Nov. 30, 1963 - The Soviet Union, in an unusual demonstration of cooperation, turned over to the State Department today documents it believed might be of help in the investigation of the assassination of President Kennedy. The documents included official Soviet files concerning the visit of Lee Harvey Oswald (pictured with his wife and daughter in Minsk), the accused assassin, to the Soviet Union. The files also include information on Oswald’s attempts to obtain visas to the Soviet Union, both successful and unsuccessful. Anatoly Dobrynin, the Soviet Ambassador, called at the State Department and submitted voluminous consular files dealing with Oswald. Language specialists immediately began translating them. The Soviet action appeared to reflect Kremlin concern that Oswald’s self-identification as a “Marxist” and the fact that he had a Russian wife and other Soviet links might place the Soviet Union in an unfavorable light. Oswald lived in the Soviet Union from Oct. 13, 1959 to May 1962. Last September, he crossed the Texas border, went to Mexico City, and sought without success to obtain visas to Cuba and the Soviet Union. He was in Mexico until Oct. 3. It was understood that the documents turned over to the State Department today include reports on these efforts in Mexico as well as other official Soviet papers regarding Oswald’s movements.
Comments