBJECTS: CIA CIA, METHODOLOGY, PHOTOS/IRVEILLANCE SOVIET EMBASSY OSWALD, LEE, POST-RUSSIAN IERIOD, TRAVEL, TRIPTO MEXICO OSWALL, LEEP, POST.RUSSSIAN IERIDO, TRAVEI, TRIPP TO CUBAN EMBASSY DOCUMENT TYPE: REPORT CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : Unclassified 3 CURRENT STATUS : 3 CURRENT STATUS: Redact DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 01/01/2003 DATE of LAST REVENUE : OPENING CRITERIA: COMMENTS: Redacted and declassified.Box 1. v1 NW 48327 DocId:32226389 Page 1 1

Summary  
The documents detail CIA surveillance operations in Mexico City during September–October 1963, focusing on photographic and electronic monitoring of Soviet and Cuban diplomatic compounds. Key activities included installing cameras at the Soviet Embassy (LIMITED and LILYRIC bases) and Cuban Consulate, with technical challenges such as equipment failures and incomplete coverage. The CIA conducted telephone intercepts of embassy communications, transcribing conversations involving Lee Harvey Oswald, including calls to the Soviet Military Attache in late September and October 1963. The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) reviewed these operations, noting gaps in photographic records, discrepancies in information sharing between the CIA and Warren Commission, and controversies over erased voice tapes. The HSCA concluded Oswald likely visited both Soviet and Cuban embassies multiple times but could not confirm activities outside these locations with certainty. Discrepancies in testimonies about operational responsibilities and missing materials were also highlighted.  

Key People  
- **Lee Harvey Oswald**: Central figure; subject of surveillance, intercepted communications, and photographic monitoring.  
- **Ann Goodpasture**: CIA officer involved in processing photographic materials and routing transcripts.  
- **Thomas Keenan**: Managed photographic production at the Soviet Embassy; contested operational responsibilities with Ann Goodpasture.  
- **Boris Tarasoff** (and Anna Tarasoff): Transcribed intercepted conversations involving Oswald, including calls to the Soviet Military Attache.  
- **Elsie Scaletti**: CIA officer in Mexico City who handled cables and reviewed Oswald’s file; allegedly identified photographs of Oswald from surveillance operations.  
- **Winston Scott**: Former CIA Station Chief in Mexico City; known for maintaining restricted materials in a personal safe.  
- **David A. Phillips**: CIA officer involved in Cuban Section operations and cable transmission delays.  
- **Herbert Manell** (and Barbara Manell): Analyzed Soviet transcripts and reviewed intercepted communications.  
- **J. Edgar Hoover**: FBI director referenced in memoranda about voice tape erasure.  
- **James J. Rowley**: FBI official mentioned in Hoover’s memorandum.  

Key Locations  
- **Soviet Embassy and Consulate, Mexico City**: Target of photographic and electronic surveillance; covered by LIMITED and LILYRIC bases.  
- **Cuban Embassy and Consulate, Mexico City**: Monitored via cameras and telephone intercepts; specific addresses included 140 Calle de la Soledad and private apartments of Soviet officials.  
- **CIA Headquarters**: Received cables and transcripts from Mexico City Station regarding Oswald’s activities.  
- **Mexico City Station**: Focal point for surveillance operations, including the "p" file on Oswald.  

Key Events  
- **September 27–October 10, 1963**: Surveillance captured Oswald’s communications with Soviet and Cuban embassies; transcripts were transcribed and transmitted to CIA Headquarters.  
- **October 8, 1963**: Cable sent to CIA Headquarters detailing Oswald’s contact with the Soviet Embassy, initially deemed routine but later linked to potential intelligence significance.  
- **October 16, 1963**: "P" file opened on Oswald, with information about his visa-seeking activities and embassy contacts disseminated locally.  
- **November 23, 1963**: CIA Headquarters requested transcripts and tapes of Oswald’s calls from Mexico City Station; some tapes were later erased.  
- **Post-assassination review**: HSCA investigated discrepancies in tape retention, voice comparisons, and withheld information to the Warren Commission.  
- **Warren Commission investigation**: Examined CIA and FBI evidence, including the "Mexico Mystery Man" photograph allegedly linked to Oswald.  

Key Organizations  
- **Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)**: Conducted surveillance, managed tape retention, and communicated with Headquarters.  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Involved in monitoring Americans contacting foreign embassies; referenced in CIA reports.  
- **House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA)**: Reviewed CIA documents, transcripts, and testimonies to assess Oswald’s activities.  
- **Warren Commission**: Official JFK assassination investigation; examined CIA and FBI evidence, including the "Mexico Mystery Man" photograph.

Summary  
The documents detail CIA operations in Mexico City during 1963 involving Lee Harvey Oswald’s interactions with Cuban and Soviet diplomatic entities, including visa applications, surveillance, and intelligence assessments. Key figures such as Silvia Duran, a Cuban Consulate employee, were central to these investigations, with the CIA reviewing her testimony for the Warren Commission and later HSCA (House Select Committee on Assassinations) reviews. Oswald’s communications with the Soviet Embassy and alleged visits to Cuban officials raised questions about his ties to foreign intelligence agencies. The CIA faced internal conflicts over whether to arrest Duran for interrogation, while Mexican authorities withheld information about her relationship with Oswald. Testimonies from Elena Garro de Paz, Oscar Contreras, and Cuban Consul Eusebio Azcue Lopez described Oswald’s alleged activities in Mexico City, though discrepancies in timing and details persisted. The HSCA conducted interviews with witnesses in 1978, including Silvia Tirado (divorced name Duran) and Cuban officials, but found no conclusive evidence linking Duran or others to U.S. intelligence operations. CIA internal memos and cables referenced intercepted communications, linguistic inconsistencies in Oswald’s calls to Soviet embassies, and debates over whether an imposter may have impersonated him. The Warren Commission edited portions of Duran’s testimony, omitting descriptions of Oswald’s appearance and interactions. The HSCA also reviewed records on June Cobb Sharp (LICOOKIE), a CIA informant, and Manuel Calvillo (LICHANT), who allegedly hid Garro and her daughter in a hotel under false pretenses. Cuban officials denied involvement in JFK’s assassination but provided documents alleging U.S.-Cuba conspiracies during HSCA visits to Cuba in 1978.  

Key People  
- **Lee Harvey Oswald**: Central figure; sought visas from Cuban and Soviet embassies, interacted with Silvia Duran and Cuban Consul Eusebio Azcue Lopez.  
- **Silvia Duran**: Cuban Consulate employee linked to Oswald; her testimony was reviewed by the Warren Commission and HSCA.  
- **Elena Garro de Paz**: Claimed to have met Oswald at a party hosted by Ruben Duran; her story was investigated but lacked substantiation.  
- **Oscar Contreras Lartigue**: Allegedly met Oswald at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); his claims conflicted with official records.  
- **Eusebio Azcue Lopez**: Cuban Consul in Mexico City; described Oswald’s visits to the consulate but denied he was the man shot by Jack Ruby.  
- **Manuel Calvillo**: CIA asset who allegedly hid Garro and her daughter at the Hotel Vermont, claiming they were in danger from Communists.  
- **June Cobb Sharp (LICOOKIE)**: CIA informant; first reported Garro’s story but disappeared in 1954 per Mexican records.  
- **David Phillips**: CIA Mexico City Station officer; speculated Duran may have been recruited by the agency.  
- **Winston Scott**: Chief of CIA Mexico City Station; oversaw surveillance on Cuban and Soviet embassies.  
- **John Scelso**: CIA official involved in monitoring Oswald’s activities.  

Key Locations  
- **Mexico City, Mexico**: Site of Oswald’s visa attempts, alleged social interactions, and HSCA interviews with witnesses like Silvia Duran and Ruben Duran.  
- **Cuban Consulate (Mexico City)**: Where Oswald met with Eusebio Azcue Lopez and Silvia Duran; subject of CIA surveillance.  
- **Soviet Embassy (Mexico City)**: Involved in visa-related calls attributed to Oswald, though linguistic inconsistencies raised doubts.  
- **Hotel del Comercio**: Hotel where Oswald allegedly stayed during his time in Mexico.  
- **Tropicana Club (Cuba)**: Visited by HSCA staff during their 1978 trip to Cuba.  
- **Bodeguita del Medio restaurant, Veradero Beach, Hotel Internacional**: Locations of meetings with Cuban officials during the HSCA trip.  

Key Events  
- **September–October 1963**: Oswald’s attempts to secure visas from Cuban and Soviet embassies; multiple calls to consulates attributed to him but questioned for linguistic inconsistencies.  
- **Alleged "twist party" at Ruben Duran’s home**: Claimed by Elena Garro de Paz and others, though unverified.  
- **HSCA interviews in Mexico City (1978)**: Meetings with Silvia Tirado, Oscar Contreras, and Mexican officials to request records on Oswald-related witnesses.  
- **Cuban government documents provided to HSCA (1978)**: Alleged conspiracy theories linking Cuba to JFK’s assassination, including files on Santo Trafficante and testimonies from Cuban officials.  
- **Warren Commission edits**: Omitted descriptions of Oswald’s appearance and interactions in Duran’s testimony.  
- **CIA internal reviews**: Debates over whether an imposter impersonated Oswald during visa-related calls; handling of informant files like LICOOKIE and LICHANT.  

Key Organizations  
- **Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)**: Conducted surveillance on Cuban and Soviet embassies, monitored Oswald’s activities, and managed informant files.  
- **House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA)**: Investigated JFK’s assassination, reviewed CIA documents, and conducted interviews with witnesses in Mexico City and Cuba.  
- **Mexican Federal Police (Procuraduria General)**: Provided information to HSCA but restricted access to certain files.  
- **Cuban Government**: Engaged with HSCA during their 1978 trip, denied involvement in JFK’s assassination, and shared intelligence on CIA surveillance.  
- **U.S. State Department**: Involved in coordinating HSCA requests for records from Mexican authorities.

Summary  
The document compiles declassified CIA records, HSCA (House Select Committee on Assassinations) testimonies, and FBI reports related to Lee Harvey Oswald’s activities in Mexico City and Cuba during 1963. It references Eusebio Azcue Lopez’s testimony about Oswald’s visits to the Cuban Consulate in Mexico City, including a second visit on September 27, 1963. The HSCA reviewed CIA files indicating the FBI did not forward information on Oswald’s movements to the CIA. A CIA asset, Manuel Calvillo, was identified as Elena Insurgente’s escort post-assassination. FBI reports confirm Oswald departed Mexico City by bus on October 11, 1963. The text includes references to CIA cables (e.g., MEXI 56211, December 15, 1965) and communications between Mexico City and U.S. officials. HSCA interviews with Silvia Duran, Betty Serratos, and others are noted, alongside mentions of procedural write-ups and biographical appendices. The Warren Commission Report is cited for specific pages (e.g., 299–304, 733–736), and electronic surveillance transcripts from the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C., dated September 1963, are referenced. Visa applications linked to Oswald and handwriting analysis of his signature are also mentioned.  

Key People  
- Eusebio Azcue Lopez (testified about Oswald’s visits to Mexico City)  
- Lee Harvey Oswald (subject of FBI reports on movements and visa applications)  
- Elena Insurgente (allegedly escorted by CIA asset Manuel Calvillo post-assassination)  
- Winston Scott (Mexico City Chief in 1964, involved in cable communications)  
- Clark Anderson (Legal Attache in Mexico City during 1964)  
- June Cobb (mentioned in CIA and FBI documents)  
- Silvia Duran (interviewed by HSCA staff)  
- Betty Serratos (HSCA interviewee)  
- Ramon Alvarez Dupont (CIA agent handling photographic surveillance film)  
- James Wilcott and Philip Agee (ex-CIA agents who testified at a 1976 Cuban tribunal)  

Key Locations  
- Cuba (central to U.S.-Cuba relations, Azcue’s travel, and Cuban government interactions)  
- Mexico City (CIA operations, FBI reports on Oswald’s departure, Cuban Consulate)  
- Washington, D.C. (Soviet Embassy; electronic surveillance transcripts referenced)  
- Cuban Consulate in Mexico City (site of Oswald’s alleged visits and interactions)  

Key Events  
- Eusebio Azcue’s testimony about Oswald’s second visit to the Cuban Consulate on September 27, 1963  
- FBI confirmation of Oswald’s bus departure from Mexico City on October 11, 1963  
- CIA asset Manuel Calvillo identified as Elena Insurgente’s escort post-JFK assassination  
- HSCA interviews with Silvia Duran, Betty Serratos, and others regarding Oswald investigations  
- Warren Commission testimony (1964) and references to specific report pages  
- Electronic surveillance of Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C., September 1963  
- CIA cables between Mexico City and U.S. officials (e.g., MEXI 56211, December 15, 1965)  
- 1976 Cuban tribunal where ex-CIA agents James Wilcott and Philip Agee testified against the CIA for complicity in JFK’s assassination  

Key Organizations  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (central to document content, including assets, operations, and file reviews)  
- House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) (conducted hearings and reviewed CIA/FBI documents)  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (provided reports on Oswald’s movements and activities)  
- Warren Commission (investigated JFK assassination; cited for specific report pages)  
- Cuban Consulate in Mexico City (involved in Oswald’s alleged interactions)  
- U.S. Department of State (Mexican Affairs Office, referenced in communications with Mexico City)

JFK Declassified Files

180-10110-10484.pdf

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