</s>104-1043-10121 CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM CAMERIDENTIAL RELEASE IN FULL 1998 1858 MEMORANDUM FOR: Chief-CI-St-Staife- 1858 SUBJECT C.Allegations of Lee Harvey OSWALD'S Connection with the Agency. L REFERENCE Memorandum of Conversation, Dan Rather/Les Midgety and the DCI, Date 6 September 1975 1. The referent memorandum contains two points which require comments. The first point concerns allegations that were made shortly after the assassination of President Kennedy and that have crept up every-to-often since then in one form or another, the allegations are in the SWALD or another. The allegations so are- that Lee Harvey is totally connected with the agency- The allegations are totally unfunded. 2. The facts regarding 1963 was instructed: a. On 27 November 1963 was introduced by M.M.C.A.C ., President Kennedy, and the Secretary of State, to make a thorough, immediate superior at that time, to to determine whether Lee Harvey was at Headquarters used by the Agency or been connected with it in any conceivable way. He ordered me to make the checks conceivable ways. He orordered me to meet the checks to accept statements of the degree possible possible in not. plained that he was following instructions from Mr. R. Helms, who was the DDP and served as one of the Agencies, key contact officials with the Warren Commission. b. Although I had already checked the Main Index of the night of the assassination, I fechecked the MainIndex and found no record beyond that which I had Already obtained before (plus those that which had been integrated into the records system since which had had been Integrated into the record system records which indicated any Agency connection with OSWALD. JFK ACT 1188-1000 01/1-9-99 Document Number RELEASE RELEASE For FOIA Review on NOV 1976 RECORD COPY CONFIDENTIAL 18 Lp75

**Memorandum for Chief-CI-Staife-1858**

Subject: C. Allegations of Lee Harvey Oswald's Connection with the Agency.

The memorandum contains two points that require comments. The first point concerns allegations made shortly after the assassination of President Kennedy and have crept up every now and then since then in one form or another, alleging that Lee Harvey Oswald was connected with the agency. These allegations are unfounded.

**Investigation into Oswald's Connection with the Agency**

The facts regarding 1963 were instructed:

a. On November 27, 1963, President Kennedy ordered me to make a thorough investigation to determine whether Lee Harvey Oswald had any connection whatsoever with the agency.
b. Although I had already checked the Main Index of the night of the assassination, I re-checked and found no record beyond that which I had already obtained before (plus those that had been integrated into the records system since then) indicating any agency connection with Oswald.

**Checks Conducted**

The next component I checked was DCD. There was no record in their Headquarters files. Arrangements were made for me to check telephonically with their MDC, and the chiefs of the bases searched their records and spoke with their officers. I was then advised by each of the chiefs and their designs individually that there had been no contact with Oswald.

**Office of Security**

Through the Security-Researcher(s) (GRs) of the Office of Security, I had the security files checked. There was no record or indication that any other US Government agency had used him as a source or had considered him for recruitment.

**Records Regarding Oswald Before the Assassination**

The second point in the referent memorandum concerns the papers that were available at Headquarters on Oswald before the day of the assassination. Specifically, there were five documents that had been sent to the Agency before the assassination: two by the Department of State, one by the US Navy, and two by the FBI.

**Meeting with Dan Rather and Les Midgley**

On September 3, 1975, Mr. Rather said that CBS is working up a series of programs entitled "The Assassinations," dealing with the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Rev. King, and the attempt on Gov. Wallace. He mentioned that they are particularly concerned about having the facts right, especially regarding the Soviet Union.

**Discussion with Mr. Midgley**

Mr. Midgley referred to the fact that some additional information is coming out from the FBI, and I pointed out that the Rockefeller Commission had not had a charter to look into the FBI. We discussed Allen Dulles' comments about whether an intelligence agent could ever be exposed.

**No Indication of CIA Connection with Oswald**

I explained that there was no indication of any CIA connection with Oswald, and that the agency's only records of Oswald came from our efforts to monitor his visits to assassins in Mexico City. I also mentioned that Howard Hunt visited Mexico at the time Oswald was there, but that it was a different individual than Oswald interviewed.

**Assurance**

I ended by saying I was prepared to give these answers under oath, based on my knowledge of the matter, and assured Mr. Midgley that anything else that arose which would cast doubt on my statements would be brought to his attention.

RFK Declassified Files

00277749_memo_allegations_of_lee_h_104-10518-10322.pdf

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